She Thrifts

Thrift. Flip. Repeat.

My best auction ever

by 7 Comments

I’ve started dabbling in auctions.  In part just to mix things up, in part because I get 500 free every month and I hate to see them entirely go to waste.  A couple weeks ago I pulled a tote of unlisted inventory out of my garage.  I was pleasantly surprised to find some really good items in it.  One was a vintage Cabbage Patch doll.  I don’t know a lot about CPK, but I do know that the soft sculpture (cloth face) dolls sell for the most.  I have sold two in the past, for around $75-$100/ea.  In the tote I found this doll:

I bought her and another soft sculpture CPK at the same time from a FB kids sales site.  I paid $10 for the other doll, and sold it back in September, 2015.  It was in excellent condition.  This one I only paid $5 for.  It was still in nice condition, but had some marks/spots on it, so I procrastinated listing it … for TWO YEARS.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, I listed it at 7-day auction for $49.95.  A minute after listing I got an e-mail inquiry asking if I would add a BIN price.  Less than a minute after that the listing got its first bid.  At first I was a bit both confused and slightly irritated wondering why they bid if they wanted me to add a BIN?  Then I realized it was someone else who had bid.  Within a couple minutes I had four watchers.  Ten minutes after that it was up to 11 watchers.  I got several more inquiries about adding a BIN price and one outright asking me to cancel the auction and sell it to them for $250.

I’ve never had an auction with so much interest before.  I decided to let it ride.


The most watchers I saw was 65.  It ended with 879 views.  With one minute to go it was at $202, but it had a bunch of (literal) last minute bids, and ended at $427.18.

The gal who bought her e-mailed me immediately, she was SUPER excited!  We traded several e-mails over the past few days.  My impression from her is that doll was more sought after than some others because of the hair color and year of production.

And I just got the note below:

Hi Kari, My super cute baby just arrived safe and sound. I love her. I do want to name her Kari Lynn if you don’t mind. We are going to Georgia the end of August. We will only be one hour from BabyLand, so I will take her to bathcamp. I’m a little afraid to try and clean her myself. You can be sure she will have a good loving home. Thank you. Please have a good day. Best Always, xxx

Love the good flip, but also love that the buyer is so happy to have her.  ♥

Favorite Flips Friday, 5/5/17

by 1 Comment

My sales haven’t been overly exciting this week.  Here are a few of my better or more interesting ones.

NEW Robert Taylor Wings of War Puzzle
Paid: $2.50 @ consignment sale, BO Accepted: $35.00 (listed since May, 2016)

I love this cribbage board!  The buyer was excited to add it to his cribbage board collection.


3-D Airplane Cribbage Board
Paid: $3.99 @ VV, BO Accepted: $40.00 (listed since May, 2016)


Monkey Bone Plush
Paid: $2.99 @ VV, BO Accepted: $29.95 (listed since May, 2016)

I picked this up at a yard sale two summers ago because I thought it was interesting.  And it has sat and sat and sat.  And then it sold this morning out of the blue at full price.


VTG 1963 Pacific Title Insurance Co Rates Plaque
Paid: ? @ ys, Sold: $19.95 (listed since August, 2015)

I was at a thrift a couple months ago, and made a second detour through the plush/toy area just before leaving only to discover boxes and boxes and boxes of older Barbie items had just been put out.  I looked them all up, and this was the only one worth snagging.

  NEW Krissy Swing ‘n Play!
Paid: $4.19 @ VV, Sold on sale: $54.05 (listed since March, 2017)

I am dreading the possible summer slow-down, since sales aren’t amazing as it is.  How are sales for you?

BOLO ~ Julia (Sesame Street)

by 5 Comments

Sesame Street has a new character.  Her name is Julia, and she has autism.  A very limited number of Julia books and plush have been released.  My understanding is that they have all been given out as gifts/prizes, and have not been sold.  If you’re lucky enough to find one now, snap it up!  Check out completeds HERE.

***In the future I am sure there will be a mainstream store release of Julia items, at which time the value will go down dramatically.  I would always recommend looking up “BOLOs” before purchasing, to determine the current value.***

Happy hunting!

Favorite Flips Friday, 4/28/17

by 1 Comment

Here are a few of my flips from the past couple weeks.  Nothing major, just slow and steady.

I always like to start with plush.  I have another just like this pup that I picked up at the same time, only it is black and brown.

Kellytoy 29″ Floppy Plush Dog
Paid: $3.99 @ VV, Sold: $34.95 (month after listed)

This plush has been listed for awhile.  I got several inquiries about it, and every one of them was international, which I found interesting.

Boo Boo 1985 Applause Sheep Plush
Paid: $0.25 @ ys, BO: $25 + shipping to Canada (listed since July, 2016)


All three of the blankets above were sold when I was running a sale, for $22.45/each.

My best recent costume sale:


Suicide Squad Killer Croc Teen Costume
Paid: $2.49 @ Wal-Mart, Sold (on sale): $37.15 (listed since December, 2016)

A few clothing sales:

This dress is so pretty.  I got a really nice note from the buyer.


Betsy & Adam White Dress
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (listed since January, 2017)

I picked up three of these last year, NWT.  The first two sold long ago, the last one *finally* sold.


NWT Tracy Negoshian Sunbathers Dress
Paid: $3 @ TJ Maxx, Sold (on sale): $26.95 (listed since February, 2016)


Ralph Lauren Crest Blazer
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold (on 7-day auction): $30.95

And other random sales:

Fossil Crossbody Shoulder Bag
Paid: $0.50 @ ys, Sold: $29.95 (listed since November, 2016)

I had a couple totes of vintage Little People that I had been collecting for awhile.  In January I separated them all out into lots to list, and they have been selling here and there since.

5 Chunky Vintage Little People
Sold: $16.95

The same person bought both lots below:

8 Vintage Wooden Figures / Farm Lot
Sold: $44.90

If you have a fun or exciting flip, I would love to hear about it!

Favorite Flips Friday, 4/14/17

by 1 Comment

Here are a few of my sales from the past couple weeks.

As always, I love to sell loveys!

Baby Gund Sprinkles lovey set
Paid: $2.99 @ VV, Sold: $34.95 (8 days after listed)

I thought this pig was super cute.


People Pals Pig Plush
Paid: $2.99 @ GW, Sold: $24.95 (a month after listed)


Circo Chevron Elephant Blanket
Paid: $1.79 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (one month after listed)


Cutie Pie Truck Blanket
Paid: $2.99 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (listed since June, 2016)

I really liked the design of the blanket below!


Circo Cloud Blanket
Paid: $2.09 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (two weeks after listed)

I still sell costumes fairly consistently.


Kaos Skylanders Costume
Paid: $1.99 @ Wal-Mart, Sold: $24.95 (listed since 2015)


Katana Suicide Squad Costume
Paid: $2.49 @ Walmart, Sold: $29.95 (listed since December, 2016)

And clothes.  Never my favorite, but still a consistent addition to the bottom line.

I really liked the dress below.  I was hoping it would sell high, but no such luck.  I sold a motorcycle dress of the same style last month for more, and a bit faster.


Chevrolet Wrap Dress
Paid: $2 @ VV, BO Accepted: $20 (sold two months after listed)


Cherokee 5X Scrubs Lot
Paid: $6 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (8 days after listed)

A couple s-l-o-w sales


Kristen Blake Green Coat
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $34.95 (a year after listed)


London Fog Coat
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $34.95 (a year after listed)


St. John Brown Pants
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $33 (on 7 day auction)

I love these hats.  I bought about 15 of them last year (in both tan and blue).  I paid 75¢ each, and have sold them for $19.95 each.  The tan ones sold quickly.  I’ve sold three of the blue hats in the last couple weeks, and only have one left.

NWT Columbia Blue Olympics Cap
Paid: $0.75, Sold: $19.95

And a couple random sales.

The Lego figures below were in a bag I picked up at a thrift.
I gave some of the Legos to my boys, and sold these.


Series 3 Lego Figures
Paid: $2.44 @ VV, Sold: $24.95 (5 days after listed)

These were listed for-ev-er!

  
NEW 6 packages 3.5″ x 5″ photo album pages
Paid: $5.94 @ VV, Best Offer Accepted: $35.00 (listed since 2015)

As you can see, not everything I sell is a quick flip.  I’d rather not hang on to things indefinitely, but it does seem like everything will sell . . . eventually.

Favorite Flips Friday, 3/17/17

by 2 Comments

I missed last week, so here are some of my favorite sales from the past two weeks.

Isn’t this bear random?  The only reason it even caught my eye is that it was still NWT.  I looked it up, and was surprised to find that there were none currently listed, and the couple that had been listed recently both sold.

NWT Nanco 19″ Teddy Bear Donut Plush
Paid: $1.99 @ GW, Sold: $24.95 (8 days after listed)

A new Goodwill opened across town recently, and I had just a few minutes between my boys’ basketball games one Saturday last month, so we stopped in quickly.  We found a bunch of NWT Disney Store plush that had been purchased in Japan (the prices were listed in yen).  The three characters below are all connected.

Donald, Pluto, Goofy Plush
Paid: $2.99 @ GW, Sold: $29.95 (sold month after listed)

Clothes are never my favorite, but a few days ago my phone briefly went crazy.  Someone purchased all four of the below items all at once.  I wish that happened more often!

 

NWT Black Gap Skinny Jeans
NWOT Cabi Linen Pants
NWT Ann Taylor Pants
Ann Taylor Skirt
Paid: $8 @ VV, Sold: $91.80

I’m still selling costumes every month.


Darth Vader Women’s Costume
Paid: $2.99 @ Walmart, Sold: $29.95 (listed since January, 2017)

I had this set of Sesame Street books listed for several months.  I ended the listing, did “sell as similar” adding Best Offer, and they sold a few days later at full price.  I actually have another identical set in my office I now need to get listed.

The Sesame Street Library
Paid: around $10? @ ys, Sold: $59.95 (listed since September, 2016)

Same with this one.  It had been listed for months, I ended the listing and used “sell similar” and added Best Offer.  It sold the next day for full price.

Medium Flat Rate Box of Bottle Caps
Sold: $39.95 (listed since September, 2016)

 
Cutie Pie Cars Blanket
Paid: $1.79 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (less than a month later)

I paid more for this blanket that I generally prefer (and thought about leaving it until an upcoming 50% off day), but decided after looking at completeds that it looked like a good bet.  And it was.  (Little Miracles is a Costco brand, and one of my favorites to resell.)


Little Miracles Monkey Blanket
Paid: $3.99 @ VV, Sold: $34.95 (day after listed)

This horse was stuffed in a bag with several other plush.  I could see the Folkmanis tag, but other than that I could just see black, I couldn’t even tell what it was.  Turned out to be a good gamble.


Folkmanis Black Horse Puppet
Paid: $1.59 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (day after listed)

If you’ve had a fun recent sale you would like to share, I would love to hear about it!

Favorite Flips Friday, 3/3/17

by 5 Comments

Here are a few of my favorite sales from the past week.

Aren’t these perfect for St. Patrick’s Day?!  They had a number of watchers before they finally sold.

NWT Talbots Green Pants
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $19.95 (in less than a month)

These are the CAbi pants that the second gal who contacted me was having an issue purchasing.  Apparently something got fixed(?) because when she tried again it worked.  CAbi can be slow to sell, but I can often find it NWT on clearance day at my favorite thrift, which makes it hard to leave behind.

NWT CAbi Gray Linen Pants
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $24.95 (listed since March 2016)

I picked up a box full of Build-A-Bear clothes for $15 at a yard sale last summer.  My boys both have a plush that they made at the BABW store, and every year each of their plush get a new outfit for Christmas.  So I picked out what I wanted to hide away for them, and listed the rest.

BABW Nascar Outfit
Paid: $1.50(ish) @ ys, Sold: $17.95 (listed since November, 2016)

I think this is the last Ikea plush I have in my inventory.  It was a slow seller.

Ikea Plush Deer
Paid: $2.99 @ VV, Sold: $19.95 (listed since February, 2016)

Here is one of the plush I asked for help in IDing, and so many of you knew what it was!  (Thanks again!!)  I bought them both off a FB site, and both have already sold.

Jellycat Chi Chi Chinese Crested Dog Plush
Paid: $3.50/each on FB sale site
Plush # 1 Sold: $24.95 (5 days after listing)
Plush # 2 Sold: $26.95 (21 days after listing)


Talking Captain America Plush
Paid: $1.49 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (listed since January, 2017)

   Dave & Busters Bulldog Plush
Paid: $3.99 @ VV, Sold: $39.95 (13 days after listed)

Sell anything fun this week?  I’d love to hear about it!

Favorite Flips Friday, 2/24/17

by Leave a Comment

This week was pretty ho-hum, but here are a few things that headed out the door this week:

Winnie the Pooh & Friends bean bag plush are everywhere, come with more themes/designs than I could begin to list, and generally don’t sell for much.  Christopher Robin can be an exception.

NWT Christopher Robin Bean Bag Plush
Paid: $1.99 @ GW, Sold: $22.95 (18 days after listed)

More Folkmanis.  I know I’ve said it before, but I love these.  Not all are worth $$ though, so I always look them up.  Also, as you’ll see below, they’re not all super fast flips like the one I shared last week.

Folkmanis Jack Russell Terrier Puppet
Paid: $1.39 @ VV, Sold: $24.95 (listed since May, 2016)

Another slow to sell.  I got some low offers right out of the gate (and I didn’t even have BO on it), but I waited for the price I wanted.

NWT Huey & Louie Disney Store Plush
Paid: $2 @ church rummage sale, Sold: $29.95 (listed since March, 2016)

Plush are my favorite, but less reliable.  Clothes keep the money coming in more consistently.

NWT J Jill 100% Linen Black Dress
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (within a week or so of listing)

NWT Brooks Brothers Linen Skirt Suit
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $49.95 (listed since October, 2016)

   Green With Envy Black Jacket
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $39.95 (listed since June, 2016)

I got the following e-mail from the buyer of the above jacket this afternoon:

JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY I AM!!!! THANK YOU, IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THAT COAT FOR A WHILE, I HAVE IT IN OLIVE AND ITS MY FAVORITE COAT. SO HAPPY. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. LEFT 5 STAR FEEDBACK BECAUSE OF THE GIGANTIC SMILE ON MY FACE! WEARING IT NOW. THANKS AGAIN!!!!

Yay for happy buyers!  It’s fun to know you’ve made someone’s day brighter.

Possible BOLO ~ Denim Victoria’s Secret Dog

by 4 Comments

When I first started selling on eBay I sold a number of Victoria’s Secret plush dogs.  Maybe they were worth more then?  Maybe it was just something that was easy for me to recognize, so I would always buy them?  It’s been ages since I’ve picked any up.  I found some on clearance at my favorite thrift this week, and looked them up.  Even on clearance they weren’t worth flipping, so I left them behind.

But as I did a little research it did catch my eye that the denim plush dog could be worth picking up.

Check out completeds HERE.

Favorite 5+ Friday, 2/17/17

by Leave a Comment

Here are some of my favorite sales of the past week.

I feel like I have to include clothing in this list because it is something I sell regularly, although it’s not my *favorite* thing to sell.  I thought this jacket was really cute though, great for spring or Easter.

Ann Taylor LOFT jacket
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $24.95 (listed since Dec)

Build a Bear can still be one of my weaknesses.  I love picking up the outfits, but they’re often not worth the amount of time I put into listing them.  This is probably my best BABW sale recently.

Build-A-Bear Merida (Brave) Outfit
Paid: $3 @ ys, Sold: $24.95 (listed since June)

I was super excited about these when I picked them up!  I couldn’t believe someone was selling their P&P collection, obviously some effort was spent in collecting them and all the books looked/felt new.  I knew it wouldn’t be a super fast flip, but I hope the person who receives them loves them!

Pride & Prejudice PBK Book Lot
Paid: $3 total @ ys, Sold: $34.95 (listed since June)

Costumes sell all year long!

Suicide Squad Katana Teen Costume
Paid: $2.49 @ Walmart, Sold: $29.95 (listed since Dec)

This sale is most notable because someone from Germany purchased it.  I shipped it directly to him, not via GSP, but shipping was still pretty spendy.

NWT Puma Plush
Paid: $3.99 @ GW, Sold: $34.95 + international shipping (listed since Dec)

The last two items I listed two days ago, and both sold within hours!


Folkmanis Llama Puppet
Paid: $3.59 @ VV, Sold: $34.95 (less than 2 hours later)

And the frog below currently has a 100% sell-through rate, which is kinda crazy.  I listed it Wed night, it had sold by Thurs morning.  Check out completeds here.


Natural Wonders Big Frog Plush
Paid: $2.69 @ VV, Sold: $39.95 (morning after listed)

I’d love to hear about your favorite sale(s) of the week!