Last night was a blast thanks to Goodwill.  NCAA tourney time, and I have a church group I belong to with a bunch of social men.  Goes without saying we talk about brackets and colleges this time of year.  I'm a HUGE Jayhawk guy, since I went to school at KU, but they didn't play last night.  I have Louisville winning it all in my bracket, and as I was cruising my GW I look down and see a Louisville polo shirt in my size!  LOL....I pay the $3 and wear it to my meeting.  I'll wear my KU stuff tonight when they play.  I have picked up polos with all sorts of colleges on them from many of the major conference schools....and they sell well.

My new definition of "one and done" is buying the shirt I want to wear for whatever reason, washing it, and listing it for sale.  For non-sporting people, this time of year would be a great time to go through your NCAA logo golf shirts, if you sell them, and see who is supposed to do well.....and maybe put that in your listing somewhere.  But, the Masters golf tournament is also really close.  If you have any of those shirts lying in bins, I'd get them online in a hurry, too.

That was fun for conversation last night, and I would have never done it w/o eBay selling or my GW.  And, it was great for conversation on top of it all.  Maybe that's what people mean by "have fun with reselling....."

Month to Date..

Not bad so far.  Best month yet.  I surpassed my "baby goal" of selling one item per day on the 15th when I sold my 31st item.  I am pushing for 2 per day now.  I, however, am stuck at 36 on the 19th.  I'm falling a bit off the pace due to lack of listing time last week and unexpected slow sales over the weekend.  The past two Saturdays, I sold 7 and 8 items, respectively.

Here are a couple of the fun ones, though...

Brooks Brothers dress shirt bought for $3 and sold for $40...

Tommy Bahama silk shirt bought for $3 and sold for $36...

This is a very simplistic hobby with a low barrier to entry.  I have grossed $870 in sales in the first 19 days of the month.  My 60 day total is running well over $2k right now.

Sunday's Tip: Shipping system

I have found a simple, streamlined concept for getting items ready to ship.  I do this early in my listing process.

After I photo an item, I put it in a clear baggie and put my "thank you" sticker on it.  I number it and put it in my bin.  

Now, after I list the item, it just sits in the bin until it sells.  Once it sells, all I have to do is run downstairs, pull the item from the bin, put it in a poly mailer and print the label to ship.  The last part of the process is now the fastest.  This makes selling more fun because I hear my phone alert and know I can have the item in the mail in less than 5 minutes.  It would be a lot less rewarding if I had to go through all the bagging and printing and labeling after the sale.  In my opinion, it would become tedious and dreadful.....making the hobby far less fun.

Quick Math

I ran to my most hated store (Savers) today because I had a 40% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket.  I found a NWT LaCoste polo for $13 and the spree was on.  I decided since I was going to commit to using the coupon, I was going to burn the place down when I left.  Came out with 2 Brooks Brothers shirts, a Hugo Boss, 4 Nike Dri Fits, 3 Adidas (all 2xl), 3 Ping golf shirts, and a Callaway.  I looked at the price tag and it was a little much for me to take on (I was a little freaked by the fact Savers sells for $7 and $10 when my GW sells for $3 and $6).  So, I decided I didn't need absolutely everything and cherry picked my own pile.  As my "final decision," I walked with the LaCoste NWT (duh), 1 Brooks Bros, the Callaway, 3 of the Nikes, and 2 of the Adidas.....for $39. 

Here's the thing, though, for the newer guys.  I used the eBay calculator to calculate my profits....conservatively.  That 30 minutes and $39 turned into $141.50 pure profit after fees. Those 8 items are close enough alike it won't take me but 10 minutes per to list them.  30 minutes + 80 minutes = 110 minutes. $141.50 for 110 minutes is just over $70/hr.  You simply MUST think like this when you are working.....not the $5/hr mindset you get from checking FB and poking on eBay all afternoon.  You cannot keep up the pace of $70/hr across town day in and day out most likely, but you sure as heck can beat $5-$10 per hour. 

Have a great weekend, all!

Friday Sold!

Had a great weekend this week.  Sold 8 things on Saturday alone.  Here are some of the better ones.

Bought for $.50....Sold internationally for $35.  Marvin mug

Bought for $4....Sold for $35.  7 FAM jeans

I love collecting golf course logo polo shirts.  Bought for $3....Sold for $35.  Pebble Beach Polo

And, Barney lives!  Bought for $3...Sold for $30.  Talking Barney

A hodge podge of things always, but I tend to stick with clothing, coffee mugs, and stuffed animals.  Never know what you'll find!

A link to my eBay store where you will find an ever-growing mixture of collectibles and clothing.  My eBay Store!

What I Look For: Golf Shirts

I am a HUGE golf fan.  Have been since I was 5ish years old.  I may be the only person you know that begged his parents for a subscription to Golf Digest magazine at the age of 9.  I used to watch every tournament on tv every weekend.  Why do I bother telling you this?  Because I sell golf shirts I find at thrift stores.

These simple shirts are a staple in most men's wardrobes.  Lots of men wear them to work, play, or just cruise the house on a Saturday.  Polo shirts look nice under a sportcoat or with a nice pair of bermuda shorts.  Heck, they even look good with blue jeans.  They are worn by almost everyone everywhere.

That said, they are NOT created equal.  There are materials, brand names, plackets, open and closed sleeves, logos, and extended tails.  There are simply too many style choices to cover in this short blog entry.  However, here is an easy way to spot one in a thrift store that has a decent shot at reselling for a profit.

1) Condition.  Is the collar frayed?  Is it missing buttons?  Are the button holes stretched out?  Does the shirt collar have that annoying crease in it that you can't iron out no matter how hard you try?  If the answer is "no" to these, you may have a winner.

2) Brand.  Brand names sell!  Polo by Ralph Lauren will likely never go out of style.  However, many brands fluctuate in popularity.  As of 2013, Nike, LaCoste, Under Armour, Adidas, Cutter & Buck, Ashworth, Tommy Bahama, and Hugo Boss name a few that practically sell by themselves.  And, you can actually afford to gamble a bit with the condition of the shirt if you find one of these.  On the contrary, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Eddie Bauer, American Eagle, and even Banana Republic look to be more difficult to sell these days unless you group them together in "lots."

3) Point of interest.  Here is where the rubber meets the road.  What does your shirt bring to the table?  What will catch the buyer's eye?  The logo.  Business men travel.  And, most play golf.....some when they travel.  This is your chance to offer them that shirt they didn't buy when they were in Wherever, USA.  Commemorative shirts and famous golf courses sell VERY well.  Iconic places like St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Augusta National, and former US Open sites do very well.  Your rinky-dink, small-town country club likely won't.  However, that doesn't mean you give up on it.  Is the logo really neat looking?  Men tell stories, too.  If you can tell the buyer where that golf course is located, he may buy it and tell his buddies he played there once.  You just never know.  Things I notice don't sell too well:  Big, obtrusive logos that most people won't recognize haven't done well.  Also, beer and liquor logos have failed for some reason.

Those are the main points to consider from my experience.  If you see a golf shirt that meets these criteria in a thrift shop, you can likely sell it for a decent little profit.

Sunday's Tip: Listing Activity

I haven't been doing this long, but I have learned a few things along the way.  Finding the right prices on items is important.  Learning how to ship items efficiently is important.  Researching your competition is important.  Reading and studying your hobby/craft is important.  I could go on.

This Sunday, though, I'm choosing to talk a little about your listing activity.  If you look into reselling thrifted items on eBay, you will realize you need to carry an inventory.  How much?  Well, that depends entirely on your individual goals.  I've seen some carry only 50 items.  I've seen others carry over 1,000 items.  I am currently around 250.

Building this inventory up cannot happen in one day.  Listing items on eBay takes time.  First, you need to find items and purchase them.  Second, you need to photograph them.  Third, you need to write titles and descriptions.  Maybe then you are ready to put them on eBay.  Technology has made these steps easier, but they still take time.

In my opinion, it would serve you well to establish an activity goal.  Mine is 5 new items per day, or 25 items per week.  After all, we can't possibly work 7 days a week with families and whatnot.  To efficiently list my 5, though, I need to have the items ready to list:  Already photographed and jotted down on a sheet of paper.  I try and keep this list ahead of me, too.  I just looked at my list, and I have 9 items ready to go.  I need to photograph some more tomorrow, and I'll have as many as 30 more to go tomorrow evening.  Someday, I may get to 10 items per day.  But, not before I try 6, then 7, then 8, and so on.  I want to stay excited about the fun I'm having.  And, I want to have free time to spend with my family, too.  I don't want to be a slave to listing items for 8 hours per day.  Sheesh!

I suppose the moral of this "tip" is to set a goal.  Make it reasonable.  Don't sit down one day and decide you need 250 items, buy it all, photograph it all, and try to list it all in one day.  That won't happen, and you will wind up discouraged.  Slow down, and break it up a bit.  Make your goal believable, and work it steadily.

Remember, the Hare didn't win the race......the Tortoise did.

Friday Sold!!

Perhaps my favorite items that sold this week.

Bought for $3, sold for $25...

Listing here:  Mickey Stein


Bought for $2, sold for $15 w/in 2 hours of putting it online...

Brooks Brothers neck tie

Again, bought for $2, sold for $18 w/in 24 hours online...

Harley Davidson Tee

I, obviously, focus on small flips.  But, the barrier to entry is nil and the items move quickly.

Happy Friday!