Monday, May 20, 2013

May Checkpoint..

Just a "stat update" here.  I tend to set goals for myself and try and hit them....something I learned from a shorter career in sales about a decade ago.  But, the theory has served me well by teaching me to keep stretching to keep myself pushing a little harder at whatever it is I'm trying to accomplish.

My original goal with reselling on eBay was "just sell something."  Once I did that, I moved onto "a sale a week."  After that, "a sale a day, or 30 in a month."  I hit that in about March, after beginning this adventure in late November.  I've slowly pushed past "a sale a day" to a little more, but not quite 2 per day....my next goal.

Well, May just might be the month after a slow April.  (And, April was my fault to be honest.)  I started off with a big inventory grab and a big listing push.  It's paying off.  Where do I stand now?

May 20th, I'm sitting on 55 items sold....gross sales of $1074.  That's just under $20 per item.  I would like to be above that, but I'm also purging some dead inventory right now, so that gross ring is going to be low.  It looks good to finish the month strong and surpass 60 in May.

Now, to get a picture of where things "could" be heading, I looked back at the past 31 days.  Since April 22nd, I have sold 73 items for a gross ring of $1408.

Nothing prophetic to say.  Sadly, more is possible.  I don't know how far I can take this, but the profit margin is there and things continue to grow quickly.  I wonder where my personal limit is for how much time I can invest.  But, I can tell you there' more I can give.  It'll be interesting to find the ceiling and look back at the numbers.  And all this from 0 sales and $0 in November....

Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday Sold!!

Good weekend.  Sold 10 items, 2 internationally (Germany and Mexico).  Here are a few of them...

Bought for $3, sold for $25...C/B shirt

Bought full price for $11 (see backstory below), sold for $30.50... STL mug

Bought for $3, sold for $25 (this was bought, never paid for, and sold again...so sold twice, technically)... Rainbow Polo


So, the backstory behind the mugs....  Starbucks does collectible "city" mugs.  If your city has many Starbucks floating around, especially in malls, you may be able to find these on the shelf.  The Global Icon Collection of mugs is being replace by the You Are Here Collection.  These were released on May 1st.  I happened to notice this on pure accident when in a Starbucks.  I bought a couple and figured I'd be first one online to list them for St. Louis.  I was.  I also wanted to set the market by using the auction format and see if I couldn't spark a bidding war.  Nothing like the old days of Tickle Me Elmo, but I sort of did.  Now, I know what they sell for.  I know they sell for profit.  I can now go into Starbucks and grab a mug to sell worldwide for quite awhile.  Collectors can't all get to St. Louis just to buy a mug.  Odds are your city falls into this situation, too.  Go buy a few and see what they sell for before someone else in your city does.  Every $10 profit is $10 you didn't have.  And, once you have the listing put together, the work is completely done.....just grab a mug, change your quantity listing in eBay, and ship the one that sells out.

But, here is what the old mugs are starting to go for as people are realizing they are going out of print....

Bought for $10, sold for $40 each to the same buyer.... Global Icon STL

Can you say "cha-CHING?"  I knew you could.  (Old SNL Dana Carvey, Church Lady joke there...couldn't resist.)

Make it a great week!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Hope Motivates!


Maybe a useless Facebook post.  But, I thought I'd share anyway...



I see a lot of people talk about needing to make extra money.  I think a lot of people around the country/world are in this same situation.  But, the solution is pretty simple.  If you struggle with work ethic and motivation.......find something that gives you HOPE.  

For me, it's playing with numbers.  I can calculate my profit on items I sell and learn how many I need to list to sell a certain number per month, per week, per day, etc.  It's simple math.  But, when I start looking at the numbers, I realize the ridiculously small amount of effort it takes to push just a little harder.  You can honestly build your business as big as you want to.

The beauty is YOU control YOU from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed.  And, playing with the numbers and pushing just a little harder can demonstrate on paper just how much of your dreams you can realize.....and in how much time.

I encourage you, if you are struggling with hope, to break down some numbers on paper, pin them on your computer/work station/bathroom mirror/anywhere you will receive a constant reminder of how simple it is to list 5 things a day, or 10, or even 1....whatever it takes to get to your goal of $5000/mo or maybe just 1 sale a week.  They are YOUR dreams....none are too big nor too small.

And use that excitement you find to attack your goals head-on today.  For that excitement you feel inside.......is hope.  And, it motivates you when channeled properly.

Now, GO GET EM!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Sold on Monday!

Haven't shown any solds in awhile.  But, I have two tips for you this week....

1- "May the 4th Be With You" is a real thing among Star Wars fans.  And, it's lucrative, too.  Bought this t-shirt for $2, and sold it for... $20
Yoda T shirt

2- Brooks Brothers sells!  I buy every tie I can find in a thrift store.  I have yet to pay more than $2 for one.  They sell fast.  This particular one has a vintage label (older than 20 yrs) and went within 2hrs of being up for sale.  Sold for $20.
Vtg Brooks Brothers Tie

The fun to this "hobby" is what you find when you are out looking.

Oh, and since I haven't mentioned it, last month was pretty good.  Sold 45 items, Gross sales of $943.90, Net profit of $660.  Not bad for a "hobby."

Friday, May 3, 2013

Jeans, jeans, and more jeans..

Hit the jackpot at a thrift store tonight.  Was on the way home from dinner and noticed in the lighted window that there were new racks of clothing sitting on the sales floor.  Had to stop in and look through the racks before they were distributed.  All racks were duds.....very rare.

Kids were behaving and wife was looking around for herself.  So, I cruised the women's clothing looking for some fashionable summer tops.  Found a couple of things.  But, that went fast, so I cruised over to the jeans.

JACKPOT!!  Found 5 pair of Lucky Brand.  And, 1 super nice pair of Citizens of Humanity.  Got home and looked them up.  Here is what I discovered....

I paid $4 per pair.....total investment $24.

Citizens jeans will sell for $30 on the low end, $75 on the high end.
Lucky's will sell for $20 on the low end, $45 on the high end.

Profit after fees will be $75 on the low end, $207 on the high end.

Not bad for 30 minutes of work.

And, I didn't even tell you that the other two tops I found in the women's section were a Giorgio Armani sleeveless top that should bring about $50 and a Tommy Bahama top that should bring over $25.

I'll take between $150 and $275 all day long!