Dear Diary...

I worked about 3 hours yesterday and photographed my thrifting pile from Monday.  I have 37 items completely ready to list, and got 5 up online.  Sold one shirt for $17.50....not great, but I'll take it.  We've knocked the lid off of July.

Here is a sample of what is coming to my store soon!


Brooks Brothers vintage tie...

Banana Cabana Camp Shirt with vintage trucks and palm trees on it...

More to come as the week progresses.

Golf Shirt Tuesday..

Golf Shirt Tuesday...

Here's a fun one. This is a brand I don't normally sell, Greg Norman. I, personally, LOVE his shirts. But, they don't do as well on eBay....under $20 on the average and tend to sit awhile. This particular shirt, though, I had to have. I debated keeping it for myself, but knew it would sell for higher than average. Why? It's pattern! Sometimes you just know.

I listed it and within 24 hours it had half a dozen views and a watcher. The next day, a couple watchers. Then, 3. I had it listed at $22.50 and BO of $17ish, but no one pulled the trigger. I kept peeking in on it for a couple of days, knowing it would eventually pop. Usually, when an item picks up views AND watchers quickly, it is a good sign it will sell. But, I was a bit confused at why someone wouldn't pull the trigger at $22.50 or below? "C'mon, people....it's priced to sell," I would think to myself. Yet 4-5 days in and.........nothing.

Here's the trick. With 3-4 watchers building that quickly, I KNEW it would sell. So, I RAISED the price. Too many people think the answer is to lower the price. Raising it also produces activity. I don't think any of the current watchers were serious; I wasn't after them. I wanted someone knew that wouldn't see that I had changed the price.......or I wanted someone on the fence to panic and pull the trigger thinking, "Oh no, the price is going UP....not down. I'd better grab it before this guy gets too greedy."

I raised the price to $24.95, I think, with an offer at $20. Boing! Within 24 hours, it sold to someone in the middle at $22.00ish. I got what I was originally asking, but they still got a deal because it was under what they saw me asking, if that makes sense. It was a quick sale on a slow selling shirt because it was a great pattern AND because sometimes raising your prices triggers movement, too. Give that a try on some stale items with watchers.

Bought for $2.50....sold for $22+.  

The Big MO!

Thought I'd put up a thought...

People like to debate flipping vs buying and holding.  I'm always on the prowl for the middle.  But, I would like to say something to those that are just beginning the search for their selling style.

Buying and holding requires a bit of patience.  It is like a farmer planting seeds.  They aren't ready for harvest immediately very often.  And, the more seeds you plant, the bigger your harvest when it comes to season.

Most get excited about selling on eBay, do a bunch of work photographing and listing, then proceed to sit and watch their listings like watching a telephone when you just went on a date with a woman out of your league.  A lot of folks get impatient and begin a downward spiral of self-doubt when items don't sell for the prices they see others sell for.  These folks often become flippers (not anything wrong with the style) because they don't like the waiting.  Let me give you one tidbit that may help get you over that hump.

You need more listings.  You need to build momentum!  If selling for higher prices, you need a bit of patience to let time take over and harvest your seedlings.  'Tis true that the more you list, the more you sell.  But, once the momentum starts the reaping process, it doesn't stop for awhile, either.  This is the phase you desire.  This is when your business starts to get consistent.

It may be a slower trickle of sales, but it builds.  You start selling an item every few days.  You keep building your momentum (planting your seeds), and you start realizing a sale a day.  Then, two a day.......and onward as you list more and build.  The beauty is you take awhile off from listing and your sales continue.  The momentum keeps rolling like a big snowball down a hill.  Yes, you have to add to it to make it grow/speed up, but the proverbial ball will continue to roll.

In my opinion, this is where I want to be.  I don't want the pressure to list 20 things to create income.  I don't want the pressure to buy more inventory because I have nothing to offer.  

I would rather have a campfire going and only need to add a few logs to keep it going instead of having to continually babysit said fire hoping it never gets blown out.  I can always add more logs and build a bigger fire.  What I can't do is give the energy to keep starting over with a pile of wood and a flint rock.

As I draw my half dozen analogies to a close, I hope you can see where I'm ultimately coming from.  Patience.  Building on faith.  Knowing that you just need to see the start of the momentum to excite you to keep going.

I see too many give up short of realizing the momentum.  If you like to flip your items, by all means flip them.  But, if you are the type that likes a buy and hold strategy...............by all means, buy and hold.  Don't change your mind half way through.  Stick it out and realize you just have to give your seedlings time to sprout, and it takes time to get those seedlings to harvest.  But, when you start to reap, you continue reaping.  The choice is yours.