Logo Watch..

Pine Valley GC in New Jersey is routinely ranked #1 in the state, country, and world.  And, it has been ranked in some form since at least 2003.

Golfers seek out logos on their golf shirts as a form of status symbol.  A lot of us collect them like badges.  Logos can be souvenirs from our travel vacations.  Heck, some of us lie about where we've played.  I don't know the reason everyone collects logos, but they can definitely add value to your typical golf shirt when reselling.

Be aware of the value some of the bigger ones can add.  It's easy to google the "best golf course top 100" or look at the PGA Tour schedule to learn which courses are more popular.  And, of course, google images can show you most of the logos so you can learn.

Sunday Tip: Pricing

Tip on pricing:  (Caveat....it may not be the best way, just my way).  

Many wonder how to price things.  They all go to the completed listings and see most things selling for $20 and think that's all their item is worth.   WRONG!  Follow these steps instead...

-Search the completeds/solds for your listing and organize by "selling priced highest plus shipping."
- Start with the top dollar item that is similar to yours (if not selling in a lot, disregard these results and scan down until you find a single item like yours)
- Look up at the number of listings returned by the search and go down 25% of the way.  For example, if the search returned 100 items, go down to number 75 (25 from the top since you are organized by price from highest to lowest).
- The top dollar number and the 75% number is your "range."  Price your item somewhere in there.

Don't be the guy that comes in at $19 because you saw three things this week sell for $20.  If you are that guy, you are contributing to killing your own market and costing EVERYONE money.  Sure, you may make a quick buck on a sale......but you are setting the new standard for buyers to expect and killing the entire niche for everyone else.

If you took any help from anyone ever, you owe it back to them to keep things in line with what you were taught.  If you continually undercut everyone, you should have been charged all the money you are leaving on the table by the person that shared all the info with you for free.

Just one guy's opinion.......have a great weekend, all.

Sunday Tip..

Patience is a virtue.

I don't know if that famous saying is from Aristotle or if it's perhaps a Chinese Proverb.  What I do know is it's true......and a test.  As I sit here watching the US Open unfold on tv, I remember my more competitive golf days.  When courses are set up this tough, patience is truly a virtue.  You learn to take what the course offers....what your day brings.  You do what you can to set yourself up to the best of your ability for those quality opportunities, but when things don't fall........you just wait it out and grind up another opportunity you will hopefully cash in on.  More championships in sports are lost rather than won.  Remember that when struggles start rearing their ugly heads.

Case and point...........new niches in Ebay.  Try to remember back to when you were brand new.  Heck, you may still be there in your opinion.  I often think I am.  How often did you check to see if something was getting views, watchers, interest?  How often did you listen for that app on your phone to ching?  All the time, right?  But, what was the advice you received when you found groups online that contained the experienced sellers?  List more!  Wait it out!  Do your research and you'll be fine.  Am I right?  This is exactly what you need to remember when you venture into a new niche of selling.

When you leave your comfort zone, you are a brand new rookie in a sense.  Yes, you have experience to draw from.  BUT, you are so anxious to do well that you often revert back to your old newbie self and start staring at the phone....hoping it chings.

As I venture into blue jeans, I see the same thing happening to me.  I am here to tell you to exercise PATIENCE.  You have a little experience.  You know how to construct a title.  You know how to take photos (maybe not perfect, but likely perfectly effective).  You know how to find the correct pricing value.  You just have to build your listings and let the opportunities come to you.

Many run out of patience and start lowering their prices in a panic.  I equate this to the stock market daytraders selling on the dip.  They don't wait it out....trusting their abilities.  Instead, they freak out a bit............and cost themselves money.  Don't take me wrong.  There are times when flipping is fun, or can fill a void in your selling strategies.  But, there needs to be balance in your selling structure for a few higher priced items you are willing to sit a little while on and maximize your profit margin.  And, that requires............PATIENCE.

So, join me and take the fingers off the phone.....off the computer for a minute.  Be the veteran you are and let the opportunity come to you.  Just keep listing and keep setting yourself up like a golfer on a tough course.  The opportunities will come to you.............if you exercise patience.

Hybridized system in the works..

I have hit over 2 sales/day this month....which is great. But,

 honestly, it's still not enough. And, I'm noticing I have to

 really build inventory to accomplish this....which means

 space WILL become an issue to reach my goals.

 BUT.............I am working on a hybridized system right now

 that will be a combination of flipping and sitting for top-

dollar with NO additional work from me. Flipping takes work,

 no doubt there. And, I just don't know if the margin

 provides enough for ME to do so without burning out by the

 end of the year. So, I have to get creative, and I think I've

 found something that may work. I will revisit this when I

 have something to report, but think I'll be rather quiet on

 this subject through June, unless things happen faster than

 I think. So, we'll see. I will be VERY vocal about it when I

 feel confident in the system working.

More on this idea later.

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 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!

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!