January Update

January Sales were strong and much better than last year. My google photos has not been working since mid January and for the life of me I can not figure it out. So the pics of the good stuff I sold will have to be worked out in the future by transferring to my email and then into my photos. A major pain in the butt. I did sell some stuff I have had for awhile and sold for some great profit.

This past week, taking advantage of the few days I have left before J. comes home and my life will change forever! I have hit up some Goodwills in the area just because it was in the middle of the week and no Estate Sales. 

I also have been watching Youtube inspirations videos to help guide me. I certainly hope I make my money back! DR gives a very inspiring suggestion on being accountable. When you set a goal you punish yourself when you do not achieve it. It is a goal you have control over. If I want to sell 1000$ a week I actually have no control over if I make it or not. But if I set a goal of listing 5 a day I have total control over than. Last night I had to catch up, but I made it. I've listed 29 items so far this week and still have today to go. I'll list the 6 before the end of the day.

The other goal was to source more efficiently. Buying things that will sell and not sit on the shelf (or in the box) for ever and then not sell. I love to pick up glass and glass does not sell. Sometimes eventually but its always a long tail. 

Which brings me to why I went to the Good wills this week. To test out the theory. And after watching CLL shop at Goodwill. First, her goodwills are jammed packed with good stuff and not many people. I guess I make the mistake of when I drop in on a goodwill it is usually on a Saturday, their busiest day. this week I went and I did find some treasures.

UPDATE: I have been ending a listing and then sell similar. The whole house has been rearranged to accommodate Joe's hospital bed. The small bedroom has been converted into and Ebay room and I have not acclimated to it yet. The photobox not hooked up yet.

A Day at Ley's Auction

 Oh what a day. Beau came up, spent the night and I  headed to the Auction of all Auctions Saturday. The consolidated warehouses, and the (I think) third and final auction, (first 2 or 3 were on line auctions) of a world famous antique dealer. So famous that he was the source for many a movie set designers who would seek out and comb over his inventory. He was in the Nulu area of Lou and had a gigantic store front in an old warehouse type building, three floors or more of endless "stuff". There was a very cool freight elevator in the building. I went to JL first in the 1980s and you paid a $1 to get in and wander around for as long as you wanted. I can't remember if I bought anything at that time being a very poor single mother going to University in the evenings!

I did purchase a print in the first on line auction, and it sits in my garage, a 5$ investment that is worth 600$ that is if someone is willing to pay the asking price. 

Yesterday was cold and windy. I got a parking place fairly close, about a 3minute (if that) walk to the warehouse. It seemed forever because of the wind and because I was not dressed for 30+ degree weather! The initial auction was packed, as you can see from above, I would guess 100+ people since I was assigned #118. The crowd swelled then ebbed. They sold smalls for the first 3 hours, switched to selling all the  bookcases, chandelier's, furniture, rugs etc. It took another 3 hours for the auctioneer to make his way back to the smalls.

Naturally, people were bidding high at first and I am adamant at not spending too much on something to resell. I coveted a set of Wm. Rogers very early silver plated cutlery and so did another bidder. I was willing to go to 30$ and he went 35$ and I just let him have it. I did get a box of nice brooches, several display boxes with pins/buttons, and some police photos and early Kentucky post cards. All in all I only spent 107$ when all was said and done. Others were spending crazy money for things like empty tin food cans, posters, etc. etc. etc. 

I met some new people. A very nice gentleman from C-don who reminded me of Muncie. A girl (I'm going to be 71 in a matter of days so everyone looks younger to me anymore) who I remember from Hay's who got some kick butt leather puttees from WWI. Which sparked a memory of  how well and how much money I made from a lot of WWII items. I need to be more aware of historical items and that they are BIG money and BIG money is my main goal now that I am looking at losing 2000$ in retirement money in a few months, years (who knows). Some regulars from Hays were there. Larry, Joe and his son, Brook, and a lot of others who names I do not know but recognize from their occasional appearance at Hays.  

I have not seen Ken for some time and I am worried he may be unwell. He told me he took a tumble in his basement, knocked himself out and came too hours later. He hurt his back and I do not think he really recovered from such a trama.

Next auction Tuesday. I have not spent much this month and have sold close to 2 grand. Of course cut that in half, and I made about a grand.

February! Good-bye January, I hope to never see you again

This was my Ebay work area. This was my death pile - well, not all of it, but a good portion. I have moved most everything to the spare little room which has been equipped with shelving and holds everything from the master bedroom (my doll, Painted Ponies and, Breyer collections and the mess in the back of the family room.

January was a sucky month. Not in sales, I will post another with January sales, which totaled nearly 50. But because my husband took a turn for the worst, ended up in the hospital and is now in a rehab nursing home.  It is not looking good. He will come home, but it is going to be a huge change. I am trying to apply for Medicaid with the help of a law firm specializing in Eldercare and Medicaid applications. I can not afford to keep him in a nursing home even if we are approved for Medicaid. I would become destitute. My "allowance" would be only for the mortgage and utilities. No food, no car payment, no gas, no home and car maintenance, no extra's like hair styling, gym membership, donations to humane society etc, no veterinarian for the two dogs, no medicare supplement for Joe and myself,  no phone, no cable, no entertainment, no credit card payments. Life would not be bearable let alone sustainable.

It boils down to this. For 2200 a month (if he is medicaid approved) I would have in home Medicaid. Physical therapy, visits from a nurse (I guess), people to sit with Joe, light house cleaning. So, I have to learn to live on what's left over.   

Added to this horror is that I have two adults living with me who are drug addicts and try to help out but are just making matters worse. My family is helping prepare the house for the influx of what is ahead of me. My house is a wreck and I have just given up any shame I may have about allowing it to get out of control.

I am trying to adjust but it is hard. I am depressed and found it extremely hard to get out of bed this morning. My daughter was already up - she is screaming in the bedroom at her boyfriend right now - and I just WANT TO BE ALONE.

That's all the news that fits.
 

Strong Finish

The sales keep coming! I have 10 packages to mail out Tuesday. I have sold 500$ worth in the past three days and I am ecstatic! I sold a special High Dollar Barbie. I paid up for it - maybe 60$ but she sold for my asking price I think was 229$ I at one time was spectacular with remembering numbers. Not any more.

So I ended up selling 76 items, had two returns and I refunded one doll that arrived with a broken foot. It could have been broken when I mailed it. So, I probably ended up making over one thousand taking everything into respect. There is an auction on this coming Tuesday I plan on going to but I am going to concentrate on my death pile and getting rid of things I will not take the time to list. 

I've been at it this morning taking pictures until my phone ran down. So I'm taking a break. I made vegetable and beef soup and can no longer put off tackling the  garage to consolidate and move all the crap from the back of the living room into the garage.

What sold you ask? 

I reposted my cabbage Patch Dolls after reading a post on one of the Ebay groups I am following. Three relisted and 2 sold. So happy this little fella found a home.

One of the Marilyn Dolls Sold.

My high $ barbie sold. 

100th running of the Derby Jim Beam bottle.

My horse Lamp sold. 

Etc. Etc. Etc.

The Bins

 Trip to the Bins today mainly because there were no Estate Sales going on in the area. So the itch has to be scratched so I dropped into the local outlet for maybe an hour and a half. The usual T-Shirt vultures were there. They are so scruffy looking. Wearing pajama pants, badly in need of haircuts, converse and hoodies. average age early 20s.

Yeah they were there. But only a handful of treasure hunters as I suppose others were doing last minute Xmas shopping, traveling or attending holiday parties.

There is constant chatter on Facebook about the outlandish pricing going on at Goodwill. There is constant complaining about all the good stuff being sent to the on-line stores. This is very true, but a lot of times stuff gets by the sorters. 

For example the Steiff Bear . I know about Stieff from the auction house. Its so easy to check by using google search on the PC. I won at the doll Auction earlier this year several Bears of this brand and have sold one almost immediately. It paid for the other two (I think,,,brain frog). This little fella is missing his trunk. I doubt it was on him at the g-will store because the $ tag was 3.99$. With the suitcase, the bear is approximately 50$. This little guy should bring in 20 bucks maybe. Not bad for a few pennies. And he is in perfect condition. He was overlooked at the store and obviously overlooked by everyone else at the bins.

Another startling find was this Coach purse. I am not a name brand snob. I find knock offs all the time. My favorite was the Jimmy Chue Pink boat bag ( I call it a boat bag because they are so big!).  I have a very nice Dooney & Bourke. My favorite go to right now is the Eddie Bauer Hobo bag. It's authentic. 

I saw this bag in the pile of trash-treasure, picked it up, looked it over and thought it was not too bad. No rips, a few smudge marks that I could use leather cleaner on, and simply wash off (Spray and Wash) the cloth fabric. And it is going to be a very cute summer bag.

Its authentic. I opened it up in the car (while doing the laundry I got a moment to thoroughly examine my bag of finds). I pulled out from the change pocket the Coach Bag Handling and Care  3 fold pamphlet! Its the Real Deal! I'm really astounded at how much slips by the pickers. My gain. This style goes for around 50$ too. I actually went just to see if they had any xmas paper which I have been using as filling in my shipping. And blankets. I can never have enough blankets for the couch. 

I Love the Bins.  

Brain Frog

 I have been in a funk with listing lately. I have been keeping up with one or two a day - which actually isn't that much worse than my targeted 5 - and the death pile is enormous. See my cat (my daughters cat) on the orange MCM chair (from my Mom's estate - I have four of them). 

This is my work area. The Christmas tree held captive in the corner? It's been there for about 3 years now. It's the  third Christmas. I can't get to it to take it down. And even if I did I have nowhere to store it. 

On another note, the storage keys are lost AGAIN. I am ashamed to ask for another lock change.  I have two storage units filled with the death pile stuff. I began to weed it down and take loads of stuff to the Goodwill but it is still out of control.

I thought I was going pretty good this month with not sourcing as I am recovering from Covid. But I manage to still spend way to much and then sit on it. The doll auction was my biggest expense and accounts for approximately 50% of the months acquisitions. Then I got nuts with an on-line auction thinking it had some pretty profitable stuff for me and spent about 156$.

 I am not even going to include the 52$ I just threw away on some perfume store displays which I misinterpreted as store sample bottles and now I am stuck with two huge Volupe bottles. I will try and sell them on Facebook Marketplace. I have a few large items I need to unload on Marketplace. 

I have spent some on the estate sales I am addicted to,  and have listed some things from the hauls but not much. I have positioned on the light box several pieces from the Primitive Estate Sale on Cherokee Rd that I kept going back to because it was fascinating. It felt like the Architectural Salvage place I love to go wander around in.   

I have been pretty lucky with locating misplaced or mislabeled items. Box D-8? Nope - not in there. I have to methodically go thru each box until I find the item. I was lucky yesterday, only had gone thru half the boxes on the table (I don't even dare take a picture of my garage) until I found it. A major victory! When I couldn't locate the John Wayne stamps I had to hunt down thru Google pictures the date I took the pics and then drill down with the other pictures until I found the box. It's exhausting to be so disorganized.

Some items from S-ville. Due to brain "frog" ( which I keep saying instead of brain fog) I left behind three items. And they can't locate 8 of the 15 Dickens collection from 1800's I bought. Damn it! Stuff happens.

Early figurine from a factory which eventually was switched over to Lladro. I kind of love the research part. I use to really love it. Research.

An artsy photo of an Artisan pot from North Carolina. See the texture? That was what I was aiming for. The earth colors of terracotta, blue and green are so beautiful.

  

I love this Tara Buddha brass figurine head. She represents peace and harmony. 

 

Old Fenton perfume bottles.

The Dickens books of which I only received 7 out of the 15. 

Send me Dead Flowers by the US Mail and I won't forget to put Roses on Your Grave

 NO REST FOR THE WEARY

I have covid, or al least the test implified I had contracted it. Fortifying myself with Alka Selzer Cold Plus, cough syrup and a box of kleenex, accompanied by a mask, I ventured out into the sunshine drenched cold Friday and headed to the laundry mat (four loads = 20$), Kroger (more money and bologna), Post office (Ebay waits for noone), Walmart for shipping boxes and candy. After arriving at the laundry I realized I had left behind the essential, the one huge bag of smelly urine soaked pants that absolutely had to be washed as best as it could be. So I headed back and as it seened, started over. I bought second hand roses and took over to Cathy's grave. She has been on my mind a lot lately. Especially after being contacted by Stefanie, an old friend from the NS in Louisville days. 

I always wondered what would happen if I got sick. How would I cope with J and all his needs. I found out this week that I can not be sick. And since it is inevitable that I will be sick, I must carry on. I miss Cathy for so many reasons and new ones every day. She was the most difficult and complicated person I have ever know besides my husband. She was the most loyal friend one could ever want and then again the most distant and cold person on the face of the earth. I believe she knew me better than anyone because I spent the most time with her beginning with out college days in 1971 and our off and on again friendship thru 2017 when I had a hunch and checked the obituaries upon arriving home from our short lived residency  in Florida and there she was.

It was like a rock was smashed against my heart. I was searching for her to mend (yet again) another fence over a silly  spat we had over my not returning a phone call. She knows I'm bad about that but this one time (2015) she told me not to bother to ever try to talk or contact her again (cold and distant). It was my fucking fault for not reaching out immediately. I was involved in some drama in my own life - the move to Florida which at first I thought was cool to have two home, like I'd made it - the ultimate dream 2 homes!!!.

Everyone tries to be support in this journey I am on. They call,offer help and are there for me. But Cathy is the one I would have let help. I would have let in. 

I leave flowers on her grave when I can.