Best week Ever

 

I won this sheet of uncut Beatle Cards last February. I sold it one year and one month and a couple of days later. I first listed it at 3500$ the 2500$ then 1999$ then 1599$. I sent out multiple offers I think, taking 15 - 25% off. Finally someone knew the value of this unusual and one of a kind item. I took the offer and it is highest selling item I have sold thus far. The other item that brought in a large amount was the vintage Lefton Herb rack with 24 little porcelain/ceramic shakers. That was a mobster to pack and ship, To Australia!! It arrived in one piece. The Beatle sheet has a slight tear in one corner, I hope he recognized that in the description.

As usual, as at least once a week, maybe less, but I have to tear the garage apart looking for 2 items. The first not in the box I assigned to it. The second is anyone's guess.

My sales have not been spectacular, but they have been steady. The on-line community is in an uproar over an adjustment in the algorithm that is causing many of the established stores to suffer. A deep dive, thanks to AI (that app/tool is going to take over the world) reveals that Ebay wants to compete with Amazon and move away from the image of a 2nd Hand Garage Sale site. I always thought the old idiom, throwing the baby out with the bath water was silly, but it certainly describes this adjustment to the bone.

So, what to do. Simple. Fill out the Item  Specifics in the Description as best as possible. Includes the origin of the Country, ounces verses pounds and units, ISBN, etc etc etc. I have always been pretty adept at filling in those blanks and I suppose that is the redeeming factor in my sales ;just plugging along. 

On the personal side, I am still in funky depression over a multitude of things, some in my control others are a result of my procrastinating ways. Some hinge on the delusional assumption that I am going to live forever. That my health is so frigging good because I take no medications, my BP has always been exceptional, I quit smoking over 20 years ago, I exercised my entire life until covid and dementia came to roost. Now I face a myriad of health issues.  A heart that does not relax in-between beats, high cholesterol, basal cell carcinoma, diabetes, ( I haven't had a piece of candy in close to a year. Can't say that about cookies)  and now I'm faced with the mac daddy of them all and I am expecting the worst and hoping for the best.    

The first thing I have done facing this challenge is to begin to thin out my library. I have at least 2 life times of books to read. They are overwhelming. Can I confess that I have trimmed down my life long obsession with reading and book multiple times!! Car load after truck load of books I have purged. Never good enough, the impulse to read more means to go to every library book sale that is held every other week end. I peruse the book shelves at every Estate Sale. I find it fascinating to look through what other people read and keep. It tells a lot about a person. Those estate sales with out books confound me. How does one live without books?

Thats all the news that fits.

The Bane of my Existence

 

This week , which is only in day 2, I could not find this Pitcher I sold on Ebay. I spend a few minutes in the "Ebay room" looking for it to no avail. Today I sorted thru the room, moving everything around and still no pitcher. 

This is the way I list my items and if I did according to plan, it would be a great system. In the SKU section of the listing that only is visible to me I notate where I put the item, where I got it, the date listed and the cog. . Either E-bay room, book shelf, or the number of the box in the garage. 

This item incorrectly was identified as Ebay room. On to my next avenue to locate an item, which once again if I followed procol it would be so easy to locate an item. I keep a note book that I jot down the date and the area/box number I put the listed item. I go to the book and lo and behold, its just listed as "pink Pitcher".

So, now I go to the computer and go thru my photo history. I know the date, Nov. 26th, so I head to that area and look at the pictures taken to ensure it was Nov. 26th. Back to the notebook and I scan all the boxes I used that day. Back to the garage (where the boxes have taken over) and hunt for 2011 ( which is CRAZY of me because all, every single one of the other boxes, are alphabetical such as A-1 etc.

When I locate 2011, it is (as always) the bottom box behind the A's.

This happens most weeks. It drives me crazy and is so easy to avoid. 

It use to be Fun

I remember about 20 years ago I was on top of the world in the blogging world. I won a major award at AOJ Journals for the Best Travel Blog. I may even have the thingamajig on my main page. Now it's amazing when I sign on and its been months since I shared my thoughts, life, my reselling journey. 

I recently looked on Reddit and saw that the blogging community, though significantly different, is still alive and well. Maybe not a community as was AOL Journals, but still alive with content ranging from personal blogs to very commercial intended blogs. 

In the beginning I was just examining my life (as a life unexamined is.....) and exploring my writing abilities. I remained anonymous and continue to try and remain anonymous.  That's for Facebook, and the other thing I am not a part of. I use to be a fairly competent photographer and there were several web sites I published on, though I can't remember their names either. A friend ran across one of them and sent me a link and I, as I sometimes am, was astounded at how wonderful many of them were! 

All that seems to be in the past, as my Nikon, now 20 years old which I bought for myself as a birthday present in 2006. Now people just use phones and apps to create some magnificent photo's. The art is barely there anymore. Just an eye, I suppose. 

I plug on in my reselling journal making extra money to make ends meet now that I am a widow and lost a significant amount of income. This is what I call Life after Joe. I've changed and i many ways, not good. I'm introverted and I think I may be depressed. I have minimum joy in life, Unfortunately, my ultimate joy is shopping, AKA sourcing, for resell. I have a shit load (there is no other word to describe it) of stuff in two storage units and the garage, a room dedicated to listed items (and some not) and the garage is a death trap of boxes, clothes, listed items, storage junk etc. etc. etc.

I do not need to source, just go diving into the many boxes of loot I have lying around. I made some goals for 2026 and I have made some progress and much more is needed.

As I sit here, putting off listing, I listen to the dogs running wild to see a squirrel in the back yard knocking over a box of Wedgewood Peter Rabbit cups. Time to go.

This is new Day 2

Yesterday - I'm going to go backwards. This is the pick up for the estate sale on line auction. I did not overbid and picked up two mirrors and  a cheese dome, hand painted and I believe is an old porcelain piece.It's listed already.

This was the day before yesterday when I was packing up my sold items. This little black and white is the most curious cat ever. She even tries to help me pack by climbing in the box, chewing the tape, messing around with the packing.

Hmmmmm, driving around aimlessly Sunday because the estate sale opened at noon and it was 1130, so I said "to hell with it" and went looking for a breakfast place to once again, break away from my diet. I have been waiting for this Yard Sale for quite some time and have been haunting their web site for information. There was none but driving past I saw this advert for the sale! Yay. I memorized the number and once I called I promptly forgot the number! What the heck. I may set up and get rid of my costume jewelry. 

 

 

This is new

 Since its boring to just post what I've bought, what I've sold I'm going to so something different. I do keep an analog journal that I practically keep up with daily. It keeps me abreast of what I do day to day, even more boring that my selling and sourcing. I have documented my sleep disturbances because of Jax. And  I feel when I blog I write better.

A long time ago, (though they still may do it)when blogging was coming of age (before pushed aside by Facebook etc) there was this thing about posting a picture a day. And it was cool along with being fun.

So, I started 10 days ago with a trip to Senior Iguania after breaking my vow of ;not sourcing for the remainder of July. It lasted about 2 weeks but the pull, the addiction is too strong. The flip side of the coin is that you must list what you source or you end up (like me) with an enormous death pile (uncashed checks) and my house looks like a hoarder house.

After sourcing, and after learning I am diabetic (am I? Am I really?) and not breaking my slap shot diet (so far have lost 6 pounds eliminating carbs and sugar) I broke two resolutions, I had a taco salad and a margarita. Yum. Heaven.

Where did Half a Year Go?

 The continuing saga of the Reselling Life

My inventory has taken over my life, my house, my sanity. I have two storage units and my garage, an Ebay "room" in the house, and he back family room is totally over run. My sales are just okay. I did fantastic with the booth in the local Peddler Antique Mall the first three months nearing 1000$ in sales. This month as it nears a close, I've made 75$. What a let down.

I don't think I've done anything wrong, maybe I just need to rearrange the booth. Take out a few things and put some newer stuff in. Remove that back table and put in a library table. That will make it easier to access the wall above it and also, for people to remove the pictures.

And, because I was doing so well in the back of the mall, I thought I needed a 2nd booth in the front area and after a month of hounding the front desk, I got it. I take possession of it on Monday and I thing I am going to go in a different direction and fill it full of clothes, jewelry bags, pictures and a section dedicated to clear glass. 

Where did March Go?

 

Two Sister Booth at the Peddler Mall. Its a work in Progress. I have been moving things around, adding furniture, adding inventory. Not much has sold. I have made rent last month (I began this new adventure in early March) and already this month. I am about 350$ in the black with two weekends to go.