The Estate Sale

 The first "estate sale" I went to was in Louisville about 2 months ago. It was in a condominium and the guy obviously smoked. The place reeked. I spent maybe a courtesy 15 minutes in there before leaving. No way was I buying any of that stuff. And there was nothing I wanted.

Last Friday, while I was in here printing my labels I noticed an Estate Sale sign. the street was just across from the library so I swung around and headed in. 

What a difference. Every room was packed to the roof. I wondered how they lived in this house with all this stuff!! I noted that there was a doll room with a lot of porcelain dolls and lots of interesting related things. There was a lot  of M.A. Hadley and Louisville Stoneware in the back bedroom. i was interested in that. I knew from reading my reselling FB groups that you go to the estate sales at the last day and the prices are lowered. So when I left I asked something and they replied that at noon on Saturday the prices would be 50% off.

I was there at the stroke of noon! In the doll room I found 3 Barbies, well 2 of them and a Jamesw Dean. Got all three for 17.50$ I found one M.A. Hadley that I thought would go well with my improving collection that I hope to offer on FB Marketplace in the future when I have a nice amount.

And I found four Santa's of the world and some other Xmas ornaments.

I went back on Sunday hoping everything would be 75% off but no, still 50. But she discounted the Dennis the Menace doll head and clothes, no body, four TY toys for 10$ No Xmas ornaments left. I was hoping to find 2 more to go with the first 4 Santa's of the world.

In in all spent around 46$ and the barbie dolls should reap back my money if I ever get them posted!

Like the estate sale and glad I gave it another shot. Not all houses stink like cigarette smoke.

What's Happening?

 After a smoking last week things have came to a halt. I had four orders over the week end and only one order since. 

I have not spent much time taking pictures or posting listings. I have not sourced either, which is good because it will take me a long time to get what I already have up. I did win, by accident, a stylist professional utensil holder with three outlets. Super cool and I'm certain I can sell it, but for the life of me I don't know how I bid on it!! I really wanted the Royal Hager vase and three mannequin heads with hair for styling, so I must have just bid on the wrong thing.

Those heads would have been super cool. Two auctions going on, one at Wardlow and one at Harritt. I thing SSTC is over, I pray one more, but maybe not. Will find out tomorrow.

Other stories on the agenda, G. was in town and we had a wonderful time together Monday afternoon, I didn't want to go and kind of dreaded it. It upsets my routine (what routine???) but once I got there I enjoyed myself.

I experienced the same thing with Mom. Once I was in the thick of it I enjoyed myself.

I'm jonseing to go to the Bins, but will not go.

Got the Blues for You

 Don't know why that song lyric came into my head. Sometimes I struggle to find a title for a post when I am writing the same old same old.

Been a very good week. I'm over 400 in sales already and have 2 weeks to go. 12 days. So maybe it will stay hopping. I'm back on Ebay and some one named Osmond in Utah bought a Robert Heinlein book from me. I want to ask if he is related to Donnie and Marie. I believe there are many brothers and sisters so you never know.

I took a bunch of pictures outdoors yesterday but have not posted them yet. Joe and I went to the library PO and UPS then Walmart. Got smashed afterwards and called G. who is in Louisville. We're going to spend an entire day together Monday. Girl stuff. Ha. 

That's all the news that fits.

Pot of Gold

 Did you miss me? I haven't written in a week! I had sales every day, usually two sales a day, like today. But on Monday somehow E-bay decided to restrict me because of the damn converse shoes I posted long ago and put up as trashed. I will never ever put up the word trashed again. People have an odd fetish with these shoes. Not that I am trying to reach that sick pack, but I guess I am unknowingly doing just that. I've been suspended for three days. Bummer, because my sales were picking up in E-bay. Nothing earth shattering, but a lot more than before.

Rico was texting me Saturday morning about a lot of stuff. Introducing me to a poet who wrote this crazy poem about if you're going try something, give it your all and never give up. To throw everything you hold dear in your life to the side to laser focus on that one goal. Sleep on a park bench if you have too but never stop. It changed his life, he told me. Maybe an excuse to wreck your life, telling yourself you are going it for a goal. He seems lonely. I fear his girl friend broke up with  him.

Anyway, the other off thing that has happened on this adventure is meeting the nut case in the post office. He was wearing a duct tape mask and singing  song about moving to China to join the other mask wearing people. We had a lively discussion about what the mask is doing and another lady in line joined in the conversation letting him know that our fearless and brainless leader knew a long time ago the Covid-19 was airborne and we should have been wearing masks all along, but he did not want to cause a panic so he did as little as possible to not rock the stock market world.

Nothing else much happened except that I sold the Cabbage patch doll to two people at the same time! Yikes. I tried to stop the auction on E-bay but they ...... my bad, I didn't want the bad hit. Got it anyway. I got 10$ more on Mercari anyway. Yay. I agreed to Mercari first so that was that.

Another Shipping Day

 Hard to believe I sold three things yesterday. A Barbie Doll, the breast pump kit on Ebay, and the gauntlet motorcycle gloves on FB Marketplace. That's great. One on each platform and I suppose I am going to experience the Marketplace shipping phenomenon. No fees! All mine!

I went to the bins yesterday and spent way too much, as always, on shitty junk that I like and I hope someone else will like and buy. I did score two small lamps with marble bottoms and crystals hanging. I found them both. The second one did not have all the crystals so I will have to replace them.I will have to get to Louisville Salvage and Architecture I have to make an appt. So, I better make certain they work first.

So far this month I have sold a little more than I have sourced. If I just slow down and concentrate on getting a good share of the Miriam Haskell jewelry that is on auction then I will be happy!

Today I have promised myself to take a zillion pictures and post on all three platforms. The SD card reader I bought is a miracle in the amount of time it is taking me to post. I had no idea it was the hardware and not the software slowing me down.

Had a dream about JK last night. First one in along time. I like to think that he is dreaming about me too. 

I am re-reading Eat Pray Love for the 3rd time. But, I imagine it has been at least 10 years since I read it last. It's interesting because it has ignited in me the desire to write again. About myself. My experiences and how I wound up here, in Jeff married to Joe in the autumn of my life with the winter snows and grey skies only a heart beat away.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong

 First of all, happy birthday to my Mom in heaven or the afterlife, which I hope is heaven. Her and Aunt Pat share a birthday one year apart to the day. I hope they are dancing the Irish jig  behind the pearly gates.

And this computer is acting shady. Somedays it works other days not so much. When I put up Mercari it will not let me post. The screen comes up but it never takes hold and just shakes and shakes. So aggregating and frustrating. So I went out and bought a lap top. Guess what? I couldn't get it to work. The only thing I could get to come up was my Gmail. No Mercari, it would not allow me to sign in. I'd hit "Sign in" a hundred times and nothing. It would not down load Google/Chrome. So I took it back. It could have been me, it could have been the operating system.

Then we have had Danielle in the house for about 7 dyas maybe it was 6. It was good in many ways. I did not feel entirely guilty when I would go off by myself to do the things I need to do when I mail out some items. Library, the PO, tWalmart, the Bins.

Yesterday I met a young lady in the extreme South end of town, Fairdale. I didn't even know where Fairdale is, now I do. She had listed a group of jewelry .925 for 15$. I jumped on it and arranged a meeting at the Walmart in Fairdale. I have been there before and as I exited off the Gene Snyder and headed down Taylor Blvd I passed a lot of landmarks that rushed back to me. I think I bought the Fish from the recommended alternative place to the Suburban  Fish Fry. It was not as good, if Suburban is a 10, it was a 5. I went past the Iroquis High School where Cathy went to school. I went by the funeral home where her Dad had his wake. I went by Iroquois Park where I ran the 10 miler not once but 2x and it was a killer both times (maybe it was three) the hills will do you in. But I made it. The last time I ran it (2006) my toe nails could not say the same thing.

So I knew which way I was heading. I made it there on time, at the designated time she asked me to give her, 1020am. She arrived about 11am. And I think she was a meth addict. Her teeth were extremely bad. She was dressed in camouflage head to toe. Even a cap, aka David Copperfield, may I have more gruel please sir. She handed over the small packet and I asked if it were all .925 she said yes and rode off. I took out my loupe and was surprised that most of it is .925 Only some shitty silver tone and turquoise set ring, one earring and necklace were paste.

Then I wondered it if were stolen goods.  I hope not

Missy's Birthday

 Every Sept 4th, for some reason I can't put my finger on, I remember it's Missy/Susan's birthday. Mayve because it is exactly six months after mine. We went to grammar school together for 8 years in my little old home town of Versailles. The parted ways as we went to different highschools. I, to the dreaded Catholic school in Lex where I knew only ONE person, and she to public high school where everyone I grew up with, went to the swimming pool with, went to church with, they all went to WCHS.

Happy B-day Missy.

This has been a good month so far. I have sold and mailed at least one thing every day! I was shocked by my E-bay bill, but will give it one more month and see what happens. They took 25% of my sales in fees and shipping charges. I truly con't understand. I had one return, which still has not arrived, and they killed that TRASHED listing I had, so maybe I'm being fined over that.

So here I am, printing out shipping labels. I made a rookie mistake and did not weigh my "bundle" package and totally underestimated the cost of shipping. I'm eating another $5 of profit mailing it myself. Bummer. But I bought three of the four things at the BINS, so that is about $5 of cost and the ring, I can't remember. My profit will be 72 less 10, approximately, so 60ish. Good to me.

I have my eyes on a Miriam Haskell lot that is coming for sale in the near future. I will refrain from purchasing any more until then.

I did break down and go to the BINS yesterday. Spent 26$ Can't think of anything special I got except two pieces of M.A. Bradley pottery which I will add to my lot for Facebook Marketplace. A three tiered cat hat box. A pair of converse shoes, a tote, two blankets, one brand new with tags, a pair of cool jeweled jeans but upon closer inspection, it is missing the front button, a beaded shirt I have a stubborn stain I can't get out (boo hoo), and other odds and ends I can't recall.

Rookie mistake, but I am becoming judicious in my sourcing and looking for items that will net me 30$ to 40$.

Oh oh oh! They have made changes at the BINS. No longer are the Shoe People allowed to congregate and park their carts at that end of the store. They are not allowing people to abandon their carts to shop. I love it. They said more changes to come. I'm happy I complained. It was the Wild West last week.