Worst Week Ever

 Last week I sold 4 items. Three on Ebay and 1 on Mercari. Thai is the worst week I have had since I began over two years ago. Well, in the beginning I may have had a bad one, but not in the past 18 months. I am not sure what happened. Some would say people do not want my items and that I need better inventory.

I'm not certain it was my inventory. It may have been my turn to not be recognized by the algorithm. It may have been due to a lot of things. One of the You Tubers I watch says that she believes the algorithm is three weeks behind. And that would explain it because I have lagging behind in listing. Not in sourcing, mind you, but listing.

And I really needed to fill up the coffers last week. Did it stop me from going to the doll auction? Nope. Is it stopping me from heading to an auction tomorrow/ Nope. There are some fantastic Painted Ponies I NEED.

Saturday there is an auction with a collection of Toby Mugs. I love Toby Mugs. I have quite a few and they sell slowly, but they do sell.

So, there it is. Ups and Downs.

This week I have resumed listing in quantity and hopefully continue to list in quality. And my sales have resumed. 

Pardon me, gotta go list some stuff I won lately.

What Recession?

 AKA The Doll Auction

Pocketbooks were open. Some of the old faces were not there. Some new ones. Same old same old. Not as exciting as my first auction, but I got most everything I wanted and that is all that matters. I spent over budget, but that was due to buyer premiums and sales tax. Do I need a tax certificate? 

Sales have absolutely tanked this week, According to my calendar this is the last day of the selling week and to date I have sold 3 items this week! Only three!! I know better to panic but I just spent 450 bucks on Barbie dolls and I have not sold a Barbie doll in some time. Well, that's not true I sold the old 1960 Barbie with the bubble cut and one chewed off foot this week for 7.50$ 

Pictures are awful because I used my work horse phone as the Samsung is not activated to work outside the house WIFI.

Oh Baby! Spent 70$ on her, she is listed on EBAY for 200+

Another load of Spice Girls Spent 30$ Should get 85 or more for them.

Frank. Paid 10$ looking for 55$

Pain up 70$ for this box of Hallmark Barbie ornaments but after comping them out, should gross approximately 500$ (HA! HA!) The Barbie and the ornaments were my big pays.

 My favorite and pleasantly surprised that I only spent 25 bucks! Creepy Oddity Dolls heads. 

 The way the bidding was flying money was no object. I imagine they wait and save up for these marathons of an auction. After five hours they began the lightening round. that is where I picked up the majority of the left over Barbies. Thank God no collectors remained. I belive the one before this one I paid WAY TOO MUCH for a lot of Barbies. 245$ I believe. I think I  broke even. I learned a lesson. You can not be emotional and you need to do your homework.

Learning every day.

Gosh I hope sales pick up. The algorithm  God's need to give me a break!

Sleep, Eat, List, Source, Repeat

 I have been slacking when it comes to listing. But not sourcing! Yesterday I went to S-ville to pick up the latest haul. They have an extremely high fee of 20% so I bid and win 80$ and pay out 96$ They have such great stuff! I can't stop myself! 

Like this. Only 5$ Make that 6$ and they sell on Ebay for 18 and up.

Scarlett I got for 6 bucks plus 13% plus 6% - so 20% ain't so bad. This is a 19 inch perfect Madame Alexander doll with arm tag. Not sure what year this was made. Its a HTF (hard to find) and she is beautiful. Has the most interesting jewelry, earrings, ring, bracelet. I wish she had some with the box, but should list for around 100$ with box commands 125$

Listed!

Not a very good pic, but the shadow box of Airforce Pins and Patches. From the S-ville auction and I think I paid 15 + Fees + 18$

Asking 39.95. Good profit there when it sells.

Listed!

I got 6 dolls for around 95 bucks and just devided the lot by the amount and assume 16$ Cost for each. This preemie sold already, within 24 hours, for 45$

If I list them, they will sell.

Charging my phone and then will resume the listing marathon. Have 2 straight days of no sales which is disturbing, but I'll live.

Adventures in Sourcing

 On my trips to pick up my winnings from the many auctions I have participated in I have visited some beautiful homes. Spectacular homes in fact! I wish I had the frame of mind to photograph these behemothic beauties! There was the Dentist home in the far ends of the elite side of Jeff Co. His home had a spectacular view of the forest behind him. The house was on a hill above the forest with an entire glass wall of windows. It was so beautiful. At that house I picked up the lot India jewelry and the five pairs of Bush Nunn shoe stretchers in a gorgeous hue of honey colored wood. Sold every bit of that auction plunder (lol).

The list goes on and on. I have been to some spectacular homes with some breathtaking views. I have traveled to the boonies of this county to claim my prizes. Many in gated communities and those hidden from the world only accessible by narrow lanes in fairy land settings.

But last week took the cake.

LO and I were in yet another county far, far away looking for the home that held my treasures. Down the Interstate, down a county Road, and then the narrow lane that led to the house. This lane was so narrow that cars had to pull over and allow one to pass before continuing on.

Suddenly, running down the middle of the road was a PUPPY! I immediately stopped and LO scooped up the lost doggie. She was black and white and so cute. Maybe 4 months old. LO and she instantly bonded. The house we were seeking was right ahead, a county house with an open floor plan and windows from ceiling to floor looking over the beautiful Kentucky countryside behind. The parking area to the two-car garage and the adjacent barn were littered with vehicles so I left LO and the doggie in the car while I went in to inquire.

We eventually found the owner. We returned the cutest puppy ever to the anxious owner. Apparently, the animals had broken out of the pen and were enjoying their freedom. The other dogs were accounted for, but this one had been "rescued" by us. The owner, cigarette dangling out of the corner of his mouth, carried the puppy back to the pen and thanked us over and over.

 On the way home, down the lane, onto the State Road and eventually merging onto the Interstate, LO turns to me and says, "I have lingering Pupp Glow". The follows that up with "I wish we could have kept her".

Me too. But four dogs would drive me insane.

Three dogs already do that.

March Report

 

My March Board! Yikes! What a mess. If I remember correctly, I was going to give up sourcing for Lent. Because I love Sourcing. But, what was the point? I would have been harming my business and that is not a sacrifice I think God would want. I blew off Lent, but will think hard about making a sacrifice in the near future not so much to honor Lent, but to honor the Creator and all the good things he has bestowed on me.

Okay, so I spent a whooping  871$

I netted 1012$ from Ebay

I netted   554$ from Merc

I netted   0       from Face book Market place.

Total      1566 total

Source   871$

Net Net    695$

I sold 66 Items

I had 11 returns

net     55 items @ average profit of 28.47$

Damn those returns. That was a fiasco. She ordered all these items from me in the middle of the night and then messaged me and complained that the shipping was SO high on so many items. She actually purchased 13 items (oh no!! Unlucky 13!) So I cancelled every jewelry item (10 total) and then bundled them together and told her I would pay shipping and lowered the bundle by 50 bucks. What was I thinking? I was so thrilled to have such a big order. The amount was 200$ The other three items I just sent regular and let her pay. Then she wanted a Barbie ornament. Once again, thrilled by the size of this order (mind you, not my biggest money order, but the total item count to one person) I told her I would gift the Barbie Ornament.

Once she received the jewelry she began to complain. Three of the items were missing jewels -  well duh, that is how it was listed, as a lot of broken fantastic jewelry to be repurposed or repaired. Then she said one of the rhinestone sets included a replacement rhinestone and was sloppily installed. ??? So she wanted a 40$ refund. Then she decided she wanted to return it all. That she was a reseller and that she was excited about the Weiss that was included but was missing a leg. Once again, part of the repurpose set. I concluded she must have been drinking that night and ordered all this stuff while high. Buyers remorse.

What could I do? I accepted the return and will re-list everything. That lowered my net net buy approximately 165. 

Another return on an Ebay order of the Harrods cream and sugar. My bad on that one. The sugar jar had a tea pot lid. Now I know! I'll relist that one too and perhaps look for a replacement lid. 

I failed to include the COG on the 555$ I am in the dark actually about that. Some of the items were good profit, but I can't get a true handle on it.

That should be my focus going forward. Pay attention when listing, the COG. I really need a better spread sheet other than just my notebook, which by the way, I have misplaced!

Things Just Ain't What They Use To Be! Is Anything?

 Day at the Bins

Day before yesterday I was out running errands with the LO and on the agenda was a trip to the bins to pick up plastic hangers. Unfortunately, there were very few to be found. But, since I was there, we did about an hour and 1/2 of digging.

Now, three years ago when the Outlet opened it was a bone fide treasure hunt. The bins were full of items from the stores that did not sell and a plethora of other stuff that was just there. One time the contents of an entire Second Hand/Thrift shop.

There is a long list of the extradentary things I was able to dig out of the piles of junk. Brand new Barbie dolls attached to the board (box lost), Van's, an Audubon 1930ish print,  a Gucci scarf (kept it!!), jewelry, MA Hadley pottery, Libbey glasses, Leather purses, 501 Levi's....well, you get the picture.

It's different now, as is well documented. They now have the group of workers in the back go through the treasure and pull anything of obvious value. They pull anything of suspected value. It's sad. The bins have quite a bit of garbage in them and it is recommended to wear gloves to sort.

I don't go much anymore. I prefer the Second Chance Outlet across the River. (69 cents a pound on the hard goods). The Bins on this side have crept up from 1.29$ a pound to 1.59$ a pound. I scrounged out 23 pounds. I paid an additional 6 bucks than I would have last year. YIKES. With profit margins so slim, it makes a difference.

But I love it.

What I found. Right off the bat I located a jacket with exquisite Harley-Davidson patches on the back. What was it doing still in the bin? The zipper did not work. Rats! What do they do with the items that do not sell? I actually don't know. Dispose of it in the dump? Ship it to China (at least they use to do that). So I though about two seconds once I realized the patches were glued on the back of the jacket, off they came. I now have three H-D patches to sell.

I found a CPK preemie in excellent condition. The cloth body immaculate! The little head needs some cleaning, but for 1.59/pound? She's mine.

I found a 3 by 4 wool entrance carpet that I badly needed.

Shower liner (unopened), sponge back scrubber (unopened). Approximately 8 Happy Birthday bags unused. Several bouquets of plastic flowers (needed badly for presentation at yard sale). LO found two sweat shirts and a very nice pair of sweat pants. Several Plush's    for the yard sale. A lot of  plastic dinosaurs for grab bags at Yard Sale. 

So the 31$ I paid (got 5 bucks off for my birthday) will be covered by the Harley Patches.

Oh yeah, I found the most amazing HUGE blood red leather (fake...who cares) BIG BUDDAH purse. The bins can still deliver if you are patient and are smarter than the other pickers.