Garage Sale

Not everything I buy to sell on eBay actually finds a new home. Sometimes, no matter how cool the item - the right bidder just doesn't see it. Other times, when I bring it home I find something wrong with the item -- just not eBay worthy (at least for me)-- or I decide it's too heavy or otherwise difficult to ship.

When I get a whole pile of those things -- as well as assorted flotsam & jetsam from the family mucking up the works, I just have to purge with a garage sale. Strangely enough, this usually coincides with the week before a vacation when an extra couple of hundred bucks are never unwelcome.

That time is now. If I can get my packages out quickly I'll get sorting and pricing and see if I can pull something together for tomorrow. I like to go 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and take the leftovers directly to Goodwill (where I have to remember not to repurchase the items the next week). Off to work.

My Amazon closet

Off the metaphoric back of my eBay Stockroom is an Amazon Closet. A few months ago I decided to start listing all my books using Amazon's used book service. I'd never had great luck on eBay with books but they are hard to resist when you're a frequent thrifter like me -- only 50 cents so there is a nice margin for profit.

I started my Amazon store as a way to introduce my 15-year-old daughter to the world of work and to get a little business started that she could take with her when she goes off to college. My store is Elirie_Books, named for a character in the comics she draws.

I love it because it is so easy -- usually no picture to take or description to write, just plug in the ISBN number and the pic and description come up for you. You just have to fill in a note about its description, set your price and you're good to go. Anytime any one searches for that title on Amazon your book will come up as an option to buying new.

When a book sells, you get an email (or if you're like me you check your account a couple times a day), click print invoice (which has a label with the buyer's address you can slap on the front of your package) and send it out. The buyer has already paid Amazon. Amazon sends your your share of the sale every 2 weeks. Each book sold includes a $3.99 shipping credit (about a $1 more than it costs to send a book via media mail).

I've got my daughter started plugging in the ISBNs and listing the books - I buy the books and do the shipping. She just got her first "paycheck" for $40 - a third of the 2-week profit.

Couldn't be easier -- all you sellers with books laying around should give it a try.

7 for Someone Else

Last week in my favorite thrift, they rolled out a new rack just as I was going to check out -- I detoured and thought I had hit the jackpot. There were not one or two, but 5 pair of 7 for All Mankind jeans, all new with tags. A bit fishy, right - but hey I've pulled Prada shoes, new Coach bags, Escada suits and more from these same racks. The fabric felt a bit light, but I thought it was worth a try for $15 bucks.

So far I've never knowingly sold a fake (and no one has complained of getting one either), so I wasn't going to list them without some due diligence. A quick search brought up a killer eBay Guide that briefly raised, then quickly dashed my hopes for big profits -- thanks a lot jenuine_bruin (no really). Everything was good until I got to the part about the top part of the 3s on the size labels not being rounded and the undersides of the rivets - all marked with 7s - not being flat. That's how good the fakes are now -- all the hardware is stamped - even the tags are the same.

My next dilemma was what to do with the 5 pair of worthless-to-me jeans (you know my butt wasn't squeezing into them). I felt like a dweeb taking them back to Goodwill (they do have a 10-day return policy) -- "These jeans I paid $3 a pair for are not real designer jeans, boo hoo." But I swallowed my shame -- hey $15 bucks is $15 bucks!

New Frontiers

After plugging away at just listing my items on eBay -- and doing pretty well, but not quite well enough -- I'm trying to take advantage of some of the marketing tools that eBay offers. Today its uploading my stuff to Google Base -- I'm on attempt number two -- didn't put in my store URL the first time (can we say newbie). I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm also trying some customer discount programs (more on that later) and to do a store newsletter. It seems I have 10 subscribers but no newsletter -- which is sad, because in my past life I spent 7 years as a newsletter editor!

There is so much information out there on eBay affiliate programs and other ways to boost your eBay bottom line -- but it all seems a bit shady, like it's some sort of scam. I'm thinking I may start a separate blog just to provide practical seller info that tells you what's working and what's not from my own perspective without the sale's pitch.

Up Way Too Early

Woke up at 6:45 this morning -- shocking for summer. There are just not enough hours in the day. I was posting eBay items -- some nice vintage -- until about midnight but still didn't sleep that well. Not too many items sold last night, but I still have about 10 packages to get out this fine morning -- plus 2 large glass items that need extra attention (and materials and time). When will I learn to resist oversize items, no matter how cool they are - especially when breakable! Enough moaning -- to work.

I'm back

Well .... what can I say blog, it wasn't you, it was me - me and my laziness and altogether selfish attitude about my free time. I'm sorry I've been so neglectful. Now that I'm back, I swear it won't happen again.