Listing 101 – How to Actually List an Item on Ebay for Best Results (Part 2)

By admin, 14 December, 2009, No Comment

There are several types of auction software for listing in an auction or store format on Ebay.  Ebay has Turbo Lister (free)  which can upload several listings and then download to Ebay all at one time.  The advantage to using Turbo Lister is that you can list several items and then save them and download to Ebay on the day you want the auction to start.  Also, Turbo automatically resizes the photos to fit so that saves a step.  Disadvantages are that you might not want all your auctions to end simultaneously – people may be bidding on multiple items in your auction.  Not everyone has the auction sniping software.  I used Turbo Lister for awhile and then went back to listing individually on Ebay because it seemed easier somehow.

Getting Started:

1.  Make sure your photos are prepped and ready to go; that they are sized down so won’t get bogged down on Ebay when you try to download the photo.

2.  Make sure that your accounts on Ebay and Paypal are current and ready to go.

3.  Sign in to your Ebay account and hit SELL and off you go!

How to List:

1.  Ebay asks to find a category.  Try to find the best category that describes your item.  If in doubt, check similar auctions and see where those sellers listed the item.  You might want to list in a different category, however, if you think the potential buyer would find it easier in another category.  For example, I will list books on quilting under “Quilting Publications” or “Quilting Supplies” instead of “Nonfiction Books.”  Be aware that Ebay can kick off a listing that is grossly in the wrong place.

2.  Find your category and then also list in your store category because if you have a store you will want to list in your store as soon as auction ends if the item does not sell.  If an item does not sell at auction, I generally mark it up a dollar or two (or more) and put in my store.  Oddly enough, sometimes it sells immediately in the store for several dollars more than the auction!  Figure that one out.

3.  Figuring out a title for your listing is tricky.  I have tried it several ways – ALL CAPS , very little words with use of this symbol ~~~~~ (what is that thing called anyway?), and various attention getters.  The best way in my opinion is just a title with each word capitalized and just listing all the info you can get into the title.

For example, I have 2 dinner forks, 1881 Rogers Silverplate Flatware which is the Flirtation pattern (I found the pattern by flipping through several pages of flatware on www.replacements.com).  So my title is the following:

2 Dinner Forks Flirtation 1881 Rogers Silverplate Flatware GU

If I run out of space, I will abbreviate Silverplate to SP.  GU means Gently Used.

4.  I copy the title (using “Copy” under your Edit key) to use later in my writeup or what I call the Ebay “blurb.”

5.  If there are categories below the title to fill in, try to do it.  It helps to find your item in the search.  For example, flatware will have drop-down menus for New or Used, Manufacturer, Pattern, and Type (spoon, fork, etc).  Try to fill in as much as you can even though this is time consuming.  Remove any category that does not apply to your item.

6.  Download your photo from your computer to your listing.

7.  Now we come to what I call the Blurb – the Ebay listing itself where you write info about your item.  First, paste the title at the top of the Blurb (use “paste” function under Edit).  Then just start making a list of things you need to tell the potential buyer like size, defects, color, manufacturer, age, date, maker, artist, and so on.  You don’t have to use full sentences, use a list – add bullets if you want to be fancy.  Be sure to say if it is new or used.  Don’t add a bunch of extraneous info like how rare it is, or how hard it was to clean – Ebayers don’t care.

I then add “Look at my other items!” from Ebay’s drop down menu.  Ebay will link that to my other items for sale.

Under that I put the location of the item in my storeroom – my shelf number.

Finally, I put my customized shipping/handling/info from the drop down menu (required by Ebay – make sure you have all the current requirements listed).  I just bunch it all together – no one reads it anyway but it is there so that you are in accordance with the rules.

So my flatware blurb looks something like this:

2 Dinner Forks Flirtation 1881 Rogers Silverplate Flatware GU

Gently Used, some utensil wear

7″ length

An estate sale find, needs to be cleaned and polished

See My Other Items!

N

I ship within 5 business days.   Shipping and handling charges of $.99 to $2.99 apply.  Customs forms will be filled out according to actual cost of item – I will not claim as a gift so please do not ask. I ship to the location Paypal gives me. Every item is 100% guaranteed and money will be refunded for watever reason if item is returned and buyer pays return shipping.  I take Paypal only.  Thanks for shopping with me!

Note:  The listing needs to go pretty fast – don’t write too much but give enough information – list ALL deficiencies even the most minuscule stain or fleabite.

8.  Now you need to list how much to start the auction off at.  Always try to start at least at $9.99 or it won’t be worth your time.  After $9.99, the next break in fees is $24.99 so try to list the next higher priced items at that amount if possible. Be sure you list under auction and not store.  If it does not sell, and you need to relist in the store, this is where you would change to relist as store inventory although there are bulk editing in your Unsold area where you can do that too.

9.  Auction will last how long?  I always do 7 days.  It cost more for 10 days and cost the same for 3 days, so I just do 7.  However, I have been known to do 3 or 5 if I want to sell something where it ends on Sunday or Monday night (because I will be gone or something).  I have also listed for 10 days when I thought I could get more bids with a longer auction.  Play around and see what works best for you.

10.  Generally, you will not need all the fancy 2nd listings (but determine based on what you are selling) or banners (unless it is an expensive item with lots of competition).  I sometimes actually do list on ebay.uk if it is a piece of dinnerware or pottery made in the UK.  I have had pretty good luck with that and think it costs a dime extra.

11.  Be sure you use the drop-down menu to say what your handling time is.  I use 5 days because that gets me through a week in case I have to go out of town.  BUT I always try to ship within 2 days if possible.  Promising 1 day is not a good idea – what if you or your child is sick?  Better to have lower expectations and over deliver than vice versa.

12.  For shipping, I always weigh the item and add several ounces (sometimes even pounds) for packing materials and the box.  You may want to practice wrapping things to see how much the packing weighs.  Some people wrap everything for shipment.  However, I think that is a waste of packing material because a lot of the items just do not sell.

You need to select how to mail next – I choose USPS parcel post and then upgrade to priority if the cost is reasonable after the item sells.  Some sellers always use priority but I sell such varied things, and some really heavy things, so I say parcel post always.  Be aware that there are flat rate priority envelopes and boxes.  I try to give customers an upgrade when possible and use priority flat rate when I can.

13.  Decide if you want to do international shipping.  If you are just starting Ebay, I would not recommend it.  Wait until you are more seasoned with shipping and then add the international option.  I ship everywhere now but sometimes still get screwed on the shipping – not sure why this happens.  It usually happens with items going to Australia so beware – it is expensive to ship to Australia!

14.  There are drop-down menus for shipping and handling costs to both local and international so be sure to do both.  Otherwise, it will be $0.00. I typically charge $.99 – $2.99 within USA and $.299- $5.99 for international.  If I have enough in my shipping to upgrade to priority, I always do even if I lose a few cents.  Ebayers are just way too sensitive about shipping costs.  You can’t make money off shipping according to Ebay policy. You CAN charge a fair price for shipping to pay for boxes, bubble wrap, and peanuts.  Use your best judgement.

15.  There is also a drop down menu explaining your refund policy.  A refund policy is required even if the policy is “No Refunds for any Reason.”  State that in your writeup about the item.  This is an Ebay policy and is required.

16.  There is a place for state sales tax for items you sell to people in your own state.  When running a business, it is important to obey all local, state, and federal laws.  You may need to get a resale number with your state and set up a business, obtaining local business permits, and so on.  Find out the laws in your location and your state since laws vary from state to state.

17.. Remember that you do not need all the fancy doodads and gizmos Ebay offers to fancy up your listing in order to sell your item.  If it is unusual, unique, and something people want – it will sell.  If not the first time around, give it time and list on your store.

18.  Double check the listing fee before you hit the final “list it” button.  There is a fee to list an auction, usually 35 cents for items $9.99 and under.  If it seems larger than that amount, check the listing – a box may have been inadvertently checked that raised the price.  I read about a man who listed multiple items all with the wrong boxes checked and it cost him hundred of dollars!  Remember, too, that you will have a couple of weeks to get those Ebay fees paid and the fees will be taken out of your Paypal account.

19.  Ebay will throw up a box if you are listing something like weapons, toys, or Native American artifacts.  Read the box carefully and make sure you have not violated an Ebay policy with your listing.  If you have, Ebay will remove your listing and you will still be charged the listing fee.

20.  Now go ahead and LIST IT!

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Listing 101 – You Found It, Now What? (Part 1)

By admin, 10 December, 2009, No Comment

Okay, you have scoured the flea markets, garage sales, attic, and neighbor’s garage for those one-of-a-kind, unique items to resell on Ebay.  Now what?

I typically store all of my items to sell in large Rubbermaid tubs.  Since I buy and sell weekly, my tubs get full, are emptied, get full, and on and on.  Here is the process for sorting out and organizing the items in the Rubbermaid tubs:

1.  Take stock of what you have.  After a week’s shopping adventure, I look at everything I have accumulated, laying all items out on my New Inventory Table or NIT for short (lest you think I am some big time operator, this is just my dining room table which becomes part of the business operation during the week).

2.  Everything gets checked over, removing price labels and marker prices (use Goo Gone and Rubbing Alcohol for this).  I do not do deep cleaning, this is just a waste of time.  I do not buy extremely dirty items – no dirty clothes, no grease-laden kitchen tins, no water-spotted pottery, nothing wrapped with shipping tape.  You do not want to hear my horror stories of how I have ruined inventory trying to get stuff off of items!  You do not have the time to polish silverware, either.  If you persist in your cleaning fetish even after all of my warnings, all that will end up happening is that you will take off a hundred-year-old finish that the collector wanted on there anyway!  And of course, always, always always have a disclaimer on your listing that the item came from a garage sale and will need to be cleaned.

3.  Take a photograph of the item in a simple setting with a simple backdrop, preferably with natural lighting if possible and no flash.

4.  Put back on NIT for further processing.

5.  If something needs further research such as finding the pattern name for flatware, put aside in a separate location in a specially designated Research Area.  This can be done with your laptop in front of the television, not something you do during your workday or worktime allotted to Ebay.  It takes up too much time and we Ebayers tend to get lost in the process so make that HOBBY TIME, not work time.

6.  Have some type of listing form made up ahead of time (see my photo of my A2A Lister Blaster pages – so named because they help BLAST through the LISTING process.

7.  Number your Lister Blaster Pages with date and number of item and also location where you will be storing the item.  I store everything for that week on one shelf and my shelves are alphabetical.  So, for example, my number for my page would be 09 (year) 11 (month) 02 (week in that month) space 01 (item number) space J (Shelf Location).  Altogether it would be  091102_01_J.  That number can be placed somewhere in your listing where you can refer back to it when you sell the item.

8.  The NIT should have a measuring tape and scales on it or somewhere handy nearby.

9.  Give your item a tag on the Lister Blaster page such as “Brown Teddy Bear Dundee Toys,”  the number, and find the photo number of the item on your camera and put that on your Lister Blaster page as well.  It helps to go in the same order that you took the pictures for continuity.

10.  Go ahead and start filling out your Lister Blaster pages with tags, number, and photo number.

11.  Now go back and start measuring and weighing each item.  Write down how much you paid for it and how much you want for it.  The base auction insertion fee cuts off at $9.99 so there is not much point in listing an item for less if you can help it.  I listed a bunch of stuff for $4.99 when I started out in Ebay but when they sell, it is hardly even worth it to package up and ship after paying Ebay fees and Paypal fees.  Much better would be to save the item back until you can get a group of like items to list for $9.99 or more.

Now fill out all your pages for each item.

12.  Be as complete on your Lister Blaster pages (LB) as possible – list all marks, dimensions, color, size, maker, manufacturer, every piece of info you have on the item.  Be sure and list all deficiencies, too – every crack, chip, flake, loss of glaze, loss of finish, wear, holes, tears, stains, marks, everything wrong with the item that you can find.

13.  As you get the pages filled out, start putting the items away on their specific shelf.  I have plastic shelves purchased at Home Depot for $49.99 which are 6′ high, 4′ wide, and 2′ deep which hold 100 items if I am lucky and stack carefully.  One bedroom in my house is used for all my shelves which are alphabetized A – ZZ (there will be enough shelves to have about 52 shelves or one year’s worth of inventory – after one year I will rotate old stock out and start putting new in weekly).

14.  The title on the LB should be written now while you are calmly sitting and thinking – not when you are listing.  The title should list what it is, the maker, color, year, pattern, model number, artist, manufacturer, everything you can fit in the title that is important to know about the item.  Once you get in listing mode doing Ebay, you will forget important info if you DO NOT WRITE IT DOWN NOW.  For example – “OLD Blue Pottery Mixing Bowl Vintage Crazing HELP” indicate you don’t know the maker.  Great Ebay readers can help you with the maker or what an item is.

15.  At the end of all of this process, you should have a big stack of LB pages and all the items carefully put away.  Now you can leisurely list from these pages all week!  I have insomnia so will list at 3:00 am during the week!

16.  But first, before you can list, you need to go into your photo program on your computer and resize and crop your photos.  Try to crop when you take the photos – it will save you this step.  You will still need to resize so the photo does not have too many pixels or your photo will get hungup when you download to Ebay.

I go into photo program and “save as” with photo number and a name such as “Rogers Flirtation Sugar Spoon” and then I resize to about a third of what it was originally.

17.  I make a folder in my computer for that month’s photos in My Documents folder.  Or could be saved to a CD if you don’t have much room. Save your photos!  You find you will use them again and again for all kinds of things.

So that is my process for listing.  I usually do all of my photos and list blasting on one day while the light is good since I take most of my photos outside.  Then I can list on Ebay during the week after work into the wel hours of the night or on weekends in one fell  swoop.  At least that way I don’t feel like I have to spend all day Sunday listing.  I can even do this on the road if I download my photos to my laptop or to my flickr account (great way to retrieve photos on the road!).

The LB pages are a lifesaver because everything can be put away in the inventory room and work can be done from the LB pages, which are easier to carry around and deal with than 100 various sized items.  You can do it in front of television or middle of the night, easy to pick and leave off.  Super easy!

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Keep Your Ebay Ratings Up with Good Shipping

By admin, 17 November, 2009, No Comment

Once the item has sold and money deposited into your Paypal account, (ka-ching ka-ching!), it is up to you to get that item shipped safely to the customer as soon as possible.

Ebay customers are sticklers about fast shipping.  They are also very sensitive to high shipping charges.  So how do you reconcile the two?  Easy if you stay organized and keep on track with my proven method:

1.  The sale has been made!  Now what?  First I always print out two packing slips for the sale from my Paypal account; one I keep for my records and one goes with the shipment.

2.  Then I look up where the item is located from the Ebay blurb I wrote when I first listed it.  Just add a secret location number somewhere in the body of the text.  I always put it right under my comment “Look at my other items!”.  Then I go and retrieve the item from my shelves.

3.  Always pack very careful especially if it is glass, ceramic, or otherwise very breakable.  But even if it is plastic or metal I wrap very carefully because boxes get crushed in shipping and the item can be destroyed.  If it is glass, I first wrap in tissue paper and lightly tape down with masking tape (do not use packing tape for this as it is too strong and customers sometime damage the item just trying to get the tape off – very irritating to the customer!).

4.  Then the item is wrapped in small bubblewrap first one way and then the other, taping the ends with masking tape.  If it is glass or ceramic or breakable, make sure you can no longer feel the edges through the bubble wrap.

5.  Pick a box that is larger than the item by at least two inches all the way around (more if it is especially fragile) and fill the bottom of the box 2-3 inches with styrofoam peanuts.

6.  Place item on top of first layer of peanuts and then fill with peanuts so the item can not move around in the box.

7.  If you have two or more items, make sure there are peanuts between the items so they aren’t touching.  If you are stacking plate, put cardboard or something between plates even with the peanuts between them.

8.  Put the packing slip on top along with an insert note about your refund policy (I give 100% guarantee – if they do not like the item, they can return for a full refund paying return shipping).  My insert tells  about my business, the URL for my Ebay store (free advertising!), my auction user name, and the refund policy.  I tell them that they are very important and that I want them to be happy.  I also have a photo taken of the lake where I live at the top of the insert – it is so beautiful here that I want to share it with everyone all over the world!

9.  Put heavy duty shipping tape along the bottom seam of the the box and then form an “H” by taping across that bottom seam and do the same with the top of the box.  Now write FRAGILE all over the sides and also write UP with an arrow up.

10.  A shipping label is then printed out from Paypal via USPS and taped to the package.  Stickon mailing labels are available but it seems just as easy to use packing tape and printer paper.  However, the stickon labels would save time so I may switch to that at some point.

11.  From Paypal, I request a Carrier Pickup the next day via USPS on my front porch.  Now what could be easier than that?  Note: you MUST have one priority mail package to qualify for USPS Carrier Pickup.  Since most of my auctions end at the same time, usually something can be shipped priority.  Best thing of all, priority boxes are FREE!

Note: I rarely use the USPS insurance; it is very hard to collect on it, and my items rarely break in shipment.  When they do, the items are typically low cost ranging in price from $10 – $100 and the item cost me a great deal less than that, so I just consider it MY FAULT, and refund the money (entire amount, including shipping), no questions asked.  That is my refund policy.

If you ship more expensive items, it would be better to use UPS or another carrier where it is not such a problem to collect on an insured item.  Since all of mine are relatively inexpensive, I jsut consider it the cost of doing business and go on.

Now, what was all that talk in the heading about ratings?  You will see from you Ebay “dashboard” that you have a certain rating.  Hopefully, it is 5.0 but it is very easy to be lower when you first start out.  My advice when you start out (but a good business practice nonetheless) is ship FAST and ship CHEAP.  If you get bad ratings on shipping in the beginning of your Ebay career, it is a little like earning a D in college during your first semester; it is very hard to raise your GPA from that point on, less so when you are in your last semester as a senior and already have 120 credits to your name.  Again, I can not stress this too much – be very careful starting out as an Ebay seller to get good ratings and ship FAST and ship CHEAP.

Be careful not to overprice your item on shipping.  It is fair to add some money for shipping and handling (I charge .99 – $1.99 for items) but do not go overboard thinking you will make money on the shipping.  Try to calculate how much something will weigh wrapped with bubblewrap and peanuts and add that to the total weight when you list the item.  You may have to practice wrapping for awhile to get the hang of it.

If you find that you have overcharged a person for shipping by several dollars – by all means- refund a partial portion of it on Paypal.

At the very bottom of the sales item page on Paypal is a spot to refund all or part of the payment and your explanation.  Even if you explain on Paypal what and why you are doing this, go back into the Ebay sale and email the person on Ebay and also their personal email if you can find it, include a note in the box if you haven’t already wrapped it.  Otherwise, they won’t see the refund in Paypal, and will blast you on your dashboard rating with something to the effect of “Great item but waaaaay overcharged on shippping!  What a ripoff seller!”  Sticks and stones I know but they may also leave a zero on the shipping portion of the rating.  You don’t need those negative vibes haunting your good name, what a bummer.

It is also worth noting that even items that are not considered fragile (such as pot metal) can shift around and break or get bent or pieces might fall off.  I once mailed a crucifix of Jesus made of painted pot metal, really old and neat looking, which although wrapped in bubble wrap and peanuts, shifted around, breaking, and actually lost an arm in transit!  Someone (the postman?) wrapped it back up good as new and the buyer thought I sold it to him without the arm!  Luckily, I was able to explain to the buyer that something happened to the item between my house and his and even though it was wrapped nicely, had somehow been damaged.  I think the nature of the item (projecting arms and cross) caused the item to shift and probably puncture the box.  It should have been secured through styrofoam pieces or actually taped to cardboard or between cardboard to secure within the box (or boxed within a box).

Books can be damaged by getting wet from sitting outside so wrap in plastic if using a cardboard box for shipping.  I wrap books carefully now usually in plastic and then a cardboard box after an expensive hardback book was damaged beyond repair in a bubble type envelope.

No matter how carefully you wrap, things do get damaged in transit, especially around Christmas.  Generally, if you respond quickly to damage or shipping problems, the buyer will leave good feedback even if the item was ruined as long as they are compensated.  Most Ebay buyers are great, fun people and totally understand about shipping problems.

Be careful that you do not have too many of these types of mishaps, however.  If you are having several (and my gauge is more than one every three months)- you probably need to re-evaluate the way you are shipping.  Get stronger boxes, use more peanuts and bubblewrap, use styrofoam pieces or heavy cardboard to hold items in place.

Boxes and shipping items can be purchased from Uline (www.Uline.com) and on Ebay from Ebay sellers.

Shipping is a great, productive part of the process of Ebay selling because YAY- A SALE WAS MADE!  Some people hate it but I enjoy it and get up early to do it with my morning coffee.  It truly is work you can do in your pajamas!

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Getting Started Selling on Ebay

By admin, 16 November, 2009, No Comment

It is so easy to sell on Ebay.  You can get started by selling superfluous stuff out of your own home!  There are, however, a few things you must have to begin selling.  These include:

1.   You must have an email account.  I recommend that you use a hotmail or yahoo account so that your regular email account is not bogged down with all of your Ebay emails (you will get hundreds – everytime you list or sell something or a listing expires!).

2.  You need “name recognition” – something that will link all of your many accounts.  For example, if you specialize in old Tupperware, you could call your hotmail account “retrotupperware” as well as your Ebay selling account’s user name.  Most common names such as “crazycatlady” are already taken so think of something unique to you and your business.  It isn’t necessary that all your names be linked but it does help to “brand” you as a business, which helps your customer remember who you are!

3.  So go ahead and think of a name and make a hotmail or yahoo or gmail (google) account.  It is easy and best of all, FREE!

4.  You have to have a Paypal account.  To get a Paypal account, you have to have an email account (you just did that) and also link to a bank account, savings or checking.  You may not want to use your regular account for your Ebay business.  In fact, I would highly recommend that you get a separate bank account.  Free bank accounts are often available by agreeing to put in a minimum deposit each month (which can come from your Paypal account!)

Advantages to having a Paypal account is that you can easily buy and sell on Ebay as well as other auction sites as long as there is money in your Paypal account (if not, Paypal will take it out of your linked bank account so be aware of that).  Paypal will also send you a debit card if requested.  I use my Paypal debit card for purchases at Staples for my Ebay business.  It is easy to keep track of expenses that way.

It may take a couple of days for your Paypal account to be verified because they have to check with your bank.

5.  Set up an Ebay account with the great user name you picked out.  Remember to use something that describes your business if possible.  Stay away from negative connotations like “loser” or “satansspawn” – these may seem clever but actually turn people off.  Remember you are a business and want to project a positive self image.  Also remember that you can not use the word “ebay” in the title of your ebay user name.  Ebay will want the Paypal information and your email information as well as personal information about you.

It is not necessary to do this now, but at some point you will want to open an Ebay store.  You will not sell all of your items on auctions, unfortunately, that is true – so you will need to roll them over and put as inventory in your store.  A basic store costs about $15.00 per month and at this time, costs .03 cents to list per month so is cheap in comparison to an auction listing (.35 cents for a $9.99 item).  If you open a store, Ebay will not take the money out of your Paypal account for approximately one month so you have a month to make money and put in your Paypal account.  Like I said, I have always MADE money with Ebay every month, I have never lost money.  You will soon realize what sells and what does not sell fast.  Your store name can, of course, be linked to the rest of your names such as “Retro Tupperware Store.”

6.  Make a 3-ring notebook which has all your user names and passwords for Ebay, email, and Paypal, and any other place you buy and sell.  Call it your Ebay Notebook.  You can also use it to keep track of your monthly profits and expenses.

7.  Once your Ebay and Paypal accounts have been approved (usually a couple of days or less) – VOILA!  You are ready to sell.

8.  Just a note – if you do much buying and selling, you may want more than one Paypal account.  If there is a discrepancy with a buyer, Paypal can freeze your Paypal account.  Although this has never happened to me, there are horror stories out there of frozen Payapl accounts for weeks at a time – not too great if you depend on that money for daily living expenses.  The alternative is to have one account and be sure to deposit the money to your bank account frequently.

9.  Now you are ready to LIST IT!

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Finding Items to Sell at Garage Sales

By admin, 16 November, 2009, No Comment

I am lucky to live in a town that has 40 – 60 garage sales per weekend during the fall and winter.  Unfortunately, it is also a blue collar retirement town so the items I do find are not the pricey, higher quality items.  A person living in Scottsdale or Palms Springs will have better luck finding nicer items and true collectibles.  A person in the South or Midwest will do better with older collectibles, and antiques at their garage and yard sales.  Also bad for me is that during the summer – the garage sales here are completely dead.  People find it hard to shop in 120 degree temperatures!

Anyway, here is my Find It System:

Wednesday Pre-Planning:

1.  I pick up the local White Sheet Sales Circular.  This has most of the garage sales in town and a map of the location.  There are ususally more than I can possibly get to so I do not bother getting a local newspaper which also has a garage sale map in its Friday paper.

You need to find out the best sales circular or newspaper for garage sales listings in your town.  Most of the listings are also available online so that is a source as well.  I prefer hard copy because I just mark up the paper and the map and take it with!

2.  I usually only have one day – Saturday – for garage saling (sailing?) so I grab my printed map and color each of the dots that BEGIN on Saturday with a colored marker.  It is important to go to the ones that begin on Saturday because there are so many garage salers in this town that ones that started on Friday are already picked through, and I don’t want to miss the best Saturday deals.  On the other hand, Friday’s garage sales sellers might be burnt out and willing to dicker more.  So it is six of one, half a dozen of the other – you decide what is best for you.  Remember, you can always go back and hit the others later if you have time.

3.  I have premade pages that have these categories across the top:

Number                             Time                                 Address                                Comments

Number refers to the number on the White Sheet Map, the map has the garage sales location numbered.

Time refers to the time it starts and ends.

Address is the physical address.

Comments is left blank for my personal comments unless I want to comment that there is one that has something I really want to see.  Usually though, I make comments about things they have like “Lenox China $120 – willing to go down if it doesn’t sell” to remind me where the Lenox China was in case I want to go back, or write down their phone number.  I also usually write what I bought there in the comments just in case there is something I want to go back for – rarely happens though.

4.  I then fill in the table based on what time they start and end, and where they are located, putting one right after the other in the table, according to the route I will be taking and the time they start.

5.  Check the blurb in the Sales Circular about what they are selling.  If it is an arts and crafts show, don’t bother, unless of course, that is what you plan to buy to sell online.

6.  I punch holes in the table and put in a three ring notebook, not sleeved, because sometimes I write in the comments column.

7.  I do plastic sleeve the map and the addresses from the Sales Circular so those don’t get torn up and place those in my notebook as well.

8.  Voila!  Wednesday night I am ready to go early Saturday morning with my printout of the map, and my route all written out.

Friday the Day Before:

1.  I fill up with gas on my way home from work and go to the bank, withdrawing enough money for my purchases.  If I am really organized, I will go into the bank and get one dollar bills.  However, most of the time, people can make change.  I also collect my change all week so that I have plenty of quarters and loose change.  I one large bills ($20s) in a separate section of my fanny pack, change in a separate section, and ones and fives in a separate section.

2.  I get my fanny pack ready with my Blackberry (indispensable!) cell phone, driver’s license, tape measure, magnet, magnifying glass, and money like I said.  I also fill up my stainless steel water bottle so I have plenty of water to drink.  I make a little bag of snacks like string cheese, power bars, and apples to snack on to bring for energy so I don’t have to waste time stopping for food.  I get my pedometer out so I can track how far I walk – great exercise!

Here is my Fanny Pack ready to go with Blackberry and money on top of my 3 Ring Notebook and Map:

IMG_6646_fanny pack shot

3.  I get the coffee maker ready and wash out the thermos.  I find my travel mug and make sure it is clean.

4.  I get plenty of sleep!

Saturday the Big Day:

1.  I get up EARLY and try to be out of the door right at daylight so that I can be at the first sale as day breaks.  If they are not open, I may wait around but will usually just go to the next sale.  I do not pound on the door or try to get in the sale early.  Personally, I think that is rude although there are plenty of people who even go the night before to get the best deals.  If you are gutsy, go for it.

2.  I have a Garmin GPS unit (absolutely essential) and I program each address in so I don’t have to worry about following a map.  It wuold probably let me program the whole route the night before if I could just figure out how to do it! And believe me, I have tried.  Thre are lots of GPS units available and are all pretty easy to use.  A GPS unit is essential and will save you much aggravation and headache trying to find an address.

3.  I take coffee in a thermos and also drink lots of water.  I keep a hat in the car for shade if it ends up being hot and a jacket for if I get cold.  The car is already stocked with Rubbermaid plastic tubs and bubblewrap/paper to hold the items and keep them from breaking.  There is nothing worse than getting that BIG FIND home and discovering it got chipped in transit.  OUCH!

4.  Off I go usually with Hubby who helps by programming the addresses into the Garmin.

5.  At the sale, look on the ground, under tables, back in the garage.  Look by the side of the house where they haven’t pulled stuff out yet.  If you specialize in something, ask if they have any of your specialty.  I once asked if they had old cameras and the man pulled an old Polaroid out of the house which I purchased with the original leather case for $1.00.  I later sold on Ebay for $70.00!  He was going to throw it away because film can no longer be purchased for it.  I sold it to a customer in France.  Fun!

Have business cards made (You can do it yourself on your computer) with your name, phone number, and what you collect.  For example, mine says ” I Buy I Sell I Collect Pottery Tableware Flatware Mexican Ceramics” with my name and phone number.  You can leave those cards with people who have items you are interested in but are too expensive.  If they don’t sell the items, tell them to call you!

I was just at a garage sale this weekend where the garage sale was way expensive, and I purchased nothing – everything was waaaay  too much money and he wouldn’t go down on anything.  However, the man had put tons of stuff out for free by the street, some of which I took and put up for sale on Ebay.  We will see if any of it sells or not. That man had more people digging through his trash pile than he did at his sale!  I recently sold an old Bell motorcycle helmet for $20.00 which I found free by the side of the road after a garage sale was over.  You can’t beat that for having low inventory costs!  So keep your eyes open.

6.  Once you get your items together (and try to get a pile of stuff) – mentally figure how much it would all be and then ask, “what is the best deal you can give me for all this stuff?”  I say mentally calculate it – otherwise, you might end up paying more than what it would be separately!  I have done that as well when I wasn’t really paying attention to business.  If  you have $20 worth of stuff, try to get it down to $12 or $15.  You always want to be able to sell the item for AT LEAST $10 more than what you paid, so a $5 should be able to be sold for $15.00 on Ebay is my rule of thumb.  Sometimes you might pay more for one thing, but get a real deal on another.  It does seem to work out.

7.  Be friendly to the person running the sale, they are tired from getting up so early and dealing with rude people.  Do not insult their stuff or their intelligence.  Compliment their items “Wow you have a bunch of great stuff!”  or “Wow this really looks old.”  If you are purchasing something old, try to get the story behind it, “This belonged to my Grandma when she lived in Germany during WWII.”  It helps to locate and place things in time for your writeup on Ebay.  If purchasing dishes and flatware, try to get the name of the pattern.  This will save time later – write it down in your comments section.   Always offer less, all they can say is no, and it helps to practice your negotiation skills.

If they say, “this sells for $100 on Ebay and I only want $20!”,  don’t argue.  Just smile and nod your head, and tell them no doubt an Ebayer will realize that and purchase the item.  No need to be sarcastic, just go on to the next garage sale.

8.  I typically do not tell people I sell on Ebay; this seems to scare them for some reason.  Although if they start talking about it, I will admit it.  If they admit selling Ebay, though, think long and hard before buying their stuff.  It probably didn’t sell on Ebay so you probably won’t be able to sell it either!

9.  I try to buy something at every garage sale because it forces me to buy things that I never considered before and opens up new markets for me.  However, I will not pay more than $1 for something I am unsure of.

10.  It helps to bring people with other expertise.  For example, I know nothing about fishing equipment or tools, but Hubby does so he points out the fishing items and tools that are high dollar, although he ususally just takes the tools home and puts in his own workshop!  I find that widows sells their husbands’ fishing equipment dirt cheap and vice versa, so there are good deals out there.

11.  The garage sales all close up about noon in my town so I give myself 4 -5 hours to scour the town and then call it quits.  Since I have a 15 hour time maximum that I spend on Ebay each week, that is about right for the Finding section of my quest.

12.  Now it is on to Listing!

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How I Got Started Buying and Selling at Auctions

By admin, 11 November, 2009, No Comment

I can not remember a time when I didn’t go to auctions.  Some of my earliest memories are hanging onto my daddy’s pant legs in dusty, red earth barn floors in Oklahoma, listening to auctioneers rattling off numbers.  I was probably three or four at the time and recall stacks of stuff at the front of the barn – wooden trunks, old dishes, farm equipment, mixing bowls, oak furniture, metal toys,  even animals!   Needless to say, all of those things are some of my favorite stuff!   The best part of the whole event was after it was over and Daddy gathered up his boxes – he would go through them and take out what he wanted and give me everything else.  I still have some of the things from those boxes.  It was great fun!

As an adult, I continued going to auctions with my sister; she collects Frankoma pottery and was always on the lookout for that rare piece.  My husband even briefly worked as an auctioneer in Oklahoma and used to bring home all kinds of cool stuff.  Mostly I was interested in obtaining things for the house at that time, quality furniture or items I needed for a growing family.

After we moved to Arizona, we still perused auctions for vehicles and needed items, but less so.  Not so many auctions here!  After Ebay started, I began buying and selling on Ebay, but mostly as a hobbyist.  I bought things I wanted and sold things I didn’t need.

In 2008, with the downturn in the economy, and finding myself with substantial  credit card debt as well as miscellaneous other bills as well as four children in college,  I turned to Ebay and Amazon to do some serious selling to help knock down the debt.  Since that time, I have paid off two credit cards and we have finished paying off our house.  I still work full-time and use this extra income to primarily pay down debt and help our children who are attending college.  If  I can do it – so can you!

I have always made money every month I have been doing this since August 2008; I have never lost money.   I think that is important to say.   People see me spending money on “junk” and think I am just wasting my money.  I am here to say it isn’t so even if it doesn’t sell the first time out.

This blog is going to be about how I do it, how I find the items to sell, and how I make money  buying and selling.  Another good point to make is that auction addiction is hard work!  This is not easy but if it was, everyone would do it.  I spend about 10 – 15 hours per week obtaining the items to sell and then listing and selling the items, and shipping. The great thing, though, is it can be done totally from your home if you need to.  It is a perfect income for the disabled or stay-at-home mom.  A person strapped for cash can get started immediately just by selling superfluous items from their own home!  You will be surprised at how easy it is to get started making money.

The secret is to find your niche – what are you interested in?  What do you like shopping for?  What will sell?  I sell the odd, the unusual, retro, vintage, and just plain weird.  Pottery, dishes, and any type of ceramics interest me so I sell that as well.   It is fun to research the items that I come up with.

I am currently selling off all of the things my kids have left in the house – paintball guns, inline skates, motocross helmets, fishing equipment – but I warned them what would happen if they didn’t remove all their stuff from the house!  Anything is fair game in my house once the owner is warned to remove from the premises.

Recently my partner in crime (Scott, my son’s friend)  and I have been going to storage unit auctions.  These are great and sometimes only go for $1 – $3.  The down side is that you have to remove all the stuff – hard, dirty work – so make sure you really want the stuff and that some of it will sell.  Scott and I have an agreement whereby I take the stuff I want for Ebay and he sells the rest at his garage sales.   Of course, some of the storage unit auctions go for  $100, $200 and up if there is big furniture or vehicles in the unit.  But some really great deals can be had for $5!  Storage unit auctions are advertised in the classified ads in the local newspaper or you can get on a mailing/email list with the storage unit facility.

Of course, there are tons of auction sites online, not just Ebay anymore.  I will be exploring the different sites on this blog as well as going to site auctions and checking those out.

If you are finding yourself unemployed or strapped for cash, read on and get ideas on the different ways to make money selling stuff.    You have to start somewhere to turn your financial situation around and it can be here.   If I can do it, so can YOU!

See anything you can't live without?

See anything you can't live without?

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