Vintage Black Hole Selectavision Video Disc. I paid $1. Sold for $14.99 plus shipping
Fisher Price Fun Sounds Garage. The buyer hasn't paid yet. I paid $2. Sold for 19.99 plus shipping
Living Without Magazine. I thought I'd have time to read these but they sold a day after listing. Paid $4.50 for 9 magazines. Sold for $27 plus shipping.
I need to learn to find and buy items that bring in more money. I buy and sell too many things where I make $10 or $15 per item. I'm not sure how to accomplish this goal. I know that I tend to buy items that are cheap (cost under $2) that I know I can make $10 or $15 on but sometimes I'm lucky and they are worth more. I think I shy away from items costing $5 and up because it seems like such an investment. I know that that's not reasonable and many people spend much more on one item. In reality I'm sure I could recoup my $5 investment in most cases. How do I turn this ship around? If you have any tips for me leave them in the comments.
Nancy, I wish I knew. I just bought a new and sealed DVD board game for $2.99 at GW. It's from the TV show 24 which I know is coming back on soon, so I figured the game might be worth something. I looked up completeds and someone actually sold the game for .99 and free shipping. Doh!
ReplyDeleteLorraine I just sold last week a set of DVDs of three seasons of 24 for 14.99 plus shipping. Maybe your game will be more valuable once the show comes back and people start shopping for more 24 stuff.
DeleteLorraine, if it makes you feel any better, I have that same sealed 24 game sitting in my inventory, too. We both found the same dud :)
DeleteI get spoiled when I pick up something for 25c and sell it for $40 and it makes me shy away from the $5 items when I know I will only clear $10-15. But I have been taking it in baby steps. First, I buy $5 items that I know I can sell for $20, then after I feel comfortable with $5 I set my limit at $10 to sell for $40. So far I am only up to the $10 and have only bought one thing at that price and sold for $40. But I also buy plenty of duds. Like Lorraine, I get quite a few of "I bet I'll made $20 on that" and it ends up selling for $5.99. But at least it sells and you have learned and hopefully moved on. I just keep reminding myself that not everything sells for big $$. And not everyone buys things that are big $$. The little stuff sells.And as long as I make a decent profit I'm happy!!
ReplyDeleteAnnabel do you look things up at the store? I don't like to look stuff up at the store very often so I'm usually guessing unless it's something I know from past experience or reading in blogs.
DeleteI'm glad you started this discussion. My average sale is usually somewhere in the $20.00 range, and I would love to see that number rise to $40-$50. I know some people that do it by selling vintage glass pieces, but honestly, glass bores me in a big way. I need to find something that interests me more that will give that same boost in profits.
ReplyDeleteYes. It is a lot easier to research and learn about something that interests you and I think that is a key to making more per item. Knowledge. You have to know what to buy. What to spend more on. Since we can't be knowledgeable about everything I think you've hit the nail on the head. Identify something and learn all you can about that niche. I've never done that. I know a little about a lot of stuff. Thanks for the comment Kimberly :)
Deletebuy trendy or buy quality , its a hard one , plus theres the whole outlay problem . youre buying to sell because your hard up so dont have the capital to buy the best stuff unless its a lucky hit . ebay fees eat the little sales every time , so yes you need to be selling hundreds of penny items to make money , which is fine if you have the time , if your a part time seller stuff needs to flip for a good amount , theres no easy answer
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I'm hard up or don't have the capitol, more that I'm not identifying the items that will sell for more dollars. I think it is more a matter of skill and knowledge. I agree, there is no easy answer.
DeleteMy average sale has been about $20.50 for the past 3 years. Like you, I have been trying to figure out how to increase that number. I have also bought my share of duds. We're limited by what's available to us to sell. Sometimes we have no other options but to buy that $2 item that will sell for $10-$15 or else do without inventory. But I have started looking at items to sell that cost more, but I do use my phone to check on prices since my risk is higher.
ReplyDeleteI've started sifting through my unlisted inventory and donating back those items that are not really worth listing. Those items I'm not even going to make $10 after fees. I have to say it feels good! I was holding on to them for so long. I still don't have an answer to finding the bigger ticket items but I think eventually I will become better at picking. It's hard because I know there are more knowledgable pickers out there probably grabbing up the good stuff before me. I'm not one to get to an estate sale hours before it starts or push people out of the way to get the best stuff but I think there is still enough out there for all of us. I do need to change my methods though. I've always admired your finds. I have learned from reading your blog and others like you.
DeleteThe best way to do this is to either venture into areas that are proven sellers or to research everything before you place it in your cart if you are unsure of the selling price. I like to have a mix of price points, but there are certain categories like "electronics" that I know will bring in bigger profits whether I sell them on eBay or through Amazon FBA.
ReplyDeleteOther categories that work well for me on eBay are things like office supplies, high-end designer clothing brands, and believe it or not, VHS tapes. There are certain tapes that I look for every time because I know I can turn $0.25 into $15, $20, or $30 per tape -- on eBay!
As I start to liquidate my eBay inventory, I'm noticing that I have a lot of *winners* that have been collecting dust, but I also have a lot of losers, that just are not worth the time and aggravation of listing and shipping because they were bought at a time when I didn't do much research. Now, I don't put an item in my basket without researching it in the store unless I know that it has a proven track record of selling well for me.
Great advice SAHM. What do you consider electronics? Would that be things like VCRs, DVD players and such or small electronics? I have been pretty successful with some VHS tapes as well. The more obscure the better. I've also sold lots of Disney VHS if I get them really cheap. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteRemote controls, routers, chargers/adapters, keyboards, specialty equipment for specific lines of work, and certain kitchen items are just a few of the things that I consider "electronics" and have sold well for me. They are cheap to buy and I can find them at every thrift store I visit.
DeleteThank you for the specifics SAHM. I'm definitely going to look into those things more. I admit those are things I'm not too familiar with. I picked up a remote control for the first time last week but it ended up it didn't work. It was a Smarter Image remote which I thought was promising. It was very cheap though so not out too much for it but going to keep looking at stuff like that.
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