Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Help Me Identify This Hat?


Hi blog friends. Does anyone know what team this hat represents? It's gold with a black "I". Thanks in advance for any help.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Best Sale This Week And A BOLO

My best sale this week was a Mens Filson Flannel Shirt. I'd heard of this brand quite a while back and knew to pick it up if I saw it but I'd never seen it before. A few months ago I found a new thrift shop. The prices are higher but the quality of the clothing is much higher. Designer labels. So when I saw this Filson flannel shirt I grabbed it. It was in perfect condition except for a pretty large stain inside the neckline which you wouldn't be able to see it while wearing it. I tried to get it out but it wouldn't budge. So I listed it with full disclosure of this flaw. I started high at $79.99 and just yesterday put it on sale for 10% off. It had a few watchers and sold that day for $67.49 plus shipping. I think I paid about $5 for it. New on the Filson website identical looking shirts start at $98. So my BOLO for you is ANYTHING Filson. They are an old company that sells clothing and accessories for the active outdoor life. Hunting, fishing, etc. They sell a few women's pieces but the majority of their stock is men's. Their merchandise is quality and very cool looking but I'm definitely not their target customer.  Check out the completeds on ebay.



In other news. Someone please find a way to stop me from buying mugs, books and ornaments. Part of my 2015 business goal is to a. increase my average selling price to $40 and b. shop more often and buy less. So why do I keep buying these items that will probably sell for less than $20 and fill up my overflowing shelves??? I get the book obsession because I've always loved book personally but I don't get the mugs and ornaments. For personal use I only have a few mugs. Four are a set and then I have a couple that were gifts. Never am I tempted to buy mugs for myself. So if you've found a way to stop buying something over and over. Please do share. What is your personal 'must buy' item? 

Monday, January 12, 2015

The Moth



Because Scavenger Life doesn't give me a daily 8 hr podcast to listen to while I work ;) I'm always on the lookout for something new to listen to. I think Jay and Ryanne should just install cameras in their home and let us in 24/7 reality show style ;) 

This weekend I stumbled in a roundabout way on something new to me. It started when I was listening to NPR in my car. The game show Ask Me Another was on. It always makes me laugh. When I got home I googled the host of the show, Ophira Eisenberg, because she is so funny. Google led me to a youtube video of Ophira on stage at a show called 'The Moth' telling a story. I'd never heard of The Moth before. Have you?? The best I can describe it is someone getting on stage and telling a story from their life. They run maybe 10 minutes and are both funny and touching. I listened to several yesterday while I worked. It's nice because you really don't need to watch the video to enjoy it, just listen. I just started one on youtube and when that one ended a new one automatically started. You can also listen from their website. Perfect background entertainment for when you're taking pictures and shipping.

Here are a couple that I listened to last night that I really enjoyed.

Starlee Kine Radical Honesty

Micaela Blei Fish Out of Water

Ebay News

I've been continuing to list daily. Sales have slowed down a little post holiday but not too bad. The next holidays coming up are Valentines Day, Mardi Gras, and St Patrick's so keep that in mind when sourcing and listing. I sold a piece of fabric today that had an irish theme. Last year or the year before I sold a vintage green sport coat using keywords St Patrick's Day. Keep your eye out for green jackets, ties and sweaters. Also, the super bowl is coming up. Pay attention to what teams are still in the running. I've got all of my Packers stuff up (I'm from Wisconsin). I sold a vintage Packers Super Bowl mug a couple of weeks ago.





Monday, January 5, 2015

Happy New Year and Goals For 2015



I was just reading the blog of another reseller who listed her goals for 2015. It inspired me to think about my own goals and look back at my goals for 2014.

My only specific goal for 2014 was to increase my inventory from 500 in January to 1000 by the end of the year. I am currently at 960 items and holding as things are selling as fast as I'm listing. I'm going to consider my 2014 goal met even though I didn't reach 1000 by Dec 31st. I thought by doubling my inventory my sales would double. They didn't. Time to re-evaluate.

In 2014 I also started selling on Bonanza and Etsy. I think this was a successful venture as I've had sales on both sites, 11 on Bonanza and 5 on Etsy. I will continue this in 2015.

New Goals for 2015
  • Increase my income so that it meets my expenses. This is the BIG goal. To do this I need to increase the average selling price of my items. Currently my average selling price is $21. I want to raise that to $40. All of my other goals should be geared to help me with this one. 
  • Try New Thrift Stores. Hunt out new to me thrifts and try at least one a month. In the past I've been hitting the same few and one of them isn't very good. I go there more out of convenience because it is the one closest to me. 
  • Make a pilgrimage to the Goodwill Outlet in my state. I have never been to a thrift outlet. There are two outlet stores in my state. One is a Goodwill outlet and is about 2 1/2 hours away. It is on the same route I take to visit my sister and brother so I could go there on a trip to visit them. There is also a St Vincent De Paul outlet about 2 hours from me. I didn't know Vinnies had outlets, did you? It's called Dig and Save, LOL.
  • Get my inventory organization under control. That's like saying lose weight. Hard and vague. I will probably write a separate blog post on that at some point with more specific steps to take to meet that goal. 
  • Shop more often but buy less. Be pickier. More rummage and estate sales.
  • Try an auction. 
  • Finish going through my parents things. My parents moved out of their home a couple of years ago and I brought a lot of their things into my home (basement and garage) to sort and sell. I've started this but have a long way to go. 
Feel free to leave advice for me on how to reach my goals or share your own goals in the comments.