My Top eBay Moments This Week - Vacation Edition

I had my store on vacation for 5 days this week. I left my items visible and available to purchase, but I was sure to message each buyer with a reminder that I wouldn't be able to ship until Tuesday. I offered them all the options of cancelling or waiting, and I had no cancellations. I didn't have any buyer problems either! It was a good week :)

I sold 52 items this week, only 8 of which were shoes. I sold a lot of shoe repair products again this week. I'm running very low on that, so I just placed a huge order with my suppliers the other day.

I am expanding my horizons too. I have finally discovered the lucrative world of women's clothing. Early each week, I make a good long trip to Goodwill looking through ALL the women's clothing (except pants - haven't made it that far yet), looking for new with tags items that are the half off color of the week. Every week, I am surprised at how many I find. How is it that new with tags items hang around long enough to become the half off color? I've also been surprised at how quickly that stuff sells!

My favorite sales:

This was one of my first women's clothing purchases. It's not new with tags (I have learned much in the few shorts weeks I've been doing this), but it is Sag Harbor, 100% wool, plus size, and it was the half off color, so I took a chance. I immediately regretted it, but listed it anyway. I had someone contact me in the first few days saying they didn't want to pay $22 for a used jacket. Normally, I get annoyed at that sort of thing. If you don't like my price, move on. But in this particular instance, I was concerned that it wouldn't sell at all, so I did lower my price for her to move it out quickly. I think the fact that this was a 20W was the only thing that sold it.

• Acquired: 12/31/11
• Listed On: 1/2/12
• Sold On: 1/8/12
• Paid: $2.99
• Sold For: $15.99 + shipping

I bought these NWT Hanna Andersson capris at the consignment sale that I did so poorly at in November. I went on the last day to pick up my check and saw a bunch of stuff I would have bought at half price. I told the woman running the sale and she said, "Then go buy them! I'm keeping a separate record of things that sell today and I'll send those checks out separately."  So I loaded up on all the Gymboree and Hanna that I could find. Sadly, none of them have sold until these sold yesterday.

• Acquired: 11/13/11
• Listed On: 11/24/11
• Sold On: 1/11/12
• Paid: $6.50
• Sold For: $19.99 + shipping

This was a very fast sale. It's an Adidas tennis skirt, size small. I have another one very similar to it that's NWT. I wasn't sure how well the pre-owned one would do, but it was the half off color, and I decided I was willing to risk a whopping $1.49 to find out. I'm glad I did.

• Acquired: 1/3/12
• Listed On: 1/4/12
• Sold On: 1/10/12
• Paid: $1.49
• Sold For: $19.99 + shipping

I have to be honest here - I was bummed that this one sold so quickly. I love it, and it's my size. But oh well. There will be more :)  It's a Worthington skirt, new with tags. It was the half off color.

• Acquired: 12/31/11
• Listed On: 1/2/12
• Sold On: 1/10/12
• Paid: $1.49
• Sold For: $20.00 + shipping

I've had these Sofft suede mary janes forever. They're pretty cute, so I thought for sure they would sell quickly. I can usually sell my Soffts for around $25 plus shipping, but they are NOT fast or consistent sellers. I only pick them up now if they are in perfect condition or super cheap.

• Acquired: 3/12/11 (told you - forever!)
• Listed On: ?
• Sold On: 1/11/12
• Paid: $5.25
• Sold For: $25 + shipping

This NWT Rothschild coat came from the huge yard sale I went to in September. Unfortunately, I bought this the first day, before I knew they would be having a half-off day. Next year, I won't even bother going until half-off day, because I still managed to find tons and tons of stuff on the last day. I paid too much for this coat, but I still turned a bit of a profit (and learned a good lesson).

• Acquired: 8/27/11
• Listed On: ?
• Sold On: 1/9/12
• Paid: $14.00 (yikes)
• Sold For: $30.00 + shipping

Here's another item I've had for ages. These were in bad shape when I bought them, but a half a jar of Meltonian fixed them up nicely. They are earth (lower-case "e" ... avoid the capital "E" - those are Walmart brand). They retailed for $169, so I aimed high on these. I had no offers, no bites, no messages about them - nothing. I finally ended up clearancing them to $50, no best offer. Even that wasn't working, so I added best offer and finally got an offer on them. I probably would have taken just about any offer at that point, but I was happy with the amount.

• Acquired: 1/5/11
• Listed On: ??
• Sold: 1/5/12 - interesting - I just realized these sold exactly one year from the very day I bought them
• Paid: $2.99
• Sold For: $40 + shipping

And my favorite sale of the week ....

I can't explain why I bought these. (For perspective, the mama is about 8" tall.) I was in a local thrift store and was buying $5 worth of merchandise. I didn't have any cash, and they have a $10 minimum on charges, so I had the cashier hold my things while I went across the street to the bank to get some cash. On my way out, I spotted these in the display window. I went back in and asked to see them. They were very fingerprinted and not at all shiny or pretty, but for some reason I decided I wanted them anyway. I get them a quick once over. No chips or ugly spots. Tag on the bottom that said "Japan."  They were $2.99 and $4.99, so that put me over the $10 limit to use my debit card. I got them home and thought, "Wow, I paid $8 for these. That's way too much."

I didn't give them much thought until the next day. I used some Windex and shined them up nicely and took a bunch of pictures. The more I looked at them, the more I decided I loved them. I don't have any sort of affection for elephants, so I really can't explain why I loved them so much. I have nowhere to put them, so I decided to go ahead and list them.

I started to do some research, and the first thing I discovered was that the tag on the bottom said "Jaru" not "Japan". So I did an eBay search for Jaru and was pleasantly surprised. I did a search for Jaru elephant and nothing came up. I checked completeds and saw one set just like mine (but bronze color) that sold at auction for a whopping $13.99. Boy, was I disappointed. But then it occurred to me - this is a special item. It will take just the right buyer. You're probably not going to get a bidding war over something like this, so it's NOT an auction item. I listed it ridiculously high, just to gauge interest. I put it in my store for $99.99 or best offer, not really expecting to get even $50 for it. I knew I would have a hard time accepting a lower offer for it, because I really did love them. Imagine my surprise when they sold (full price!) while I was on vacation!

• Acquired: 1/3/12
• Listed On: 1/4/12
• Sold On: 1/5/12
• Paid: $8.46
• Sold For: $99.99 + shipping

How'd you do this week?

My Top eBay Moments This Week

I almost forgot to do my top moments post this week! Ack!

With all the horror stories of psycho Christmas buyers, I was really expecting to get at least ONE complaint last week, but I had none! No non-paying buyers, no returns. Oh - I did have a complaint that a pair of Clarks broke the first time the buyer wore them. Clarks are kind of notorious for that. I've gotten probably 5 or 6 complaints of the same thing during my time selling on eBay. Because I know Clarks have a tendency to do that when they get old, I don't even ask for pictures anymore. I just apologize profusely. I let the customer know that I inspect all of my shoes before I list them, and that I can't possibly predict what will happen to them later, but of course I will refund your entire purchase price and shipping. They have all been understanding so far.

I sold 48 items last week, 11 of which were shoes. My favorites:

I bought these back in March. When the time came to list them, I couldn't decide whether they were brown or black, so I decided to keep them. I wore the heck out of them this summer, but quickly got tired of them. They were in pretty worn condition, so I dumped them cheap. But they sold very quickly.

• Acquired: 3/12/11 (my sister-in-law picked them up for me)
• Listed On: 12/12/11
• Sold On: 12/23/11
• Paid: $6.90 (got that much back out of them just by wearing them all summer)
• Sold For: $15 (-$4.90 shipping)

I was SO GLAD to see these go! I have had them since LAST October. Yes, LAST October. I kept meaning to take better pictures, but I just never got around to it.

• Acquired: 10/9/10 (sister-in-law)
• Listed: ?/2010
• Sold: 12/27/2011
• Paid: $3.90
• Sold For: $17 + shipping

This was a super-fast flip! I probably could have gotten more for it, because it's a pretty cool mug, but I'm really enjoying all my fast flips lately. Always pick up 3D animal mugs.

• Acquired: 12/23/11 (local Goodwill)
• Listed On: 12/27/11 (how do you like that? 4 days after I bought it!)
• Sold On: 12/28/11
• Paid: $2.11
• Sold For: $20 + shipping

I "knew" this was a mistake as soon as I got it home. It's a V-Tech BigTop laptop. I tossed it on the pile and moved on to better things. Then during my crazed list-everything-in-sight mode last week, I decided to clean this up and get rid of it. I listed it with free shipping, thinking it would fit into a side-loading Regional A box (and ship as a 2 lb. package), but it didn't fit, so I had to ship it as a regular 3 1/2 lb package. That wouldn't have been a problem, except naturally, someone in California bought it. But I'm still happy with how it ended up, considering I probably shouldn't have bought it to begin with.

• Acquired: 11/15/11 (local Goodwill)
• Listed On: 12/19/11
• Sold On: 12/24/11
• Paid: $2.17
• Sold for: $24.99 (-$9.37 shipping)

The woman who bought this drove a hard bargain. We went back and forth in an offer/counter-offer several times. I decided to check the feedback she left for others and saw my eBay username on there! She was a previous customer and I didn't even know it! Because of that, I sold this for a little less than I would have liked, but I'm ok with that since she was a repeat buyer. She had previously bought a large Cheer Bear Care Bear for $25 and free shipping, so that's what I sold this one for. I am down to just one huge Care Bear. They all sold during November and December. Note to self (and to you!): pick these up and be sure they are all listed for next Christmas selling season.

• Acquired: 9/3/11 (yard sale)
• Listed On: 9/18/11
• Sold On: 12/29/11
• Paid: $1.00
• Sold For: $25.00 (-$6.57 shipping)

Always, always, ALWAYS buy these. I cannot keep these in stock. This is the Clairol Style Setter. Sometimes they say that on the cover, sometimes they don't. There is more than one Clairol Style Setter out there, but the red base always sells quickly for me. I have gotten anywhere from $24.99 - $39.99 for these. I had 2 sets to list the other day, so I put them both in the same listing for $39.99 or best offer, plus shipping, and I put that I had 2 available. I had a woman make me an offer for BOTH sets. I quickly jumped on it, not only because it was a good offer, but because she was buying both. I'm always willing to sell things a little lower if they buy more than one.

• Acquired: 9/23/11 (local Goodwill) and 10/21 (getaway weekend in West Virginia)
• Listed On: 12/20/11
• Sold On: 12/26/11
• Paid: $3.17 and $3.98
• Sold For: $30 each + shipping

Another very fast flip this week! I'm not sure what made these Clarks sell so quickly, but I don't ask questions :)

• Acquired: 12/23/11
• Listed On: 12/27/11
• Sold On: 12/28/11
• Paid: $2.99
• Sold For: $30.00 + shipping

I bought this at an auction over the summer that was to benefit a good family friend of ours with cancer. It was in the original box, but the box was in BAD shape. When I saw it, I just knew it was going to go higher than I wanted to pay for it. But I gave it some thought and decided I'd be willing to go as high as $10 for it (big spender, I know...). The evening went on and on and on and ON, and this gem didn't even make it out from under the table. I finally asked a friend of mine who was a runner that evening to please drag it out so I could bid on it. He gave me a funny look but pulled it right out. The auctioneer made fun of it, but started the bidding at $5. No bids, so he dropped to $2. Still no bids, so he dropped to $1. I bid and won it! What fun to get something for a tenth of what you had planned on paying! Took me awhile to get it listed, because I needed to test and clean it, but I finally got around to it the other week and I'm glad I did. It sold pretty quickly. I have another one (blue) that I'm hoping sells quickly too.

• Acquired: 8/12/11 (local auction)
• Listed On: 12/18/11
• Sold On: 12/29/11
• Paid: $1.00
• Sold for: $35.00 + shipping

We met some family for dinner last evening. I managed to keep from checking my email for most of dinner, but during dessert, I just couldn't help myself. Imagine my delight when I saw that this sold for my full asking price, which was a mere 7 cents less than our dinner bill! Another VERY quick flip!

• Acquired: 12/23/11
• Listed On: 12/27/11
• Sold On: 12/28/11
• Paid: $4.23
• Sold For: $59.99 + shipping

This was another item I regretted buying as soon as I got it home. They are Etienne Aigner, but they aren't even leather. I've never bought that brand, because I see it all the time. Brands that I see everywhere, I usually figure aren't worth the effort. But because these were tall boots with tall heels, I figured it was worth a shot. I was surprised at how high and how quickly they sold. This just goes to show that even those of us who have been doing this for awhile can't know everything about everything, and sometimes you just have to take a chance. Sometimes it's worth it, other times you'll get a dud. I listed them with free shipping, and naturally, they went to California again. Why do my free shipping listings attract the California buyers??

• Acquired: 11/1/11
• Listed On: 12/13/11
• Sold On: 12/24/11
• Paid: $4.99
• Sold For: $69.99 (-$11.43 shipping)

What were your favorite sales this week?

My Top eBay Moments This Week

I had a pretty decent week. Sales just weren't as high as I was hoping for the week before Christmas, but I mostly sell used shoes, which just isn't very high up many people's wish lists, I guess. Sales were steady, so I shan't complain.

I sold 57 items, 10 of which were shoes. I did sell a lot of interesting items, rather than just the boring old shoes, clothes, and books. So it was fun packaging up a wider variety of stuff this week. It is amazing to me how many of my sales this week were of items that I had either JUST listed or that I had recently ended and listed as a "Sell Similar" item.

I don't recall that I had any problem buyers this week. I lucked out and haven't had any irate "Where Is My Item" customers (I got to be one of those myself this morning! And believe me - I was irate! But that's a whole different story ...). Anyway, I did get myself another Neutral feedback this week. Someone was disappointed in the condition of their game box. I might have had that one coming. I was pretty vague in my description about the condition of the box....

So here are my favorites - I had a lot of fun sales this week, so it's a long list!

I got this for Christmas when I was a little girl. Nearly a year ago, I decided to purge our massive stuffed animal collection. I thought this one would go fairly quickly, but apparently not. I sold it this week. Four days after I shipped it, I got a message from the buyer that she wanted to cancel this order, because she didn't realize she had actually gone all the way through the purchasing process. Really? The 2 times that you had to confirm your purchase, and logging in to Paypal, and logging in to eBay to confirm your payment, and the 2 emails you got from eBay and the email you got from Paypal, and then the shipping confirmation email you got from me weren't enough of a clue?? So I wrote her and said, "This shipped several days ago and tracking shows that it was delivered yesterday. Did you receive it?" She wrote back, very apologetic. She ordered mine first, then accidentally ordered a second one and intended to cancel the second one. She was very happy with mine and was excited to give it to her granddaughter for Christmas. That made me smile, to know that it was going to another little girl for Christmas 25 years after *I* had gotten it for Christmas. Happy ending!

• Acquired: 1987?
• Listed: 2010
• Sold on: 12/15
• Paid: $0
• Sold for: $16.99 + shipping

Remember this story? Those shoes FINALLY sold. No, I didn't get $35.99 for them, but I knew I wouldn't right from the start. That's what the Best Offer button is all about. I did ultimately end up clearancing them and offering free shipping, but the woman who bought these also bought them with another pair of shoes, and both pairs fit in a Regional Box A, so I was able to ship both pairs for around $8. This was a mistake purchase for more than one reason. First of all, I would never buy such dirty shoes now, and I am finding that canvas Clarks just don't sell well. I think I was lucky to break even on them.

• Acquired: 12/4/2010
• Listed: 12/?/2010
• Sold on: 12/18/2011
• Paid: $3.00
• Sold for: $20.00 - shipping

This was in a bin of Care Bears my sister-in-law bought for me in November. She only paid a dime for it, and I was glad, because she's in pretty worn condition. But I optimistically listed her for $21.99 with free shipping and to my surprise, she sold quite quickly! Paula - I owe you an apology! lol

• Acquired: 11/26/2011
• Listed: 11/27/2011
• Sold on: 12/17
• Paid: 10 cents
• Sold for: $21.99 - $2.09 shipping

I feel like I have had this stinkin' thing forEVER, but I see I just listed it in July. On December 15, I ended the listing and clicked on "Sell Similar."  Sell Similar is better than Relisting, because that tells eBay's search engines that it's a new item, so it gets moved up in search results. I saw the proof of this time and time again this week. I relisted on 12/15, sold on 12/21. Paid 14 cents, Sold for $24.00 (-$5.45 shipping).

• Acquired: 7/16/2011
• Listed: 7/??/2011
• Sold on: 12/21/2011
• Paid: 14 cents
• Sold for: $24.00 - $5.45 shipping

I bought this intending to set it aside until I had collected several Blues' Clues toys to list as a lot. I'm in desperate listing mode right now though, and I didn't want to wait, so I decided to list it and see what happened. This was another very quick seller!

• Acquired: 11/26/2011
• Listed on: 12/20/2011
• Sold on: 12/22/2011
• Paid: $2.11
• Sold for: $24.99 - $5.00 shipping

I've had this one for awhile too. It's a vintage Hoover hair dryer and nail dryer. I know production companies often buy this soft of thing for in movies, so I was optimistic. I priced it high ($49.99 or best offer), but I never got any offers, no watchers, and not very many hits. In October, I ended the listing and did a Sell Similar listing, dropping the price and removing the best offer option. Finally sold it this week! I have a few other similar ones that I just listed this week, so I'm hoping they move a lot more quickly than this first one did.

• Acquired: 5/31/2011
• Listed (Sell Similar) on: 10/18/2011
• Sold on: 12/18/2011
• Paid: $6.35
• Sold for: $25.00 + shipping

I bought this during an evening of very distracted shopping. My brother's girlfriend was with me, and she and I chattered the whole way through the store. Honestly, I got home and started pulling stuff out of my bag that I didn't even remember picking up! I looked at this and thought, "Why on earth did I buy this?? And why did I pay $3 for it?!"  And then I tossed it into my to-be-listed bin and forgot about it. Again, desperate listing mode led me to drag it out and clean it up and get it listed. Imagine my surprise when it sold for my full asking price overnight!! And mine was the most expensive one of this particular model that was listed. I don't understand that, but who am I to question??

• Acquired: 11/8/2011
• Listed: 12/19/2011
• Sold: 12/20/2011
• Paid: $3.17
• Sold: $27.99 - $4.90 shipping

My sister-in-law recently gave us a whole bunch of bags of clothes. She specifically said to keep what we wanted and to sell the rest. Knowing that we have a whole closet stuffed full of winter coats for our kids to grow into, I decided to sell this. It's a 2-part convertible Reebok coat. It has a lighter fleece jacket that you can zip into it for a heavier coat, or you can wear either part separately. It's a really really nice coat. I listed it for $39.99 or best offer and got a good offer not too long after I listed it. I shipped it out, and then a couple days ago, I realized my 8 year old's winter coat is too small for him now, so I headed into the closet, and to my horror, I discovered that we actually do NOT have a coat for him! So I guess I'll take the money from this sale and buy him a new one. Oops!

• Acquired: 11/26/2011
• Listed: 12/3/2011
• Sold: 12/18/2011
• Paid: $0
• Sold for: $29.99 - $7.83 shipping

I read long ago that Polaroid cameras sell really well, so I bought up several of them the next time I was out. And there they sat, NOT selling. I had just given up on them when they all sold within a few weeks of each other, all for my full asking price of $39.99 + shipping. Needless to say, I continue to buy Polaroids. I was lucky enough to buy one once with a used-up film cartridge in it that I've been able to use to test the cameras, so I think being able to say that they were tested and they work has really helped to sell them.

• Acquired: 11/23/2011
• Listed: 12/18/2011
• Sold: 12/19/2011
• Paid: $2.11
• Sold for: $30.00 + shipping

This one was crazy! I listed it the other night, and literally 3 minutes later, I got an offer on it! Because it took me so long to sell my Hoover one, I decided to go ahead and accept the offer on this one.

• Acquired: 10/1/2011
• Listed: 12/20/2011
• Sold: 12/20/2011
• Paid: $2.11
• Sold for: $30.00 + shipping (although they haven't paid yet)

Another crazy quick sale. I'm telling you, this week was amazing for quick flips! This was ours. Yes, we have an antenna. And an old, old tv. But we recently got basic cable, so we don't need our digital converter box anymore. We originally bought it with a voucher and got it for free, but I thought I'd list it and see if we could get a few bucks out of it. Again ... imagine my surprise when it sold 2 hours after listing it!

• Acquired: 2008?
• Listed: 12/20/2011
• Sold: 12/20/2011
• Paid: $0
• Sold: $32.99 - $4.70 shipping (it fit perfectly into a small box in a flat rate envelope!)

I am STILL laughing at this sale! My daughter bought this for my son several years ago for his birthday. I think she paid about $12 for it at Walmart. It's not like it's a vintage item. When his Hot Wheels collection outgrew this holder, I put it in our yard sale with a $3 price tag on it. No one showed any interest in it at all. I recently went through our unsold yard sale items and pulled out a few things that I thought I'd give one last chance to on eBay. This was one of them. I figured I'd list it for $9.99 and hope for the best. As I started researching it, the first listing that came up was for $35+. I laughed at that seller for thinking they'd get that much. But the more I researched, the more I was amazed at what these things are actually selling for!! Most are going for $35-40 at auction, so I decided to price mine just under the highest auction listing and hoped to catch someone who missed winning the auction. It sold 2 days after I listed it, so my plan worked!

• Acquired: 2007?
• Listed: 12/18/2011
• Sold: 12/20/2011
• Paid: $12?
• Sold for: $39.99 (-$4.90 shipping)

I haven't sold much lately from the big yard sale I went to in September, so I was pleased with this sale. I bought this coat the first day of the sale, so it was NOT half off. I did pay too much for it, but that's ok. I had a buyer make me a too-low offer, so we counter-offered back and forth several times. I could have held out for $10 more in the spring, but I decided it wasn't worth it to hold it for 4 months for just $10 more, so I finally took her offer.

• Acquired: 9/2/2011
• Listed: 9/9/2011
• Sold: 12/16/2011
• Paid: $16.00
• Sold for: $50.00 + shipping

And to add to my son's delight about the money he'll get for his Hot Wheels car, he also had a box set of Magic School Bus books that he asked me to sell for him. I checked eBay, and that particular set wasn't even selling for $8.99, so I opted to list that on Amazon. I like to list on Amazon, because you can list it and forget about it. And forget about it I did. Until I woke up to an email this morning that his set had sold ... for $39.99!! So my son has had a remarkable sales week this week too!

Thanks for sticking with me through that epic post... How was your week?

My Top eBay Moments This Week

I almost forgot this post! I had a good week, up until yesterday. All the whackos came out yesterday. "Where's my package?? I live far away, but it should have been here as soon as I confirmed payment!" "This is broken, you misrepresenting liar! I hope all of your shoes aren't falling apart like these are!"

Ok, maybe not those exact words, but those words were implied by the tone.... Oh, and I got myself another neutral today. Someone bought a $1 set of replacement pieces to a board game and apparently wasn't ecstatic about it, so they gave me a neutral. "Arrived on time."  Huh?  Seems that particular buyer has a real habit of doing that, according to toolhaus.org

I also sold a board game that the buyer immediately asked to cancel. She didn't mean to buy it. /eyeroll/

Anyway ... I sold 94 items this week. That sounds like a crazy-high number, but most of them were very low dollar shoe care products. I only sold 8 pairs of shoes, but I sold 64 jars of shoe cream. Geez. So much for working smarter, not harder.

My favorites:

I thought for sure this would sell faster than it did. It's new in the package. I paid 84 cents for it in June. It finally sold this week for $17.99 (-$5.45 shipping).

This was another super-slow sale. They're Privos (by Clarks), in fantastic condition. BUT ... they're a size 6. Size 6 is a tough sell. It's my slowest selling category, and most of my oldest shoe inventory is size 6. I've got to learn to quit picking them up. They just don't sell. I paid $9.90 for these LAST October (2010). They finally sold this week for $20 + shipping. Totally not worth it.

I used to sell on Addoway. Correction. I used to LIST on Addoway. I only ever sold 2 or 3 things there, so I finally closed down my booth. I had someone send me a message this week about an old Pac-Man game I had listed there months ago, wondering if I still had it. I didn't have that exact one, but I had this one. (Same game - third one I've found). I listed it on Addoway and sent her a message with a link to the listing. An hour later, it sold on eBay! So I had to message the Addoway buyer and let her know that it had just sold and was no longer available. You snooze, you lose.

Always buy this game when you see it. Like I said, this is the third one I've bought and sold. I've sold them all in the $25-$30 range. I paid $3 for this one at a yard sale in September and sold it for $29.99 (-$5.09 shipping).

I used to sell a lot of Vision Ware. It's not the easiest thing in the world to store and ship though, so I've gotten pretty picky about the VW that I buy. It needs to be either a 2.5 L saucepan or a casserole/dutch oven, or I don't bother. No teflon on the bottom, and NO skillets. If I find a 1.5 L, I'll buy it though, because "someone" broke mine. Apparently that's the size I use most often, because I'm going crazy without it.  Anyway ... rabbit trail ... this was a 2.5. I paid $4.21 for it in October and sold it this week for $29.99 plus shipping.

This was a quick flip! Normal-sized Funshine Bears don't sell well, but I always buy the huge ones when I see them. This one was 20" and super-soft. I paid $1.48 for it on November 28. It already sold for $29.99 + shipping.

The next day, I sold the goofy version. I have had this guy since January, so I may not bother buying this one again (except the one my sister-in-law just brought me a couple weeks ago). I paid $3.17 for it and sold it for $29.99 plus shipping.

This sale makes me laugh. I paid $4.20 for these in Virginia during an impromptu road trip this past August. I decided to keep them. I wore them often, but then recently decided I was bored with them, so I listed them. They sold 2 days later for my full asking price of $30 (-$4.90 shipping). How can I not love a job that allows me to get full use out of my merchandise, and STILL sell it for my full asking price??

I've had these awhile, and I really thought they would sell quickly. They're suede Converse. I paid $7.90 for them in May and just sold them for $30 + shipping. For 5 cents a month in listing fees, it was worth the wait, and I will continue to buy good condition Converse when I see them.

I so desperately wanted to keep these for myself. They were even my size. But I have absolutely zero use for red pumps, so I sadly listed them. I paid $6.97 for them in October and just listed them last week. I even tried to sabotage the sale by listing them higher than I normally list my Clarks. But that was no deterrent to someone who actually DOES have a use for red pumps. They sold the next day for my full asking price of $35 ($5.45 shipping). I didn't even get a chance to borrow them :(

I just cannot keep Merrells stocked for the life of me. I paid $2.99 for these at the end of November. I listed them 3 days ago and sold them yesterday for $40 (-$6.65 shipping).

And last but not least, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Buy SAS shoes. Only in good condition of course, but they are an excellent brand! I paid $2.99 for these on November 19. I listed them December 11th and sold them 3 days later for $40 + shipping.

This week was an interesting mix of quick flips and old inventory....

What did you sell?

My Top eBay Moments This Week

I need a "Top eBay Moments" logo. Anyone out there do that sort of thing??

Last Christmas, I hadn't really built up my store as much as I needed to in order to really experience a good Christmas selling season. This year, I was really looking forward to this big booming Christmas season, but I haven't seen it yet. I hear that I'm not the only one. It's pretty disappointing, but my sales have been steady for the most part, so I won't complain.

I had another good week, customer-wise. My last 1-month negative fell into the 6-months category, so I feel really good about that. My DSR's are climbing back up and should start falling off my 3-month evaluations in the next week or so. I survived the worst feedback month I've ever experienced. Yay!

I sold 47 items this week. That is definitely less than I have been selling lately. My dollar amounts are lower as well. I only sold 5 pairs of shoes. I have about 50 pairs that I really need to get listed in the next week or so! People are buying more of my NWT items and I've really sold a LOT of clothing this week, both new and pre-owned.

My favorite sales:

My sister's boyfriend's mother passed away a couple months ago, and I am listing a lot of her wardrobe. I just listed this last night. It's a cowl neck sweater dress from JP Knits. Nothing special about it, but it's plus size. I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to an offer already this morning. Sold for $20, free shipping ($4.70).

Tap shoes always sell well for me. I've sold girls', women's, men's. I've sold flat mary janes, heels, lace up jazz tap shoes. These are Bloch brand girls' tap shoes. I paid $2.99 for them in October and sold them this week for $25, free shipping ($5.00).

This was also given to me last week. My sister-in-law brought me a really big pile of coats and jackets from one of her neighbors. She said, "Keep what you want, sell the rest." I really like this one and would have kept it for my 8 year old, but we've got SO many coats and jackets, it's not even funny. There was another orange plaid hooded jacket in the pile, so I gave my son the choice of which one he wanted. Lucky for me, he wanted to keep the non-brand name one and I got to sell the Lands' End one. This sold 2 days after I listed it, for my full asking price of $29.99, free shipping ($5.45).

Last January, I bought a 6-piece set of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer plush at a local thrift store. They are all CVS brand. I didn't expect them to do really well because of that, but they were half off, so I went for it. I got this Santa, a Rudolph, a huge Bumble, Sam the Snowman, Yukon Cornelius, and Hermie the Elf. I paid $7.95 for them and listed them individually. Because it was just after Christmas, they sold very slowly, but they did finally all sell. The Santa was the last one I had, and it sold this week for $29.99 + shipping. Total sales from that $7.95 investment? $147.96!!

This wasn't mine. I sold it for my sister-in-law. She sold on eBay for a brief spell, but because she was brand new, she had a hard time getting any sales at all, so she finally asked me to sell her Care Bears for her. This one sold within just a few days for my full asking price of $29.99 + shipping! Some Pillow Pals do better than others. I've had Love-a-Lot, Funshine Bear, Cheer Bear, and now this Friend Bear. Friend Bear sold quickly. The others didn't. But when they did finally sell, it was for a good profit, so I'll continue buying them.

I paid $1.50 for these suede Dansko sandals at the Goodwill bins in October. They weren't even in awful shape, as a lot of GW bin shoes are. They just needed a suede brush, and the insoles needed cleaned up. They sold this week for $45, free shipping ($4.70).

I'm really surprised these Uggs didn't sell faster than they did. I paid $5 for them in May. But they were a size 5 or 6, which isn't a fast-selling size for me. I did finally sell them for my full asking price of $45 + shipping this week.

I just woke up to this sale this morning! I paid $5 for them at a yard sale in July. You know your kid has too many toys if he doesn't even open up his Lego sets! An Australian buyer bought this set this morning for my full asking price of $49.99 + shipping. Shipping to Australia is always so expensive. They paid an extra $23 to ship these. And they chose First Class Mail, so I hope they aren't expecting it in time for Christmas.

I'm sure you all are well aware of my love of Doc Martens. They always sell very well for me, and these were no exception. I paid $5.99 for these in October. I couldn't find this pair listed anywhere (they zip up), so I listed them high at $99.99 or best offer. I knew full well I wouldn't get that much, but I was hoping to get at least $50 out of them. Someone offered me $35 the other day, and I almost declined, but I thought I'd counteroffer instead. I countered with $60. She came back with $45. I countered with $50. She came back with $43. Wrong direction! Our buyers only get 3 chances to make an offer, and she had used hers up. I knew if she wanted them badly enough, she would have to pay whatever I sent her back as a counteroffer, or she'd have to pay full price. I could have been ignorant and gone back up to $60, but I countered with $50 and she bought them. I'm sure I could have gotten more if I'd waited, but again - size 6. Slow seller. I'm happy with the $50.

And my top sale of the week! I had entered this beauty in our Ugly Christmas Sweater contest on the discussion board, but I didn't get any bids on it. I had started it at $29.99 and only had a couple watchers (from our group, I think). I was VERY pleasantly surprised when it sold this week at my full asking price of $69.99, free shipping ($6.65) !!



What were your favorite sales this week?