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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

How to get started selling on eBay and making money


Selling on eBay is an art that requires determination, self-control and perseverance. I started on selling on eBay in 2009 as a means of survival. The company I had worked for almost nearly 4 years was purchased by a larger firm. Due to a mass layoff of nearly 70 employees (some of them who had been with the company for nearly 20 years), I was out of work with limited unemployment compensation. As a single mother raising two small children, I knew that I had to persevere to make ends meet. I began selling things around the house. Much to my surprise, nearly everything I listed sold within a matter of months, some items for more than I would have ever imagined. Until eBay, I was one to avoid the local thrift stores for the stigma involved and the thought of shopping there, made me feel ‘dirty’. One afternoon, I finally psyched myself up to enter the Goodwill store. I quickly looked through the men’s shirts and picked out a couple of plus size polo shirts to list on eBay. I hurried home to list the pair of shirts as a plus size lot. Within a day or two, I had a bid. From that point on, I was hooked … eBay was not just a means of survival, it became an addiction.

How to get started selling on eBay and making money
Now, I am an eBay Top Rated Power Seller having sold over 12000 items worldwide as a single person operation. My children are older and fully support my passion for eBay. Click here for my techniques in making thrift store shopping fun for kids.

To get started selling on eBay, start by selling things from your home. Recently, I cleaned house and sold a few items that were collecting dust:

Pinwheel quilt $108
Holy Bible $36

Selling items you already own will build your confidence, experience and feedback rating on eBay. Once you feel more comfortable with selling on eBay, seek out items to resell including 
holey cashmerecoffee mugs and Halloween costumes. Check your area for garage sales, thrift stores and estate auctions.


For further guidance on starting to 
sell on eBay, eBay for Dummies is a great read for beginners!

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

How to remove permanent marker from thrift store shoes

How to remove permanent marker from thrift store shoes
While shopping for items to sell on eBay, it is clear that thrift stores tag items differently. For footwear including shoes and boots, many stores have a set price and do not price individual pairs. However, stores that mark up shoes based on a designer brand or condition (new in box), will often write the price with a sharpie permanent marker on the bottom of each sole. 



By accident, I discovered that a used a dryer sheet and 
nail polish remover works wonders in removing permanent marker stains from rubber and leather soles. This combination not only works well on rubber soles, but also on other items including my kitchen table!



Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more What Sold on eBay tips and tricks!

I have tried numerous techniques to remove the permanent marker label from the soles of shoes including: Mr. Clean Magic EraserGoof Off and Goo-Gone. More often than not, these household items will remove the stain, but also leave a mark or residue behind that makes the shoe less than marketable. In fact, Goof Off on rubber soles actually melts the material!

To remove permanent marker stains from leather soles, try 
fine grit sandpaper. This will rub the writing off making the soles appear slightly worn instead of stained by permanent marker. In my experience, I’ve found that the household materials (even nail polish remover) will take off the permanent stain, but may discolor the leather.

If all else fails and the price is still visible on the bottom of the sole, simply write over the price with permanent marker covering up the thrift store sale price. Then, try to wipe off the fresh permanent marker using nail polish remover. Sometimes, the fresh permanent marker will lift the older permanent marker writing with it and a little elbow grease. If that fails, simply add another digit to the front of the thrift store price to make it appear more expensive. For example, add a 2 to the front of the 4.99 price making it appear 24.99.

Block and restrict an iPhone app: Snapchat

As a parent, there are many apps available for an iPhone that drive me crazy. One in particular: Snapchat. This smartphone app allows users to snap a photo or a video, add a caption, and send it to a friend. They'll view it, laugh, and then the Snap disappears (or does it?). Granted, the person sending the photo snap can set a time limit so it will expire in as little as a one second, but still – the photo has been shared.

Block and restrict an iPhone app: Snapchat
As one can only imagine, there is no filter on what thing, body part or other is snapped and sent to friends. It is not so much that I don’t trust my children to “keep it classy”, but I have a hard time trusting their friends … especially teenage boys that are friends of my daughter.

To learn more about social media and 
teensIt's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens is a great read / buy!

Sure, you can delete the app and tell your child not to use it again. But, can you really be sure it’s not reinstalled and then deleted when not in use? To prevent the app (and others like it) from being installed, you can use a combination of 
iPhone Restrictions / Parental Controls. To do so, try the following:

1. Delete the Snapchat app (or any app you do not want the child to use)
2. Go to Settings / General / 
Restrictions / Enable Restrictions
a. You will need to create a 4 digit passcode
b. If you forget the 4 digit passcode, the only way to reset it is to Reset the entire phone
3. Under Allow, turn off Installing Apps (this is remove the App Store icon from the phone)
4. As an extra precaution, you can also turn off In-App purchases
5. Scroll down on the Restrictions screen to “Allow Changes”. On Accounts, check the option for “Don’t Allow Changes”.
6. To block Snapchat from a router or DNS, add the domain appspot.com to the list of blocked domains. The specific domain is feelinsonice.appspot.com

While adding these Restrictions to block Snapchat does not fully prevent teen sexting, it sure makes sexting a little more difficult. Through phone records and iMessage, a parent can track who their child is sending text messages to and in some cases, even see the content being sent.

To further educate teens about internet safety including cyber-bullying, 
Cyber Dilemmas In a Jar: Challenges for Teens, is a great conversation starter card game with many thought provoking scenarios facing teenagers today.


Friday, July 8, 2016

Best gifts for teen girls from a mom who parents one

As a mother of a very vocal tween girl, I know what the young teenage ladies desire most for a gift. Whether one is seeking the gift for a birthday, 8th grade graduation, Christmas, Easter basket, Valentine's Day, etc…be sure to please them with any one of these teen favorites!

Fashion accessories: Don’t forget the accessories! Coach bags and everything Vera Bradley are fashion necessities for young teens. Young drivers will like a Vera Bradley breakaway lanyard and matching ID Zip Card case to store student ID card and driver’s license.

North Face jackets
: Even in the dead of winter, most teen girls (and even boys) choose to wear a jacket instead of a winter coat. The North Face Osito soft and fuzzy zip front jacket is most popular with teen girls. High school students where these in a variety of colors to and from school.

Clothing
: Teens love fashion and that includes anything Aeropostale, Hollister, Victoria's Secret PINK or Abercrombie! Do not pay retail store prices for this designer clothing. Shop online for gently used junior, tween and young woman apparel. Sign up for Amazon Prime to receive free 2-day shipping on any size order!

Wreck this Journal: My teenage daughter spent hours wrecking a book, Wreck This Journal. It is an illustrated book that features a subversive collection of prompts, asking readers to muster up their best mistake and mess-making abilities to fill the pages of the book (and destroy them).

Limited Edition Chapstick
: Flavored Chapstick makes a great stocking stuffer! Your choice of flavors available here: Gingerbread Kiss, Cake Batter, Candy Cane, Fruit Punch, Pomegranate Gumdrop, Citrus Jelly Bean, Pumpkin Pie.
Best gifts for teen girls from a mom who parents one
Designer Footwear
: Ugg Boots, Coach fashion sneakers, Brighton and Toms. Don't pay retail price! Save money on gently pre-owned designer footwear for teenage girls and young women.

Cold hard cash
: In gift card or any currency!

Bath and Body
: Bath & Body Works spray, lotion, soap were a huge a hit at the cheer party Christmas gift exchange.Teenage girls like to smell good!

Starbucks
: Young coffee lovers enjoy Starbucks! Last year, my daughter received over $50 in Starbucks gift cards and spent every dollar.

For more gift-giving ideas, visit my Pinterest board, "Best Christmas gifts for teen girls."


Wednesday, July 6, 2016

How to change the payment method for eBay shipping labels


eBay sellers wanting to change the funding source for eBay shipping labels can do so by following these simple steps (as of 7/5/2016). In this example, the seller is changing the payment information from one paypal account (email address) to another.
  1.        To begin, log in to the Paypal account currently billed.
  2.       Near the top, click the gear to access the user profile.
  3.      Select Payments, then preapproved payments.
  4.       Change the status from Active to Cancel by clicking on Cancel.
  5.      Select Yes, to confirm the cancellation.
The next time a shipping label is printed from eBay, it will prompt you to enter a funding source. At that time, enter the new Paypal account credentials.

For further guidance on starting to sell on eBay, subscribe to my YouTube Channel: Piece of Scrap, for how to sell on eBay, what to sell on eBay, shipping on eBay and much more!

Monday, June 13, 2016

What to sell on eBay: Microsoft Natural Keyboard

Do not let the size of the pile fool you! Piece-of-scrap earned more profit than last week. Here’s how:



21 total sales valued $802.24
* Fees $176.77
Profit (money in my pocket) $625.47

^Highest sale: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard $241
Lowest sale: Chico’s ladies blouse for sale since 2015 $9.45

* Fees include eBay/Paypal fees, cost of goods sold, shipping & packing material.
^ Old technology sells on eBay! Visit Old technology sells on eBay: Microsoft Natural Keyboard for more information.

Become a fan of Piece of Scrap Sales on eBay to follow the children and I on our thrift shop adventures.

Monday, June 6, 2016

What to sell on eBay: piece-of-scrap weekend recap 5.16.16



How much money can one make selling on eBay? Quite a bit. In one weekend, I earned over $400 from May 13 - 15, 2016. I sell on eBay in my "spare" time as I do hold a full-time job. In addition, I am a single mother of two very active teenagers. View my bio

20 total sales valued $603.95
* Fees $185.50
Profit (money in my pocket) $418.45

Highest sale: Birkenstock sandals $84.99
Lowest sale: 11 used ponytail holders from my bathroom drawer $8.50

* Fees include eBay/Paypal fees, cost of goods sold, shipping & packing material.

Become a fan of Piece of Scrap Sales on eBay to follow the children and I on our thrift shop adventures.