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Showing posts with label ecommerce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ecommerce. Show all posts

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Rummage Sale Haul ... only $7 spent

My assistant came back from college to shop with me! We spent a whopping $7 and walked away with:

Tommy Hilfiger
Adidas
NWT NFL T-Shirt (Amazon FBA)
Damask tablecloth & napkin set x 2
Tatami clogs
Vintage windbreaker

Watch the Thrift with Me playlist on YouTube to see more fabulous finds that we flipped for fast cash making money from home!

My daughter couldn't wait to list the Vintage windbreaker so she listed it on the drive home! Check out all of our adventures on our Facebook Business Page:

For Sale on eBay


Tuesday, August 7, 2018

How to sell on eBay: specify color with Crayola crayon



I have been selling on eBay for over 18 years! In my experience, I have had a few returns for "Item does not match description" relating to the color of the item. Understandably, lighting and the graphics quality on a mobile device or computer may cause the color to vary slightly. I, personally, have had a difficult time photographing anything black - therefore, I don't typically pick up this color when #thrifting. 



To clear up some misinterpretation of color, I recently started taking pictures of odd colored items with the Crayola crayon that matched. I state in the item description that "the color of the item is most accurately represented by the Crayola crayon, color here. Crayon not included". 

Get your box of crayons:




Sunday, August 5, 2018

Mother - Daughter Garage sale haul $50 spent

My assistant (my daughter) and I went garage saling (is that a word?) and brought home this haul:

2 New Scrub shirts $2 ea
Disney Scrub shirt $2
1 NEW Banana Republic pleated skirt $4
Stuffed Winnie the Pooh Plush $1
New vintage Coca Cola mug .25
Vintage Granny Square quilt $2
Several NEW with tags clothing for Amazon FBA
Plus Size holiday themed clothing $4
Ugly Christmas sweater with cats all over it (may keep for myself) $1
Vera Bradley bag - retired pattern $4

LulaRoe:
2 Rarely worn LulaRoe shirts $8
2 NEW LulaRoe patterned skirts $8
The lady had several XXS & XS LulaRoe shirts for $5 each, but would not budge on the price regardless of the number I purchased. I have NEVER found a LulaRoe anything nor have I tried to resell that brand, so I cautiously only purchased two shirts.

Total spent just under $50.
Expect to make that back on just one of the LulaRoe skirts!

Time spent with my daughter: priceless!

Follow our thrifting adventures on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.





Tuesday, January 31, 2017

What to sell on eBay: Coffee Mugs / Tea Cups

What to sell on eBay: Coffee Mugs / Tea Cups

eBay
 sellers are constantly looking to expand their eBay inventory and possibly pick up a new sales niche. One highly popular niche of items to sell on eBay and Amazon.com includes kitchenware. Specifically, coffee mugs.

Types and brands of coffee mugs to consider include:

Restaurant Collectibles – 
Hardees, Dave & Busters, Steak n Shake, etc.

FireKing
 – Produced by Anchor Hocking in the 1940s for everyday use. Today, Fire-King is highly sought after by collectors or persons looking to replace a piece of their collection.

Family: Mugs denoting family members are in demand throughout the year. These mugs make perfect gifts for
Father's Day, Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries all year round.

Occupational: 
TeacherNurse, Doctor, Librarian, Fireman, etc

Animal – many collect items of a certain animal: cows, pigs, 
catsdogs, chickens, horses

Think Kitchen – many will add coffee mugs to match the décor of a kitchen. Kitchen-themed mugs include: apples, chickens, cows, coffee / java, chef, coca-cola

OTAGIRI
 Japan – Very decorative collectible mugs produced in Japan. Many of the designs are retired and can fetch a pretty penny on eBay.

Hollywood – Favorite gifts to give at Christmas include mugs from Hollywood including: 
The OfficeStar Wars, Friends “Central Perk”, Cheers. I sold a True Detective “Big Hug Mug” for $37 shipped.

Starbucks
 – Starbucks city mugs are always a hot seller, but do not overlook those “plain”
Starbucks mugs.
Starbucks holiday themed mugs as well as dated coffee mugs are often good sellers on eBay. For example, I sold a set of 4 Starbucks Candy Striped mugs for $56 shipped.

The most secure and cost effective way to ship a mug is called the FOMO method. This method involves securing the mug in a cardboard box, then placing the box into an USPS flat-rate bubble mailer envelope. I have yet to have any complaints of breakage. However, just to be sure, always select the option for free USPS insurance. To do so, view Shipping on eBay with Free Insurance using USPS Priority Mail.

eBay sellers beware of printing multiple shipping labels using the SCAN form

eBay sellers beware of printing multiple shipping labels using the SCAN form
eBay sellers can reduce time and effort when shipping a number of eBay items by using the Shipping Action – Print Shipping Labels option within eBay.

Visit How to Create Multiple Shipping Labels on eBay for detailed instructions. 
By printing multiple shipping labels at a time, sellers can enter the weight of all items awaiting shipping, select the delivery service type, pay and print for all labels at once. Then, eBay provides the seller with a Shipment Confirmation Acceptance Notice (SCAN) Form that can be presented to the postal clerk upon acceptance of the packages. However, top rated sellers concerned about eBay’s defect rating system should be cautious of this time-saving technique for printing multiple shipping labels.

My own experience has proven:

1. Initially, only the tracking number on the bottom of the SCAN Form is traceable on USPS.com
 
2. The tracking numbers displayed under Sold / Shipping Labels are not tracked on USPS.com until the number has been scanned / accepted at a post office.

·        Based on my own experience, a high dollar item was shipped using the SCAN Form, but the package itself was not traceable. The tracking number on the shipping label when entered on USPS.com simply stated “Not Found”.
·        The information provided by eBay when clicking on the tracking number stated “The seller has provided a tracking number. The tracking status will be updated once the shipment reaches the carrier.”
·        New and experienced buyers alike questioned if their package had been shipped and why the status of the tracking number provided had not been updated.
·        USPS customer service offered no assistance despite showing them that the tracking number was valid and not entered improperly
3. Once each individual shipping label has been scanned, the tracking number becomes valid and appears on USPS.com. For instance, I dropped multiple packages off using the SCAN Form at the Peoria, IL post office. Three of those packages were not traceable as the tracking number was “not found”. Finally, one of the packages was scanned in Ohio and the tracking number became traceable on USPS.com

4. After speaking with the postmaster, she suggested that I continue to use the SCAN Form, but assured me that each package will be scanned / accepted at the counter. Her suggestion defeats the purpose of using the SCAN Form to save time and effort.

Based on my own experience, I have reverted back to printing one shipping label at a time, presenting each package to the postal clerk to be scanned / accepted at the counter. As a top rated seller on eBay, I cannot risk the chance of receiving a defect for something that is out of my control: United States Postal Service mail delivery and acceptance.

How to Create Multiple Shipping Labels on eBay

How to Create Multiple Shipping Labels on eBay

Reduce time and effort when 
shipping a number of eBay items by using the Shipping Action – Print Shipping Labels option within eBay. Online sellers who ship more than one item at a time can create and print up to 50 labels at the same time.

To do so, follow these simple steps:

1. Log in to eBay and go to My eBay Summary

2. Click on Sold / Awaiting Shipment to pull up items to ship

3. On the left hand side, click the check box in the listings header to select all items

4. Click the arrow next to Shipping Action and select “Print Shipping Labels or Invoices”

5. Accept the default to print just the shipping label and press “continue”

6. Items appear on the next screen with missing information (Shipping service / Weight) highlighted in red

7. Select the shipping service and enter the weight of the package for each line item

8. After entering all information, click “Review and Pay”

9. Select to print the Shipping Labels and 
USPS Shipment Confirmation Acceptance Notice (SCAN) Form. SCAN Form is not automatically selected by default so be sure to check this.

10. Click “Pay with Paypal” to complete payment and generate the shipping labels and

SCAN form. The SCAN Form includes a bar code that contains detailed package information. Present the bar code on the SCAN Form to the postal clerk, instead of scanning each individual shipping label.

Sellers should beware of printing multiple shipping labels using the USPS SCAN form. Click here to see why.

For detailed instructions on how to get started selling on eBay and making money.






Friday, July 29, 2016

How to research an accepted Best Offer price on eBay

How to research an accepted Best Offer price on eBay
One of the biggest questions for experienced and newbie eBay sellers alike is, “How much should I sell this for?” While there are numerous ways to research selling prices for items listed on eBay, I will discuss a very specific one: after searching completed items on eBay, the price accepted was via Best Offer. What is the best offer accepted price?

To learn how to search completed listings for similar items on eBay, visit How to research what price to sell an item for on eBay If an item has sold with a Best Offer, the asking price is crossed out. To see the accepted Best Offer price, do the following:

1. Click to view the complete item auction detail page
2. Click the link near the top of the item description page “see original listing”
3. On the original listing page, scroll down to where the auction item number is stated
4. Just above the item number, is a link to Print the page
5. Click the Print link.


The print item page will display the accepted Best Offer price. Continue to research other sold items by returning to the Advanced Search Results and repeating the steps above to identify the selling price of a Best Offer acceptance.

How to research what price to sell an item for on eBay

How to research what price to sell an item for on eBay
One of the biggest questions for experienced and newbie eBay sellers alike is, “How much should I sell this item for?”. While there are numerous ways to research selling prices for items listed on eBay, I will discuss just one: search completed items on eBay for similar items or exactly the same item. 

To see how I search for completed comps (comparative solds) on eBay, watch this video on an eBay BOLO that sold for over $100! 

eBay also offers a FREE Terapeak Research tool. I use this tool when pricing rare BOLO items, including this one that sold for nearly $200! Watch how to use Terapeak Research Tool

To search completed listings for similar or exactly the same item on eBay:
1. Click the Advanced Find link in the upper right hand corner of most any eBay page.
2. On the Advanced Find page, enter the keyword search term (very generically).
3. Check the appropriate box for Condition (New or Used).
4. Then, scroll further down the page and select the box for Sold Items.
Optional: On the left side, click the box to search US only listings
5. Click the button to Search Now.
6. On the search results pages, the completed and sold listings appear. In the Sort drop down box, select the option to sort by “Highest price plus shipping”

Optional: The date of sale may be important if an item was once hard to find or just released. Newly released items will initially fetch a higher price until the item is readily available nationwide (rules of supply vs. demand)

Using the steps above, 
click here for an example of completed eBay listings for "cashmere sweater"

A seller can see what similar items are selling for by looking at these completed search results listings. If desired, click one of the completed listings to see the item auction description to verify the item is exactly you think it is.

If an item sells quickly at the Buy It Now price, some sellers may think that they let the item go at too low of a price. In fact, some sellers may think they could have received more for the item and greed sets in. Second guessing the price of an item that has already sold is easy to do, but not healthy. As long as a seller had made money on the item (after all fees, of course), then selling the item was a success and the overall store inventory turnover ratio has been improved.

If an item sells via Best Offer acceptance, the price is crossed out. To see the actual price accepted, visit 
How to Research an Accepted Best Offer Price on eBay

Monday, July 25, 2016

Swing into Summer Sale at Piece of Scrap on eBay

Swing into Summer Sale at piece-of-scrap on eBay for huge savings on many items. Name brand clothing includes: Ralph Lauren, Talbots, Harley-Davidson, Chico's, Lacoste, Tommy Bahama and more! Shop for Back to School, Halloween, Christmas in July or any day by browsing our variety of homemade costumes, designer shirts for boys & girls and winter / snow pants. As always, if you don't like my price, make a reasonable offer!

Swing into Summer Sale at Piece of Scrap on eBay

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

What to Sell on eBay: Halloween Costumes

What to Sell on eBay: Halloween CostumesHalloween costumes are a popular item to sell on eBay. Hard to find costumes and hand crafted outfits for men, women, children and groups may fetch a pretty penny on eBay. For example, costumes relating to the hit Disney movie, Frozen, have been sold out in retail stores for weeks prior to Halloween.

Crafty moms (and dads) can create a unique, one-of-kind, queen cape by visiting 
How to Make a No Sew Princess Elsa Cape. To create the friendliest snowman to walk the mountains above Arendelle, Olaf, follow the instructions available at How to Make an Olaf the Snowman Halloween Costume. Not crafty? No worries … one can purchase the pre-made Princess Elsa and Olaf the Snowman costumes in my eBay store, piece-of-scrap.

Cartoon character costumes including those from video games and animated television series are always popular. Purchase a Mario Bros costume in my eBay store, or hand craft your own by following the instructions How to Make a Mario Bros Halloween CostumeMickey Mouse and Scooby Doo are other choices popular with young trick or treaters.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: Piece Of Scrap for more last minute DIY Halloween costume ideas.

Think outside of the box for Thomas the Trains young fanatics. Instead of purchasing the standard Thomas the Train conductor uniform, available here, one can create a very unique Railroad Crossing Halloween costume. Or, create your own little conductor outfit with bib overalls available online.


Making a Halloween costume that is unique is not only creative but can be profitable. One can make these simple costumes for their own children and in the process, make a duplicate to sell on 
eBay.

Cashmere sells on eBay – even with holes!

Making money selling on eBay is not an easy task. New eBay sellers as well as experienced sellers are constantly seeking advice on what to sell on eBay. As an experienced eBay seller, I know that anything cashmere sells. Cashmere sweaters that are new with tags (NWT) can can sell for nearly $1000 depending on the brand name. Used or preowned apparel can easily fetch $50.


But, did you know that cashmere, even with holes, sells as well! I recently sold a Burberry cashmere scarf, with holes from normal wear, for $46.95 shipped. I picked the scarf up at a local church sale for $1.

I was curious why anyone would be interested in a purchasing a holey cashmere piece and quickly discovered that crafters as well as interior decorators love the softness of this costly material. In fact, Pinterest is full of craft project ideas for recycling cashmere including:

·         iPad covers
·         dog sweaters
Cashmere sells on eBay – even with holes!·         phone case
·         hair band / ear warmer
·         Christmas stockings
·         pot handle covers
·         infant leggings
·         scarves
·         bookmarks
·         doll dress

Martha Stewart has many how-to videos on repurposing cashmere, including these: 
how to make a cashmere skirt and how to make a cashmere hot water bottle cover.

If you happen to have multiple cashmere sweaters with imperfections, you can group them in a lot to sell on eBay. I have successfully sold a crafters' lot of 6 cashmere sweaters in various sizes and styles. The imperfect 
lot sold for nearly $50 shipped.


Add anything cashmere to your BOLO (Be On Look Out) list while seeking items to resell on eBay. Mens and Womens Sweaters are often easy to identify simply by touch while shopping at a thrift store. You may also find these clothing items at garage sales, church sales and sometimes even Kohl's department store clearance section.

How to make thrift store shopping fun for kids

How to make thrift store shopping fun for kids
Some children, especially girls, enjoy shopping. But, do they enjoy shopping thrift stores? As a single mother of two children (son & daughter), I was challenged with staying home to watch the children, or bringing them along to shop thrift stores for items to resell on eBay. To make thrift store shopping (thrifting) fun for children, try these simple techniques:

1. Give the children a few key items to look for. For example, show them a certain name brand logo or a word on the designer label.

2. While in the thrift store, use code words that only your family knows. Instead of the children asking, “Hey Mom, can you sell this on eBay?” have them ask something unrelated to eBay. For example, “Would Grandma like this?” (even if it is a man's necktie).

3. Never, ever call Goodwill, “Goodwill”. Due to the stigma attached to shopping at Goodwill, refer to it as “Macy’s” or “Nordstrom”.

4. Reward children with prizes. For younger children, reward them with a quarter for each item that they found to resell. Pieces of candy (
skittles, M&Ms, etc) may be used instead of quarters.

5. Some children are competitive. My children created the “hunting game” to see who could find the most items to resell. Reward the “winner” with a pick of his/her choice: restaurant for lunch, movie, family activity, etc. We all know that, in the end, Mom is the winner with the great thrift store finds!

6. Allow the older children to bring electronic devices to listen to music. My teenage daughter “works” better while listening/singing her favorite songs.

7. Allow children to push their own shopping cart. Or, as my son likes to do, have them hook the clothing in the back of their own collar.

8. Plot the family's thrift store travels with your own version of 
Flat Stanley. The Flat Stanley project was created to facilitate youngsters letter-writing by documenting the travels of paper cutout, Flat Stanley. Our "Flat Stanley" is a plush stuffed sock monkey, named Ralph. Whether vacationing or taking a mini road trip, we make it a point to stop at a Goodwill ("Macy's") or local thrift store to photograph Ralph, the sock monkey. We document our thrift store travels with Ralph on the Piece Of Scrap Facebook Fan page.

9. Limit the amount of time in the store. While an avid thrift shopper could spend hours browsing clothing racks and shelves filled with toys and household items, limit the time spent thrift shopping with the children to no more than 2 hours.


Enjoying family time is important … even if family time includes shopping thrift stores! To get started making money and selling on eBay, visit 
How to get started selling on eBay and making money. To get started shopping on eBay and making money, Starting an eBay Business For Dummies by Marsha Collier is a great read and voted one of the Best Books of the Year So Far by the Amazon.com editorial team.

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.

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.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Thrift shopping can be fun WITH the kids!

I taught my children at young ages what logos on clothing to look for at thrift stores. The kids would select a rack and I would go down the other side right next to them. At that age, they were content shopping with (for?) me knowing that I would treat them to lunch afterwards for their efforts. While going through the clothing rack, my son picked up a shirt and put it in the cart. Jokingly, I said, "Good job, buddy! You've earned lunch." He continued down the same rack and came back to me with two more of the same shirt in different colors. He place them in the cart and said "this one is dinner, and this is dessert".

My son would hang the shirts he found in the back of his collar so he would have both arms free. 

Follow our thrift store adventures on our Facebook Fan Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/ForSaleOnEbay 

To get started shopping on eBay and making money, Starting an eBay Business For Dummies by Marsha Collier is a great read and voted one of the Best Books of the Year So Far by the Amazon.com editorial team.