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.

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

- Outdated Vtech Learning Laptop $45

- Expired Ink Cartridges $31

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 cashmere, coffee 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!

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 Eraser, Goof 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.

eBay Feedback Favorite of the week

I ♥ my customers! I especially love the customers who leave feedback following a pleasant transaction on eBay or Amazon. 

My Feedback Favorite of the week is from edavid15 who purchased a silk neck tie:

 "Great buy great guy!" 

(I am female)

Vintage Pendleton sweater catches my eye

I normally do not specifically seek heavy knit sweaters while out thrift store shopping (thrifting), but I knew there was something a little different about this sweater. I purchased it for $4 at a local thrift store and after a little research, realized it was Cowichan Pendleton sweater similar to the one Jeff Bridges wore in the classic movie, The Big Lebowski. These sweaters can fetch a pretty penny on eBay! See the completed eBay search results below:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&LH_Sold=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&LH_ItemCondition=4&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=61571-1090&_dmd=1&_ipg=200&LH_Complete=1&_nkw=pendleton+lebowski&_sop=16

Recommended postal scale from an experienced eBay seller

I have been selling on eBay for over 10 years having sold over 10,000 items worldwide. I print and ship all of my packages from my home office using a highly reliable postal scale from Weighmax. The scale weighs packages up to 75 pounds – it is small, convenient and fairly inexpensive. The postal clerks love me as the weight of my packages is always right on the money!

If you are looking to sell on eBay or simply in the market for a new postal scale, I highly recommend the Weighmax Capacity Postal Shipping Scale, Battery and AC Adapter Included, Gray (W-2822-75-GRAY)

How to make thrift store shopping fun for children

As a mother of two children, selling on eBay has its challenges. One of the challenges is taking the children thrift store shopping. When my children were younger, it was easy to get them to thrift shop with me. I simply paid them a quarter for each resellable item they found. Now that they are older (16 and 12), a quarter isn't enough.
 

Follow our thrift store adventures on our Facebook Fan Page:

https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfScrapSelling

My daughter enjoys thrift shopping while listening to music and often singing out loud!

To get started shopping on eBay and making money, subscribe to my YouTube Channel Piece of Scrap for what sold on eBay, thrift hauls, garage sale vlogs and much more. I make money selling under valued items online and you can too!

How Amazon sellers set up text alerts when an item is sold

Amazon sellers can be notified via text message when an item is sold. Carrier’s standard messaging and data rates apply. To set up SMS text message notifications, do the following:

1. Log in to Amazon Seller Central
2. Go to Settings / Notification Preferences
3. Under Order Notifications, click Edit.
4. Enter the mobile number to receive the text message alerts.
5. Select the time to send the notification
6. Click continue
7. A 4 digit pin code will be sent to the mobile number added for verification. If one hasn’t received the 4 digit pin code within a few minutes, click Resend Code.
8. Once received, enter the 4 digit code in the Verify Your Mobile Messaging Number box
9. Click Verify

If verification is successful, the mobile number will appear in the Mobile Messaging (SMS) section of Notification Preferences.

Please note, Amazon Seller SMS Text Message sends a maximum of 15 order notifications per day.

For detailed instructions on using Amazon’s SMS text message notifications, visit:
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/help.html/?itemID=200955960&ref_=ag_200955960_a_r4_cont_sgsearch