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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.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Best gifts for a teenage boy 12 – 15 years old

As a mother of a very vocal tween boy, I know what the tweens want most. Popular gift ideas for a teenage boy, age 12 - 15 include:

VIDEO GAMES
Splatoon – Availlable for WiiU. Splatter enemies and claim your turf as ink-spraying, squid-like Inklings in Nintendo's ultimate mess-fest! Challenge players online* in chaotic 4-on-4 turf wars and unleash squid powers to ink your way to victory. May the best mess win.
Disney Infinity Star Wars Saga Bundle for the Playstation 3 & 4
GAMES & Puzzles
Pie Face - Hilarious Pie Face game might just splat you in the face
Gravity Maze We love games that are as fun for kids as they are for parents! The towers in this game can be arranged in a variety of structures but, for each challenge, you'll have to to build a path that will carry your marble to its target. This game is just as fun for a single player as it is for small groups.
BOOKS
Secret Garden Artist's Edition: 20 Drawings to Color and Frame. Rated one of the Best Books of the Month on Amazon.com
The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming Robots LEGO MINDSTORMS has changed the way we think about robotics by making it possible for anyone to build real, working robots. The latest MINDSTORMS set, EV3, is more powerful than ever, and The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book is the complete, beginner-friendly guide you need to get started.