It never fails!
Posted on 24. May, 2010 by Brigitte in Uncategorized
Hi friends, how are all of you on this great Monday? Well, I was hit with vertigo on Thursday. I’ve never had it and oh gosh, it was just awful. I went to the ear doctor (well to the ER first) where he did something called the Epley manuever and it cured it on the spot. I was still out of sorts a bit though. My entire weekend was shot. Where I usually thrift shop , list on eBay and ship items, I was instead laying down trying not to spin! I guess I got a kick in the pants to slow down. Boy, I hope to never have that again.
So tonight I’ve done all my shipping for my latest sales and am looking at my stack of items I need to list and got excited again at some really cool stuff I found recently.
There are so many little tips and tricks I have in my book that I’m sure they can easily be overlooked if you don’t pay attention. One of the things I say is to make rounds in the store several times as your eye will see different things. Also, people put things in odd spots all the time thinking they are either hiding them for when they return or change their mind on the way to the register. (I don’t have that problem!)
Well before my vertigo stint I went to a thrift shop and had a major score. I was getting ready to get into the checkout line and I decided to take the long way through the young boys t-shirts. On top of the racks of clothing are bins where they place toys and all sorts of who knows what. So anyway, I decided to take the long way to the register “just in case” and boy am I glad that I did. I found a set of 3 vintage beaded, pearls and fur neck collars in prestine condition from many moons ago. They were crammed into the metal bin on top of the shirts and the corner of my eye saw the sparkle of the beads and pearls. It could also have been that the volunteer didn’t know what it was and thought it might be part of a toy?
Well, once again I was proven right that things pop up everywhere in thrift stores. I walk down aisles I have no interest in (electronics) because people place things down all the time. For those of you who might be having a hard time finding some gems, make sure you travel throughout the entire store. And don’t be in too much of a hurry if you can help it. Those workers are always putting things away. Another tip! Go into the dressing rooms and try something on. People leave things in there all the time too.
What have you found lately? Better yet, what have you SOLD lately? Let’s motivate others that haven’t yet taken that leap and show them that there is money to be made in this business. And if you don’t have Thrift Store Goldmines yet, why not? Any questions you have for me? Let me know, I’m always here for you.
Until next time…………..
Mary
24. May, 2010
Bridgette, I love your blog and watching your auctions. You are such a go-getter, I wish I had your energy.! ISorry if I am being nosey, do you work a full time job too? If so, how do you find the time to do all this? I can find time to shop, but never seem to list the items (I have boxes). Any advice for a wanna be full-time Ebayer? Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Mary in Iowa
Brigitte
25. May, 2010
Hi Mary! Yes I work full time. I have no children so I know that helps. Basically I dedicate open weekends to this. I also do some at night when I get home from work when I have the energy.
I try to break it down as well. Photos one day. Listing another, etc. A little at a time adds up!
Susan
24. May, 2010
I havent had any sales in two weeks in either of my stores….one lady sent something back she bought even though I had no return on it and she never told me…grrr! I have sold a couple of craft books in amazon…but this is so depressing. Now that school is finished and we await to see if they will renew our teaching contracts……I will be listing more…but out of 150 items I would of thought I could get more sales…grrrr…think I will sleep it off and try to list more tomorrow!
Brigitte
25. May, 2010
I understand! Hang in there. Are you double checking keywords in your title? What about ending days and times? All of that matters. I use Hamemrtap!
Serena
24. May, 2010
Sorry to hear about your vertigo, Brigitte. I know how that feels because a few years ago, I experienced a couple and had to go to the hospital. They really didn’t do anything for me – no Epley manuever – whatever that is :0( But an herbalist did tell me that my dizzy spells were due to me not getting enough sleep and rest, something I tend to be guilty of quite a bit! Anyway, make sure you get plenty of rest. (This coming from a girl who is typing away at midnight when she has to get up at 6:00 am)!
Brigitte
25. May, 2010
Thanks Serena!
Mike Cary
24. May, 2010
Just to tell you I visited your store a few days ago, was called away for something important (yeah, really) so had to put off sending this note to you to tell you how impressed I was at the design, color, layout and everything about it! Great work, and if it’s all yours, you are to be congratulated! I think you are Ms. Nifty Thrifty, it’s even a better name for you than your store, where it fits perfectly. I enjoy your posts and hope to soon get back to doing some of the great things I read about! Best wishes – Mike
Brigitte
25. May, 2010
Hey Mike thanks! I appreciate that! Stay tuned for a possible NiftyThrifty show!
Bob
25. May, 2010
I’ve been reading your blog for the past few months and have enjoyed it. I must confess, I haven’t bought your book. It’s definitely not the price. I’m still toying with the whole idea of messing with EBay. I’m just not convinced it’s worth all the effort or that I can really make good money. Can a ‘newbie’ make a thousand dollars a month or more consistently? Here’s my math. If you average $5 profit per item, you’d have to sell 200 items a month. That seems like a lot to me. Maybe my thinking is wrong? Maybe I should think of thrift store/garage sales as a hobby and not as a work at home business to support my family. Any comments or thoughts from anyone for me?
Brigitte
25. May, 2010
Hello Bob, oh my goodness, I don’t know where to start or to stop for that matter. Absolutely you can make money on eBay! There are so many people that have made it a full time job. One woman known as the Queen of Auctions makes 6 figures a year all from garage sales and thrift store items. It is her goal to sell 1000 $10 pieces a month and she does it. You don’t have to sell $5 items, you can sell anything you want as long as the demand is there. Sometimes I profit $10, sometimes I profit $100. You just never know. You do need to know what the demand is but anything goes with eBay. With a little research and hard work (well not that hard) you can really do well. It’s all up to you. There’s only one reason people visit eBay and that’s to buy!!!
Ilene
25. May, 2010
Great advice as always.
Deena
25. May, 2010
Hi, Brigitte!
I had vertigo a few months ago – what a weird feeling indeed! Got the same exercise to do and it went away in a day. I’ve been having good sales with men’s shirts and ties – there is so much to choose from that it can be a bit overwhelming, but I stick to Tommy Bahama silk, Big Dogs, Wrangler western shirts and anything Harley Davidson. I’ve found a few Harley t-shirts for $1.99 and I’m getting $15 for them. Ties are around $2-$3 and sell for $10 to $15. Nice markups! I only buy silk ties, and novelty ones – cartoon characters, anything Grateful Dead or Santana, or names like Armani. It will be interesting to see how eBay’s new condition descriptions affect how we list our items. Another tip: Always open the boxes of things – I picked up a box that said it was a china dessert set for $7.98. I looked inside, and it was filled with camera equipment – a vintage 35mm camera, 3 lenses,filters, a flash, a handle…I sold them piecemeal and made well over $100.
Brigitte
25. May, 2010
Way to go Serena!
Dee
25. May, 2010
Oh my gosh, me too. I had vertigo three weeks ago. Wish they had use that manuver on me. It was the weirdest thing ever. Still have a little problem with my eyes but it just means I have to look closer when Thrifting.
Just to let you know I have been doing well with furniture for 18″ dolls. All those people who used to collect bears many years ago and display them on furniture are getting rid of them now and they make for great 18″ doll furniture.
Hope you fell better.
unique_estate_sales
26. May, 2010
Hi, Brigette: Hope you’re feeling better. Thought you might be interested in the results of a recent visit to a thrift shop near me. I picked up a bunch of Hawaiian shirts and when I got home, I realized that almost half of them were women’s that were placed in the men’s section by mistake. well, I put them on anyway, and the women’s Hawaiian shirts sold much faster and for higher prices than the men’s Hawaiian shirts. What a surprise! Keep up the good work.
Jan
Brigitte
26. May, 2010
Awesome! Feel free to share on my new forum too located here.
PS Thanks, I feel much better!
Tami
26. May, 2010
I’m waiting for my email to be “activated” for the forum… but am wondering if you, Brigitte, or your readers have any experience in this area: I’m “cleaning out” my ebay listings- a lot of the items are pretty decent items, but they’re unsold after quite awhile. I’d like to batch them together and sell them in “lots”, but its primarily a lot of ceramics / glassware / vintage collectibles, so it won’t take much to create a large boxfull. I’ve seen folks be successful with the “junk drawer” approach– selling a hodgepodge of “stuff” for pretty good prices….. Anyone have any experience at selling lots of the types of things I’m talking about ? Thanks !!!! Tami
Brigitte
27. May, 2010
Hi Tami, you should be activated now.
Yes, I’ve sold “junk drawer” listings twice now. As long as you have some good stuff in there that you can utilize a keyword for it should do well. Like perhaps, “silver”, or “gold”, or “watch”, etc. I had an unmatched gold earring I threw in there for example. Good luck!
Brigitte
27. May, 2010
Make sure to check out the forum guys! We’re now live at http://www.sellthingsonline.org/forum