Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Green Monsters and the Law Of Averages with EBay Sells

The last few days, Reef has had a runny nose that somewhat resembles the image below:
Image found here.

Poor little guy. He’s been at my side for a week; snuggling and watching CARS.

When he naps, I wipe the green monsters off my shirt, hands & face and run to my stash of trash in the garage. I sort through piles of clothing and pick out what I want to list for the week.

Today I’m featuring a few interesting sales I’ve had over the past few weeks.

This dress, labeled Go International was just too cute to pass up. I found it at Goodwill on $1.00 day and noticed the new tags from Target were still attached. The dress retails at $36.00. I love how Target has gone somewhat retro over the past few years, so I wanted to give this dress a Go Go. I listed it as:Go International Large NWT Corduroy Short Gogo Dress

I didn’t sell the first week at $6.99, so I listed it the second week at .99 cents. At this price, the dress received more attention and eventually sold for $9.50.

I normally only list name brand items, but this L.A. Blues Plus Size 26W Long Denim Cargo Jean Skirt caught my eye. L.A. Blues is a brand from Fashion Bug and it's really cute. It’s a plus size (always a bonus), jean and cargo (cargo is always a big seller) and I purchased it for $1.00. I listed it at $6.99 and it sold for $10.49.

I pulled up at a Garage Sale a few months ago and a really nice girl was selling her maternity clothes. I have a phobia for such things, I just hate wearing them! Still, they were great labels; Old Navy & lots of jeans from Motherhood, so I picked up around around 15 things for $10.00. Next, I had a mental prep talk. I would wear these clothes during my pregnancy and love it, right! Well, 7 months pregnant, I still hate wearing maternity clothes, but I love wearing my normal Lucky jeans (unbuttoned and zipped just enough so they don't fall down) or sweats. So, what did I do with the maternity clothes? You know me! One by one, I've posted them on EBay. This long denim jean skirt from Motherhood sold for $15.50.

Because Reef isn't feeling well, taking my pictures this week has been a bit tricky.

Luckily, no green monsters end up on my trash. They just end up on me.

Selling purses is not something I normally do because they are usually in poor shape, but this pink leather Gap purse I found at Goodwill on 1/2 off day looked too good to pass up. I paid $2.49 and it sold for $14.50.

I'm not very familiar with Rubbish, only to know it's a Nordstrom brand. For $1.00, I was willing to try this long jean jacket. It sold for $9.99 to a customer in England.

When you sell on EBay, the law of averages is really on your side. If you post enough dear trash, you'll make a decent profit. My suggestion? Take $20.00 to Goodwill or Saver's on $1.00 day. Purchase 20 items. Post all 20 and see what happens.

I usually spend $100.00 on $1.00 day. If I sell 10 items at $10.00 each, I make my $100.00 back. Then, I have 90 items to clear a profit on. That's right, 90 items. Most of the 90 sells anywhere from $6.99 up to $30.00. Out of the 90, maybe 15 or 20 won't sell at all. I re-list them at .99 cents the next week and see what happens. The law of averages tells me I'll still make a decent profit because the .99 cent listing brings plenty of attention to the item. The law of averages also tells me somethings won't sell and that's alright. I either donate them back to Goodwill or give them to a friend in need.

I've had a lot of interest from readers who want to know how to start selling on EBay. Take your $20.00 to Goodwill or Saver's and run with it. Shop yard sales this weekend. Another idea? See what you have in your own closet that you don't want anymore. I do this all the time. Give it a try and let me know what happens.

2 comments:

  1. Hi, Laura!

    I've been reading your blog posts for a few weeks but this is my first time posting. I live in the Phx area, too, so I'm always interested to see your lemon trees, etc!

    I'm so inspired by all that you are able to do each day. And you find a way to make money too. It's impressive!

    Best wishes with your pregnancy. All the names that you listed a few days ago are beautiful...but Sedona, Eden, and others that are less popular are my favorites.

    Take care. I'll be reading!
    Edie

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  2. Thanks for stopping by my blog.. I so enjoy reading yours... must go visit your ebay store also.....

    http://thewondersofdoing.blogspot.com/

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