Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Taxes, Craig's List and my Top EBay Sales of the Week


Yesterday the counselor and I had an appointment with our accountant.
Image found here.
Taxes are stressful and for a girl who’s not to detail oriented( remember the counselor calls me reactive), I had to step it up a notch. I downloaded my PayPal earnings and EBay fees. I deducted my Goodwill and USPS receipts. The counselor and I worked all day on piles of paperwork and tax forms. The fact that we are still in love really says something about his good nature and our commitment to each other.

The day went from busy to busier when I had a couple of calls off my Craig’s list postings. I made two sales. Remember the chair I purchased last week from Goodwill for $32.00.

I brought it home and cleaned it up a bit.

The boys loved it. They brought out their blankets and snuggled up with each other while we watched Aliens in the Attic. Today when they came home from school they were very sad because the chair was gone. I was thrilled because it sold for $95.00.

Last week, I made my way to Salvation Army for their Wednesday 1.00 day. It’s was a bit of a zoo with a full parking lot and no shopping carts to speak of, but I found some great things.

For example, this beautiful Jam's World Shirt. Remember, last week a pair of Jam's World Pants sold for $16.09 so I hope to make a nice profit off this $1.00 investment.

Anyway, after I shopped I made my way outside and saw a Salvation Army truck picking up trash. I spotted a beautiful table/desk and asked the attendant if I could buy it.

For $5.00, I brought this beauty home. With just a little dusting, I placed it on Craig’s List & it sold for $45.00.

I haven’t done Craig’s List in a while, but Kelly is the expert that inspired me to give it serious consideration again. Craig’s List has no fees and is local for your area. So, my sells are listed for the Phoenix area and picked up at my home. I must advice, use caution with Craig’s List. You can always count on SPAM/fraud email to come into your email account (just don't open it) and always have someone with you when you open your home to a stranger. Personally, I’ve had a great experience and think the Craig’s List community is very nice. I still have posted this Lane Chestnut Hope Chest. I purchased it this weekend at a yard sale for $40.00 and have it listed on Craig's list for $100.00. It's a beauty and a great buy for someone out there.

Yesterday was also a shipping day. You know how I feel about shipping (it’s not my favorite part of EBay selling), but after our tax appointment the counselor and I made it to the post office. The automated machine makes it so great for after hours. I do have 2 international sales this week (Canada & Switzerland) so I’ll be back at the post office waiting in line later today.

I can't believe another week has passed (that means only 4 weeks until baby girl is born). Here are my Top EBay Sales of the Week.

A pair of overalls is always a sure sell. These Tommy Hilfiger Large Denim Jean Overalls sold for $17.50.

I fell in love with this Women's Small Curious George Primal Bike Shirt. I had a ton of interest in it, with over 12 people following it throughout the week. Only two people bid, but I was still happy with the sell at $9.49.

These Ann Taylor Loft Pants Tan Career Pants sold for $15.53. I'm not sure why they sold so high, only that two very serious people wanted them. New, they'd be around $50.00 and both bidders were aware of this. The interesting thing about these pants is I relisted them for .99 cents because they didn't sell the first week at $6.99. Sometimes a .99 cent listing gets a lot of attention and turns into a big sell.
I found this Ralph Lauren Plus Size 3X Denim Jean Dress at the Mountain View Rummage Sale. The dress has two small sunflower size tears at the sleeve. Even with this defect, I listed the dress and mentioned the flaws. The dress still sold for $24.99.
I was bad and sold the Eileen Fisher bag I promised I'd never sell. I only sold it because I knew the bag would be dirty in about one minute of use. I sold it for $10.49 to a customer in Germany. I hope she enjoys it.
This lot of Ralph Lauren Medium Shirts, purchased for .50 cents each at a yard sale, sold for $9.99 as a set. Cute, aren't they.
This weeks EBay sells are looking just as good. Be sure to become a follower and you'll be qualified for our 3 current give-aways (check the top right of the screen to see them listed). Also, I'm looking for resale success stories. Be sure to leave your story under any blog posting in the comment section. It's exciting to see what you're doing and you could be featured on My Dear Trash and win the EBay shirt give-away.

4 comments:

  1. I'm doing my taxes on Thursday. UGH! Great sales for you this week! I have to get back onto Ebay. I miss the thrill of the auction.

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  2. Yeah, I'm doing my taxes tonight with my accountant...after weeks of gathering paperwork. Yuck. Luckily, we get lots of tax deductions for 2009, like the one for our beautiful baby boy!

    Your $5 table is awesome!
    Edie

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  3. Ann Taylor is always a good seller! I wear it myself and never pay full price. I usually go to the Hospice Thrift store and find Brand New with Tags items for less than $5.00. Reading your blog today is getting me inspired to list again! It has been awhile, and mostly because the last transaction I had was really bad and then 2 different money orders for items I bought got lost. It was not a good ebay month!

    Good Luck on your sales!
    Kathryn

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  4. I'm loving the posts about eBay and Craigs. At one point I was an avid eBay seller. You've got me wanting to get back into it! Have you thought about scheduling pickup for your items that you have to ship? That was always the worst part for me too. However, when I found out that USPS will come to your door, I was over the moon. Luckily I had a small scale I got free from stamps.com, so I was able to print my own shipping labels from my office. You can even order shipping material free from USPS to be delivered to your house. ;)

    Autumn
    TheFickleHobbyist.com

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