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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Trash to Cash Wednesday

This week craigslist was a big zero! It seems things really do slow down in the summer on craigslist. Fortunately, This was my biggest week ever on ebay. When I first started selling clothes on ebay I couldn't wait to sell something in the double digits ($10.00 or more) It seems like it took months to really get in the groove. Now, however, I sell several items a week that are in the double digits. Let's take a look at my double digit sales this week....
These women's Patagonia size 8 cream hemp denim pants sold for 12.50.

I had never heard of the brand "I Me" before, but this size large graphic halter dress screamed ebay to me. It sold for $12.06.Lovely Day is an Anthropologie brand and this size small gray dress sold for $16.72.

Old Navy is always a reliable brand on ebay. This size medium navy blue knit dress sold for $16.49.Just so you can never quite figure out ebay, there's always a surprise or two each week. This Lane Bryant size 14/16 chocolate brown skirt was listed for $8 for two weeks, then reduced to $5.50. It sold this week for $20.50! It's a definite reminder to make sure you always relist your non-sellers for at least 4 weeks. (I do full price for 2 weeks, 5.50, then 2.99- if it doesn't sell for 2.99 it goes back to the store or in a pile for our next garage sale.)
Wacky wild card of the week was this Fresh Produce Size large Pink Flower knit dress. Remarkably, it sold for $38.56!

I really enjoy selling clothes on ebay. For those of you wanting to get started- Take Laura's challenge from a few months back. Buy 20 items at a dollar (Goodwill dollar days or yard sale) and see what happens. That's how I got started. I only profited a little over $30 my first week- but with some experience I'm now having great success. The good news about ebay is that you won't lose money- so give it a try and let us know how it goes. Here's my totals for the week...

Ebay Profits: This week: $522.97 (436.37 was my previous record!)
Craigslist Profits: This week 0
This weeks Costs: 65.00 (clothes) -63.75 (ebay fees) -35.16(paypal fees)
Total Profit: $359.06

More spending money for our Boston trip! Love, Kelly

12 comments:

  1. You did great! I would love to start selling on Ebay but I don't know how. I have several things I could sell. Being a single mom it would really help out a lot.

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  2. WOW!!! You Go Girl!!
    I used to do Ebay, but stopped, because I felt like the fees were eating up too much.... but hey, you have inspired me. I may try it again... Thanks for posting....great stuff!!!

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  3. I have been reading your blog faithfully for weeks and am so inspired by everything you post...you give me hope that I can do this, too. I have just this week had to resign from my job due to health issues and have got to find a way to keep some income coming in while I work on my disability...is there a post in your archives that gives details as to what you have found to be the better sellers (types, sizes, brands, etc.) What do you use to list your items, TurboLister, or something else? I wish I could sit and pick your brain for a few hours. LOL I'll quit with the questions now.
    Peace & Love,
    ~Barb~

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  4. Great job! I'm sort of a new follower but have been reading quite a few of your posts. Do you have any details on the policies of Goodwill. How their colored tag system works? When is the dollar day sale? I tried looking online and found a little bit of information but not sure if it's universal across all stores. This blog is truly an inspiration.

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  5. Barb,
    We do have tips spread out through-out our blog and comments sections- the best place to look is under top sales of the week posts as well as the Big challenge posts. Laura and I will be working on an E-book hopefully due out in the fall that will give very specific information. A few quick tips: Plus sizes sell best, women's clothing sells better than mens and childrens. Popular brands: Old Navy, Lane Bryant, Venezia, Eileen Fisher, Fresh Produce, Gap, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic- to name a few of my favorites. I'm not currently using listing software- I just post directly onto ebay, but I've thought about investing in a PC (I have a MAC) so I can use Turbolister. Hope this little bit helps. Good Luck and thank you for the comment.

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  6. Ashley,
    Goodwills vary from region to region but I think they all generally follow a 5-6 week color tag system. Each week in Arizona the color that's 6 weeks old goes half price for the week and on Thursday any item with that color is 1.00. Some goodwills don't do dollar day- but I think they all have 1/2 off Saturdays once or twice a month. Good Luck.

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  7. Kelly- where can I find your ebay listings?

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  8. I just recently found your blog and really enjoy it. I used to do ebay like crazy but quit a while back because they keep raising their fees. You have inspired me to take another look. Thanks! :)

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  9. Really enjoy your blog!

    I'm wondering if you accept returns or if all sales are final.

    If you do accept returns, how much of a hassle do you find it to be?

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  10. Andrea:
    I have a money back guarantee, where the customer just pays return shipping. Here's my philosophy: Usually people who have no return policies state "unless I misrepresented the product" . By talking to these people I have found they have the same number of returns I do (probably 1-2 every few months) because if someone wants to return an item they will- If that means they have to make a rip in it, unfortunately, they will. For me, it's easier to have a return policy- sometimes it's that the item didn't fit- which is frustrating, because I list all the measurements. But I want to run a fair business and I want my customers to be happy so occasionally I lose a few dollars in shipping. In my opinion, that's just the cost of doing business.

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