What Did I Get With A Vanity?

I recently found this little cherry wood vanity at a yard sale.  

The home owner was asking $10.00.  Next to the vanity was a brand new box of Halle Berry perfume.

"Would you throw in the perfume too?” I asked.

The homeowner agreed, so I had the vanity and Halle Berry perfume for $10.00.

The Halle Berry perfume sells for new around $30.00.  What a deal!

I came home and photographed the vanity.  I didn’t clean it or anything.  Remember, most of the time I’m an as-is kinda girl.  I posted the vanity on Craigslist for $40.00.  It sold the same day for $40.00.

So, what did I do with my $30.00 profit?

I found this darling owl out thrifting for $1.99.  

I’ve been in love with this owl from Anthropologie, 

but it’s $138.00.  I think the owl I found at the thrift store is cuter, plus mine is real vintage.

At Goodwill, I found Eden a boutique white linen Easter dress for $2.99.  

I’m sure it was more then $2.99 when purchased new.  Funny thing, it looks brand new.  Not a spot on it.

I also found this Arcadia Italian leather bag.  I found out this bag retails for around $400.00 by clicking here.  

I paid $7.99.  Score!  I’ve really wanted a huge leather loud bag, but haven’t been able to find one I could afford.  In the old days, I may have put a find like this on eBay, but I’m so happy to keep it all for myself. 

I found this Stella McCartney Italian skirt at the thrift store for $2.50.  

New, Stella McCartney skirts sell for a lot more then $2.50.  I’ve listed it on craigslist for $40.00 and I’ll let you know how it sells.  This is the first article of clothing I’ve tried to sell post-eBay saga.

I found these toll-painted red vintage clogs out thrifting for $3.00.  Can’t wait to take them down to the shop and list them for $24.50.

So far I’ve spent $18.50 of my $30.00 profit from the vanity. 

Last, but not least, I found this gorgeous Foreign Accents rug for $12.00 while out thrifting and love it in the boys' room.  

I did a little research and found the exact same rug for $998.00 here.  I couldn’t order one on the website if I wanted to because they are on backorder.  So glad I found mine at the thrift store.

So, I made a $30.00 profit off my vanity and spent it on trash that turned into over $1,000.00 of merchandise.

Taking trash to the next level, wouldn't you say. 

What are your latest finds?
Linking up to:

My New Favorite that’s not eBay

What if I hadn’t been kicked off eBay?

Let me think about that!

I’d still be shopping many times a week at yard sales and thrift stores, bringing home bags and bags of gently used name-brand clothing, sometimes over 100 items a week, hoping to flip them for a profit.

I’d still be staying up until 1:00am almost every night, working on the computer; listing jeans and skirts and dresses until they all blended into one piece of huge fabric.

I’d still be taking two young children to the thrift store looking through the clothing racks for over an hour, hoping I wasn’t the reason the head cashier kept reminding customers to keep their children with them at all times.

I’d still have a disastrous spare room with piles and piles of clothes waiting to be sorted, folded and shipped out.

I’d still be running to the post office many times a week, waiting in long lines to fill out custom forms for internationally shipping.

I’d still be completely stressed out and overwhelmed and wondering if I was ever going to catch up on all the work ahead of me.

I’d still feel out of control.

But, that has all stopped.  I am no longer eBaying myself to death.

I never thought I’d say this, but I think getting kicked off eBay has been an absolute blessing in my life. 

It took almost a year for me to say this because it was such a painful life lesson.

But, I am grateful . . .  because it’s been nice to let go, to focus more on my family, to just let things fall where they may and now with all this freedom, my inner-artist has come out of its shell.

And here I am, restoring furniture and shopping the greatest trash around and still making a great profit.

Shopping is much more fun now that I don’t feel so overworked and overwhelmed.  The kids love going to the thrift store, as we can look at toys and I find I’m not in such a hurry all the time.

Some of my favorite finds include:

This amazing vintage cast iron 5 ft. candle stick.  This thing weighs about 100 pounds.  I purchased it for $12.00 and am taking it down to QcumberZ tomorrow.

(Here is a picture of a little French lady and is not actually this spooky looking in real life, although I guess that depends on your perspective, you'll just have to take my word for it.)

This wood toolbox took my breath away.  It's also huge and weighs a bit.  For $10.00 it was mine. I can’t wait to paint and stain it.

Industrial and vintage, these little metal organizing boxes were $5.00 a piece and are now at the shop (so are the vintage metal butterflies).

 

Remember a few weeks ago I was working on a red china hutch for a client?

Not only did she love her new china hutch, but she asked me to paint more of her furniture red.

What a blast it was painting this barn wood table.  

Thank you, as always, to my little helpers.  Here's Eden dipping her sponge brush into a cup of water, which she thinks is a cup of paint, so please don't tell her the truth about his little white lie.  

We blast K-love (Christian Rock) on the radio and have a groovy time.

Bri-wax and my inner artist got along very well on this project.

I’m also working on this same client's 4 bar stools.  The hardest part of this project was taping off the brass frame near the bottom of the legs.

She’s has these things for 25 years and they are in great shape.  I say if you want them red after that long, it’s time to paint them red.  I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

 

Thank you eBay for firing me so I could get back to my life and discover my hidden artistic talents.

The Telephone Table - Part IV

Oh my goodness!

I never expected such an outpouring of love and support all because eBay kicked me to the curb.  I’m an outcast; an eBay leper and you still love me.    

I can’t thank you enough.

And my telephone table, well let’s just say my elbow was just on the mend when I turned the telephone table over while painting it and found a whole other panel of furniture staples. 

Pick, pick, pick.

One by one, I pull them out and it gives me more time to reflect on my eBay woes.

When I realized my store had been shut down, I was certain there was some mistake. 

Still, I had a feeling who had given me low ratings on the star system and I was certain this had contributed to my demise.

I had been in contact with a seller who had purchased a pair of Gap jeans from me.  These jeans were typical, nothing written inside the tag other then the size and material.

However, the customer emailed me when she received her package, outraged I had sent her a pair of Gap ankle jeans.  I emailed her back, groveling in the way us sellers do when we’re questioned about something we’ve sold and I offered her a full refund, including shipping costs.

Why did I offer her everything back?

Why was I so wimpy?

Because of eBay’s policies, I know I have no ground to stand on.  I’m literally teetering on a sinking ship.  If I refuse a refund to this customer, I’d receive negative feedback.  If I refuse to return shipping costs, I’d receive negative feedback.  I had learned it’s just easier to refund a customers money then to question/justify why their request isn't valid.

So I never questioned her supposed Ankle jeans, I didn’t even go there.

I refunded her money and although she left positive feedback, she left a low ranking on the star system for “item as described”.

I was kicked off eBay because of a pair of ankle jeans.

ANKLE JEANS!

Does anyone know what ankle jeans are?

I’d had 3 other instances like this one.

I’d sold a pair of Girl’s XL (size 16) overalls.  The customer was certain they would fit her toddler and when they didn’t she wanted a full refund, plus shipping.  I refunded all her money, but she left me poor star ratings.

I sold a blue cocktail dress.  The seller received it and said it was more navy then blue.

She left me poor star ratings.

Out of 563 sales in December, I had 7 poor ratings, note all were positive feedbacks, but the 8^th one pushed me into the point of no return.

Ankle Jeans strike me down!

Did I call eBay?

Did they listen to my concern?

It’s not like I was selling cats and sending out dogs.

I was selling Gap jeans that a customer interpreted as Ankle jeans.

“What I sell is so subjective,” I told the manager, certain he’d look through me emails, see all the money I’d refunded, recognize that I work with my customers in a professional way, but he didn’t do any of that.

He simply said because I’d preformed below standard, I could never sell on eBay again.

“Never,” I said, certain he’d misinformed me.

“Never,” he said.  “You’ll have to find some other venue to sell on.”

“What other venue?” I asked, knowing all too well there is no other website in the world like eBay.

“I can’t answer that,” he said, “But in this economy, eBay has to stay competitive with other on-line bidding sites.”

“I’ve never heard of any other on-line bidding sites,” I said, unsure what site could be giving eBay, a billion dollar company, a run for its money.

“eBay is getting strict and we only want the best of the best selling.  It sucks to be a manager because I’ve shut done thousands of accounts like yours because of this new star system, but this is the way it is.  And don't even think about opening another account.  If we find you, we'll shut you down again.”
I didn't realize eBay had it's own internal mofia?

I went around and around with this manager. 

I tried the “Please help me, I’m just a stay-at-home mom who’s making extra money for my family” card, the “I don’t understand, this is so confusing to me” card, the “I’ll report this to your supervisor” card, the “My mom’s a journalist and she’ll write about this injustice in the New York Times” card and nothing worked.

It was like dealing with the federal government.

My case was not looked at individually, basically a computer kicked me off because of one too many strikes.

Justice?

What would justify kicking someone off eBay.

Maybe if that person is a terrorist?

Yes, I can see kicking them off.

Embezzling money?

Stealing identification?

Hacking into other peoples accounts?

Selling drugs?

Auctioning off their toe nail clippings?

After my call with the manager, I was left wondering what happened.

I haven’t had a traffic ticket since I was 17.

I graduated Magna Cum Laude.

I qualify for a home loan.

I pay my taxes!

And I’m not just kicked off eBay for a time, but told I can never, ever sell on eBay again.

A part of my credibility is gone, forever!

“Where do I go from here,” I said to the counselor that night after I told him my sad story, my eBay gone wrong narrative, my account of belly-up trash.

“You always find a way,” he said, my own 6’5 Polish cheerleader.

“But honey, I write about eBay on my blog.  Kelly and I are finishing up the book My Dear Trash.  How can I possible do this if I’m banned from eBay?”

“You still have a story to tell and you still have other outlets to sell.”
Really?
Where else can I sell $1.00 day overalls for $40.00?

But, I know my husband is right and now I have to see which direction God wants me to go.

Maybe I’m staring at it in this telephone table.

Maybe I’m staring at it in my manuscript.

And maybe it’s staring back at me in 5 beautiful little faces.

It’s important to keep things in perspective.

Next week, I’ll share what I’ve learned and how you can protect yourself from eBay.

And, I’ll feature my telephone table because it’s just about done.

Marital Conflicts and My EBay Disappointments of the Week

The counselor and I have three distinct conflicts in our marriage. I don't mind sharing, because I'm willing to change at least one of them.

First, he is a University of Arizona graduate and totally nuts, like practically religious about his college.

I, on the other hand, am an Arizona State graduate. I remain calm and in control when I drive past the campus or hear the ASU fight song.

I don’t sing my University fight song as a lullaby to our babies the first day they’re born the way the counselor does. I rarely wear ASU t-shirts or clothing. I’m way too mature for silly things like that, but hey, that’s what a great education gets you. The counselor on the other hand is usually decked out in some sort of U of A jersey or sweatshirt (most likely something I picked up at $1.00 day at Goodwill). You might be thinking “What’s the problem, Laura?”

The marital conflict arises when he rubs in a U of A win over ASU, say in basketball or football. Honestly, I don’t care who wins, but if he pushes it enough, I fight back with a whammy. Something like “Who really cares?”

Yeah . . . I’m that mean.

And he might say something like “You’re just jealous because ASU lost.”

Then we kiss and make up.

The wildcat and sun devil live happily ever after.

Our second conflict has lightened up over the years, but can still be a source of contention. The problem is cookies.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

I make them often, like every day. My home has a revolving door. I have company all day long, children, friends, family, neighbors and I love to hand out cookies. How can I have a guest in my home and not have something to share? So the conflict comes in two fold. First of all, I rarely have cookies left by the time the counselor arrives home later in the day. He sees the empty baking bowl where amazing fluffy dough once was. He’s a witness to the dirty cookie sheet, but the cookies. Where are they? All gone! Given away to loved ones. Sorry, honey. But when I do have cookies left for him, he likes them chewy. I tend to overcook things in general (probably because I’m chasing a naked kid down the street or something like that), so my cookies usually turn out crunchy. I’m trying honey, and I’ll get it right. Just stick with me for another 12 years and you’ll get your chewy cookies.

So with all this going on, what could possibly be the third marital conflict that burdens are usual happy hearts? It’s EBay! This conflict is a matter of poor organization on my part. I’ve been doing EBay for 6 years now. I have almost 4,000 positive feedbacks and close to 10,000 sales. My problem is storage. Where in the world do I keep all these clothes (name-brand, I might add)? Well, much to the counselor’s dissatisfaction, I’ve kept them in a pile in the back of our bedroom.

How did this all start? I live in a house with mostly tile, except for our bedroom. The last thing I want to do before I take my EBay pictures for the week is sweep and mop a clean corner of the home, so I simply vacuum our bedroom carpet and take the pictures in there. At this point, clothes (super cute & name-brand, mind you) are all over the room and taking up space. The mess freaks the counselor out.

I remind him that I make money doing this; that it’s all for a good cause and I’ll have it cleaned up in no time. But the reality is that EBay pile has been sitting there for almost year. I filter out the old and bring in the new, but the pile remains in the corner.

Now, the counselor is a patient man. He didn’t complain when I accidently shipped his expensive camera to a friend of mine in Utah (I thought it was hers). He didn’t get upset when I spilled an entire bucket of yellow paint on our newly tiled floor. Actually, I was the one who cried while I watched him clean it up. And he certainly was understanding when I ate the meal he ordered at Costa Vita instead of mine (I loved your chicken nachos with mango salsa, thanks honey). So, I have finally taken his complaint to heart. I vow to clean up the EBay pile in our bedroom and move it out to the garage.

This I do for love, for marriage, for happiness.

Now, if I can just find a place in the garage.

My EBay disappointments of the week would fit perfectly here, wouldn’t they? So, let’s do it!

I found this gorgeous just dry-cleaned and pressed Northern Isle Men's XXL Blue dress shirt at Goodwill on $1.00 day.

Of course, it was for the counselor, but when he tried it on, he noticed one distinct problem.

The counselor does not for see working at Thrifty anytime soon, so this one is going back to Goodwill.

You may remember my good luck with this US Army military vest. I found it at a yard sale and paid $1.00 for it. Later, it sold on EBay for $9.99.

So, I thought I'd try this military jacket on EBay, certain it'd be a huge hit. I've posted it three weeks in a row and it finally sold for $7.99. Between the $1.00 I paid for the jacket, my EBay & paypal fees and overall annoyance, I'm certain I barely broke even.

These Gap Size 16 NWT pants sold for $9.99. They are really lovely and I shipped them right away. So why did I receive dissatisfactory feeback?

The customer didn't like the color. I wonder why she didn't consider the color when she looked at the picture and decided to purchase them?

Lastly, I've found amazing blazers throughout the years, but for some reason they don't sell well on EBay. Sure, it can be hit and miss, but overall, I think woman like to try blazers on before purchasing them. Or maybe they are looking for a perfect match for the business suit. Either way, this lot of 2 beautiful Ann Taylor blazers haven't for two weeks straight, even at $9.99.

I already have two huge bags of clothes to donate to the Garrett Tanner Benefit Yard Sale. Hope to see you and your donations there this Saturday.

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.

A Baby Is Named; EBay style

I read today that a woman is auctioning off the name of her baby on EBay (click here to read more). She’s hoping to make $20,000 to 25,000 and is giving the lucky winner the opportunity to name her baby anything they’d like. The bid is currently at $2,700.00.

Is this a bad economy or do people really have the money to buy rights to name a baby?

For her sake, I hope the winner’s really nice and mentally stable.

I’m in the process of picking a name for my baby.

The process of picking a girl’s name is like picking a bouquet of wild flowers.

Image found here

The meadow is full of beauty, but only a few flowers fit into my arrangement.

Image found here.

Eventually, only one will be selected, even though the others are all so beautiful.

Image found here.

The counselor and I have chosen to name our children after Arizona towns.

This didn’t start on purpose.

The name of our first son, Chandler, means “maker of light.” Very appropriate for a boy who has brightened our world in every way.

Payson, our second son, is a strong name, meaning “warrior” or “soldier”. Let me tell you, his strength and will power is something to appreciate and it makes his soft side that much sweeter.

So, after having Chandler and Payson, the counselor and I noticed an interesting trend – both names are Arizona towns.

With our third son, we actually opened an Arizona almanac with the intent of picking another Arizona town.

We love the music of John Mayer. When we found the town Mayer, we knew it was the name for our third baby boy. Mayer is a German name and means “major” or “leader.”

Reef was born at an interesting time. I’d just completed my book, Colors of the Sea. My young adult book is about a marine biology student running from a troubled past, but finding strength and hope through her relationship with the sea. Derek found the name Reef on a website for Arizona ghost towns and we both knew it was the right name for our fourth baby boy.

So, with this first little girl, I’m listing the names we’ve found. No, I'm not selling the rights to her name, but I do love feedback. And if you find another Arizona town name you like better, leave it in the comment box and the counselor and I will take a look.

Here are the names we like so far. Like a bouquet, they are in no particular order:

Rye

Winona

Sedona

Eden

Sunflower

Hope

Ruby

Taylor

Page

Image found here.

Picking a name is one of the best things about having a baby and I wouldn’t sell that opportunity for anything.