My Dear Trash: Hot Cotton

Friday, March 26, 2010

Guaranteed Clothing Sales for the New EBay Seller: What sells best in the spring/summer?

A follower of My Dear Trash sent me an email with a request.

“Can you please feature what clothing brands sell best for you on Ebay?” she wrote.

Of course I would love to, but the writer in me can’t do anything simple. By all means, let me make it complex by breaking it down into a series I’ll call “Guarented Clothing Sales for the New EBay Seller.” Now that’s a challenge I can dig my teeth into. Seriously, I have years and years of EBay photos. It’s a blast looking through them & pulling out my best sellers. Every article of clothing has a story behind it. Some are stories of success and others are stories of failure. It’s freaky how I remember what individual items sold for. When I’m old and gray, I’ll be shouting out clothing measurements and listing prices in my sleep.

I find the change of seasons brings a whole new wave of shoppers to the EBay market. People want to put away their parkas and breakout a Hawaiian Print shirt. Summer vacations are being planned and most women in American are on some sort of diet to look great for swimsuit season. Guess who will sell them their summer dresses?

Over the years, I’ve found some brands that sell great for spring and summer, so let's get started.

In Arizona, I find a lot Fresh Produce clothing at thrift stores. There clothes are fun and light with great prints and easy care. Just throw this dress in a beach bag and you're ready to go. This dress sold for $17.50.

Here are a few other Fresh Produce finds.

Tommy Bahama is a great investment for EBay listings, but it doesn't sell well in the winter. These shirts are hot in the spring and summer. Hey, men want to look good too. The more colorful, the better. TB silk Hawaiian shirts usually sell in the $25.00 range.

I'd never heard of Jam's World until I started selling on EBay. I remember the first time I found one of these prints. To say they're bold is an understatement. I wasn't sure if I should invest in such a loud shirt or not, but I can tell quality when I see it. JW clothing usually sells in the $25.00 range. If you can pick them up for $1.00, then you've got a great product.

I also really like Patagonia. Their clothing is high-quality and usually organic with simple lines and earthy colors. I don't find Patagonia often, but it's always a thrill when I do.

Hot Cotton is 100% linen of pure summer; also with bold colors and fabulous quality. They sell in the $20.00 range.

I also sell plenty of short overalls, anything linen and lots of summer dresses. But don't think you can pass up looking at coats and sweaters. The summer is the best time to start shopping for the Fall/Winter season. I store bags of clothes in my garage for the next season and it really pays off.

Monday, March 1, 2010

This Weekend In a Wrap: Goodwill, Fraser Field Swap & the Garrett Tanner Benefit Yard Sale

This weekend was sweet and savvy, fun and full of surprises. This weekend was a gift. If a weekend is a party, then my weekend started on Thursday because I partied at Goodwill big time.

I saw this amazing wood chair last dollar day, when it was still $99.99.

“A used wood chair for $99.99?” I thought to myself. "That seems way too high."

Don't get me wrong, this chair is unique and wonderful, but it was either way over-priced or there was something really special about that it I didn’t understand. I checked to see if there were any markings or numbers on it and this is what I found.

Either way, I knew there was no way it was selling at Goodwill for $99.99. I looked at the week on the tag, I realized if it was still here on next weeks dollar day, it would be $1.00.

Kelly mush have this chair! I’m dying to see what Kelly will do with this chair.

So, I wait until this Thursday. I told the counselor I needed to arrive at Goodwill right when the store opened.

It’s not easy getting this pregnant body out and moving early. Mayer's artistic interpretation of my bulging belly is about right.

Me, my belly and baby girl.

I arrived at Goodwill at 9:00am. I pushed my cart to the back of the store and there sat the chair. My chair for $1.00. The manager helped me carry this chair to my car. He told me I had the deal of the year.

"This chair was looked over by our antique expert and is valued at around $250.00," he said.

It looks like Kelly and I have some research to do on Hale maple wood chairs.

I also found these wood shutters for $1.00. My mind raced. What amazing home décor will Kelly turn these into?

With Kelly on my mind, shopping at Goodwill is much more fun then it used to be.

Needless to say, I did find some great clothing for $1.00 to sell on Ebay.

Remember the brand Horny Toad. Funny name, serious re-sale. I found this Horny Toad dress and snatched it up.

Liz Claiborne continues to be a consistent seller, even styles that I may think are out dated.

I love Hot Cotton by Marc Ware. It's easy to spot this label because the linen is of such fine quality and the fabrics are alive with color. Super sweet. These Hot Cotton pants are a plus size 1X.

My trusted Ralph Lauren. This white career shirt looks like it's never even been worn. I'll take that for sure.

And for the counselor and all the boys he's brainwashed, I find this U of A plaque. Joy!

And this collection of arrowheads would bring Payson's ultimate happiness. I'll see if it's still here on dollar day next time.

Speaking of Payson, he and Mayer have been playing (a nice term for fighting for turns) with my size 10 roller blades.

They each want to wear them all the time.

These Goodwill roller blades came into my life just when I needed them.

Now they each have a pair. Funny thing is, they both still want to wear my size 10's. Hey, Goodwill can't solve all of life's problems.

Now, onto the Fraser Field Swap. I wish I could’ve dressed up vintage, but seriously! Vintage & maternity do not collide. But, look at these darling guests with their tiny waists.

The spirit of the swap was alive and well.

There were so many cool things to pick from. My favorite? Something handmade for baby girl.

A sweet compliment came to Kelly when another friend named Kelly featured her cheese dome make-over, inspired by a My Dear Trash original featured here.