More Amazing Ebay Finds

I am starting a new post on my Amazing Ebay Finds, so that they are easier to find and view. I had originally started my list under "Garage Sales & Flea Markets". I enjoy sharing my stories, and hope that this will encourage readers, that selling on Ebay or becoming a Powerseller is very possible! It is actually quite easy and fun, once you get the hang of it:)

About 2 months ago, my husband was on his way to work, and noticed a 1979, Pontiac Firebird, for Sale. To make a long story short, the man was originally asking $800.00 for the car. My husband ended up getting it for $600.00. The car was pretty rough. He would probably be lucky to just break even on the car, if he listed the whole car on Ebay. Since then, every weekend, he takes pieces off of the car, and list them individually, on Ebay. (ex. tires, steering wheel, interior trim, radio, ect.) He has more than doubled his money back! Automobiles and Automobile car parts, sell excellent on Ebay! I will be back shortly....

Today is April 1, 2008. I am back to share some more stories.

One day, my son and I were out running errands. On our way back, we noticed that there was an Estate Sale. It was late afternoon, nobody was there, but figured we'd check it out anyway. As I figured, the whole house was a mess, from all of the customers, (people can get quite rude at these Estate Sales!) and, there really was not too much to look at. My son, 11, at the time, picked up this funny looking piece, off of a dresser, in the bedroom. It was about 1 1/4" long, 1" wide, and was quite thin. Needless, to say, I had no clue, as to what it was! For a dime, we couldn't go wrong. This "thing" sat around our house, for at least 3 mths. One weekend, my husband went to Ebay, in hopes to find out what this thing was. Sure enough, he found one similar. It was called a Sterling Silver and Guilloche Enamel Perfume. This thing brought well over $300.00! If you are interested in what this looks like, you can go to Ebay and put in keyword; Guilloche Perfume. This is another example, that not everyone knows everything! There was probably over 100 people at this Estate Sale, prior to us, and there on the dresser, sat this valuable item, that everyone overlooked. Amazing!

And, yet another auction, I clearly remember. About a year ago, my husband and I went to this auction that consisted of a 60 year collection of paper memorabilia, collectibles, old clothing, ect. I have never seen so much stuff in my life! We really did not have anything in particular in mind, as to what to bid on. There was so much stuff, that you could not possibly view it all, and would just have to wait for the auctioneer to auction these items, individually. As the day went on, 2 auction rings were formed. My husband and I happened to be at the right one. They were auctioning off about 18 "Superman-Tim" comic book type magazines. Although, we knew nothing about them, we knew that older "Superman" items were worth money. We ended up getting all of these books for $47.00 and sold them on Ebay for over $2500.00!

At this same auction, we purchased 2 frosted, 1950 Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby Glasses, for $17.50. We sold these for over $200.00 a piece. We had no idea that these glasses were even worth money, until we brought them home, and pulled them up on Ebay. I about fell off my chair!

Vintage Levi's Jeans

Did you know that Vintage Levi Jeans are worth big money? Go to Ebay and search, keyword; Vintage Levi's Jeans or Vintage Levi Jeans. I was completely astonished by this! I personally have never found any, but am always on the lookout for them at garage sales, thrift stores, ect. And, did you know, that Levi jeans are no longer made in the United States? It may take years for my Levi jeans to be worth money, (Made in U.S.A.) but I plan to hold onto them and pass them down to my kids. Sounds funny, but had we all known that these jeans would be worth a small fortune one day, I would have asked my grandparents for their old jeans!

Ebay Abbreviations

In this post I plan to list, add, and update, Ebay abbreviations. How many times have you been on Ebay and seen abbreviations in the headings or listings, and had no idea, as to what they meant? I have ran into this numerous times! I will compile a list here and will continue to add to it, as I find them.

1. NIL = Not in line; This basically means that an in particular item was not part of a regular catalog, or product line, which will usually make the item more valuable.
2. OOAK = One of a Kind; If an item is in fact, "One of a Kind" and produced by a reputable manufacture or artist, it should carry a higher value.
3. MIB = Mint in box
4. MIBWT = Mint in box with tag
5. MIBWOT = Mint in box without tag
6. NWT = New with tag
7. NWOT = New without tag
8. NRFB = Never removed from box
9. NR = No Reserve
10. HP = Hand Painted
11. LE = Limited Edition
12. Sgd = Signed
13. COA = Certificate of Authenticity
14. dia = diameter
15. ea. = each
16. EX = Excellent
17. VG = Very Good
18. sm. = small
19. MIP = Mint in Package
20. pr = pair

Garage Sales and Flea Markets

Here in Ohio, tis' the Season to start treasure hunting for items to sell on Ebay, at our local garage sales, flea markets, yard sales, barn sales, rummage sales, ect.! Back in 2002, outside of wasting our money, on items that held no value, we were always in search of items that appeared to be antique. This is not the case now. In our experience, an owner, will usually have some knowledge of their antique and will price it entirely too high, (to resell on ebay for a profit) or an owner may not know what they have, price it low, and it will sell, as soon as the doors open. (This is where you gotta get up early and GO!) Then there are items, that are indeed antique, but are not worth money on Ebay. Antiques are not our forte and we usually do not even acknowledge them anymore, unless it is the obvious. There are literally, 1,000's of items, outside of antiques, that are worth money!! Items that you would not even imagine!
Before I tell you of some of my Amazing finds, an excellent resource to begin your Ebay venture is the "Garage Sale and Flea Market Annual". An excellent resource! You can find these on Ebay, for the best price, or your local Book Store. A new issue of this book is offered yearly. The last one issued is the 2008, 16th edition.
I will try and keep my stories short, to keep from boring you:) It can be pretty exciting to purchase an item for .50 cents at a garage sale, come home, and find out that it's worth $150.00! It can also be discouraging to purchase an item for $5.00, come home, pull it up on Ebay, to find that it's not worth $1.00. Any knowledge you can soak in, will be more profitable for you, later on!
Ok, I remember going to a Garage Sale, in our home town. It was our annual "garage sale" day. Keep in mind, this was hours after the garage sales opened. My husband picked up this funny looking vase with a man on it, and asked me what I thought. I actually thought it was ugly and could not care less about it. I said, "How much is it?" He replied ".50 cents". Well for .50 cents, you couldn't go wrong, so we bought both of them. (there were 2) A couple days later, I figured I should throw one online to see if it would bring any money. I forget what category I put it under. (turned out to be the wrong category) Well, the vase had "Kona Kai" on it. I stated this in the heading, on my Ebay listing. Sure enough, a lady emailed me within minutes, stating that, "She loved my vase, and that Kona Kai was her and her husbands, first restaurant, that they had went to, together." (How sweet, I thought) and she offered me $80.00 to end the auction early and relist it with a "Buy it Now". I fell for this! THEN, I decided to research this vase on Ebay. It turned out that this vase was a Tiki Drink Mug, from a Kona Kai restaurant, that went out of business, back in the 60's. Needless to say, I immediately refunded the woman's money, listed my tiki mug, under "tikis" and brought $150.00 a piece for my mugs! We spent $1.00 and turned it into $300.00. Gosh, if you could only do this several times a week!! I cannot stress enough, how important it is to do your Research!! I have some errands to run for now. I will be back to discuss more "Ebay Finds".
HINT; If you list an item and start receiving immediate interest, it may be worth more than you realize. Do not "jump the gun" as I did, by placing a "Buy it Now' on it. Do some research. And, please realize, ending an auction early on Ebay, and reselling it, outside of Ebay, is against their policies! Just a word of advice.

Another "find" that I will never forget. We stopped at a garage sale, that seemed quite busy with merchandise and people! At a glance, I did not see anything that interested me, except for a new bottle of perfume, in the box, never used, by Yves St Laurent. I knew the name was familiar, but had never personally used it. I asked the lady how much she wanted for it....She thought for a second, and said .50 cents. She insisted on .50 cents since the perfume was new and never used. LOL. So I took it. I figured that if it was not worth selling on Ebay, that I would keep it for myself. I came home pulled up "In Love Again Perfume" (this is what it was called) My results; $140.00! Turned out, this was a rare perfume that was only produced for a short time! What an accidental Ebay find!

I plan on adding to this post several times a day, so check back often! I really need to get some items on Ebay, but before going, I'd like to share another "find" with you. Just the other day, my 13 yr. old son was looking at newly listed items on http://www.craigslist.com/, in our area, and seen a 1980 Trans Am, listed for $1,000.00, firm. (My son has learned alot from my husband) Well, we just knew, it was gone! I called this guy, asking him if the Trans Am was still available. He replied, "Well, I have a guy looking at it tonight, but you can call me around 6:30, to see if I still have it". This was quite disturbing, to say the least. My husband prompted me to text this guy and offer him $1200.00, cash tonight. An hour later, the guy text me back and said, "I will hold it for you". My husband picked the car up yesterday. Now, go search "1980 Trans Am" on Ebay. My husband plans to restore the car. Research, persistence, and consistency, is key! And, did I mention Research? LOL And the Oh so familiar saying....Money talks and bullshit walks! How true!

Top 10 Signs Your Addicted to Ebay

I found this while surfing the net and thought I'd share it with you. The top 10 Signs your Addicted to Ebay...

1. You go to the county registrar and change your legal name to your Ebay User ID.
2. You have to see a therapist because the negative feedback you got is killing your self esteem.
3. You've lost so much sleep due to bidding wars that you are chosen as Christian Bale's replacement in the Machinist II.
4. You've marked 87 separate - 2 inch sections on your body that can be sold as advertising space to the highest bidder.
5. You spend several hours a day trying to burn the face of Mary onto pieces of French Toast.
6. You wear the same underwear for a week, waiting for your chance to outbid "gstring-guru" on a pair of used designer briefs.
7. You save all your toe nail clippings in a jar, hoping that one day they may be worth a small fortune.
8. You've taken down the degree and awards in your office to be replaced by self made power seller print-outs.
9. You apply for a new loan and give your Paypal address as your only bank account.
10. You consider selling the piece of chewing gum you found on your shoe.

Online Auctions Product Distributors

Having a product source is critical to your success when selling on Ebay. The choice of product should be determined by your passion, vision, and knowledge of an in particular item(s). Here are some suggestions on finding product and distributors;

• Surf the web; Use keywords such as wholesale, "product brand", distributors, closeouts, a "particular business", ect.
• Research your local library; There is a wealth of information on product areas, purchasing products, distributors, wholesalers, ect.
• Shopping; Shop in areas that would carry your product. Ex. Malls, thrift stores, gift shops, ect. You'd be amazed at the discounts you can find in your local stores, and turn around and resell for a profit on Ebay!
• Telephone Book; Do not hesitate to call and discuss your questions or request with the manager of the business. (or owner)

Here is another great resource that I have used; Approximately 3 mths. ago, I ran across an online, shopping rebate program, called Big Crumbs. What attracted me to this program was that you could earn cash back on every Ebay purchase you make, and If you were an Ebay Seller with a Store, you could register your store here, free, for more visibility. I was skeptical at first, but found it was completely free to join, they have a super friendly staff, and I have actually earned a nice return on all of my Ebay spending! You can visit their site here; http://www.earnmoney2shop.com/. Anyway, outside of earning cash back on Ebay, they also have a list of over 230 top retailers that you can shop at, and earn cash back. I found a very reputable store here, made a very large, deeply discounted purchase, to resell on Ebay for a profit, and still earned cash back in my Big Crumbs account. Talk about a win win situation!

One of the most difficult aspects of online auctions is finding the right product. Here are some reminders to keep you from getting frustrated;

• The supplier must have a large variety of products to choose from. These suppliers must be legitimate and authentic. Do your background work related to the company - Ask for certificates of authenticity. This includes drop shipping companies.
• Make sure the suppliers are legitimate and trustworthy. There must be a standard of service that they provide you as a customer, even if you are not the end user. Ask for secure payment methods when finalizing a deal. Knowing who you can trust in the business world is important! Contact the BBB for suppliers that are on the "bad" list. Stay away from those.
• The company you choose must cater to small home business owners. They should not place a minimum order for you to purchase. Whether it is 1 item or 2000 items, they should be willing to work with you. As with most companies, the more you buy, the bigger discount you will receive, per item.
• It is important that the company you choose, should update their product list on a regular basis. This will ensure that the supplier information is correct.
• The optimum supplier must supply information regarding products with a company guarantee. Look at memberships with the BBB On-Line Reliability Program, Better Internet Bureau, Fair Trade Authority, ect. The supplier should also provide you with payment processing information.

The above mentioned, allows for your piece of mind when finding and dealing with suppliers, manufactures, wholesalers, ect. This will virtually guarantee the safety of your business by creating strong relationships with others who have the same business desires. Confidence in your business operations is essential in creating the bottom line of profits.

Using Dropshippers on Ebay

• I personally have never used a drop shipping service to sell on Ebay. I feel that I would lose ALL Control of my own business. When a customer of mine purchases an item from me on Ebay, and pays for it immediately with Paypal, their item is shipped the same day or very next business day. This is very important for both the buyer and seller. You have no control over shipping time when using a drop shipper. They may insist that they ship quickly, but how do you know? And, do they even have the item in stock? I value my reputation and feedback on Ebay and would just prefer not to jeopardize this. I am sure that there are 1,000's of Ebay member's that use drop shipping services, and do well. But, I am curious as to how, using these services, have effected their feedback profile. A good indication of a seller using a drop shipping service are "scanned" pictures. The sellers usually will not have their product, on hand, and rely on the drop shipper to have it in stock. I refuse to buy these items from sellers. On a positive note, in conversation, I have heard of a few drop shippers that were highly recommended. If you are interested in checking them out, here they are; http://www.salehoo.com/ and http://www.doba.com/. Please be aware that most drop shippers will require a monthly service fee, and an extra fee per item sold. Make sure you figure this in when considering whether selling an item from them will be profitable for you.

Where to find items to Sell on Ebay continued...

• I am back to further discuss..."Where to find items to sell on Ebay?" Outside of what I have mentioned in my Blog, there are numerous ways to find items to sell on Ebay! My husband and I have just recently acquired our Tax ID number which will allow us to buy wholesale and sell at retail. We are from Ohio and went straight to; The Ohio Business Gateway (OBG) Website and acquired ours online. This took 10 minutes. I am not sure how this works in other states, but am sure you can be directed from the IRS Website at http://www.irs.gov/. After acquiring your Tax ID, you have opened up the doors for more opportunity. I have seen alot of hype on the Internet where people or companies try to sell "wholesale" lists or directories. Don't waste your money! The majority of these wholesalers that they give you, can be found on the internet through research. A couple of years ago, prior to receiving my Tax ID Number, I purchased from a couple of Online Closeout Warehouses that did not require a Tax ID. One of them was http://www.countrysidecloseouts.com/. I did really well with them, until they started selling on Ebay. It seemed that they were competing against their own customers. Just be careful! Personally, I have chosen other ways to purchase items to sell on Ebay. Research, Research, Research, is very important! Whether you are looking for products to sell or Companies to buy from. Ebay has probably been our biggest, foremost, resource center, when determining what to sell and what not to sell. In my next post, I will be discussing Dropshippers.

The Truth about Ebay Powersellers

Hi! and, Welcome to my Blog! My name is Sherry aka Tdalton912 on Ebay. My husband and I have been selling on Ebay since 2002, and what an Adventure is has been! It was easy in the beginning as we started selling items out of our home. Our first sale was a Dale Earnhardt Jr. bowling ball, that I had earned for joining a bowling league. We would check frequently (20 times a day) on our bid activity. After this, we were hooked! After scraping every profitable item out of our home, we knew we had to find more items to sell! From there, we began going to Garage Sales, Thrift Stores, Auctions, Estate Sales, Storage Auctions, ect. (I will discuss these in further detail a little bit later on) As beginners, we really did not know what we were looking for. We just knew that we wanted to find the "perfect" items to turn a buck. If an item was marked on the bottom, and looked a little unique, it was added to our cart! I laugh about this now, but I clearly remember at one time, our whole Living Room was filled with anything and everything imaginable, and was not worth nothing! It seems like we'd purchase 15 or 20 items, daily, from the sources listed above, and was fortunate enough to find a "goody" here and there. We always seemed to make the most money on our .50 cent items. (I will discuss these items shortly) Needless to say, we had to stop wasting our money! But, this did not happen over night. You will make mistakes. We still make mistakes, but not quite as extensive as a couple of years ago. As time went on, I found a passion for Fenton Art Glass. I guess this was my "niche" that I had been looking for. For those of you who are not familiar with Fenton Art Glass, please visit; http://www.fentonartglass.com/ for more info. I found my first few pieces at auctions, which led me to purchasing Art Glass Books, searching Ebay for Fenton, and trying to absorb everything I could about this beautiful Art Glass. Today, I will even hop on Ebay, first thing in the morning, and search newly listed items, with a "Buy it Now" on them, and purchase it, if I think I can turn around and resell it for a profit. I have done this numerous times over the past 2 years and have been quite successful with it. I know it sounds crazy to purchase off of Ebay, just to turn around and resell it back on Ebay, but if you are knowledgeable in a particular field, as I am with Fenton, it can easily be done. I am going to go for now, but plan on talking about Ebay Resources, (as mentioned above) in my next posting.

Where to Find Items to Sell on Ebay
There are numerous ways to find products to sell on Ebay. Everyone is different and will find their own niche. Here, I will mention a few of my favorites;

• Auctions; Auctions can be an excellent resource for finding items to sell on Ebay. Prior to bidding on an item, set your price, and stick with it! It is so easy to get caught up in the bidding process, just to come home and find that you could have bought the exact same item on Ebay for half the price. A great website for finding local auctions in your area is http://www.auctionzip.com/. You simply type in your zip, choose your desired range, (ex. 30 miles) and you will get a list of Auctions in your area, for every day of the month! This has been an extremely reliable resource for us.
• Garage Sales & Flea Markets; Get up early and GO! You have heard, "The early bird gets the worm" and when your searching for "treasures" this usually stands true. Prior to going to garage sales, check your local paper, classified ads, ect. and plan your route! Not everyone can be at every garage sale, first.
• Storage Auctions; This is one of my favorites and seems to be growing in popularity, quickly! To spare space, people have placed there life long belongings, furniture, vehicles, clothing, boats, restaurant equipment, ect. into these storage facilities, just to find later, that they have either encountered a financial situation, or a hardship, that has prevented them from paying their monthly storage fees. It is a long process for the Storage Unit owners, with all of the legal stuff, but eventually these units go up for Public Auction. I have seen units go for as little as $1.00 and as much as $2,000.00. Again, set your bid in your mind, and stick to it! How this works; In most cases, the owner of the facility, or an auctioneer, will simply open the door, let you view the contents, and begin the bidding process. You are usually NOT allowed to step inside the unit or go thru any contents inside the unit. It really is a guessing game, especially if the unit is full of boxes. You just never know what you will find! You can make this fun or devestating.
• Thrift Stores; You would be amazed at what you can find at thrift stores. Knowledge comes in handy here.
• Estate Sales; These are normally sales, in which, the owner holds a big sale inside their home.
• Your local department stores; Many department stores will have exclusive areas, in which they hold their 50%,-80% off, sales. Prior to buying these items, try and do some research to make sure, that the items are indeed, worth buying and reselling on Ebay. Remember, we want to make money, not lose it!

I have to go for now. My husband just found a car on Craigslist, that we are planning to pick up tonight:) (and, turn a profit on later) This is another excellent resource! http://www.craigslist.com/.