WOW!!! REALLY!!!

Several weeks ago, I went to a yard sale and bought some baby toys. I had planned on putting these in the box at Mark's parents house for the great grands. I did put a few in there, but decided to sell the rest on Ebay. In this lot of toys(ages 6 months & up), there were a few Disney, Fisher Price, Playwell and a lot of no name brands. I paid $8 for all the toys even the few I put in the toy bucket. I thought if I just double my money, I would be happy. Then I did calculating shipping (you put in how much it weighs & it calculates for the zip code of the customer), and I was shocked to see that to ship it within my own zip code was almost $8. I figured that I would ever double my money with shipping being so high (those toys weighed a lot). The bidding on the toys ended today and they sold for (drum roll please) $40.99. I couldn't believe it. There were over a dozen toys in this lot. They are in very excellent used condition, some looked brand new. Altogether the buyer is paying a little over $51 for these toys. Which I found out is a real bargain...one toy retails for $20 by itself. I am teaching a class on how to sell on Ebay soon at my church, so if you are planning on attending get in that attic and see what you have. You never know how much someone is willing to pay for your nice junk...I mean stuff. LOL

Making a Living!!!

On September 10th, I blogged about the things that I found at a yard sale, to put on Ebay to make some money. I spent $1.75 for all the items, and my profit was $16.75. My vintage dutch shoe didn't sell, which suited me find. I kind of wanted in for my collection. Neither one of the games sold either. That is fine as well. The Discovery Toys games will be added to the toy bucket here at Peepa's, and the music game will be a Christmas present. I mean, it is still sealed and brand new. A Christmas present for a quarter is hard to beat. You see, everything doesn't always sell. In a good economy that vintage shoe would have done well, but people aren't spending money for non essential items anymore. The Fisher Price Little People was the winner in this lot...sold for over $16. Plus the Tupperware Cruets did very well also. Ebay still brought me a nice profit even though everything didn't sell. I am only out .30 (which I took out of my profit total) in Ebay listing fees for my items that didn't sell. Still not a bad way to make a living.

Ebay Update!!

A week ago I blogged about finding 3 children's DVD's at the thrift store for $1 each. They sold today, and my profit was $18.09. That is after the ebay fees, paypal fees and of course my $3 that I paid for them. Just another testimony that selling on Ebay can make you some extra cash.

Loving it!!

We left the early service at church today with all intentions of going to Hardee's and getting a biscuit. Well, plans are made to be changed. We found ourselves at Cracker Barrel, and boy was I glad we went. They were having their annual porch sale going on...80% off. I was so elated. I started picking up everything that I saw. Some beanie babies, DVD'S, jewelry and lots more. All of it going on Ebay this week after shopping, we went in and ate. We had the Sunday fried chicken and it was delicious. What a nice surprise to find all those bargains. Can't wait to start listing things on Ebay.

Great Finds!!

We have been in Moore County now for 2 hours, and I have already hit the thrift store. I didn't expect much since I didn't arrive on the day they opened. They open up for the week on Wednesday, and that is the day you can find the best stuff. I did find 3 kids DVD's. They were marked $2 each, but the lady let me have them all for $3. I came right home and put them on Ebay. I will let you know how they did. I also got Mark a nice pair of dress pants. The lady was taking them out of a dry cleaning bag. They were only $2. What some great finds.

Profitable!!

Several blogs ago, I showed you three things that I bought at the thrift store to resell on Ebay. Well, here is how those things did this past week.

Toddler Shoes-bought for .50. Sold for $5.01.

Mary Kay Cleanser-bought for $1. Sold for $9.

2 bottles Clinque Lotion-bought for .20. Sold for $1.98.

I spent $1.70 on these items at the thrift store and all together they sold for $15.99. Not a bad profit for about 10 minutes of work looking through the thrift store. You don't always find resell items everyday, but I have found some nice things for us. I bought 2 new wooden shutters for our kitchen one time for $2 each, and they were new in the box. I wore a pair of pink sandals Sunday that I found for $3. They were new in the box as well. There is some really good things at the thrift stores. Some days you find junk, but then sometimes there are real treasures to be found.

Where Have I Been?

I have gotten several messages on Facebook asking Where have you been lately? Well, I have been on Ebay. Not only are the seeds in high gear, I also got a shipment of neck ties in this week. I try to sell more things than seeds on there. Seeds are only a seasonal item. The neck ties are just in time for Father's Day. They are religious ties that are around $20 or more at the Christian bookstore, but I sell them for $6.99 each on Ebay. I have been so busy on Ebay, that I haven't even had time to blog, which I am full of ideas on different subjects. My business has been booming lately, and it takes time to fill and pack orders, then make sure that your inventory is listed. So, where have I been? Why on Ebay of course.

Click on the underlined words and come and check me out on Ebay. There might be something that you just can't live without.

In A Nut Shell!!!

This week has been busy to say the least, but who's life isn't busy now days. I don't have kids to cart around and care for, but I have more than enough on my plate. I get over whelmed at times, if I really sit down and think about all the things that I need or intend to do (I have lots of things I intend to do). I sometimes put more pressure on myself...I am my own worst enemy at times. There never seems to be enough time in the day. I haven't been on Facebook much at all. I miss the connection with my friends. I just text my status once in a while without being on the site. My mom has played all my games for me. I know I have things to do, and I can't imagine how people get anything done sitting on there all day long. I am not talking about retired or disabled people...I am talking about working people with kids. Oh well, not my concern...I just wonder about it.

Ebay has kept me hopping this week, which is good things. Lots of orders equal money. I have plans for my Ebay seed money this year....remodeling our house. As a matter of fact, the builder called today to say that he will met with us next Friday to give us a quote on the work we want to have done. I can hardly wait...this has been such a slow process. Every time you do one thing, there is another thing that is wrong...a never ending process.

I have found myself at the PO every day this week. I am sure the postal workers just love me!! I know they do...I bake them cookies. They have been wonderful this week.

All library books read and returned. Didn't check out anymore right now. Ebay will take up too much of my time right now. I get up extra early to bag seeds and I try to pack up orders at night. I still have orders to pack in the morning, as my night owl customers pay in the middle of the night.

I did get my donation of seeds off to Jeanie this week. I can't wait to see pictures of her garden. What a great thing she is doing in her community. I also sent off my Easter cards this week. I made all my baskets except one, but I won't see her until the 28th, so I have a little time.

House cleaning is a never ending chore. I mostly had laundry to do this week, but when I finish this blog I am going to go dust and clean bathrooms. Love to dust, but would love to have bathroom fairy. LOL As you can see not that much happening other than Ebay this week, so this has been my week in a nut shell.

An Award For Me!!!

The Top Rated Seller Award given to me by Ebay!!!

This week I went to the mail box, and got the shock of my life. Ebay had sent me an award. I got Top Rated Seller for March. Now that doesn't mean that I am the top seller on Ebay...not by a long shot. It does mean that I am consistent in the quality of my product, communication with my buyers and I ship very quickly. It is hard to maintain good customer relations via Internet. You don't speak to customers face to face, so you have to get creative. I am also a power seller on Ebay which means that I have to maintain a certain amount of sales...I am talking dollar amount. That can sometimes get hairy in this economy, but we always seem to make it. This award means more to me than the Power Seller status, because this award is based more on how I treat people, not the amount that I sell. I treat people the way that I want to be treated as a customer. If a problem arises, then I contact customers and explain my situation. It only takes a minute and saves you a lot of grief in the long run. Most people think that you list a few things and wait for the money to roll in...WRONG!!! You have to establish a name for yourself on Ebay, and that doesn't happen over night. I started off as a customer that bought lots of cheap items so that my feedback number would climb. Your feedback number shows 2 things: 1. How many transactions you have done on Ebay 2. How the seller/buyer rated you in the way you conducted business. You have to build up trust with the Ebay community to get top dollar out of your product. 2 sellers have the same item on...one has over 1,000 feed backs at 100%, the other seller has 10 feed backs 100%...who are you going to buy from?? Most people don't want to take the time to build a reputation. In the end their item doesn't sell or they just about end up giving it away. I don't know how this blog turned into a lesson on how to sell on Ebay. The fact is that I am proud of my award, and I say a big hearty "THANK YOU" to the people all over the USA who buy from me.

Wonderful Week!!!

Despite my hand getting burned this week, it has been a great week.

I started it off with having lunch with my great friend, Erin Brady. We went to a Greek restaurant in down town called Corfu. It is on New Hampshire Ave, and is definitely worth your time to check out. We got the calamari, and it was a platter full...that impressed me from the beginning. I got the mussels with angel hair pasta. Oh my, was it delicious. I had a great afternoon chatting with my friend and hearing about her recent trip to NY. Next time we have got to go get a pedicure together. Sandal weather is fast approaching, and my feet need a little pampering.

The next best thing about this week is EBAY!!! First week we have had our seeds on, and they are doing great. Last year, it took several weeks for customers to find us, but not this year. Auctions have gone high, and the seeds are flying out of our store. I have had to add more daily, because we have sold so much. Come and check out our Ebay store. I met a lady by the name of Jeanie on Ebay. She lives in Empire, CA. She plants her whole yard in a garden and sells boxes of veggies to the people in her community at a far cheaper rate than they can buy in their local grocery story. How cool is that? What a blessing to those in her community who are struggling to put food on the table. Produce is so high in the stores, so I know she is a welcomed sight to those who are barely making ends meet. It is called Empire Victory Garden. It is a wonderful idea. Wouldn't this world be so much better, if we all did something like that??

We are going home this weekend, and I must say that I am ready. Just not looking forward to the ride though, but some quiet time spent with Mark.

Seeds Galore!!!

Whether you plant a large garden, a raised garden or a container garden...we have the seeds for you.

Well, that time of year is finally rolling around. Gardening time!!! We just got a big order of seeds in this week. That is what we sell on Ebay during this time of year. We package our seeds to plant a garden for a family of 4. We have found out that this year there is a seed shortage, so I have been ordering like crazy trying to make sure our customers are taken care of this gardening season. We have lots of different vegetables and gourds on Ebay this year. I am waiting for peas and corn to come in on Tuesday. I am still looking for Banana Melons for this year...no luck so far. Everyone loved them last year. They are shaped like a banana and taste like banana, even though they are technically a cantaloupe. Our gourds go quickly as we sell a variety of gourds such as, banana, snake, apple, luffa, bushel, long handle dipper, Tennessee Spinner, mini bottle and more. We also sell a variety of squash seeds: patty pan, yellow crook neck, zucchini, Waltham butternut and Cushaw. We also are selling Rattlesnake Pole beans this year, that is already proving to be a big hit. Lots of people are planting their own gardens now with the cost of groceries being so high. We offer low shipping with our seeds to help our customers out. Most commercial seed companies want $5 shipping for just one packet of seeds. We are offering a deal this year that no matter how big your order is with us that shipping with never exceed $5. I try to give better deals to repeat customers, and big orders get some free seeds with their order. Selling on the internet is more of a challenge, so you have to implement great customer relations and perks for loyal customers. I have been selling on Ebay for over 6 yrs now, and I still have repeat customers that bought from me that first year. We sell other things than seeds right now. I have neck ties, aprons and few little odd and ends in there now. Come and check out our store on Ebay...Garner's Gems.