A Heartfelt Post from The eBay Freshman

Greetings!

Just thought I would share a little bit about myself.  First and foremost my name is not really Bruce King.  Call it a 'pen-name' if you will. Why hide behind a name built up out of the names Bruce Campbell and Stephen King? To vaguely try and keep my personal information and store information lightly veiled in secrecy.  This is the same reason that I have not revealed my eBay store name either.  If someone out there is very interested in finding my store, they probably could with a little effort, but for now I just am trying to remain a bit more anonymous.  It's more about the tips and stories then about who I am and what my store is for now.

Someday all might be revealed.  And if someone really wants to know, I could possibly send you the information via a direct message.

I was feeling a strange sense of guilt about pretending to be someone else and not letting people know my true identity ... but I will continue to correspond through this blog as Bruce King. 

Now that I have that weird blip off of my chest.

A little about me.  I'm a 29 year old male, married with a new born daughter, a dog, and a rabbit to take care of.  I'm a homeowner and work full time as a Graphic Designer for my day job.  When I'm not at work, or spending time with my family I am literally working on the eBay store all of the time.  I'm out hunting, taking photos, listing, shipping, researching ... it's a non-stop process of learning and doing and I love it!

But why do this?  What is the drive to put in 20-30 hours a week on an eBay store, using personal money to invest in inventory and shipping supplies and gas to start up a business that will take up tons of space in my house and probably will never make me "rich", and is frowned on by some people?

The reason is ... I love it.  I can't explain exactly why ... I'm from a small town and when I moved to a city and got into the Thrift Store Scene back in 2002 I couldn't get enough of it.  I had to keep going week after week to see what treasures I could dig up for a bargain.  It's not the same as 'sale shopping' at a retail store ... there is a sense of wonder, randomness and history to thrift, antique and yard sale shopping.  It's that feeling of never knowing what you are going to find and how much it's going to be worth.  Finding that unique fashionable item that no one else has. Also, what's the story behind the item? Who used to own it? Who are you going to meet at a garage sale in a neighborhood you've never been to?  It's completely interesting and thrilling.

I've always been interested in history, weapons, clothes, trinkets, toys, and other random items ... so it makes sense that I would love this job.  It gives me the "OK" to go out and buy all of this random stuff that I think is cool ... but it also allows me to not be a hoarder.  It's purposeful, repurposing of quality goods back into the hands of people who appreciate the items.

I hate to see quality things get thrown out and I have a sense of pride as a 'savior of oddities' or ' 2nd hand treasure hunter'.  It gives me this strange sense of fulfillment that I have never felt in my life.  It's like it's what I was meant to do.

Having an eye for quality items through piles and piles of junk isn't just by chance.  It's from having an interest in antiques, history, fashion and many years of buying for personal reasons that I have been able to transform into a unique business skill set. Everything I sell in my store is at least somewhat interesting to me or I would not sell it. I'm selling a part of me every time I put an item up for sale - something about each item I find calls to me in some way.  Of course there are times when I will try to find items that I think are worth something that I can get for cheap ... but I still will have some sort of intellectual investment in the item.

I've always wanted to have an attic like that scene from The Goonies where there is just like tons of awesome and weird stuff. Like swords, and paintings globes and treasures ... it's just part of my personality. And I think it would be so cool to have parents that collect and sell odd and antique stuff.  But all parents think they are cool, right? ha ha

I also hope to build this business to help teach my child the importance of quality. Teach her a sense of respect of history and give her a basic knowledge base of what stuff is worth and the stories behind what makes them worthwhile.  I hope to pass on some of my trading skills to my daughter if she is interested in this sort of thing and I hope to teach her to not be wasteful with her money. You can be a consumer, but be smart about it.

I think I've poured enough out of my heart for one day. :)

Please let me know what you think of all of this!  Do others out there feel completely sucked in to this process of repurposing items? Or do you just do it for a quick buck?  More or less I'm guessing it's a combination of those reasons, that's why I do it too!

I will be hitting up some sales on my lunch break today and tomorrow (Saturday) morning.  My goal is to get 100 items in our store by Sunday night (right now there are 79).  Wish me luck and I'll keep you up to speed with my findings and techniques!

The eBay Freshman

Garage Sale Finds - 7/31/13 GO JOE!!!

Greetings!

Here are the items I picked up at 2 garage sales yesterday.  One was just ok, but the other was a real honey hole!

I spent $20 total on the following items:

12 1980s GI Joes (crotches and thumbs in tact and joints relatively tight)
Including some hot items like Lifeline and Tiger Force figures.

A vintage suitcase/ trunk with mirror - ABC Luggage.

Don't know much about this guy. Looks like a Pied Piper figurine/statue. Some chipping and cracking but pretty cool still. Will need to research him more.

I'm not a religious man, but when I see nice religious items I try to pick them up.  Nice antique frames and the artist is George Hinke.

Vintage Halloween Candle 1984 Wizard Brand

A couple of vintage Turkey/Thanksgiving candles - Gurley Brand 1950s-ish?

Vintage Skeleton Candles - Kmart - Halloween stuff - and especially stuff with skeletons or skulls does well usually.

Copyright 1927 by The Buzza Co. Minneapolis USA in nice antique frame

Enola Print in nice Art Glass Frame - 1970s

3 Vintage Prints in Antique Frames "The Childrens Hour" "Rolling in the Dough" - Audrey Hepburn? Not sure the value on these ... Are these advertisements for a movie? Not sure.

Vintage tie clip with the letter "A" and a pin of some sort with a lion holding a sign? Not sure if that is military or some sort of fraternal order...

Brown Leather Coat - Vintage - Europa Sport

Descente Coat - Made in Japan - says USA on the back and has a Seagrams patch and Descente patch on the front. Orange, white and Teal coat.

It was a pretty good haul for only 2 sales!

If things go my way I'm hoping the total resell value of these items will be somewhere around $350-$450.

Happy Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

Item Sold Update!

Greetings!

Konge - Tinn / Pewter Flatware from Norway - Knife / Letter Opener

We had this item listed for 29.99 + shipping.

We accepted an offer of $21 + shipping.

We paid 50 cents for this. I found this item in the bottom of a box of random letter openers.  I was poked and stabbed many times as I shifted items around in this box. But you never know what treasures await you at the bottom of a dirty old box of junk!

Profit of $20.50

Happy Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

Items Sold On eBay - Update

Greetings!

Sold a few items over the weekend and thought I'd share.

Sold a black Wilson's leather Motorcycle jacket (used) for $79.99 (plus shipping)
Purchased for $10.

Sold a vintage Norelco Razor with case (in working condition) for $25.00 (plus shipping)
Purchased for 50 cents.

Total profit on these two items - $94.49.

Currently we have under 60 items in our store so stuff isn't flying out the door like we'd like it too.  Our current goal is to get to 100 items in our store by the end of August.  This should be more than do-able since I have probably close 100 - 150 items in my garage just waiting to be dusted off, photographed, and listed!

Happy Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

Is this a Wedding or a Garage Sale?

Greetings!

I was out doing my usual Saturday morning yard sale shopping for our store when I came across a sign that said "Fun Finds Sale Today!" ... I thought to myself that I enjoy having fun finding things so this must be a sale for me?

Wrong.

I pulled up to a house just short of a mansion that let me know that the goods were in the backyard.  I was hungry for some rich people leftovers when I walked in to this ...

I felt like I walked into the middle of a wedding ceremony or something ... Not only were the "finds" not that "fun" ... they were severely over priced (at least for flippers like me).  It is just a personal preference of mine, but I really do not like the look of antique furniture that has been painted white.  I would much rather see the original wood, with or without all of the wear to it.  Even the junkiest shelves that could barely stand were lathered in white paint and marked up at $50 - $80!  It would be rare for me to pay that much for a sturdy, non-painted antique shelf!

It was a nice day for a white wedding today, but that's not what I went out looking for. But, you win some you lose some.  Walked away empty handed and saddened by the loss of all of those antique pieces whose original beauty and elegance will remain entombed by thick white paint.

Happy Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

The eBay Scavengers Podcast and Blog - EXCELLENT RESOURCE

Greetings!

I just wanted to throw together a quick write up about a resource that we have found invaluable as a new eBay seller/store.  The eBay Scavengers blog and The eBay Scavengers Podcast on iTunes is an incredibly helpful resource.

Basically it's two couples (Mikey and Wendy ... and Jay and Ryanne) who are running full time eBay stores and are working as couple / partnerships to run their stores.  Each week they cover a wide range of topics related to selling on eBay, be it how to clean items, or how to negotiate prices at yard sales, they cover it all.  They do so in a professional, but extremely open, honest and down to earth manner.  They have great relationships with their listeners and have always been helpful and responsive to emails I've sent them.

If there is any other eBay blog out there that I've seen that is MORE helpful than The eBay Freshman - it's them. :)

There are no commercials, not a whole lot of pointless banter, just to the point pointers that will surely get your store off the ground and running.  You can become a successful seller on eBay, and The eBay Scavengers will help you get there! Check them out and tell them The eBay Freshman sent you! ;)

The eBay Scavengers blog

The eBay Scavengers Podcast on iTunes

The eBay Freshman

Garage Sale Finds for 7/25/13

Greetings!

Not much to report here ... had some carpet delivered today so I had to meet the delivery guys at my place on my lunch break. But I was able to squeeze in one quick yard sale.

I decided to start to bring 'personal spending money' along with my 'store money' to the sales I go.  I've passed up too many things I could use around the house this summer so I decided it's time to get smart!

Most of what I grabbed today is for personal use but there are a few items that will o up in the store.

For myself I purchased an air purifier for the basement.  Technically this could be seen as a business purchase because we run our business out of the basement and I'm down there all the time.  Having more fresh, clean air to breath will be beneficial to my health and will also help keep our items smelling ... well, not like an old basement.  Paid $15 for this item - they were asking $20.  I will usually try to make a lower offer on items that are over $5.  Anything that is less than $5 and is worth picking up is probably priced good even for reselling.

Also picked up a vaporizer since my daughter is sick and needs it - $1 - beats buying it new from Target!

Grabbed a small hand saw - $1 - need this for cutting out some spots in my wall where there might be mold from the flooding I talked about in a previous post.  Again - could be considered a business expense since I need it to keep my health in check down there ... but it was just a buck anyway!

Wire cutters - 50 cents - for personal use.

The only items I got for the store today were small ones. Nothing too special.

Paid 50 cents a piece for 4 Lillian Vernon Chinese Bowls (1983) in their original boxes, so $2 there.

And I picked up a pair of vintage Nolan Ear Muffs with the original box (1982) for $1.

So spent $3 on items for the store ... hoping to make $30-$50 off the two items.

I am hitting up a sale tonight that sounds promising so hopefully I will have better finds to share tomorrow!

Happy Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

Your eBay Store is You.

Greetings!

Your Store is You.  

When you first start thinking about an eBay store you will have to, of course, think about what kinds of items you want to sell.  My recommendation which reflects the eBay Scavengers model is to sell stuff that you are interested in.  For me that is yard sale and 2nd hand items.  I love vintage clothes and accessories, antiques and trinkets, and anything that has a little history behind it.  I also like advertising so stuff with nice boxes and in tact directions makes me excited.  Don’t use your store money to go out and buy crap for yourself though, you are buying for someone else.  I'm not saying don't pick up items for yourself while you are out hunting - you gotta live a little, I'm just recommending bringing a separate wad of cash that is reserved for personal spending to not confuse your budgeting later.

Try to trust your gut if you see something that looks valuable, old, gently used and is being sold for cheap, scoop it up (after a quick search on your smart phone of course).  Items with brands and years with original boxes and directions, etc. gives you a lot to work with for your research and descriptions.  This doesn’t mean everything you find at a yard sale that looks old is worth buying of course - I like to take my smart phone with me  to check items out online before I buy. But buy things you are into otherwise it will get old fast and you will have a basement/garage full of boring crap you don’t care about and don’t want to look at.

The items in your store reflect who you are as a person and what is interesting, appealing to you.  Think about the image you want to reflect to your customers and the kinds of customers you want to work with.

Happy Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

Thrift Store Finds 7/24/13

Greetings!

Decided to swing by a thrift store today on my lunch break to see what I could scrounge up.  Normally thrift stores around here are pretty hip to the whole flipping industry, so any time they get something that looks remotely good, old, or of high quality, they jack up the price and have it in like a special 'antique' corner ... those bastards.  We are the only ones who should be making money off of your quality goods damn it!

Anyway - there is one store in town that still has fair prices.  I hit it up and came away with a few decent items.

Found a vintage pair of sports goggles with it's original box. $1

A collector plate (can't think of the brand) $1

An antique French Doll $1

A pair of wing tip Florsheim men's dress shoes - $2

3 new in package Adventures of Galaxy Rangers stories on cassette tape $6

I bought 1 other item for a $1 but can't think of it right now ...

And the pick of the day was something that I don't normally look for, but it caught my eye.  An early 1900's miniature billiards table with a full set of balls. The brand is Burrowes Corporation and I don't see a whole lot of them for sale.  The ones I do see for sale range from $50 - $400 depending on item condition and what all is included. I've seen the balls alone go for $30-$40.  So even if I don't feel like selling the full table and shipping it, I could make a little coin off of the balls.  I do think, that since the table folds up nicely I will try to sell it all together as a package and just figure out the shipping if it sells. Paid $7 for this table and balls ... also 1 cue but it is rough shape.

Total spent today - $19

If things go my way I'd like to make somewhere in the ballpark of $175 - $250.

Happy Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

theebayfreshman@gmail.com

The Haunted House Garage Sale Finds - 7/23/13

Greetings!

Today I took a look at Craigslist to see if I could find any useful 'freebies' or garage sales in my area.  No freebies of interest but to my surprise I found one sale (it's Tuesday and sales are slim).  I punched the sale into my GPS app on my phone and headed out on my lunch break armed with plenty of singles and an open mind.

On my way to the address I passed a house that was very uninviting.  It had not tresspassing signs up on every side of the house, plenty of lawn owls perched on the rickety fence and junk everywhere in the yard.  The house looked pretty much completely haunted and I was anxious to keep moving ... when I realized that this was the house having the sale.  I saw in the front lawn a sign that said 'garage sale inside' and pulled around the side of the house and parked.

Hesitantly I walked up the steps and walked in the front porch screen door.  Their were boxes to my left and boxes to my right.  Then an older, slightly overweight gentleman who was not wearing a shirt and looked in need of a shower walked up the stairs and greeted me as he set down another box.  He said the stuff on the porch was for sale and to start looking through the boxes.

Nothing was marked and I started digging.  My only competition was an elderly couple who seemed to be 'picking' just like me.  They were there first and had first grab on a lot of the items.  I skimmed over what was left and here is what I came away with:

1 Unopened Myrtle Beach Canvas Floating Device
2 Vintage Bear Candles
1 Vintage Rooster Candle that appears to be a Gurly
1 Porcelain Lion Statue
1 Porcelain Lion fighting a Tiger statue (made in Japan) - looks like Dee Bee Co Import From Japan but it is cracked and chipped in several spots.

I paid $2 for these items in total.

I also swung by a local thrift store to kill the rest of my lunch hour.  Came away with a pair of vintage Lazy Bones Wing Tip golf cleats. Paid $2.60 (shoes were half off at this store today).

If things go my way I hope to bring in around $100 - $180 off of these items.

Oh - and the guy was very nice at this sale - so don't judge a sale by the appearance of the house or yard ... never know what you might find and who you might meet!

Happy Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

PS:  I would love to get to know other bloggers that are doing similar things with their eBay stores.  Let's swap stories and follow each other!  Don't be shy - you can email me here - theebayfreshman@gmail.com

Garage Sale Finds 7/20/13

Greetings!

Had a pretty busy weekend, unfortunately most of it was dedicated to non-eBay related chores.  We recently had some flooding in our basement so I spent most of Saturday tearing up carpet, taking off trim and bleaching all of the grungy areas of my basement.  We run our store out of our basement so, needless to say, it's been a rough couple of weeks.  We had to transport all of our inventory and shelving into the garage for the time being. NOT a fun process.  But we are putting in our new carpet on Thursday night this week, so once that is done we should be back up and running pretty fast.

I did hit up a few sales this weekend and came up with a few interesting finds.

I bought a couple of boxes of vintage and newer holiday decorations (Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day).  Some of the paper decorations are marked as Hallmark from the 1970s, some of the stuff is newer.  Paid $2.  I love Halloween items so I'm never afraid to pick them up - even if they don't sell I don't mind having extra creepy stuff around. :)

I also picked up a Scream 3 cassette tape for 50 cents - because I'm a horror collector and I can't resist.

Found a nice sturdy shelving unit that I picked up for $2 (she was asking $5).  You can never have too many shelves when you are running an eBay store!

Picked up 2 pairs of vintage earrings for 50 cents each.

Bought a pair of hand carved/hand painted "priest" religious themed bookends ... made in Mexico - $2

Vintage wireless headphones with built in radio - $1

Terminator 2 (movie) wind breaker - movie memorabilia - $1

I found an old looking travel 'speaker' that I will have to do some more research on.  Basically it's a speaker in a case that opens up and you can hook up your instrument to the speaker.  It looks like the brand on the hinges is "excelsior" which I believe is an accordion brand.  I have to test the item, but it looks in nice enough shape - paid $1.

Vintage Swedish serving set - $2

And a small chord organ for $5.

Not a really great weekend of sales, but I got a late start Saturday morning (started around 11am).  In my experience it's best to get out to the sales right when they open up at 8am if you can - stuff gets picked over pretty fast.

Total spent on inventory this weekend - $15

If I get my way I will make somewhere around - $175-$250 from these items.

Good Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

Garage Sale Finds 7/19/13

Hit up 5 garage sales on my lunch break today.  I only bought items from 1 sale - the rest were bogus!

Items purchased

2 pairs of Dr. Martin boots in nice shape - $4
1 vintage Arvin portable radio - $1 (not tested - needs batteries)
1 vintage Realistic portable radio - $2 - works
1 vintage Taylor Instrument Company barometer - guy gave it to me for free since I bought the radios

Total cost - $7

My estimated resale value if I get full asking price - $200
(this is just a rough estimate of what I think the items might be worth compared to other eBay sales - will need wife to approve all sale prices first!)

This was a pretty successful lunch break!  Beats wasting $8 at Burger King!  I would recommend to anyone who is interested in doing this to always take advantage of your free time whenever you can.  I usually will hit up at least 2 or 3 garage sales on my lunch break every day that I can find one.  If there are no sales, I might go to a thrift store on my lunch break to test my luck there ... but garage sales are almost ALWAYS better than thrift stores when it comes to prices.

Good Hunting!

The eBay Freshman

The eBay Freshman - One Seller's Journey

Greetings Blogosphere!

This is a blog dedicated to discussing the goings-on in my personal eBay store.  My wife and I have just opened up our first eBay store together about 1 month ago.  I am here to discuss some hurdles and failures that we have had, learning experiences and of course our success stories as they are happening!

I would like to discuss some of my methods of how to pick up great items for cheap to resell on eBay and update you with how much these items might sell for as well as shipping methods that have worked (and not worked), feedback from customers, and other interesting and random tidbits.

Basically I wanted to create a blog that I could post the happenings in my store and life to share with other like minded individuals, sellers or potential sellers. One of my reasons for starting this blog was from listening to the eBay Scavengers podcast (check it out on iTunes) and blog - Ebay Scavengers - if you are just beginning selling or if you are interested in becoming an eBay seller - these guys are a GREAT resource!

Stay tuned for updates on our store happenings and life.

The eBay Freshman