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Greetings all!
Ahhh, Fall...the return of tolerable weather to the D.C. area...the crisp feel in the morning when you pad out to get the paper, the better to energize you for you’re a.m. raid on the area sales.
I’m looking forward to getting back to the "routine" of life...having the kids in school, more time (hopefully) to write, nice cool mornings to troll area yard and estate sales. The summer has to be one of the most busy and travel-filled as any I’ve had.
First, there was the trip to eBay Live in late June, which, if you’ve been a regular reader, you heard all about. (If not, check out my articles about it in YAB’s NEW ARCHIVES site! Most of the old issues are there, but not all yet. I will be adding the rest…hopefully soon).
Then there were various trips to visit friends and family, including two beach trips. My last trip, at the end of August, was to Bermuda with my husband, Nick, for our tenth wedding anniversary.
It was a wonderful, fun week with great weather, and lots of down time. But does that mean this yardsaler and eBayer didn’t have time to check out some bargains along the way? Not at all!
OK, so Bermuda isn’t exactly the best place in the world to seek out rock-bottom prices. In fact, it’s known as a pricey getaway; a resort for the well-heeled who can afford the pink sand and red drinks. In fact, when Nick and I told a few people we know where we were going, they responded with a hearty, heart-felt, “Sounds expensive!” (I mean, how about “Ten years?? You go, guys! You deserve to swan-dive into a vat of Dom Perignon for making it that long! OK, so I exaggerate a tad, but you get the response I was hoping for).
So there we are in Bermuda, trying to do like the Romans “when in Rome,” wearing our conservative attire, collared shirts and long shorts in various shades of pink, green, and bright blue, scooting around on scooters, trying to ignore the flesh wounds of fellow motorcyclists…and I come across….a closeout sale!
(I also at one time saw both a yard sale sign and flea market, but darn it if it wasn’t Sunday. Guess I’ll have to go back soon).
Next to Onion Jack’s, in the town of Hamilton, one of the stores was going out of business (or, at least, they tried to act like they were). I got some white canvas Bermuda tote bags for half off! Which means about twelve bucks instead of $25.
But, still, I mourn what might have been, if I’d made it to that flea market.
Well, there is much to tell you, I better get to the rest of this newsletter, or it will never get out on time.
Now let’s get to it!
**Don’t have five minutes to read the newsletter now? Print it out; take it to bed with you! (That’s my favorite place to read my newsletters!). **
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In This Issue:
1) More on the World’s Longest Yard Sale
2) Feast and Famine: Wins and Losses of the month
3) Emo: Three Letters that Could Mean Big Money to You
4) Halloween Opportunities
5) YOUR FEEDBACK WANTED
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NEW ebook offered:
Get my NEW ebook, "How to Spot Fakes," for only $3.95! It covers how to tell some of the major upscale-brand designer handbags and accessories are authentic.
{This is something of an experiment for this newsletter; my first time to insert a Paypal icon into it -- so let's see how it goes! If you for any reason are not able to get the link, and want the book, or have any other problems, email me at juliawilk@aol.com.}
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1) More on the World’s Longest Yard Sale
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Remember last issue’s piece on for her article about the “World’s Longest Yard Sale,” by awesome YAB reader Kimberly Stasa?
Well, it seems “Budget Living Magazine” (I hadn’t heard of it either; it’s available at Borders, though) took a cue from YAB and decided to cover it. (OK, so I don’t know if they got the idea from us).
At any rate, they did a very nice, long piece about the Highway 127 sale – aka “The World’s Longest Yard Sale” in the Aug./Sept. issue.
But, if you don’t want to go out and get the mag, or can’t, fear not, ‘coz I’m gonna sum it up here. (I can’t include the pix though..I do commend them for running so many interesting, funny pix that sum up the breadth and beauty of not just the sale but the lovely countryside in which the sale takes place).
How did this yard sale come about, you ask? It seems the sale, stretching from Gadsden, Alabama to just south of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a gimmick dreamt up by Tennessee county executive Mike Walker in 1987 to drum up more business and tourism in Highway 127, which he felt had been passed over by Interstate 40. The sale has grown exponentially since that first year, according to Walker. This year they expected a half million browsers and more than 4000 individual sellers.
Among author Donovan Webster’s finds/contemplated purchases:
- an iron farm bed, circa 1880s (alas, this one was snatched out from under him by another shopper)
- a full size Bob’s Big Boy sign for $250
- six Flintstone jelly jar glasses
- a rusting Mobil Oil sign (“wider than a queen-size bed”)
- toys: a Frisbee, a raft, a heavy rubber torpedo (?)
- original slave tags for $650 (actually he didn’t really contemplate buying this; he was disgusted by it – but he noted they are collectible)
Along the way they ate steaks the size of “an art book,” pulled pork, hot dogs, and met all kinds of friendly/kooky characters, my favorite of whom is someone named “She-She” (and why is there not a photo of She-She in the article, Donovan??).
Well, I think you get the idea. Actually, Budget Living is a pretty cool mag. I think I’ll check ‘em out again.
br>
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2) Feast and Famine: Wins and Losses of the month br>
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With the return of the crisp air, and my kids in school, ol’ Julia (as I like to refer to myself when I need appreciation from my husband) has returned to the wonderful, challenging, time-consuming, addictive world of selling on eBay.
With all my summer travels, I wasn’t finding much time to list stuff, other than my ebooks. So finding I had itchy fingers on my return from Bermuda, I went into my special eBay holding area, which in my home happens to be a section of the floor of my closet, and weeded through my paused inventory. I went ahead and put some stuff up online, including a Dooney and Bourke bag, a couple of black skirts from a friend who moved to Japan, and some great dangly earrings that would be perfect for a Marilyn Monroe Halloween costume. I even finally put up a silly 1970s-vintage canvas hat with clear plastic-covered “eyeholes” and emblazoned with the politically incorrect erstwhile Benson & Hedges (?) slogan, “I’d Rather Fight than Switch!” And, I decided to put it up for the latest Bizarre Auction Challenge (BAC).
Speaking of which, if you’ve never participated in any of the “Bizarre Auction Challenges,” check them out. The eBay C&A/Clothing and Accessories board (and possibly some other boards?) sponsor the challenge, where you list something along the lines of what they suggest, and put “BAC” in the title. (Actually, it’s BAC followed by the number of that contest…e.g., my recent BAC auction is listed as “Canvas ‘Rather Fight Than Switch’ Hat BAC17,” since it’s the 17th BAC). And yes, if you want to bid on one of the ugliest hats ever, not to mention a great, politically incorrect compliment to a Halloween costume, check them out. [Update: I’m not sure if there’s a BAC running now, but my silly hat did sell for the whopping starting bid of $.99. Needless to say, said winning bidder feels very lucky to have such a prized piece of Americana Un-PC culture for such a bargain price].
So far my auctions are doing OK; not great. I am still finding that my stuff does not get bid on for the most part, until toward the last few days of the auction, if not the last day.
Last issue, I wrote about a maternity clothing lot I put up. Well, I’m sorry to say it didn’t do very well at all, given the time I put into it; it only went for around $30, which is only $20 more than I spent on it.
I am kicking myself for not buying a trunk of children’s Halloween clothing for $10 instead from the same yard sale where I got the maternity stuff. Halloween stuff is hot now, and only going to become hotter for the next few weeks, slowing down a bit within the last two weeks before the holiday itself. But, you’ll notice that eBay has been putting Halloween a lot on its front page, so if you want to piggyback on that free p.r (priceless!), list your stuff when they plug costumes on the main screen. Or, better yet, plan ahead to do so…check out what eBay plans to put on the main screen by going to their merchandising calendar at:
http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/calendar.html
(Note: they don’t tell you everything they plan to put there; just general categories for given weeks.)
So, to make a long story short, I’d chalk up my maternity lot as a loss.
Wins? Well, I think for the past month I can only count my ebooks as a win. They have been selling steadily. Thank goodness for them.
But…this month I hope to do better! (Doesn’t hope spring eternal in the eBay world?)
Write me and tell me about your own wins and losses! I’d love to hear!
***
Note: I am always open to reader articles, so if you want to write about something relating to yard sale-ing and eBaying, just flag me down! I will of course give you credit, using your eBay ID, web site, or any other contact info.
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3) Emo: Three Letters that Could Mean Big Money to You
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What the heck is Emo and why should you care?
Now, I never said I was “hip.” I don’t even try to be “hip” these days. I’ll settle for “stylish” a few times a month. (C’mon…I’ve got to have something!)
I hadn’t heard of Emo until I read about it on a thread in the C&A board on eBay.
But before I tell you what it is, let me just say:
Why the heck did I throw out all my cool 80s t-shirts???
Yes, those Who and Van Halen concert t-shirts could have served me well today on eBay…but no, I had to go and not save them! Or..perhaps my mother cleared them out in the infamous Purging of 1990, best known for the loss of my brother’s beer can collection. Anyhow, why don’t we go straight to the source and see how these bad boys are selling? (I’ll include item numbrs in case you want to look them up..they should still be in the system unless the seller deleted the pictures).
Let’s start with the high boys:
US $155.05
Vintage The Who Quadrophenia Tour T-Shirt Emo
Item number: 3346416513
This one is vintage…OK even I don’t remember when it came out…early 70s perhaps?
US $120.00
VINTAGE ROLLING STONES RETRO T-SHIRT EMO***
Item number: 2853683714
This one has the Stones’ “lips with tongue hanging out” logo – very worn-in look…and the tongue is an American flag design…(flags still seem to be hot). I don’t know how old this one is either. I’d guess early 70s as well.
US $78.00
Vintage Queen 1977 Tour T-Shirt NICE Emo Rock
Well, we know the year on this one, don’t we? This one has the weird “robot” head and faces of the Queen guys…(seems to me you either loved or hated Queen, but that’s neither here nor there..)
OK, one more high one, then let’s look at some lows.
US $76.00
Vintage 1986 Beastie Boys Emo Retro T-shirt M
So, not all vintage shirts have to go back to the 70s. But, they have to be an in-demand band and a “cool” design…this one says (don’t read if you might be offended) “Get Off My Dick.” (Hey, I didn’t write it!). I imagine this has some sort of “cool” appeal for certain teenage boys..or..whoever. ;)
Now, I don’t mean to give the impression that all old t-shirts will command such prices. Here are a few that didn’t:
US $.01
Punk, emo, Indie Classic Dixie T-shirt
Item number: 2852212584
US .99
VINTAGE~BUDWEISER~T SHIRT~SZ M~EMO~MOD~BUD
Item number: 2853171849
US 1.95
The Offspring Rock Band PUNK EMO T Shirt
Item number: 2852988747
If there is a rule of thumb here, I’d say it’s to look for the “classic” rock bands, as we see from the above.
It helps to have something with a retro edge, e.g., the late Keith Moon is featured on the Who t-shirt.
Now, you’re wondering, where do I find these t-shirts?
Well, I have to admit, it’s harder than I thought it would be. I thought I could just saunter into my local thrift and there would be a treasure trove of ‘em there. Well, it seems there are plenty of t-shirts, but they’re much more recent. Finding a good, vintage tee, esp. a rock t-shirt, is not easy.
I think your best bet is to simply haunt yard and estate sales, and hope that Mom and Dad are finally selling the contents of their basement or attic, where Junior (who is now in his late thirties, probably) had stored those tees of yore.
And yes, keep an eye out at thrifts.
I did uncover one vintage tee in my storage area..it’s a wonderful old “Easters” party weekend shirt from the University of Virginia, circa 1979 or so.
But, I don’t know if I have the heart to sell it.
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4) Scaring up some Halloween Fun
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We are getting close to our one-year anniversary of Yardsalers and eBayers. What does that have to do with Halloween? I have this déj vu feeling that Halloween costumes were among the first things I wrote about when I got the idea for this newsletter.
Halloween is a great time to dig out those odd items that you didn’t think you could sell as part of a “normal” outfit.
For example, got a really ugly old leather jacket? How about a heavy gold chain? Well, there you have a pimp costume, right there!
How about some garish jewelry? Yes…you could have the makings of a movie star outfit, hooker, “disco” babe, or maybe even an 80s chick!
Use your imagination.
I’m going to put together a “magician” costume for kids..consisting of a black hat, red cape, and magic wand, which I think were all parts of different ensembles.
Let’s look at some of what’s selling for big bucks:
US $55.00
STAR WARS JANGO FETT PROP COSTUME HALLOWEEN
US $320.01
INCREDBLE EVIL CLOWN HALLOWEEN COSTUME PROP
US $255.00
Big Skull Pirate Halloween Costume, last one
US $233.88
US $200
Vintage Halloween Costume With Hat – nr
US $200.00
Renaissance Dress Gown Halloween Costume
US $153
WOMAN WONDER COSTUME & WIG OK, I’m gonna have to stop now, or I’ll never get this newsletter out!
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Reader Mail
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Hi,
I just read your info re antiques and you mentioned how misspelling can hinder a sale. Well you said Shaeffer pens can easily be misspelled. You are right and you misspelled it. I have several of these and they all have it spelled Sheaffer engraved on the pen point or the clip. - Aggie
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Hi Aggie,
Is that right? LOL! Whoops. Thanks for letting me know! I'll put it on my list to correct..thanks again,
Julia --
More reader mail in the next issue.
I’m still looking for feedback on the following (from the last issue):
- Are you using online auctions other than eBay, and how are they working for you? Let me know!
- Going back to the first article, what is the silliest, or even most useless, item you bought? What were you inexplicably drawn to?
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6) YOUR FEEDBACK WANTED: An Update to “What Sells on eBay”: Secrets of the (High-Margin!) Powersellers; The Real Deal on Wholesalers, and What Else Do You Want to See?
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The following is a repeat from previous issues but still valid: In future issues, I plan to carefully examine powersellers, especially the high-margin powersellers who make tidy profits per item (not the ones who spend all day and night listing penny items, since I don’t want you or me to have to live like that!). I’m going to see if any of them will share their secrets, and if not, well, we’ll just see what we can learn from their listings as to how they do it.
I’d love your feedback on this topic, as well as other topics you’d like to see me address.
***
That’s it for this issue. Until next time, happy yardsale-ing and eBaying!
Julia
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eBooks by Julia L. Wilkinson: [all my ebooks are offered at substantial discounts from their regular price of $8.95 to the subscribers of this newsletter. Only $4.95 each! If interested in any of them, please email me at juliawilk@aol.com.]
New eBooks:
- Making Big Bucks off Catalogs on eBay: http://www.aolmemorabilia.com/clkslcat.html
- Over 100 Books that Sell for $50-$100 on eBay: email me!
- Selling Kids Clothes on eBay: email me! (these last two will be available for purchase via my site soon).
Julia Classic:
What Sells on eBay for What:
http://www.aolmemorabilia.com/clkbnksales.html
My Life at AOL (available at amazon.com, booklocker.com, and 1stbooks.com)
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Copyright 2003 Julia L. Wilkinson
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Thank you for subscribing to Yard Salers and eBayers. Yard Salers and eBayers email newsletter may be freely distributed in its entirety, so please pass it on. (Individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/or distributed without written permission of the publisher.) No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Yard Salers and eBayers makes diligent efforts to obtain accurate and timely information. However, Yard Salers and eBayers disclaims any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in Yard Salers and eBayers, whether or not such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.
It was a wonderful, fun week with great weather, and lots of down time. But does that mean this yardsaler and eBayer didn��t have time to check out some bargains along the way? Not at all!
One thing to keep an eye out for now is summer clearance sales. (I��m talking the ones with rock-bottom prices). I took advantage of some of these while at the beach, during those wonderful moments when I could take walks down to the boardwalk and shops all by my lil�� self, with no adorable little critters to slow me down.
(Speaking of which, I��m convinced I could have won the $10,000 prize from America��s Funniest Home Videos had I just thought to videotape my son, ice cream dripping down his cone, chin, neck, hand, arm, and all over the cheap $3 raincoats we all bought which made us look like a bag family. It was like the ice cream was eating him. But even covered in ice cream, he��s my sweet little dumpling).
My only regret is that, traveling with kids, I couldn��t pop out at leisure whenever we passed a wonderful little country antique store, of which there were many. I��ve always wanted to do that on one of my many trips to Rehoboth, but alas, it has never been. My husband gets a ��don��t even THINK about it�� look on this face if I make a wistful little comment like, ��that looks like such a cute little antique store.��
I envision the perfect sale lurking within�Kperhaps a rare coin, unbeknownst to the shop owner, or a bobblehead Beatle. OK, make that some other rare bobblehead�Keven I can��t dream about a bobblehead Beatle).
Because the other scenario is:
��What's this, Mom?��
(::crash::)
Oops!
What was that? A rare bobblehead Beatle? We now owe the store owner $10,000?��
Ah, well. Something to put on my life "to do" list.
Well, it was a restful vacation, and that's what they're there for, right?
Before we get to the meat of the newsletter, I want to thank reader Kimberly Stasa for her article about the "World's Longest Yard Sale"! I couldn't be there myself, but Kim is going and will have tales from the front! And, if you are going yourself, please let me know about your finds and I can put them in the next issue.
Now let's get to it!
**Don't have five minutes to read the newsletter now? Print it out; take it to bed with you! (That's my favorite place to read my newsletters!). **
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In This Issue:
1) Closing in on Summer Closeouts
2) The World's Longest Yard Sale by Kimberly Stasa
3) The Mother Load and other Gems/Completing Your Sets
4) Yardsaling and the Great Outdoors
5) A Million Dollar Nickel
6) YOUR FEEDBACK WANTED
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NEW ebook offered:
Get my new ebook, "How to Spot Fakes," for only $3.95! It covers how to tell some of the major upscale-brand designer handbags and accessories are authentic.
{This is something of an experiment for this newsletter; my first time to insert a Paypal icon into it -- so let's see how it goes! If you for any reason are not able to get the link, and want the book, or have any other problems, email me at juliawilk@aol.com.}
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Closing in on Summer Closeouts
---------------------------------------------- It's August. And you know what that means.
Lemonade. Hide n go seek. Lazy, late summer afternoons on the front porch, swaying in a wicker hammock or porch swing as you survey the landscape. Fireflies.
Wool sweaters in the stores.
Huh?
Yeah - those retailers bring in all their Fall merchandise! So, now is the time to watch for those summer markdowns.
(Actually, wait, I take back hide 'n' go seek, as these days it seems like kids aren't actually allowed outside unless wearing helmets and knee pads, accompanied by a babysitter, and tied to a long leash attached to a beeper).
Anyway. Summer markdowns� I mean deep markdowns. I wasn't swayed by the discounts I saw at one popular bathing suit store in Rehoboth until I got to their two big clearance bins in the back. They were just stuffed with bikini tops and bottoms. Some were marked down to $9.99, and many -- get this -- were just $1 for a top or bottom! So, I couldn��t pass up that kind of bargain. I bought three suits for experimental purposes. I think I��ll make a tidy profit, given what I spent.
But, do approach these clearances with caution. Don��t buy something ugly just because it's rock-bottom. If it��s that ugly, it may not even sell so cheap!
So, I plan on posting my clearance suits soon on eBay, and reporting back to you in an upcoming newsletter on how it went.
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The World's Longest Yard Sale
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By Kimberly Stasa
(piderman40 on eBay)
Does your heart skip a beat when you see a large cardboard sign indicating a garage sale one mile down the road? Does your car suddenly come to a complete stop in the middle of traffic because there��s a big block sale around the corner? Well, if your answer is "yes," then I have a sale for you.
It's the annual "World's Longest Yard Sale." This sale covers more than 450 miles from Gadsen, Alabama to Covington, Kentucky. It began in 1987 as a way to bring travelers from the busy Interstate System to the less traveled highways of Tennessee and Kentucky. This sale covers two roadways -- The Lookout Mountain Parkway and then U.S Highway 127. The change in roads takes place in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A map and more information can be found on the website www.127sale.com. It has gotten bigger and better each year. This year the sale takes place from August 2-10, 2003.
Whatever you may be looking for, I'm sure you'll find it somewhere along the way. There are baked goods, fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, bird feeders, antiques, old books and magazines, fishing lures, rare china, vintage jewelry, tools to keep your husband happy, toys for your kids, and of course, trinkets and treasures for the entire family. I think the best bargains are to be found away from the big cities where major vendors set up shop and charge top dollar. Keep your eye out for the little out of the way places and old farmhouses.
A few years ago we traveled Interstate 127 in Kentucky for part of this bargain hunter��s paradise, and it provided a lot of enjoyment and good entertainment. Especially when Mom would yell out, ��Hey, stop -- I see something I want! Stop NOW!�� My husband would slam on the breaks and the kids, clothes, and Krispy Kremes all went flying to the front. He claimed it was difficult driving the r.v. with jelly doughnut dripping from the overhead storage compartment, but I��ve never seen this as a major problem. I remember buying some old Coca-Cola bottles, a few LIFE magazines from the 1950��s ($1.00 each), and some vintage tins. I wanted this BIG, metal sign that probably came from a storefront. It said: ��Drink Coca-Cola.�� This thing was huge. My husband said we had no way to bring it back home unless we left something behind, and I needed him to drive. So I had to miserably acknowledge the fact I could not bring this piece of history with me.
This year we��re planning on seeing more of the sales. We also have a bigger motor home -- so I��ll have room for more stuff!! My husband keeps joking that we��ll have to rent a U-Haul to bring all of my valuables back to Michigan. Maybe that��s not a joke.
Special Note:
I��ll be away from eBay for a few weeks when we travel down South. Look for me when when we get back in the middle of August.
***
Thanks for a great article, Kim! Oh man, having to give up the Coca-Cola sign; that hurts! But hopefully you��ll find even better stuff this year!
Note: I am always open to reader articles, so if you want to write about something relating to yard sale-ing and eBaying, just flag me down! I will of course give you credit, using your eBay ID, web site, or any other contact info.
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The Mother Lode and other Gems
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I��d been away from yard sales for a loooong time (or what felt like it), first due to all the rain, and then back-to-back trips for a month, starting with my trip to eBay Live and then our aforementioned trip to Rehoboth.
But last weekend I got back into the swing big time. I must have hit seven or eight sales, all with record efficiency.
Among my best finds is what I like to call ��the mother load,�� a big bag of quality maternity clothes (brands like Mimi and Pea in the Pod, which cost an arm and a leg!). I got some 12 pieces for $10, so that��s less than $1 each (good math, Julia).
I decided to put them up as one or two big lots, rather than sell them piecemeal, because I am trying to cut back on the time I spend with little auctions.
So I wound up putting up two auctions: one, a small lot which was a maternity dress and matching pants by hip maternity wear makers Japanese Weekend (this one just closed at $13 on eBay, not too bad for a less than $1 cost to me), and other other, a large mixed lot of the blouses, tops, and dresses, by Mimi, Pea in the Pod, and other brands.
However, I didn��t wind up having enough space to list all the pictures I��d taken of the individual items in the nine-piece lot. I��d forgotten that eBay only allows you to post six pictures. I don��t currently use any photo listing service. So at this writing, my big maternity lot has only one opening bid for $9.95.
However again..with big lots, I��ve noticed they often don��t receive much bidding until they turn ��red���Kthat is, when there is a day or less time left in the auction. My theory is that:
1) there are now so many auctions on eBay competing for buyers, that buyers don��t often notice auctions until they do turn red, and
2) buyers may see an item they like, but not bid on it at all until near the end, in an effort to avoid bidding that item up too high.
I��ll report in the next issue hw the ��mother lode�� lot did.
Completing Your Sets
I wanted to say a word about something I noticed is an especially nice benefit of being a regular yard-saler. You may have noticed this too. That is, if you go often enough, you can wind up finding just the right thing to complete or complement items you already own.
Here are a couple examples of this:
1) My husband and I were given a complete set of Mikasa china for our wedding, in a beautiful green and purple pattern. (I know; don��t hate my plates because they��re beautiful.) One thing I needed more of over time, however, were bowls, particularly smallish bowls good for ice cream and other desserts. Well, I came across the perfect thing about a year ago: a set of six brand-new in box glass dessert bowls by Mikasa. They even had delicate pinkish/purplish flower flourishes on the sides, matching the lilac/green painting on our dishes. When I use them, people think they were part of our original set.
And oh yes, I got the whole box for $8.
2) I found a table cloth at a yard sale the last time I went out (same day I got the Mother Lode). It looks like it was made of almost the exact same fabric as the window treatments in our family room�Kor at least made by the same manufacturer, with hues of green, gold, rust, and red. I put it on our family room table, a sort of casual table we use to eat dinner when we are not on the screen porch or in our more formal dining room, and lo and behold, that thing fit perfectly. It��s rectangular with rounded ends, and the rounded ends drape nicely over each end of the rectangular table.
So it��s those moments of serendipity which make yardsale-ing pay off so handsomely, doncha think? Plus, you get bragging rights when people compliment it, ��Oh that? I got that for three bucks!��
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4) Yardsaling and the Great Outdoors
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I read a ��My Turn�� essay in Newsweek the other day about how much of our lives are lived indoors these days.
(��My Turn,�� if you��re not familiar with it, is the feature toward the front of the magazine where individual readers can have page-long essays on the topic of their choice published. They are often very thought-provoking, and sometimes controversial).
At any rate, this man was lamenting how little we all get outside and mingle with our neighbors these days. Office windows are often glued shut. Front-porches, where, in kinder and gentler times, neighbors would often call out to each other and get caught up, seem to be used (and even built) less and less.
That��s one reason I love yard-sale-ing so much. It gets you outside, communing with people, and in some cases, with me, anyway, meeting neighbors I wouldn��t otherwise have met.
I��m not doing Reader Mail in this issue�Kbut it will return next issue. ��
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5) A Missing Million-Dollar Nickel Surfaces
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I was skimming the front section of the paper the other day and came across this tidbit..I��m gonna paraphrase the whole story from a couple different news items here:
U.S. nickels from 1883 to 1912 were ��Liberty Head.�� In 1913 they were replaced by the Indian/Buffalo nickel. But shady U.S. Mint official Samuel K. Brown illegally minted five Liberty Head nickels with the 1913 date, in the hopes of creating a collector��s market.
That he appears to have done. He took out ads in magazines for coin collectors, and eventually, all five coins were sold.
For a long time, the Liberties were held in private collections, bought and sold by collectors. Today, two of them are in private hands, one is in the Smithsonian, and one is in the ANA's museum. In 2001, one sold for $1.9 million.
The whereabouts of the fifth nickel, however, was mystery until recent days. The story was, it was lost when the North Carolina dealer holding it died in a car crash in 1962. Police on the scene didn't recover it, nor was it found in a number of subsequent accident-site searches.
In any event, Bowers and Merena Galleries of New Hampshire offered a $1 million reward for the discovery and purchase of the famous coin, and had offered an additional $10,000 to be the first to view it.
The missing fifth 1913 Liberty Head nickel finally surfaced when relatives of the late North Carolina coin dealer George Walton decided to bring the coin for inspection after learning of the reward. The owners (who had apparently been uncertain of the coin��s authenticity) accepted the $10,000 reward for first viewing and are consulting with Bowers and Merena about the possible disposition of the rare coin.
Kinda makes me think about that old expression, ��don��t take any wooden nickels.�� Though I��m not exactly sure why. Hmm�Kmaybe I better sort through Nick��s coin collection again.
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I��m still looking for feedback on the following (from the last issue):
- Are you using online auctions other than eBay, and how are they working for you? Let me know!
- Going back to the first article, what is the silliest, or even most useless, item you bought? What were you inexplicably drawn to?
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6) YOUR FEEDBACK WANTED: An Update to ��What Sells on eBay��: Secrets of the (High-Margin!) Powersellers; The Real Deal on Wholesalers, and What Else Do You Want to See?
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The following is a repeat from previous issues but still valid: In future issues, I plan to carefully examine powersellers, especially the high-margin powersellers who make tidy profits per item (not the ones who spend all day and night listing penny items, since I don��t want you or me to have to live like that!). I��m going to see if any of them will share their secrets, and if not, well, we��ll just see what we can learn from their listings as to how they do it.
I��d love your feedback on this topic, as well as other topics you��d like to see me address.
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That��s it for this issue. Until next time, happy yardsale-ing and eBaying!
Julia
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eBooks by Julia L. Wilkinson: [all my ebooks are offered at substantial discounts from their regular price of $8.95 to the subscribers of this newsletter. Only $4.95 each! If interested in any of them, please email me at juliawilk@aol.com.]
New eBooks:
- Making Big Bucks off Catalogs on eBay: http://www.aolmemorabilia.com/clkslcat.html
- Over 100 Books that Sell for $50-$100 on eBay: email me!
- Selling Kids Clothes on eBay: email me! (these last two will be available for purchase via my site soon).
Julia Classic:
What Sells on eBay for What:
http://www.aolmemorabilia.com/clkbnksales.html
My Life at AOL (available at amazon.com, booklocker.com, and 1stbooks.com)
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Copyright 2003 Julia L. Wilkinson
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