Why, yes! I do accept free stuff!

 

I’ve gone through 3 high chairs with my 3 kids. I know,  call me crazy. But the first one was just a cheapy I got on Craigslist for about $15. I sold it after our first kid because it was starting to tear and I was worried it wouldn’t sell if the cover was all torn.

 

I made my $15 back and turned around and purchased one for $25. Once again off CL.

$10 more got me a LOT. Single hand sliding tray, 2 trays actually, adjustable height, rolling wheels. I mean, this was FAAAANCY!

(And MUCH easier to clean I might add!)

But when my daughter grew out of it, the thing was nothing but bulky. I didn’t want to haul it up to the attic, and I wasn’t going to leave it sitting there. So I added some spit shine and put it on Craigslist. It sold for $30 after a warfare of phone calls. Apparently the belts in Highchair’s are really important to some people and mine had them.

We figured with kid #3 we would just use this:

Oops, I mean this:

However, where that is great on the road and extra room at the table. It isn’t good for tiny tots like ours is still.

So off to craigslist yet again.

I’ve missed you my friend.

I wanted to spend $10 maybe $15 at the most.

 

A lady had her’s posted for over a month, cost: $15. I saw a terrible photo of it, talked her down to $10 and said I’d like to see it. She happened to have it stored right near a thrift store. Lucky me. While in the thrift store I saw and UGLY highchair for $4. Cheap but…well, not as “thrifty” as I’d like.

I think the difference between “thrifty” and “cheap” is Thrifty gets you what you want for less. Cheap gets you anything that’s out there and doesn’t cost much (and will probably break).

Anyway, the car seat was all wrapped in plastic from being stored but I could tell it was in decent condition. (Which turned out to be really, really good condition!) And I wasn’t about to talk her down any more when they had just dug through their whole storage unit for it! Oh, and they GAVE ME A STROLLER.

Yes, it is rather nice, though worn, Graco stroller. I cleaned it and it is in good condition. I really don’t need it but how can I pass up free?

And the highchair?

Its a hit! With lots of growing room!

What can you sell on eBay? SO MUCH!

 

After the kids head to bed I start my homework. I didn’t look at it like it was homework for the first few months but now I realize, that is just what it is!

Reading blogs and finding out what sells is research homework. Most of the time it is pleasant, but a few times it is a chore! So I decided to share a few things I’ve discovered this last time of research!

Here is what I’ve found other people are selling.

From: The Recycle-ista...Adventures in Thrifting

 

Thrifted this sterling belt buckle on a belt for just a few dollars and sold it for $75!

I will be checking the belts from now on thank you very much!!

 

Below is from: http://www.ebayundergroundblog.com/

This was a very fast sale. It's an Adidas tennis skirt, size small. I have another one very similar to it that's NWT. I wasn't sure how well the pre-owned one would do, but it was the half off color, and I decided I was willing to risk a whopping $1.49 to find out. I'm glad I did.

• Acquired: 1/3/12

• Listed On: 1/4/12

• Sold On: 1/10/12

• Paid: $1.49

• Sold For: $19.99 + shipping

Always, always, ALWAYS buy these. I cannot keep these in stock. This is the Clairol Style Setter. Sometimes they say that on the cover, sometimes they don't. There is more than one Clairol Style Setter out there, but the red base always sells quickly for me. I have gotten anywhere from $24.99 - $39.99 for these. I had 2 sets to list the other day, so I put them both in the same listing for $39.99 or best offer, plus shipping, and I put that I had 2 available. I had a woman make me an offer for BOTH sets. I quickly jumped on it, not only because it was a good offer, but because she was buying both. I'm always willing to sell things a little lower if they buy more than one.

• Acquired: 9/23/11 (local Goodwill) and 10/21 (getaway weekend in West Virginia)
• Listed On: 12/20/11
• Sold On: 12/26/11
• Paid: $3.17 and $3.98
• Sold For: $30 each + shipping



I love selling Clairol Kindness Deluxe 3-Way Hairsetters. This is the 3rd or 4th one I sold, and it was no exception. This was the very first hot roller set I sold. It was back before I knew that BIN listings were the way to go. I auctioned it and it went for $51! I haven't sold any that high since. They usually go for $30-35. I paid $6.25 for this one and sold it for $30.

I used to sell a lot of Vision Ware. It's not the easiest thing in the world to store and ship though, so I've gotten pretty picky about the VW that I buy. It needs to be either a 2.5 L saucepan or a casserole/dutch oven, or I don't bother. No teflon on the bottom, and NO skillets. If I find a 1.5 L, I'll buy it though, because "someone" broke mine. Apparently that's the size I use most often, because I'm going crazy without it.  Anyway ... rabbit trail ... this was a 2.5. I paid $4.21 for it in October and sold it this week for $29.99 plus shipping.

If you aren't convinced yet that microwave turntables are a good seller, I don't know what more to say or do. For awhile I quit buying them, because I already had a tall stack and didn't want to have to start a second stack. But then I sold several in one week and came to my senses. I've bought 10 or 15 in the past couple weeks that I need to get cleaned up and list. They list quickly, so I don't know what the hold up is. I paid $1.13 for this one in July and sold it this week for my full asking price of $24.99. When someone buys a turntable for my full asking price, I generally upgrade the shipping from parcel to priority, even if it costs me a few bucks. I figure it's the least I can do for them being respectful of my asking price. I get SO many lowball offers on turntables, it's disgusting. So this buyer will be pleasantly surprised to get their turntable much sooner than they expected!

Is this not the ugliest, most dated latch hook design you've ever seen? Who, when thinking about their Christmas decor, decides that they want to latch hook a duck with a wreath around its neck? Really now. But it was new in the package, so I bought it. I paid 50 cents for it at a yard sale this summer. It sold for $14.99 to the UK during my 25% off sale this week.

This wasn't a big exciting sale either, but it makes me smile. I paid $1.50 at a yard sale in June, but only because it was still in the wrapper. I sold it for $19.99 (-$6.65 shipping).

 

I bought this about a year ago, because I remembered my brother having one when we were little. Turns out his was the red LED display, not the grey and black display that this one has. I decided to keep it and let the kids use it for math review. Well, with most new things like this, they were excited about it for about a month. I just found it in the back of our math manipulatives drawer and decided to list it. It sold the next day for my full asking price of $24.99! I had listed it with free US shipping, but it sold internationally, so I didn't even have to pay the shipping :)

This wasn't a big sale in an of itself. 16 Scrabble racks for $14.99. However, in the past couple of weeks, I also sold the 6 boards for $24.99 and I sold the 500 tiles  for $50 minus $4.90 shipping. So for my $4-5 investment in these Scrabble games, I got $89.98! Always buy Scrabble games.

 

 

Note from HandkerchiefGal: This next post made me sad. I just threw away a leappad reader just like this one because I wasn’t sure the battery’s worked. I know. “Wasn’t sure” might have cost me around $60! Garage sale shopping for this this summer!

Another great sale! I bought this lot in May for $5.29 and listed it pretty high with best offer. I got a couple ridiculously low offers on them, and I was just starting to wonder if I needed to redo the lot. These books are mixed grade levels, which probably had something to do with why it wasn't selling for what I wanted. I finally ended up selling them yesterday for $65 with free shipping. It fit perfectly into a side-loading medium flat rate box, so I was only out $9.97 for the shipping.

 

MONEY IN THE GARAGE made a good point and greater buck when pointing out that tv shows can add some cash to your pocket!

He bought the above back for $1 and netted $30 on this well used bag!

My “Full Price” experiment.

I recently tried an experiment on buying clothing. I found a wrap dress, very popular this summer, that wasn’t on sell

 

BANANA REPUBLIC WRAP DRESS SIZE 4 COTTON DRESS BROWN PAISLEY Sold for 10.48 + $6.95=$17.43

Not bad but when I took the $6.98 I paid for the dress out and shipping and fees my total was only $5.29.

Buying at the lowest price seems like it would have worked better in this case.

However I will take the 5 bucks I made!

Here is an item I paid $.99 for. I know it isn’t the same article of clothing by any stretch but bare with me.

Lija size Med Pink golf skirt with ruffle in back. Tennis skirt.

Sold for $12.59 plus $4.75 shipping. Made me $14.09 after cost were taken out!

Ahhh, that’s better!

 

When buying just doesn’t go well…

 

I should stick with buying what I know. I have learned this over and over and over again. Today was one of those “agains”!

I purchase another grab bag purchase. Yes, and once again I paid for the whole bag just to get one water bottle.

Hey, I live in the Midwest. It’s over 100 every day. Got to have me some nice water bottles!

Ok, but maybe not a whole grab bag with 11 of them!

 

 

And that is why I was soo excited about this blue Camelbak. I’ve been wanting one of these, though not this one, which runs about $8 at REI, which we really need here in Tulsa, Oklahoma! Just sayin….

Anyway, notice anything special? Ya. Its the mouth piece. The thing that makes Camelbak’s so stinkin popular! Its, um…well, its just, lets see…. PLUMB NOT THERE!

“No Problem!” I thought. “I will just get one online…the big thing is having most of the bottle in tacked right?”

WRONG!

(By the way, this is a new bottle, not sure if ever got used!)

Ok, back to my unsound judgment story. Just had to through that in here.

Apparently these mouth piece cost… and I kid you not….$8-12 on EBAY. Got to love it.

Ok, so I don’t.

It' is ridiculous.

Ok, so it is also ridiculous that I got all those bottles and a Camelbak for 45 cents. But hey! I’m looking for stuff next to nothing…not for replacement parts that cost as much as a stinkin’ new bottle!

So I found someone who had one listed, and not sold, with a few other water bottle parts I didn’t want and asked her to just sell me that one mouthpiece for $1.50 plus $.50 shipping. Or maybe it was a him…the name was Chris. I have no idea

She/he wrote back and said:

Hey, I have lots of this Camelbak stuff, more than I want to bother selling. Send me your address, I'll send you one, you can pay me something for it if you choose to after you get it. Best --Chris--

Ok seriously. The world is right again…I mean who does that!? And to top that he/she lived in California which is the most expensive in State place to ship for me. Oh yea. This kid was raised right. I have a friend. Ok. Not really.

Anyway. Moral of the story is there are Chris’ out there on eBay to make all the jerks look like extra jerks and them look like angels. Thank you Chris’ of eBay!

He/she ended up sending it to me for free and told me not to worry about the price. How awesome is that!!???

So that is that story. Here are the other bottles I salvaged from that bag.

  

I’m hoping the rest can be recycled. Want them to be a bench I sit on someday! Lol!

 

I got some American Eagle shorts for my hubby to work in. He likes this brand but I rarely find it in his size. These were $5. I know, big spender on my Manly Man!

UPDATE: They don’t fit him. Apparently the size on the tag is not the size of the shorts. STINK! Going to try to sell them to get my $5 back! (I hope)

 

And now the newsboy hat…oh that hat.

   

Very nice isn’t it? Perfect condition. And what can beat leather?

NON-LEATHER. That’s what.

Yep. Didn’t read the tag. I am far to trusting of a person. This is actually made out of…get this.

Vinyl.

Yep. Vinyl.

Isn’t that what siding is made out of? Well lucky us. We can now wear it on our heads.

Great.

Ok ok, only 45 cents as well, but it doesn’t even fit me! Maybe I’ll give it to my brother as a Christmas present…hey, not a bad idea! Of course I’m listing it first….=)

 

Alright, on to the next disappointment of my life… er…day.

This really cool AND only 45 cent toy! Leapfrog…ya can’t go wrong now can you?

You sure can. At least if you are Handkerchief Gal! What can I say? I’ve got a rare talent. Hang out a while, maybe it will rub off.

Ok. Or run away screaming. That works too…

Because the above pictures, my dear friends, is a leapfrog baby toy that needs a TV, a hook up and a dvd to be functional. Oh, and it’s heavy. And I’m not sure if it even works cuz I do not have any of the before mentioned items. Completely not sure what to do with it. Sell it as is? No, they don’t sell on eBay. Sell it for parts? Maybe. But did I mention it is heavy? However, it was only 45 cents. At least I’m not making expensive mistakes. Yay me.

Blah.

 

 

Now check out my stylish new pocketbook.

Ok, not stylish, but I believe it is new. Maybe not worth much but…well, did I mention it was 45 cent sell day yet? Yep. 45 cents. Aren’t ya all jealous. Um-hmmm.

Actually I needed one half this size but I found this one and figured it was time to retire the one I already have.

I’m not sold on it yet. Cuz I empted my old one into it then tucked the “retired” one into a drawer. Yea. Not sure I like this one yet.

When selfishness pays!

 

The other day was 45 cent day for miscellaneous items at my friendly thrift store here in Tulsa Oklahoma so I decided to stop by to see what they had.

I found some awesome stuff…but none of it on sale for 45 cents! You see, they tag every item when it comes in, everything has a color and a price. And when they have a sale like this they always have 2 of the 5 tag colors that aren’t for sell. And lucky me I kept finding everything that was one of the 2 non-45 cent tags! Grrr…

I did find this game in a metal box for 45 cents.

I looked it up when I got home and it is worth a whole…get this… 1 penny. Yea, it doesn’t sell too well…bummer, cuz everything else I got was to keep. But hey, I’m sure I can do something with the metal box if I paint it!

I got this 1 liter cravat to keep. I’ve taken to putting my milk in one of these after I buy it because it takes up less room in my fridge, but I needed 2 of them! My fridge has more space for long skinny things then tall fat ones! And I do it cuz I’m a bit odd…if you haven’t figured that out by now!

I also debated and finally bought a bag. Bags can be full of junk or awesomeness. ‘Specially if you can get them for 45 cents!

Unfortunately and fortunately this one was full of cups and bottles. I don’t need any bottles. But I saw two of these cups that were still in their wrapper and two that looked new but not in their wrapper and one non-straw one.

So I thought, “hmmmm, what if I bought this and sold the two new sippy cups for the price of the bag?”

So I got it and after cleaning them my kids LOVE the two cups that weren’t in wrapper! I put the other ones on ebay for $3.95, which is what I paid for the lot.

Unfortunately they didn’t sell, though I did get an email from Europe about them! My kids loved the ones they used so much I sort of wanted to keep them so I was happy with no bids! DON’T PUT THINGS ON LINE THAT YOU MIGHT REGRET SELLING. Rule #1 of reselling. LOL!

I also put this lot, from the bag, on eBay for $3.95. It got a bid with 20 hrs left to go! Yay! Made money, Recycled what wouldn’t sell, and got to keep 4 cups. Whoop!

Also in the bag was a couple of parent choice bottles. I walked in on this today!

Yes, we do have clothing for those baby doll, it apparently is just more fun to take the clothing off than put it back on!

Yay! Made my money back, Recycled what wouldn’t sell, and got to keep 4 cups. Whoop!

Oh, and our church has a deal with a guy who turns plastic recycled things into  benches and is willing to do some for the woods behind our church if we provide plastic. Yay! Look at me! Suddenly a plastic recycler!

Selling Tips

While at the thrift store on 99 cent day Tuesday I was thinking of tips I would share if someone were with me. Here are a few to remember.

1. Start with your closet. See if you have any name brands that sell well that you aren’t wearing. This way your spending is low or nothing and your profit can be 100%, Then head out to the sales with that cash!
2. Buy only name brands you know will sell. I make sure I don’t buy more than 1 “High Risk” item per shopping trip. Below is my risky item for this week. It was a brand “Speechless” that I hadn’t heard of but a cute skirt. We will see if it sells!

 

• Don’t sell petites. They just don’t always sell well. Do I still buy them? Yes, but they are never a “For Sure” so I can’t recommend them.
• Remember times change. Right now Maternity dresses are the big “IN” for me. I get them for next to nothing and sell them consistently for $20 plus shipping. It is easy money but I betcha that will change when the weather changes!
•  Be careful when pre-buying clothes for another season. Stay with the tried and true. Don’t buy season items that are fashion statements or abnormal material (silk, corduroy, etc…). This summer bright colored capris were in, but I wouldn’t buy tons of that for next summer just because you never know! Now if it is a bright colored capri and a very good brand name, well, you can’t always go wrong.
• Know that even if it is a fabulous brand name, companies make mistakes. Go with your gut. Some times an article of clothing is just ugly. That is why they are trying to sell it to you. Don’t buy blindly but do take a risk every once in a while if your sells are going well.

• Know what ships where. I consistently have sold jean short-alls to Australia last fall. Maybe it was their summer time, I’m not sure. But always putting the international shipping helped the bids go higher and the sales go better!

Saturday finds

 

My amazing hubby was going to help a friend this morning and he offered to take the kids so I could go garage sale shopping. I mean what husband does that? Mine!

So off I went in my minivan but without the kids to hit all the sales I could. I found some great deals, which was awesome but by 10:30 I was beat. This last week of pregnancy must be getting to me cuz I skipped the thrift store and came home to take a nap…I know, how bad is that?

Check out what I got:

A few summer items for the soon-to-be-born baby! 50 cents each:

Shoes for my little girl. They are “jumping bean” brand, which I know nothing about but $1 and in good condition. My daughter loves them!

Some trains for my son, well, he gave the one called “Lady” to his sister and kept “Spencer.”

These trains are mostly metal and run about $12 each from the store. They don’t resale very well but for $.25 each I can’t go wrong for the joy they bring the kids!

 

 

Some string for miscellaneous things…never can have too much! And a small jar for pretty much the same reason!

 

I scored on this Pampered Chef baking stone. It is rarely used and only $1! I later saw a baking rectangle for sale for $2 but I had to pass it up cuz I can only have so many…already regret it though!

 

And at $2 this wagon was my deal of the day! I asked the lady how much she wanted for it and she said, “How much do you want to pay for it?”

Now, don’t ask a garage sale shopping person that! I want you to give it to me just to be ride of it!

However, I didn’t say that! I said the next most insulting thing: “How about $1?”

She said 2 and she got herself a deal! I was excited but wouldn’t have paid more because I don’t need it but it will match my house decoration so I will find somewhere for it …or resale it. The asking price is from $30 to $60 but I don’t know what they sell for yet.

So mostly it was a very selfish day, not much in the way of business but I had a lot of care-free fun and I believe I spent around $8 total. A splurge every once in a while is ok! LOL!

While the kids are away, Mama will shop!

The kids got to go to Grandma and Papa’s for a few days so Saturday morning garage sales where hit by me and my sister…no car seats! Having the kids go with me is fun but going without them is a special treat too!
I didn’t do good on the reselling side of things. Everyone had high priced clothing or it was winter clothing.
But I got a few things for the house:
This pillow was my first purchase. It is missing 1 button. I think I will keep it but if I find a matching button I might sell it, or use it to make another one like it!

Love the ends!

The next thing was a spice rack complete with very strong smelling spices!

Some of them I will use and some I won’t. I don’t need the rack but I love the uniform jars! Thinking of using chalk labels on them. For $1 I can’t loose!

Now this was a random purchase! I first heard and ordered my ultimate cloth after reading this article. They had a promo where you only paid shipping so I got my cloth. Now these are a different brand but seem to work the same way. You only need water to make them work and you can reuse them alot. And there is some freezer cloth in the bunch. Not sure what that is yet!
Anyway, I got this pack for 50 cents.


Then I got some video’s for the kids, 25 cents each, and some lotion from a lady who gets lotion a bunch but is allergic to it. Aren’t these bath and body work bottles like $10 each? The purple one is Avon. Sweet! I have plans on making a “You-just-had-a-baby-so-spoil-yourself” package for friend’s I know who have babies so I’m looking for cute bottles to hold all these lotion and stuff I’ve collected!

I then picked this brand new sign up for $2. Original price tag said it was $19.50. They hadn’t even taken the cardboard off the back to hang it up!

When I showed this next purchase to my husband I told him I felt like I was bringing him record holders or something vintage like that! LOL. These are for my son’s VHS that don’t have cases. I’ve been looking for something uniform. I got these and a few other Black cases for $1

And this last item I’m not sure why I got. It is being used as my change jar at the moment. It just caught my attention 3 times and was only 50 cents. Hopefully it won’t end up in my next garage sale!






 

Linking to:
Young & Crafty
Ninth Street Notions
creatingreallyawesomefreethings