Did You Know You Can Shop at Antique Stores for Items to Sell on eBay

When most people think about shopping for items to sell on eBay, they think of going to thrift stores like Goodwill, Savers, the Salvation Army and various independent thrift stores. But did you know you can also take a look in antique stores to find items to sell on eBay?

Many antique stores have inflated prices, especially those that are in high traffic tourist areas, but there are often items that fall through the cracks and a profit can be made on them. Also, sometimes the sellers are just tired of things hanging around too long so they put certain items on sale. If you hit it right, you can find some really great bargains. In order to make a profit on these items, you have to know your antiques and collectibles or have your phone with you so you can look up the items on your phone, to see what they are selling for on eBay.

I love to peruse antique stores and when I do, I am always looking for that treasure that will bring me a profit on eBay. Of course, overall you will do better shopping at thrift stores for eBay items in terms of pricing, but antique stores have some unusual items of which you may not be aware.

Here are some examples:

This is a sculpture by Michael Garman. His sculptures are expensive and my husband has one that reminds him of the city he grew up in. One day we were browsing in an antique store and he found this sculpture. He immediately recognized it as Garman's work and checked the price. It was originally marked as $70.00 but it was on sale that day for $35.00. While it is not exactly the style of our home, he was thrilled and purchased it. It is currently on display in his office (as his the cityscape sculpture) and when we looked it up on eBay, this same sculpture that he paid $35.00 for is listed on eBay for $165.00 so he did well with that buy!

Now we are not going to sell it on eBay because my husband loves it and is proud of the deal he got, but we COULD list it on eBay someday and even if it doesn't sell for that much money, he would at least get three times the money he spent on it. My husband looks for Garman sculptures in every antique store we go to now!

Another example of items that one might find in an antique store to sell on eBay is this Disney Hallmark snow globe. I had read recently that snow globes and Disney sell well on eBay. So when I came across this snow globe at an antique store for $16.00 I checked the comps on eBay and they were selling for $30 to $45. I bought it and listed it on eBay and within one month, I sold it for $34.00. Once I took the percentage out for eBay and Paypal costs, I still made a profit of $14.00.

If I had found that snow globe at a Goodwill or thrift store, I probably wouldn't have had to pay as much for it, but to me, a profit is a profit and $14.00 is nothing to sneer at! So don't overlook antique stores when you are searching for items to sell on eBay.

Have you ever found anything at an antique store that you sold for a profit on eBay? Please leave a comment below and explain what it was and how much you paid and sold it for so others can learn what to look for.

Thanks for reading and feel free to subscribe to this blog so you don't miss any posts!

Get Support for Your eBay Business to Make More Money on eBay

Are you an eBay seller who is frustrated because you aren't making the kind of money you had hoped to earn from eBay? Well, I have the perfect answer for you: Get eBay support for free on the internet.

You may not realize it, but eBay sellers for the most part, are a great group of people who are very happy to help other ebay sellers out by answering questions and making suggestions as to help you be a better eBay seller.

eBay Sellers on Youtube

I have been an eBay seller for eight years now. When I first started I didn't know anyone else that sold on eBay. But I met someone at a writer's site that coached me. I started selling a lot more with his help. Then he suggested I start following some people on YouTube that are very successful eBay sellers. So I did, and wow, what an amazing amount of information I received by following those people. Three of my favorites to follow on Youtube are Raiken Profit, Suzanne A. Wells and States Place.

eBay Sellers on Facebook

From some of those people on Youtube, I learned about some Facebook groups. eBay Facebook groups are free to join and people in these groups can ask each other questions, and offer each other support and suggestions. One of my favorite things about these facebook groups is they often post BOLO (be on the lookout) items that they have found and recently sold for great prices. My favorite Facebook eBay groups to join are: ebay selling basics nothing but ebay basics and Camp eBay. Suzanne A. Wells has a nice facebook page dedicated to eBay sellers under her name and she posts items people paid very little for and sold for a nice profit on eBay.

eBay Sellers on Instagram

I recently have been having fun on Instagram as well. When I was looking for people to follow on Instagram, I decided to try to find some people that were selling on eBay and follow them. Searching for people to follow on Instagram is easy because all you have to do is fill in words on the top search bar. Words like "eBay," "thrifter," "thrifting," and "reseller" will bring up many others who are also selling on eBay. You can click on their profiles and see if they are eBay sellers. I have found that it is much better to follow Instagrammers who have more than just a few posts on their profile page. You can learn more from those who have been selling for awhile and are active on Instagram. These frequent posters often post great finds from thrift stores so that you get ideas of things to look for when you are out thrifting for eBay. I find following eBay sellers on Instagram very motivating because they often post encouraging phrases that helps keep us all motivated. I also recommend following States Place on Instagram well.

Some of the Instagram eBay sellers also sell on Posh and Mercari, so if you are interested in either of those, Instagram is the place to be to learn from each other and encourage each other in terms of selling online.

Okay, I have given you MY recommendations for people to follow on social media to help you make more money on eBay. Do you know of someone I forgot? Please post their name in the comments below so we can all learn more, and earn more on eBay!

And if you are just getting started selling on eBay, I just gave you a lot of ideas of people to follow and learn from. You can also head over to this post I wrote awhile ago about how to get started selling on eBay if you are new to the whole eBay thing.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1426234974698889210#editor/target=post;postID=61826045

Happy Selling!

Don't Forget to Edit Your Photos on eBay

I have been selling items on eBay since 2010, and have been a serious seller since 2012. I am therefore embarrassed to admit to you that I have only recently discovered how to edit photos on eBay. I follow an expert eBay seller on YouTube, and was reading a blog entry of hers about two weeks ago. One of her tips was to edit the photos of your eBay items. For some reason, I had never discovered that eBay photos are able to be edited.

Some of you reading this probably already knew about the editing function on your eBay listings, but this post is for those of you who don't know.

In order to edit your photos on eBay, as you load your pictures onto your item's listing, look under the photo just after it is uploaded and shows up in the large frame on the left. Underneath that picture, you will see a series of symbols. I can't seem to print the screen on my computer so this picture below is the best I can do.

Underneath each photo in that left-hand position, you will see a series of symbols. The first one on the left is to crop the picture so you can show a closer view. The second one with the arrow allows you to rotate the photo. The one in the middle that looks like the sun is to adjust the brightness and contrast. The next one, that looks like a triangle is to sharpen the photo and bright it more into focus. And the last symbol is for auto adjust.

I have a lot of fun editing my photos now that I have discovered these options. And I have noticed many of the items I have cropped and made brighter have actually sold fairly quickly after I did so.

If you already knew how to crop your eBay photos, that's great. And if not, come back and leave a comment below as to how much quicker your items have sold once you learned how to edit them.

Ties Are Easy to Sell on eBay

I love selling ties on eBay. I don't have a lot of extra storage room in my house for eBay items so I find ties a very easy thing to store and sell. Ties fold up nicely and although they may not sell for a LOT of money, I like the fact that they sell easily and also are easy to ship.

When I first started selling items on eBay, I watched a few YouTube videos about what to sell on eBay. If you sell men's clothing, a good guy to watch on YouTube is "Raiken Profit." I watched some of his videos on selling men's clothing, including ties and added ties to my list of things to look for at Goodwill and thrift stores to purchase to resell on eBay.

When I actually started looking in stores for them, I was thrilled. I can purchase ties in the thrift stores I shop at anywhere from 25 cents up to $2.99. But since I shop on Senior Day at Goodwill, I get 25% off, and never pay more than $2.25 for a tie. I am fortunate to be able to find brand name men's ties at the thrift stores in my area. Names include Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ermenegildo Zegna. I price them at a range of $12.95 to $14.95,include free shipping, and often use Markdown Manager to put them on sale. I don't make a huge profit but can make between $6.00 and $8.00 per tie. And that works for me. Could I sell ties for more money? Maybe, but I might have to wait a long time and I like the quick turnover.

The photo above shows the container I use to store my ties. It's compact and can hold 40 ties.It measures 16 1/2 inches by 11 1/2 inches and is 6 inches deep. When I sell a tie, I just pull out the box, find the tie that sold, put it in a plastic bag, put it in an envelope and ship it for less than $3.00.

I sell a lot of clothing on eBay and my prices range from $15.00 to $100.00. It's great to have some items that are easy to sell and ship that are lower priced items that will attract eBay shoppers who may purchase something more expensive while they are in my store. I think having a variety of prices on my eBay items attract a larger number of eBay buyers so selling ties on eBay works great for me.

Do you sell ties on eBay?

Here's An Example of Why You Should Always Research Before Listing on eBay

The other day I listed an Orvis shirt on eBay for $26.95 or best offer. My best offer was anywhere from $19.95 and up. It sold in approximately two days...oops, I immediately knew that was a mistake. And it was a mistake on my part.

Here's what happened: I buy a lot of Orvis men's shirts at thrift stores to re-sell on eBay. This one I found was $4.99 and it was a nice heavy Orvis shirt. I thought because it was heavy and in very good condition, that I should list it higher than I sell most of my Orvis shirts for, which is usually about $18.95. It was also a bit unusual looking because it was a pullover with snaps at the neck and sleeves. Most of the Orvis shirts I sell button up the front. But I was in a hurry and so listed it for $27.95 with the best offer. The thing that I missed was that on the label it had the word "Malpai." I used it on the description of the shirt, but that should have alerted me to the fact that it was a bit unique and therefore may be worth more money. You can see the word Malpai on the label below.

After it sold, I checked comparative listings on eBay. They had the same types of shirts in different colors for between $31.49 and $49.99. Then I checked the "solds" category and that showed me that the Malpai shirts had sold for between $18 and $59.99, with most of them selling for the $30 and higher range. Ugh, I could have kicked myself.

But it's just a reminder that if you find something a bit unusual to sell on eBay that is unlike items you usually sell, always do your research and check what similar items have sold for before you list it or you could lose money.

I am sure I could have gotten at least $10.00 to $15.00 more for that shirt. "Live and Learn" as they say. Have you ever sold something on eBay and then realized after the sale that you sold it too low?

Oops, I Did it Again...(Made Money on eBay While in Vacation!)

Hello All!

Yes, I am very happy to report that I did it again and once again am thrilled to report that I was able to earn money on eBay while I was on vacation. This was the longest vacation I have ever taken while an eBay seller, and I had my doubts about whether or not this would work. But I am happy to give you this report:

How Much I Earned

While on vacation for 18 days, I sold 9 items and had gross earnings of $154.65!

Okay, that's not a lot you might be thinking, BUT if I had closed my eBay store while I was away, I would have had no sales for a total of $0.00. That means nada!

Our Vacation

My husband and I just returned from a 14-day cruise across the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Southampton, England stopping in Bermuda, Ireland, England and France along the way. We ended in Southampton, England and spent a few days in London since we were so close. I am not telling you this to brag, but to let you know it is possible to take a long term vacation and still earn money on eBay.

The Key to Making Money on eBay While on Vacation

The key to going away on vacation and still earning money on eBay is to make sure you extend your handling time (how long you have to ship items) on all of your items for sale. Since we were going to be away 18 days, I put my store on vacation but still allowed people to see my items and purchase them. eBay will then put a statement across the top of the screen that says the seller is on vacation which may result in delayed shipment. That way the buyer knows up front that there may be a wait for shipping. I extended my handling time to 20 days.

Bulk Editing Makes it Easy

If you have a store, you can use the bulk edit feature and do 50 items at a time. That makes it easier. I had 350 items so I had seven pages of items to change the handling time on, BUT with the bulk edit feature, I just did it seven times. Uf you don't have a store, I am not sure what the length of time is that you can extend your handling time to. If any of you don't have a store and can check that out, please let us know in the comments.

Minimal Work Required

Now, this is not to say I didn't do any work while on vacation. But the work I did was minimal because the internet is very expensive on a cruise ship so I didn't spend too much time on it. We stayed overnight in a hotel in Florida the night before the cruise. That night, and the next morning, I revised five of my items each day. (Even if you don't have anything new to list, eBay likes to see activity on your account, so always try to revise at least five items a day).Then we set sail on the cruise ship, and I didn't do anything for 11 days!

On our 11th day at sea, I logged onto my eBay account and was happy to see that three items had sold, even though the waiting for shipment was 20 days! I spent one hour online updating and revising my items that needed to be relisted. Since the 11th day was a Sunday and I like to end my auctions on Sunday, I relisted 40 of my items as auction items and just relisted the rest as 30-day Buy it Now. And that was it during the cruise.

Once we got off the cruise ship and were at the hotel in London, I spent about 20 minutes each night revising items. It made for a nice relaxing vacation and I still made money!

Have you gone away on vacation and still made money on eBay? Please share your experience in the comments below.

If you would to read about our trip and see some pictures, click the link below (or if it doesn't click for you, copy and paste the link into your browser):

https://hubpages.com/travel/What-I-Did-on-My-Two-Week-Transatlantic-Cruise-to-Europe

How Much Would You Pay For a Grandpa Sweater on eBay?

Finding a Grandpa Sweater

I was at a Goodwill store, my favorite place to shop for items to sell on eBay, and came across a rather ugly looking sweater. You can see it above. It's the kind of sweater that your grandfather might wear around his house, especially if he lives in an old farmhouse that is drafty.

The brand name was Willis and Geiger Outfitters, and I had never heard of that name before. But the sweater was in great condition, and it was heavy so that meant warm. It was also fully lined. Something about it spoke to me and just made me want to check it out to possibly resell it on eBay

Researching on eBay

I pulled out my trusty cell phone and looked up similar sweaters to see what they had sold for on eBay. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that some that were similar were listed for between $40.00 and $195.00. But the key is always to also check out what items have sold for. The "sold" listings of similar sweaters were between best offers of below $39.95 and up to $139.95. Now we are talking!

I was quite excited and bought the sweater, at a 25% discount because of course, I shopped at Goodwill on Sr. discount day! Normally $6.75, I purchased the sweater for $5.07 after the discount.

Pricing Dilemna

Next, I had a dilemna...how much should I list this sweater for? If I listed it high, and it took a long time to sell, I could be sitting on it for a very long time. Plus it was February and people would be more likely to buy a heavy sweater when it was still cold outside. That gave me a short window before spring came if I wanted to sell it quickly.

I Don't Run a Storage Facility

I had recently watched a video by Nicole States on Youtube. She has a lot of Youtube videos about how much she sells on eBay, brand names she likes to sell, hauls she gets from Goodwill to resell on eBay, etc. If you haven't watched her videos, and you want to learn how to sell things on eBay quickly, I highly recommend her. But getting back to the reason I brought her up, she clearly stated in one of her videos she does not run a storage facility. She meant that she doesn't like to list things super high and then have to store them for long periods of time until they sell. I don't have a lot of storage room in my home so in some ways, I feel the same. BUT I am also not in the habit of giving things away in my eBay store, so needed to find a price I would be happy with that wouldn't take too long to sell the sweater.

Listng Price

I decided to list the sweater for 30 days at a price I would be happy to get. I listed this "Grandpa Sweater" as I like to call it, for $59.95 plus the buyer paid shipping. It took about three weeks, but it did sell. I got the price I wanted and the buyer gave positive feedback and seemed quite happy with his new sweater.

Ahhh, I just love selling on eBay!

If you would like to find a Willis and Geiger Sweater of your own to sell on eBay, here's a picture of the label below.

Have you ever seen this brand or do you sell it on eBay? Would you have paid that much for this sweater on eBay?