Trash or treasure?

Sunday morning (Hawaii time), only six hours left on this week's auctions.

It's interesting to watch things develop over the week. 300354158240 is a three-year-old graphics card, a VisionTek 9550 (ATI Radeon 9550) of 128 MB video RAM. A couple weeks ago at a $25 minimum bid it didn't get a single watcher, let alone a bid. (This card has sold for $25-$30 in other auctions.) I relisted it at $15 minimum and had a watcher within 30 minutes.

Still no bids, but during the week the number of watchers has been slowly creeping up. Yesterday it was at five, and this morning it's at eight. Are these all potential bidders, or are some of you guys just hanging around to watch the conclusion? Should I call for extra crowd-control security or for more popcorn? How fast can eBay's server farm process those final proxy bids in the auction's last 30 seconds?

I'm going to put up the remaining nine items this afternoon-- seven spoons, a baby-food pusher, and the wooden display rack. Hopefully in another week I'll be mailing out the last of it.
 
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Nords said:
Sunday morning (Hawaii time), only six hours left on this week's auctions.

It's interesting to watch things develop over the week. 300354158240 is a three-year-old graphics card, a VisionTek 9550 (ATI Radeon 9550) of 128 MB video RAM. A couple weeks ago at a $25 minimum bid it didn't get a single watcher, let alone a bid. (This card has sold for $25-$30 in other auctions.) I relisted it at $15 minimum and had a watcher within 30 minutes.

Still no bids, but during the week the number of watchers has been slowly creeping up. Yesterday it was at five, and this morning it's at eight. Are these all potential bidders, or are some of you guys just hanging around to watch the conclusion? Should I call for extra crowd-control security or for more popcorn? How fast can eBay's server farm process those final proxy bids in the auction's last 30 seconds?

I'm going to put up the remaining nine items this afternoon-- seven spoons, a baby-food pusher, and the wooden display rack. Hopefully in another week I'll be mailing out the last of it.
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It is really strange with watchers . I will have two items up . One will have lots of watchers and no one bids and another will have no watchers and ends with multiple bids . I only do auction anymore for real hot items . The rest I list at fixed price and wait for the sales .
 
Sold the graphics card and both spoons.

The card didn't sell a couple weeks ago for a minimum bid of $25, but relisting at $15 brought eight watchers who bid it up to $20. I can't tell if the bidders weren't around a couple weeks ago, or if they didn't get paid until the beginning of the month, or if I really hit everyone's price point.

I don't know if a fixed price/"Buy It Now" works well for this type of low-end sterling. Most of them seem to go between $5-$10. I'm wondering how many of my buyers plan to just shine up their purchase and get a few more bucks for it. More power to 'em. I've learned a lot about sterling in the last month but I don't think it's going to turn into a hobby.

Both spoons sold ($6.50 and $12.50). The $6.50 winner sniped it with two seconds to spare. Impeccable timing.

Counting the $30 Craigslist sale of the RAM, I've grossed $103 and netted $84. The other nine pieces up this week will probably boost that by $50-$100.
 
Nords
Setting the "entertainment" factor aside, any idea of an estimate of time (including trips to P.O.) your spent in your e-bay adventures?
nwsteve
 
REWahoo said:
Better watch out - keep this up and you'll end up in a higher tax bracket...
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[-]Whoa, did I say that out loud?[/-] I've had a significant number of deductible investment expenses this year...

nwsteve said:
Nords
Setting the "entertainment" factor aside, any idea of an estimate of time (including trips to P.O.) your spent in your e-bay adventures?
nwsteve
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Well, I thought I was the only one who kept track of that!

I won't include the time spent composing E-R.org posts. And if I only had 10 minutes to put each listing together then they'd probably read a little differently-- and sell for a lot less. So having lots of free time has probably worked against me on a $/hour rate. I won't count the couple hours I spent determining that the stamps & pamphlets were not worth selling on eBay. I also won't count the 10-20 minutes a day I spend checking the listings, rubbing my hands together, and cackling with glee while spouse and I discuss the psychology of eBay auctions.

I've spent about an hour on each of the 11 sterling objects: learning about maker's marks, manufacturing techniques, special vocabulary, and the designs on the spoons. (I've also learned an amazing amount of trivia about state/city municipal monuments.) Add in another half-dozen hours for one spoon (300356515288) that was probably bought by (or given to) my great-great-grandfather as he left Bremen in 1880 for the U.S. I've put up a few posts on a sterling collector's board to learn more about that, as well as a type of sterling silverware called a "baby food pusher" (300356519005) that was used by my great-great-grandmother with my great-grandmother. I spent way too much time squinting through a lighted high-power magnifying glass.

Photos took about an hour total. Composing each listing was about 30 minutes.

The RAM and the graphics card took a grand total of 30 minutes each, from photos to listing. When the RAM went up on Craigslist I got a call in 20 minutes. The buyer picked them up a half-hour later.

Mailing has been the easy part. The spoons are under the USPS $1.05 rate, so I've just been putting them in a bubble-wrap mailing envelope and sticking them in the mailbox. For the heavier graphics card and the Jamaican coins, our post office has a self-serve kiosk so I don't stand in line. It's also 10 minutes away from our house and I usually combine it with my errands. If I'd been even lazier I would have used USPS.com, printed out my own labels, and paid a couple extra bucks for pickup. So I'd say that I've spent a total of an hour on mailing. If I had bigger/heavier objects then I'd just use USPS.com to print out labels, pack the stuff in their free priority mail boxes, and request a carrier pickup. That's a LOT easier than it used to be.

So call it 27 hours to date, with probably another 1-2 hours to go for the final pack & wrap. If I net $135 then it's $5/hour.

Keep in mind that I'm doing eBay in the most arduous manual-labor manner possible. The power sellers focus on a few specialty categories that they know very well, so listings take less research/composition time. Depending on their merchandise they might not even need to take new photos. Listings can be automated, or extended with "Buy It Now" pricing. Much of the money handling can also be automated. So the more serious sellers have invested a lot of up-front time (and $, and website code) to later be able to churn a tremendous volume of merchandise with little additional effort.

I've read a number of eBay books and researched a lot of sellers' experiences. I did a ton of buyer's research when I was looking for cheap photovoltaic panels, and now I have some seller's experience too. I've learned enough about the eBay process to know that I don't care to spend the time on it. I enjoyed the research, learned a little more about my heritage, had fun with the selling, kept stuff out of the landfill, and now I've reached my entertainment quota. Whatever doesn't sell this week I'll probably donate to Goodwill.
 
The first few listings I did took me forever and the pictures were awful . Luckily I now have it down pat . I usually list about twenty to thirty items and it takes me about three hours . I do try to find multiples of the same item which makes the listing go faster . It is definitely not for everyone . When I was a little girl I was always setting up shops and selling things so this is my childhood dream revisited but instead of selling koolaid pops I sell party dresses and pencil skirts .
 
Nords,
Many thanks for the detailed accounting--far more than I expected. It does confirm what I had kinda figured--that unless there is an "entertainment" quotient to it and you want to continue it as an avocation, the returns from E-baying are not the path to high returns.
When we downsized, we did use Craig's List and Freecycle to move merchandise, mostly larger household goods like a freezer and garage door opener. Personally, my minimum point for selling versus "Goodwilling" was about $75.
Do you see EBaying as part of your future time allocation? Would you do more of it if you could not surf?
Thanks again
Nwsteve
 
nwsteve said:
Do you see EBaying as part of your future time allocation?
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Nope. Too many other things in this world to see & do.

Like just about any income stream, the profits are a function of the effort. Friends spend their days at Goodwill (and their weekends cruising garage sales all over the island) buying high-end baby/toddler clothes and reselling them on eBay. They netted $25K last year, and that's even paying Hawaii's shipping costs. Another friend, an aviation enthusiast in San Diego, spends his time tracking down collectible aviation magazines and aircraft models to sell & collect on eBay. His hobby pays for itself. One of this board's inactive members, Wab, spends some of his time scarfing discount computers off Dell clearances and other websites and then reselling them on eBay for a markup. He might not even take custody of them-- he might be able to drop-ship them from Dell directly to his buyers.

eBay & Craigslist have been a great way to "clean up" and "reuse" stuff that I just hate to throw away. (I had a hard enough time getting myself to set aside those pamphlets for the library's book sale.) But if I want to make money then I have far more skills. I'd rather start my own business than be an eBay seller. Heck, I'd even have the Mint ship dollar coins to me for credit-card rebates.

nwsteve said:
Would you do more of it if you could not surf?
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Good question. I think the answer is still "nope"-- if I couldn't surf I'd devote my "new" time to other recreational activities-- even if it meant I was spending the day in physical therapy. I don't even make the time now to read as many books and watch as many movies as I could.

I donate money to a 501(c)3 called "AccesSurf Hawaii". Every month they help paraplegics & amputees across the beach (special wheelchairs or crutches) and into the surf (on specially-equipped boards or kayaks) where these guys proceed to make me feel very humble with their skills and persistence. I've watched a guy with both legs and one arm strapped to his board paddling/steering with his remaining arm (and a very attentive lifeguard). So I don't want to consider how bad I'd really need to get before I couldn't surf.

I don't know if you're already a diehard eBayer or just considering it, but Marsha Collier was the most useful author I read. All of her books are good. I also tremendously enjoyed "eBay Hacks". The coding projects in there give you an idea of just how much of your life you can devote to the business.
 
I just cleared out the family home of 71 years in a city 2500 miles from here. I can appreciate this thread. Used a contents/estate sale advertised widely, then craigslist and Kijiji. Sold collection of electronic magazines from the 50s to a dealer for $100. Two loads to Goodwill and Sallyann. Two truck loads to the dump.

I have some rare coins and bills that I will eventually sell on ebay. (Thanks.)

When I left that home for the last time, it was clear and spacious for the first time in my memory. Listed it for sale on the last Wednesday (9/23) I was in town. It sold the following Tuesday for 7% above list price. Early closing this Friday (10/16).

I had to call the phone company and cancel the number that had been the family's for 71 years. (Also sold three original black dial phones.)
 
DW's father dies awhile back, and Sister is the executor. It is going on 8 months and the house is still not up for sale. It is going to take over a year to get it ready for the estate sale. I have told DW that the cost of holding the house will out weigh what ever they will make on the estate sale. The house is a tear down. Holding cost on the house is about $600 a month.
 
kcowan said:
I just cleared out the family home of 71 years in a city 2500 miles from here. I can appreciate this thread. Used a contents/estate sale advertised widely, then craigslist and Kijiji. Sold collection of electronic magazines from the 50s to a dealer for $100. Two loads to Goodwill and Sallyann. Two truck loads to the dump.

I have some rare coins and bills that I will eventually sell on ebay. (Thanks.)

When I left that home for the last time, it was clear and spacious for the first time in my memory. Listed it for sale on the last Wednesday (9/23) I was in town. It sold the following Tuesday for 7% above list price. Early closing this Friday (10/16).

I had to call the phone company and cancel the number that had been the family's for 71 years. (Also sold three original black dial phones.)
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Ouch. That is tough, dismantling and selling 71 years of family history. At least the house sold quickly.
 
kcowan said:
I have some rare coins and bills that I will eventually sell on ebay. (Thanks.)
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A couple years ago I got great help from this discussion board on assessing an old coin: CoinTalk

It's strange. Valuable sterling souvenir spoons are supposed to be polished, and valuable silver coins are supposed to be [-]tarnished[/-] toned. Maybe one of the reasons my spoons are selling is because eBayers are buying them to clean up and resell.
 
kcowan said:
I just cleared out the family home of 71 years in a city 2500 miles from here. I can appreciate this thread. Used a contents/estate sale advertised widely, then craigslist and Kijiji. Sold collection of electronic magazines from the 50s to a dealer for $100. Two loads to Goodwill and Sallyann. Two truck loads to the dump.

I have some rare coins and bills that I will eventually sell on ebay. (Thanks.)

When I left that home for the last time, it was clear and spacious for the first time in my memory. Listed it for sale on the last Wednesday (9/23) I was in town. It sold the following Tuesday for 7% above list price. Early closing this Friday (10/16).

I had to call the phone company and cancel the number that had been the family's for 71 years. (Also sold three original black dial phones.)
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Brrr... shivers...

I don't even want to think about what will happen when my dad passes away... He is the ultimate pack rat. He found a way to accommodate his ever growing collection of stuff: build new wings to the house. He just finished building wing #4 to the Hill Billy Castle as I call it. Quite frankly I wouldn't know where to start if I ever had to clean up the place.
 
Nords said:
A couple years ago I got great help from this discussion board on assessing an old coin: CoinTalk

It's strange. Valuable sterling souvenir spoons are supposed to be polished, and valuable silver coins are supposed to be [-]tarnished[/-] toned. Maybe one of the reasons my spoons are selling is because eBayers are buying them to clean up and resell.
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This should be in the dreamed of board member thread, but last night I dreamed i was on an ebay auction site, some German auction, and the seller mentioned in his ad copy a relative going to America with a commemorative spoon (describing an old photo for sale?). In my dream I copied the auction # and got it to you Nords on the off chance that that was your Grandpa mentioned. All seemed very ordinary. I couldn't have an off-color dream about booted bbbbam? http://mylifeisaverage.com/index.php?page=12∂=year
 
Rustic23 said:
The house is a tear down. Holding cost on the house is about $600 a month.
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The time needed to deal with things is often priceless. In spite of the natural tendency to let someone else dispose of it all, the process itself provides a fair amount of closure.

Ours was also a teardown, and I asked if they would discount things much if it was still full...the answer was that it is not an option. There are companies that will come in and do it all now. But I could not live with that. I had this board consisting of Mom, Dad and Bro overseeing the process.
 
Amazing. Nearly three days left on the last lot of auctions and one of the spoons (300356522144) has been bid up to $27 with nine bids from five different bidders. It's the kind of bidding that makes me wonder if I missed something in my research. And I can't understand why they're tipping their hands by bidding now.

One bidder from Germany has entered bids on all but a silverplate spoon and a wooden display rack. (Apparently they're not concerned that I'm only offering to pay for U.S. shipping.) Some of these bidders have buyer's feedback ratings over 4000 and have won 60-140 items in the last month.

I'm not surprised to see a bunch of watchers gather during the week and then start a bidding frenzy in the auction's final five minutes. However I don't understand this group's behavior. Of the seven items that have bids, five of them have at least four bids. I can only imagine what Sunday afternoon/evening is going to look like. Although for the German bidder it's going to be more like 1 AM Monday, and I'm not looking forward to calculating shipping costs to Germany.

I'm also surprised at the lack of feedback for the first six items I've sold. One buyer promptly gave feedback as soon as the spoon arrived in the mail, but I've heard nothing from the other five. One of them even closed his eBay account. It's not just the lack of feedback, but even no response to “your spoon is in the mail” e-mails. Maybe they're all buying so much that they can't be bothered with e-mail or feedback.

But their money's good. So far.
 
I think you have established credibility as a credible spoon supplier. This would be a big issuer, especially for bidders outside the US. It raises the point that maybe the best approach is to run a couple of auctions until you get positive feedback. Then your audience for futue auctions will be bigger and bids probably higher.
 
kcowan said:
I think you have established credibility as a credible spoon supplier. This would be a big issuer, especially for bidders outside the US. It raises the point that maybe the best approach is to run a couple of auctions until you get positive feedback. Then your audience for futue auctions will be bigger and bids probably higher.
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Orchidflower said:
Told you those spoons were collectibles...so happy for you!
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In that case I'm going to retire from this unexpected career, at the top of my game, in just 31 hours...
 
During the past year I have been buying and selling some stuff on craigslist, I think it's pretty cool. I started buying exercise equipment for my friend who was opening a training studio. Then I started gathering equipment to make my own garage workout area.

In doing that I had come across some people just selling all the equipment they had because they were moving, or needed the basement room, whatever, they sold all this equipment for pretty cheap just to get it gone. I just wanted a couple things they had, but took it all and then sold the rest back on Craigslist for more than the whole set cost in the first place. So I end up with a profit plus the stuff I wanted was free, haha. Since then I have bought a lot more sets of stuff, and kept what I wanted and sold the rest and have now come out ahead by several k.

This works for me because I've had the whole summer off work because of my shoulder surgery, so I can be the first person to see the ad and then can show up at any time the seller would want me to. Once I've bought the stuff there is no effort required to sell it at all except knowing what people will respond to in an ad and knowing the sweet spot for selling price that makes people respond quickly.

I'll have to post a picture when I get everything in my garage set up the way I like it.
 
The auctions are over, and I've grossed $196.66. Once the rest of the payees straggle in, and after fees+mailing supplies/expenses, I'll probably net about $160.

All that's left is a Heinz 57 collectible spoon (silver plate, not sterling) and the wooden rack. (I think they'll make a lovely Goodwill donation.) I'm a bit surprised that there was no sniping on any of these auctions.

The bidder whose profile says he's from Germany won three spoons, so although the mailing expenses are a lot higher I'll still be able to save by combining shipping. But I'll probably have to take a trip up to the post office for that one. I'll have a better feel for it when I have his mailing address... and his money.

One bidder spent $37 for a spoon that matched the rest of their silver pattern. They had to beat out four others through 14 bids, but they got what they wanted.

Spouse is impressed that a spoon could bring that much-- she's going through her drawer of "wedding gifts that haven't seen daylight in 23 years".
 
Wonderful, Nords! Had you thrown all of that out, as I innocently suggested, you would have ended up with $0 instead of $160 profit. Also, you would not have had learned how to sell on E-Bay, and that sounds like fun.

Congratulations! :clap:
 
I knew those spoons would sell one at a time...nice return on those spoons, Nords! And thanks for an entertaining series on your experiences selling on eBay.
 
Nords said:
.

The bidder whose profile says he's from Germany won three spoons, so although the mailing expenses are a lot higher I'll still be able to save by combining shipping. But I'll probably have to take a trip up to the post office for that one. I'll have a better feel for it when I have his mailing address... and his money.

".
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Those three spoons should fit perfectly in a priority flat rate small box. Depending on the cost you will need either the small green form or the larger form for customs .

Congratulations ,you did well for being a new seller .
 
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