Shopping for Ebay

Almost every Monday I am home I go shopping. It is a day I spend by myself and I look forward to it. I look forward to it so much it is a bit hard to sleep. Clearly I get excited a bit too easily.

Today I plan on going to two Goodwills, Target and TJ Maxx. I have a list of items I need for the house but my excitement stems from finding things to sell on ebay.

Last time I was there (two weeks ago), I found a shirt by Ivan Grundahl. Never heard of that designer? Neither had I! I purchased the top for $4.99 and sold it a few days ago for $51 on ebay. I had found four dresses for $2.50 (they were 1/2 off the original Goodwill price of $4.99) and sold them for over $25 each. After ebay & paypal fees, I mad about $17 per dress for about 20 minutes of work. This is about $50 for an hours worth of work. Obviously I cannot keep this up for 8 straight hours but if you know what sells, it is great money.

I do this regularly. Dresses are one of my favorite things to sell. I take them home, wash them and lay them flat to dry. Then I usually shake them out since I detest ironing. I put them on my dress form (I picked up the dress forms at Wal-mart a few years back) and photograph them against a plain background. My background is actually my living room wall which is a light sand color.

After listing them with measurements, I don't do anything until they sell. It takes me about 10 minutes per listing to put together the description. I have listed 60 in a day but my average is about 20 since I don't usually have stock sitting around. I list my items within a few days of getting them.

So the question is . . . what sells and where do I get it?

I find that right now is a hard time to sell on ebay. It is August and summer is almost over so summer items are discounted in the stores to next to nothing. Autumn is right around the corner but not too many people want to start shopping for it yet. Sweaters & corduroy pants are hard to buy when it is 90-100 degrees. Plus with all the "back to school" sales, ebay is a bit slow.

I usually don't list or sell too much in August as a result. September and October are great months for sweaters, lightweight jackets and of course COSTUMES! Costumes are great sellers on ebay. I pick them up throughout the year along with themed sweaters. I have two or three Halloween themed sweaters that should do well. I also pick up "ugly Christmas sweaters" throughout the year and have about 15 or so to list once November rolls around. I keep these in bins since I don't like to hang sweaters.

Where do you get these things? You truly have to look to find them. I suggest doing a simple search on-line to find thrift shops in your area. Make a visit to each to see what prices they offer and what types of things you will find. My local Goodwills have flat rate pricing. All tops are $3.99, all dresses are $4.99, etc. This is great since I know what I will be paying before I walk in the door. And some thrifts even have sales or coupons.

Here is one of the sweater vests I picked up for $1.50 (vests are $2.99 and this was 1/2 off) for a few months ago.

Okay...I better go get ready for my fun day! I'll post tomorrow what I found.