Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Recent Ebay Sales - 10/30

My heart goes out to all of those dealing with Hurricane Sandy. My family is without power on Long Island. Thankfully here in West-Central PA, we have power and (so far!) no snow. Just about 20 minutes from us received snow and we didn't want to have to deal with that so soon in the season. 

My ebay sales have soared over the last few days so I am just going to post a few things that did fairly well. 

1. St. John Collection navy jacket, sold for $140. I am always on the look out for St. John pieces.

2. Barnes & Nobles Nook, sold for $108. We actually purchased this a few months ago for my husband. He recently upgraded his cell phone to an awesome smart phone and didn't need this any more. 

3. St. John navy pants, sold for $56. They perfectly matched the jacket above but I listed them separately. St. John almost always does better when you list the pieces separately.

4. Express gray pants & jacket suit, sold for $52. 

5. Tahari by Arthur S. Levine red skirt & jacket suit, sold for $50.  I loved this suit!

6. New Coldwater Creek dark pink jacket, sold for $50. 

7. Dale of Norway wool sweater, sold for $40. 

8. Chico's Travelers tank, sold for $41. I originally listed this piece with a buy it now of $27. I realized I had a TON of watchers within the first hour and pulled the buy it now price. I am not sure why this went so high. It could be the size ("3" - the largest size) or the animal print. 

9. J. Crew bubble skirt, sold for $40. 

10. New J. Jill floral jacket, sold for $35.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Recent Ebay Sales - 10/25

Yesterday I went thrifting for the first time since my knee surgery. I only went to one store and did pretty well. I am going to shop again today. I currently have over 400 items for sale between the two ebay IDs. 

I had a friend ask me why I pick brands like Ann Taylor and Talbots. The only reason is that is what my thrifts offer. If my thrifts had better brands, I would be picking them up! 

My average sale is for about $20-$25 and my average piece costs $4 to purchase at the thrift. This allows me for a $10-$15 average profit per piece (about ebay/paypal fees & taxes).

Yesterday I purchased 30 pieces at the thrift in the morning and then listed those same pieces later in the day. So for one (long) day's work, I would make about $300-$450 (if everything sold). Of course not everything will sell so I will realistically make $200-$250 for one day's work. 

Here are a few things that sold within the last two days.

1. Anthropologie Odille skirt, sold for $27.

2. Talbots dark red skirt suit, sold for $25.

3. Ann Taylor wrap dress, sold for $17. 

4. Talbots navy blue skirt suit, sold for $17. This sold for a bit less due to my lack of photos. I just realized I only included one photo in the listing (oops!). More photos usually equal more money. 

5. Willi Smith long houndstooth skirt, sold for $20. 

6. I purchased this skirt based on the pattern. It is by Linea Domani and sold for $15. 

7. Luella for Target bubble dress, sold for $33. 

8. Coldwater Creek silk skirt, sold for $27. Sold within minutes of listing! 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Recent Ebay Sales

I was on bed rest Friday & Saturday and then moved to the couch yesterday. My knee is doing fairly well and I am hobbling around house. My poor hubby was called Saturday morning by my father-in-law. He said "I have spilled a gallon of paint, could you come over?". After getting changed into his 'paint clothes', he went over. Turns out my F-I-L not only spilled paint but fell as well. The hubby took him to the ER and was up there all day Saturday. The F-I-L checked out okay and is now home. His eye is completely swollen shut, he has a knot on his head and has some gorgeous bruising happening.

I have had some decent sales recently as well as some sales that reflect my "I want to get rid of stuff" attitude. Here is some stuff that sold: 

1. Ann Taylor LOFT black skirt, sold for $19.

2. Ralph Lauren silk floral skirt, sold for $22. 

3. Edme & Esyllte from Anthropologie skirt, sold for $19.

4. J. Jill denim applique skirt, sold for $20. 

5. Chico's geisha print top, sold for $50. 

6. Talbots wrap skirt, sold for $20. 

7. Koi scrub top, sold for $15 (within minutes of listing!) 

8. Talbots purple velvet jacket, sold for $25 (within minutes of listing!)

9. Calvin Klein pants suit, sold for $42. 

10. Shamask top, sold for $22. This top had a Bergdorf Goodman label in it. I had never heard of Shamask. 

11. Michael Simon angora lounge pants, sold for $23. 

12. Belkin dual band wireless range extender, sold for $42. 

13. My hubby's old cell phone - Sprint LG Rumor Touch, sold for $60. 

14. White House Black Market dress, sold for $18. 

15. Talbots teal corduroy jacket, sold for $18. 

16. Dressbarn cocktail dress, sold for $18. 

17. Jones New York cocktail dress, sold for $25. 

18. A cashmere sleeveless turtleneck, sold for $20. The label was from "Mariele Waithe" which I had never heard of. My phone wasn't working so I couldn't look up the label. But it was cashmere so I took a chance.

19. Laundry by Shelli Segal skirt, sold for $20. This brand has almost no following on ebay. It helped that the tag says the retail price was $175. 

20. Coldwater Creek skirt, sold for 27. 

21. Talbots red cardigan sweater, sold for $15. 

22. Lilly Pulitzer cableknit sweater, sold for $20. 

23. Calvin Klein dress, sold for $25. 

24. Quacker Factory ugly Christmas sweater, sold for $25. 

25. J. Crew wool/cashmere skirt, sold for $28.

I also sold about 15 other items that were discounted between $10-$12. I use the "markdown manager" that ebay offers their store owners. I use it to mark down items around 30-35%. It helps me get rid of some stuff and I still make money.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Successful Surgery



Yesterday I had surgery to fix a torn meniscus in my left knee. This was the second surgery on this knee this year. My first surgery fixed a Plica band and removed some scar tissue. 

Several months after the first surgery I was walking/jogging in Florida and something happened. I could barely walk. I am assuming this is when I tore the meniscus. 

An MRI confirmed that I tore it and my surgery was yesterday. The doctor said the tear was worse than expected and my meniscus was torn 75%.


I am on bed rest for the next two days and then will use crutches for awhile. 

I have to say that so far this surgery has been easier for me than the last surgery. I am not sure why since this was a larger surgery. But I feel pretty good (that may be the pain meds talking!). I have been up this morning to do basic stuff and am now typing from bed. 


My favorite part of yesterday ... While I was signing in at registration, a nurse stopped me and asked if I was old enough to sign by myself! Ha. That would mean she thought I was under 18. I am 32 years old. Now I realize I look younger without make-up but I don't think I look THAT young. Anyway...she made my day. 

I cannot take a shower for another 3 days and so I get to look at my doctor's signature in purple marker until then. 


A huge thank you for all the thoughts & prayers!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Craft: Tissue Paper Pom-Pom Flowers

I stole this idea from the most recent Better Homes & Gardens magazine. It is a simple & easy alternative to a bow on top of a present.

Step 1: Gather the supplies. You will need atleast two pieces of tissue paper, a needle and thread and a pair of scissors. You may also want a glass to trace a circle. 


Step 2: Cut the tissue paper into squares. I used a 6" square for the larger flower and 4" for the smaller. I used about 20 squares for each flower.

  
 Step 3: Cut the squares into circles. I did this by folding the squares in half. You could also trace a glass or another circle. I did mine free hand and it worked well. 



Step 5: Thread your needle and double knot the end. Push it through the layers of tissue paper and then back through. Knot the end and tape over both knots. 

 
Step 6: Cut into the circle at regular intervals. I used 8 cuts



Step 7: Start to pull the "petals" up towards the center. As I went, I twisted the entire flower a bit so the petals stayed up. Twist gently so you don't rip the tissue paper.

Step 8: Add to a package!