Thrift Store Item 2 Sell - Men's Ties

I have recently started browsing through ties at the Thrift Store. I use to think that the ties were just a waste of time and a real pain because half of ties would usually slide off the rack on to the floor as I was looking for the labels on the backs of the tie.

But when you think about it most ties can be had for less than $1.99 or $.99 on half price days at the Salvation Army. My thrift store goal is to make at least a $5.00 profit on each eBay sale. So you figure after fees you would need to sell a tie for at least $8.00 depending on the purchase price.

A few pictures plus measuring the length and width of the tie and you are all set to list. Ties are easy to ship using USPS first class mail (less than $2.00 for under 4oz using a small mailer). Shipping internationally will be very inexpensive as well. So there is not much work in packaging the tie and shipping it. Overall very easy to work with ties.

OK so here is what you have been waiting for.

WHAT TIES ARE WORTH BUYING AT THE THRIFT STORE?

Obviously if you see a Hermes or Louis Vuitton tie grab it and send me a percentage of the sale because you hit the jackpot, but chances are that will not be a common occurrence. So here are some brands that you might find at your local Thrift Store.

• Thomas Pink
• Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead)
• Beatles (yes the British Band)
• Calvin and Hobbes (yes the newspaper comic strip)
• Canali
• Vineyard Vines
• Rush Limbaugh
• Ralph Lauren Polo (equestrian and polo bear designs)

I would start the auctions at $7.99 with no reserve and hopefully you will get lucky and get some interest and have the ties go in the $20-$40 range. But still at $7.99 you made a small profit which is better than no profit.

Thanks and Good Luck!!!

John Paul

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

I just received an e-mail from PayPal that a New Item Not Received Dispute Case was opened.

It was opened by a buyer in Taiwan and the item was paid for exactly 8 days ago. What a joke!!! Now the funds are on hold by PayPal. And it gets even better the buyer opened this case after it took him a week to pay for the item.

The item was shipped first class international which even the Postal Service can not give an exact arrival time. According to the USPS website the estimated arrival time varies for first class internationl mail.

With eBay buyers getting away with whatever they want these days (see above for all the sales I lost in the last month because of non-paying bidders under just one of my eBay names) Why should they care? They won't receive negative feedback.

I guess the only solution for items being shipped outside the U.S. is to ship them via Priority Mail International so you can track the item. Though it is far more expensive and will lead to fewer international sales, it might be the our only protection against future disputes and negative feedback.

I still do not get why eBay does not automatically leave negative feedback to non paying bidders. If it a serious reason then the buyer should show proof why they can not pay. I have heard the excuse that my kid went under my account name and bid on this item without my consent already 3 times this year.

John Paul

Best Thrift Store Find for the Month of May 2009.

After a nice month of thrift store sales with quite a few netting a $50.00 profit, it looks like my best find of the month was:

Item cost $9.99

Winning bid $81.00

Fees $7.48

Total Profit $63.53

Not Too Bad. I had never heard of Rag and Bone and I took a chance on a pair of Rag and Bone jeans that I found at a thrift store when I saw that they were handmade. The jeans sold very well. I thought finding another Rag and Bone item would be rare, but then I came across this blazer and now I am $63.53 richer.

Each month I will post my best Thrift Store find during that month. So stay tuned to find out which items you should never pass up...

John Paul

Auctiva is No Longer Free Starting in July

eBay auction software company Auctiva will no longer offer it's free auction management services starting in July. I currently use Auctiva, but will have to look elsewhere at the end of June. I think the fees are a little too high. I can understand a monthly fee, but when they start charging fees per listing as well it just becomes too much money for a small business. eBay and PayPal fees are already enough for me.

Here are the 5 different Auctiva pricing plans

• High-Volume Seller

$24.95 month, 1.75% transaction fee, no listing fee, (max fees $250.00/month)

• Professional Seller

$34.95 month, $.12 listing fee, no transaction fee, (max fees $250.00/month)

• Big-Ticket Seller

$14.95/month, $.22 listing fee, no transaction fees

• Part-Time Seller

$9.95/month, $.06 listing fees, 1.00% transaction fees

• No Monthly Fee Plan

no monthly fee, $.12 listing fee, 1.25% transaction fees

I would like to hear what services other eBayers use as I look for a new one. Post in the comments section. I really only know of The Seller Sourcebook which is $8.00/month. That is probably the front runner right now, but I will check into other options before July.

John Paul

Thrift Store Item - Vintage Sports T-Shirts

Vintage Professional Sports T-Shirts are great Thrift Store Finds to resell on eBay. As summer approaches everybody wants to look cool in their tight fitting retro tees. T-Shirts usually sell between .99-$2.99 at thrift stores and if you go on half price days JACKPOT!!!!!

Look for vintage team logo shirts and character shirts (jordan, griffey, larry bird, etc.) Championship shirts (for example 1986 Mets, 1991 Bulls) are great sellers.

***You have to be careful with t-shirts, if the material is thin make sure the staples that hold the price tag on the shirt did not cause a hole*** Sometimes it is hard to tell until you get home but it is worth the risk.

As with all thrift store items especially t-shirts check them over 2-3 times before you buy. Check under the arm pits and near the neck for rips.

Check out some of these completed listings. And remember if you find some great vintage sports shirts let me know so I can post about your finds and I will take 50% of all profits for the tip. Just Kidding.

John Paul

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Wholesale Site of the Month ~ May 2009 ~

Each month I will feature a new wholesale site for quality merchandise to resell on eBay.

The wholesale site of the month for May 2009 is

Trevco Inc.

Trevco sells licensed apparel for lines such as Batman, Superman, and Star Trek. Keyword here being Star Trek.
Did you hear the opening Box Office record numbers for Star Trek this past weekend. Star Trek is hot and Trevco has a great line of Star Trek Licensed T-Shirts with over 100 different Star Trek styles alone. The Star Trek uniform shirt as shown below is a safe bet. As always due your e-bay research by checking out past auctions or even better use Terapeak Price Report.

Good Luck

John Paul

Item to Buy on eBay - $15 UPS Coupon from Staples

Here's a good item to buy on eBay if you ship packages using UPS.

Members of the Staples Reward Premier Program (those who spend over $1,000/year at Staples) recently received 1 Free UPS Shipping Coupon up to $15.00 in the mail. Of course they are showing up on eBay. This is a great deal if you use them for some of your heavier UPS packages. They are selling for around $5.00 on eBay usually with Free Shipping or $1.00 shipping at most. So if you have something that costs over $10.00 to ship you can make a few extra bucks on your shipping costs. Or you can offer free Shipping on a heavier item and drive more traffic to your eBay Listing.
The coupon doesn'texpire until 12/31/09 so you have plenty of time to use them.

John Paul