Yo Gabba Gabba Inflatable Christmas Sleigh Scene

I have a hunch that these will be very hot sellers after Thanksgiving as people start decorating for Christmas. I have had great success in the past buying Gemmy Airblown Inflatables when they are marked down on clearance after the holidays and reselling them. I am taking a shot on these now at full price.

As of right now these are only sold for retail at Home Depot. I have noticed that many HD stores are sold out when you try to do an in store pickup. List price is $79.98 each. They are already listed on Amazon for $139.00. I except these numbers to go up in late November. If not HD offers a 90 day return policy. So if you can spare some cash up front you might want to take a shot on these.

As always do your own research before making a decision.

Good Luck,

John Paul

Rite Aid After Christmas Deals

What to sell on eBay at Christmas Time

To List or Not To List During The Holidays

Get Those Ugly Christmas Sweaters Ready

I write about this every year, so start planning now if you want to make some extra money for the Holidays. The best way to make money on eBay during Christmas time is to know what the hot products will be for shoppers. It is usually a few new items every year. In 2008 it was the Nintendo Wii or the Snuggie Blanket. In 2009 it was the Zhu Zhu Pets. But there is one item that is searched for year after year on eBay and that is Ugly Christmas Sweaters.

The term ugly Christmas sweater is always one of the most popular on search engines during the Holiday season. Likewise those searches will lead people to eBay, to find the tackiest sweaters out there. Colorful green and red sweaters with Christmas themes like snowmen, reindeer and elf's will bring in top dollar on eBay. Why are these items so hot?

The main reason people buy these sweaters is to wear them to Holiday office parties. A lot of companies give prizes to the employee who shows up in the ugliest Christmas sweater.

So now is the time to look for them at thrift stores and gargae sales. Or even make them yourself. The uglier the better. Just find some gently used sweaters (cardigans are popular at thrift stores and red or green would be perfect) and add christmas items to the sweater. The sweaters that typically do the best have ornaments hanging off them, or light up. If you are creative and have the time you can make some good money. It's best to start listing these in November because Holiday parties can start in early December and if you wait longer then list them as Buy It Now.

Good Luck
John Paul

Past Christmas Related Blog Posts
What to sell on eBay at Christmas Time

To List or Not to List During the Holidays

Holiday time is friends and family time!
Holiday time is giving time and Holiday time is also eBay listing and selling time!

My Holiday time suggestions are:

• If you have a house full of friends and family, put the eBay store on vacation settings or add a note to the listings and/or header something like: Happy Holidays from our Home to Yours! We will not be shipping from December 21st through December 26th.  However, feel free to continue to shop and keep in mind all items will ship out on Monday December 27th. Merry Christmas to all!

• If you don't have a houseful and have time to list items on eBay then GO FOR IT! I am a firm believer that the shoppers are there on Christmas Day, New Years Day and all major holidays! Not everyone celebrates and I've actually had great sales on Christmas Day with less competition because most people THINK they should not have items end during this time and I feel it is one of the best times!  Once year I did $1,200.00 in eBook sales on Christmas Eve (that was back in the day when we could sell digital delivery. How I miss those days!) 

• In all my years of experience with selling on eBay (13 years) as a "treasure hunt seller" I've made more money in January then in any other month. Now is the time to get those collectibles listed and run them as a buy it now with make an offer for 30 days.

The Holidays are yours! It is YOUR TIME TO SHINE!

Bottom line, however you decide to spend your time during the holidays, make the best of it. With family, friends or buying/selling on eBay. Either way enjoy what you do and APPRECIATE your holiday time!

Merry Christmas from Vitamin eBay

Thank you for visiting my blog. Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday season. Enjoy a few days off and then let's get ready to make some serious money on eBay in 2010.

John Paul

Thrift Store Items 2 Sell - Christmas Collectibles

If you have been out thrifting lately you might have noticed a lot of Christmas related items for sale. You will find some good items if you look through all the items and have a little patience. A good cell phone with eBay software helps out greatly. Good thrift finds are Inflatable lawn decorations, Hallmark ornaments (with box) and Department 56 Village Houses (with box).

Here is a recent example of one of my completed Christmas Thrift Store Finds.

I purchased the candle holder for $5.99 and listed it as a Buy It Now for $39.99 which is a great option around the holidays. I find people shopping on eBay are more free with their money around the Holidays. They don't want to be outbid at the last second. This same item from a different seller went unsold at auction for $9.99.

Good Luck

John Paul

eBay up for Auction - 2 Night Stay at A Christmas Story House

I caught this a little late but this you can win a 2 night stay in the actual house that A Christmas Story was filmed back in 1983. Here is the auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200410691264

A Christmas Story items are hot sellers around the holidays especially replicas of the leg lamp from the movie. Keep an eye out for markdowns of these items right before and after Christmas. You can resell these items on eBay throughout the year. I have done this with great success in years past.

John Paul

Cyber Monday Deals

I hope you are taking advantage of those Cyber Monday deals. Don't forget before you start buying online to sign up at Big Crumbs below to earn money back on all of your online purchases including eBay.




Check out this article for some helpful advice on what to sell on eBay during the holidays.

John Paul

Hold on to your Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters

OK, if you are lucky enough to have some Zhu Zhu Hamsters HOLD ON TO THEM. Last week you could use the Buy It Now feature on eBay for a set of 4 for $79.99. Now the cheapest one listed is for $123.99 and they are selling fast at that price. Here is another reason you might want to wait to list them on eBay.

Starting Nov. 16th most of the Zhu Zhu pets sold on Amazon will not be up there which will drive the demand up and turn more buyers to eBay. Here is the part of the e-mail that I received from Amazon where I sold most of the Zhu Zhu hamsters that I had. I bet most people selling the Zhu Zhu hamsters are small sellers and do not meet these requirements.

• Merchant’s first sale on Amazon.com must be prior to 09/16/2009 (sale does not need to be Toy-specific)
  
• Merchant must have processed and shipped at least 25 orders (do not need to be Toy-specific) during the 60 consecutive days preceding 11/1/2009
  
• No greater than 1% short term defect rate as of 11/1/2009
  
• No greater than 2.5% pre-fulfillment cancel rate for the trailing 30-days preceding 11/1/200(
  
• No greater than 5% late shipment rate for the trailing 30-days preceding 11/1/2009:

Last Friday my local Toys R Us store was stacked with them and all the accessories, then they were told to take them down and only sell 1 hamster per person to the first 50 people on Saturday. I don't get it, they change up every week and each store is different with there policies. But if you can find them now, you might want to wait a while before you list them on eBay.

Here is a helpful article about what to sell on eBay around Christmas time.

Good Luck
John Paul

Find Out What eBay Buyers Really Want

Hot eBay Tip For Christmas 2009 ~ Pleo Dinosaur ~

Pleo an interactive robotic dinosaur is another hot toy for Christmas 2009. Add it to the list along with the Zhu Zhu hampsters so far.

Here is a way to make some cash from it. It is selling for $151.oo on QVC.com. Compare that to $199 and up on eBay or better yet $215.00+ on Amazon. So if you hurry you can make a few bucks reselling them.

It is actually selling for $349.00 at Target.
John Paul

Hot eBay Item for Christmas 2009 Zhu Zhu Hamsters

OK, if you haven't heard by now this is the hot toy for Christmas 2009. Sold out online at Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart.
So check around your local stores mentioned above. Check Craigslist and Kijiji.com, you never know maybe you'll get lucky before everybody else catches on.

Good Luck!!!
John Paul