Ralph Lauren - Double RL (RRL)

The Ralph Lauren Company is made up of a variety of brands, the first was Polo launched in 1967. Other brands include the Purple Label, Black Label, Ralph Lauren Golf and many more. The moust sought after Ralph Lauren brand on eBay is the Double RL brand (RRL). The clothing line for males only is mostly western wear and very rugged. It is inspired by Ralph's massive ranch in Telluride, CO.

RRL is only sold in RRL stores and select high end Ralph Lauren boutiques. The prices are very high so this is not an item you will find very easily, but I have had some luck especially recently as shown by my recent RRL completed auctions. Spent about $60.00 total on these items, not a bad profit as I made back my original investment with the sale of 1 pair of jeans. (click on the pictures for a larger view)

Something to be aware of if you find a pair of RRL jeans. A lot of the jeans are meant to look worn and distressed. So if you find a pair with holes or even dirt spots on it they were probably meant to be that way. So don't pass them up because you think they are damaged, trust me they will sell.

Here are some of my previous Ralph Lauren Posts. (If you are only going to view one link check out the March 2011 sale of a RL jacket)

Thrift Store Find of the Month March 2010

Thrift Store Find of the Month March 2011

2010 Ralph Lauren Winter Olympic Knit Hats

Good Luck

John Paul

Save Up To 60% On Terapeak - Sale Ends 2/24/11

This is a great deal and if you are serious about being sucessful on eBay you need Terapeak.

Hurry Sale ends tommorow 2/24/11 at midnight. Click the Terapeak box below to sign up. This is one of my favorite eBay tools. A MUST HAVE.. I know this was a short post, but I didn't want to take up too much of your time with the sale ending soon.

Thrift Store Find of the Month - September 2010

My first attempt at selling records was a good one. I had wrapped up my visit at the Thrift Store and as I was walking out the door, out of the corner of my eye I saw a Beatles Album. There were a bunch of them, so I took a shot at $1.00 each.


17 sold for $104.72

A nice little profit of $87.72 before fees.

I also purchased (2) Guns N' Roses Records for $1.00 each


They sold for $28.99 & $20.50 individually.

Some Tips:

• Ship records in the USA via USPS Media Mail.
• Invest in some boxes specifically made to ship records. They are a pain to ship if you don't have the right box size. This looks like a pretty good deal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LP-VINYL-RECORD-MAILER-BOX-50-PK-SCRAPBOOK-PICTURES-/300476156695?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f5c64b17

If you want to learn more about Selling Records on eBay you should join us over at Virtual Online Learning We will be having an online meet-up this Thursday Evening Oct. 7th at 8 pm Eastern time about selling records on eBay. So far there are about 30 people attending, so you know you will learn a thing or two.

Good Luck,

John Paul

My Top 10 Thrift Store Shopping Tips

The final post of the day #5. Bad weather in NYC, my wife was stuck in traffic for over 3 hours and we have a 4 month old so I am just getting this post up in time.

Here is a list of my Top 10 Thrift Store Shopping Tips:

1. Download an eBay application to your cell phone. You will come across thousands of brands that you have never heard of and you will have a hunch that it will be a good seller. It's important to be able to check eBay completed items right on the spot to see if it is worth buying. Most thrift stores do not accept returns.
2. Check the kid’s section for adult clothing. I have found so many high end Women’s jeans in the kids section because they look so small. Also a good section to look for cycling jerseys and vintage t-shirts that may have shrunk over time. Plus it doesn’t hurt to find a pair of True Religion kid’s jeans.
3. Bring a tape measure with you. It is important to be able to measure jeans. Jeans with a longer inseam are more sought after. Unless it is really high end pair (example True Religion) try and stay with an inseam of 30” and over.
4. Check the items that you are interested in near a window before buying. If you look at the clothing in natural daylight you will have a better chance of seeing stains especially on dark color clothing.
5. Make yourself aware of half price days. This is a no brainer. Most thrift stores will offer a half price day or a half off that color tag for the day.
6. Ship clothing items in tear proof poly mailers. You will save on the weight if you use these instead of using a box. You can purchase them in bundles on eBay for around .12 each. It is a good investment.
7. If possible ship jeans domestically in priority flat rate envelopes. It will lessen the shipping costs for people who live on the opposite coast then you.
8. Visit websites like HonestForum.com to familiarize yourself with high end brands. You will definitely come across knockoff items. If you know what to look for you will limit the chances that you purchase a fake item. Also check out the reviews and guides section of eBay for advice.
9. Do not mix business with pleasure. If you are going to be serious about reselling thrift store items on eBay, do not start shopping for yourself while at the store. Set a goal and go for it.
10. Be Patient. You will have some down days, but trust me the longer you do this and the more you learn you will eventually be flying through the racks finding items that will bring you good money.

BONUS TIP

You might want to start a new eBay user id to sell your thrift store finds. Make it a clothing only store and you will get a good following if you offer unique items and offer great service. Offer incentives for repeat buyers like free shipping or a discount off their next purchase.

Good Luck

John Paul

Thrift Store Item 2 Sell - Dinnerware

Every thrift store in my area always has a bunch of dinnerware items in stock. I admit it is not the first area I go to when I walk into a Thrift Store, but I have been ending my visits in that section and have come across some great finds. I have added pictures of some of those finds below.

Plates are usually just stacked in bunches so it takes some time to carefully look through the plates because you don't want to be that person who breaks something because you know every body in the store will turn to look at you. Dinnerware items are usually marked on the bottom. This is where you have to be prepared by researching before you go or by using your eBay app on your cell phone.

A few names you should look for are Fire-King, Fiestaware, Russel Wright. Sometimes you just need to take a shot on something that looks unique to you. I did some researching of my own and found this auction to be interesting. That is an idea of something you might never think of if you saw it but why not take a shot.

Here are those completed items that I found thrifting. Great profit as these items were between .99-$2.99 each.
Good Luck,

John Paul

Thrift Store Find of the Month - July 2010

ILLY COLLECTION Set of 6 Demitasse Cups

Purchased for $9.99
Sold for $128.50

Good Luck

John Paul

Cell Phone Find of the Week #10

Lexmark Ink Cartridge
Purchased for $9.99
Sold for $104.40
Total profit after eBay fees: $84.25

Send me your interesting thrift store finds even if it was an item featured on my blog. I will post them and include a link to your eBay store. So, you will get a little free advertising.

Good Luck

John Paul

Cell Phone Find of the Week # 9

Purchased for $1.99
Sold for $31.56
Profit after eBay fees $25.39 (2.5x my goal of $10.00 profit per item)

I love to find items other than clothing at thrift stores. Here are a few of my other non-clothing finds from the past that did really well..

http://vitaminebay.blogspot.com/2009/12/thrift-store-items-2-sell-christmas.html

http://vitaminebay.blogspot.com/2009/10/thrift-store-item-2-sell-french.html

http://vitaminebay.blogspot.com/2009/11/thrift-store-find-of-month-oct-2009.html

Good Luck

John Paul

If you look at eBay as your business or you own your own business, you might want to check out http://www.1saleaday.com/ deal of the day for 5/10/10. INC. magazine for $2.99 a year. You can't beat that deal and it's a good read to help find new ways to grow your business.

Cell Phone Find of the Week #8

Marlboro Classics Leather Belt

Purchased for $1.99
Sold for $23.48
Profit after eBay fees $$18.01 (almost doubled my goal of $10.00 profit per item)

I almost passed up on this one. I have never checked the belt display rack before and as I was leaving the thrift store the belt buckle caught my eye. I proceeded to checkout and when I got to my car, I decided to run a search on my cell phone for Marlboro Classic Belts.

I found that these belts were not big sellers in the U.S. but new ones are listed on the eBay U.K. site and they retail for £145. So I went back into the store and took a shot. And guess where the winning bidder lives? The United Kingdom.

If you are not shipping internationally, you are missing out on millions of potential buyers. 15-20% of my sales are overseas. People in Europe & Asia love vintage clothing and American brand jeans.

Good Luck,

John Paul

Cell Phone Find of the Week #7

Cliff Engle Super Bowl Sweater
Purchased for $2.99
Sold for $29.99
Total Profit after fees $21.45 (doubled my goal of $10.00 profit per item) If you are unfamiliar with Cliff Engle, run an eBay search. He is poupular for his vintage sports sweaters that were popular in the 1980s. For all you Bears fans out there Mike Ditka use to wear a Chicago Bears Engle sweater on the sidelines.

So if you find one at a thrift store be sure to pick it up.

Good Luck

John Paul

Cell Phone Find of the Week #6

Duff Beer Simpson's Work Shirt:

-Purchased for $1.99

-Sold for $26.73

-Total Profit after Fees: $21.23 (meets my $10.00 profit per item x2)

I would of def. passed on this shirt if I didn't quickly research using my eBay Android App on my cell phone. Luckily I found 1 completed auction and it sold in the high teens so I purchased it.

Good Luck

John Paul

Cell Phone Find of the Week #4 & #5

I didn't post a new Cell Phone Find of the Week last Monday, I was really busy the week of April 29 (cut me some slack i am expecting my first child in May =+0) so I am posting 2 finds for this week. My goal will still be 52 finds for the year, so even if I miss a week I will still get 52 new items out their to my readers which adds up to 1 a week.

If you are unfamiliar with the Cell Phone Find of the Week refer to my first cell phone post for all the details.

First Up: Cell Phone Find #4

Kiton Men's Dress Shirt
Purchased for $3.00
Sold for $69.00
Total Profit after all eBay Fees (spring 2010 updated) $57.72

Kiton shirts are all handmade and some retail for $800.00+ WOW!!

A nice little find for an item that was not on my Thrift Store radar. This will probably be in the running for my Thrift Store Find of the Month for April, but it's still early.

Cell Phone Find of the Week #5

J Press Men's Shirt

Purchased for $2.99

Sold for $14.50

Total Profit after eBay fees (Spring 2010 updated) $9.08

OK, so I fell a little short on my goal which I set for myself of $10.00 profit per item that i purchase at a Thrift Store. But I did learn a new name that if I come across a shirt next time I might list as Buy It Now so i know I will meet my $10.00 profit. Plus I see J Press Blazers are good sellers as well.

Good Luck

John Paul

***For More Thrift Store Finds Check out my first eBook and don't forget to join my twice monthly mailing list to the right.***

My Top 10 Thrift Store Items To Resell on eBay

Cell Phone Find of the Week #3

Evisu Men's Jeans

Purchased for $7.99

Sold for $89.88

The jeans rack is always my first stop whenever I go thrifting. I have heard of the Evisu brand before, but have never purchased a pair of their jeans. I actually used my cell phone to research the completed sales on eBay and to check the authenticity on the eBay Reviews and Guide section.

There are a lot of Evisu FAKES out there. I actually came across 3 fake pairs late last week. Since I am inexperienced when it comes to the Evisu brand, I would of passed up on them without my cell phone to make sure I was buying the real deal.

The easiest way to determine if you have a fake item while at the store is to run a google search with the words fake and the designer name you are looking at. The eBay guides section which it a great resource is usually at the top of the search results.

Good Luck

John Paul

Cell Phone Find of the Week #2

Every Monday I am going to post a sale from the previous week that if not for my cell phone to help me find while at the Thrift Store I would have probably passed on it. I just want to stress the importance of having a good eBay app. on your cell phone while shopping at a Thrift Store/Garage Sale/Consignment Pickup/etc.

VTG 1994 USA Soccer Jersey

Purchased for $4.99

Sold for $28.77

This jersey actually had a stain and 2 holes in it, but thanks to my phone I knew that 1 sold in excellent condition for $100.00+. So I figured I could make some cash off of this especially with the World Cup coming up this summer. This item passed my goal of a $10.00 profit per item.

Stay tuned to next Monday to see what I come up with next.

Good Luck

John Paul

Cell Phone Find of the Week.

I wrote a post a while back about the Android eBay Pocket Auctions App for the Motorola Droid. It is a must have if you are serious about reselling thrift store items on eBay. The main feature is the ability to check completed auctions without even signing in.

So with that said, I have decided to start a new weekly update about 1 item that I find each week thanks to the help of Pocket Auctions and the ability to be able to look it up on the spot. So I guess there is some pressure on me now to find a unique item each week, but I will now let myself or my readers down...

I would also like some reader feedback from now on. I sometimes feel like I am talking to myself here. So for those that send me e-mails about my blog THANK YOU. Start commenting so we can have a nice little Vitamin eBay following. I think I post some good tips here... not just a bunch of affiliate links to products like most of the blogs I see out there.


How about sending me some of your finds on items that you have never heard of that you hit big with on eBay. Maybe something you found at a garage sale, a thrift store, or maybe up in your attic.

Here is my first Cell Phone Find:

Vintage Viyella Wool Shirt; purchased for $2.50 at the Salvation Army (1/2 price day) Nice profit. If I can average at least a $10.00 profit after fees, I think it was a successful thrift store find....

I just knew this shirt was old and unique when I saw the label. So that is my first rare find posted here. Starting Monday 3/22 I will post a new find for the previous week...

Good Luck

John Paul

And send me some suggestions for a new title to this segment. I am not digging Cell Phone Find of the Week