Huge eBay Sale!

Vintage Kitschy Milk Glass Mug - gotta have 'em :)

Note: In honor of this Tennessee coffee mug, here's a couple "I heart TN" songs to enjoy :)

My shoulders have been really tight over the past couple weeks, even after I went to my favorite $19 massage place (where I've realized that they act confused every time you ask for the special, and try to change your mind so you pay more money - not gonna happen). So the tight shoulders made me think about stress, made me think about clenching my teeth, made me think that I left my bite guard at home a month ago when I started housesitting, and maybe it's time for a new one. So yesterday, I bought a new one. Good work, Megan.

Some sort of whiskey + coffee recipe on the back :)

I've been really stressed about money, like constantly worrying about it, and I imagine that this has contributed to the stress I'm feeling in my upper body. I've been worried about the month of July for like six months, which is crazy, right? I've been worried that this July will be like last July, where I made like $500 and couldn't pay my bills. Well, for whatever reason (pure brilliance, perhaps?), I looked around my super-crowded apartment (on a quick trip home to send orders) and realized "Holy shit! I have a lot of stuff in here." I've been working so hard to increase the base number in my shop that I haven't really sifted through the lot to get rid of stuff that hasn't sold.

Anyhoo, I decided that July is the perfect time to have a huge sale in my eBay shop, and clear out stuff that just hasn't sold. And it's been so great! I'm getting rid of stuff. I'm getting momentum, eyes on my stuff, people browsing around. I love it! I'm realizing how necessary it is for me to clean out the attic, so to speak, to clear out my shop, my head, my body, to be willing, at least once a year, to make a change in the status quo, and grease the wheels of my gosh-darn life.

Thanks for stopping by - come again soon :)

The customer is always right.

I just completed a very large eBay purge session. I put most of my stuff up for auction, and all of the auctions began at $0.99. It was fun to watch the final twenty minutes or so. The numbers got higher a lot faster :)

I've just been getting bored of my eBay shop. I really don't know why. I think I need to do this every few months or so. It gets me excited to have space again, and just get rid of stuff. Ah...it's a good feeling.

I've decided to move all of my vintage stuff into my Etsy shop. I haven't quite figured out what specifically will be in the eBay shop when it's back to its normal volume, though.

One of the reasons for this "boredom" is the experience I've been having with eBay customers lately. I've had to suck up my pride so many times just because people want to complain. And I've learned that the only way I'm going to be successful with my business is to truly live the phrase, "The customer is always right". I never argue. I just submit. Even when the complaint is just asinine, I swallow my annoyance, and write a very nice email saying how sorry I am, and ask what I can do to make it right. Most of the time, I never receive a response.

The absolute worst is when someone never says anything, but just stews about it, then finally leaves snarky feedback months later. My new motto when I have a bad experience online is just to be honest about it, and accept what the other party has to give. For example, about a years ago, I bought a pair of pants on eBay, and they'd been hemmed very poorly and the bottom of the pants was puckered. I emailed the seller to let her know; I said I'd have to take them to have them re-altered and told her how much it would cost, and she refunded me that amount. We both thought it was fair resolution, and it was a positive experience.

Good online shopping experiences? Bad experiences? What do you do?

Reseller's Challenge Update #4

1. IKEA Brunkrissla king-sized duvet cover
2. Vintage Peanuts Needlepoint Kit-Snoopy and Woodstock
3. Vintage Peanuts Needlepoint Kit-Snoopy-The Red Baron
4. Book-Children's History of Mary Baker Eddy (1942)
5. Joseph Seibel Women's Red Leather Mary Jane Flats
6. Henri Matisse postcard lot-MOMA NYC
7. RISK game-Nostagia Series-Wooden Box
8. Vintage "Indian Maid" Taos Women's Suede Moccasins
9. Unopened box of Vintage Viceroy Canning Jar rubbers
10. Vintage Small Mirror-Ziggy-"Hello Bright Eyes"
11. Vintage Men's Loafers-Bright Yellow
12. Vintage Men's Loafers-Kelly Green
13. Four books on Amazon ($31)

Total for October:  $925.12

My goal for the month of October was $1000, and with Amazon, Etsy, and eBay, I came pretty darn close. I'm really proud of myself. Many, many thanks go out to Apron Thrift Girl for setting up the reselling challenge!

Update Nov. 5th at 2:45 pm: I just reached 100 on my eBay feedback! Holla!

Reseller's Challenge Update #3

 

1. Women's Old Navy boot-cut jeans
2. CIR-KIT Large Dollhouse Lighting/Wiring Kit
3. Linda Allard/Ellen Tracy cream wool skirt
4. Vintage Erica Wilson 1971 Finished Embroidered Animal Piece
5. Vintage Erica Wilson Crewel Embroidery Kit
6. Vintage Snoopy Skiing Peanuts Needlepoint Kit
7. Vintage Uncut Vogue Paris Original Sewing Pattern-Yves Saint Laurent
8. BYO 15" Polk-dotted Laptop Sleeve
9. Homedics Sleep Machine-Soothing Sounds-AM/FM Radio-Alarm Clock
10. Born Women's Black Leather Boots
11. Ann Taylor Red Wool Skirt
12. Unknown Designer Men's Black Italian Shoes
13. Oneida Community Butter Knife Master and 8 Spreaders
14. Nine West Women's Burgundy Button-up Sweater
15. Sofu Teshigahara Ikebana Book

Total so far for October: $674.41

Reselling Challenge Update #2

1. Svensk Chocolate brown suede wooden clogs 2. Stretch & Sew peasant dress/skirt pattern 3. Stretch & Sew shorts and slacks pattern
4. Stretch & Sew basic dress pattern 5. Vintage Peanuts crewel kit-"Snoopy and Flag" 6. Vintage Peanuts crewel kit-"Secretaries" 7. New Peanuts cross-stitch kit-"Chocolate Chip" 8. New Peanuts cross-stitch kit-"Being Together" 9. Lacoste Men's canvas sneakers

Total so far for October: $288.22

Reselling Challenge Update

1. Lot of Barbie clothing

2. Vintage Pendleton wool skirt

3. Stretch & Sew men's "action" jackets pattern

4. Stretch & Sew women's t-shirt and cardigan patterns

5.  Vintage women's lace bloomers

6. Audubon bird prints

7. "Vogue Career" Anne Klein II sewing pattern

8. Earth "Cachet" women's loafers, black leather

9. Vintage Geoffrey Beene Casuals plaid, pleated skirt

Total so far for October: $191. 90

How do you feel about Bartering?

In white US culture, it is uncomfortable to barter. We'd rather pay full price than accept the shame that comes with admitting that we'd prefer to pay less. We'd rather go to another store entirely than request special treatment. Bartering is shameful. Bartering is for poor people who don't have enough money to pay full price. That's why the local flea market is only filled with Mexicans and Hmongs, right? Imagine how your skin would crawl if you walked into a place with no prices, where you said what you wanted. Ah! The mere thought terrifies me.

But thrift culture requires a good sense of bartering, the ability to say what you want, the ability to argue a little. If you can't grab a bunch of stuff from a flea market vendor, look it over, and name your best price, you're not going to get what you really want. And who wants that?

When I lived in Brazil (and I also saw this in Peru), everyone bartered taxi fare before they got in. And if they couldn't come to an agreement with the driver, they would send it away and wait for another. Today, is surprises me how shocked I was when I first saw this. In a capitalist society like the US, where we pride ourselves on the power of competition, we don't utilize the power of the barter.

I think a safe way to try bartering is to use the eBay Best Offer feature. No face time required. The seller can accept, decline, or counter your offer. You may get a great deal, or you may save a few bucks. Either way, I think it's always worth a try. Sellers often set the Buy it Now price at their perfect selling price, but they'll accept less if offered. Selling an item is better than not selling.