$.50 Bar Keepers Friend Printable Coupon

As an eBay seller, this is one of my favorite products!  It can turn the worst utencil stained mug into "excellent" condition in just a few seconds!

 

$.50 Printable Bar Keepers Friend Coupon

 

 

It also does wonders around the house!

A Peek Inside My eBay Inventory Listing & Storage System

One of the keys to eBay success is developing a system. A system for listing, a system for storage, a system for shipping, etc. But what system is the best? How do you get your system in place. Well, I'm here to say that's all up to you! I wish I could help more, it's just that everyone is different.

Just like it works better for some people to list 40 items all in one day, I'd rather list 5 or 6 items per day, a few times a week. There are lots of options for keeping eBay stock neat and tidy. I'll show you what I do, aka "my little system".

A customer shopping in my store will see this, but the picture here on the right is what I see. Looks pretty much like organized chaos to me. :)

In addition to lots boxes, I also have 21 clear containers that I have labeled. For example:

Girls 0-4T Winter
Girls 0-4T Summer
Boys 0-4T All
Mugs (I have 4 of these so far!), etc...

As I begin my listing process, after photos have been taken, I usually have a pile of random stuff. For the most part as I list, I also wrap the item and prep it for shipping. Things like mugs, and plates I can set to the side while listing and I wrap them up last. Since I've listed and shipped so many of them, I can weigh them alone and know what packing and a box will take the shipping cost to. But for the rest of my stuff, this process really helps me "guess" what the shipping will be. This way, the customer is not over-changed and I'm not losing money by undercharging.

Here's the same bunch of merchandise pictured above, ready to go to "the store" after being listed. I see several advantage to my system. First everything is protected. Clothes, are wrapped in bags, then in a poly bag (or small box) and then kept in a plastic bin. If that won't keep out odors, I'm not sure will. Mugs, glasses, trinkets, and other breakables are protected from breakage. I will add more packing to box when these items are shipped, but for now, they too are wrapped in a plastic bag (I recycle!!) and padded (wrapped) in newspaper. I can also store items more per square foot. This is super important to me because we live in a small house to begin with (only 1800 sq feet). There's just not the room to spread things out on shelves.

For example, here's a tub of mugs and glasses that I just started filling. Once at capacity, I might get 40 to 50 items in that space. Tubs are also great because you don't need shelving to store them. In my photo at the top, I have one cute shelving unit, but the rest of my tubs are stacked beside the shelf, one on top of another. Worst case, I move 6 tubs to get to the bottom one.

You'll notice that when I'm listing, I'm also printing out the first page of the listing and taping it to the outside of each item. The picture and title make finding items super easy. Not to mention the tubs are clear and I can see where things are right away. Normally if something sells, I can locate it within about 2 minutes and that's a worst case scenario. Overall, I actually know where most things are and find them right away.

The last benefit of my listing/storage process is that once something sells, it takes no time at all to ship it. When I weigh each item during listing/wrapping process, I also note the weight on the print out. Once I head in from the storage area, the weight is plugged into PayPal and a label prints right out (on plain paper!). Tape it to the box, and I'm done!

Some people might think it's backwards to wrap up things before they sell. But, what I've found is that after a few years of selling and trying other ways, this is what's works for me and my space. I hope maybe you got a few ideas on how to list or store you eBay item. I have many more helpful eBay articles here. Like, what supplies to gather to get started on eBay or where to get free packing.

Thanks for reading!

Top 10 Thrift Store / Garage Sale Items To Hunt For & Sell On eBay

I've always loved going to thrift stores and garage sales. For me, there's such a trill in the hunt. Come on, what's not exciting about finding a $400 Waterford Crystal figurine for 99 cents? Yes, that actually happened to me, I found it at Goodwill. But the thing is, it was a golf figurine and I don't golf or need more stuff in my tiny house even though it was Waterford and all. So, I turn to eBay and sell these fabulous finds and then enjoy the same exciting rush when I make money selling it.

Here's my top 10 list of things to keep an eye out for, in random order:

1. 1980's VINTAGE SHEETS - Look for cool cartoon or TV/movie characters from the 80's like Star Wars, Dukes of Hazzard, Smurfs, Cabbage Patch Kids, etc. I once sold a twin set of Dukes of Hazzard sheets for almost $90 and all the buyer wanted was the pillowcase!

2. NWT CLOTHES- Clothes that still have the mfg. and or store hang tags. Usually easy to spot. Good sellers are women's plus sizes, men's big & tall, kids/infant clothes. Ladies clothes are more difficult to sell on eBay, unless they are designer.

3. STARBUCKS MUGS- I love selling mugs in general, but I always get a little rush when I pick up a Starbucks mug. Most mugs sell for $10, but some Starbucks mugs can sometimes bring in $40 or so.

4. MENS TOMMY BAHAMA SHIRTS- We're talking the silk button up variety, excellent condition only. Big and tall sizes are a bonus!

5. HOLIDAY STUFF- New, boxed or excellent condition ornaments, candy dishes, figurines, mugs, china, tableware, outdoor flags, etc. Infant and kids dressy wear, Christmas sweaters. I usually start the Christmas selling season about January 10th, seriously!! People shop for nice Christmas items year round. I paid 45 cents for a new Lenox China Santa cup last October, and it sold for $15 two weeks after Christmas. But, don't overlook Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving & Easter stuff, etc.

6. HALLMARK ITEMS- Mugs, candy dishes, Keepsake ornaments, figurine, etc.

7. POTTERY BARN ITEMS- Any dishes, holiday stuff, excellent condition or new in package bedding, wall decor, toys, nursery decor, etc.

8. SPORTS WEAR/GEAR- Remember condition is VERY important! Some successful items for me have been; GK leotards, Under Armour pants (to be worn by a baseball player under their uniform..? I have no clue but they sold for $25!), Champion snow bibs, Nike cleats, etc.

9. SPORTS TEAM STUFF- College level or professional, both do well! Look for mugs, etched glasses and steins, jackets, wind pants, infant rompers and onesies, cheerleader costumes, etc.

10. EXPENSIVE STUFF- expensive stuff that's priced cheap. For example, I found a seriously ugly sweater (Coogi) with the Neimans (my clue to the expensive part) tag still on it for $3 and I sold it for $120. In this case, I actually knew about the Coogi brand, but you get the idea.

Just remember condition and price are very important. Get "new" and excellent condition items only. I normally don't pay more than $1 or $2 an item and also follow my $10 rule. I look for items that I can sell for at least $10 ($9.97 really) or that I can make at least $10 on it. Happy Selling!

A New eHow Article-How To Open An eBay Store

A few days ago I posted an eBay success story about selling kids snow bibs on eBay. I had a few comments (yay!!) and one was an anonoymous reader who asked, "How do you make an eBay store?". So, I answered that question over at eHow. I've also added the article to my selling advice and resource page.

How To Open An eBay Store

If you're wondering why as an eBay seller I have a store, you'll want to read Reasons To Consider An eBay Store.

Just remember, you can always access my eBay selling advice home page by going to http://www.wyliemom.com/ and selecting the "Selling On eBay" tab from the very top. Thanks for reading and thanks to the anonymous reader for the question!

Happy Meal Toy Plus eBay Equals FREE Lunch & Entertainment

When trying to save money, you need to think outside of the box and keep things fun! Check out how I take my kids to McDonald's for a free lunch and indoor playground time. First, I'll cost it out and then explain my crazy self. :)

$3.99 Chicken Nugget Happy Meal (price varies per market and Happy Meal type/size)
$1.75 Shipping
$0.50 PayPal fee
$0.09 eBay Listing fee ($.03/mo for a 3 mo. average)
$0.60 eBay Final Value fee

Total "cost" = $6.93

$4.97 Amount collect for a (new in package) McDonald's Happy Meal Toy on eBay
$2.00 Shipping & Handling fees collected

Gross profit = $6.97

Net profit = $.04 (woot woot, haha!!)

So what I do is, I head to McDonald's now and then and "treat" the kids to lunch. Depending on how cool the kids think the current Happy Meal campaign is, I might let them keep one toy per campaign and I sell the rest. For example, Star Wars, Matchbox cars, Barbi and My Little Pony are keepers. Any trips after that, I keep the toys to sell. Who needs that many tiny toys anyway?

I keep them new in the plastic and sell them on eBay. Who buys these McDonald's toys? I've seen adult collectors purchase them and moms who had a little one lose their favorite one. As far as eBay is concerned, you just never know what people sre searching for! I also recently sold 19 Happy Meal toys to someone in Japan, that was about $95 in cash deposit into my PayPal. Not to mention he bought a few outfits from my store as as well. I could, think of them as profit making ($.04) advertising. :)

My point is, find little things you can do but keep it fun. I'd say it takes me about 10 minutes to sell each toy. That's from start (taking pictures & listing) to finish (pulling from storage & shipping). I don't list them until I have 5 or 6 to list, and use "list similar" to make listing faster. So 10 minutes of my time in invested for each $4 Happy Meal I buy. That's $24 an hour, but when I add in my Wylie Mom math, I'd need to earn $32 an hour outside of the home to have the same lunch experience. I personally find that reading a book while the kids play at McDonald's for a treat, and then spending a few minutes on the computer is a great use of my time.

McDonald's indoor playgrounds are a great idea for running off energy on rainy days or on days when you're running lots of errands. Please be sure to wash up or sanitize before and after play time!!

Figure what your time is worth and combine it with what you enjoy doing, to save or make money. Obviously, I can't make a living or survive with this plan, but it combined with all the other little things I do make a huge impact. You've just got to think outside of the box!

I'd love to hear some of your ideas!

What To Take From An eBay Success Story

Everyone loves a great eBay success story. And, to make this a great post, I'll give you one right now!

I bought this Linda Allard for Ellen Tracy wool blazer for $3 at a thrift store. I really like thrift stores because they have carts (good for containing my children) and A/C and heat. Anyway, I found the jacket during a 50% off sale back in the the spring. I put it in my store right away since it was not in season at the time. This jacket was only $.05 a month to list. I calculated that it was in there for 6 months so that's $.30 in listing fees.

Some benefits of the store listing was, in this case it ended up being cheaper to sit in the store rather than list it at auction once. I got to list it right away, name a price $39.97 in this case, and forget about it until the right buyer came along. Every great item has a potential buyer! You just never know when that will be. Sometimes a few days, and other times it takes a lot more patience and you wait over a year.

So...yay me!! I made about $36 in gross profit on this jacket. But that's not my point.

Instead of jotting down this all down in your eBay "hot sellers" notebook, here's something else to know. I used to work at Dillard's. In fact I was a manager in the women's department. So, when I saw this jacket, I knew right away that it was probably worth about $400 full retail price. I quickly figured 90% off that would be $40, and I could most likely sell it for that on eBay. If you know that brand and the quality, you'd agree. But here's what I'm getting at.....sell what YOU know!!!

When on the hunt for new eBay stock (in your attic, at a garage/estate sale, a thrift store, etc.) look around for things that you have some knowledge in and/or are passionate about. Kids clothes because you have kids, Lego blocks since your boys were obsessed, golf clubs because you're an avid golfer, Mont Blanc pens because you're a pen snob, DVD's because you work at Blockbuster at night, whatever it is...there's a market for it on eBay and a niche for you.

Finding, cleaning and listing items you have a knowledge in will be a faster and more successful process overall.

Happy Selling!

P.S. You can see the wool blazer listing here and read more about what I have to say about selling on eBay here.

A Quick Trip To A Thrift Store With eBay In Mind

I had an hour to run into my favorite thrift store (Goodwill) last week! I thought it would be fun to show everyone what I got, and what I had in mind for it as far as eBay was concerned.

Limited Too jeans (with mfg. tags) $3.99 - 50% coupon = $1.99

Lauren Jeans Co. Bermuda shorts (with mfg. tags) $3.99

11 pieces of misc glassware $.59 each

Hallmark ornament (new in box) $.99

Total OOP spent with tax = $14.57

I've listed everything auction style first. Everything was listed as an individual item except for the small Egg Nog mugs. I listed all 4 of those together as a set. The starting price for all 11 auctions is $9.99.

Now, lets say something does not sells at auction. I will move it to my eBay store. Some things will remain at about $10. The tagged clothing items will get priced between $15-20, the Noritake creamer will get priced at around $15. The same goes for the set of 4 Egg Nog glasses and maybe even the Hallmark Keepsake Dumbo Ornament. These items are all slightly "unique" and are no longer manufactured.

I like to buy items with collectors in mind, or people looking for a replacement. But at the same time, I'll need to give the right person a little time to find my items on eBay. The chances of someone needing a replacement Noritake "Zest" Creamer and them looking for one on eBay during my 7 day auction is pretty slim. But, if I move it to an eBay store and give it up to 2 years to be found, it will most likely sell. eBay takes some patience!

I figure between the auctions and the store, if everything eventually sells, I should make between $110-140 BEFORE eBay and PayPal fees. Still a great profit for $14.57 and an hour of my time to photograph and list. I don't count the shopping as "work" since I love the hunt! eBay allows me to get a "bargain shopping high" without becoming a pack rat. I'd rather make money than collect stuff anyway. It's a win-win for me! :)

More Free eBay Advice With Another eHow Article

Slowly but surely, I'm adding articles to my "new" eBay seller's resource page. The newest article is about storing kids clothes and sorting them pre-season for resell. Selling my kids outgrown clothes is how I got my eBay start! As far as the new articles, some I will feature right here on my blog and others I might write up on eHow. Either way, I will always link it up to the rest of my eBay stuff.

Storing & Sorting Children's Clothes For Resell

Wylie Mom's eHow Articles

Wylie Mom's eBay Selling Resource Page - more of my fabulous free eBay advice! :)

Any questions???? E-mail me!!

Wylie Mom's Free eBay Selling Advice & Resources

I started selling on eBay a few years ago as a hobby. Well, let's just say selling unused items from around the house for extra cash was addicting!! At the time I was working full time and only had one child, but my dream was to be home with my child(ren) and sell on more of a "part-time" basis. Well, flash forward 3 years and....tah dah! Here we are, I'm a stay at home mom with an eBay store. In the past few months, I've been getting a few e-mails asking me for some eBay pointers and advice. Even though I consider myself still a student of eBay, I'd love to share my knowledge with you!

-Wylie Mom eBay Articles-

Getting Started on eBay, Supplies Needed

Reasons To Consider An eBay Store

How To Open An eBay Store

Wylie Mom's eBay Guide To Free Shipping Boxes and Packing Materials

Free eBay First Class Shipping Boxes

Free Packing For Your eBay Mailings

Storage and Organization of Your eBay Store Inventory

Storing & Sorting Kid's Clothes For Resell

Sell Happy Meal Toys For A "Free" Lunch

Top 10 Thrift Store Finds To Sell On eBay

-Free Advice From eBay Sellers I Admire-

Lynn Dralle, The Queen of Auctions (check out her free e-zine)

Suzanne Wells, The eBay Selling Coach

Debbie Ybarra, eBay Mommy

-Want To Take A Peek At My eBay Store?-

Wylie Mom's Attic

In the coming weeks, I'll be writing more eBay articles and adding them to this page. So, keep checking back! Just visit the Wylie Mom homepage and click "Selling On eBay" at the very top, or bookmark this post.

I'm also proud to say that in October of 2009 I became an eBay Power Seller. It's just the bronze level, but I'm still very excited! I'm also proud to say that in the same month I was ranked as a Top Rated Seller, meaning I "Consistently receives highest buyers' ratings, Ships items quickly, Has earned a track record of excellent service". My hard work has paid off with two cute labels that will increase buyer confidence and hopefully increase my sales. Plus, I get a discount now too!

eBay will still be work, but giving yourself goals and making it fun will make all the difference in sticking with it. Have any eBay success stories? I'd love for you to share it with me. I'd also love to hear you eBay questions as well!

Free Packing for Shipping

What's all that "trash" you ask? It's all the plastic from the newspaper, diaper packs, TP, paper towels, torn store bags, okay you get the idea.

I bag them up and use them for eBay packing for items such as this. They work AWESOME!!!! So much better than newspaper and cheaper than peanuts. Like I would ever buy packing peanuts, haha! Of course I love that fact that I'm reusing "trash".

In my pantry, I have 2 plastic bags hung. One is for "good" plastic bags. Bags with no holes, that would work for kitty box duty or trash can liners, etc. All other "trash" plastic goes in the other bag as long as it's clean (dry, no food!!).

I have yet to have an item broken in shipment and even get comments on my "great packing". I just toss the bags (bottom picture) in my eBay packing box in the garage. I use these faster that I can "make" them most of the time. And that includes reusing all of my mom's plastic as well!!

Even if you don't ship a lot, keep this in mind for when you do need to ship!

Be sure to read this post for ideas for free shipping boxes!!

Why You Should Have An eBay Store!

I just read a great article by Lynn Dralle, aka, The Queen of Auctions. I also talk about her here. I think she's super cool. She wrote about why she thinks eBay is reporting 60% of auctions go unsold and how to "overcome" that by opening an eBay store. It's true!!

Check out this eBay auction. I bought the Pottery Barn pasta serving dish at Goodwill last week for $.99. I listed it for $9.99, the auction ended Tuesday afternoon with no bidders. So, I "moved" it to my store and priced it at $14.97. It sold within 24 hours!! Now this doesn't happen all the time, I mean as far as the 24 hour thing. But, the whole concept is true. Even when I take a break from auctions, I still sell, on average, one thing a day from the store. I sold 3 store items today!! :) And I sell the weirdest stuff. Stuff headed for the trash, stuff from the trash (recycling really.....I've made $50 and counting). I started doing this from following Lynn's free advice from her e-zine that she writes each week. I read "between the lines", looking at the auctions, seeing what kind of stuff she sells, etc. Because of her, I invested $20 in some silverplated flatware a few months ago. I bought what I thought was 2 complete sets from one estate sale. It was 2 partial sets and a lot of misc. pieces. I listed them mostly as one or two pieces together. I've made almost $200 so far and have a ton left in my store (a few more hundred $$ I would guess). Also......I paid back my "investment" in one auction, there was one spoon in the lot I bought from the estate sale that sold for $25 from the store (it went unsold at auction for $15)!

More about "The Queen", last year Lynn made $100,000 on eBay. I think that's after eBay and PayPal fees. Last year she was listing 100 items a week. So I figure 30 new items listed a week equals $30,000, 60 new items $60,000, right? Anyway, since eBay has lowered their listing fees, she's taken it up a notch and is listing 200 new items a week!! Can you imagine? Although she has 2 school aged children and I have 2 pre-schoolers at home with me 24/7.

You can't make money on eBay unless you list. And, the more you list, the more you sell!

P.S. This was my 100th post!!

Free eBay Selling Advice From The eBay Selling Coach

I got the coolest free e-book today thanks to Money Saving Mom!!! It's an eBay selling guide by Suzanne Wells. She's the "eBay Selling Coach". I'll take any and all free eBay advice. It came via e-mail within an hour or so, super fast!!. And it's 66 pages long!!! After reading about 13 pages I decided it was definitely a keeper and worth printing. This way I can highlight and flag favorite pages. I have a binder that I file all my eBay tips in. I'll print it tomorrow and start to go through it later.


I also get free tips from reading Debbie's eBay blog here. She also has a website with more selling tips. That part does cost money......but the blog it free!!

Another great eBay inspirational read is Lynn Dralle's free e-zine. She's the "Queen of Auctions". The e-zine comes out weekly, on Thursdays. You can sign up here . She has all kinds of eBay training tapes, videos, etc. that cost money as well, lots of money!! I'm sure they are awesome but I'll just read the free e-zine for now, thanks!! :)

Free Shipping Boxes, With eBay In Mind!

I thought I'd "officially" join Tasha over at Comical Coupon Cents today for Thrifty Thursday.

For today's thrifty idea, I thought I'd show you a thrifty shipping idea. This is what what I do when I get too cheap and lazy to log into eBay and order more shipping supplies. I make my own boxes!! Well, kind of. When I sell clothes I almost always ship them in a "poly mailer". They are strong and lightweight (cheap shipping) and perfect for storing my eBay items until they sell from my store. The draw back????? They cost about $.20-.25 each!!

Here's a break down of my last order: Bags + Shipping= $10.90-$.22 (refund from using my PayPal MC and from BigCrumbs). So the order cost me $10.68 for 50 bags, that's $.214 each. Okay, I'll round down.....it's 21 cents.

So, here's how I'm "saving" my budget 21 cents at a time. Haha!!

I turn "food boxes" inside out for shipping. Cereal and grain type products work best. Or it seems they do. They are clean inside and out, a good size, strong cardboard but still lightweight for shipping, etc. The only drawback is, it's a little time consuming to assemble them. But, it's always a trade off when trying to be frugal, right? I just like to play with tape and scissors so I don't mind. :)

Need more cheap/free shipping and ideas? Click here.

Be sure to visit Tasha at Comical Coupon Cents for lots of other thrifty ideas!!!!!