The UnHoarder Dynasty [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 02:50 AM

4) Charity - The "give something away" thing. There are plenty of these but some are not actually charities...some give you something and some do not but make you feel better about where you give it.

Half price books - A place I used to frequent but have stopped taking my books there. They will give you "money" for books. Which is actually like 50 cents for a box of books. THey also give you a box of excuses about why they can't take an item, won't look at an item, why they are giving you nothing for an item, why they are making a single offer without looking at each piece, why theywon't itemize nor tell you what they think a single item is worth. Heck I was asking just today if they take video game accessories even though they have old xboxes and gamecubes for sale. He said they don't take things like that because it's too hard to set up a console on their TV and prove that it's working. It's just toooooo harrrrrrd,
Interesting. Yeah, they are so rude and worthless I"ve just stopped doing any shopping there. And their prices really aren't that good compared to other used book stores and thrift stores

Value Village - A thrift store chain. Awesome place. If you take enough stuff there they give you a tax donation form AND a coupon for shopping there. This is NOT a charity but a business. They make money for themselves. But for stuff that is totally crap to you (and that won't sell) it's great to take things here especially for the coupon.

Used book stores - one in particular nearby is awesome and run by sweet old ladies. THey give you credit for your books. And a LOT of it. And the catch, you can't use your credit to just get a free book. They will only let you use 65% of a book's price as credit. But that's still great. If the used book is half price, say 10 dollars. Then you can use your credit 6.50 worth and only pay 3.50 for it. Mainly they do this so they can stay open and I find them worth supporting. However, this means that I'm just getting rid of books to get MORE books and paying for that privilege. NOt a great solution.

Tip: If you want to get something for really bad items, sometimes just getting a coupon or credit is as good as you are going to get. Credit for books is always good and a 10-20% off coupon for clothes is nothing to sneeze at.

Goodwill and Salvation Army - Not places I really want to go. Goodwill isn't really charity as they goodwill stores simply pay their people's wages with the profits they get. Salvation Army pays for um....things which are not charities but rather thigns that aren't the kinds of things I like to support.

Tip: Research charities to make sure they are actually charities. Some aren't and the money does not in fact go to what you think it should.

Children's Hospital Thrift Store - A local thrift store I found that seems to be the first actual charity I've found. All of their sales goes to help pay medical bills for children. That's it. NO coupon, but a tax form. So all in all, at least you get the warm fuzzies that your stuff is actually doing some good.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 02:54 AM

The stuff I have - A lot of media stuff, books galore, dvds, vhs, computer games, things like that...but a LOT of them. Some things I've never watched, read, played and probably never will

And vhs...why do I even bother...Well some things are impossible to find otherwise but other stuff I could find elsewhere.

OTher stuff includes costumes and props. Being an actor, director, and event runner for things like haunted houses and such, I tend to accumulate costumes of various sorts from things I"ve helped put on. ebay is really bad if you can't stop buying.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 02:59 AM

The Eureka moments - My Eureka moments in ebay came when I finally figured it out (yes there is a point coming). This was last year when I went to several conventions and got lots of SWAG

Origins - I attended Origins Game fair in Columbus and worked there. This gave me access to the SWAG room for helping volunteer. I got 2 bags of stuff. (books and games). I could not possibly take this stuff back with me on the plane so I left it with a friend so that I could sell it at Gencon.

Gencon - And sell I did. I sold most of it in the auction, mostly in the auction store. Most of it sold. The games that did not sell, I sold to friends. The books that didn't sell I sold to a passer by for a buck apiece.
Helped pay for my trip for sure.

This was the inspiration I needed and working at the auction also taught me a lot about how to price things.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 03:04 AM

PAX - Working at PAX I again got SWAG...and the thing is I didn't really want it. It was just crappy Tshirts of horrible quality and some masks and hats. Just crap. Well when I got home and looked on ebay I found that wow this stuff was selling....and I had most of the hot items.

I sold the Twisted Metal Latex mask for around 70 dollars (it went anywhere from 50-100). This not only was a rare con item but it was now also the week of Halloween. I also sold a werewolf mask I had this same week for more than I thought it would sell.

Tip: Sell Holiday-related items right before the holidays. As for Christmas, that's a buying free-for-all.

I sold the various Tshirts sometime for 15 sometimes for 15 for 3. It depended on whether they would sell as solos or not. Eventually Tshirts were going down and I found grouping them worked.

The Skyrim hat. Skyrim gave a "helmet" looking thing. The horns were kind of stiff and plush. But again it wasn't a great thing. It sold for 80 bucks.

Tip: Sell Con swag IMMEDIATELY! I waited on the Tshirts too long and they were already going down. The Skyrim hat started going down AFTER I Sold it. But went back up a month later when another event happened...the release of the game. So TIMING CAN BE EVERYTHING.

So selling this stuff really taught me the basic principles of just taking a picture (a must), pricing hot items and setting up ebay items in general. And of course, postage. (which was the thing that scared me so). Postage is easy if you use priority mail. It just depends on whether you think priority mail postage prices will detract bidders or not.

Tip: The World of Postage!

1) The best option is Priority Mail boxes. These have a set rate. When you print the postage from your computer at home it is cheaper too. If you want you can arrange a pickup. AND tracking and confirmation is included.

The problem is this.
An envelope is 4.90. And it has to be flat or not too thick booklike to fit.
A small box is 5.20. I have gotten ONE T-Shirt and things like that to squeeze into these. That's about it.
Medium box is what I used most and they come in 2 sizes. Big RPG books and stacks of things fit well in them. BUT it is 10.85. That can be a turnoff to people as shipping...unless the item normally skyrockets (like D&D 3.5 books below) or it's something unique like clothes (where it seems the bidders bid helterskelter not caring how much shipping is). Anyway all big things go in here. But like a single book in here? Forget it. Sometimes though just saying FREE shipping will help you get more bids. BUT that means you are paying shipping (ie out of your profits ) so you might increase the starting bid. It's tricky...
Large box is $15.20. So hopefully it's worth it.

2) Media Mail. I send all books via Mediamail. Media Mail is allowed for only certain items...there are:
- any book
- any recorded item (DVD, Tape, CD, VHS)
BUT...
- It CANNOT be a blank media (blank disc)
- It CANNOT be a computer or video game
- It CANNOT be a magazine
But the great thing about mediamail is it's *(#^^ing cheap! They measure by the pound. It's like $2.50 for a pound. And like 3 pounds is $3.83. Anything from 5-10 pounds is all the same and a little over 5. So it is a must for books. But you don't get confirmation or tracking. One last thing. You must not seal it until you are at the post office. Usually they don't want to see but it IS a rule saying they must be able to inspect it to make sure it's mediamail.

3) Parcel Post - Expensive. Be careful. They really have increased the rates. You are probably better off using a Priority Mail box instead of this. If it's over 13 ounces, you are pretty fucked.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 03:07 AM

So anyway that gave me confidence and led me to start selling other things, especially D&D books I didn't want. I noticed around November that 3.5 was hot as few people likesd 4.0 anymore and wanted to play old stuff. So sine I had 2 sets of the core books I sold one set for I think 75 bucks. Not bad for something out of date that is heavy and takes up LOADS of space. I sold a bunch of other thigns and took pictures of them inspired to get rid of them. Even jumped into costumes and such too that take up a TON of space. But was less sure of those. Once the holidays hit I got too busy and ended up just getting lazy again.

Which brings me to NOW>>>>>>>>>>February. And I want it all gone. ALL of it! I don't want to be tied down by stuff anymore so let it go...

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 03:15 AM

The first day's batch of stuff, that ended 2/5:
item #1: A collection of R.A Salvatore books - One thing I have realized on ebay. Books don't sell. Helfprice teaches me that only companies profit off of books. thrift stores would be a last resort I think. But one thing that seems to work...LOTS. putting together a LOT of like items really attracts collectors. So I put these unread new books together in a lot I got as gencon swag along with two preview chapters of two of his books (not really colelctor's items. Just basically the first publish chapters of books. THey were free. The lot of 3 actual books and these 2 previews went for 5 bucks. A dollar each. I"ll take it.
Status: Awaiting payment

item #2: A white sweater with large wooden buttons - This took research. I had to figure out how to word it. Got it years ago in a thrift store because it was neat looking but it was too small. Found that the stitching actually had a name: ARAN or fisherman's stitch. Yes playing the "how many key search words can I put into the title" is fun. And it is definitely the type of thing ebay recommends. I've decided to go against the notion that it's good to sell for a dollar because that gets people bidding sooner. Until of course only one person bids... I just don't want to spend the time with packages for a buck. So I'm mostly starting things at 4.99. This one I started at 7.99. It got 14 watchers (a watcher is someone that wants to folllow your bid and the item shows up on their front page), but damnit only 1 bid in the end. Still...getting 7.99 for something I would have taken BACK to a thrift store is money.

Status: Awaiting payment

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 03:23 AM

item #3: Wizard of Oz book lot: More books I don't read. There were like 18 books or something like that in the wizard of oz series. These were 4 from the middle. NOt colelctor's items but from the mid 80s. But the covers were immaculate and really good covers too. Things that look good AND are in good condition do very well. I debated putting the wizard of oz popup book in with it...but pulled it and retook the picture. That thing is just too cool (and isn't worth much anyway in its condition...would just add to the shipping). Got 5 bucks for this lot. (the starting price which was bid the last day)
Status: Packaged and unsealed. Addressed. Ready for media mail

Item #4: Intellivision Game Lot - I have tried to sell this on ebay like oh...5 times maybe. Have had it for years and years. I never even ever owned an intellivision but had been trying to get one. These things don't go for much at all. But FINALLY someone bid 5 bucks. SOLD! 6 of them, 3 from the IMAGIC series: Dragonfire, Atlantis and Beauty and the Beast. Growing up I vividly rembmer the worlds that intellivision games (and atari) created for their games (when the games themaselves were really crappy.

Ah the power of marketing...
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VeNu5R9MBHk" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="480"></iframe>

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/H8nfOT7-IZs" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="480"></iframe>

I think watching those takes care of my reminiscing.

Status: Packaged in a box. Awaiting trip to the PO.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 03:25 AM

Oh, another word on books. I've had trouble getting rid of them, which is odd because I don't read that much. I have certain memories about some and the art on many is what I like the most. So here's a trick I did for myself. I created a folder on my computer called "library". I then downloaded the book covers of books I know I will never read and put them in this folder. NOw I have the covers and therefore don't need the book anymore. Yes I sound like a mental case. How long have you known me? :) Anyway it's working.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 03:27 AM

Item #5: D&D 4e book lot. MOre past gencon swag that was useless to me. The D&D 4th edition MOnster Manual and eberron player's guide. I had tried selling them individually before to get high prices but that just didn't work. SO instead I batched them together and started the price at 9.99. THe bidding went up to 16. A little disappointing considering how many watchers it had but ehhh...more space yay.

Status: Awaiting payment

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 03:36 AM

Failure to Let Go

This has not been without waffling. I have gotten things ready for sale and then put them back on the shelf several times. SOmetimes it's just to get them out of the way but other times it's the ole "I don't want to sell that after all". I'm waffling on a group of Marion ZImmer Bradley Darkover novels. 7 of them, all first editions. This is the thing. MOst fantasy really is worth nothing. THere's so much of it. And it isn't that good. But maybe it is. Anyway the counterargument is well this is what I SHOULD be selling. A collection of 1st editions! That should make serious cash! (but it probably won't). I've taken its picture.

VHS was the other issue. I still had a lot of it. So Last month I started going through the box and watching them all one last time. Movies, that's easy. Chuck it! Cause I can get the DVD if I don't already have it. OTher things I wanted to make sure I didn't like it enough to keep it. Luckily I found youtube had versions of some of these so there was no loss. The exceptions here...I pulled out groups...pair of Jim Henson Storyteller episodes...pair of Red Dwarf episodes...and all of the anime I owned. I have a feeling I can find a buyer for the anime. Somewhere. Have started posting in forums of anime groups.
So the other day I finally took the remainer of the box of VHS to the Children's Hospital Thrift Store and they gladly accepted it. They strangely didn't have any for sale but had some (not many) DVDs. They seem to be onboard with selling and accepting whatever they can.
And VHS do sell. But only for like a dollar a piece. And I don't wanna waste time with one a piece, nor do I want to get 8 bucks for 30 VHS. I'll give the charity the profits. Warm and fuzzy feeling. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 03:45 AM

Today's auction ender's: The items of 2/6

2/6, Item 1: Leftover from PAX, a SWAG Tshirt for the game Prey2. I loved the original Prey but the sequel demo looked nothing like it the original and the tshirt was somewhat uninspired. But it netted me 9.99! (the opening bid)
Status: Packaged and postaged. WIll ship tomorrow.

2/6 Item #2: Long sweater - from some costume closet somewhere. Who knows how I end up with things. This one was in better condition than the other one so put it up for 9.99. Didn't get as many watchers as the other but boy did it finish with a bidwar! Went up to 19.50! women like to fight over clothes for sure. But they alwso like to wait for the last day it seems. And most seem to forget to bid as seen from the first sweater.
Status: Awaiting payment

Item #3: My favorite item...my other full set of Core 3.5 D&D books. started them at 14.99. I also have been setting the shipping cost at 9.99 instead of the full 10.20 it will take to mail them. I can suck the 21 cents. I have found people do this. Go a higher price and say free shipping. Or some brave souls even start low AND say free shipping. I am not that brave... I guess there indeed HAS to be a market for the stuff to be sure. But I've also gotten stuck not getting a lot of profits cause half goes to shiping if it doesn't sell well. And I DON"T like that.
The final was a LITTLE disappointing...Started at 14.99 and it went up to....$65.10. Lotsa bidders and 11 total bids.
Was hoping the last few hours would have been the ultrabidwar happen.

I suspect the winner owns a gaming store with a name like Dragoncards and 2304 points worth of feedback (you get 1 feedback per sale/buy IF they give you one...so he's probably sold even more than that).
Status: Awaiting payment

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 04:00 AM

Things ending tomorrow:

2/7 Items

#1: Dictionary of Dream Symbols - a book. I must have been crazy to list a single book. But I think I just needed to get myself listing something that day. And I knew how to market to the hippeedippeegothstonecrystalrubbers. But even 3.50 price didn't get a bite. Maybe I"ll find some other like things to sell...Ooooh I have an incense burner! perfect! ANyway no bids, no watchers and only 4 views of the item. Probably won't sell.

#2: Collection of Grateful Dead LPs. I do have a nice record collection and actually got rid of a third when I moved. But I kept these. Why? I don't like the Dead much except for their hits. A little background. Many years ago I knew a stoner guy and he just gave me a box of records he didnt' want anymore. Okay. great. records. I got rid of many of them but kept these for one reason: "someone might want them and buy them". This is where when I watch Hoarders, that dangerous part of my personality I see. Keeping something just to keep it because I can sell it....I've even got a box dedicated to things I should sell that I've had for years. Well I'm tired of that box and everything in it. It's time to actually ....ahem...nut up or shut up.

So These albums. It's funny. Some have no hackets some have no sleeves. I looked some up. Some are studio albums some are concert albums (zzzzzzzzzzzzzz....the dead are known for long boring jam sessions on stage. I think you HAVE to be stoned to appreciate them because musically...p.u.)
And the funny thing is it is hodgepodge. Many of their albums are 2-4 record sets. Though I have like 1 record here of a 4 rec set and 1 of a rec set there...all over the place. Even have two copies of the same album. SO I list them that way on ebay. Even told the story of my stoner friend. It seems to work better for you if you are totally upfront about the condition of things and let THEM jduge whether they want to risk it. lps from a stoner friend Cant be in that good of condition. I price these to move. Started at 5 bucks.
It is up to $11.33. Go stoners!

Tip: There is a market for LPs. Group them together by artist to get bids, but start low enough. But as with all items, describe the condition. Telling a story of how you got an item is a fun way to present an item and sometimes they are bidding on the story.
#3: Jim Henson VHS - The Storyteller - This was the series with John Hurt. Kickass stuff. real classics. Muppets was great comedy but this was great drama (with muppets). But I have the dvds so what do i need these for. No one is buying these much on vhs but the occasional sale is made i notice. (ALWAYS research whether people are actually buying something that you are about to sell and price accordingly or don't bother if it won't be worth it....time your sale around others you see with the advanced time feature!). And then I get a watcher... But problem. My brother's birthday is coming up and I'm thinking he and his family would love these so now I don't want to sell them. I would just rather give them to him (along with the red dwarf vhs and a worthless lord of the rings glossary book and all but destoryed D&D books to give to his daughter (she wants to learn to play)) So now that I don't want to sell them I basically went in and edited the item (you can do that as often as you wish but you really should only do it before you have ANY bidders otherwise they can unbid with a valid reason) and I raised the price so they won't bid on it. I think I might see if they'll bid the high bid after all before mailing it out to my brother tho. heh.

#4: An original survivor T-shirt. From the show. Well it isn't from the show. But it was one of the original tshirts sold in stores during the 1st season of the show. Have never worn it and was in the "want to sell" box.
Strangely no watchers but 21 views which is a lot. HOping someone will jump in. Priced at 5.99. Maybe high I guess. Will try again if it doesn't sell.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 04:12 AM

Items for 2/8:

#1: A pair of books by and about Pope JOhn Paul II. No bites yet.

#2: A triplet set of MOnty Python VHS. Biographies and such from A&E. 2 views, no bids.

#3: An unopened sealed NOKIA headset for an old cellphone. 12 views so far. Hopefully people want it. I hear technology sells even old tech.

#4: D&D 3.5 Eberron books: The Eberron Campaign book and the Eberron Sharn book. My opening bid of 9.99 has been met and it looks like the guy upped his original bid too to make sure he wins it. Hopefully by the end someone will up it more or at least make him pay for it. (Something I occasionally do if I'm pretty sure someone has bid a high price on something is to keep upping my bid until I'm just under the round number. That makes them pay more). Anyway, I'm happy with 10. HOping for more. Those thick RPG manuals are just shelf hogs and worse when you have to move them. Ugh heavy! Someone else give them a nice home.

#5: A wolf tapestry pillow panel. A small square with a nice wolf on it. Has to be sewn onto a pillow though. LIke I want to do that ....right. Anyway. Priced to sell at 4.95. One watcher.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 04:16 AM

The unsold:

only 2 items have gone unsold so far. Not a bad record.

1) A magic the gathering book : The planeswalker's guide to ashara or something. more swag. VERY nice art really. WIll think about this. Maybe I'll keep it or trade with friends.

2) Another small tapestry...this one of a british foxhunt from the 1700s (I looked it up!) LIke the wolf this came from...wait for it....my "Tapestry phase". A time in my life where I was making lots of dough and spending it on crap on ebay...like tapestries! :) (I don't understand it either...) They've colelcted in a box and now I'm going through them. Already gave my mom a blanket and a nice orange embroidered tablecloth and my brother another blanket that I didn't want as much as I thought. ebay can be a good place for gifts years later :)

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 04:44 AM

Items for 2/9:

#1: A teal sports jacket I got a long time ago. Barely ever worn. My best freind 's wife picked it out for me. Well...that was a mistake. And I should just get rid of it. Starting price 5.99 and 2 watchers. Hopefully they are just waiting to the end.

#2: A polyester dracula cape I've used in various haunted houses. It's actually great for outdoors, but I've got better stuff since then. $5.99 no watchers yet.

#3: A white and black robe. Bought from ebay a long time ago. DOesn't fit me. looks very homemade goth larp type. That's the fun thing about making the subject/tag line. putting all the buzzwords in to attract everybody. I put: BLACK WHITE ROBE Wizard Steampunk Witch WICCA LARP Ghost Vampire Goth Gothic
Will see which of these types of geeks it attracts.

#4: A cat figurine made of wicker and fluff. I sense this is destined for the thrift store.

#5: One Smoking Jacket. One of 2 smoking jackets I own (from past ebay buys) I like this one less. I like the belt on it though so I think I'll keep the belt. 2 watchers, 28 views

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 04:48 AM

Items for 2/10:

only one lot...I've been bad.

#1: Edward Gorey book lot. I have 5 of the small books from Gorey. Great cartoonist. If you've ever seen "Mystery" on PBS, the animation at the beginning is from him. His most famous book is The Ghashleycrumb Tineys which feature 26 kids (of alphabetical name) who die in various ways that rhyme. (My favorite is Edith who died of enniu). Yes hard to part with something I actually like...but I am keeping Amphigorey which is a collection of them. And I'm up to 4 watchers, 2 bidders and $11.11. This was a good item.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 04:53 AM

I didn't list anything yesterday or today. But now that things are selling I am packaging and printing out addresses and postage. The nice thing is that you can print and pay for the postage at home. You can also arrange to have them picked up but I have to go down there to weigh some items. I said before you can scare people away with high postage rates. But books (and anything that's a recording EXCEPT a computer game) can go in media mail. That's REALLY cheap. I use that for books cause books are ridiculous weight/pricewise. Except when I know they are hot items that will sell high like the D&D books. THose I am sending priority cause I know the price won't scare people away.

Packaging So far...
packaged up and addressed the Intellivision games, the Prey2 shirt and have the oz books in an envelope. You have to keep media mail open so that the mail people can inspect the items. THey won't let you mail it media mail otherwise.

I realize I need more bubble envelopes. Must find a cheap source. I recall Target being the cheapest for bulk envelopes. but didn't have much selection. I don't recall office max or depot being anything but too expensive.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 04:54 AM

At this point I am waiting really. I'm not packaging up stuff until the people pay for their stuff. Cause I may need to relist otherwise (and leave nastigrams).

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 05:01 AM

In case you're curious. Yes I did play World of Warcraft and would spend hours at the Auctionhouse alone. So at least I"m making real money now instead of fake money. And don't let my rambling hog all the thread. If anyone has their own tips or stories of things they've sold or trying to sell or even questions about how or where to sell something, feel free to chime in.

Izulde

02-07-2012, 12:17 PM

Autumn

02-07-2012, 12:39 PM

Good stuff. I had to really work to convince myself to offload a lot of books and CDsand movies yeras ago when we moved. It can be more difficult than it seems sometimes, but once you start doing it, it gets easier. Taking pictures of stuff was a great way to let some of it go.

I really recommend Amazon for selling books. We made a lot of money selling books there, paid for our whole move. It's really shocking what some books are going for, and not usually the ones you think would be expensive.

We also made, and make, big use of Paperbackswap.com and its affiliated sites for CDs and DVDs. You send books or movies or CDs to people who have them on their list, and get credit. We now almost exclusively get "new" stuff through these, I haven't bought a book or movie or CD in forever. If you want to declutter, you can let the credits build up, but you'll know that you can always use them to pick up something new that you wanted. I found it was much much easier to get rid of things knowing that in return I could get something I want more. And in the end there's not all that much stuff I want now.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 07:12 PM

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 07:13 PM

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 07:15 PM

Autumn, what's your username at swapacd and swapadvd? I will put your name under referral. Maybe they'll give you points or something.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 07:29 PM

Payment update....

The first to pay was...The intellivision guy.

Then the wizard of oz collector (whose name was actually something like "ozbooks". Guess he liked what he saw even though the editions are nothing special.

Then the prey2 tshirt. Finally the first priorty box where I can just pay for the postage and slap it on. The other two I have to package and weigh at the post office. And the books I can't even close the package yet. Because if you mail media mail, it has to be open in case they want to inspect it. Anyway the PO lady didn't raelly care. She just wanted me to be finished. :)

Overnight came the long sweater (not the fisherman tho)...and finally early this afternoon...the Core 3.5 D&D books! The big haul.

So I packaged all these up, taped the addresses to them and hauled them to the post office.

Along with all the extra stuff including the Storyteller VHS I'm sending to my brother. I set the VHS there to 25 bucks up from 10, so that thing isn't going to get any bids.

Still waiting for payments for..

The fisherman sweater...
the 4e D&D books...
the salvatore/drizzt books...

I picked up some more bubble mailers too at target. (they have them in bunches of 6 for med sized and 4 for big ones). These are mostly for media mail books. That's the only way to go for that stuff.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 07:30 PM

Now to leave feedback and mark the ones shipped that need to be (priority packages you print out postage for automatically include tracking and delivery confirmation...so ebay takes care of that for you)

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 07:45 PM

Autumn

02-07-2012, 07:51 PM

So how does the amazon thing work and what kind of success have you have with stuff there. My reluctance to even TRY to use amazon is that so many people are selling the same copy of the book you have. And oftentimes for less than a dollar. And going through books one at a time seems like a drag.

Basically what we did is look up a book. If it's going for a buck, forget it, we would post it on paperback swap. If it was going for a reasonable amount, we'd post it on Amazon. We almost always charged just under the lowest price on there, or lowest price for the same condition. It varies wildly, and we found it was worth shooting for the moon. There'd be some lame ass book on there for $70. We'd say "They're crazy" and post it for $10 or something iand it would sell in one minute. We started putting those kind of books up for $60 and it would actually sell!

A lot of stuff won't sell, but within a few months we made $1,000 just posting random ass books on there.

Autumn

02-07-2012, 07:52 PM

Wow! I'll have to check that out thanks! Because Books and VHS were the two toughest things that I have a lot of. Books just don't go for anything. Even giving them to the charity thrift store, THEY don't even charge much at all for them so they aren't really making anything much either. (although I suppose every little bit helps). I just have so many books that it seems a waste to just give them all away and get nothing for them.

Yeah, anything we couldn't sell we'd put on there. That way you know someone who wants it is getting it, and in the meantime we were able to pick up books or CDs or movies that we really wanted instead. It's a nice tradeoff, you can end up getting some special edition DVD you wanted, in exchange for a few dusty paperbacks.

Now the thing is you do pay postage when you send stuff out on there. So there's a sort of investment ahead of time as you bank credits. I've found it worth it though.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 08:23 PM

Posting update...

Item #1 for today: overnight I gathered up and posted a bunch of magazines and prayer books from an old church I used to go to. Wondering how well religious items fair nowadays. NOt even any views yet. I may definitely change its category. If they are a bust I'll probably just throw them away if they are in bad shape and good shape ones I'll just drop off at the charity place.

I think it's better if I do this from posting date instead of finishing date from now on. But I didn't start this until I was way into the ebaying so I did some backlog.

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 11:13 PM

Items ending 2/7 update.

9 PM: as of now.
The dream Dictionary doesn't look like it will go at all. I found some stuff to group with it perhaps. LIke a yoga book. And something else I forgot. Or maybe I'll use Autumn's paperback swap thing.

The Grateful Dead records will sell. They are at $11.44 with 3 bids and 4 watchers. The westcoasters have an advantage here. I need to time my items right in the future and use the future posting feature (where you can determine exactly when your auction items start) That way more people can be around at the buzzer.

The Storyteller VHS will not sell hopefully. I upped the price to 24 bucks. There are others available of the same type for much cheaper.

The Survivor T-Shirt got a bid today! At last! 25 biews but no watchers, but I'm happy to sell it at $5.99!

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 11:40 PM

If you would like to follow along on my ebay page, go here:
http://myworld.ebay.com/sircrimsonfox

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 11:42 PM

And the teal Sportscoat gets a bid Woooot!

CrimsonFox

02-07-2012, 11:51 PM

I saw more views on the Storyteller VHS and got nervous, but then found that you can end the item early from the My Ebay seller page. Just right click and end item. You then give the reason. My reason was "item broken". WHich one of the VHS was cracked. It worked for me but well, I'm not lying at least. :) There were no bids on it though so I don't feel guilty.

CrimsonFox

02-08-2012, 03:15 AM

This dynasty inspires me to want to try my own eBay selling, although I don't have much, if anything, here in Las Vegas I'd want to move. Pretty much all of the stuff except a train set I had that I got rid of when I helped my parents clean last summer we gave away to Goodwill.

Interesting thing about Value Village - the one in the city I grew up in is awful. Smells bad, overpriced and very sketchy. So like most places, it's a case by case basis.

Looked up from the Value Village site Las Vegas:
http://www.valuevillage.com/Find-A-Store.aspx

I see they are all called Savers now there although maybe they used to be Value Villages too. Anyway thinking of your description. Yeah depends on the neighborhood. I mean usually thrift stores don't attract all the best people. But the ones up here are very organized. They do kinda have that odor though. I really think it's mothballs or something like that cause every VV smells the same. But it's not like a "someone pooped" smell. They are pretty clean. Overpriced? um...well it's better to go during the week. THey have a colortag sale, granted it's hard to find the right color tag for things you like though. Takes a little time. But I guess yeah. A pair of good pants or a good shirt usually costs like 7-12 bucks. Cheaper if on sale or slightly not perfect. But they don't put out things that are dirty or ratty.
So maybe LV is just full of scum.

CrimsonFox

02-08-2012, 03:18 AM

CrimsonFox

02-08-2012, 03:52 AM

2 more additions to unsold:

The Storyteller VHS (which I ended early and which are already on their way to st louis heh) and the Dream book.

The Dead LPs went up to 13.50 at the last minute thanks to someone from Russia bidding. Whew! glad he didn't win.

And in an hour the Survivor shirt will sell.

The 4e books have now been paid for so I have to get them ready to ship.
Did these media mail (as I wasn't certain if people would bid on them really)

Autumn

02-08-2012, 05:43 AM

Autumn, questions. Is the Amazon book thing just a "Buy It Now" kind of deal? It looks it. Instead of it being an auction.

Also, the bookswap thing. Still not sure i understand it. But I have put a book on my "shelf". So if someone wants it I have to send it to them and that's that? I'm losing money on this though if I'm paying shipping.
So what happens now? I collect points and trade points in for something?

If that's true wouldn't it be easier just to go buy the thing now without paying shipping costs? Cause I don't see this as trading. I think I'm interpreting this wrong.

Amazon is not an auction right. If you buy stuff on Amazon, you know how they have a "Buy it New or Used for $X.XX"? Your stuff would be listed there. You would list it at a condition and a price. They give you shipping, I think it's 3.99 for books, and then take a fee if you sell it. There's no cost to list stuff so you can just leave it up there 'til it sells.

With PBSwap, yeah, you do pay the shipping up front when people request things, and then you build up credits. If you request something with a credit it costs nothing, since they're paying the shipping to you. And you can transfer credits between sites, so you can use a book credit to order a CD or DVD (though DVD credits transfer at like a 3:2 ratio I think).

So it's not a moneymaker, especially if you don't use credits (though if you use them wisely it can be. I got stuff like the Special Edition Lord of the Rings DVDs in exchange for mailing out old paperbacks). But if there's stuff you might want in the future, or stuff that you're having a hard time deciding whether to get rid of, it's a good choice. I found I could rid myself of stuff if A) I knew someone who wanted it was getting it and B) it meant I could get something even cooler or more relevant. Like I had a hard time just getting rid of music, even stuff I don't really listen to. but if I could swap it for new music, at least theoretically, I was able to get rid of it.

CrimsonFox

02-09-2012, 09:03 PM

Update:

Mailed out my second big batch of packages today. Half priority boxes and half mediamail.

Included in this batch were:
The Survivor shirt (Priority smallbox)
Teal suitcoat (Pri Med)
Fisherman's sweater (sinally paid for)
d&d 4e (media mail)
d&d 3.5 eberron (mediamail)
and
the grateful dead lps

The d&d eberron books got a boost at the end to 15.50
The suitcoat went up to 8.37 and he paid right after the auction ended
Survivor shirt only got the one bid but I'll take it
Grateful Dead LPs had a minibidwar to 13.50
4e books went up to 16.00

I've found it so much easier to deal with the priority mailings. Just print the postage, enclose the box and drop it off. Media mail is a little of a pain.
I might go back to using more priority and just taking a dollar off the shipping cost just to entice more bids, but no one bids on books much IS the problem.

The LPs were kind of funny. There are no real record packages although maybe in a specialty box store there is.

So I took a long medium priority box and slid the albums into it without opening it (and they perfectly fit that way). snipped the ends off. Used the self adhesive to close one end. I had to leave the other end open so the post office could inspect it since it's media. Then I sawed too panels of another box and Put those panels another the other one. Taped all the edges together and insetrted more cardboard to stiffen it. Still had to leave one side open. Once I got to the post office I then went in and taped both edges shut. Nothing like homemade boxes for LPs.

Tip: Make your own boxes for LPs and use lotsa of cardboard to stiffen. Don't forget to write "Do Not Bend" and "Fragile". Then send them Media Mail as they are so heavy.

CrimsonFox

02-09-2012, 09:07 PM

Things that didn't sell:

Books that weren't in a LOT.
Books that WERE in a LOT
VHS even in a lot.
The old tech NOKIA phone headset
Tapestries.

The VHS I'm not going to try again unless it's a lot and some really good items. Books I think I'll just try the Amazon and swap sites that autumn suggested plus going to my favorite local bookstore like I did today just feels great. They have expanded and the place just is awesome to browse and more awesome to support. The tapestries I thiknk I'll just relist. It got views and watchers, just no bids. I will try better timing.

Izulde

02-09-2012, 09:42 PM

Looked up from the Value Village site Las Vegas:
http://www.valuevillage.com/Find-A-Store.aspx

I see they are all called Savers now there although maybe they used to be Value Villages too. Anyway thinking of your description. Yeah depends on the neighborhood. I mean usually thrift stores don't attract all the best people. But the ones up here are very organized. They do kinda have that odor though. I really think it's mothballs or something like that cause every VV smells the same. But it's not like a "someone pooped" smell. They are pretty clean. Overpriced? um...well it's better to go during the week. THey have a colortag sale, granted it's hard to find the right color tag for things you like though. Takes a little time. But I guess yeah. A pair of good pants or a good shirt usually costs like 7-12 bucks. Cheaper if on sale or slightly not perfect. But they don't put out things that are dirty or ratty.
So maybe LV is just full of scum.

No, the VV I meant was the one in my hometown in WI.

It's interesting that Savers is linked with VV, because the Savers near my house here in LV is pretty decent and one that I like browsing through stuff from time to time.

CrimsonFox

02-11-2012, 08:40 PM

Okay all packages from the 3 rounds of mailing sent out. Only things left were the Edward Gorey lot of book which sold for a nice 16.50 (5 Gorey books) and the lot of magazines which hasn't ended but has a watcher.

Getting a little feedback back but not much. Several items have now been delivered to happy customers (as I can see the tracking on the Priority items). The media mail items probably won't get there until Monday at the earliest, or midweek.

All the VHS and most of the books didn't sell. THe tapestries and 2 of the costumes. I relisted the Foxhunt tapestry, the costumes, the Nokia HEadset and the cat figurine (which has a watcher now).

Need to get back into picture taking. I have taken several trips to the storage facility this week (it's just down the street) and found many things that could be lumped into good lots like computer/video games and similar style books.

I also visited my favorite used bookstore. They have expanded into another room and the place looks great. I browsed for quite awhile and bought something with my credit. Am thinking I will probably take a bunch of my crappier single books there as I like supporting them and them really won't sell for much. A good way to just get a bunch out of the way.

I experiemented with the 2 sties Autumn spoke of. So I listed a hardback on Amazon and a paperback on paperback swap. NO action for either but they aren't great choices but I'm just starting slow just to figure it out. I'm still not sure how much Amazon will take out of all the final prices. I saw a number that seemed really high but was not totally sure what I was looking at.

CrimsonFox

02-11-2012, 08:50 PM

Oh yeah, I've had one stiff so far on the very first item I listed in this recent session. The RA Salvatore book lot. Sold for a measly 5 bucks for 3 books + 2 rare book previews. No pay. HAve sent him 2 invoices and another message. Nothing. So I just now opened a case against him so he'll pay. Otherwise I will relist. I'm kind of hoping for that. I think I'll add another D&D book to the mix if I do.

CrimsonFox

02-11-2012, 09:20 PM

Ah yes and the total so far that I've made from "crap I don't want anymore" is $187.42

CrimsonFox

02-12-2012, 10:52 AM

Okay I've figured out Amazon a bit more and confirmed with Autumn my findings (Thanks Autumn!) So I listed 9 hardbacks and oversized trade paperbacks. I guess I just wait until someone buys.
And if I get impatient, either lower the price or group them for amazon.

I do see a need for patience for this.
There IS the old addage that it's better to just sell a big group of things that way you clear out your space faster and the overall price goes up higher.
Granted I don't know if I agree with it for books. Have to be really specialized. But if this works, you're right Autumn, it will be a TON more money that using ebay or used bookstores.

MacroGuru

02-12-2012, 08:15 PM

CrimsonFox

02-12-2012, 08:22 PM

um....
new copies of
The Orc King
The Pirate King
(by Saalvatore)

and
Shadowstorm by Paul S Kemp

all those are paperback

also have a hardback of DragonFOrge by James Wyatt...

CrimsonFox

02-13-2012, 05:36 AM

Okay heading into unknown waters yet again, here is my amazon booklist with some crazy prices....but where you see a crazy price, it's also the lowest of that exact year/date/kind/cover/blahblahblah

RPG Stuff:
Star Wars Revised Core: 61.99
Star Wars Core (Orig): 14.75
D&D 3.5 Epic Level Handbook: 27.95
D&D 2.0 Castle Sites Accessory Book: 22.00
D&D 3.0 Forge of Fury Module: 9.99
Doloreaux Ironclaw Accessory: 39.50
Home Before the Sky Falls Gamma WOrld Module: 42.00
Gamma WOrld Mutants and Machines HB d20 MOnster Manual: 27.00
D&D 2.0 Dungeon Masters Guide (Black Cover): 19.95
D&D 3.5 Eberron Campaign Setting: 19.95

Misc HB/Trade PB Books:
Santa's Twin: 5.50
The Pope's Rhinoceros: 5.50
Talking to Dragons (unique HB orig cover): 49.95
Daggerfall Strategy Guide: 21.95
The private world of Katharine Hepburn (Giant coffeetable photo book): 39.95
In the language of kings (Mayan poetry/prose HB book): 19.95
Great Looney Tunes Colelction (Music score/sheet music book): 25.00
Dragon FOrge HB (D&D based fiction): 14.95

I'm glad I typed these out. It makes me realize how stupid those starting bids are. But as Autumn said, you never know. But none of this would go anywhere NEAR these numbers on ebay. Usually why I group several things together and start at say $6-10.

I'll no doubt be lowering these prices I think. But at least I got them into the system as a first step.

There were some books I came across that I didn't even bother entering because their average price was under 5.

I've only done hardbacks and big/thick pb. Want to get rid of those first.
CLoser leaning towards taking a big box down to the used bookstore for more credit (even though I don't really need it...but they HAVE started carrying lots of DVDs there now so that credit could run out quickly. :) )

Will think about the swap shop. Indeed as autumn said it seems more of a place where books go to die meaning only bother putting things there that won't go on amazon because of book condition.
The part about having to pay to ship books still is a little weird especially when to get something I have to then order something. I think I'll try it a couple times and see if it's worth it.

CrimsonFox

02-13-2012, 10:27 AM

Listed another item yesterday.
Another Sportscoat. This one dark, lightweight and kind of a dark blue/olive plaid going on.
Already it has a bid of 8.99.
And from the relists got a couple watchers on things, lots of views, and one bid on the smoking jacket for 9.99.

CrimsonFox

02-13-2012, 10:30 AM

Still no word from the deadbeat regarding the Salvatore book but I'm learning the process. The first step was reporting it. ebay gets word that he didn't pay and investigates and sends him more emails. I could start that process 4 days after the auction finished and he now has four days to respond. (which is the 15th). I actually am hoping I can relist or sell it elsewhere (like here)

Tip: If someone doesn't pay or respond to you or your invoices. Start the "report him" process as soon as possible. Four days is more than enough time to get back on this and you'll want to be able to relist quickly.

CrimsonFox

02-14-2012, 03:57 AM

Wow when I came home I found I had sold 2 books today on Amazon!

Amazing!!!!! Autumn is great...Autumn is great....Autuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmn is GRRRRRRRRRRREAT!

10 bucks for each of them. That's like 9 bucks each more than I probably would have received on ebay :)

Seriously. One of them was the Forge of Fury adventure module for 10 bucks. That's D&D 3.0 module. I've tried selling it at the Gencon auction store for $5 before and got NO bites. And that's like the biggest collection of gamers looking to buy things in one place in the world basically.

The other thing was some historical religious book that was in pretty much new condition.

Okay I'm hooked. I just hope I can sell the big books quickly. I think I need to lower their price to move them and I'm okay with that.

CrimsonFox

02-16-2012, 02:17 AM

Sent out last package from last ebay batch...the Gorey books. SEnt mediamail.

Sent out the 2 amazon purchases. But sent those first class as single books are cheaper to send that way.

Tip: Single books should be sent First Class. That is often cheaper than media mail if light enough. And it will get there in about 2-3 days as opposed to the week that MM takes. 2-3 days means more chance of positive feedback. MM receivers I have found are less likely to leave positive feedback.

And the big thing is, as of 12 minutes ago I finally was able to close the case on my first deadbeat. It took 4 days from when I reported the non-payer and now to advance the status (and get any fees refunded), I just had to wait til now, close the case, and then he is reported on forever in his file. I actually called ebay today to make sure I was doing things right because it didn't list a time and I wondered if AANY time today I could do this, but that wasn't true. When I tried to close the case, it takes me to a page saying "Did the buyer pay?" The "Yes" selection is available (in case he comes back and pays) and the "No" is grayed out.
So I made sure I wwas doing it right. They told me just to wait til midnight.
And sure enough that's what it was. The "No" ungrayed.

Now my books are free to be relisted, etc.

But since they only went for 5 bucks anyway, I think I might gang them up with other stuff.

CrimsonFox

02-19-2012, 05:20 AM

back to it:
New Listings:
1) Blue/Green Patchwork Vest - Listing Price: 9.99
2) Velvet Deer Tapestry. Tag says "Made in Italy". esearching "Italian tapestries on ebay they command a pretty penny.(and no that's not a Buckaroo Bonzai callout) Going $24.95. 10 looks and 1 watcher so far
3) Tall thin angel Tapestry/WallHanging with dalrod. Looks nice and good condition and the rod makes it even more attractive. $14.95. 3 looks and 1 watcher so far

CrimsonFox

02-19-2012, 05:28 AM

The Dark Ble/Green Sportscoat from the top of the page ends this morning. 39 looks but still going for 8.99 thus far. Had a question about it from someone asking where it vented, the sides or the back. Assuming they mean the little slit in sportscoat, the answer is neither. I don't expect a bid from him, but then again anyone asking a question is usually so picky they won't bid. I'll say that again.

Tip: Anyone asking a question is usually so picky they won't bid. But it still always pays to answer questions honestly and quickly.

Had some other sales from the relisted items (Yeah!!!).
The smoking Jacket went for 9.99. I realized I screwed up on the postage. I only charged 5.20 small box when I should have charged 9.99 medium box. (and suck the 86 cents). If I send priority now I will suck 5 dollars. I instead packed it in my own box and am going to mail it first class. It isn't heavy. As long as it's around 5 bucks I'll be happy.
The fox hunt tapestry pillow sold as well! for 9.49.
I've packaged these two up.

On Amazon I listed a lot more big books and RPG stuff. My 2.0 black DMG sold for 19.99. Awesome!
Packaged and ready to be sent mediamail. (And I'll get another dollar out of that as Standard shipping for amazon is 3.99)

Tip: When selling on Amazon, standard shipping of a book is 3.99. That means people will spend 3.99 on shipping. Which method you use to ship it is up to you, depending on the price and you keep the rest.

CrimsonFox

02-19-2012, 05:32 AM

Oh yeah one more thing. The Grateful dead record albums did finally arrive to the buyer. I set the shipping price at 9.95 expecting the heavy records to be really expensive to ship. Even expected it to be more. But luckily I was allowed to send them mediamail. Only cost me like 4.50 or something like that. (I called them "Recordings." :) )

Soooo since my estimate was way high I mailed the guy I sent them to for his paypal address so that I could paypal him back a couple dollars since I overcharged him by a lot. He said not to worry, it was cool, records arrived and I could keep the extra and thanked me for being honest. He then left me positive feedback saying just that...a thing he probably wouldn't have done otherwise.

Tip: For sure honesty is indeed the best ...policy. And being proactive about it gives you positive feedback. That communication thing.

CrimsonFox

02-23-2012, 02:51 AM

Lots happened. Whoa.

I had just expected to mail out the 3 ebay things that sold: The bluegreen sportscoat, the smoking jacket and the foxhunt tapestry. While I was getting all that info, packing it up and waiting for the end, FOUR amazon books sold during that time period!
This included a star wars d20 RPG revised book. I dropped the price from like 60 to 45 and BOOM it sold. WHAT?!?
Also the D&D DMG 2.0 black sold for $20.
A New copy of Zoo Tycoon 2 I've had sitting around since 2007. Very glad to get rid of this as it reminded me of some horrible people I used to work with. More on this below. It sold for $11.
Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, a REALLY REALLY thick 2 volume in one book by isaac asimov going through each play hardcore in the way he alone can ...well....overanalyze. :) Sold for $20. Nothing feels better than making THAT much space on my shelf for that much money. ANd this a couple days after listing it.

Now the other place I went was the bookstore and I started unloading stuff I knew wouldn't sell. Took about 7 of the random fantasy books that were in mediocre to bad shape. Also took 4 plays, including 1 that I thought was a neat book but reminded me of an asshole everytime I looked at it.
Like above I am happy to part with this as now I won't have to be reminded of said asshole anymore.
LIke Zoo Tycoon I should have gotten rid of it much sooner.

Tip: If something you own reminds you of something painful, annoying, or that makes you angry, get rid of it. You don't need the baggage sitting around staring you in the face.

THe magazines I tried selling on ebay awhile back I took to the charity thrift store along with a couple video game mags and some steering wheel cover that I knew I wouldn't want to sell on ebay since it won't fit any of the boxes. They can do with it what they want. Magazines too.

I also now have a lot of books set on my large table in categories to sell, etc. Found a buttload of more RPG stuff that I amazon-listed as well.
In a couple days I'll probably lower amazon prices again. There's one book where I have a price set and some douchebag at a movie place keeps going under me by a penny.

CrimsonFox

02-23-2012, 04:10 AM

On Ebay:

Listed a new round of stuff over the week:

Relisted
Goth robe
Pope books
Wolf Tapestry

New listingss:
Wells Fargo Grey stuffed animal horse. Part of a collector's set. GOing for a collector's price. 18.99
Charcoal Blazer 9.99

Tip: I'm telling ya! If you have sports coats you don't want anymore, make a quick 10 bucks. List them for 9.99 with a 9.99 shipping (for a med sized priority box) and they'll sell! You can play with a higher price if you want but not sure if they would sell then.

Tip: When listing sports coats or any type of clothing, men or women, list every thing you can about it ESPECIALLY measurements and condition.
If there are no tags, try it on and estimate. Also get a paper/cloth tape measure. For chest measurement, measure the back armpit to armpit and double that number. Waist measurement, same as chest, only lower for tops. For length measure the back, collar to bottom seam.

Fantasy LARP Robe with mottled fur lining. Looks nice and is incredibly oversized. Big and tall people have difficulty finding clothes and usually have to get things like this custom made so I'm not holding back on price. Charging 49.95. Most of the LARP robes and capes I see sold by companies on ebay go for much more anyway.

Event T-shirt I got for working at...well an event. Was Susan G Komen event so I should get the abortion-hater bids. It also has the energizer bunny on it so I'll get the um...people that like bunnies bid. 9.99

Listed a black/white plaid scarf too. Too short for me. 5.99 Maybe a little high but I went for the extra dollar.

CrimsonFox

02-26-2012, 04:22 PM

Adventures with Craigslist.

yeahyeahyeah I've been badmouthing da list since I started this blog and way before. With good reason. Why? People suck. Local people suck worse.

But I made a new CL account with one of my other emails since my main one wasn't letting me list anymore without phone verification and the phone verification wasn't working and there literally is ZERO customer service.

But creating a new account worked.

My first account I listed 5 items and got pings on 3 of them.
One of them said they wanted to buy and when I replied told me this long story about how her friend just got an accident in her car and how she no longer could afford to buy the item because of it and how stupid her friend was and by the way had I heard about this new website that lets you make money by clicking on things on websites? Honest! the webpage has testimonials and pictures of people holding checks so it MUST be strue. She told me she made $600 dollar this week alone, but she said if I would be so kind not to share the link with anyone else.

So what tip could I possibly have for you this week?

Tip: craigslist now has an automatic link in replies which lets you report scams and spammers emails straight to to CL so the email will go onto the banlist. Ta da!

The second reply said they must have the item and could get it on Wednesday. No reply or callback to my email.

The third reply was for a bookcase.

A Woman in the country (Monroe, re: country bumpkin with cows and pigs).
She and her husband want a bookcase for her records

After talking with her she has decided to buy it and will come over later.
My bookcase is in storage but it is in the front of my unit. So after the conversation I went down (it's practically next door) to clean off the shelf.
I do so and walk back home.

Then she calls back and tells me that that shelf is not deep enough.
(even though the dimnsions are clearly listed)
The conversation before she was asking lots of picky questions about material made from and type of wood blahblahblah.
I have no idea. DO you want it or not? is what I was thinking.

So I get back and now she said the shelf won't do but is interested in one of my OTHER shelves in the back of my unit that is deeper. Sigh.
I don't know the dimensions so now I have to walk all the way down again and go measure the other one.
It is really buried behind stacks of boxes now and there is more stuff all over the place than normal.

She finally gets there and now she's getting more picky again.

She demands to go see it and then complains that the shelf is particle board and not wood and she doesn't want it after I lug a bunch of stuff to clear the path for her. But she takes the original one anyway because it is wood.

Ugh I wanted to slap her. Just needy needy needy. At elast she bought one of them though.

Bookshelf - $45
which is nice cause usually i can only get like $20 out of furniture IF I can actually get someone to come get it. I sometimes get an email saying "OMG I WANT THIS I MUST HAVE IT" and when I reply the next day they say "ZOMG WE HAD TO GET ONE NOW SO WE WENT OUT AND BOUGHT A REALLY EXPENSIVE ON! YOU TOOK TOO LONG!" I've never heard of an emergency bookshelf before.

(ps women are cunts)

CrimsonFox

02-26-2012, 04:31 PM

So from my many trips into storage I have brought back a tons of books, games, dvds, and CDs. I now have 4 pages worth of amazon books listed. Also started listing computer games too (new ones) as a few CDs.

I'm not going to list them all here.

The only new ebay item I listed wasx a pair of tennis shoes. Seriously an old pair of reeboks I barely wore cause they sucked so bad. So I listed them for 5 bucks with shipping at 9.99. I have 3 watchers on it.

I also relisted 3 things that didn't sell last week.

Bids currently are on the Charcoal blazer...2 bidders actually. It's at 10.50 now so hoping for a bidwar tomorrow.
One of the three things I relisted was the Italian velvet tapestry of deer. I listed it at 24.95 originally and saw no reason to go cheaper. BOOM! almost the same day it got a bid.
Another item, a green and blue patch leather vest for 9.99 got no bites. I went lower since it's only a vest and obviously didn't strike anyone's fancy.
Started at 7.99 this time.
There was another item, a cat figurine that I realized I had almost zero description on. I fixed that on the relist and got more watchers and views.

Tip: Sometimes all you need to do is relist to find your buyer. I recommend this approach on vintage items which may genuinely have a higher price tag. Of course other times you simply need to fix the item by lowering the price or making a better description, lowering shipping, changing the category, etc.

CrimsonFox

03-02-2012, 03:17 AM

I relisted 2 items on the 28th. This brought my listing total up to the magic number 50.

I have been aggressively selling and just cleared 50 by the end of the month so if you don't aggrtessively sell a lot you won't have anything to worry about.

Tip: You get 50 free listings a month (that is, posting something without a fee for posting it) on Ebay. Use em! You won't run out especially if you only casually list. (This includes relists and cancelled listings.)

CrimsonFox

03-02-2012, 03:43 AM

Feburary Totals:

Lots Sold: 16
Lots Sold but unpaid (Still have them): 1
Unsold Lots: 27 (this includes some relists, aka duplicates)

Items sold ( and prices sold for)
R A Salvatore Book Lot 5.00 - unpaid
White Knit Cable Fisherman Sweater 6.99
The Wizard of Oz Book Lot 4.99
INTELLIVISION GAME LOT 4.99
D&D 4th Edition 4e Book Lot 16.00
PAX 2011 Prey 2 T shirt 9.99
Long SWEATER Coat 19.50
D&D 3.5 Core Set 65.10
Grateful Dead LP Records Lot 13.50
SURVIVOR Borneo Original T-shirt 5.99
D&D EBERRON 3.5 Lot 15.50
Men's TEAL SPORT COAT 8.37
EDWARD GOREY BOOK LOT 16.50
Hunting Party Tapestry Pillow Panel 9.49
Men's DARK BLUE GREEN Blazer 8.99
Red Burgundy Men's SMOKING JACKET 9.99
MEN'S CHARCOAL BLAZER 10.49

Total: $226.38
(not including Ebay's final listing fees but it seems nicer to look at the fee-free number and not think about it)

And thinking of the extra closet space...I now turn to my bookshelf which has been made more friendly due to February Amazon Sales

Items Sold: 11

The Forge of Fury D&D module: 9.99
The Gospel of St Thomas: Hidden Sayings book: 9.95
D&D Dungeon Master's Guide 2nd Edition (Black): 19.95
Star Wars d20 RPG Revised Core Rulebook: 44.95
Zoo Tycoon 2 (Computer Game): 11.00
Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare (HUGE thick book): 19.99
Eberron Campaign Setting 3.5 D&D book: 14.00
My Neighbor Totoro (DVD): 15.00
Whisper Tames the Lion by Drivin n' Cryin (CD): 4.99
The Great Looney Tunes Collection (Sheet Music book): 14.95
The ULtimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (HUGE thick book): 17.95

I wish I'd started amazon earlier I possibly could have gotten better prices on the ebay RPGs but oh well at least they are gone. THat's all that matters.

Amazon money made (not counting fees but with the sshipping credit it comes out about the same really): $182.72

Craigslist:
Only listing that got bites and actually sold was:
72" Wooden Bookshelf: $45

So the total for the month: $454.10

Not bad at all. Takes care of rent + rent on my storage unit.

Frees up space which is the bigger plus. But there's more to move...

I still have a bunch of auctions up and putting more up. Have taken pictures of several.

Oh yeah things given away:

To Children's Hospital Thrift shop:
Stack of magazines
box full of VHS
Steeringwheel cover

To McDonald's Books (cool used book store):
6 plays + 5 fantasy books (bad condition and not collector's) + 1 DVD (Green Day Suburbia Bomb which SUCKS!)
So got more credit from this place

Thus concludes Chapter 1 of my UnHoarder's Dynasty.

I will be more brief probably now that I have a pattern to how I do things.

CrimsonFox

03-07-2012, 05:31 AM

...And we're back.

And I've sold a few more lots including...

The RA Salvatore lot including the same books from the initial lot I sold that someone didn't pay for. This time they paid. (And I threw in the Dragon Forge HB). Yay space!

2 lots just finished
A belt...nothing exciting. Someone paid 5 for it.

A Batman bedspread! Cool design. And it got the most looks I've ever had (over 100) and most watchers (8)

They waited until two days left to start bidding (8 bucks) and the last day people started counterbidding and of course there was an end of bid war.
Made it up to 31 bucks when the shrapnel cleared. And the original bidder won. Something odd though. The original bidder bid 3 times uncontested before anyone else bid. That means they bid, and then they bid again 2 more times upping their bid each time. Either they got nervous...or they wanted to intimidate people to thinking they've upped their initial bid to something higher. Well yes that IS what it means. Becuase you CAN up your own bid to make sure you get something. But as an intimidation factor it didn't seem to work here. (thankfully). I think people saw it as a challenge in fact.

Oh yeah tip...

Tip: Let a last hour bidwar happen by starting the bid at a sane hour when not everyone is asleep.

I have paid dearly for my penchant for being a productive night owl. And even lots that had watchers float by in the black of the night with nary a bite.

Had a tableboth, an eagle puppet, a pair of old hiking boots, a fantasy robe, a blazer, a lot of plays, and a pair of sandals all go by this week unsold. I relisted the blazer at a lower price (the "higher than 9.99" test for a blazer is a failure) I relisted the robe and the blazer at lower prices, also the angel wall hanging and the blue vest.

I took most of the plays to the bookstore for credit. Took the sandals and some other crap to the Value Village for a coupon.

CrimsonFox

03-07-2012, 05:33 AM

Finishing tomorrow:

Energizer bunny t shirt (1 watcher) - 2nd try
Goth Robe - 3rd try
Vampire Cape - 3rd Try
Black scarf - 2nd try

CrimsonFox

03-07-2012, 05:37 AM

The rest is all new stuff...woowoowoo!

Lot of mixed 80s/90s action figures! (also researched what they were and alerted an action figure message board of the auction. (55 looks, 0 W)

Tip: For specialty items, find a website with that specialty and post the auction to their forum if you can.

Pack of Magic Card (Chandra Nalaar Red) got at PAX 2011
Dark Brown Hiking shoes
Polo shirt
Colonial Black Leather Shoes (Went 34.95 with free shipping)
Dragonfire shirt

CrimsonFox

03-21-2012, 06:36 PM

Two weeks since I've updated and lots happened. NOne of that new stuff from last post sold.
Not even the action figures sold. I relisted all of the above and lowered prices galore and still none sold.

Various other things I put up during the month include
- a medeival maroon robe costume with fur at the collar and side slits. Really big sized. It sould have done well but went unsold
- a blue and green patchwork leather vest. Too small for me. Went unsold too.
- A cheesy black dragonfire shirt
- a grey blazer from high school that is WAY too small for me
- Energizer bunny shirt I got working at a local event
- pair of black character shoes that had buckles instead of ties.
- Pair of used 9 1/2 hiking boots relisted, slight hole in the back of right heel
- Collection of dragon fantasy books of various sorts
- COllection of WOlf Fantasy books
- Collection of various animal fantasy books
- Incense burner with a sun on it
- Black boots, look very elven. Never worn but very distressed
- New brown running shoes 8 1/2, asking good price for
- New brown hiking boots size 9, asking good price for
- White fabric
- Burgundy tablecloth
- relist of the action figures from above dropping the price by 2 bucks
- relist of character shoes
- relist of dragon books

None of the above sold, but if at once you don't, yadayadayada

Here's what DID sell in March so far (after the belt and tablecloth):

1. Angels Tapestry Wall Hanging on dalrod. This was 2nd try for it. Didn't change the price as it was a nice item totally worth it. Sold for $9.95.
2. Men's hiking shoes size 9. Sold for 5.99. Very clunky and uncomfortable things those were.

and two others which I will get to in their own post as there is a lot to say about them.

CrimsonFox

03-21-2012, 07:08 PM

Which brings me to March 14

A very productive day was March 14th.

Ebay had a special. Free listings all day on March 14th. I listed and relisted a total of 17 items.

Tip: Let ebay's specials make you more productive! Also, Once you start listing things, see how many you can keep up before it gets late.

All 17 are finishing today...some within minutes of this post.

The story so far...
1. Burgundy Tablecloth. Unsold, dropped price and relisted.
2. Action Figure Lot 8.99. Unsold. Dropped price AGAIN for 5.85 (SO I make 5 bucks and don't eat any shipping) and relisted. Also posted link on action figure site forum.
3. Black Character shoes from above. unsold. Dropped Price from 17.99 to 9.99 but gave a BUY IT NOW price of 25. These are very unique and I think people should buy them as such.
4. Red Medieval Robe. Unsold. Relisted again. The price is $10 now. Much less than I want but it wasn't selling otherwise. So the price is 10 but added a buy it now of more for the impatient people.
5. Lot of PAX 2010/GENCON Tshirts and bags. All were SWAG promo shirt from various games/ companies. 5 shirts total. 1 bag. Priced at 6.99 and went unsold. Relisted.
6. Funky paisley shirt from haunted house costume collection. Unsold.
7. Gray pants $9. Unsold
8. Homer Simpson Pajama bottoms/sweatpants. $10. Unsold.
9. The relisted Energizer bunny T shirt. unsold at $7 but 3 watchers. Cmon people don't just look. BID! Relisted.
10. Grey high school blazer from above. $8. Unsold Relisted.
11. Magic the GatheringChandra Nalaar Box. $3.50 unsold. I listed it on amazon instead.
12. Dark purple polo shirt plaid from hs. $4 unsold
13. Men's Brown hiking Boot Shoes size 9 1/2. The used ones I mentioned above with the hole in it. This time a bidding war erupted and it SOLD! for $7.50! Hooray!
14. Black and White Steampunk/goth robe. THis was on its like 5th try. I listed this back in January I think. SOLD for $4!
These are ending later today
15. Draclula cape from february. NO bids yet.
16. Bald Eagle Hand PUppet from FOlkmanis. On its second try. 2 watchers and only $10 down from 15. No bids yet.
17. Brown furry paw gloves. 2 watchers. No bids
18. Pope John Paul 2 books. These were listed in January and repeatedly unsold. Only reason I reslisted them was because of the Mar 14th sale. And a BID WAR HAS ERUPTED between two buyers! And it's not done! Currently at $850 for the pair. I mean $8.50. GOt you excited didn't I... Let the sniping begin!
19. Purple and blue Tree of Life Wall hanging. $30. No bids. Was testing the waters there. It IS really nice.
20. Dan Marino FOotball (not an autograph. Just a ball). No bids
21. Relist of the incense holder
22. Relist of the wolf books lot
23. Relist of the animal fantasy lot.

That's it. Hmmm that's more than 17. I think I counted others that were added earlier that week.

And now a word about book lots and categories.

I'm well aware that books don't sell well on ebay. Not even in lots. In fact I've had to put up lots of books just to get rid of them. At least now that I know about amazon (USE IT). But for things that don't sell there, I have to bulk sell books there if I want to sell them on ebay. One experiement I tried is changing up which category I put them in. I doin't know if it matters. I don't know if it is more common for buyers to search by category or just search by word. I do the latter. But in case for my three fantasy lots (Dragon, WOlf, Animal), I tried relisting in another category.

There is the obvious:
Books -> Fiction & Literature

I was also trying things like :
Books -> Children, YA

and

for the dragon books I even tried:

Collectibles -> Fantasy, Mystical, and Magic -> Dragons -> Other

I must confess nothing has worked with these category changes but it doesn't hurt to try. Scope out which categories see more action, itemwise. That's probably where buyers looks.

Tip: Get creative with item category if you have trouble selling in the obvious place.

A word about this though. There is a bug in ebay (*GASP!*)
If you try and change the category of an item already listed it tries to give you a $1.10 fee for having two categories even if you delete the original. ALSO if you try to RELIST an unsold item and try to change the category, it will ALSO try to charge you the $1.10 multicategory fee. So you have to copy/paste your info into a completely new ebay item.

Tip: You must create a new ebay item if you want to change the category, even on a relist.
Ain't technology swell...

CrimsonFox

03-21-2012, 07:09 PM

Coming up...

How will the Pope's bidwar end?
.........The results on the rest of today's items.....
......................selling off bad memories....................
.............................My Amazon sales for March.............
......................................Doing something Dumb!.................
..................and the sad, unpleasant tale of the Blue and Green Vest (Subtitled "Women can be cunts")

All this and Andy Rooney....coming up...

CrimsonFox

03-23-2012, 06:39 AM

The pope's Bidwar

This actually ended with no drama or bidwar at all. I was hoping since there were two bidders going back and forth a couple of times they would get into a major snipe war. But the second person just let it go duhr doy.
The two books (hardbacks at that which I'll be glad to see leave my shelf). Would have gone for 2 cents total on amazon. Will probably have a little leftover from media mail. But that really contributes to all the bubbleenvelopes I buy.

Sold at $8.50

CrimsonFox

03-23-2012, 06:44 AM

The rest of the items:

Two things aside from the books sold that day.

1) The Black and White goth robe that I had been trying to sell since december...trying to sell for years.

Sold for $4Pair of Dorito Tacos here I come!

2) Men's Hiking boots 9 1/2
FINALLY sold. I think that was the 3rd or fourth try.

Dipped the price to 4.50 and had a buy it now of 5.99. Someone bid then messaged me why they couldn't BUY IT NOW. Because duhreee, once you bid you cannot use buy it now. So she bid the 4.50 bucks. Then other bid over top of her, she didn't rebid and the others bid it up to $7.50. yay.

Sold $7.50

CrimsonFox

03-23-2012, 06:47 AM

Just realized I already told you that. (about these two items selling). The rest of the items in the list above did not sell. I waited until yesterday where they had another free day of listing and relisted everything there at lower prices plus dug back through other unsold things before and relisted most of them too. May as well...

Tip: Don't give up. Keep trying as long as it's free to list them. (unless the items are so annoying and worthles and big you just want them outta here....then just take them to charity places, etc)

CrimsonFox

03-23-2012, 06:53 AM

Selling off bad memories:

One job I had awhile back was pretty horrible. Worked on this MMO called AION for NCSoft. HOrrible place, hrrible people. Horrible Manager and even worse coworker that used to taunt her players and stalk them and kick them out of the forum. A real pig of a person. WOrking with them was horrible and eventually they ended my contract ...why? because the jackass gave me his cold, so by midweek I was sick. I called in thus. He called me midday asking where I was. I told him I called his phone and left a message that I was sick. He said that I didn't. (I have proof on my phone however). A couple hours later I received a call from my contract contact saying they ended the contract. I wasn't even allowed to go get my stuff. GOod riddance to a really horrid group of people I am thankful never to have to see again, but the scars yes they were there. So which brings me back to this pile of swag I got at PAX while working for them. This included copies of their game (which by now very few people play). The collector's edition with fig and soundtrack, the expansion, the T shirt, the necklace, the stuffed animal all went for a whopping $12.50. That $12.50 will go to something nice.
That's $12.50 worth of closure as I never have to be reminded of that job again.

Box of bad memories - SOLD $12.50

CrimsonFox

03-27-2012, 07:08 AM

I interrupt my previous train of thought to bring you another train of thought...

LOL! It's hilarious sometimes. Sometimes I list something on Amazon and then start looking through the book and think...hmmm I like this. Maybe I should keep it. In which case I keep it listed but keep it at a higher price, sometimes boosting it higher just to make sure. And then whammo someone buys it anyway LOL.

Well sure I'll take it :) This happened last week and again about an hour ago.

Tip: If you don't want to sell it, don't list it. ;)

CrimsonFox

03-29-2012, 10:16 PM

This just in...the 20 or so items I listed all in one day last week all ended today. Several sold (unlike my last multilist day where none of them sold). Stay tuned for the results...

CrimsonFox

03-30-2012, 08:43 PM

Wow! Nothing currently listed on ebay! I'd better get busy! And with tomorrow being the last day of May (Apr 1 the 50 items limit resets) I'd better get cracking tomorrow!

sterlingice

09-05-2012, 10:45 AM

CrimsonFox

09-11-2012, 02:34 PM

Heh. Was just recently thinking of updating this again. Yeah I slowed down because I really got into a groove with how I did things and didn't essentially change the process/or learn new tips for awhile. But there are always stories and successes. :) Ebay I got to a point of not using much anymore so yeah sporadic. Sometimes I would find a new box of crap and that would spurn me on. But times I would give up and just take things to a thrift store.

CrimsonFox

10-12-2012, 01:52 AM

BTW, just caught up with this dynasty even tho it's been over for a while (or has it). Really enjoyed it and the tips.

I just recently sold a bunch of my duplicate video games on CAG and learned some of the same lessons.

Looking at your ebay profile, you were selling sporadically up until a month ago, and had a reasonably eclectic mix from clothes to media to tapestries to anime to swag to toys.

Also, never really thought of Amazon but it makes sense.

SI

Since I have netflix, I happened upon "Animal Hoarders" and watched an old fat cow defiantly tell everyone she wasn't going to change or get rid of anything. Stupid fat cow! Fuck you!

So now I am spurned to get back to this.

I took 4 things to the post office today. Yeehaw! Stupid post office. It bailed out of Downtown Redmond which was a comfortable walk and nor it's like a 2.5 mile walk. Ah well.

So let's get back to this by reviewing si's observations...

"I just recently sold a bunch of my duplicate video games on CAG and learned some of the same lessons."

- Video Games...yes they do sell. And you know what? Even Old oldschool stuff sells. Even on computers that don't "exist" anymore.
Tip: Do NOT sell you video games to Half Price Books. May as well give them to charity if you are going to do that.

Here's what I've found...

If you are in a big hurry to sell a whole big batch of video games then you have options:

Half price books - You will get sneers, stupid comments and a lot of obvious lies about how they won't sell and that they won't charge anything for them and that they have too much stuff and that is why they are giving you 25 cents for your whole box. Do NOT "sell" video games here!.

Other Used book stores - A good option if they have video games if the video games are indeed worth nothing. But you had better do your research to make sure of that. I just sold a new copy of Baldur's Gate 2 for 15 bucks. Wooooo! Yes it is still worth something to that guy in Alaska that has nothing but an old computer and lots of freetime. But for bookstores...like the one I go to nearby, they give good credit to get other stuff. So at least I"m getting something for that copy of Amped for the Xbox 1 that a million people are also trying to get rid of.

Amazon - THE place to sell video games. I have so many oldschool video and computer games that people are indeed buying. You have to be patient though and play the pricing game. You still want to try and have the lowest price for the quality you have. So charge cheapest for THAT condition (Don't lowball the "acceptable price" with your "new"/"like new" item...unless it's a big honking thing that you are desperate to get rid of). As always if you see an entire page of the same game/system worth a penny well, ask yourself is it worth your labor to get only a penny plus excess shipping (probably a dollar) to do the work to ship it? "not really" is the answer. In fact my "max rate" for bothering used to be $1. It is now around $2, depending on how big it is. Just tired of having crap around so if it's been months on amazon and not sold and under $2, to the used bookstore it goes.

BULK ebay - I am now buying some stuff on ebay. A couple ps3 games. But first I check the amazon prices. THey are pretty high, almost 20 bucks, but v-games sell for much less on ebay unless maybe new ones. Amazon is a sellers market for media, ebay is the buyers market.
So now you've sifted through amazon and found a pile of crap that's not worth much in your collection. Ask the pile to smile pretty for the camera and take its picture and post them all on ebay for the low low price of 3-5 dollars. I usually don't do below 3. I know some people say start at .99, but I don't want to do ANYTHING for less than 3 otherwise I"ll get stuck doing work for a dollar. Make sure there's at least a seminice item in there. Usually if you have a bunch of stuff, there's something there with no value that was at least popular that a collector would want. There are many people that like to "complete" their video game collections, computer games too.

Of course, tryand keep the games all the same system. If not have a good variety of everything.

Sterling, what is CAG?

swapshop - AUtumn told me about this but I still can't wrap my head around it being worth it when you have to pay all the shipping fees.

And now back to sterling iceman...

"Looking at your ebay profile, you were selling sporadically up until a month ago, and had a reasonably eclectic mix from clothes to media to tapestries to anime to swag to toys."

And I did a lot of research on each category...

Clothes... Ebay is the place. In fact I would say that is probably the number one thing that gets sold. (Don't quote me). I mean people will buy all kinds of things. Just take a picture of it, give it a fairly low price and boom. I'm not brave enough to start at .99. Because with clothes it is often only one person that likes what they see and wants it (unless it is new). The thing I"ve most found is sports coats. I set the price at 9.99 and stand back. THey go like hotcakes. THe ones that don't I've lowered to 8.99 and 7.99. In fact I've gone to the local thrift store on their .99 tag sales and bought a lot of suit coats just so I could make $10 for them on ebay. I need to find my camera and get rid of the last two.l Their pictures are kinda bad.

media - AMAZON! Books don't sell on ebay, nor do dvd's vhs, games, whatever unless they are new. And still books probably won't sell and you'll be lucky to make 2 bucks. Amazon people are nuts! They WANT to give you your money! you are doing them a FAVOR for charging $12 bucks for your hadback book that the ladies at the used bookstore won't even take because they just don't have the shelf space and are already selling hardbacks 3/$2. I am not ****ing kidding you! Hardbacks are ****ing gold on amazon, especially in like new condition! As before you can sell things in a lot on ebay if you've got some good stuff but if you've got good stuff you are more likely to make more selling them piecewise on amazon and just donating the rest.

Tapestries - I haven't really found a place for tapestries as such. So ebay was also my litmus test. I remember going through a "tapestry phase". Things cost like $25-35 bucks like 10-15 years ago. Sometimes you can get that sometimes not. The thing is I think. Higher prices MIGHT come your way for the right buyer. Or it may have to work up to that starting at a low number. But I'm too chicken to do that. Cause it might not work. There is a site called etsy.com. It is for mostly handmade items. Crazy artistic woman charge buttloads of money for their handmade stuff there. So that's probably not a bad place to go .

anime - Absolutely no one wants it. I tried selling anime VHS on amazon. None of it sold. I tried bilking it all up on ebay. None sold. The only time I've ever sold anything was I sold a VHS and a couple manga books at Gencon gaming convention in their auction store. I think I made like 4-5 bucks each for the manga. So that's like having it in front of the right crowd when they are in the mood to buy something. As far as anime dvd's go I don't see that being worth much either. Anyway I ended up just giving most of the VHS to charity thrift stores. They probably can't sell it either.

swag - Sell it immediately. The longer time goes by the longer people realize they don't care about the crappy tshirts and masks and crap. I sold the PAX swag for quite a bit of moolah. Gencon swag is less promising. If the swag is like books and games, well that's even better, but also if you wait then things become yes valuable. Some games even lose their value (MMOs especially) simply because they go under. (CoH/Rift anyone?). But yeah ebay is the place. Research the titles of things. NOte which things are selling the highest and copy how and where they post things.

toys - This was a chore. I had a bunch of crappy toys and actually researched what they all were by joining this toy figure collecting site. I advertised there and posted on ebay. It finally did work. Took a few tries but it did help me describe things better. The thing was I followed their insider methods and codewords for describing the exact condition of each item. And it wouldn't sell. So I removed all that junk about how used they were and they finally sold. Granted I still called them used. BUt without saying "This heman has loose joints" or "This orko has a lot of scuffs" as I think people that want this crap are just picky as shit when it comes to that and wait for another one in better condition. BUt if you don't say that, then they are like "Ooooooh I don't care if it's used, I don't have that one". In the end it did seem like a bunch of work just to sell them. BUt I learned something about toy collector conditions and such.

Next installment....where I left off...

sterlingice

10-12-2012, 10:01 AM

CAG = Cheap Ass Gamer. It's a community that specializes in video game sales. Think Slickdeals for videogames where it's a bit more of a friendly community and people get attacked rather than lauded for hoarding

(go find the Legend of El Hoardo- it's excellent!)
Never mind, found it:
Cheap Ass Gamer - View Single Post - Target Clearance Thread XV* (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6426691&postcount=1766)

I just wanted to give back to that community so I ran a lowball auction- everything starts at a $1 (hence "lowball"). It was all of all my duplicate games and I made about $250 after shipping, tho the shipping lessons would have been better learned beforehand. Media mail- argh!

SI

CrimsonFox

10-12-2012, 04:51 PM

well you can't use mediamail on video games. Well you can but if you're caught you will pay a fine. It says on the USPS site MM does NOT include video games.

sterlingice

10-12-2012, 10:26 PM

Well, I feel good that I did not. I know a few people that have but it's good to play by the law.

SI

CrimsonFox

10-12-2012, 11:31 PM

Media Mail 101 - What the site says vs. reality

Here we go... I will comment on the reality of what the postal workers actually tell me in quotes.

What the website says about rules and restrictions on USPS - The United States Postal Service (U.S. Postal Service) (http://www.usps.gov:)
The material sent must be educational media."Any book or prerecorded CD, DVD, VHS or Record is media."
It can only be prerecorded stuff. Not blank or recorded stuff. So ANY movie or record album counts. I guess you cannot prove that anything isn't able to be used for education considering there are college classes on all kinds of things.
It can’t contain advertising, video games, computer drives, or digital drives of any kind.Advertising means no magazines really. However if you send one magazine, it might be low enough using first class.

Video games is pretty self explanatory. Granted if you are only sending one videogame, It might be cheap enough.

Tip: If you are selling old school computer games on amazon (that have books and flyers and tons of cardboard), throw all the shit away. Just advertise "No box" or "Game and manual" even if you are selling it new.
Media Mail® can be examined by postal staff to determine if the right price has been paid. If the package is wrapped in a way that makes it impossible to examine, it will be charged the First-Class™ rate."Seal your media mail packages before you get to the window. You are holding up the line!"
This is hilarious. The first few times I did just what the site said. I had all my media mail packages open so the staff could inspect it and THEY YELLED AT ME FOR HOLDING UP THE LINE AND TOLD ME TO SEAL THEM ALL BEFORE I GOT THERE! hahahahahaha

So I basically seal the stuff and only about half the time, they ask me what it is. I answer "Book, CD, DVD, Video recording, or Record"
When you think about it, are they really going to go through a ton of packages every single day to look for one DVD or CD that is actually a video game? I doubt it. And they don't seem to care as long as you just say "It's a whatever". They just don't want you holding up the line with the website's bullshit. :)

Maximum weight is 70 lbs.
Maximum combined length and girth of 108". That means it can’t be larger than the combined measurement of the longest side and the distance around the thickest part.

CrimsonFox

10-13-2012, 01:00 AM

March 2012 Amazon Sales: included title price it sold for condition I listed it for and a little background about the item and sale.

D&D 3.5 Epic Level Handbook - 14.50 (A pointless book. Delighted by the price)
Guild Wars: Eyes of the North Expansion Pack - 12.00 (Don't know why I even bought it since I don't play GW anymore. Cost me 9.99 when I got it so I got my money back and then some)
Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords D&D RPG Supplement - 27.60 (Woot! Great for a pointless book I've never read)
Nero Corleone - 4.00 (Children's book. Any Children's book you can sell for more than 1.00 is a good deal)
Age of Empires 3 (New) - 14.00 (Never even opened it and don't really care anymore)
Wait Until Dark - 2.50 Plays aren't usually worth anything either especially these older ones. So again yay.
Sonic the Hedgehog Look and Find - 10.59 Another children's book. It was Where's Waldo meets Sonic and Friends. Double good as it was an oversized hardback book. Like I said, hardbacks are gold on amazon.
Road to Perdition (New) - 5.00 A graphic novel. However the buyer was a total troll and gave me a bad review because he said it wasn't new and didn't even give me a chance to work it out. This is THE biggest problem of Amazon. The buyers can rate you, but you can't rate them.
Gamma World: Mutants and Machines (Like New) - 9.95 (Another annoying big heavy RPG book gotten at a great price)
Six Walks in the Fiction Woods (by Umberto Eco) (New) - 7.95 A philosophical book about writing by the guy who wrote The Name of the Rose. I really should have kept it. This was an example of something I upped the price of in order to keep it...and then someone bought it anyway :)
Hunting Party Game - 19.00 This was AMAZING. This was a really crappy game that I thought was a good game when I bought it. Then got stuck with it. FInally someone bought it for 19. HOwever, I think I got stuck with a few bucks worth of shipping because amazon only gives 6.50 on shipping and I didn't have a good way to ship it other than the USPS boxes. But I got rid of it nonetheless. Still searching for the best way to ship games.
Dragon's Hoard (Children's book) (Very Good) - 8.00 - Totally awesome considering I got this book by going to the half price books superwarehouse sale and filled up two huge bags fulls of books all for 10 bucks.
Wishmaster/Wishmaster 2 DVD (New) - 3.50 A DVD in shrink of 2 horror movies I've never watched.
Complete Works Vol 1 by Harold Pinter (Very Good) - 3.48 - A collection of plays
Hackmaster Complete Game Master's Guide (New) - 29.99 I remember when I got this. It was gencon and I was hanging around on the last day of the Dealer's room and the Kenzer guys just threw a bunch of new stuff at me cause they didn't want to take it home. and because I laughed at their hilarious covers.
Daggerfall Strategy Guide - (Very Good) - 6.55 Yes one of THOSE strategy guide for computer games. The kind used bookstores won't even take anymore.
A Brief Catechism for Adults (LIke New) - 2.35 Old religious books
Bastion of Broken Souls - New - 37.00 A 3.5 D&D Adventure.
Blues Brothers Private (Very Good) - 6.50 - A really stupid "comedy" book documenting the life of the Blues Brothers and all the supporting characters of the blues brothers movie complete with snapshots and lots of stupid "documents". .01 is too much to spend.
Wolf Handbook - 6.99 (Very Good) - A book that had good pages and the cover was not in great shape plus there was writing on the inside. Yet I put all this info in the condition description. So all is forgiven.
Tigger the Movie DVD (New) - 36.00 I found a copy of this in the used bookstore BRAND NEW in shrink. BOught it for 2 bucks. SOld it for 36.00 within 2 days. Woot!
Phantom Stallion #12: Rain Dance (Very Good) - YA - 3.60 - A YA Title.

And with those final prices, you can technically add about a dollar each because of the shipping credit you get. However, I do have to pay for bubble envelopes and tape every now and then. So I'll say I average out at making .90 a package from the shipping credit.

March Totals: Items: 22 Total $$: $271.05 + $20.80 = $291.85

CrimsonFox

10-13-2012, 01:16 AM

CrimsonFox

10-17-2012, 07:16 PM

This installment: Keep Your eyes open

Keep your eyes open. You might find a gem.
Incidently last month's Tigger the Movie find was an example of keeping your eyes open in used bookstores and such. Half price is really expensive most of the time. But twice a year they have warehouse sales and if you wait til the last day you can fill a bag of books for 10 bucks, whereas I think it's 20 otherwise. or maybe it's 10 and 5. Anyway. nonHPB used book shops often don't really have any facts about how good something is. THe one I go to recently started selling DVDs and they all end up about 2 bucks using credit. And they are selling new stuff at that price too! That Tigger DVD was 2 bucks and it sold for 36. Why? I have no idea. But some things just go out of print and that spells money! Books are somewhat the same way. If you can find a way to get a whole box of books especially hardbacks for nothing (auctions, estate sales, Warehouse sales), do so. Hardbacks do well on amazon especially those in tip top shape. Just get rid of things that aren't worth more than a dollar on amazon. Exchange them for bookstore credit. Some like Amazon credit. I've never understood that though.

You can turn this philosophy into work.
I've started to turn this into work somewhat. Value Village has tag sales weekly. Everything of a particular color tag is half price. Then after a few days of that it drops to 99 cents! Then the next week they do it all again with a different color tag. They get so much stuff they have to clear it out. Soooo on the 99 cent days I sometimes go and buy a lot of certain items I've had luck with. Like suit jackets. I sold a bunch of mine for 10 bucks each so gaining 9 bucks each for suit coats seemed like a plan. A lot of them sold. Couple didn't but I need to retake pictures of them and repost.

Look up everything you have.
Yes some things you don't want to sell. Yes I understand that. I majored in that. But at least look them up on amazon and see what they are going for. You might be surprised, espcecially new things . You might find it worth 20 bucks. Maybe that thing you wanted to keep that you haven't looked at in years isn't worth holding on to after all! :) But I am drawing the line at some things. Things associated with memories I'm holding on to. Especially those belonging associated with good friends or past locations. But I've found that other thigns I wanted to keep that were "cool" ended up being easy to part with.
Plus it isn't like there aren't other copies out there I can't look at.
Maybe I'll find a 1 dollar version of it later.