Discontinued Item to Sell on eBay - Kellogg's All Bran Fiber Drink Mix

Amy sent in this super hot tip:

"Check out my item no. 300356238803 (auction ended). I saw this item on clearance and bought a couple just to see what would happen. They sold for $10/box! So I went out and found every box I could find, just in my area of Nashville. I haven't hit other areas yet, but I need to get on it quick. I had several people email me and ask if I could get anymore of this. Please share this with everybody if/when you get time. In this particular auction, I probably spent $50-$60 at most on the lot, and look at my profit!! Thanks for your great website - I love it!!"

Here is Amy's auction:


HUGE Lot Kellogg's All-Bran Fiber Drink Mix Lemonade

Amy is right - these are selling for about $8-$10 a box. Click here to see all the completed listings. Thanks so much for sharing, Amy! I am going to look for this when I am out shopping today.

Have a great day on eBay!

On the Hunt for Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters - Hot Holiday Toy

You've probably heard about these by now. If not, click here to check out my article on The Examiner, but be sure to come back here to read the rest of the story.

So, here are the facts.

1) They are nearly impossible to find. I have personally been looking at WalMart, Target, and Toys R Us. Target doesn't even carry them. The other 2 stores just have empty spaces on the shelves where they should be. I have already heard stories of people waiting in line for Toys R Us to open every morning - and mobs of shoppers plowing each other over to get these. Be careful, it is dangerous out there.

2) According to Hammertap, the sell through rate is right at 77%. Very good. But, the confusing part is that sellers are offering these in all kinds of different lots - Zhu Zhu pets themselves, the houses, the accessories - in all sorts of combination. So it is hard to get a reading on what you can make on just one piece.



3) Every store who offers them online is out of stock. And if you can find them, there are purchase limits. i think they are all on eBay. I did a search for Zhu Zhu pets and found 7,650 listings. Click here to see for yourself.

4) The single Zhu Zhu pets hamsters that sell for $9.99 retail are selling for as high as $25 each on eBay.

5) My advice at this point: Get what you can get, and save your receipts, in case you need to return something that doesn't sell. This looks to be like the Tickle Me Elmo, Hannah Montana doll, or Guitar Hero craze. But you absolutely have to watch the prices on eBay. It may fizzle out at any time. This is a timing issue. It is up to you to watch the selling prices and decide when to list your item and for how much.

6) My personal note: Don't be a hot toy hog. Please don't make all of us eBay sellers look bad by grabbing every single Zhu Zhu pet thing on the shelf so your cart is overflowing. I just can't help thinking that it is not good Karma to do that. Buy a few, leave a few. Remember that there are people in your community who are going to buy these for their kids for Christmas, and they may not be able to afford paying 3 times the retail price because every single one is on eBay.

Want to know more about what toys will be hot this year? Click here to check out Jenni Hunt's Holiday 2009 Toy Guide.

Happy Selling!

eBay Seller Success Story - Norwool Norwegian Sweaters

I have personal experience with Norwool Norwegian sweaters. They are at the top of my look for list right next to Dale of Norway. Paula sent this in:

"Hi Suzanne,

I just had to tell you about this sale I recently had. It has been by far my best one yet. I purchased this Norwool womens sweater at a thrift store for $4 and it sold for a whopping $200. The funny thing is that I think I really had under-priced it to begin with. I started it at $19.99 auction with a Buy it now price of $99. After the bids got past $50 the BIN dropped away and the bids kept going up and up until it reached $200. When I first bought the sweater I was disappointed because it wasn't the brand "Dale of Norway" which is also a good seller, but obviously this brand "Norwool" is just as good if not better." Here's the listing:


NORWOOL-NORWAY WOOL WOMENS CARDIGAN SWEATER-XXL 3X

Not only are these very high quality sweaters, but the fact that this one is such a large size really helped the selling price soar. Way to go, Paula. That is one amazing sale!

Click here to check out my ever growing list of thrift store finds, and please send in your success story to eBaycoach@yahoo.com

Have a great day on eBay!

eBay Seller Success Story - Trixie Belden Books

I received this email from Cheryl:

"I came across an almost complete set of Trixie Belden paperback books for $5.00. I almost didn't buy them because I've gotten burned on Nancy Drew books. But wow!...these are selling.

I almost passed on them. I'm sure glad I went ahead and bought them! Based on the number of sell through, the high selling prices on many singles and on lots, the number of bids per sold item, etc, this is a series to watch out for!

The originals that I had as a child were the Whitman laminated cardboard cover. Even though they are the originals, they don't seem to sell as well as the newer paperbacks. It may have to do with the condition. The plastic tended to come off the covers, and they weren't bound well. At least the 8 or so Trixie Belden that I still have are in rough shape after almost 50 years!

The last 5 titles, #35-#39 will sell high, with #38 "The Indian Burial Ground" appearing to sell for the most. Completed Listings has two that sold for $41& $49. Mine is up to $35 with 1 1/2 days left! As of right now, the sales total over $112. The hits and watchers on those 5 are really high.

Based on how the books seemed to sell, I grouped #1, #2-20 together in a lot. The rest, #21-#39, (missing #24), I listed individually, all starting at $9.99. Based on completed auctions' results, I don't expect all of them to sell. $9.99 is higher than most of those are selling for. But after Wednesday, I'll just move the ones that are left into my store at either $9.99 or $14.99, with a "Best Offer" option. I expect to sell the rest that way."

Wow, Cheryl, thanks so much for that information! My sister and I used to read both Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books. I have no idea what happened to them! Cheryl didn't send the links to her auctions, but here is a completed listing for "The Indian Burial Ground," that sold for $56.00. Outstanding!


Trixie Belden Indian Burial Ground #38 Mystery

Do you have a great eBay find that you would like to share? Send it in to me at ebaycoach@yahoo.com and I will post it here.

Happy Selling!

Vintage Item to Sell on eBay - Ice Cream Scoops

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream......scoops....vintage ones! Check this out. I was snooping around on eBay, I mean doing research, and found this:



Very Unusual Vintage Ice Cream Scooper

I mean, come on! $294 for an ice cream scoop? I want to find one of those. Actually, I got the idea when was looking through my colleague Julia Wilkinson's newest eBook, Big Bucks Flips. It is a huge eBook (81 pages long) of stuff just like this. The same kind of info you get right here on my blog, but way more of it. Julia is the author of several published eBay works, and is a yard sale expert. This book is totally worth the $19.95. Click here to check it out.

If you have a unique or interesting vintage, garage sale, or thrift store item you have sold on eBay, email me the information and I will post it here.

Happy Selling!

Local Sources for Inventory - I Really Use Them

The proof is in the pudding. I get a lot of questions from readers asking about the best dropshipper or wholesaler. It is so much more profitable to find items locally - and you don't have to buy as much at a time. Wholesalers often require you to buy large quantities of merchandise and that requires large cash outlay. It doesn't have to be that way!

I am a real eBay seller, just like you. I use local sources for my inventory - items are plentiful and cheap. You can also use free tools online to find deals on items to resell, again, without using a drop shipper or wholesaler. Here are my most recent listings, where I found the item, and how much I paid.



Ralph Lauren polo top. I found this using a tool called Single Bid Auctions, it is free. You can pull up items by keyword and grab items for 99 cents - auctions that start at 99 cents with no bids. Here is the listing where I bought this item for 99 cents + $4 shipping: Ralph Lauren shirt. This person has several fatal errors on her listing - did not put NWT in the title, did not spell out the size, item condition says preowned when it is actually NWT, and she does not accept returns. Nobody bid on it but me. Click here to see how I relisted it. I also added free shipping to get me higher in Best Match.



Austin Reed 100% wool sweater, new with $135 tag. I found this using the same tool. Click here to see the original listing. Again, fatal errors that resulted in hardly any bids. The picture is sideways. No close up of the price on the tag. No returns accepted. Did not put NWT or NEW in the title. Shipping is too high - this will fit in a flat rate mailer for $4.95. No measurements. I got it for $11.20 and can probably get about $30 for it. Click here to see my listing.


Girls Rothchild coat. Retail price on tag = $70. I got this on clearance at Kohl's in May, it was marked down to $9 and I had a $5 off coupon. I can probably get about $30 for it. Click here to see my listing.


Georgia Tech microfiber pullover jacket. Retail price $45. I got this at Sam's Club last winter after football season was over and all of the Georgia Tech apparel was on clearance. My cost = $5. Click here to see the listing. I will probably get $25 - $30 for it.


Banana Republic 100% cashmere sweater. Got this from my dry cleaner for $5. (Click here to learn how to do that.) It will probably sell for between $25 and $30. Click here to see my listing.

So, there you go. I really do this stuff I talk about. And it works.

Vintage Items to Sell on eBay - Huge List

This post is a long list of vintage items to sell on eBay. You may want to bookmark this page and check back frequently to see what is added. Look for these vintage items around your home, at thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, storage unit auctions, and flea markets.



1970's Vintage Items

Alacite Glass

Aluminum Cake Carriers

Aran CraftsSweaters

Ariat Riding Boots

Bakelite Items

Barbie clothing

Belt Buckles

Bilson and Battersea Enamel Boxes

Bottle Caps

Bras

Briggs and Riley Luggage

Buttons

Cabinet Hardware

Calculators

Carnival Glass

Character Sheets

Charles Tyrwhitt Men's Shirts

Chenille bedspreads

Children's Books

Christmas Decorations

Citrus Reamers

Club Aluminum Cookware

Coffee Mugs with advertising

Cookbooks

Costco Way Cookbooks

Couroc Mid-Century Barware

Cranium Games

Diane Gilman Clothing

Diaper Dude Diaper Bags

Disney Collectibles

Electric Fans

Electric Hair Rollers / Curlers

Enamelware

Exclusively Misook Brand Clothing

False teeth and dentures


Fiestaware Dishes

Fishing Lures

Flip clock radio

Florence Ceramics Figurines


Glass Bottles

Glamping Supplies 

Golf Shirts

Granny Square Afghans

Hazel Atlas Jam Jars

Ice Cream Freezers (White Mountain)

Ice Cream Scoops

Instruction Manuals (automotive, computer, etc.)

Jams World Shirts

Jigsaw Puzzles

Julia Child Cookbooks

License Plates

Lladro Collectibles

Magazine Ads

Magaschoni Brand 

Matchbook Covers

Measuring Cups


McCoy Cookie Jars


Mickey Mouse Watches

Mink Coats

My Buddy Doll

Naot Shoes


Olivetti Typewriter

Ouija Boards

Owl Themed Items

Paint by Number Paintings

Parking Meters


Perfume Bottles

Personal Care Items

Perler Beads

Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bags

Phil and Ted's Baby Products

Polaroid Land Camera

Pyrex Bowls - Amish Pattern

Repair & Instruction Manuals

Richard Scarry Books

Road Maps

Rotary (Dial) Phones

Royal Typewriter


Sewing Patterns

Sheet Music

Smith Corona Typewriters

Snoopy Collectibles

Snow Babies

Spirograph

Squeezo Food Strainers

Strawberry Shortcake Collectibles

Texaco Memorabilia

Tony the Tiger Promotional Plush

Trixie Belden Books

Ulla Popken Plus Size Clothing

Vera Bradley Items


View Master

Vineyard Vines Brand 

Vintage Bottle Openers

Vintage Enamelware

Vintage feminine products 

Vintage Flip Clock Radios

Vintage Hats

Vintage Mason Jars

Vinyl Record Albums

Vintage Rolodex

Wedding Cake Toppers

Women's Embellished T-Shirts

Yearbooks



Think about how many folks out there have these items and need an eBay seller to sell them! Consignment is a great way to make extra money with your eBay business. Make sure you are listed in my eBay Seller's Consignment Directory so people with valuable collectibles can find you.