Thrift Store Item to Sell on eBay - Vintage Character Sheets

Here is something fun to look for in thrift stores and at garage sales. Vintage bed sheets. You're thinking, "Who would want to buy a bunch of old sheets on eBay?" Collectors and crafters!

Anything with characters from the 60's, 70's, and 80's are very popular on eBay. Some good sellers are Charlie Brown, Peanuts Gang, Strawberry Shortcake, Star Wars, Smurfette, and even the bear from the Snuggle dryer sheet ads. (I've sold Peanuts and Strawberry Shortcake and they did well.) Here are some recent listings:


EUC ~ VINTAGE PEANUTS 3 PIECE TWIN SHEET SET


Nice Vintage Smurfs Twin Flat + Fitted Sheet Fabric


TWO VINTAGE STAR WARS TWIN BED SHEETS or FABRIC - GREAT

Notice the number of bids on these listings - 8 bids, 11 bids, 23 bids. A lot of bids indicates a highly sought after item. You can find sheets, comforters, pillow cases, and window treatments at thrift stores for just a few dollars. An interesting twist: People aren't necessarily putting these sheets on their beds. This is another case of recycling - using an item as a raw material for something else. Creative crafters all around the world are making items out of the sheets - such as window treatments , tote bags, and other accessories. If you find these sheets and they are in fairly good condition, try to sell them on eBay. Crafters will cut the sheets apart anyway so it doesn't matter if there are small holes in them. Check out what someone did with some Star Wars sheets:



How to Turn Old Sheets into Shopping Totes
When you are listing the sheets for sale, be sure to use the key words "fabric" or "material" in the title. If you're going to offer vintage character sheets, be prepared to ship them internationally. Some of our USA characters from previous decades are hot in Japan right now.

Click here for my free list of thrift store items to sell on eBay.

Happy Selling!

Thank You for Your Prayers

Some of you heard that I had a car accident last week. No one was hurt, but my car was totaled. And it was paid for. Ouch! I've heard from the insurance company and will be getting a nice check to put towards another vehicle. The situation turned out much better than I expected. (Above is a picture of my sad little squished 2001 Toyota Camry that has gone to the big junkyard in the sky.)

Thank you all for your prayers and emails. I am just so thankful that no one was hurt. Yesterday was my daughter's 15th birthday and it was really a day of reflection. She is my first baby and I can't believe how fast the years have gone! Those are the things that matter in life - the people we love.



Here is a video I made for her - well, it was really more for me. You know, a mom thing.

Coupon Giveaway - 500 Free Grocery Coupons!

Well, unfortunately, my coupon experiment didn't go well. I made about $11 for about 6 hours of work. I couldn't keep up. It took more time than I anticipated. About 80% of the coupons sold, but I have too many other things going on to continue to do this for the small profit. I know coupon selling can be profitable, and I am lining up an eBay coupon seller for a podcast to talk more about it. My problem is I don't have any help or enough time to pursue it.

So, now I have over 500 coupons that I will not use. I have chosen what I will use and would like to pass these coupons on to someone. Just leave a comment below if you would like to have these!

Coupons include everything: food, beverage, health and beauty, medicine, pet, and baby. And based on my pile of coupons, I think I am a candidate for the Couponizer! Feel free to post this giveaway on your blog.

Happy selling,

Flea Market Item to Sell on eBay - Fire King Jadeite

Thanks to John S. (who is an avid flea market shopper and garage saler) for sharing this tip:

"Anchor Hocking Fire King items. The best items under this brand to look for are the green Jadeite items. I found 6 mugs at an auction and purchased them for $15 and sold 5 (that matched) for $125 and another time I purchased 11 plates for $30 and someone bought for $110. People seem to go nuts for the Jadeite. Unless you are extremely lucky you probably will not find them at the Goodwill and they do cost a lot more than the white items but people will cough up a lot more for them in the end."

Thanks John! I've never been lucky enough to find any Jadeite, but I always look for it. Here are some resources for learning more about Fire King so that you can identify a good find at the thrift store.

Click here for my free list of thrift store items to sell on eBay.

FireKing.net - Fire King collector site.

Suzi Max Blog - All about Depression Glass, 40's, 50's, 60's glass

Anchor Hocking Identification Guide

Happy Selling!


Image Source: Replacements.com, Alice-Jadeite pattern by Anchor Hocking-Cryst

Thrift Store Item to Sell on eBay - Masters Golf Shirt

I started my eBay career selling golf shirts on eBay. I live in Atlanta, the golf mecca of the South. My thrift stores are plentiful and abundant, and full of golf (polo) shirts. Many of them were brand new with tags. Golf shirts are given out at tournaments as gifts, prizes, or inside goodie bags. More often than not, the golfer didn’t get his size and just takes the shirt anyway. I am guessing that these brand new shirts end up at the Goodwill store and other thrift shops.

I started experimenting with sizes, colors, logos, brands, etc. I found the #1 hottest seller to be the Masters Golf shirt. Historically, before eCommerce and the internet, Masters shirts were only sold the week of the Masters, at the tournament. They aren’t available any other time at Augusta National Golf Course. You can find them on the internet (as people buy them only to resell them), but prices range upward of $150.00. Look for these in thrift stores for $3 - $5.

For those unfamiliar with golf, The Masters is one of four major championships in men's professional golf, and is always played on the Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, GA (about 90 minutes from Atlanta). The Masters takes place during the first week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year.



Look for the little yellow USA logo with the red flag. These are hot sellers used, and if you find one new, plan on making at least $60 on eBay. Any size of any type golf apparel with a Masters logo is a good seller. I have found vests, jackets, sweaters, caps, and even Women’s items (even though Women are not allowed to play at this tournament). As long as it doesn’t look like it has been run over by a car, you can pretty much sell anything with the Masters logo on it.

Here is a "pre-owned" Masters shirt that sold on eBay for $33. Click here to see the actual listing.



Click here for my free list of thrift store items to sell on eBay.

You can learn about other golf shirts to sell on eBay in my Golf Shirt Bible.

Happy Selling!

Crest Pro Health Toothpaste Deal at Kroger

I stumbled onto this deal when I was in Kroger the other night. My Kroger had Crest Pro Health Night paste in the 7.8 oz tube on closeout for $2.26. It is usually $4.50 to $5 depending on where you buy it.

I also had about 20 of these $1.50 off coupons. I always stockpile toothpaste coupons because they are great to use on the CVS ECB deals when you can get toothpaste for free.

So, I bought 14 tubes (all they had), and using my coupon, each tube came out to be .81 including tax. I got all 14 tubes for $11.27, the cost of about 2 tubes at regular price. Yeah, the checkout clerk gave me a funny look, so I said, "What? I just really, really, really, like to brush my teeth." And I gave her a big smile.

This toothpaste is selling pretty well on eBay. Here is a listing for 4 of the 4.2 oz tubes (half the size of what I found) that sold for $15, with free shipping.




Remember that you can put these types of non-fragile items in a USPS Priority Flat Rate mailer for $4.60 (domestic), unlimited weight. Health and beauty products usually do better in a lot than individually. Always offer international shipping. There are so many products available here in the US that are not available in other countries. And if they don't sell, my family has a year's supply of toothpaste for $11.

Happy Selling!

Paying it Forward - Free Book for Moms

I am participating in the Good Karma Experiment on Facebook so here is a freebie! Get a free copy of my book, "The Stay at Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay Selling." So many people are losing their jobs, taking pay cuts, or can’t find work at all. Maybe this will help someone make a few dollars from home and pay some bills.

Here is the book on Amazon.

Get the free recently updated eBook version here (be patient, it takes a minute to open):

Please pass this on to others via email, post on your blog, your FB page, MySpace, work at home groups, Twitter, or anywhere else you wish. Keep paying it forward and let's hope this reaches someone who needs it.

If you can't get the link to open, send me an email and I will email the eBook to you.

Peace and blessings,

New Podcast: eHow Top Writer Maria O'Brien

Today's guest was Maria O'Brien, the top earning writer at eHow, who consistently makes over $2,000 a month from a combination of her eHow articles and other passive income ventures. Learn how you can do this too, all from the comfort of home, in addition to eBay selling. Maria has undergraduate degrees in English Language and Literature and worked as a staff writer and assistant editor at a regional newspaper and then a trade publication. She now works as a freelance writer from home, devoting more and more time to residual income sources.

Maria has helped me tremendously in developing my eHow venture so that I now make a nice consistent income there too! Here is a screenshot of my earnings from 2008 - see what happened in September after I met Maria!


Writing for eHow is something anyone can do from home. Give it a try, you have nothing to lose. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Click here to get Maria's book and start making money on eHow today!

Happy Selling,

Hot eBay Item - The Snuggie

Ok, this one just makes me laugh. The product may be great, but the commercial is ridiculous. My 12 year old son and I laugh at the family wearing these to a football game. Come on, get real. No 12 year old kid is going to go anywhere with that thing on - he'd get beat up.

The commercial says you get two Snuggie blankets for $19.99. (So that would be about 10 each plus shipping.) These are selling on eBay for an average of $20 each. Some sellers are profiting on the shipping, charging $24 or more. This item does NOT cost $24 to ship!

The week before Christmas, they were selling for over $100 each. The issue was shipping time: If you ordered it through the 1-800 number or online, it took 4-6 weeks to ship. Some smart eBay sellers bought them ahead of time and had them on hand to sell to the highest bidder. (This tip was announced on my Facebook group back in December.)

Snuggie Royal Blue w/ bonus light
sells on SHOP.com for $18.84 plus shipping. Sellers have reported finding them at Walgreens and Rite Aid for less than that, so you might get lucky.

The profit margin is definitely not as high as before Christmas, but Snuggies are still selling. Click here to see completed listings on eBay.

Be sure to subscribe to my blog for more tips like this!

Related articles:

How to Increase Your Profit Margin on eBay

Make Money Selling As Seen on TV Products on eBay

How to Know What to Sell on eBay

Use the Free eBay Research Tool

Happy Selling,

20% off Coupon for Big Lots

Big Lots is one of my favorite places to find little gems hiding....just waiting to be sold on eBay! If you are a member of the Big Lots Buzz Club, you can click here to print a 20% off coupon for your entire order. Not a Buzz Club member? No problem! Click here to join so you can get the coupon.

Hurry though, the offer expires February 1. Need help with the Big Lots concept? Click here for my article, "How to Make Money on eBay Selling Items from Big Lots."

Happy Selling!

Free eBay Resources - eBooks, Audio Books, Reports

Cheap is good, free is better. Here are a few eBay related freebies I have stumbled across that may help you with your eBay business.



Free Audiobook: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I read this years ago and it was very informative. Lots of tips regarding running a business, personal motivation, time management, etc.




Free Gymboree Selling Guide: Spring is just around the corner. Now is the time of year to get rolling. Gymboree News has compiled a short Q & A report to help get you through some of the most common questions of selling Gymboree clothing on eBay. (If you like the Gymboree News and Gossip site, use promo code EXPOGYM for 20% off through 2/14/09.)




Free eBook: Tax Tips for eBay Sellers, Kristine McKinley, CFP®, CPA, certified financial planner. Kristine was recently a guest on one of my podcasts.



Free eBook: Best Match Made Simple. Understand what eBay's Best Match is, learn how to rank higher in search results, using the best key words in your titles, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Happy Selling!

Hot eBay Tip - Prilosec OTC at Target

Lissa over at Saving Your Cents shared this great eBay deal with me.

"I was in Target yesterday I found the Prilosec OTC 14 ct packages marked down from $10.49 per package to $2.66 per package. I knew that this was a good deal and tried to figure out what I wanted to do. Initially I picked up 10 of the packs. I had $1/1 coupons from the PG insert with me and got the 10 packages for $16.60 plus tax. I made sure that I could return them if I needed to (which is something that I learned from your podcast...and never would have though of before!)

Once I was home I looked on eBay. I am familiar with doing research to see what I should sell something for and how much I should charge for shipping etc. I saw that they were selling extremely well and made the decision to go back to Target and grab the rest.

I ended up with 19 boxes (266 caplets) for $33.75 with tax. I listed them last night as a "Buy It Now" for $120 with free shipping. I decided to offer free shipping to get a little more exposure from eBay. I woke up this morning (I placed the listing around 10pm last night) with an email stating that they were SOLD!"

Bottom line, Lissa's profit was $65.65 on this deal. Click here to see Lissa's listing.

Price of items: $33.75
Ebay selling price: $120
Fees (paypal/ebay): $20.60
Shipping: $6.27

Your profit could be even more if you get the newer coupons - there are a $3 off 1 Prilosec, and $7 off 2 Prilosec coupons available now. So using Lissa's scenario, buying your inventory can be a moneymaker! Get your Prilosec OTC coupons here on eBay, or here on The Coupon Clippers.

Thanks, Lissa!

(Tip: Check multiple Target stores if possible. Different stores have different items on clearance.)

Happy Selling,

100% Cashmere Sweaters - Old Navy Clearance

100% cashmere is a good, reliable, steady seller on eBay. (Click here for more information about selling cashmere on eBay.) I was in Old Navy yesterday and noticed quite a few cashmere sweaters marked down to $20 or less. You can also find these online at OldNavy.com. You may consider grabbing a few of these to try selling on eBay.


Old Navy Women's Cardigan - $19.99

Old Navy Cashmere Polo - $19.99

Other Old Navy clearance items

If you sign up for the Old Navy email updates, you will receive a $10 off coupon good on a $50 online order. Go to OldNavy.com and look for the grey box under the clearance banner. I tried it, and got my coupon in my email box in just a few seconds. The coupon looks like this:



Happy Selling!

Wow! eHow Featured Member of the Day!

I am so excited! I was chosen as the eHow Featured Member of the day today! eHow has thousands of writers, so it is truly an honor to be chosen as the featured writer. What a wonderful way to start the week. Thanks eHow!

Click here to view my articles - topics include eBay, online selling, internet marketing, frugal living, health and fitness, parenting, and travel.

Click here to learn more about how you can make extra money from home writing for eHow.

Have a great day,

Hot eBay Tip - Neutrogena Skinclearing Makeup

If you purchased my Hot List back in December, you read this tip:

"Neutrogena skin clearing makeup. This is an eBay Coach hunch. This makeup has been around for years. It is made with salicylic acid, which helps control acne. It is disappearing from store shelves and not being restocked. I have seen it marked down to half price in CVS, Walgreens, Target, and Rite Aid. I contacted the company about why it is on clearance, and never received an answer. A Walgreen’s employee told me that it was a packaging change, but I cannot verify that is the case. It is out of stock on Drugstore.com and Ulta.com, which are good indicators that it is going to be on eBay for high prices soon. I can’t tell you when the shortage will cause buyers to start looking on eBay for it but I can tell you that I am stockpiling it.

In any event, I am predicting that this will be a hot item. The most popular color by far is True Beige. If you see it marked down, and want to take a chance, get True Beige. You can always sell it in a lot at your cost if this tip doesn’t pan out."

Well my hunch has become a fact. Click here for the new product release information on Neutrogena.com. Today I was in both Walmart and Ulta, and Neutrogena Skinclearing makeup has been released in a new package, with new shades. So, if you rushed out and bought up the makeup in the old packaging, THOSE SHADES WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ANYMORE. Hang onto them. So what does that mean? Small (or diminishing) supply = big demand.

Women are picky about their makeup. Anytime a shade or line of makeup is discontinued, women go nuts and will pay outrageous prices for it. Remember the Maybelline Ultra Lash mascara which originally cost around $4 a tube, was selling on eBay a few months ago for $80 a tube. Click here to read the details.

I've seen the Neutrogena makeup in the old packaging at Walgreens marked down again to $3.50. We will probably start seeing this in Big Lots and other closeout stores soon.

Related articles:

Make Money on eBay Selling Items from Big Lots

How to Get Free Cosmetics from Ulta

How to Find Walgreens Deals and Get Free Items

If you have not yet subscribed to my blog, please do so. I don't want you to miss any tips that could help you make money on eBay!

Happy Selling!

Thrift Store Item to Sell on eBay - Dansko Clogs

I've found a few pairs of Danskos during my eBay selling career, and I always feel like I've won the lottery. I look around the thrift store to see if anyone heard me say "YAY!!!" You can hit big with these shoes. Dansko clogs are made of an oiled leather and are very popular in the restuarant and medical industries as they are extremely comfortable for people who must be on their feet for extended periods of time. The oiled leather material on the shoe is perfect for people who work in environments containing liquid or moisture (such as kitchens or hospitals). Danskos sell brand new for upwards of $100.

I've found them at thrift stores for $3-$5 a pair. Many employees in restaurant or medical fields may not be able to afford a brand new pair at this price, so they often turn to eBay. I've sold used Danskos for over $50. These shoes come in unisex European sizing. Be prepared to ship them internationally. If you want to convert the European sizing to US sizing, use this chart.

Here are some examples of the black oiled leather Danskos that have sold on eBay (these are both used and could have come from thrift stores):


Item #220340549694, Womens size 7.5, sold for $70.



Item #290289073258, Womens size 8.5, sold for $86.

Click here for a list of other thrift store items you can sell on eBay. Want to know about more thrift store finds to sell on eBay? Check out Thrift Store Goldmine, which contains 61 pages of items just like this. You may already have some of these huge money makers in your house, and not even know they are valuable!

Happy Selling!