American Girl Doll - Thrift Store Item Sold on eBay for $76

A reader sent in this great story:

I found this American Girl doll at a Goodwill for $1. She is "Just Like You Brown Eyes Blonde American Girl Doll." The photo is exactly how I found her.



Thrift Store Price = $1
eBay Selling Price = $76
Profit Before Fees = $75

Wow! That is amazing. I never would have even known to look for this doll.

Click here to find my huge list of thrift store items that have been sold on eBay for a nice profit. Keep those success stories coming!

Happy Selling!



Find sloppy listings and resell the items for way more than you paid for them! Click here to see my personal examples.

How to Price an Item to Sell on eBay

One of the most frequent questions I receive as an eBay consultant is, "How much can I sell this for on eBay?" Here is a video that demonstrates the process for determining how to set your starting bid or buy it now price. In this example, I am listing an item that sells for $92 and has a 100% sell through rate.



Summary:

1. Choose your keywords carefully. Choose keywords that correspond with the highest average price. Don't be so concerned with the NUMBER of listings with a keyword, focus on the keywords that bring the highest average price. (Of course, you can only use the words that apply to your item.)

2. Remember that the average price is an average. There may be listings in the data that bombed because the seller started his price too low, made mistakes in his listings, had a bad photo, or made other mistakes that caused him to receive a lower price. Strive to do better than the average!

3. Pay attention to listing type. This will tell you which listing format to use in order to get the highest price.

Happy Selling!

Possible Solution for Lost International Packages

One of my clients was kind enough to mention the discount shipping insurance offered by InkFrog. You may already know that when you ship a package First Class international through USPS, Paypal, or Stamps.com, there is no option for insurance. You can only insure Priority International mail.

On Inkfrog, the shipping insurance is directly integrated into their system is a package insurance program backed by Shipsurance. The cost is $1.25 per $100 of value on your international shipment. Now, you still have to pay the $9.95 monthly fee, but this may be a solution for those of you who are looking for a way to insure First Class International packages.

If you are not an InkFrog user and don't want to pay the monthly $9.95 fee, you can go directly to ShipSurance.com and purchase the insurance there.

Related Articles:

How to Ship a Package Internationally

How to Increase Sales by Offering International Shipping

How to Sell Walmart Products on eBay UK

Happy Selling!

Hot List 10 Now Available - 25 Products

The new Hot List (Issue #10) is now available. It has been eight months since I have created a hot list so this one has information on 25 discontinued products that are profitable sellers on eBay. None of these products have been mentioned on my blog or in my articles, so everything contained in this report is new information.

Discontinued items can be found at dollar stores, Big Lots, Walmart, Target, drug stores, grocery stores, and flea markets.

2 Food Products

2 Household Cleaning Products

13 Health and Beauty Products

8 Hair Care Products

My Hot List explains exactly where to find these items, the retail price, and an example of what the product sells for on eBay. The hotlist sells for $24.95 and is a digital download. Click here to get it now!

eBay Drop Shipping Crash Course

In my research, I have identified three major reasons why sellers fail to make money drop shipping on eBay or any other site. Here is my crash course on drop shipping.

Mistake #1.Failure to optimize keywords for eBay searches.



Mistake #2. Failure to research supplier fulfillment history.



Mistake #3. Failure to research price.



If you are looking for a way to make money with drop shipping and need help, contact me at ebaycoach@yahoo.com for information on my personal coaching program.

Happy Selling!

The Principles of Knitting - Used Book to Sell on eBay

I was blown away when the members of my Facebook group were talking about this book. The Principles of Knitting, now out of print, is bringing in the neighborhood of $300 on eBay. A book about knitting, are you kidding me? Here are a few completed listings:






So when you are out at thrift stores, garage sales, and library book sales, keep your eye out for this little gem!

Happy Selling!

Immediate Paypal Payment for eBay Items - A Good or Bad Idea?

One annoying problem that eBay sellers must deal with on a regular basis is non-paying bidders. A while back, eBay came up with an option called "Immediate Payment." According to the eBay help index:

A buyer who clicks the Buy It Now button in your listing is directed to pay immediately for the item using PayPal.

Until the buyer completes payment, the item remains available to other buyers to purchase for the duration of the listing. The first buyer to complete their PayPal payment officially wins your item.

Once a buyer completes payment, the listing ends and you are directed to ship the item.

Sounds good in theory, and I tried using this option for a while. One problem that I encountered was the difficulty of combining shipping on multiple items purchased. If a customer purchases multiple items, the buyer must check out and pay for each item individually and trust that the seller will refund any overage. This can be especially frustrating for international buyers. Also, if you use this feature, Paypal must be the only payment method you offer. (Remember, there are other payment options on eBay.)

After using the immediate payment option for a few months, I went back to the old way. I was spending way too much time answering emails about combining shipping. It became a hassle for me as a seller.

What has been your experience? Do you use the Paypal immediate payment option?

Happy Selling!

How the Iceland Volcanic Ash may Affect Your eBay Business

A volcanic eruption from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland spewed tons of ash into the skies this past week. Airports in 23 countries in Europe have been closed due to the volcanic ash in the air. Volcanic ash can be hazardous to aircraft and can affect the performance of an engine and cause the engine to malfunction. Millions of travelers are stranded.

So what does this mean for an eBay seller in the USA? If you are shipping internationally to this region of Europe, your packages may be caught in the backlog and your customer's order may be sitting on a plane somewhere on the ground.



Keep this in mind if you get any "where is my order" type emails from customers to whom you shipped this week. Be prepared to explain the possible delay. Your international customers may not have made the connection that mail is on those grounded planes, too.

Vintage Lady Schick Hair Rollers - eBay Seller Success Story

Diana sent in this success story: "I just wanted to share this with you to pass the word on that what you say about finding things at Goodwill is a treasure hunt with possible big pay-offs! My sister bought this set of vintage hot rollers at the Goodwill store and they sold for $41.00."

Here is the listing:



Goodwill price - $1.99
eBay selling price - $41.00
Profit before fees - $39.01

Outstanding sale! Click here to find my huge list of thrift store items that have been sold on eBay for a nice profit. Check out Thrift Store Goldmines, 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!

Source for eBay Inventory - Hallmark Stores

Hallmark stores can be a great source of inventory. You will need to check back often as new markdowns are taken. Here are some good things to look for.

Yankee Candles are good sellers on eBay. Yankee Candle is the number one selling candle brand in America, offering over 150 scents and a huge selection of sizes and candle products and accessories. These candles are not cheap. The large jar candles sell for around $25. That is why Yankee Candle lovers turn to eBay to find their favorite candles for lower prices. Hallmark will often mark down candles that are out of season. For example, in the spring when all the floral and beach scents are popular, you might see the Christmas and Halloween candles on clearance. These will sell year round. People collect Yankee Candles and some people never even burn them. If you stumble on a scent that has been discontinued, stock up. As soon as an item has been discontinued, its value will increase. To figure out which Yankee Candles are selling for the most, do a search on eBay completed listings for RETIRED YANKEE CANDLE.

Look for marked down NCAA team related products. Hallmark stores often carry knick knacks like bird houses, license plates, ceramic figurines, beer steins, and jewelry that is related to your local NCAA team. This kind of stuff sells well year round. Check the original price on the item and determine if you are getting a deal. 10% off is not a deal. 75% off is a deal. Do your research and use your best judgment.

Look for collectible themed items. Examples include Barbie, Harley Davidson, Coca-Cola, and Sesame Street items. Look in the clearance section and see what is marked down.

Hallmark also has a rewards program called the Hallmark Gold Crown program. You can earn 10 points for every $1 you spend on Hallmark products and 50 points for each greeting card. Points accumulate toward reward certificates.

Related Articles:

Source for eBay Inventory - Famous Footwear

Source for eBay Inventory - Daily Deal Sites

Source for eBay Inventory - Tuesday Morning

Charter Club Cashmere Sweater - eBay Seller Success Story

Kristi at Spend Less Save More sent in her success story:

I have been following your blog for a few months now & love it. I wanted to share a recent success with eBay. I purchased a Charter Club Cashmere Sweater at my local Good Will. I was surprised at how high it went for because it isn't really a name brand.

Here is Kristi's listing:




Kristi's cost - $3.59
eBay selling price - $51.88
Profit before fees - $48.29

Fantastic sale! There has been some discussion on my Facebook eBay group about selling cashmere year round. In my experience, it sells any time of year. Other sellers are discovering this, too. Worst case scenario - put the cashmere sweater on a fixed price listing for 30 days - the cost is only 20 cents.

Click here to find my huge list of thrift store items that have been sold on eBay for a nice profit. Check out Thrift Store Goldmines, 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!

eBay Coach Top 5 Thrift Store Items to Sell on eBay

When I am working with new clients, and teaching them about thrifting for items to sell on eBay, they often seem overwhelmed by the lists of "what to sell" and how much to pay for an item to resell. To simplify this process, I created my top 5 list that contains 5 items that I can regularly find that also sell for a nice profit.

Cashmere Sweaters

Look for 100% cashmere sweaters and sweater vests. Look for any style, any color, any size. Men’s or women’s. Make sure there are no moth holes or stains. The brand does not matter as long as the item is 100% cashmere. Don’t pay more than $5 per item. When preparing the item to photograph, remove any pilling. They will sell even if damaged -here is why.

Dansko Clogs

These are popular in the restaurant and medical industries because they are made of an oiled leather that repels liquids and protects the foot. These shoes can cost over $200 new. Look for the clog style. They come in European sizing and are unisex. Don’t pay more than $7 per pair. 

Eileen Fisher Women’s Apparel

This is a high end brand of women’s clothing sold at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Saks 5th Avenue. The fabrics are usually organic cotton, silk, and other very comfortable and expensive materials. Some of the pieces retail for over $300. The black pants do very well on eBay. Also look for tops, sweaters, jackets, and skirts. And if you are lucky enough to find these with the tags on them, that’s even better. Don’t pay more than $5 per piece.

Under Armour Apparel

Under Armour is a brand of athletic and casual wear made from performance fabrics. You can find this in men’s women’s, and children’s. The hoodies do great. Look for ANYTHING in good condition with this logo. Don’t pay more than $5 per piece.

Bobby Jones Men’s Golf Shirts

These cost around $100 new. You only want large, XL, and 2XL. The smaller sizes don’t sell. The ones with golf course and tournament logos do great. Even if it has a company logo, it will still sell.  Make sure you get the ones with the golfer design on the placket. Don’t pay more than $5.


Check out my online class, "The Profitable World of Selling Women's Pre-Owned Clothing on eBay" for a complete course on how to make money selling used clothing.

eBay Top Rated Seller - What is it REALLY?

You have seen the Top Rated Seller logo on eBay profiles, but what exactly does it mean? Is this something to strive for?

The Top Rated Seller status is a label granted by eBay that identifies you (according to eBay's criteria) as a seller with proven quality and service. To qualify as a Top Rated Seller, you must:

1) Have at least 100 transactions
2) Have at least $3,000 in sales with US buyers over the past year
3) Have very few instances of low DSRs from US buyers
4) Follow the Best Practices policy

So, Top Rated Seller doesn't necessarily mean that you sell huge volume, it means that you do the job "right" according to eBay's criteria. If you qualify, you are granted these privileges:

1) 20% discount on final value fees
2) Higher placement in search results (Best Match)
3) More visibility for fixed price listings
4) Top rated seller badge on your listings

So, if anything, look at the Top Rated Seller status as a way to help you save money on your fees. Click here to read all of the details of the Top Rated Seller program.

Happy Selling!

Free Shipping on eBay isn't Free for Sellers

Offering free shipping on your eBay items may place your listings higher in Best Match, but this comes at a cost. Of course, any business person knows that you aren't shipping the item for free, you are incorporating the shipping fee into the asking price of your item. But, remember that your final value fees are figured on the sale price of the item, so the higher your sale price, the more fees you will pay. Here is an example of how offering free shipping will cost you money.

Let's say you are selling a large or heavy item that costs around $20 to ship. If you offer free shipping and build that $20 cost into your asking price and offer this item on a fixed price listing, it is costing you $2.40 in fees. (Based on 12% final value fees.)If this is a stock item that you sell many times a month, you can see how that fee will add up over time.

So, the free shipping option is really a catch 22. Do you offer free shipping at a cost to appear higher in Best Match? Or do you not offer free shipping to save on fees and settle for appearing lower in Best Match? What do you think?

Related articles:

eBay Shipping Insurance

eBay Shipping Calculator

Get Free Shipping Supplies in Your Community

Happy Selling!

Free eBay Tool - DSR Watch

DSR Watch is a service offered free of charge by Channel Advisor. "DSRWatch is the easiest way to discover, track, and benchmark detailed eBay seller ratings." - ChannelAdvisor.com

To use the service, just enter a user name in the box and click go. You can see where the user falls in the different categories and in what percentile.

Once you have done the search, you will get a screen where you can opt in to receive email updates when the user's DSR changes. The idea was to keep an eye on the competition, but I just use it for myself to find out when my DSRs change.

Click here to try DSR Watch. If you sign up for the email notification, you can stay on top of how your customers are rating you and be proactive in improving your DSRs.