Thankfully, this is just a hobby.
Tomorrow marks 200 days since I first started doing "the eBay thing" and I seem to have my spreadsheet of transactions constantly open with calculated fields all in a row. I have learned quite a bit -- made a few mistakes here and there -- but overall, the experience has been positive. For what it's worth, I'm netting a "profit" (if I do not factor in mileage, gas and my time).
I can't really count August and September of this year since I didn't do anything, so I wonder how cyclical this process really is. I had thought that this upcoming holiday season might see a slight boost in sales, and they have -- I'm overjoyed that finally, some of those silly "Faithful Fuzzies" bear figurines I had purchased are starting to sell. They would make for good gifts to military folks but I was starting to wonder about them since they had been sitting quietly in boxes for the past few months waiting for their moment to shine. I have yet to "break even" on that purchase, but at least it's not a complete wash like the comic books.
Now, to be fair, I have yet to list said comic books. I'm just a bit skittish about doing so since I know that comic book collectors are a rare breed of bird and I'm not quite up on how to "grade" them (like I can with records). The other thing I'm concerned about is that after looking them all up (there's over 250 of them), if I'm lucky -- again, break even.
The internet is a fickle mistress. I really have no idea what will sell and what won't. Things that seem to be a dead ringer for me (Beatles, The Who, Duran Duran) take longer than usual, whereas Strawberry Shortcake's Country Jambouree LP went pretty quick. Well, strike that -- it takes a certain kind of person to be interested in a Japanese EP of Duran^2's "Girls On Film". I shouldn't put personal preferences in place on these types of things, though I suspect I'd rather meet yon New Waver for a pint first -- more to talk about.
Everyone has their own perception of worth and in some cases, they care to share. I received a note that a book sold because it had to do with a specific period of Cambodian history that someone lived through. Another person took the blank reel-to-reel tapes off my hands -- what will they end up recording, I wonder? Someone in Puerto Rico will soon be jamming out to Michael Jackson's "You Rock My World" while on the other coast, someone will be enjoying a white label 45 of Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas".
I, too, succumbed to the urge to spend this holiday weekend and now have a re-issue of the Swans' first EP on pink vinyl. Santa comes early to my house.
Of course, this was a purchase at the local record shop. The "I Need To Only Visit With Just X Amount Of Cash On Hand And Leave My Wallet Behind" Store . A stupid mistake on my part concerning packing a copy of Led Zeppelin II resulting in discounting the final sale led me to invest in some new sleeves for those pricey records. It's a small price to pay to maintain my positive ratings and I really do feel for the fellow who was expecting an EX- but got a VG+ because I didn't think.
So, the holidays are truly on us. I need to relist a few items that I think, by rights, should sell and a few that, by rights, probably shouldn't. I'm hoping that estate sales are not like garage sales and keep popping up (as yard sales are now all but finished until spring, judging by the frequency of listings on CraigsList) for I'd like to keep the upward trend going. We shall see.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
The Mystery of the Disappearing Sales
I write this as I watch three small bidding wars happening as auctions end... The 1966 Batman Television Series Theme LP went for a few dollars more than I anticipated... *KA-POW!* *ZOINK!* "Christmas Eve with Colonel Sanders" will finally make his chicken dance out of my home thankfully for a small profit. I was starting to get tired of looking at him dozing off... David Gilmour's self titled LP will be Running Like Hell as well.
Unfortunately, the other listings didn't go, so I'll probably give them a break. No one has any love for Jethro Tull, apparently. Such is life.
I do this after returning back from a two hour jaunt around town in search of estate sales with incorrect addresses and garage sales advertised for yesterday. I hadn't really planned on going out, but the weather's nice and I don't really have anything else on my plate until the afternoon.
After not finding the third estate sale, I started winding my way back into an area of town I hadn't really explored. I have a good inner compass and so don't mind meandering around winding roads keeping an eye out for garage sale signs -- and a few I spied, however there was absolutely nothing of interest.
I am a bit frustrated by this, but I am reminded of hunters of yore -- following trails that fade off into the wilderness.
I find myself in a completely unknown area of town and am getting tired of tracking specters of sales. I am considering this jaunt to be a wash. Well, I can't find motherlodes at every stop.
...or can I? Not a sale, but I look up and see a bright yellow sign glaring at me: SABADO: BARBACOA. Why not? Nothing brightens one day like a homemade salsa topping juicy, fatty Mexican barbecue. Well, perhaps finding a decent sale... no, no need to be bitter. Besides... no thinking now... barbacoa breakfast tacos. Nom nom nom.
My rusty Spanish is good enough to score me a small plate of steaming fresh tortilla happiness and orange soda.
At least the mystery of what to have for breakfast has been successfully solved.
Now, the next mystery is if this morning's buyers will pay within the next half hour so I can ship 'em out.
Unfortunately, the other listings didn't go, so I'll probably give them a break. No one has any love for Jethro Tull, apparently. Such is life.
I do this after returning back from a two hour jaunt around town in search of estate sales with incorrect addresses and garage sales advertised for yesterday. I hadn't really planned on going out, but the weather's nice and I don't really have anything else on my plate until the afternoon.
After not finding the third estate sale, I started winding my way back into an area of town I hadn't really explored. I have a good inner compass and so don't mind meandering around winding roads keeping an eye out for garage sale signs -- and a few I spied, however there was absolutely nothing of interest.
I am a bit frustrated by this, but I am reminded of hunters of yore -- following trails that fade off into the wilderness.
I find myself in a completely unknown area of town and am getting tired of tracking specters of sales. I am considering this jaunt to be a wash. Well, I can't find motherlodes at every stop.
...or can I? Not a sale, but I look up and see a bright yellow sign glaring at me: SABADO: BARBACOA. Why not? Nothing brightens one day like a homemade salsa topping juicy, fatty Mexican barbecue. Well, perhaps finding a decent sale... no, no need to be bitter. Besides... no thinking now... barbacoa breakfast tacos. Nom nom nom.
My rusty Spanish is good enough to score me a small plate of steaming fresh tortilla happiness and orange soda.
At least the mystery of what to have for breakfast has been successfully solved.
Now, the next mystery is if this morning's buyers will pay within the next half hour so I can ship 'em out.
Friday, November 15, 2013
It's Always The One You Least Expect
It's been a while since I've updated this blog. There are many reasons, but mostly it boils down to "real life" interrupting during the months of August and September. For those two long, hot and dry months, I batted goose eggs in this arena because I didn't even have the time to do a single listing.
But that's okay -- life is not all adventure and thrills and pills and bellyaches. Temperatures and stress levels have dropped so I've been able to finally get back into the game. I've become a bit more picky with my time, sticking to estate sales and what I know. In comparison, last month I made an impulse buy of a huge bin of comic books. I haven't even begun to list them. I got as far as making a spreadsheet cataloging them and being rather disappointed by seeing that maybe a handful of them might bring more than a buck. I personally don't care for comic books and so... there they sit until I'm ready to deal with them as lots just to free up the space.
Instead, music is my passion and my hobby -- so I'm limiting myself primarily to records since I know a bit more about them and they bring a better feeling of satisfaction when I stumble across something interesting.
I also realize that I have quite a different taste in music than others.
In my small hometown back in the early 80's, it seemed that there were two paths of musical interest. I liked the Beatles, Pink Floyd -- these lead me down the path to psychedelic rock, space rock, progressive rock -- and then to the strangeness that I appreciate today. My peers decided to go with Led Zeppelin which in turn led to Van Halen and eventually sporting Metallica's "Metal Up Your Ass" T-shirts to get that feeling of teenage rebellion. By that time, I was well into punk and industrial and read those shirts as signs that I wouldn't have much in common as far as music is concerned. I left 80's hair metal behind. Jello Biafra nailed it for me: "like a bad laxative - it just doesn't move me, you know?"
O, the way we (used to) communicate.
I see now that on eBay, Pink Floyd is a hot subject for collectors. Rather than buy lottery tickets, I now go to estate sales hoping that some day I'll hit on the holy grail: a quadraphonic 8-track of Dark Side of the Moon or something similar. Heck, even that compilation of "Collection of Great Dance Songs" which in my mind is nothing more than a cheap "best of 70's hits" of Floyd goes for a ridiculous amount. Now that I'm settled, I will admit that I've done my fair share of bargain hunting for these items... after all, nothing gives one the feeling of a well-funded mid-life crisis of identity like an alligator skin 8-track box chock full of Floyd, Funkadelic, Bowie and a true conversation piece: Kraftwerk's "Autobahn".
"Wir fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn", indeed. Die Autobahn des Lebens.
Recent estate sales have been doing well for me -- I've come across a few gems. I discovered a local heavy psyche rock band called "Space Opera" on a whim -- the collection at the sale had some very nice progressive rock records and I liked the cover. That one, I'm keeping. In the mix was a white label German pressing promotional of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Inventions' Live at the Fillmore 1971. Again, that one I'm keeping. As I know from earlier this year, for whatever reason, people love their Fleetwood Mac and this particular collection had quite a few in very good condition. I'm waiting on one more record to sell to push me into the black on that particular find.
Ok, Fleetwood Mac. I've started to listen to YouTube videos of some of these albums just to get my head into my buyers' mindset. (This is also how I realized that the Space Opera album had found it's "forever home" in with my keepers.) I still don't get it. Like Steely Dan or early Genesis, it just doesn't do much for me. However, I can see why someone else might like them and I'll continue to pick them up when I find them.
This brings me to yesterday -- CraigsList advertises an estate sale in one of the outlying towns. What grabs my attention is that this was a collection of items from a family that had been "transplanted from the UK sometime in the early 70's" and I note in one of the corners of the pictures what looks like records.
My mind does the symbolic math: UK + 70's = Beatles, etc. Probably worth the trip. I might even find something I like!
The record collection isn't as big as I hoped. However, sure enough -- two Beatles albums, solo albums by McCartney & Lennon... normally not that big of a deal however they are the UK releases and therefore are worth a wee bit more. A few kids' albums... I found that DisneyLand records do eventually sell -- nothing sexy, but hey... it all adds up over time and ... well, see above about Kraftwerk on 8-track. :/
Another interesting find is The Who's "Live at Leeds" album. The jacket is a bit beat up, but the inserts at a quick glance look interesting and I decide to take the gamble. At home, I see that one of the inserts has to do with Woodstock. Thanks to Wikipedia, I've successfully ID'ed this album as the German first pressing -- one of 500 copies. I get that warm fuzzy feeling.
So I spend some time last night listing happily away. There are a few other small items of note, nothing serious (so I think). All in all, if everything goes, it was worth my time and I even got a strange 67-68 era print featuring a Yellow Submarine-style drawing of a turtle along with the poem "The Little Turtle" by Vachel Lindsay. Silly, I know... but hey. It's the little surprises that make this fun...
Around 1 AM, my phone chimes -- *kaching!* ... an item sold. Well, ok... probably one of the Beatles records or maybe even that Who album... I turn over.
My phone chirps again - buyer has paid. Ok, fine... I'm curious... what is it?
"Your eBay item sold! STRYPER - The Yellow And Black Attack LP"
...
whut.
I look at it again to be sure. Yup, the Stryper album that I picked up for a laugh. Stryper, one of those hair metal bands from the 80's from which I would run screaming, covering my ears in horror. Stryper... with bad guitar riffs, poor production and of course, the overtly Christian themes.
Out of all the records that I have up for auction, it's Stryper that sells within 6 hours of listing. I haz teh lulz.
Methinks someone else is funding their mid-life crisis of identity. Well, good for them.
But that's okay -- life is not all adventure and thrills and pills and bellyaches. Temperatures and stress levels have dropped so I've been able to finally get back into the game. I've become a bit more picky with my time, sticking to estate sales and what I know. In comparison, last month I made an impulse buy of a huge bin of comic books. I haven't even begun to list them. I got as far as making a spreadsheet cataloging them and being rather disappointed by seeing that maybe a handful of them might bring more than a buck. I personally don't care for comic books and so... there they sit until I'm ready to deal with them as lots just to free up the space.
Instead, music is my passion and my hobby -- so I'm limiting myself primarily to records since I know a bit more about them and they bring a better feeling of satisfaction when I stumble across something interesting.
I also realize that I have quite a different taste in music than others.
In my small hometown back in the early 80's, it seemed that there were two paths of musical interest. I liked the Beatles, Pink Floyd -- these lead me down the path to psychedelic rock, space rock, progressive rock -- and then to the strangeness that I appreciate today. My peers decided to go with Led Zeppelin which in turn led to Van Halen and eventually sporting Metallica's "Metal Up Your Ass" T-shirts to get that feeling of teenage rebellion. By that time, I was well into punk and industrial and read those shirts as signs that I wouldn't have much in common as far as music is concerned. I left 80's hair metal behind. Jello Biafra nailed it for me: "like a bad laxative - it just doesn't move me, you know?"
O, the way we (used to) communicate.
I see now that on eBay, Pink Floyd is a hot subject for collectors. Rather than buy lottery tickets, I now go to estate sales hoping that some day I'll hit on the holy grail: a quadraphonic 8-track of Dark Side of the Moon or something similar. Heck, even that compilation of "Collection of Great Dance Songs" which in my mind is nothing more than a cheap "best of 70's hits" of Floyd goes for a ridiculous amount. Now that I'm settled, I will admit that I've done my fair share of bargain hunting for these items... after all, nothing gives one the feeling of a well-funded mid-life crisis of identity like an alligator skin 8-track box chock full of Floyd, Funkadelic, Bowie and a true conversation piece: Kraftwerk's "Autobahn".
"Wir fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn", indeed. Die Autobahn des Lebens.
Recent estate sales have been doing well for me -- I've come across a few gems. I discovered a local heavy psyche rock band called "Space Opera" on a whim -- the collection at the sale had some very nice progressive rock records and I liked the cover. That one, I'm keeping. In the mix was a white label German pressing promotional of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Inventions' Live at the Fillmore 1971. Again, that one I'm keeping. As I know from earlier this year, for whatever reason, people love their Fleetwood Mac and this particular collection had quite a few in very good condition. I'm waiting on one more record to sell to push me into the black on that particular find.
Ok, Fleetwood Mac. I've started to listen to YouTube videos of some of these albums just to get my head into my buyers' mindset. (This is also how I realized that the Space Opera album had found it's "forever home" in with my keepers.) I still don't get it. Like Steely Dan or early Genesis, it just doesn't do much for me. However, I can see why someone else might like them and I'll continue to pick them up when I find them.
This brings me to yesterday -- CraigsList advertises an estate sale in one of the outlying towns. What grabs my attention is that this was a collection of items from a family that had been "transplanted from the UK sometime in the early 70's" and I note in one of the corners of the pictures what looks like records.
My mind does the symbolic math: UK + 70's = Beatles, etc. Probably worth the trip. I might even find something I like!
The record collection isn't as big as I hoped. However, sure enough -- two Beatles albums, solo albums by McCartney & Lennon... normally not that big of a deal however they are the UK releases and therefore are worth a wee bit more. A few kids' albums... I found that DisneyLand records do eventually sell -- nothing sexy, but hey... it all adds up over time and ... well, see above about Kraftwerk on 8-track. :/
Another interesting find is The Who's "Live at Leeds" album. The jacket is a bit beat up, but the inserts at a quick glance look interesting and I decide to take the gamble. At home, I see that one of the inserts has to do with Woodstock. Thanks to Wikipedia, I've successfully ID'ed this album as the German first pressing -- one of 500 copies. I get that warm fuzzy feeling.
So I spend some time last night listing happily away. There are a few other small items of note, nothing serious (so I think). All in all, if everything goes, it was worth my time and I even got a strange 67-68 era print featuring a Yellow Submarine-style drawing of a turtle along with the poem "The Little Turtle" by Vachel Lindsay. Silly, I know... but hey. It's the little surprises that make this fun...
Around 1 AM, my phone chimes -- *kaching!* ... an item sold. Well, ok... probably one of the Beatles records or maybe even that Who album... I turn over.
My phone chirps again - buyer has paid. Ok, fine... I'm curious... what is it?
"Your eBay item sold! STRYPER - The Yellow And Black Attack LP"
...
whut.
I look at it again to be sure. Yup, the Stryper album that I picked up for a laugh. Stryper, one of those hair metal bands from the 80's from which I would run screaming, covering my ears in horror. Stryper... with bad guitar riffs, poor production and of course, the overtly Christian themes.
Out of all the records that I have up for auction, it's Stryper that sells within 6 hours of listing. I haz teh lulz.
Methinks someone else is funding their mid-life crisis of identity. Well, good for them.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Not a Whole Lotta Love for Pink Floyd
When I was a wee lad, I was raised on a diet of classical music. I had a 24-record "library set" that my parents had ordered for me on a "record-a-month" plan, complete with the little booklet biographies of the different composers and a brief history of the piece. A few records of the Chipmunks, a couple others... One in particular was the green vinyl pressing of David Bowie narrating "Peter And The Wolf". I loved my record collection and would spend hours playing them. I turned 8 years old and received a mono cassette deck as a gift along with a hand-copied tape containing those current hit albums (which shall date me severely): Men At Work's "Business As Usual" and Hall & Oats' "Maneater"... and then I started listening to pop radio... Casey Kasem's American Top 40 right at the high tide of new wave. Trumpets blew, angels (or was it David Byrne?) sang, so on and so on. David Bowie's rock music amazed me -- yet it was the same fellow who was on my symphonic release! What other surprises does Rock & Roll have in store for me? I discovered blank tapes and would wait with anticipation and a finger hovered over the "record" button.
Of course, the radio single of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall Pt 2" was in heavy rotation. "We don't need no education! We don't need no thought control!" became an anthem for a new generation of coming-of-awareness kids in the post-punk age -- or at least I thought to myself. Van Halen, right now, was hot for teacher -- but rock had a history and I started getting into exploring discographies to get a better appreciation of various bands. I also thought it was interesting how people stuck to their favorites -- I became obsessed with Pink Floyd for a while -- others could have their Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, The Who... By the time I made it back to Syd Barrett's era, I knew that my love lied with the more psychedelic side of rock.
Fast forward... Mid-90's. Chicago House/Industrial music leads down the rabbit-hole of trance techno. Birth of the internet. CD-ROMs are finally cheap and plentiful. I stumble across the existence of Pink Floyd live and remix albums. I feed my addiction and start snatching them up when I see them in record stores. Over time, I have several live recordings.
Several.
Like... "Whoa, I thought *I* was into Floyd!" from the ghost of Timothy Leary kind of "several".
How many freakin' live recordings of "Dark Side of the Moon" do I really need, for cryin' out loud!
Now, years later, I unpack the trance remixes and live shows and my first thought is "eBay". Time for them to find new homes.
Searches show very few other "ROIOs" for sale. Off we go to listing!
Five days into the auction, I wonder where the live Wall recording and the lot of trance remixes went... "eBay has removed listings which violate our intellectual property and copyright rules".
Oh snap. Whoops.
Well, so much for selling them! The remixes are... ok. As someone who's dabbled with electronica, just between you, me and the fencepost... I could do better.
Five live recordings apparently passed the blessing of the legal department. But, as if the inflatable pig-god above Battersea wanted to add more insult to injury -- a few watchers, but in the end, not a bid made.
Ha ha, Pink Floyd. Charade you are.
And yet, I get an email from a friend-of-a-friend sort of thing asking about the Led Zeppelin LPs. Hopefully they'll at least find new homes.
On the receiving end, I'm enjoying hearing David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" on 8-track.
Of course, the radio single of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall Pt 2" was in heavy rotation. "We don't need no education! We don't need no thought control!" became an anthem for a new generation of coming-of-awareness kids in the post-punk age -- or at least I thought to myself. Van Halen, right now, was hot for teacher -- but rock had a history and I started getting into exploring discographies to get a better appreciation of various bands. I also thought it was interesting how people stuck to their favorites -- I became obsessed with Pink Floyd for a while -- others could have their Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, The Who... By the time I made it back to Syd Barrett's era, I knew that my love lied with the more psychedelic side of rock.
Fast forward... Mid-90's. Chicago House/Industrial music leads down the rabbit-hole of trance techno. Birth of the internet. CD-ROMs are finally cheap and plentiful. I stumble across the existence of Pink Floyd live and remix albums. I feed my addiction and start snatching them up when I see them in record stores. Over time, I have several live recordings.
Several.
Like... "Whoa, I thought *I* was into Floyd!" from the ghost of Timothy Leary kind of "several".
How many freakin' live recordings of "Dark Side of the Moon" do I really need, for cryin' out loud!
Now, years later, I unpack the trance remixes and live shows and my first thought is "eBay". Time for them to find new homes.
Searches show very few other "ROIOs" for sale. Off we go to listing!
Five days into the auction, I wonder where the live Wall recording and the lot of trance remixes went... "eBay has removed listings which violate our intellectual property and copyright rules".
Oh snap. Whoops.
Well, so much for selling them! The remixes are... ok. As someone who's dabbled with electronica, just between you, me and the fencepost... I could do better.
Five live recordings apparently passed the blessing of the legal department. But, as if the inflatable pig-god above Battersea wanted to add more insult to injury -- a few watchers, but in the end, not a bid made.
Ha ha, Pink Floyd. Charade you are.
And yet, I get an email from a friend-of-a-friend sort of thing asking about the Led Zeppelin LPs. Hopefully they'll at least find new homes.
On the receiving end, I'm enjoying hearing David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" on 8-track.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
On Death And History
Last weekend, my son and I were on our way to go bowling. He's been with me on enough of my sales jaunts now that he's almost as excited as I am when we see the signs popping up on the side of the road indicating a sale. He had just turned 6, and I guess in his old age, mortality was weighing heavily on his mind when we saw a sign that said "Estate Sale, Turn Here".
"Estate sale... that means that someone died, right, Daddy?" I confirm the grim observation as we draw close to the house. "Yeah," he concludes... for he knows all about these things -- "A garage or yard sale means that someone has too much stuff. A moving sale means someone's moving! An estate sale means that someone died."
"That's right, buddy."
There's not much at the sale. It had already been picked pretty clean by the time we show up, and we quickly walk through the house. There are only a few technical manuals and some work clothes. I was expecting more until passing by the operators of the sale discussing the particulars. My son, being the walking pint-size radar receiver that he is, takes in what was being said.
"Suicide. That means he killed himself."
I sigh. Oh, the loss of innocent youth in our day and age. O Tempora! O Mores!
"That's right, buddy."
He responds with that question that every child asks and every parent struggles to answer: "Why?"
After a very brief and light-hearted (considering the subject matter) explanation, it's time for bowling.
As we bowl, I'm checking CraigsList for other listings. I'm not in full-on "go hunting" mode, but hey, if there're easy pickings out there, I want in. I find a listing for another estate sale on the opposite side of town. My son is willing to go, so we put back on our street shoes after a couple of games and hurry over -- the sale closes at 4pm, and we have an hour left.
It's the twilight moments of the sale and the operators tell me that I can have whatever I can fit in a paper grocery bag for $5. I'm not interested in the clothes nor the dishes -- the other scavengers can have at that. I'm interested in what was listed: 8-track cassettes, and I find them toward the back. I spy around 30 or so and start stuffing them into the bag, doing the math in my head... 16 cents a piece, and hellooooo Elvis! Sweet! How Great Thou Art, indeed! How great thou art gonna pad my PayPal account, that is!
My enthusiasm must have shown. "Did you see the tapes over here?" One of the operators points to a large box brimming with low fidelity goodness -- but, this was an "on a whim" journey and I only had $9 in cash on me and tell the operator that sad fact. "Oh, well, just tell the woman up front I said you can have them all for $9." My heart jumps a little bit. There are 90 cassettes. We're at a dime a pop. Today must be my lucky day....
"Did you see the records over there?" I start flipping through them -- mostly classical & gospel, but all in fairly decent condition -- around 80 of them at a glance. Again, I start thinking about where there is an ATM nearby.
"Oh, we want to close up. Just take them."
"Are you sure?" They nod. I know better than to press the point. "Ok, buddy... you're gonna have to help me carry these." My son, even though he knows that there are no toys here or anything that strikes his interest, notes that I've got a huge grin on my face and happily joins in when I tell him that we can go to Taco Casa for dinner if he helps me load up the car.
At this point, everything works out to around six cents an item. By some stroke of luck, eBay also offers that for a promotional week: listing is free for as much as you want. Monday rolls around, the boy is off at daycare, and I have some spare time -- I start listing the tapes. Since I'm a relatively new seller, my cap is limited to 100 items or $5000 per month. These are 8-track cassettes and I know I won't hit my dollar limit, but item limit... um...
I end up calling eBay to find out if my limit can be increased. For what it's worth, their customer service department is prompt in calling me back. The news isn't as hot, though -- because I'm a new seller, they claim they can't increase my limit for another 45 days. Well, I guess I'll have to be choosy about which ones I put up.
I get an email. "Your selling limit has increased!" They must have had a change of heart. Outstanding! I can list all the 8-tracks I have. This past week, many have sold, more than making up for the money spent at the estate sale. I haven't even listed the records. Oh, I suppose I should probably go through them and see which ones I can put up for sale...
As I start in on the records, I start noticing that the previous owner jumbled them up. I end up playing a nice "match the record with the cover" game and doing quick searches to find out the rarity of the albums. There are three that I consider "money" records... that by rights, should sell for more than $10 a piece. The others, well, I'll figure out a way to "lot" them together at some point.
There are two anomalies in among the vinyl, however. One seems to be a test pressing from 1959 by The Lindsay Family -- a quick Google search only comes back with a modern family of musicians that have even been featured on an HBO special or something. Further research is needed to find out if this record is from a previous generation's incarnation of the tuneful clan. I can only hope, since that hopefully will bring some interest.
The other anomaly is a record without a sleeve that seems to be a gospel chorus of a church located in California. Google tells me that it's a small church with around 35 members these days. Out of curiosity, I find a number for the minister and give him a ring. He's an 80 year old man who at first doesn't understand what I'm talking about. "Is this a CD?" "No, sir. This is a vinyl record -- at a guess from the 1960's. It says that the chorus leader is so-and-so and features blah-blah-these-people."
"Oh! Ah, yes. I remember them now... most of them are dead. I bet it's probably worth something, but I don't have any money..."
"No, sir. I figured your congregation might find it interesting if any of the members on this record are still alive, or perhaps their children. I'll just ship it to you. I don't want anything for it, I figured it should be a part of your church's history."
He thanks me, and tomorrow I'll be making good with my promise. Ok, big deal -- five dollars in shipping and who knows how much the record is worth to me -- but I'll hazard a guess that it'll be worth more to the people who are related to the music. I'll take the karma points. C.R.E.A.M... but I'm not that greedy.
Go home, gospel record. You're history.
"Estate sale... that means that someone died, right, Daddy?" I confirm the grim observation as we draw close to the house. "Yeah," he concludes... for he knows all about these things -- "A garage or yard sale means that someone has too much stuff. A moving sale means someone's moving! An estate sale means that someone died."
"That's right, buddy."
There's not much at the sale. It had already been picked pretty clean by the time we show up, and we quickly walk through the house. There are only a few technical manuals and some work clothes. I was expecting more until passing by the operators of the sale discussing the particulars. My son, being the walking pint-size radar receiver that he is, takes in what was being said.
"Suicide. That means he killed himself."
I sigh. Oh, the loss of innocent youth in our day and age. O Tempora! O Mores!
"That's right, buddy."
He responds with that question that every child asks and every parent struggles to answer: "Why?"
After a very brief and light-hearted (considering the subject matter) explanation, it's time for bowling.
As we bowl, I'm checking CraigsList for other listings. I'm not in full-on "go hunting" mode, but hey, if there're easy pickings out there, I want in. I find a listing for another estate sale on the opposite side of town. My son is willing to go, so we put back on our street shoes after a couple of games and hurry over -- the sale closes at 4pm, and we have an hour left.
It's the twilight moments of the sale and the operators tell me that I can have whatever I can fit in a paper grocery bag for $5. I'm not interested in the clothes nor the dishes -- the other scavengers can have at that. I'm interested in what was listed: 8-track cassettes, and I find them toward the back. I spy around 30 or so and start stuffing them into the bag, doing the math in my head... 16 cents a piece, and hellooooo Elvis! Sweet! How Great Thou Art, indeed! How great thou art gonna pad my PayPal account, that is!
My enthusiasm must have shown. "Did you see the tapes over here?" One of the operators points to a large box brimming with low fidelity goodness -- but, this was an "on a whim" journey and I only had $9 in cash on me and tell the operator that sad fact. "Oh, well, just tell the woman up front I said you can have them all for $9." My heart jumps a little bit. There are 90 cassettes. We're at a dime a pop. Today must be my lucky day....
"Did you see the records over there?" I start flipping through them -- mostly classical & gospel, but all in fairly decent condition -- around 80 of them at a glance. Again, I start thinking about where there is an ATM nearby.
"Oh, we want to close up. Just take them."
"Are you sure?" They nod. I know better than to press the point. "Ok, buddy... you're gonna have to help me carry these." My son, even though he knows that there are no toys here or anything that strikes his interest, notes that I've got a huge grin on my face and happily joins in when I tell him that we can go to Taco Casa for dinner if he helps me load up the car.
At this point, everything works out to around six cents an item. By some stroke of luck, eBay also offers that for a promotional week: listing is free for as much as you want. Monday rolls around, the boy is off at daycare, and I have some spare time -- I start listing the tapes. Since I'm a relatively new seller, my cap is limited to 100 items or $5000 per month. These are 8-track cassettes and I know I won't hit my dollar limit, but item limit... um...
I end up calling eBay to find out if my limit can be increased. For what it's worth, their customer service department is prompt in calling me back. The news isn't as hot, though -- because I'm a new seller, they claim they can't increase my limit for another 45 days. Well, I guess I'll have to be choosy about which ones I put up.
I get an email. "Your selling limit has increased!" They must have had a change of heart. Outstanding! I can list all the 8-tracks I have. This past week, many have sold, more than making up for the money spent at the estate sale. I haven't even listed the records. Oh, I suppose I should probably go through them and see which ones I can put up for sale...
As I start in on the records, I start noticing that the previous owner jumbled them up. I end up playing a nice "match the record with the cover" game and doing quick searches to find out the rarity of the albums. There are three that I consider "money" records... that by rights, should sell for more than $10 a piece. The others, well, I'll figure out a way to "lot" them together at some point.
There are two anomalies in among the vinyl, however. One seems to be a test pressing from 1959 by The Lindsay Family -- a quick Google search only comes back with a modern family of musicians that have even been featured on an HBO special or something. Further research is needed to find out if this record is from a previous generation's incarnation of the tuneful clan. I can only hope, since that hopefully will bring some interest.
The other anomaly is a record without a sleeve that seems to be a gospel chorus of a church located in California. Google tells me that it's a small church with around 35 members these days. Out of curiosity, I find a number for the minister and give him a ring. He's an 80 year old man who at first doesn't understand what I'm talking about. "Is this a CD?" "No, sir. This is a vinyl record -- at a guess from the 1960's. It says that the chorus leader is so-and-so and features blah-blah-these-people."
"Oh! Ah, yes. I remember them now... most of them are dead. I bet it's probably worth something, but I don't have any money..."
"No, sir. I figured your congregation might find it interesting if any of the members on this record are still alive, or perhaps their children. I'll just ship it to you. I don't want anything for it, I figured it should be a part of your church's history."
He thanks me, and tomorrow I'll be making good with my promise. Ok, big deal -- five dollars in shipping and who knows how much the record is worth to me -- but I'll hazard a guess that it'll be worth more to the people who are related to the music. I'll take the karma points. C.R.E.A.M... but I'm not that greedy.
Go home, gospel record. You're history.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
An Exercise in Patience
It's been a while since I've posted anything to this blog. There are the usual reasons -- life and all of its subtle intricacies getting in the way, the summer heat, the feeling that I need to concentrate on selling my 'stock' before acquiring more... therefore, aliens.
The day job and parenting had made it a bit more difficult to hit the various garage sales during those prime hours of early Friday and Saturday mornings. The window of "relative comfort" is a thin line now; the Texan sun turns the air muggy and thick within a few hours of its daily rising. Add to this, a few listings that I thought would sell passing by their week without much activity and this made for a more lethargic scavenger.
Remember the lesson: if not now, it will eventually. I recently watched a documentary on the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 30's, the mentality of those sun-wrinkled, wind-whipped farmers who year after year tried to raise crops in the growing desertification. In moments when I step unsure, I try to remember those brave folks and continue on.
"I should probably list some stuff." Oh, the agony... the effort! {Click! Relist.}
I go back to concentrating on life until I start hearing my phone chirping happily, your item has sold!
Excellent. Goodbye, Spock! Goodbye, Bull's Championship Pin Set! Goodbye, Choose Your Own Adventure #1! So long, Fleetwood Mac albums!
...hmpf, you're still here, Kasparov Chess Trainer. That's fine, I kind of didn't wanna sell you anyway!
At this point, I've nearly broken even -- I've sold enough on eBay to cover the cost of purchasing all these things that are stacked ever so neatly around my office.
Ka-ching! Chet Atkins Reel-to-reel? Really? Huh. Make that I have broken even. From here on out, it's profit. Lovely, filthy lucre. I still have a lot of "stock" left. I just need to list it.
For a laugh, I list the sets of novelizations for "Young & Restless", "As The World Turns" and "Guiding Light". Two of the sets get bids within a day. ...the sets I fished out of a box at a garage sale marked "free".
Pure gravy on these bad boys. I am happier than Buddha, and Buddha's usually pretty damn chipper.
So, the lesson is "patience, grasshopper". Patience and perseverance wins the hour.
Hopefully I can sell of enough of my stock to give me a nice little fistful of greenbacks so I can go out and start hunting again...
...when the weather gets a bit less oven-bakey, that is.
The day job and parenting had made it a bit more difficult to hit the various garage sales during those prime hours of early Friday and Saturday mornings. The window of "relative comfort" is a thin line now; the Texan sun turns the air muggy and thick within a few hours of its daily rising. Add to this, a few listings that I thought would sell passing by their week without much activity and this made for a more lethargic scavenger.
Remember the lesson: if not now, it will eventually. I recently watched a documentary on the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 30's, the mentality of those sun-wrinkled, wind-whipped farmers who year after year tried to raise crops in the growing desertification. In moments when I step unsure, I try to remember those brave folks and continue on.
"I should probably list some stuff." Oh, the agony... the effort! {Click! Relist.}
I go back to concentrating on life until I start hearing my phone chirping happily, your item has sold!
Excellent. Goodbye, Spock! Goodbye, Bull's Championship Pin Set! Goodbye, Choose Your Own Adventure #1! So long, Fleetwood Mac albums!
...hmpf, you're still here, Kasparov Chess Trainer. That's fine, I kind of didn't wanna sell you anyway!
At this point, I've nearly broken even -- I've sold enough on eBay to cover the cost of purchasing all these things that are stacked ever so neatly around my office.
Ka-ching! Chet Atkins Reel-to-reel? Really? Huh. Make that I have broken even. From here on out, it's profit. Lovely, filthy lucre. I still have a lot of "stock" left. I just need to list it.
For a laugh, I list the sets of novelizations for "Young & Restless", "As The World Turns" and "Guiding Light". Two of the sets get bids within a day. ...the sets I fished out of a box at a garage sale marked "free".
Pure gravy on these bad boys. I am happier than Buddha, and Buddha's usually pretty damn chipper.
So, the lesson is "patience, grasshopper". Patience and perseverance wins the hour.
Hopefully I can sell of enough of my stock to give me a nice little fistful of greenbacks so I can go out and start hunting again...
...when the weather gets a bit less oven-bakey, that is.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
From Meth Country to Li'l Ol' Biddy Land
Today is overcast, thankfully. The sun was going to be the determining factor of whether or not I was going to brave the locals or hide in my abode, safely away from the big burny orb in the sky. Today is also Saturday -- it means lean pickings and possible heartache, so my comfort level is very important in this decision. I consider that I should take advantage of the weather for what it's worth and get ready for my journey.
I have several items on my agenda today. The Snoopy doll I picked up a week ago has sold. At first, I was a bit nervous about the sale since the buyer is located in South Korea. I invoiced with international shipping and was worried that the added cost might disrupt the sale. Thankfully, it didn't. Go home, Korean Snoopy... You're no longer wanted here in the states. So, one big thing on my list today was to pick up a shipping box.
I also had planned on listing things today since I don't have any active auctions going. I had skipped out on my lunch break yesterday to hit two estate sales. I found a 1970's copy of that old peg game Super Master Mind and some scientific books dating back to the 1950's at one. I'll be listing Stevenson's "Introduction to Nuclear Engineering" in a few... but don't worry, faithful reader, I've adjusted my settings on eBay to only sell things state-side... At the other "estate" sale -- I wish that if you're just going to have a garage sale, you should advertise it as such -- I picked up a lot of 10 ValuTales books, first editions, but not in as pristine of a condition as my own, so I won't feel as guilty listing them as a lot.
I head out on the morning's jaunt. My first few stops are relatively close to my house. Mostly clothing and nothing of any real interest. These are young families and they are just trying to get rid of their clutter. I move along, hoping to find items of real substance. As I move further down the economic line as far as households, I do find the occasional item -- at one, a biography on Boy George. Another place has a few records that are thankfully in good condition, including 2 sealed 1950's Cyril Ritchard "Alice In Wonderland" volumes, which by rights should pay for the whole day's adventure. I also pick up a decent copy of The Police's "Synchronicity" album, which is one less album that I have been wanting to replace my lost collection of yore. The copy of The Go-Go's "Beauty And The Beat", however, will be a new addition to my new wave selection.
Oh, sure, why not... "Strictly Belly Dancing" presented by Eddie "The Sheik" Kochak. The album cover alone is worth the dime.
Further winding into the lower income neighborhoods... A lot of hispanic families are out with tires and baby clothing. Several of them offer "tamales caliente" and I'm almost tempted. I do love a good home-made tamale, but it's deals that I hunger for and I won't find them here...
Or will I? I'm over in Meth Country: run down homes with trucks on blocks. One sale has a scrawny fellow offering me 2 huge bins of books for a dollar (both hardcover & paperback -- at a glance, mostly romance & spy novels). The plastic bins that the books are in are in good condition. I'm feeling magnanimous today, so I decide to sweeten the quick sale: "Toss in the bins and I'll give you two." It's a done deal. I figure that at the very least, the bins were worth it -- they are pretty solid. At another multi-family sale, the items for barter do not strike my fancy, but I do see a box of books marked "free". Well, I can't argue with the price... I fish out almost complete sets of novelizations of "The Young & The Restless", "Guiding Light" and "As The World Turns". They won't bring much, but whatever they bring, it will be pure profit.
The skies are still holding out. It's muggy, but not extremely uncomfortable yet. I decide to press my luck and meander further east. The neighborhoods I desire now should have cut lawns and all the automobiles visible should run. I venture over to an area that I hadn't been in for a few years and start looking for the signs.
Ah, Li'l Ol' Biddy Land! The sales in this area are all run by your grandma. Normally, this would be paydirt for me, but not today... Apparently, I missed all the good stuff yesterday. Well, when I say "the good stuff" I mean things that I would be interested in. "I just gave a guy yesterday my big box of a hundred 8-tracks for free."
Rats.
I get an eyeful of cheap china and knick-knacks as I snake my way around. One thing that's interesting about this town is that the neighborhoods vary by ways of economic standard within very short distances. Meth Country is about two miles north of me by now, yet I'm surrounded by million dollar homes -- these are the people who do not have yard sales. Yard Sales are for The Little People, the Povs. I decide to give up for the day and head back.
I go through the day's finds, keeping some of the hard-cover books that might be worth something on eBay and placing the others back in the bins. I decide to head over to Half-Price Books to see if I can get a free lunch. After meandering around the store while they sift through the selection, I am offered a whopping $3.50. Well, I didn't expect to get a free steak dinner, but I was hoping for more than a Value Meal.
I stop by WalMart on my way back home and pick up a shipping box for Snoopy.
And now, it's time to start listing. Come on, Nuclear Engineering!
I have several items on my agenda today. The Snoopy doll I picked up a week ago has sold. At first, I was a bit nervous about the sale since the buyer is located in South Korea. I invoiced with international shipping and was worried that the added cost might disrupt the sale. Thankfully, it didn't. Go home, Korean Snoopy... You're no longer wanted here in the states. So, one big thing on my list today was to pick up a shipping box.
I also had planned on listing things today since I don't have any active auctions going. I had skipped out on my lunch break yesterday to hit two estate sales. I found a 1970's copy of that old peg game Super Master Mind and some scientific books dating back to the 1950's at one. I'll be listing Stevenson's "Introduction to Nuclear Engineering" in a few... but don't worry, faithful reader, I've adjusted my settings on eBay to only sell things state-side... At the other "estate" sale -- I wish that if you're just going to have a garage sale, you should advertise it as such -- I picked up a lot of 10 ValuTales books, first editions, but not in as pristine of a condition as my own, so I won't feel as guilty listing them as a lot.
I head out on the morning's jaunt. My first few stops are relatively close to my house. Mostly clothing and nothing of any real interest. These are young families and they are just trying to get rid of their clutter. I move along, hoping to find items of real substance. As I move further down the economic line as far as households, I do find the occasional item -- at one, a biography on Boy George. Another place has a few records that are thankfully in good condition, including 2 sealed 1950's Cyril Ritchard "Alice In Wonderland" volumes, which by rights should pay for the whole day's adventure. I also pick up a decent copy of The Police's "Synchronicity" album, which is one less album that I have been wanting to replace my lost collection of yore. The copy of The Go-Go's "Beauty And The Beat", however, will be a new addition to my new wave selection.
Oh, sure, why not... "Strictly Belly Dancing" presented by Eddie "The Sheik" Kochak. The album cover alone is worth the dime.
Further winding into the lower income neighborhoods... A lot of hispanic families are out with tires and baby clothing. Several of them offer "tamales caliente" and I'm almost tempted. I do love a good home-made tamale, but it's deals that I hunger for and I won't find them here...
Or will I? I'm over in Meth Country: run down homes with trucks on blocks. One sale has a scrawny fellow offering me 2 huge bins of books for a dollar (both hardcover & paperback -- at a glance, mostly romance & spy novels). The plastic bins that the books are in are in good condition. I'm feeling magnanimous today, so I decide to sweeten the quick sale: "Toss in the bins and I'll give you two." It's a done deal. I figure that at the very least, the bins were worth it -- they are pretty solid. At another multi-family sale, the items for barter do not strike my fancy, but I do see a box of books marked "free". Well, I can't argue with the price... I fish out almost complete sets of novelizations of "The Young & The Restless", "Guiding Light" and "As The World Turns". They won't bring much, but whatever they bring, it will be pure profit.
The skies are still holding out. It's muggy, but not extremely uncomfortable yet. I decide to press my luck and meander further east. The neighborhoods I desire now should have cut lawns and all the automobiles visible should run. I venture over to an area that I hadn't been in for a few years and start looking for the signs.
Ah, Li'l Ol' Biddy Land! The sales in this area are all run by your grandma. Normally, this would be paydirt for me, but not today... Apparently, I missed all the good stuff yesterday. Well, when I say "the good stuff" I mean things that I would be interested in. "I just gave a guy yesterday my big box of a hundred 8-tracks for free."
Rats.
I get an eyeful of cheap china and knick-knacks as I snake my way around. One thing that's interesting about this town is that the neighborhoods vary by ways of economic standard within very short distances. Meth Country is about two miles north of me by now, yet I'm surrounded by million dollar homes -- these are the people who do not have yard sales. Yard Sales are for The Little People, the Povs. I decide to give up for the day and head back.
I go through the day's finds, keeping some of the hard-cover books that might be worth something on eBay and placing the others back in the bins. I decide to head over to Half-Price Books to see if I can get a free lunch. After meandering around the store while they sift through the selection, I am offered a whopping $3.50. Well, I didn't expect to get a free steak dinner, but I was hoping for more than a Value Meal.
I stop by WalMart on my way back home and pick up a shipping box for Snoopy.
And now, it's time to start listing. Come on, Nuclear Engineering!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Plan B Is For Books
Today was the last day for several books that I had listed. I was unsure if they would sell -- other than being great copies in good condition of first editions, I knew nothing about them other than that other copies had sold previously. I didn't really have my hopes high. I'm starting to think that some items are quick sellers and others are space suckers -- Disney equates to Dollars. As far as L. Ron Hubbard goes... well, I said at the time that the Mission Earth series (hell, any example of his writing) is an exercise in masochism and today, eBay agrees.
I am researching the etiquette of relisting items. In my mind, if an object doesn't spark a lot of interest, relisting it indefinitely isn't going to help -- the old definition of insanity comes to mind: same actions, expecting different results. There are a few exceptions to the rule: I will be relisting the Spock doll at some point. Reason says that in that particular case, it's more a matter of the right buyer out there not finding me in time.
The secondary task of research is to determine a set of rules regarding items that don't sell after x attempts.
"Let x make a statement..." - Talking Heads, "Give Me Back My Name"
Back on track, brain.
Ahem... anyway. So, let's say that our good friend and hack-author Hubbard's steaming pile of sci-fi doesn't find a home via eBay in three attempts. What now? I can't let my house start filling up with auction failures. I need a Plan B. Books are a no-brainer, really... Half-Price books will give a small exchange and if I end up with enough, then my son will be able to get a wordy treat or three. Records, well... there's a used record store near me. I have been avoiding stepping in the place recently since I know there are a couple of Zoogz Rift releases that are calling my name and I want to wait a while before growing my own personal collection any further. But, perhaps they might take a few records off my hands if they don't go on eBay... yet even then, I may still be stuck with leftovers. Hm... take up skeet shooting?
And what about the other items of interest? This is why I am not out buying everything in sight -- at a certain point, I have to accept that some purchases are going to be mine and only mine. The garage sale proprietors can keep their Coca-Cola Polar Bear trinkets... that's the last thing I need cluttering my abode. (Well, other than perhaps 1970's-looking sun dresses, and I've seen more than my fair share of those as of late.)
There is less than an hour left on the Kasparov trainer... An item like this I won't feel bad about having around as an occasional pastime, but I would rather it sell. There hasn't been any further activity on it since yesterday as far as views or watchers, so I'm starting to think that it'll join Spock in the "relist" area of the room.
The nice thing about this being a hobby is that I do have time to consider the alternatives, and I have the space to do so... for now.
I am researching the etiquette of relisting items. In my mind, if an object doesn't spark a lot of interest, relisting it indefinitely isn't going to help -- the old definition of insanity comes to mind: same actions, expecting different results. There are a few exceptions to the rule: I will be relisting the Spock doll at some point. Reason says that in that particular case, it's more a matter of the right buyer out there not finding me in time.
The secondary task of research is to determine a set of rules regarding items that don't sell after x attempts.
"Let x make a statement..." - Talking Heads, "Give Me Back My Name"
Back on track, brain.
Ahem... anyway. So, let's say that our good friend and hack-author Hubbard's steaming pile of sci-fi doesn't find a home via eBay in three attempts. What now? I can't let my house start filling up with auction failures. I need a Plan B. Books are a no-brainer, really... Half-Price books will give a small exchange and if I end up with enough, then my son will be able to get a wordy treat or three. Records, well... there's a used record store near me. I have been avoiding stepping in the place recently since I know there are a couple of Zoogz Rift releases that are calling my name and I want to wait a while before growing my own personal collection any further. But, perhaps they might take a few records off my hands if they don't go on eBay... yet even then, I may still be stuck with leftovers. Hm... take up skeet shooting?
And what about the other items of interest? This is why I am not out buying everything in sight -- at a certain point, I have to accept that some purchases are going to be mine and only mine. The garage sale proprietors can keep their Coca-Cola Polar Bear trinkets... that's the last thing I need cluttering my abode. (Well, other than perhaps 1970's-looking sun dresses, and I've seen more than my fair share of those as of late.)
There is less than an hour left on the Kasparov trainer... An item like this I won't feel bad about having around as an occasional pastime, but I would rather it sell. There hasn't been any further activity on it since yesterday as far as views or watchers, so I'm starting to think that it'll join Spock in the "relist" area of the room.
The nice thing about this being a hobby is that I do have time to consider the alternatives, and I have the space to do so... for now.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
The Greatest Story Ever Sold
*ka-ching!* My phone chimes at the ungodly time of 6:15 in the morning. Normally, I would resent any sound coming from my phone at that hour, but fortunately my waking brain associates the sound with something positive. eBay is contacting me, and it's something I want to know!
"You did it! Your item sold. Please ship this item to the buyer after your buyer pays." Well, well. Awesome! It's the set of Bible Story books that I picked up last week. Wicked! The buyer chose the "buy now" option, which is fine by me. I didn't anticipate a bidding war here.
*bing!* Yahoo mail is now wanting my attention... PayPal cheerfully exclaims "You received a payment from your buyer... SHIP NOW OR DIE." Ok, ok... I'm up... It's about that time anyway. Coffee is needed for any further competent action, however.
I look around the house for an appropriate shipping box. Nope. That's right, I had chucked those in the trash about a month ago before I started this little venture. Oh well, I'll get something at the post office. I bubble-wrap the books and place them in plastic bags for the trip over. When I arrive, I ask the friendly clerk what's best to ship Media Mail. He points at the basic cardboard boxes. I have my shipping and handling budget in mind... Ouch. Ok, good to know, need to buy these somewhere else next time.
...darn it, I don't have tape. I know it's cheaper at WalMart, but I'm under a bit of a time budget for the day.
...oh, might as well add the ninety cents for tracking. I want to make sure my new friend on Ohio gets these babies.
Total... $7.74 over what I charged. Ok, so the tape was half of that. The Post Office needs to remain fiscally solvent somehow, I suppose.
At home, I plug in the actual numbers into my spreadsheet. Even with the added cost of not planning ahead and adding the tracking, I end up with a little more than a 210% profit margin on this particular sale. I have sold 75% of the cost of all the items which I have bought so far. Not bad, considering that I've only sold 10% of my "stock" and all within my first month of half-assing this process.
I'm expecting the record mailers any moment now. I'm hoping that they'll be convenient to use. I now have shipping tape. I may have to list some more LP's now that I'm fully capable of sending them out in a reasonably priced fashion. I still have some more Disneyland records to list. Go with what's hot, I guess.
*ding, dong!* Mailers are here. Time to start shipping!
Update: eBay's estimated shipping is eating my lunch. Those 10 records cost almost three times the amount I charged for shipping & handling. I must have not entered it correctly, but at least my beloved buyer will be in DisneyLand heaven in 2-3 business days. My profit margin took a significant hit, but still netted positive. Live and learn, apparently.
"You did it! Your item sold. Please ship this item to the buyer after your buyer pays." Well, well. Awesome! It's the set of Bible Story books that I picked up last week. Wicked! The buyer chose the "buy now" option, which is fine by me. I didn't anticipate a bidding war here.
*bing!* Yahoo mail is now wanting my attention... PayPal cheerfully exclaims "You received a payment from your buyer... SHIP NOW OR DIE." Ok, ok... I'm up... It's about that time anyway. Coffee is needed for any further competent action, however.
I look around the house for an appropriate shipping box. Nope. That's right, I had chucked those in the trash about a month ago before I started this little venture. Oh well, I'll get something at the post office. I bubble-wrap the books and place them in plastic bags for the trip over. When I arrive, I ask the friendly clerk what's best to ship Media Mail. He points at the basic cardboard boxes. I have my shipping and handling budget in mind... Ouch. Ok, good to know, need to buy these somewhere else next time.
...darn it, I don't have tape. I know it's cheaper at WalMart, but I'm under a bit of a time budget for the day.
...oh, might as well add the ninety cents for tracking. I want to make sure my new friend on Ohio gets these babies.
Total... $7.74 over what I charged. Ok, so the tape was half of that. The Post Office needs to remain fiscally solvent somehow, I suppose.
At home, I plug in the actual numbers into my spreadsheet. Even with the added cost of not planning ahead and adding the tracking, I end up with a little more than a 210% profit margin on this particular sale. I have sold 75% of the cost of all the items which I have bought so far. Not bad, considering that I've only sold 10% of my "stock" and all within my first month of half-assing this process.
I'm expecting the record mailers any moment now. I'm hoping that they'll be convenient to use. I now have shipping tape. I may have to list some more LP's now that I'm fully capable of sending them out in a reasonably priced fashion. I still have some more Disneyland records to list. Go with what's hot, I guess.
*ding, dong!* Mailers are here. Time to start shipping!
Update: eBay's estimated shipping is eating my lunch. Those 10 records cost almost three times the amount I charged for shipping & handling. I must have not entered it correctly, but at least my beloved buyer will be in DisneyLand heaven in 2-3 business days. My profit margin took a significant hit, but still netted positive. Live and learn, apparently.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Spock Isn't Sexy Enough For You Today?!
I'm surprised. Well, not truly surprised -- I know what a fickle beast the internet is and eBay is no exception. After all, I am asking for my beloved buyers to part with their hard-earned cash for items that I wouldn't have in my house if I it was just me. But, I had thought a couple of items would sell... instead, I'm greeted with that ugly notification from eBay -- Your Item Didn't Sell.
Of course, there are many reasons why this might have occurred, and I don't take it too personally. I don't bemoan a failed auction with tears in my beer weeping "What, is my stuff not good enough for you, O Internets?" I rationalize the possible reasons. Other folks might be selling the same thing only cheaper. The item itself isn't hot right now. I don't have enough feedback to mark me as a "real-deal" seller. Any combination of factors might be at play... or, to pervert a phrase from that fine Tom Waits ditty, "the ocean of online auction buyers doesn't want me today."
Now, I am a realist at heart. I understand that there's a limited market for used 8-track cassettes. With those particular items, I'm catering to a brand of geek audiophile that I know is a rare breed. LP's a little less so -- oh you crazy kids today with your mp3s... I had hoped that a 3-record lot of Fleetwood Mac would catch someone's eye, but no dice -- they are back to hanging out in the "salable stuff" corner of my office. Same goes with the first printing of Choose Your Own Adventures #1. If I could go back in time to the 80's and be in grade school, I of course would have been all over it with a bag of chips, but I understand that I'm again dealing with a limited audience.
But the Star Trek Ken Doll as Spock? I really had high hopes. It's new in the box. It's a Barbie doll. I know those things sell. And, it's freakin' Spock. Spock is the pointy-eared definition of American Sci-fi Cool. I had priced it competitively and felt pretty good when I first started getting watchers on the auction. I was sure it would pop at some point... the auction ticked down to zero with no switch from red to green. Rats.
"The ocean of online auction buyers doesn't want my stuff today, but I'll list them again tomorrow for pay." Ahem. Sorry, Tom. If you want me to stop, you could always come play Texas... just sayin'.
It's Monday. No sales, which is fine -- my day job beckons. So far, my hottest item is a practically brand-new Kasparov Advanced Chess Trainer. I almost considered keeping this one, because I love Garry Kasparaov like a tween girl loves Justin Bieber. I remember eagerly reviewing his matches with Deep Blue back in the mid-90's. Why yes, that is my geek card showing again. How-do-ya-do.
*Sigh*. I could list more items today, I suppose. I've been considering listing some CD's that I've toted around with me for the past two and a half decades, but I just can't bring myself to part with them... and they're not going for too much on eBay anyway... Heck, if they don't want a Spock doll, somehow I suspect the internets aren't going to have much love for used ambient goth/neo-folk CDs.
Maybe I'll just listen to some Fleetwood Mac... in mp3 format.
Of course, there are many reasons why this might have occurred, and I don't take it too personally. I don't bemoan a failed auction with tears in my beer weeping "What, is my stuff not good enough for you, O Internets?" I rationalize the possible reasons. Other folks might be selling the same thing only cheaper. The item itself isn't hot right now. I don't have enough feedback to mark me as a "real-deal" seller. Any combination of factors might be at play... or, to pervert a phrase from that fine Tom Waits ditty, "the ocean of online auction buyers doesn't want me today."
Now, I am a realist at heart. I understand that there's a limited market for used 8-track cassettes. With those particular items, I'm catering to a brand of geek audiophile that I know is a rare breed. LP's a little less so -- oh you crazy kids today with your mp3s... I had hoped that a 3-record lot of Fleetwood Mac would catch someone's eye, but no dice -- they are back to hanging out in the "salable stuff" corner of my office. Same goes with the first printing of Choose Your Own Adventures #1. If I could go back in time to the 80's and be in grade school, I of course would have been all over it with a bag of chips, but I understand that I'm again dealing with a limited audience.
But the Star Trek Ken Doll as Spock? I really had high hopes. It's new in the box. It's a Barbie doll. I know those things sell. And, it's freakin' Spock. Spock is the pointy-eared definition of American Sci-fi Cool. I had priced it competitively and felt pretty good when I first started getting watchers on the auction. I was sure it would pop at some point... the auction ticked down to zero with no switch from red to green. Rats.
"The ocean of online auction buyers doesn't want my stuff today, but I'll list them again tomorrow for pay." Ahem. Sorry, Tom. If you want me to stop, you could always come play Texas... just sayin'.
It's Monday. No sales, which is fine -- my day job beckons. So far, my hottest item is a practically brand-new Kasparov Advanced Chess Trainer. I almost considered keeping this one, because I love Garry Kasparaov like a tween girl loves Justin Bieber. I remember eagerly reviewing his matches with Deep Blue back in the mid-90's. Why yes, that is my geek card showing again. How-do-ya-do.
*Sigh*. I could list more items today, I suppose. I've been considering listing some CD's that I've toted around with me for the past two and a half decades, but I just can't bring myself to part with them... and they're not going for too much on eBay anyway... Heck, if they don't want a Spock doll, somehow I suspect the internets aren't going to have much love for used ambient goth/neo-folk CDs.
Maybe I'll just listen to some Fleetwood Mac... in mp3 format.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Hot With Fleas
Storms roll through in the early morning. I'm grateful for the rain since we need it in these parts, but I know that this means that the afternoon will be muggy. Best if I get going while it's still nice out.
South of town, there's a flea market called Treasure Island. I've driven by the place before only to find out that it's only open on Sundays. Well, today's my day to check it out. I had some hope since the last time I had stopped by, there was a table out with a few records, 8-tracks and the Criterion Collection DVD of David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch. That alone would be worth the return trip. I arrive and note that sadly but understandably, those items are no longer there. Instead, there are a few other vinyl records, including two sealed copies of a various artists collection "60 Years of the Grand Ole Opry". Dolly Parton makes an appearance and they are shrink-wrapped... I ask the fellow sitting near by what the cost would be.
"Five dollars... each." Inside my head, I want to scream "go pound sand!" -- I manage to stifle all but a small start as I assess the situation. This is no flea market -- this is Texas Hold 'Em, bazaar style...
...and why not? These are true hucksters, junk peddler professionals extraordinaire. Their lives revolve around the next few moments where I am a tourista in their world. They have marked me as a man wanting to spend money and have adjusted their internal math appropriately. I may not be showing up in an Armani suit, but I do have all my teeth, enough to set me apart and surround my aura with potential dollar signs. I collect myself.
You wanna play hardball, Johnny Hawker? C'mon, let's dance a little. I'm the only one here. I have three different pre-teen senoritas trying to foist their first agua fresca of the day on me. Do we wanna go there?
"Nah, I'm just looking. Records are only worth a buck each max to me."
"Oh, I can't do that. Five dollars, each."
I know when I'm up against a challenge and am reminded by the line from the movie War Games... "The only winning move is not to play." I move onto the other stalls. A man sits quietly surrounded by a mountain of jeans. Elsewhere, used and untested NES consoles. Mexican candies intermix with waterlogged furniture of dubious acquisition. "You want an agua fresca, senor?" Broken down lawnmowers. More electronics and computer parts. "Is tasty! Limon or horchata?" NASCAR trinkets. More jeans. T-shirts, 3 for $5. "Tamarindo?" Oooh, I'm almost tempted on that one.
I do, however, happen to find blue-tinted sunglasses in my style for a dollar. I pick up two -- I've been without for the past year. I try to justify the trip in my mind: now I know what to expect and where to possibly find replacement cheap sunglasses. Heading back toward my car, I see a lone table with a dozen books, one of which is a first edition Harry Potter hard-cover. Deathly Hollows or some such. Fine, except for the tear in the jacket. M'eh. I am officially disinterested. No mas, por favor.
On the way back home, I note that the garage sale signs, so prevalent over the past two days, have evaporated like the morning's rain. There's one sale still open -- ah, yes... Sanford & Son. I stop by and ask if they have the records out yet. The proprietor instructs one of the kids to go fetch a box while we chat about advantages of vinyl over CD's. I'm allowed the opportunity to skim through one small box. I ask how much she'll charge for a record.
"Three dollars." Again, I play it cool, yet my inner voice exclaims, "Three dollars for a beat up copy of Supertramp? Girl, you must be trippin'!" I instead mention that the heat is getting to me to allow me a tidy yet polite exit rather than waiting another half-hour for the second box to appear.
I make the rest of the trip back home hot from the sun and tired of fleas.
South of town, there's a flea market called Treasure Island. I've driven by the place before only to find out that it's only open on Sundays. Well, today's my day to check it out. I had some hope since the last time I had stopped by, there was a table out with a few records, 8-tracks and the Criterion Collection DVD of David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch. That alone would be worth the return trip. I arrive and note that sadly but understandably, those items are no longer there. Instead, there are a few other vinyl records, including two sealed copies of a various artists collection "60 Years of the Grand Ole Opry". Dolly Parton makes an appearance and they are shrink-wrapped... I ask the fellow sitting near by what the cost would be.
"Five dollars... each." Inside my head, I want to scream "go pound sand!" -- I manage to stifle all but a small start as I assess the situation. This is no flea market -- this is Texas Hold 'Em, bazaar style...
...and why not? These are true hucksters, junk peddler professionals extraordinaire. Their lives revolve around the next few moments where I am a tourista in their world. They have marked me as a man wanting to spend money and have adjusted their internal math appropriately. I may not be showing up in an Armani suit, but I do have all my teeth, enough to set me apart and surround my aura with potential dollar signs. I collect myself.
You wanna play hardball, Johnny Hawker? C'mon, let's dance a little. I'm the only one here. I have three different pre-teen senoritas trying to foist their first agua fresca of the day on me. Do we wanna go there?
"Nah, I'm just looking. Records are only worth a buck each max to me."
"Oh, I can't do that. Five dollars, each."
I know when I'm up against a challenge and am reminded by the line from the movie War Games... "The only winning move is not to play." I move onto the other stalls. A man sits quietly surrounded by a mountain of jeans. Elsewhere, used and untested NES consoles. Mexican candies intermix with waterlogged furniture of dubious acquisition. "You want an agua fresca, senor?" Broken down lawnmowers. More electronics and computer parts. "Is tasty! Limon or horchata?" NASCAR trinkets. More jeans. T-shirts, 3 for $5. "Tamarindo?" Oooh, I'm almost tempted on that one.
I do, however, happen to find blue-tinted sunglasses in my style for a dollar. I pick up two -- I've been without for the past year. I try to justify the trip in my mind: now I know what to expect and where to possibly find replacement cheap sunglasses. Heading back toward my car, I see a lone table with a dozen books, one of which is a first edition Harry Potter hard-cover. Deathly Hollows or some such. Fine, except for the tear in the jacket. M'eh. I am officially disinterested. No mas, por favor.
On the way back home, I note that the garage sale signs, so prevalent over the past two days, have evaporated like the morning's rain. There's one sale still open -- ah, yes... Sanford & Son. I stop by and ask if they have the records out yet. The proprietor instructs one of the kids to go fetch a box while we chat about advantages of vinyl over CD's. I'm allowed the opportunity to skim through one small box. I ask how much she'll charge for a record.
"Three dollars." Again, I play it cool, yet my inner voice exclaims, "Three dollars for a beat up copy of Supertramp? Girl, you must be trippin'!" I instead mention that the heat is getting to me to allow me a tidy yet polite exit rather than waiting another half-hour for the second box to appear.
I make the rest of the trip back home hot from the sun and tired of fleas.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
The Yard Sale Gods Have No Love For Me Today
Saturdays. Like a fresh crop of weeds, Garage/Yard Sale signs pop up all over my area in an enticing display of reds, yellows, blacks and whites. Cardboard boxes creep near intersection lamp posts like toadstools, each offering a chance at hidden treasure for a steal. It's a fresh day full of possibilities and mystery. My son has already been up and itching "to go somewhere" so I hope to take full advantage of his enthusiasm and hit up a couple of sales.
The morning starts out clear and promising. I had checked CraigsList and decided that today would be a good day to stay in my area as there were at least a good twenty sales all within a 3 mile radius. It'd be a crap-shoot, for sure... but surely something will strike my interest. We hit the Dunkin' Donuts for an iced coffee and a Sprite before passing by the ATM.
"Multi-family Sale! Too Much To List! Everything Must GO!" was my first stop's listing. In the area, a middle-class McMansion neighborhood with huge houses and tiny lawns, there are several signs advertising sales. I remain skeptical. The people who purchase these homes deal with Housing Authorities and watering restrictions in exchange for community pool privileges. Starting families and running that rat race. I'm not disappointed in my assessment -- these folks have decided their chintzy Target home decor no longer fit their current whims and wish it out of the house. My son and I quickly skim through about a half dozen of these caliber offerings. I know the Yard Sale Gods must have woke a little cranky when even a five year old can't find anything he likes to start him begging me for a quarter.
We begin meandering back from the outer limit of my search in from the south. One sale looks almost promising -- a veritable recreation of Sanford & Son's junk sale collection. Among the piled, busted electronics, there are even a few Buddha statues. I'm almost impressed, but there's nothing there that I care to purchase. I ask the woman sitting under the tent sipping her sweet tea if she has any records. The answer is yes, but she hasn't put them out and would I mind coming back later. I mention that I just might, noting that my son's interest is starting to wane quickly. "Ok, dad... no more garage sales." We head back to the house to eat before heading out to the trampoline park that he's been on about for the past week.
Hey, Yard Sale Gods... do you have any love for me today? "Nope", they answer.
I enjoy an hour of trampoline dodgeball with my son. The teenagers love it when I play because they don't have to hold back when trying to bean me. Good times, good times. Since my parents are in town to visit, they agree to stay a 2nd hour with my son so I can hit the other dozen sales that we passed by on the way to the park. I know the area -- rather run down and low-to-middle class housing. I suspect I'll find trinkets and children's clothing galore, but on occasion I've spied the odd collectible gem.
I snake my way through the neighborhood, each sale visited being an exercise in anti-climatic disappointment. Clothes. More clothes. Hey, look... clothes. It's 1pm and the Texas sun becomes a symbol of the Yard Sale Gods' apparent cantankerousness. "Everything here is 50% off, we want to close up shop" most sales proprietors say as I approach. I start asking specifically for items... One lady says "why, yes... I have some old 8-tracks from my late husband, one moment..." as she pops back in her house, only to return with a large plastic bin of broken cassettes and scratched 45's. "You can have them all for $20." I politely decline, pointing out that only a few of the cassettes are intact. Out of that selection, two yellowing tapes -- one Elvis, one B. B. King stand out... "Two dollars a-piece", she says -- noting that I had set them aside for consideration. I put the tapes back, thank her for her time and head back to my car to move onto the next sale.
One garage is chock full of books. Have the Gods forgiven me of whatever trespass I might have done? But, no... out of the hundreds of books there, 99% of them are library copies -- and even there, there's only one book that tickled my personal fancy -- "The Definitive Edition of the Tao Te Ching". For a dime, it's now part of my personal collection, but I marvel that out of that many books, there was nothing there of any real value.
O Gods, why do thee hate me so? How hath I offended thee?
A half-dozen more stops, each with an increasing feeling of loathing. Baby clothes. Cheap dishes. Broken toys.
I'm nearly back at my house. One final stop. I'm greeted by a large number of boxes of toddlers' clothes, being muddled through by said toddlers. The mom, babe in arms, mentions that it's all "gotta go today".
I ask with a hint of desperation... "Any books?"
"I've got five kids. I ain't got no time to read."
I walk back to my car, looking forward to a shower when I return home. Suddenly, I feel unclean. I am reminded of that wonderful quote of John Waters, "If you go home with somebody, and they don't have books... don't fuck 'em!" I think someone must not have seen that one in time.
The morning starts out clear and promising. I had checked CraigsList and decided that today would be a good day to stay in my area as there were at least a good twenty sales all within a 3 mile radius. It'd be a crap-shoot, for sure... but surely something will strike my interest. We hit the Dunkin' Donuts for an iced coffee and a Sprite before passing by the ATM.
"Multi-family Sale! Too Much To List! Everything Must GO!" was my first stop's listing. In the area, a middle-class McMansion neighborhood with huge houses and tiny lawns, there are several signs advertising sales. I remain skeptical. The people who purchase these homes deal with Housing Authorities and watering restrictions in exchange for community pool privileges. Starting families and running that rat race. I'm not disappointed in my assessment -- these folks have decided their chintzy Target home decor no longer fit their current whims and wish it out of the house. My son and I quickly skim through about a half dozen of these caliber offerings. I know the Yard Sale Gods must have woke a little cranky when even a five year old can't find anything he likes to start him begging me for a quarter.
We begin meandering back from the outer limit of my search in from the south. One sale looks almost promising -- a veritable recreation of Sanford & Son's junk sale collection. Among the piled, busted electronics, there are even a few Buddha statues. I'm almost impressed, but there's nothing there that I care to purchase. I ask the woman sitting under the tent sipping her sweet tea if she has any records. The answer is yes, but she hasn't put them out and would I mind coming back later. I mention that I just might, noting that my son's interest is starting to wane quickly. "Ok, dad... no more garage sales." We head back to the house to eat before heading out to the trampoline park that he's been on about for the past week.
Hey, Yard Sale Gods... do you have any love for me today? "Nope", they answer.
I enjoy an hour of trampoline dodgeball with my son. The teenagers love it when I play because they don't have to hold back when trying to bean me. Good times, good times. Since my parents are in town to visit, they agree to stay a 2nd hour with my son so I can hit the other dozen sales that we passed by on the way to the park. I know the area -- rather run down and low-to-middle class housing. I suspect I'll find trinkets and children's clothing galore, but on occasion I've spied the odd collectible gem.
I snake my way through the neighborhood, each sale visited being an exercise in anti-climatic disappointment. Clothes. More clothes. Hey, look... clothes. It's 1pm and the Texas sun becomes a symbol of the Yard Sale Gods' apparent cantankerousness. "Everything here is 50% off, we want to close up shop" most sales proprietors say as I approach. I start asking specifically for items... One lady says "why, yes... I have some old 8-tracks from my late husband, one moment..." as she pops back in her house, only to return with a large plastic bin of broken cassettes and scratched 45's. "You can have them all for $20." I politely decline, pointing out that only a few of the cassettes are intact. Out of that selection, two yellowing tapes -- one Elvis, one B. B. King stand out... "Two dollars a-piece", she says -- noting that I had set them aside for consideration. I put the tapes back, thank her for her time and head back to my car to move onto the next sale.
One garage is chock full of books. Have the Gods forgiven me of whatever trespass I might have done? But, no... out of the hundreds of books there, 99% of them are library copies -- and even there, there's only one book that tickled my personal fancy -- "The Definitive Edition of the Tao Te Ching". For a dime, it's now part of my personal collection, but I marvel that out of that many books, there was nothing there of any real value.
O Gods, why do thee hate me so? How hath I offended thee?
A half-dozen more stops, each with an increasing feeling of loathing. Baby clothes. Cheap dishes. Broken toys.
I'm nearly back at my house. One final stop. I'm greeted by a large number of boxes of toddlers' clothes, being muddled through by said toddlers. The mom, babe in arms, mentions that it's all "gotta go today".
I ask with a hint of desperation... "Any books?"
"I've got five kids. I ain't got no time to read."
I walk back to my car, looking forward to a shower when I return home. Suddenly, I feel unclean. I am reminded of that wonderful quote of John Waters, "If you go home with somebody, and they don't have books... don't fuck 'em!" I think someone must not have seen that one in time.
Friday, June 7, 2013
My First "n00b" Mistake: Oh, Right... Shipping...
I shipped out the sealed LaserDiscs this morning after getting that delightful message from eBay stating: "PAYMENT RECEIVED. SHIP NOW! NOW, YOU LAZY SOD! GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GET THEE TO THE POST OFFICE BEFORE WE SMITE THEE WITH NEGATIVE FEEDBACK!"
I thought I had my bases covered... Product? Check. Spreadsheet showing every step of the transaction in case Uncle Sam wants to sniff around my books? Check. Enough bubble-wrap to cover everything in my neighborhood that's not nailed down (including children and dogs) for a 3-mile radius? Checkity-check!
...proper boxes to send the media? Ohhhhhh... {checking for presence of my son... yup, he's within ear-shot.} ...shucky-durn. Considering I have an auction on some LP's ending in a few days, I texted my ex-book-hustler friend who checked with her friend who also does eBay auctions. When buyers purchase something, they expect it to be shipped to them properly. Sounds legit. Extra-heavy-duty record shipping boxes are now on their way, thanks to Amazon. But what about the LaserDiscs that need to go out now?
I don't function well on little caffeine. I consume more caffeine than is recommended for a small college class of art history majors. Brain work wonky caffeine low, when. So, it came as no surprise to me this morning that (of course) after I filled out the to/from addresses on the padded USPS envelope for the LaserDiscs, they won't fit.
[Brain is now scared that it's going to be taken back out behind the shed after it goes to fetch a switch.]
I eat the cost of the now sullied and defiled bubble mailer and ensure that the discs will reach their destination intact and in the same shape as when I purchased them -- my solemn promise to my beloved buyers. My little calculated field in my spreadsheet showing my profit margin groans as it accepts the loss. Well, lesson learned -- in this fast and furious game of auctions and quick sales, it pays to be more prepared than a Boy Scout in a prophylactic store. I will not be caught with my shipping pants down again.
Now, back to finding the perfect switch.
I thought I had my bases covered... Product? Check. Spreadsheet showing every step of the transaction in case Uncle Sam wants to sniff around my books? Check. Enough bubble-wrap to cover everything in my neighborhood that's not nailed down (including children and dogs) for a 3-mile radius? Checkity-check!
...proper boxes to send the media? Ohhhhhh... {checking for presence of my son... yup, he's within ear-shot.} ...shucky-durn. Considering I have an auction on some LP's ending in a few days, I texted my ex-book-hustler friend who checked with her friend who also does eBay auctions. When buyers purchase something, they expect it to be shipped to them properly. Sounds legit. Extra-heavy-duty record shipping boxes are now on their way, thanks to Amazon. But what about the LaserDiscs that need to go out now?
I don't function well on little caffeine. I consume more caffeine than is recommended for a small college class of art history majors. Brain work wonky caffeine low, when. So, it came as no surprise to me this morning that (of course) after I filled out the to/from addresses on the padded USPS envelope for the LaserDiscs, they won't fit.
[Brain is now scared that it's going to be taken back out behind the shed after it goes to fetch a switch.]
I eat the cost of the now sullied and defiled bubble mailer and ensure that the discs will reach their destination intact and in the same shape as when I purchased them -- my solemn promise to my beloved buyers. My little calculated field in my spreadsheet showing my profit margin groans as it accepts the loss. Well, lesson learned -- in this fast and furious game of auctions and quick sales, it pays to be more prepared than a Boy Scout in a prophylactic store. I will not be caught with my shipping pants down again.
Now, back to finding the perfect switch.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Don't Think Of Yourself, Think Of The Buyer
This morning is probably the last of the cool mornings until the fall in these parts. There were thunderstorms around midnight last night and I wasn't expecting much to be listed when I checked over my morning coffee -- people do have day jobs after all, and most garage sales start on Fridays. However, I did notice one sale listed for today within a quick driving distance with that magic keyword "BOOKS" leaping out at me. I decided to take a chance, hopped in the car and headed out.
Now, I try to pay attention to the location of the sales, especially when they don't post pictures to CraigsList. You can usually get an idea about what will be available based on the neighborhood and how they slant their postings. "A little something for everyone" is not always the case, I've found. Certain neighborhoods will be middle-class suburban families, for instance. I can expect that if I show up to these types of sales I'll find a ton of toddler clothing -- oh so lightly used, mind you -- maybe some dishware and perhaps a copy or two of some kind of workout book or self-help manual. These things do not interest a man of my disposition, and I'm starting to get better with my "spidey-sense" thus avoiding the disappointment and cost in gas.
As I approached the sale, slowing down for the various school zones as hurried and distracted soccer moms dropped off their little ones, I started to get a little nervous. Was this going to be another blow-out? Am I destined to be poring over stained and washer-frayed onesies, half-used packs of Pampers and used breast-feeding equipment? (Do I want to know the kind of individual who'd be a target market for these items?) The neighborhood started to sour in my mind, but I figured I was already here... might as well give it a drive-by. I pull up and hop out with some trepidation -- I could see from the curb an assortment of prefabricated shelving units and a large hanger with clothes. "Books... they listed books. I had better find a church recipe book at the very least" I muttered. The proprietor of the sale greeted me -- a lady in her 70's at a guess, offering the typical salutation of "good morning and thanks for coming out!" I replied as nicely as I could muster considering my lack of caffeine while suspiciously eyeing the floral pattern dishes.
The only other person there at the time was a soccer mom type, inconveniently hovering around the lone bookshelf in the back of the garage, gleefully snagging Elmo board-books. My heart sank a little bit -- this was not to be a treasure trove of philosophy or history tomes, no. Grandma's getting rid of the little tykes' first readers. I let out a small sigh and allow Soccer Mom to continue her hoovering, turning my attention back to the card tables in the driveway.
...sparkle, sparkle. Spidey-sense tingling... Hm, what's this? A 6 pin commemorative numbered set for Chicago Bulls victories. Really? I hate basketball, but I am originally from Chicago and I've seen my fair share of drunks pouring out of late-night tattoo parlors with their (at the time) proud branding of the bull logo placed obnoxiously somewhere obvious on their cheese-fed bodies. I pull out my smartphone and start searching... and yup, it's mine now.
I am no longer thinking of myself. I am thinking of Joe Consumer. My mind is right.
With new eyes, I am now able to spy a "new in box" (golly-gee, I do love the sound of that phrase) Hot Wheels Roll-up Raceway. Do I collect Hot Wheels? Of course not, but there's someone out there who does. What's this? A Snoopy doll? Just so happens it's apparently a rare 1980's collector's item and it hasn't been used as a dog toy...
...Soccer Mom takes her Elmo books and gits... finally! I move over to take a gander at what remains...
Ah, a Dr. Seuss book. 1970's, beat up, 2nd printing. Fine, it's mine for the price -- not salable, but personal want and desire takes over. (I like Dr. Seuss stuff in general... don't hate, appreciate!) I catch myself. Think like the person buying from you! Yow... there's a complete set of those Seventh Day Adventist "Bible Story" books as well as the additional supplemental tome "Bible Reading For The Home" in darn-near mint condition! Probably the 1970's printings, but the spines crack when I leaf through the first few... I'm still unsure exactly what year they were put out, but I'm now one of the cheaper listings, well within range of what people paid previously. Shipping's going to be a hassle as they weigh around 20 lbs total, but hey... where else can you find a delicately designed illustration of the fall of Jericho? Grandma's tykes couldn't be bothered to read 'em, but I'm gambling someone has a home for them.
The smart dollar is still on the Snoopy doll, but we'll see.
The other exciting news this morning was that as I listed today's finds, I heard the "ka-ching!" sound from my phone... Someone will be the happy owner of a 10-record lot of Disneyland LPs (with books), which effectively paid for the jaunt to the estate sale. I guess wishing upon that particular star worked out.
Now, I try to pay attention to the location of the sales, especially when they don't post pictures to CraigsList. You can usually get an idea about what will be available based on the neighborhood and how they slant their postings. "A little something for everyone" is not always the case, I've found. Certain neighborhoods will be middle-class suburban families, for instance. I can expect that if I show up to these types of sales I'll find a ton of toddler clothing -- oh so lightly used, mind you -- maybe some dishware and perhaps a copy or two of some kind of workout book or self-help manual. These things do not interest a man of my disposition, and I'm starting to get better with my "spidey-sense" thus avoiding the disappointment and cost in gas.
As I approached the sale, slowing down for the various school zones as hurried and distracted soccer moms dropped off their little ones, I started to get a little nervous. Was this going to be another blow-out? Am I destined to be poring over stained and washer-frayed onesies, half-used packs of Pampers and used breast-feeding equipment? (Do I want to know the kind of individual who'd be a target market for these items?) The neighborhood started to sour in my mind, but I figured I was already here... might as well give it a drive-by. I pull up and hop out with some trepidation -- I could see from the curb an assortment of prefabricated shelving units and a large hanger with clothes. "Books... they listed books. I had better find a church recipe book at the very least" I muttered. The proprietor of the sale greeted me -- a lady in her 70's at a guess, offering the typical salutation of "good morning and thanks for coming out!" I replied as nicely as I could muster considering my lack of caffeine while suspiciously eyeing the floral pattern dishes.
The only other person there at the time was a soccer mom type, inconveniently hovering around the lone bookshelf in the back of the garage, gleefully snagging Elmo board-books. My heart sank a little bit -- this was not to be a treasure trove of philosophy or history tomes, no. Grandma's getting rid of the little tykes' first readers. I let out a small sigh and allow Soccer Mom to continue her hoovering, turning my attention back to the card tables in the driveway.
...sparkle, sparkle. Spidey-sense tingling... Hm, what's this? A 6 pin commemorative numbered set for Chicago Bulls victories. Really? I hate basketball, but I am originally from Chicago and I've seen my fair share of drunks pouring out of late-night tattoo parlors with their (at the time) proud branding of the bull logo placed obnoxiously somewhere obvious on their cheese-fed bodies. I pull out my smartphone and start searching... and yup, it's mine now.
I am no longer thinking of myself. I am thinking of Joe Consumer. My mind is right.
With new eyes, I am now able to spy a "new in box" (golly-gee, I do love the sound of that phrase) Hot Wheels Roll-up Raceway. Do I collect Hot Wheels? Of course not, but there's someone out there who does. What's this? A Snoopy doll? Just so happens it's apparently a rare 1980's collector's item and it hasn't been used as a dog toy...
...Soccer Mom takes her Elmo books and gits... finally! I move over to take a gander at what remains...
Ah, a Dr. Seuss book. 1970's, beat up, 2nd printing. Fine, it's mine for the price -- not salable, but personal want and desire takes over. (I like Dr. Seuss stuff in general... don't hate, appreciate!) I catch myself. Think like the person buying from you! Yow... there's a complete set of those Seventh Day Adventist "Bible Story" books as well as the additional supplemental tome "Bible Reading For The Home" in darn-near mint condition! Probably the 1970's printings, but the spines crack when I leaf through the first few... I'm still unsure exactly what year they were put out, but I'm now one of the cheaper listings, well within range of what people paid previously. Shipping's going to be a hassle as they weigh around 20 lbs total, but hey... where else can you find a delicately designed illustration of the fall of Jericho? Grandma's tykes couldn't be bothered to read 'em, but I'm gambling someone has a home for them.
The smart dollar is still on the Snoopy doll, but we'll see.
The other exciting news this morning was that as I listed today's finds, I heard the "ka-ching!" sound from my phone... Someone will be the happy owner of a 10-record lot of Disneyland LPs (with books), which effectively paid for the jaunt to the estate sale. I guess wishing upon that particular star worked out.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Leafing Through Garage Sale Book Bins
Now, like most folks in this day and age, I enjoy scanning over news articles on my phone with my morning coffee, but since I spend enough time in front of a computer screen every day due to my day job, eBooks just don't cut it for me. I have to have the physical thing. Fortunately, I'm not alone in this, and pound for pound, good ol' fashioned paper books tend to be a great entertainment value since a lot of people are keen to get rid of theirs. I have a serious love-hate relationship with Half-Price Books and other resale shops. Since starting to scour through garage sales, I'm finding myself also spending time sifting through the various bins of books that people are getting rid of -- and finding the occasional goodie.
As a kid, I was taught to treat books with respect. Because of this, 30 years after I read them, I still have an entire set of "ValueTales" books in near-mint condition, most of which are first or second printings. The same goes for a complete set of the Target Doctor Who novelizations and a selection of Hardy Boys books. Now, the Who I'm not getting rid of -- I've been a fan of the show before I knew my multiplication table, but since my son isn't very interested in the ValueTale books (preferring stories that involve Mater and Lightning McQueen), I asked a friend of mine who used to work at various bookstores to take a look - she taught me a very useful tip: look at the printer's page at the beginning and check which edition. This little bit of information along with noting that first editions tend to sell on eBay have affected my buying technique when I'm at a sale.
Today, I shipped off my first eBay book sale -- a copy of Ayn Rand's "Anthem" -- the 1961 Signet version, first edition. Good condition, it was -- hell, the thing probably was never read (which is a shame, but I digress). A little yellowing due to age, some cover scuffing, but otherwise in great shape for the fact that it's 50 years old. Since I didn't particularly want it for my own collection, I listed it and was quite surprised when it sold. Now, again, I am not an expert, so I'm unsure if I sold it at what it's worth or less... while I saw copies going for far more than what I listed it at, I had to factor in the slight wear and tear to the book into my listing price and also consider that an item unsold does me no good. Well, thanks Ayn... you paid for a morning treat of an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts... Chalk up another victory for capitalist objectivism!
...was that the sound of Ms. Rand rolling in her grave? Oh well.
So, on the way to the post office, I noted a listing on CraigsList for a garage sale in the area and decided to pop by. Using the same technique, I ended up bringing home 8 books and will be listing 7 of them on eBay here in a few minutes, including first printing paperback copies of L Ron Hubbard's "Mission Earth" series (nos. 3, 4 & 6). I won't tell you how much I paid for them, but it's all about perceived worth when it comes to this sort of thing anyway... After muddling through the first volume as an exercise in masochism a few years ago, I can tell you that I paid X for them and that's X too much. :)
The one book that I won't be putting up is surprisingly the first one to catch my eye due to that "oooh, it's old" notion... a 1937 copy of the American Red Cross's First Aid Textbook. When I got back home and looked it up, I was slightly bummed out that there are several copies in FAR better condition currently listed for a song. You win some and you lose some. Frankly, if any one of the others sell, then I'll make back the money that I spent and if none of them sell, well... Ayn Rand will have her payback.
As a kid, I was taught to treat books with respect. Because of this, 30 years after I read them, I still have an entire set of "ValueTales" books in near-mint condition, most of which are first or second printings. The same goes for a complete set of the Target Doctor Who novelizations and a selection of Hardy Boys books. Now, the Who I'm not getting rid of -- I've been a fan of the show before I knew my multiplication table, but since my son isn't very interested in the ValueTale books (preferring stories that involve Mater and Lightning McQueen), I asked a friend of mine who used to work at various bookstores to take a look - she taught me a very useful tip: look at the printer's page at the beginning and check which edition. This little bit of information along with noting that first editions tend to sell on eBay have affected my buying technique when I'm at a sale.
Today, I shipped off my first eBay book sale -- a copy of Ayn Rand's "Anthem" -- the 1961 Signet version, first edition. Good condition, it was -- hell, the thing probably was never read (which is a shame, but I digress). A little yellowing due to age, some cover scuffing, but otherwise in great shape for the fact that it's 50 years old. Since I didn't particularly want it for my own collection, I listed it and was quite surprised when it sold. Now, again, I am not an expert, so I'm unsure if I sold it at what it's worth or less... while I saw copies going for far more than what I listed it at, I had to factor in the slight wear and tear to the book into my listing price and also consider that an item unsold does me no good. Well, thanks Ayn... you paid for a morning treat of an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts... Chalk up another victory for capitalist objectivism!
...was that the sound of Ms. Rand rolling in her grave? Oh well.
So, on the way to the post office, I noted a listing on CraigsList for a garage sale in the area and decided to pop by. Using the same technique, I ended up bringing home 8 books and will be listing 7 of them on eBay here in a few minutes, including first printing paperback copies of L Ron Hubbard's "Mission Earth" series (nos. 3, 4 & 6). I won't tell you how much I paid for them, but it's all about perceived worth when it comes to this sort of thing anyway... After muddling through the first volume as an exercise in masochism a few years ago, I can tell you that I paid X for them and that's X too much. :)
The one book that I won't be putting up is surprisingly the first one to catch my eye due to that "oooh, it's old" notion... a 1937 copy of the American Red Cross's First Aid Textbook. When I got back home and looked it up, I was slightly bummed out that there are several copies in FAR better condition currently listed for a song. You win some and you lose some. Frankly, if any one of the others sell, then I'll make back the money that I spent and if none of them sell, well... Ayn Rand will have her payback.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Why I'm Not Keen On Antiques
When I started this venture, it was mostly to occupy the small amount of free time that I have. I've always been interested in estate sales, but not at a level where others take it. Some of these folks are down-right aggressive. At my first sale this spring, I knew I had to get their early: the listing mentioned a working 8-track player, and by gum, I was going to get it! Well, for the right price, anyway. Me, I'm perfectly willing to walk away from something, but these others... It was truly my first recent exposure to the hard-core.
I show up at the location about an hour early, and spend the time sipping my iced coffee and watching the "professionals" arrive. Hungry people with dreams of "the big score", eyeing everything in sight, peering through the windows and discussing in hushed voices their plan of attack. Fortunately, there seems to be at least a little decorum when it comes to these things. I was recognized as the "first one there" and was told numerous times that there'd be "no cutting". This put me initially at ease... until the doors opened and I was practically shoved through the door -- that was the only courtesy given. After that... well, I've walked through bar brawls with greater confidence.
Sure, I found my way to where the player had been set up and proceeded to test it out along with snagging the tapes in better condition. However, I was unprepared for the dozen folks behind me jockeying for the Christmas collectibles, each trying to snatch what they could like starving beasts. It took me about a half hour to wade my way through them so that I could pay for my items and be on my way.
Christmas nick-knacks. Really? Do these things sell? Apparently so. Someone out there can't live without a 12-piece matching set of demitasse cups with pigs dressed up with Santa hats and someone is going to profit from this condition. Poor sods, one and all.
And this is where I was able to define myself - I'm not in this for the money. Sure, I learned my lesson that it's better to grab what I can and run, sorting out the "bum tapes" after the fact. I'm kicking myself for not grabbing the remaining half-dozen 8-tracks of Elvis Christmas albums. At the time, I thought "well, I'm not a fan of Elvis nor Christmas music, so I'll just leave these here" not realizing that the ones that I did grab would sell within a day on eBay. Could I have made a bit more to cover the cost of the player? Sure. Well, now I know.
I have a friend who is also into cruising around garage sales, and I have to say that it is a bit more fun when you have a second set of eyes. We had gone to a sale recently and I will admit that I'm glad she tagged along -- while I was rooting through a box full of books and stumbled across a first printing of the first "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, she nudged me and pointed out a Ken doll with Ken as Spock from Star Trek, still in the box. Sure enough, that's one of my hotter listings at the moment. I would have passed it by.
Now we get into an area that seems murky and formidable -- antiques. I can tell if something is "old". I can not tell if it is "old and worth something", much less "old, worth something and actively in demand". My friend is somewhat the same way, but she has a rather large collection of Mason Ironstone "Brown Vista" china now sitting in my garage because her father caught wind of the eBay adventuring and wants us to sell it.
Hello... crash course taught by Prof. Google.
The dishes look nice. They've been kept in boxes, wrapped in newspaper and left mostly undisturbed. A quick search shows listings going for quite a decent amount for individual pieces, and we're sitting on something like 60+ pieces. We've identified by way of the stamps that they are most likely 1940's-1950's era... now what?
Do we sell it all as a set? Do we list individual pieces? Just the plates, then the cups? EBay is interesting in that like any auction -- the final sale price has to do with perceived worth rather than actual worth for an item: someone may think the listing of the Spock doll is too pricey, but to the person who's missing just that one from their collection... my listing must be a steal.
Getting the dishware appraised has been a bit of a hassle as well... There's a cost attached, and even the ones that have been able to talk to me at a high level have said that china "just isn't sexy right now". That phrase came from an estate sale worker that I chatted up last weekend... "Look around here... you see how much china we have here, and it's just not moving." She was right... free markets are petulant little buggers. The nice thing is, I suppose, we have time to wait until there's more interest and we know more about exactly what she has.
In the meantime, however, the lesson that I am learning is "stick to what you know". At the above estate sale, I hovered right on over to the media, gently stepping by the packs of professionals poring over the jewelry and other high-ticket items. Quietly, in a corner, I spied the records and found 20 excellent condition Disneyland storybook records from the late 60's, barely used. Learning my lesson from the Elvis Christmas 8-tracks, I decided that even though I personally have lived my adult life with a sense of satisfaction without having songs from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at my disposal, the Disney label does perk up an ear or two and sure enough... I have a couple of watchers watching a lot of 10 that I put up yesterday.
The pro's can have their nick-knacks.
I show up at the location about an hour early, and spend the time sipping my iced coffee and watching the "professionals" arrive. Hungry people with dreams of "the big score", eyeing everything in sight, peering through the windows and discussing in hushed voices their plan of attack. Fortunately, there seems to be at least a little decorum when it comes to these things. I was recognized as the "first one there" and was told numerous times that there'd be "no cutting". This put me initially at ease... until the doors opened and I was practically shoved through the door -- that was the only courtesy given. After that... well, I've walked through bar brawls with greater confidence.
Sure, I found my way to where the player had been set up and proceeded to test it out along with snagging the tapes in better condition. However, I was unprepared for the dozen folks behind me jockeying for the Christmas collectibles, each trying to snatch what they could like starving beasts. It took me about a half hour to wade my way through them so that I could pay for my items and be on my way.
Christmas nick-knacks. Really? Do these things sell? Apparently so. Someone out there can't live without a 12-piece matching set of demitasse cups with pigs dressed up with Santa hats and someone is going to profit from this condition. Poor sods, one and all.
And this is where I was able to define myself - I'm not in this for the money. Sure, I learned my lesson that it's better to grab what I can and run, sorting out the "bum tapes" after the fact. I'm kicking myself for not grabbing the remaining half-dozen 8-tracks of Elvis Christmas albums. At the time, I thought "well, I'm not a fan of Elvis nor Christmas music, so I'll just leave these here" not realizing that the ones that I did grab would sell within a day on eBay. Could I have made a bit more to cover the cost of the player? Sure. Well, now I know.
I have a friend who is also into cruising around garage sales, and I have to say that it is a bit more fun when you have a second set of eyes. We had gone to a sale recently and I will admit that I'm glad she tagged along -- while I was rooting through a box full of books and stumbled across a first printing of the first "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, she nudged me and pointed out a Ken doll with Ken as Spock from Star Trek, still in the box. Sure enough, that's one of my hotter listings at the moment. I would have passed it by.
Now we get into an area that seems murky and formidable -- antiques. I can tell if something is "old". I can not tell if it is "old and worth something", much less "old, worth something and actively in demand". My friend is somewhat the same way, but she has a rather large collection of Mason Ironstone "Brown Vista" china now sitting in my garage because her father caught wind of the eBay adventuring and wants us to sell it.
Hello... crash course taught by Prof. Google.
The dishes look nice. They've been kept in boxes, wrapped in newspaper and left mostly undisturbed. A quick search shows listings going for quite a decent amount for individual pieces, and we're sitting on something like 60+ pieces. We've identified by way of the stamps that they are most likely 1940's-1950's era... now what?
Do we sell it all as a set? Do we list individual pieces? Just the plates, then the cups? EBay is interesting in that like any auction -- the final sale price has to do with perceived worth rather than actual worth for an item: someone may think the listing of the Spock doll is too pricey, but to the person who's missing just that one from their collection... my listing must be a steal.
Getting the dishware appraised has been a bit of a hassle as well... There's a cost attached, and even the ones that have been able to talk to me at a high level have said that china "just isn't sexy right now". That phrase came from an estate sale worker that I chatted up last weekend... "Look around here... you see how much china we have here, and it's just not moving." She was right... free markets are petulant little buggers. The nice thing is, I suppose, we have time to wait until there's more interest and we know more about exactly what she has.
In the meantime, however, the lesson that I am learning is "stick to what you know". At the above estate sale, I hovered right on over to the media, gently stepping by the packs of professionals poring over the jewelry and other high-ticket items. Quietly, in a corner, I spied the records and found 20 excellent condition Disneyland storybook records from the late 60's, barely used. Learning my lesson from the Elvis Christmas 8-tracks, I decided that even though I personally have lived my adult life with a sense of satisfaction without having songs from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at my disposal, the Disney label does perk up an ear or two and sure enough... I have a couple of watchers watching a lot of 10 that I put up yesterday.
The pro's can have their nick-knacks.
Monday, June 3, 2013
STICKY - LP Records!
There's nothing quite like vinyl, is there? Over the years, listening to recordings on vinyl, 8-track, cassette... and later CD & mp3 format, I've noted that some just sound better when they have that first static touch of the needle. As I've started to rebuild my collection, I've found the fun way to do it is to follow up with people trying to clear out space in their garage (or at an estate sale) and buy "by the bin". On occasion, a couple of good ones are in the mix, and those I keep -- after all, a record collection just isn't complete without a copy of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" (and in my world, a copy of Zoogz Rift's "Murdering Hell's Happy Cretins")... and this may explain why I have a large collection now of LP's in fair to excellent condition seeking homes other than my own. Well, spread the love.
My rating system, which is going to be very close to the standard...
NM - Near Mint. I consider Near Mint to mean that they've played the record once or twice. The album still has shrink wrap and should invoke feelings that you're "back in the day" possibly buying it when the record came out; just you don't have the pleasure of being the one to make that first break in the wrap.
EX - Excellent. Maybe it's been played once or twice, but it's obvious that someone took good care of this record. No visible scratches or smudges on the record. If I'm talking about the jacket, then I mean that it's in great condition. Someone took care of this puppy...
VG/VG++ - Very Good. Someone played the record but must have loved it... wanted to keep it in great condition. Jacket may have some fraying around the edges, or perhaps some yellowing from aging, but overall, this was a record that wasn't just haphazardly dumped in some moldy attic. More likely safely stored in a box in a dry garage somewhere.
G/G++ - Good. Obvious signs of use, but not abuse. Record may have the odd bit of static, but no major scratches or skips. Perfectly playable, just not in a "collector's pride & joy" condition. Typically, I'll keep records of bands that I like that are in this condition (see above about PF's DSOTM) because I don't want to feel bad if my kid ends up doing something crazy to it when learning how to treat vinyl with kindness. Jacket may be a bit frayed, perhaps the odd stain or that impression that records leave when someone left them stacked horizontally.
FAIR - Yeah, it's a good record, but maybe not kept by the previous owner(s) with the same love and attention I would give.
POOR - More than likely, I'll feel a bit ashamed passing this one on, but hey... maybe you don't mind.
I am not going to list prices for these. If you're interested, email me. stringthe0ry at yahoo
===========================================================
NOTE: As of 6/3/13, I haven't had time to properly grade these... I will update when I get a chance.
Air Supply - Greatest Hits
Amy Grant - A Christmas Album
Arthur Fielder / Boston Pops - A Christmas Festival
Barbra Streisand - Memories
Bonnie Koloc - Self-Titled
Boz Scaggs - Hits!
Brewer and Shipley - Shake Off The Demon
Carlos Montoya - Recital
Carpenters - The Singles (1969-1973)
Carpenters - Self-Titled
Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman
Cher - Superpak Vol 2
Christopher Parkening - In The Classic Style
Christopher Parkening - The Christopher Parking Album
Deodato Airto - In Concert
Elton John - Madman Across The Water
Elton John - Too Low For Zero
Gato Barbieri - Ruby, Ruby
Gene Pitney - Greatest Hits Of All Times
Genesis - Abacab
Genesis - Self-Titled
George Winston - Piano Solos
Glen Campbell - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Gordon Lightfoot - Gord's Gold
Gordon Lightfoot - Old Dan's Records
Heart - Magazine
Heart - Little Queen
James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
Janis Ian - Between The Lines
Jesse Colin Young - Song For Juli
Jesse Crawford - The Organ & Chimes of Christmas
Jethro Tull - M.U. The Best Of Jethro Tull
Jim Reeves - The Intimate Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves - Talkin' To Your Heart
Jim Reeves - Distant Drums
Jim Reeves - Gentleman Jim
Jim Reeves - Jim Reeves and Some Friends
John Denver - Poems, Prayers & Promises
Journey - Escape
Kansas - Two for the Show
Lynn Anderson - It Makes You Happy
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Self-Titled
Manowar - Kings Of Metal
Michael Murphey - Peaks, Valleys, Honky-Tonks & Alleys
Neil Diamond - Gold
Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years
Phil Keaggy - Play Thru Me
Phoebe Snow - Never Letting Go
Poco - Legend
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No 2 in C Minor Op 18 - Richter (Pianist)
Ray Parker Jr. - Woman Out Of Control
Rita Coolidge - Anytime... Anywhere
Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly
Santana - Abraxas
Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
The 5th Dimension - The Age Of Aquarius
The Coachmen - Self-Titled
The Doobies - The Best Of The Doobies
The Marshall Tucker Band - Greatest Hits
The Righteous Brothers - Just Once In My Life
The Ventures - Surfing
Tom Jones - Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings
Uncle Sam - Heaven or Hollywood
V/A - Jesus Christ Superstar
V/A - Monster Christmas Mash
V/A - Music of the Yank Years
V/A - Urban Cowboy Soundtrack
War - War Live
My rating system, which is going to be very close to the standard...
NM - Near Mint. I consider Near Mint to mean that they've played the record once or twice. The album still has shrink wrap and should invoke feelings that you're "back in the day" possibly buying it when the record came out; just you don't have the pleasure of being the one to make that first break in the wrap.
EX - Excellent. Maybe it's been played once or twice, but it's obvious that someone took good care of this record. No visible scratches or smudges on the record. If I'm talking about the jacket, then I mean that it's in great condition. Someone took care of this puppy...
VG/VG++ - Very Good. Someone played the record but must have loved it... wanted to keep it in great condition. Jacket may have some fraying around the edges, or perhaps some yellowing from aging, but overall, this was a record that wasn't just haphazardly dumped in some moldy attic. More likely safely stored in a box in a dry garage somewhere.
G/G++ - Good. Obvious signs of use, but not abuse. Record may have the odd bit of static, but no major scratches or skips. Perfectly playable, just not in a "collector's pride & joy" condition. Typically, I'll keep records of bands that I like that are in this condition (see above about PF's DSOTM) because I don't want to feel bad if my kid ends up doing something crazy to it when learning how to treat vinyl with kindness. Jacket may be a bit frayed, perhaps the odd stain or that impression that records leave when someone left them stacked horizontally.
FAIR - Yeah, it's a good record, but maybe not kept by the previous owner(s) with the same love and attention I would give.
POOR - More than likely, I'll feel a bit ashamed passing this one on, but hey... maybe you don't mind.
I am not going to list prices for these. If you're interested, email me. stringthe0ry at yahoo
===========================================================
NOTE: As of 6/3/13, I haven't had time to properly grade these... I will update when I get a chance.
Air Supply - Greatest Hits
Amy Grant - A Christmas Album
Arthur Fielder / Boston Pops - A Christmas Festival
Barbra Streisand - Memories
Bonnie Koloc - Self-Titled
Boz Scaggs - Hits!
Brewer and Shipley - Shake Off The Demon
Carlos Montoya - Recital
Carpenters - The Singles (1969-1973)
Carpenters - Self-Titled
Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman
Cher - Superpak Vol 2
Christopher Parkening - In The Classic Style
Christopher Parkening - The Christopher Parking Album
Deodato Airto - In Concert
Elton John - Madman Across The Water
Elton John - Too Low For Zero
Gato Barbieri - Ruby, Ruby
Gene Pitney - Greatest Hits Of All Times
Genesis - Abacab
Genesis - Self-Titled
George Winston - Piano Solos
Glen Campbell - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Gordon Lightfoot - Gord's Gold
Gordon Lightfoot - Old Dan's Records
Heart - Magazine
Heart - Little Queen
James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
Janis Ian - Between The Lines
Jesse Colin Young - Song For Juli
Jesse Crawford - The Organ & Chimes of Christmas
Jethro Tull - M.U. The Best Of Jethro Tull
Jim Reeves - The Intimate Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves - Talkin' To Your Heart
Jim Reeves - Distant Drums
Jim Reeves - Gentleman Jim
Jim Reeves - Jim Reeves and Some Friends
John Denver - Poems, Prayers & Promises
Journey - Escape
Kansas - Two for the Show
Lynn Anderson - It Makes You Happy
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Self-Titled
Manowar - Kings Of Metal
Michael Murphey - Peaks, Valleys, Honky-Tonks & Alleys
Neil Diamond - Gold
Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years
Phil Keaggy - Play Thru Me
Phoebe Snow - Never Letting Go
Poco - Legend
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No 2 in C Minor Op 18 - Richter (Pianist)
Ray Parker Jr. - Woman Out Of Control
Rita Coolidge - Anytime... Anywhere
Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly
Santana - Abraxas
Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
The 5th Dimension - The Age Of Aquarius
The Coachmen - Self-Titled
The Doobies - The Best Of The Doobies
The Marshall Tucker Band - Greatest Hits
The Righteous Brothers - Just Once In My Life
The Ventures - Surfing
Tom Jones - Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings
Uncle Sam - Heaven or Hollywood
V/A - Jesus Christ Superstar
V/A - Monster Christmas Mash
V/A - Music of the Yank Years
V/A - Urban Cowboy Soundtrack
War - War Live
STICKY - 8-Tracks!
Updated 06/04/2013!
Estate Sales seem to be where I'm finding 8-tracks that are in fairly decent condition. It's been kind of fun rooting around and finding the odd gem or two...
I recently found a Pioneer H-22 8-track player in pristine condition which I snatched up for the sole purpose of being able to test-play the 8-tracks I find. Along with it, I snagged 4 Elvis 8-tracks (among others) and was able to find a home for them surprisingly quickly. People still love The King apparently. Not exactly my cup of tea, but hey... to each their own. On the other hand, I recently came across the Moody Blues... "Knights in White Satin" sounds so much better on 8-track... it's that warm feel.
Most of the 8-tracks that I've come across have been country music. I am not a country music fan at all, so I now have a fairly decent collection of 8-track tapes in fair to good condition full of music that other than the minute or two spent to insure that the tape is in workable condition, I have no personal interest. Well, if you like 8-tracks, here's your chance to virtually peruse my stash.
All tapes have been tested for playability. Label stickers range from decent/good to poor condition. Shipping will be by USPS Media Mail. If you want insurance, we'll have to work something out. Email me at stringthe0ry at yahoo
My rating system:
GOOD - Label is in decent condition, some wear & tear a/o aging, but not bad all things considered.
FAIR - Label shows obvious wear a/o aging, maybe starting to fray/bubble a bit.
POOR - Label has some serious wear & tear going on... might want to bust out the scotch tape...
THE $2.50 BIN
(Labels are in FAIR to GOOD condition)
Barbra Streisand - Classical Barbra
Carl Smith - Greatest Hits
Carly Simon - Self-Titled
Charlie Rich - Behind Closed Doors
Conway Twitty - I Can't See Me Without You
Donna Fargo - My Second Album
Donna Fargo - The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA
Miss Donna Fargo - Self-Titled
Eddy Arnold - So Many Ways / If The Whole World Stopped Loving
Ferlin Husky - Your Sweet Love Lifted Me
John Denver - Greatest Hits
John Denver - Back Home Again
Johnny Cash - Any Old Wind That Blows
Johnny Cash & The Tennessee Two - Showtime
Johnny Rodriguez - All I Ever Meant To Do Was Sing
Johnny Rodriguez - Songs About Ladies And Love
Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits
Kenny Rogers - Kenny
Loretta Lynn - One's On The Way
Marie Osmond - Paper Roses
Merle Haggard - The Best Of Merle Haggard
Roger Whittaker - All My Best
Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue
Rolling Stones - Made In The Shade
Roy Clark - Roy Clark's Family Album
Sammy Hagar - Danger Zone
Tammy Wynette - Tammy Wynette's Greatest Hits
Tammy Wynette - Let's Get Together
Tammy Wynette - We Can Sure Love Each Other
Tammy Wynette - The World Of Tammy Wynette
Tom T Hall - Greatest Hits Vol 2
Van Halen - II
Willie Nelson - Somewhere Over The Rainbow
ZZ Top - Tejas
V/A - 10 Swinging Country Hits
V/A - Blue Ribbon Country
V/A - Country Gold Vol 7
V/A - The Best Of Country Western Vol 4
THE $1.00 BIN
(BARGAINS! Labels are in POOR condition, will consider discounting if buying 5 or more at a time)
Barbara Mandrell - The Best of Barbara Mandrell
Charlie McCoy - Sand Hills - Label is a non-standard one, has a stamp reading "1974"
Merle Haggard - The Best Of Merle Haggard
Mel Tillis - Mel Tillis' Greatest Hits
Tom T Hall - Country Is
V/A - A Tribute To Blue Oyster Cult - On Your Feet On Your Knees
SETS/SPECIAL PRICING
The Great Country Love Songs (2x cassette set, 4 volumes) - $6
Marty Robbins - Marty (3x cassette set) - $9
Jim Reeves - The Unforgettable Jim Reeves (2x cassette set, Reader's Digest with box!) - $6
Take Me Home Country Roads (4x cassette set, Reader's Digest with box!) - $10
Estate Sales seem to be where I'm finding 8-tracks that are in fairly decent condition. It's been kind of fun rooting around and finding the odd gem or two...
I recently found a Pioneer H-22 8-track player in pristine condition which I snatched up for the sole purpose of being able to test-play the 8-tracks I find. Along with it, I snagged 4 Elvis 8-tracks (among others) and was able to find a home for them surprisingly quickly. People still love The King apparently. Not exactly my cup of tea, but hey... to each their own. On the other hand, I recently came across the Moody Blues... "Knights in White Satin" sounds so much better on 8-track... it's that warm feel.
Most of the 8-tracks that I've come across have been country music. I am not a country music fan at all, so I now have a fairly decent collection of 8-track tapes in fair to good condition full of music that other than the minute or two spent to insure that the tape is in workable condition, I have no personal interest. Well, if you like 8-tracks, here's your chance to virtually peruse my stash.
All tapes have been tested for playability. Label stickers range from decent/good to poor condition. Shipping will be by USPS Media Mail. If you want insurance, we'll have to work something out. Email me at stringthe0ry at yahoo
My rating system:
GOOD - Label is in decent condition, some wear & tear a/o aging, but not bad all things considered.
FAIR - Label shows obvious wear a/o aging, maybe starting to fray/bubble a bit.
POOR - Label has some serious wear & tear going on... might want to bust out the scotch tape...
THE $2.50 BIN
(Labels are in FAIR to GOOD condition)
Barbra Streisand - Classical Barbra
Barbra Streisand - Guilty
Bing Crosby - The Best of Bing Crosby
Bruce Springsteen - Born To RunCarl Smith - Greatest Hits
Carly Simon - Self-Titled
Charlie Rich - Behind Closed Doors
Conway Twitty - I Can't See Me Without You
Donna Fargo - My Second Album
Donna Fargo - The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA
Miss Donna Fargo - Self-Titled
Eddy Arnold - So Many Ways / If The Whole World Stopped Loving
Ernest Tubb - Golden Favorites
Faron Young - Lovin' And Sayin' GoodbyeFerlin Husky - Your Sweet Love Lifted Me
Glen Miller - The Best of Glen Miller
Hank Locklin - The Best of Hank Locklin
Jeannie C Riley - Yearbooks and YesterdaysJohn Denver - Greatest Hits
John Denver - Back Home Again
Johnny Cash - Any Old Wind That Blows
Johnny Cash & The Tennessee Two - Showtime
Johnny Rodriguez - All I Ever Meant To Do Was Sing
Johnny Rodriguez - Songs About Ladies And Love
Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits
Kenny Rogers - Kenny
Loretta Lynn - One's On The Way
Marie Osmond - Paper Roses
Merle Haggard - The Best Of Merle Haggard
Roger Whittaker - All My Best
Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue
Rolling Stones - Made In The Shade
Roy Clark - Roy Clark's Family Album
Sammy Hagar - Danger Zone
Tammy Wynette - Tammy Wynette's Greatest Hits
Tammy Wynette - Let's Get Together
Tammy Wynette - We Can Sure Love Each Other
Tammy Wynette - The World Of Tammy Wynette
Tom T Hall - Greatest Hits Vol 2
Van Halen - II
Willie Nelson - Stardust
Willie Nelson & Ray Price - San Antonio RoseWillie Nelson - Somewhere Over The Rainbow
ZZ Top - Tejas
V/A - 10 Swinging Country Hits
V/A - Blue Ribbon Country
V/A - Country Gold Vol 7
V/A - The Best Of Country Western Vol 4
(BARGAINS! Labels are in POOR condition, will consider discounting if buying 5 or more at a time)
Barbara Mandrell - The Best of Barbara Mandrell
Charlie McCoy - Sand Hills - Label is a non-standard one, has a stamp reading "1974"
Merle Haggard - The Best Of Merle Haggard
Mel Tillis - Mel Tillis' Greatest Hits
Tom T Hall - Country Is
V/A - A Tribute To Blue Oyster Cult - On Your Feet On Your Knees
SETS/SPECIAL PRICING
The Great Country Love Songs (2x cassette set, 4 volumes) - $6
Marty Robbins - Marty (3x cassette set) - $9
Jim Reeves - The Unforgettable Jim Reeves (2x cassette set, Reader's Digest with box!) - $6
Take Me Home Country Roads (4x cassette set, Reader's Digest with box!) - $10
Getting To Know Me
Let me start by introducing myself a bit. Since you probably came to this blog via eBay or some other selling site, it might interest you to find out a bit more about what I'm listing and where I got it. I try to get a little bit of background story behind the purchases I make, and I'd like to share that information with you so you have a better idea of what you're considering.
I am not a resale expert by any means. This is not how I pay my rent. The reason I mention this is because I'd like for you to understand why I buy what I buy and why I'm reselling what I have. I recently made the decision to restart building a record and "other media" collection. I used to buy records only of bands that I personally liked, but now with the help of the internet, it's become a bit more fun to scour the local garage and estate sales in my area, hoping to slowly rebuild my collection as well as learn more about the process of reselling the items for which I have no personal interest. I hold no illusions. I won't be paying for my kid's college education by doing this, but it's a fun little hobby and hopefully others will be able to gain from my efforts.
I've always liked garage sales. When I was younger, it was the best way to flesh out collections of things such as Atari 2600 cartridges, books, records and 8-track cassettes. I had built a fairly decent collection over the years only to have it destroyed (mostly) by bad accommodations in the late 90's. Emotionally hurt by the loss, it's taken me 14 years to finally get around to feeling like I can start rebuilding.
My personal interests are geared toward music and books. I love 1960's, 1970's and 1980's music in particular. However, I've noted that not many people here in North Texas have similar tastes. When I hit the estate sales, I know that the Korean vet whose personal possessions are now up for grabs will most likely not have a copy of Public Image Ltd's "Flowers of Romance" lying around. However, hey... here's a couple of Jim Reeves and Johnny Cash 8-tracks in good condition! I wonder...
...on the other hand, I've had people tell me "Oh, I have a bunch of records in great condition... here, let me get them" and they return with a plastic bin full of moldy, fused together junk... Ah, here's Morrisson Hotel, but the cover is rotted and the silverfish scurry when I flip through the others. Heartache.
What I feel is very salable I will try to put up on eBay, but I also wanted to create a blog where I can showcase items that I may not have as active listings -- a bit of a "blog-store". As I sell items, I'll update the blog entries as best I can. Feel free to email me with any questions regarding any item, and I'll do my best to answer in a reasonable time (again, see above about this not being my "day job"). I accept PayPal, and if you do purchase from me, I'll do my best to make sure that you get the items safely and in as good of a condition as when I purchased them.
My email is stringthe0ry at yahoo.
Thanks for stopping by!
I am not a resale expert by any means. This is not how I pay my rent. The reason I mention this is because I'd like for you to understand why I buy what I buy and why I'm reselling what I have. I recently made the decision to restart building a record and "other media" collection. I used to buy records only of bands that I personally liked, but now with the help of the internet, it's become a bit more fun to scour the local garage and estate sales in my area, hoping to slowly rebuild my collection as well as learn more about the process of reselling the items for which I have no personal interest. I hold no illusions. I won't be paying for my kid's college education by doing this, but it's a fun little hobby and hopefully others will be able to gain from my efforts.
I've always liked garage sales. When I was younger, it was the best way to flesh out collections of things such as Atari 2600 cartridges, books, records and 8-track cassettes. I had built a fairly decent collection over the years only to have it destroyed (mostly) by bad accommodations in the late 90's. Emotionally hurt by the loss, it's taken me 14 years to finally get around to feeling like I can start rebuilding.
My personal interests are geared toward music and books. I love 1960's, 1970's and 1980's music in particular. However, I've noted that not many people here in North Texas have similar tastes. When I hit the estate sales, I know that the Korean vet whose personal possessions are now up for grabs will most likely not have a copy of Public Image Ltd's "Flowers of Romance" lying around. However, hey... here's a couple of Jim Reeves and Johnny Cash 8-tracks in good condition! I wonder...
...on the other hand, I've had people tell me "Oh, I have a bunch of records in great condition... here, let me get them" and they return with a plastic bin full of moldy, fused together junk... Ah, here's Morrisson Hotel, but the cover is rotted and the silverfish scurry when I flip through the others. Heartache.
What I feel is very salable I will try to put up on eBay, but I also wanted to create a blog where I can showcase items that I may not have as active listings -- a bit of a "blog-store". As I sell items, I'll update the blog entries as best I can. Feel free to email me with any questions regarding any item, and I'll do my best to answer in a reasonable time (again, see above about this not being my "day job"). I accept PayPal, and if you do purchase from me, I'll do my best to make sure that you get the items safely and in as good of a condition as when I purchased them.
My email is stringthe0ry at yahoo.
Thanks for stopping by!
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