When we ship items that have been purchased from us on ebay, we always include an invoice/packing slip in the package. Recently we learned that we could turn this normal business practice into a profitable activity.
We use AdShip: Ad Supported Shipping. This is an application available to ebay sellers. Here are the basics of how the application works. And it does work (see the picture of the $50 check we received this week).
Suzie and I ventured up the turnpike to spend a weekend at Walt Disney World last month. Our visit coincided with a special Star Wars / Star Tours event at the Hollywood Studios park. While there we picked up this Limited Edition watch featuring Mickey Mouse as a Jedi character from the movie.
Only 50 of these watches were produced and were sold only at this event. The watch also included an artist signed piece of artwork which was used for the face of the watch.
Since most of our purchases are for a buck or two, Suzie was a little nervous about buying one of these. We probably could have held out for a bigger payday, but received an offer for the watch that gave us a nice and quick profit on our purchase.
We recently stopped at a Goodwill thrift shop in Jupiter, Florida. We found a number of items to sell on our eBay store. Suzie and I both have retail experience in selling shoes. What sells well on eBay is not always what sold well in our stores. But I do not that Ecco shoes are always a big hit.
Ecco brand shoes are some of the most comfortable shoes on the market. They are European in origin and people are looking for good deals on them. When I spotted a pair of men’s lace up dress shoes by Ecco, I could not pass up buying them. They were in excellent condition. For an added bonus, they were a European size 47 – the equivalent of a US size 14. Large size shoes are not always easy to find. These leather dress shoes had a one piece sole with a shock point for extra comfort.
In less than a week, somebody bought the shoes. We made a nice profit and happily shipped them to a new customer. The customer has already left us a rave review:
I found this item at a thrift store in North Palm Beach. This thrift store raises money for cats. Yes, cats. The store mascot is this huge cat that sits on the counter. The first time we went into the store, we thought it was an oversized stuffed animal. Suzie went to touch it, and the live cat turned his/her head in Suzie’s direction. I have never seen a cat so large.
On this particular visit, I found two Andrea by Sadek Duck figurines. This one features an adult duck swimming in water with two ducklings on land with some grass stalks. It was made in 1985. Returning home, Suzie noticed that one of the blades of grass had broken off of the piece. We usually don’t pick up pieces that are flawed. Since I only paid a few bucks for the item, we decided to list it on auction. We would have been happy just getting our money back.
Soon I received an email from a man who said he could get it restored. He bid on the item. Before the auction ended, more people were bidding. A mini-bidding war ensued. We more than made up our investment.
Two weekends ago, Suzie and I took a weekend trip to Walt Disney World. I used my hotel employee status to get us a nice suite at a resort for a very low rate. It so happened that the Hollywood Studios theme park was having it’s Star Wars / Star Tours Grand Opening Weekend.
As part of the festivities, Disney was offering a Limited Edition commemorative pin for passholders. Since both of us are passholders, we picked up a total of 2 pins. Returning home, we listed them on our eBay store. Both pins sold fairly quickly.
The neat thing about these pins is that they open up to show an engraving of the Star Wars space ship.
As our business continues to grow, we almost hated to see the calendar change over to June. May was our best month ever. We just said that last month about April. Two record months in a row is a very good thing. Here is #5 in our countdown of top 5 sales for the month of May.
I found this jersey at a thrift store down the street from where we live. The day after this sold, I received a message from a person in Italy who wanted it. He hesitated and lost out.
Urlacher has filled the tradition of middle linebacker well for the Chicago Bears. In their storied history, fans think of three names when it comes to that position in Chicago: Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher.
Sale Price: $23.00
Shipping Destination: Goodyear, Arizona
Check out our current listing of sports apparel.
Last weekend, Suzie and I took in a local auction. At the end of the auction, we picked up this nice Lenox porcelain figurine. Lenox has a reputation for producing quality pieces. I was thrilled to win the bidding for this item with such a low bid.
This particular piece was in excellent condition and dated to 1984. It was from a series of figurines produced by Lenox called the “American Fashion Series.” The figurine is about 9 inches tall. It is hand painted and trimmed with 24k gold. Originally these retailed for $159.95.
Since we picked up the item for a very low price, I opted to list it in our ebay store at a bargain price. Within 2 hours the figurine sold to an international destination.
We picked up this pin in a grab bag lot of pins for about 75 cents a pin. It has been one of our favorites. The pin features Donald Duck with an ice pick in his hand. It originally came as part of a framed set of pins highlighting the Everest ride at Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
The pin has two stubs on the back. This pin has increased in value due to the limited quantities of being a speciality pin. Only 50 pins exist.
We had the pin listed for 5 months waiting for the right buyer. If it had not sold, we would have been happy to keep it as part of our collection. However, the right person came along.
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