May sales overview

May has been an outstanding month for eBay sales. As today winds down I am counting 7 sales so far which after a long memorial day weekend with no sales makes me very happy.

Totals for May: 67 items sold with $3888.00 in sales after ebay fees. Not to shabby considering I thought May was suppose to be slow.

Lets go over a few sales.

Vintage oil rain drop garden lamp

Paid:  $15.00 at a garage sale  Sold: $149.99  - free shipping.

While researching completed listings I came across these kinds of lamps and noticed they were selling pretty well.   One day later I found this lamp at a garage sale.

Vintage steampunk swing arm lamp

Paid: $9.99 Sold: $139.99 - shipping

I am always on the lookout for steampunk stuff, and this is the first piece that I have found.  What made me think it was steampunk?  I just looked at the arms as pipes and the elbows as steam junction points.  Obviously someone else felt the same way.  Remember a lot of items you will come across are up for interpretation.  All you need is someone to interpret the item and price the same way you do, and you got your self a sale.

Danish modern hanging swag lamp

Paid: $7.99 Sold: 110.99 - shipping

I knew this was an unusual swag lamp.  I have never seen one that was made out to be a sort of wooden prism so I listed it as danish modern and it sold within a week to a very satisfied customer in New York.

Well thats all for now, keep your eyes peeled for goodies.  You never know what your going to find.

If you are not on my blog, come see my other posts at http://famousturtletreasures.blogspot.com

Time to take your medicine Mr. Famous Turtle

I recently shipped off a very neat pair of mid century lamps to California, and I just received a message stating that one of the lamps arrived in pieces. I was confident that I added shipping to this pair of lamps because they were fairly fragile. Well it turns out that I didn’t insure them so I am out $79.99.
I had to swallow a two big fat lesson pills today. The sad thing is I should know better.
Lesson #1 – Insure your items if they are fragile.
Even though I thought I insured the item, I should have double checked.
Lesson #2- Don’t skimp on packing material.

I didn’t skimp on the packing materials, but I am starting to get low so I need buy some more.

I have been very lucky with the customers who report broken items to me, and it probably has to do with my quick response and expedient refunds.
Here is a lesson for everyone else who is selling on ebay.

No matter how well you pack something things will always end up broken. It’s going to happen, so when it does happen, don’t get discouraged just respond quickly to the buyer, resolve the issue and move on.

Your next sale will help you forget about the broken item.

I have 14 items that need to get packed up. You can bet I will be paying extra attention to the insurance block.

The ebay rejects, don't throw them away. Use listia

My little sister has been listing a ton of items on Listia to get reward points to purchase Xbox 360 games to sell on ebay, and I thought I would take a lesson from her.

I have been sending a lot items to auction recently because they have just not been selling.  I WAS going to take the items that did not sell and just donate them to goodwill, but I am going to try my luck at putting them on listia instead.  

Only time will tell, hopefully I will be able to get some points for my failed ebay items which I can then turn around and get some more items that I think will sell on ebay.

Check out what items I have on my listia account.

more free stuff on Listia

Famous Turtle's recent garage sale finds

Well today wasn't exactly the most productive garage sale hunt I've had that's for sure.   Do you ever have one of those days where the GPS just wants to take you everywhere but the garage sale only to find out that after an hour of trying to figure out where the place is, it turns out that its closed because it's raining?  Well I had about 4 or 5 of those today which didn't make me very happy.

Luckily my bad day turned good with a single rummage sale that yielded some nice finds.


VINTAGE ATARI 800XL COMPUTER


I am a huge computer nerd so I was very happy to see not one, not two but FOUR Atari 800XL computers.

I tested all of them but only two of them actually work so I am going to sell the one below as a whole lot, and then sell the broken two as repair parts, and keep one for myself  :).

I ended up paying $100.00 for all 4, but if you check the completed listings on eBay you will see that I will have no problems getting my money back and then some.

    

INDUSTRIAL SPACE AGE STEAMPUNK FLOOR LAMP

I ended up paying $30.00 for this floor lamp, but I think to the right person this lamp will be worth much more than that.  This thing is a fairly heavy lamp so I think I will be using greyhound express to ship this one.  If you are interested in shipping with grey house check out my how to ship greyhound express post.

MID CENTURY MODERN FLOWER POWER CHIC CEILING LIGHT FIXTURE

I was a little bit apprehensive about this purchase, it has been sitting at a thrift store I go to every other week for the past month or so.  Every time I looked it it, it started to grow on me.  I ended up purchasing it this weekend, and after looking at the pictures, I think I made the right decision.

SIGNED CURTIS JERE METAL WALL SCULPTURE 1983

I have been waiting to find one of Curtis Jere's sculptures for quite some time.  I didn't expect to actually find one though.  

I ended up paying $12.00 for the sculpture so if all works out I should have a nice profit.

Its fairly large so its going to be another one to ship.

Well that's all for now.  Keep on getting out there to find new treasures, they are out there are ready to be found.

Improve your ebay sales with good old fashioned research

First of all before I say a thing about Terapeak check out our completed listings.

Famousturtle2010's completed listing            

Olivia11dancer's completed listing.

The listings speak for themselves.  One items sold will cover you for the month.   OK time to get on the soap box.

I do a TON of research on my items before I decide on a price to list my items for. I have been using eBay's completed listing search for the majority of ebay item research but it only gives me 15 days of completed listings.

Terapeak gives you the ability to search 365 days worth of eBay’s “sold listings”.

It will give you the highest, lowest and average sold prices for any item which will help you price your eBay items.

15 days from eBay's completed listings isn't enough.  On more than one occasion I have sold items which according to eBay's completed listings were not selling at all. I think it is due to the fact that the completed listings are only for 15 days.

Trends change all the time, and with Terapeak you can get a much bigger picture of the entire eBay market.

I  recommend the $24.99 option because that's with the $9.99 a month deal you only get 45 days of market data.

But if you want to try it out I would recommend the $9.99 package.

If you are interested in a test drive you can check out the Terapeak Price Report and start your free trial, you won't regret it.

Recent sales overview

Once again it's time to go over some recent sales of mine.  Keep an eye out for these items.

Bronze cat statue

Paid: $5.00 Sold:  $70.00 -Shipping.

Overview:  I bought this cat because #1 it was brass / bronze and slightly abstract and #2 I knew I could find a cat lover that would enjoy it.   The lesson to take away from this, put yourself in the buyers shoes whenever possible.

Herbert Herr black forest cuckoo clock

Paid: $12.00 Sold: $99.99 -Shipping.

Overview:  I didn't eve know who Herbert Herr was until I found this clock, I knew cuckoo clocks can bring some big money, when I did research there were not too many clocks selling so I priced mine $30.00 higher than the highest clock that sold.  Of course the day after I list this item it sell which means I priced it too low.  

Syroco dove / pigeon wall plaques

Paid: $3.00  Sold: $50.00 -Shipping

Overview:  They are Syroco and they are dover / pigeons so I knew they would sell pretty easy.  They ended up selling in two days.  I probably could have put them a little bit higher.   Like I always say.  If you find Syroco for cheap, pick it up.

Lucite grape bunches

Paid: $2.00 Sold: $39.99 -Shipping

Overview:  Well this was my first test for these grape bunches.  They sold the day after I listed them, which was interesting because the single bunches didn't seem to be selling that well.  If I find any more of these I will be picking them up again.

Mid century owl salt and pepper shakers

Paid: $2.00 Sold:$12.49

Overview:  So this isn't a huge profit, but I just want to point this out.  There are owl lovers out there just like cat lovers.  These sold within a few hours of me posting them.   Vintage owls sell so keep your eyes out.

Gaming strategy guides

Paid: $.75 Sold: $10.00

Overview:  So if you look at just this guide by itself its really not that big of a deal, but if you look at my completed listings you will notice that these guides are selling fairly consistently.  They are easy to ship, and list so you can't really go wrong.

Well thats all for now, if you found this blog post helpful please click on the link below.

A few more items to keep your eyes out for.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mid-Century-Modern-1950s-Iron-X-BASE-Stools-Bench-eames-/380335094441?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588dbcfaa9

http://cgi.ebay.com/C-Curtis-Jere-Raindrops-Wall-Scuplture-Mid-Century-/200602053170?pt=Art_Sculpture&hash=item2eb4d06a32

http://cgi.ebay.com/F-Weinberg-Mid-Century-Modern-Art-Wall-Sculpture-Nudes-/310307014519?pt=Art_Sculpture&hash=item483fbd4777

How to ship large items using greyhound xpress

I recently picked up a very large lamp which I will be hard to ship USPS, so I asked Olivia11dancer to write me an article on how to ship items VIA greyhound express.  She uses it quite often and its a great way to save on shipping depending on where the item is going.  If you want to ship something greyhound express make sure your item meets the criteria below.

SIZE, WEIGHT AND VALUE LIMITATIONS

Size: Packages will be accepted for transportation, provided the dimensions of the package are within 30 inches X 47 inches X 82 inches.

Shipments of Skis and/or Ski Poles will not be subject to the size limitations specified herein.

The Carriers participating in these rates, rules and regulations reserve the right to refuse to accept a package if its dimensions, even though within the limits specified herein, exceed the size or capacity of the Baggage and Express Compartments of the available vehicles.

Weight: No single Package will be accepted for transportation that exceeds one hundred (100) pounds in Actual Weight. Provisions for shipments weighing up to, but not exceeding, one hundred fifty (150) pounds apply in selected areas. Shipments over one hundred (100) pounds are limited to the routes of carriers with a (150) after the name. See next page for applicable areas. Xpress Baggage shipments may not exceed 75 pounds per piece.

Value: No single shipment (Prepaid, Collect, or C.O.D.) will be accepted for transportation that exceeds one thousand dollars ($1,000) in actual or released value. Released or declared value is the value agreed upon between the shipper and the carrier as evidenced by the uniform receipt given to the shipper by the carrier at the time of shipment or within a reasonable time thereafter or as agreed upon. With the exception of Xpress Baggage Service shipments, excess value charges will be assessed for any shipment with value greater than one hundred dollars ($100). Xpress Baggage Service shipments will be assessed excess value charges for any shipment with value greater than two hundred, fifty dollars ($250).

My items meet the criteria now what?

So your item meets the criteria to ship greyound express.  This is how you do it.  

How to ship using grey hound express

Prior to listing your item:

Go to greyhound xpress website

http://www.shipgreyhound.com/

Enter your zip code to find a station near you

I always enter a New York and California address when listing on eBay. This way you are covered no matter where the package is going.  Yes, if the person is closer to you they will be paying more than the actual cost, but it has to be done this way as you have no idea where your item might be shipped to.  Include in the listing shipped to the lower 48 states only.

I then enter weight and the longest measurement of the item, the website then gives me a shipping quote.  

Always insure your packages.  They break stuff all the time.

Insurance is expensive I add 20.00 to the shipping cost to cover that fee

Package it very well

When an item sells  you will have to have your customer pick the closest terminal to them based on their zip code.

You will also need their phone number so that the terminal can call them when it reaches it destination.

Jefferson bus lines also work with greyhound xpress for delivery of packages.

Some terminals like Jefferson bus lines don’t have updated computers and tracking number aren’t available online thus leaving yourself wide up for a customer that might say he never got the package. 

 I have never had a customer try this scam, but just be aware it is a possibility. 

Some bus terminals are nothing more than a gas station.  Not all terminals are equipped to handle packages so be aware that there can be a very limited number of locations in each state, Most large cities are fine, but you need to be aware that some of the smaller cities cannot be used as a delivery point. 

All the  locations are listed on they greyhound website by zip code. 

Shipping time is varied, it depends on the number of people on the coach,  If they have room for your package they will put it on.  It might sit some where in transit for a day or two.  Normally shipping is 3-10 days.  They won’t leave a customers suitcase off of the coach to fit in package in.  Passengers come first. 

Cost of shipping is very reasonable, but remember the insurance isn’t and it does average to about 20.00 no matter what it is worth.