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| American Girl Dolls & Ebay: A Love Affair
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Added on 11/08/06 by Betsy
"My daughter wants an American Girl doll for Christmas. I've always loved them and have been looking at them on ebay. Could you do a ReSale Queen on the American Girl dolls? What should I look for? Is it worth it to invest in an older doll or should I just buy new? What do you think?"
I love American Girl dolls too- that is the whole basis for their success I think. They totally appeal to mommies as well as kids.
As a buyer you have to make a decision. Are you taking the Beanie Baby route- buying the dolls as some sort of investment your kid can retire on at 19, or are you buying dolls for your daughter to fall in love with, to drag along on her adventures and to make her best friend.
Or maybe you just are wondering whether the older dolls are higher quality and you just want the coolest little best friend for your daughter.
To help you determine which path to take I am going to give you a little background on how these things are listed on Ebay and what you can expect to pay for each classification.
American Girl was the brilliant idea of a Wisconsin teacher. She started Pleasant Company in 1986 with a catalog. The reason a lot. . . (read post) |
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| The Honor of Samson and Son
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Added on 11/05/06 by betsy
I see it all the time written on posterboard and taped to electric poles- Stay At Home Moms Make Cash in Your Spare Time!!! Make 10,000 first month!
OK- if you are making ten grand a month can't you afford a real sign.
Of course these are scams- there is always a catch. You have to buy sample product. You have to host a party or get your friends to host a party so that you can sell them stuff and at your party your friends will be guilted into hosting a party so that you can sell more stuff.
I think this party business stuff just takes advantage of the social networks that women work hard to develop and maintain.
Forget the candle business. Selling garbage is far more honorable.
I personally don't like candle parties or overpriced tacky home decor. Though for some reason I always feel like I have to go to the party even though I hate them and I spend the whole time looking in the catalog for the cheapest thing.
I started doing Ebay because I needed
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| Stroller Pimping
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Added on 11/05/06 by betsy
You got to walk behind it and stare at it anyway you might as well love what you see right?
By far, my favorite thing to buy and sell on Ebay is a cool unusual stroller.
Though when you are purchasing a larger item for resale you need to keep in mind that you may have to box it.
You can always sell your junk pick up only, but you are limiting your scope of potential buyers thus typically lowering the price of your sale.
I stick with strollers from the last 6 years- earlier than 2000 and it starts looking out of date. I also try to only buy the more expensive brands. You may be able to buy a Graco at a garage sale for 5 buck and sell it for 30 but you gotta clean it- please you gotta clean it- and prep it for ship or pick up. That is a lot of work for a 25 dollar profit especially when you take into consideration Ebay and Paypal fees which take a 10% chunk of your profit.
I am looking for more expensive brands, or less expensive brands in a multiple model.
Good sellers on Ebay are either popular models cheaper than the store- like a 2 year old Peg Perego Pliko or unusual models that are a challenge to find in a store like the Zooper Sport.
J Mason is a really cheapy brand of stroller- but make it a triple stroller and hot damn you are in business. . . . (read post) |
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| How to Avoid Selling Fake Purses
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Added on 11/04/06 by Betsy
You will know from previous posts that I always advocate to sell what you know.
This is especially true for designer purses.
There is a resurgence of label obsession going on currently.
The trick is to avoid selling knock offs- if you think you can pull this off not only is that a criminal thought you most likely will not get away with it.
Ebay will pull your auction which means end it and they won't refund your insertion fee.
Both manufacturers and other sellers patrol the Ebay pages looking for fakes so don't even bother.
This is what I have learned about selling different brands.
#1 Outlets- A lot of Ebay sellers who exclusively sell one brand like Coach are just going to a Coach outlet store and buying the sale or clearance stuff- often to prove authenticity they include the sales receipt and the box in the pic. Outlet boxes are red- retail boxes are brown.
I have asked at the Outlet and I have been told by management that outlet purses are quality wise equivalent to regular retail bags.
However that said all outlet bags are marked with a stamped O or X or other letter on or near the Coach creed and serial number.
Also years ago I bought such a bag at a resale shop and called a Coach store to ask about the mark- they told me that the Coach factory has opened it's warehouse from time. . . (read post) |
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| Turning Halloween into Ebay Cash
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Added on 11/03/06 by Betsy
If you are a true seller.
If when you are cut you bleed an Ebay rainbow.
Then when you look at the calendar and see an upcoming holiday you think about how you can make money from it.
Halloween is a great example of an easy way to turn a holiday into cash.
It involves expensive things worn once.
Please note that for some reason this same logic does not extend to wedding dresses- believe me I have checked.
Adult costumes are especially desirable, as well as hard to find characters for children.
My favorites are Disney costumes. They are pretty well made so they last much longer than one night and they cost a fortune at the store. So much so many parents go oh that is so cute- how much?-lets see- I'M NOT PAYING THAT FOR SOMETHING THATS GETTING WORN ONCE
And so many parents turn to Ebay.
You may be thinking why the hell is she talking about Halloween when it's done for the year?
Answer: as a seller you need to be thinking about holidays all year.
When you are garage saling keep an eye out for any adult Disney costume they are pretty much all worth money. Also watch for inexpensive Disney Store kids costumes- especially the more unusual characters the store is unlikely to carry.
Some recent auction examples: an adult 2x eeyore costume sold for $205, Mad Hatter. . . (read post) |
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| Selling Cabbage Patch Kids - Ebay Value
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Added on 11/02/06 by Betsy
Every child of the 80s has fond memories of Christmas morning 1984 when under the tree was a Cabbage Patch for every boy and girl. Mom watched us with tears welling in her one good eye- the other blackened from the beat down she took unable to defend herself both arms wrapped tightly around your "Angela Marie" at the bottom of a pile of mommies in the Kmart toy aisle.
Ahhhhh memories.
Today mommy wouldn't have had to take the beat down.
She could have just spent 850 dollars on Ebay and bought one with your first name and eye color to boot.
So 20 years later, what is a Cabbage Patch really worth.
Well that depends.
Back in the 70's Mr. Roberts took a fascintation with used women's undergarments and built an empire.
His initial dolls were sold at craft shows and were 100% pantyhose nylon.
These early dolls were produced from 1978-1983. I was lucky to find a pair of these early uglies. I thought I had struck Goodwill gold.
How much do you think they sold for?
After listing them 3 times they at last sold for around 80 each. A good return on 59 cents, but not retire to a beach in Boca good.
Babyland General (yes it is a real joint you can visit on your next white trash road trip right after graceland) still makes these soft-sculptured dolls and sell them for $180-upwards of. . . (read post) |
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| Your Questions Answered...
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Added on 11/02/06 by Betsy
Message: Hi Betsy,
>Do you think that a Star Trek belt buckle circa 1973 with a picture of the Enterprise ship on it is worth anything? My brother was a dork and had it, but never used it and my mother claims it has to be worth something!! Thoughts? Also, she has an original National Enquirer from when Elvis died that has a picture of him in his coffin. It's not in perfect shape (folded in half) but again, my mom thinks it's worth something. Do you think it might be? Thanks for your input-I love the show-listen all the time!
Kristin
Answer:
Well unless your brother considers $9.99 a lot of money he is out of luck the most I could find sold for just $9.99
sometimes things have "book value" and could be technically sold for a higher price at say a trekkie convention but as far as ebay goes check out auctions 140045593965 or 290043725874
As for your mom and the vintage national enquirer...
someone tried to sell one for $3.49 (auction id number 230043093750) and it did not sell- so if you have a parakeet you may want to direct that paper to it's intended use.
Perhaps if she used that edition to make a paper mache bust of Elvis she could sell it for a bit more... busts of Elvis sell for as much as $8.99 of. . . (read post) |
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| Purging Your Commemorative First Edition Collectible Collection
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Added on 11/01/06 by Betsy
There are a lot of things that people think are worth money. Even at garage sales I repeatedly see the same items over and over that people think are worth tons of cash on a special little card table near the cash box in case anyone gets any ideas.
Now I understand- it was just you and a box of wine at 2am when the Franklin Mint coin set was calling your name- it's not your fault you bought a monthly subscription to the coins of the world club- it's the fault of Mr. Franzia and his clever wine in a box idea.
Now Christmas comes and Grandma sends you what she sends you every year- you don't know why she sends it to you. Perhaps you never realized that Grandma likes wine in a box too and that she is regifting her late night QVC impulse buy- but there you are face to face with a Precious Moments commemorative figurine. "What a Friend You Have in Jesus" is looking at you with sappy eyes just begging to be smashed, but Grandma bought it and in case she visits you should keep it.
Then your significant other is on their way to work and hears the DJ remind the world that manana is Sweetest Day. Freaking out your SO's secretary recommends a Vermont Teddy Bear- not only are they adorable, and available for express shipping but they are collectible too you see.
Before you know it there you are drowning in a see of. . . (read post) |
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| What should I buy?
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Added on 10/31/06 by Betsy
One of the things people always when they are interested in getting started on Ebay is-"How do I know what to sell?"
I had an English teacher long ago tell me that it is best to write about what you know. I think the same is true of Ebay crap. I sell predominately baby and child related items for a couple of reasons.
It first occurred to me to sell when I was online years ago looking for clothes for my then 6 month old baby boy. I went on Ebay thinking I could get cheap clothes, maybe a whole box since it was supposed to be like an online garage sale.
I was astonished when I realized that not only were the clothes sold mostly piece by piece they were selling for nearly as much as they retailed for in the first place.
That is when I got the idea to not only sell the massive amount of Baby Gap crap I had gotten as a gift in size 0-3, but that I could go to garage sales and get other people's baby junk to sell.
As a freaky first time parent I had done all of that research into what the best car seats, high chairs, bouncer, activity centers, breast pumps and on and on. So I started doing Ebay searches for completed listings. Looking up Peg Perego strollers, Graco strollers, Pack and Plays and anything else I could think of that is on that list.
After a few nights of staying up late looking at completeds. . . (read post) |
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| Ebay Sales Update
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Added on 10/07/06 by Betsy
This is what my last stuff was bought and sold for.
Bitty Baby- bought .99 sold 24.99
American Girl of Today Doll like Kirsten- bought .49 sold 51.00
Scooby Doo Van & Figures- bought 5.00 sold 59.01
American Girl Camping Outfit- bought 2.00 sold 12.27
7 I Spy Books- bought 5.00 sold 14.99
Cabbage Patch TRU Police Boy- bought 6.00 sold 39.99
before Ebay fees of course...
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