New Video As Promised! Results from Selling at Live Auction
Ok guys and gals… I just uploaded a new video over at YouTube (my username or channel or whatever you call it at YouTube is “JohnsYardSaleFinds” for lack of any better ideas).
This video shows how we loaded up for a live country auction (as opposed to the virtual eBay auctions) up here in northern New England.
We happened upon Blakely Jenkins who, along with his partner in the auction business Kirby Parker run a weekly auction in St. Johnsbury, VT (Jenkins Auction Service).
In the video, we show EXACTLY how we lot things out – and you’ll see Blake’s reaction to our layout.
We then show you the results of some of the items that we mentioned by name, along with the entire take at the end of the night.
If you are going to be taking things over to a live auction, I can’t tell you how incredibly important it is to really take the time to lot out your items so that they are easy to display and easy to handle.
Think of how it is if you go to a flea market, yard sale or auction – isn’t it easier and more efficient for you to look at an item if it’s clean and laid out as though the seller really cares about it?
Well, it goes a long way in auctions.
Attend any country type of auction – especially if it’s the type of auction that caters to a number of consigners. Notice how a large majority of people just jam the stuff into boxes – dusty, dirty, and overall just ugly looking lots – and it almost says, “This is nothing but junk” to me. I want potential buyers to see my stuff – whether it’s “junk” or not – and say, “Hey, this guy cares about this stuff… must be worth something.”
You’ll see more what I mean in the video. Have a look here…
One other thing – there are so many ways to sell stuff. As you can see from this video, eBay is definitely not the only way. Neither is Craigslist. Don’t forget about Amazon! You can learn a LOT about this from Skip McGrath, who has been at this at least as long as I have.
Check Out Skip McGrath’s Best-Selling eBook, “The Virtual Peddler” by Clicking Here Now!
Back Home Again – New Videos Coming SOON! – And a Selling Tip
Hi everyone!
I just wanted to take a moment to let you all know that Kath and I are back home again after what seemed like a VERY fast 5 months in Florida… We’ve done some videos that Kath will be getting ready to post really soon (she promises!).
We’ve got a video in the works of hauling stuff off to a “country auction” that you might find interesting, as well as some real results of a typical yard sale day, and our subsequent efforts and results in reselling them.
Quick eBay and CraigsList Selling Tip
Over the winter, I sold a few items on eBay and Craigslist for some friends as well – and that’s a thought I wanted to share with you. If you know someone who would like to sell on eBay but they don’t really know how, you can certainly offer YOUR expertise and put the item up for sale on their behalf. It DOES need to be worthwhile for you though…
My general rule of thumb is that I won’t sell something for someone online if I don’t believe it can bring at least $50. I charge 50% off the hammer price (that is, the final price that the item sells for, and then I deduct my listing and final value fees from THAT). The person who is selling the item gets the whole 50%.
That’s just the way I do it personally. I’m sure other sellers have their own thoughts on that – but because I typically only sell items for family members or good friends, that’s how I do it.
But, it might be worth it to you to offer your services to others once in a while!
Skip McGrath, who has been selling on eBay as long as I have (since 1999), and is considered one of THE experts when it comes to selling on eBay, has a really good course out that receives rave reviews if you’re interested in learning a lot more about how and what to sell on eBay. I wish I had thought of making a course on selling on eBay – I actually HAVE taught some classes in a nearby town in the past – but I never put it together the way Skip has. Well, there’s certainly no point in my even attempting to reinvent the wheel here, so I’ll just give you the link to head on over and check Skip out yourself here => eBay Business System – Learn How to Sell on eBay
Silent Sales Machine by Jim Cockrum
I just bought a book by Jim Cockrum called “Silent Sales Machine.”
Now, I’m not a guy who gets too cranked about anything – but I have to say that for $5 – yeah, that’s right – 5 Bucks – you’re going to get a TON of value. Briefly: Silent Sales Machine is a downloadable ebook, so you’ll have it on your computer screen within a minute or two of buying it.
You need to know a little bit about Jim. He’s not a whole lot different from many of us. He had that entrepreneurial spirit just about bursting from the seams. Since you’re on this blog, I’m guessing that you know that feeling!
For those of you who have been reading my blog or who know me from YouTube, you know that I’ve been a used and rare book dealer since – wow… I think the early 1980s. So that’s a long time. You also know I’ve been a seller on eBay since January 1999.
I’ve had great success on eBay, and I’ve had so-so experiences as well.
I’m always keeping my eyes open for new opportunities, and new ways to market my inventory. I was intrigued by Jim Cockrum and his book for a few reasons (and not just because it’s only $5!).
First, Silent Sales Maching is not a “how to make money on eBay” book, although you will find excellent information about eBay – including looking at it with “fresh eyes.”
If all you’ve known about buying and selling on eBay is 1) find an item to sell, 2) list an item, 3) sell the item, and 4) ship the item, then you might find yourself pleasantly surprised! I even got some ideas I hadn’t thought of before. Sometimes we humans can get so immersed in “the way it’s always been done” that we are blinded to new trends and ideas.
So, as my wife and I were going through Jim’s book, I have to tell you we had a few “ah ha” moments of our own. I suspect that we will be incorporating a few ideas we just learned from Jim Cockrum and his $5 “Silent Sales Machine” ourselves!
Give it a shot. If you can afford to buy a cup of designer coffee, you can probably afford $5 to get some new ideas. In fact, why not brew yourself a cup of coffee at home, and spend an hour or so reading Silent Sales Machine?
If you are feeling “stuck” about trying to figure out what to sell on eBay to make money – or what to sell online in any way, shape or form – this might help nudge you in the right direction and get you moving again!
To buy your copy of Silent Sales Machine by Jim Cockrum, CLICK HERE.
Adding Video to your eBay Listings
I just made a quick video for you regarding how powerful it can be to add video – a short YouTube video, for example to your eBay listings.
It’s difficult to say whether this is one of my all-time favorite tips on selling on eBay, but it ranks right up there! Actually, adding video to the listings was my wife’s idea (thanks Hon!).
You know the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, if that’s true, then a video is worth even more.
The video idea is really most helpful (I think) when we need to show whether or not something is working. Continue Reading “Adding Video To Your eBay Listings”…
What Are Some Ways You Can Improve Your eBay Sales?
This post is primarily for beginners, or people who haven’t sold a lot on eBay yet. So for those of you who have been at this for a long time, bear with me.
I’m writing this because I just searched for something, and realized why I wouldn’t buy a couple of the items I saw listed in the category for the particular thing I was looking for.
Ok, new people: If you go over to eBay any time, you obviously see millions of things for sale. Check any category, or type in search term.
For example if you type in the word “teapot” and search for it, chances are you’re going to see hundreds if not thousands of them for sale. Right? Continue Reading “What Are Some Ways You Can Improve Your eBay Sales?”
A Unique Way To Use eBay For Self Promotion
We were just addressing how to find the best things to sell on eBay, and while we were doing some research, we came across the wildest thing! And I thought, “Wow! What a great concept!” One of those, “Why didn’t I think of that!?”
Let me explain. I was working on an outline for someone, to show them the step by step ways a user can find out “what’s hot” on eBay. So, while going through the sequence of steps myself, I decided to take a look at what was trending on eBay today. The amazing pair of women’s designer shoes that you see here in the screen shot caught my eye.
I finished up my notes, and quickly came back to these shoes and this seller. The seller goes by the eBay name of MyCrystalHeels.
At the time of this writing, MyCrystalHeels was offering a pair of designer shoes that were customized with “Custom Strassed Swarovski Crystals.”
While I was writing this post, more than 1,700 people had looked at the auction, and the shoes were being offered at $4,995.00.
Now, they may or may not sell – time will tell – but one thing we noticed in the auction was that the seller had a line in the description that offered services for customizing one’s own shoes. All the interested party needs to do is get in touch with the seller for a quote.
So, in this case, let’s say for just a moment that the shoes don’t sell. BUT, what if that brought the seller so much off-eBay business that he or she doesn’t need to ever try selling another shoe on eBay? Take a look at THIS screen shot: 
Notice that Crystal Heels is saying that if you want YOUR shoes customized, merely get in touch for a quote!
Now, I think that this is absolutely brilliant.
This shows a way to use eBay to reach out to a target market in a way that isn’t ordinarily done.
I’ve never done it. But you can bet it’s got me thinking!
And hopefully it has YOU thinking as well.
PS: You might want to also have a look at this book, which can help you find the best things to sell on eBay:
Simply Click Here =>How and Where to Locate the Merchandise to Sell on eBay: Insider Information You Need to Know from the Experts Who Do It Every Day
Sell Vintage Stuff From Thrift Stores on Ebay
What are the Best Things to Sell on eBay?
If you’ve been reading my blog or watching any of my YouTube videos for any time now, you’ll notice that I definitely find my share of vintage stuff to sell. I can tell you that even though I find a lot of my inventory from yard sales, which is really a lot of fun, I also buy from individuals selling on Craigslist.
Also, I find some really good stuff at Thrift Stores. And, if you saw my post the other day, you’ll note that we had just arrived in Florida for the winter. The next day we drove around the area to get a feel for the lay of the land, and happened upon a Church Thrift Store.
Even though we weren’t out to go buying since we were really still unpacking and stocking up on some groceries, we couldn’t resist going into the store.
I’m glad we did. Kathy, who has a thing for cufflinks (ahem… if you read one of our first posts, you’ll see why! Here’s the original post about Kath’s experience with cufflinks => Click Here for the “Cufflink Post.”), saw that there was a small case of men’s jewelry behind the counter.
While I went through the clothes (and found a cool vintage Red Cross Wool Coat that I’ll write about later) and books, Kath made a beeline to the men’s jewelry.
A pair of blue and green enameled cufflinks caught her eye, and she put them in the pile of stuff we decided to buy. It turns out that these are Christian Dior sterling cufflinks, and we brought them home and processed them to sell on eBay. 
Now the fun part… We cannot yet tell you what they sell for – if they sell at all!
Next week or so, I’ll put together a post showing all the stuff we bought at that Thrift Store – our first stop since arriving here in Florida - and will share our results with you!
In the meantime, please believe me when I tell you that there is definitely a method for shopping for the best things to sell on eBay. We don’t just walk into a place and grab every vintage piece of jewelry and clothing that we find. If you do that, I can assure you that you’ll be ending up with a TON of smelly stuff that you’ll wind up donating to another Thrift Store.
It takes patience and perseverance! If you would like a little help with this, may I recommend you grab a copy of “Thrift Store Goldmines” by the QUEEN of Thrift Store and Vintage stuff – Brigitte Martinez, the self proclaimed “Thrift Store Junkie.” PLEASE NOTE: I personally have purchased this book myself.
=> CLICK HERE to Order Thrift Store Goldmines by Brigitte Martinez Now!
Thanksgiving Day: Ready for Buying and Selling IN FLORIDA!
Hi everyone! This is just a quick note to let you know that on this very day, Thanksgiving Day, 2011, Kath and I have just arrived in Port Orange, Florida for the winter!
I know that we won’t be doing any yard-saleing before tomorrow or Saturday – or even mayby even NEXT week. But, I just wanted to let you know that we have arrived, and we are psyched to get going on our winter buying and selling!
We have some great videos and articles coming up – but wanted to every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving. We, personally, have a great deal to be thankful for.
I am thankful for my wife, Kathy, who encourages and helps me in my business. Oh, she also loves me! I am thankful for my parents, who taught me integrity and value. I am thankful that my beautiful daughter Sara has a healthy and happy little son (my grandson Tristan).
In one of Kathy’s blog posts today, she mentioned things that she is grateful for. I agree that it’s really easy to be thankful for the “easy things” like “food” or “shelter” etc.
Anyway, it’s getting late, and it’s about time for bed. But I did not want this day to go by without saying that I’m thankful for YOU, my readers and fellow entrepreneurs, for sharing the passion of buying and selling – the good times and the slow times – thank you. To my customers, I thank you for purchasing from me and Kath.
I appreciate every one of you!
THANK YOU! 
Despite High Fees Selling on eBay is Still the Best Game in Town
This year, eBay started adding fees to sellers’ postage charges. Now, let me go on record as saying I do NOT like this change – I’m not even sure how they were able to do this legally. But, there it is. They did it.
And I’m not stumping for eBay here, but after selling on eBay for 12+ years, and having looked around at a few other sites, for me eBay is still the best game in town.
As a seller, I have no choice but to abide by their rules. Oh, believe me, I definitely let eBay know what I think of some of their changes – for example, that whole bit about not being able to leave a buyer negative feedback. Since that particular little rule came into play, my percentage of non-paying bidders has risen considerably. Yes, I talked to eBay about it. But, we still cannot leave a buyer negative feedback.
Now, with the new fees on postage. Well… I’m still going to sell on eBay. Like I said, it’s still the best game in town – at least for me.
So here are my thoughts on this. I take a “non-resistance” approach to things (my wife and I are students of self development and growth, and we find a path of non-resistance to be the way to go). Sometimes, you really are better off just going with the flow. Don’t get all cranked up about it – it won’t do any good, and you’ll just be spending your valuable energy fighting something you can’t change anyway. Let your voice be heard, and then get back to work.
Before eBay added those fees, I rarely included shipping in my price. Primarily because I didn’t want to see additional fees. Now it doesn’t matter, and I’m tending to include shipping more often. But, I think about the price and cost first, and make sure I take the new fees into consideration before setting the cost.
I have never, ever inflated my shipping charges. I’m known for fair shipping prices, and I intend to keep it that way. I have never wanted to or attempted to make money on shipping, and I’m not going to start now. I’ll just make sure that I don’t take a loss.
Let’s say I have an item that I’m willing to earn only $5.00 on, and let’s say I can send that item for $3 or $4. If I start the bidding – or Buy it Now price at $9.95, I’ll still only be charged the minimal fees, be able to include the shipping, and still make the $5.00 on the item anyway. The buyer gets a good deal, the shipping’s included (which, psychologically, people seem to like), and everyone is happy.
Obviously, that’s a very simplistic example. But, what if you’re thinking, “Why go to all that trouble for 5 measely dollars?”
Don’t forget about live auctions! The old fashioned live country auction is alive and well! If you have a bunch of $5 items that you don’t really want to spend the time or effort for eBay given the low return, load up the truck and haul it off to auction and be done with it.
Just my 2 cents on this whole thing. Thanks for reading!
And Some Days Are A Wash…Example of a BAD Yard Sale Day
Ever have one of those “buying and selling to make money days” where you 1) get up before the sun, ready for a huge day of yard-saleing, and 2) you’re rarin’ to go with a pocket full of buying cash, and 3) you’re FIRST at just about every yard sale you hit, and………
4) You hardly buy a single thing?
Sigh. It happens. In fact, it happened this very weekend.
On Friday, Kath & I decided to try to get away for a day or so. Neither of us have had much of any days off this summer – nature of the beast in construction. So, we knew it was going to be a gorgeous weekend, and decided to head on over to the Maine coast.
It’s only about 2, maybe 2 1/2 hours to the coast from our place here in the mountains. We figured we’d leave nice and early, and get to as many yard sales as we could while en route to the beach. This way, we could actually get a little buying work done! READ MORE ABOUT OUR RIVETING DAY OF YARD SALEING HERE!
