Let's Have Some Fun - Items You Bought and Wished You Hadn't!

[tunicaslot]

Tired of the doom and gloom here.

Let's hear about items you bought - whether thinking you would score big - or items that were more than you bargained for getting them ready to list.

This past week - I hit paydirt - at least for me - went to a block sale and a couple of people had their clothing for 50 cents each - name brand - knew I could turn it over quick as long as it was priced right.

Came home to take pics and list when I felt something in the pocket of the first item - a fleece jacket. Turns out someone had stuffed tissue in it and had washed it at least once without taking out the tissue. Now I don't know if you guys can relate to this - but lots of women can! It was in little balls and completely covering the pocket - I cleaned and cleaned trying to turn the pocket outside in - but boy was it deep - duh - it was a kangaroo pocket. It took me a good 1/2 hr to clean out the mess and the mess left all over the fleece, table and floor. I thought about just ditching it a couple of times but I had already put so much work into it and it did fetch a good price.

I will definitely slow down and check out pockets next time.

[tunicaslot]

Yes - I'm stupid but what is a sweater stone??? Again I used a lint brush - never thinking about the roll of packing tape sitting right next to it - told ya all I have no common sense!

Folks - I have loved reading these stories~ I would have bought the same items you all did - thinking I scored! We live and learn here on Ebay - one man's trash is another one's treasure and yet sometimes that man's trash is trash and we just took it off his hands and paid him for it to boot!

[copper.boom]

Tunica- for the most part it is used to remove pilling and they work with a very light touch. They're better for chunkier knits because they can damage fine knits. If you sell preowned clothing you may find it useful! You can find them at most drug stores or places like JoAnn or right here on eBay! Search for "sweater stone" and you'll see several examples.

[tamaralea]

I bought a $200 pitcher and glass set on etsy, thinking I could sell it for $400 on eBay.  My husband immediately said it would never sell.   It was a few months before the Olympics, so I thought it would appeal to Olympic followers, as well as individual sport participants.  Each of the 8 glasses featured a different sport, plus still had their original tags on the bottom, so likely had never been used.  I rotated titles every month, with a few of the sports and the word, "Olympics".  The pitcher featured flags from several countries and the Olympic rings.  The Olympics came and went and now an addtional year has passed.  I was dreading shipping them because the glasses were so thin, even though the set made by a top-of-the line manufacturer.  I just pulled the listing and gave the set to my son, an avid triathalon participant.  I figured he would enjoy the biking and running glasses.  

[badwolf12]

My first thought was a handful of collectible entertainment items that I wish I had sold right away instead of holding on to them and seeing the demand drop down to nothing. I still sold them and didn't lose any money, but I really missed out on the market.

[rolenboy01]

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@tamaralea wrote:

I bought a $200 pitcher and glass set on etsy, thinking I could sell it for $400 on eBay.  My husband immediately said it would never sell.   It was a few months before the Olympics, so I thought it would appeal to Olympic followers, as well as individual sport participants.  Each of the 8 glasses featured a different sport, plus still had their original tags on the bottom, so likely had never been used.  I rotated titles every month, with a few of the sports and the word, "Olympics".  The pitcher featured flags from several countries and the Olympic rings.  The Olympics came and went and now an addtional year has passed.  I was dreading shipping them because the glasses were so thin, even though the set made by a top-of-the line manufacturer.  I just pulled the listing and gave the set to my son, an avid triathalon participant.  I figured he would enjoy the biking and running glasses.  

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I've had some bad luck with many olympics items espeically the 1984 olympics with the eagle I avoid all that kind of stuff now, I guess they just made too much of it since they had 4 years to prepare.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

There's been many duds over the years, but I don't regret anything. I have quite the hoard because buying is so much easier and enjoyable than listing! Now when I come across a dud I no longer criticize myself for purchasing it in the first place, since everything is profit in my view. I made my money long ago and continue to profit, so a dud is just a small cost that doesn't matter because of all the winners over the years. 

I have begun to purge the duds. There's no point in having them laying around where I have to look at them. I don't even bother to try to get $10 out of them, into the garage sale pile they go and then to be donated or thrown out. Just get them gone so I can focus on the profitable items. 

I went through boxes of Christmas ornaments a few weeks ago and purged all the low end losers, 4 garbage bags full. I ended up with so many because of buying box lots. Instead of having to look at them another day, or try to get a few hundred off ebay with too much work involved, or sell them or donate them and have to look at them again where I shop, to the curb they went. I felt a load lifted. 🙂 

[moo*cow*corner]

Yup. Duds. There's been a lot of them. No regrets though. It never fails that I run across something in the stores that I'd seen while researching, so I have found value in some of the duds.

A couple of years ago we went through most everything and purged. Anything worth less than $5 went.

There are a few patterns of dinnerware that cause me to mutter bad words under my breath when I see them. One partucular box lot- thought I'd found a great bargain. Got it home, started washing and ugh! Fine crazing all over. Crazing was so fine you could only see it when wet. When the dishes dried, they looked great again. Sold enough to make a small profit, but the rest sits here-- not exactly sure why. LOL!

Tuition buys at Picker School. Never graduate, no degree. But tuition gets paid.

Like Hotel California, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

[livewiredealz]

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@rolenboy01 wrote:

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@candd205 wrote:

I am so glad you mentioned that I could have figured out a way to recoup my loss by finding someone who can use them for arts and crafts. That is what I should have done. I did try a little, searching the internet for ways to use old records. Couldn't find anything I liked, but someone else could have been creative enough to do something wth them. Yes, I feel guilty for just tossing them. But to be honest, they made me feel bad every time I looked at them. I was kicking myself every time I saw them. So, out of site, out of mind, and I got a good story to tell. I did think of a way to use them after I tossed them out. I could have used the undamaged covers to mail things that shouldn't be folded in. They could have been cut to size as needed to use this way.

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It all sounds good in theory but I've had too many bad experiences with trying to sell things as lots "for projects" and still had people complain about it and file snads and so on so I usually just leave well enough alone and trash some items.

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Sure, that's if you went the eBay route, but what I was saying was that there are more than plenty of people in your local area that are interested in buying certain items in bulk for Arts and Crafts projects - this means no shipping cost, no eBay 10%, no Paypal 7%, no SNADs, and no worries. In fact, you may even get to see the end result, make new connections, and feel good about supporting your local county/residents. 

The whole point of my posting was to reduce, if not, eliminate the idea of your trash being a stressor and getting some money back, which makes it feel less like a bad buy and more like a good buy. You sound like you're taking it the opposite - that trying to sell it in bulk will result in more problems, more stress, and more worry. I cannot support this mentality. I just won't.

[llllady]

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@tunicaslot wrote:

Yes - I'm stupid but what is a sweater stone??? Again I used a lint brush - never thinking about the roll of packing tape sitting right next to it - told ya all I have no common sense!

Folks - I have loved reading these stories~ I would have bought the same items you all did - thinking I scored! We live and learn here on Ebay - one man's trash is another one's treasure and yet sometimes that man's trash is trash and we just took it off his hands and paid him for it to boot!

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This one is especially for you @tunicaslot.  Ever get a package with loose packing peanuts that aren't anti-static and they go all over the place?  Hit them with some Static Guard. 

[wolf*song]

You, as well!

[gracieallen01]

Okay, so I'm at an estate sale and see this really NICE watch - $200 not working.  Ha, ha, I think to myself - I can take care of that!  Just needs a new battery.   Vintage, gold, diamond, no problemo!

Wrong.

The works are shorted out.  It's going to cost $800 to replace.  'Okay, do it' I tell the girl at the shop.  She says the catch is that 'they' want the old one back when they deliver the new one.  What is this?  An alternator?  A radiator?  Return the core?  Oh well, sure, go ahead.  Hey, the watch sells 4-5k!  Everything will work out - right?

A week later, 'new' watch!  Name, gold, diamonds - beautiful!  I show it to the lady, putting it on her wrist and ask her what she thinks of the work they did.

All she says is 'I LOVE it!  She hasn't worn a watch ONCE since she retired over 10 YEARS AGO!

Oh well, at least I think I'm off the hook for her birthday AND Christmas.

[wolf*song]

Seriously.

I had an '89 Bronco 2 that ran like a top for almost 20 years. LOVED my Bronc, and I miss her every day. 😞

[tunicaslot]

Thank you so much - what a great tip!!!! I'll have to pick some up and then remember that - because I have been in that situation more times than I'd like to count!!

[bartermaniac]

Yep been there, done that. Have a whole bunch of them and you can't even give one away. Kind of like the Beanie Babies.

[pinkrose442savings2018]

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@copper.boom wrote:

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@tunicaslot wrote:

Came home to take pics and list when I felt something in the pocket of the first item - a fleece jacket. Turns out someone had stuffed tissue in it and had washed it at least once without taking out the tissue. Now I don't know if you guys can relate to this - but lots of women can! It was in little balls and completely covering the pocket - I cleaned and cleaned trying to turn the pocket outside in - but boy was it deep - duh - it was a kangaroo pocket. It took me a good 1/2 hr to clean out the mess and the mess left all over the fleece, table and floor. I thought about just ditching it a couple of times but I had already put so much work into it and it did fetch a good price.

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Nice topic, Tunica! I'll have to think on my regret purchases. I've got a few helpful tips if you encounter something like this tissue situation again.

1. Take the item outside to clean it... better to leave the mess out there! If you can't bring it outside then set down a sheet of newspaper that you can ball up when you're finished.

2. If it's a large pocket, especially a kangaroo pocket, turn that part inside out as much as you can so it's easier to clean (which you already did here).

3. Grab a little brush like a dish brush or scrub brush or nail brush - pick one up at the dollar store specifically for cleaning inventory - and brush all the "lint" off.

4. If anything is still stuck use a sweater stone! They work wonders.

Since your item was fleece I wouldn't have even bothered with the brush and instead went straight for the sweater stone. That stuff will really "stick" to the fleece. I would have finished it off with packing tape for any last little bits (it's stronger than a lint roller).

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Never ever heard of sweater stone...what does it look like?  Is it smooth or coarse?  Just wondering!