I'm going to be sassy, warning in advance. I suggest buying U.S. Dollars, freshly printed, and then selling them for more than a dollar. It works for some.....
I'm going to be sassy, warning in advance. I suggest buying U.S. Dollars, freshly printed, and then selling them for more than a dollar. It works for some.....
I'm actually doing a slight variation of that now. I collect US $1 bills until I have a couple hundred of them. Makes a pretty big pile, so I have a brown leather messenger bag I keep them in.
I take this collection to our local Zoo, various tourist spots, several different museums, and use the money doubler machines. I put a dollar in and this interesting copper/zinc token is extruded. I'll collect 3-4 of each of them by the end of the trip (one location at a time - I do have physical realities to deal with), all nestled snugly in old prescription jars - so they don't rattle around too much.
I take them home, carefully place each into it's own little clear plastic bag and number them. The I sort them into a converted sewing/hobby supply box, with the numbers rising from the first space to the last. I have multiple boxes if needed.
Then I fire up SixBit, tell it how many more of each number I now have, and then tell it to post them, one at a time at auction, until they are all sold out. Part of SixBit is running on my computer all the time - it takes care of all those details for me. All I have to do is check in once or twice a day, print the packslip, pack the proper number and selection of the bagged tokens, along with the matching packslip, into an envelope and mail it out. When I run out of any of these numbered tokens, SixBit let's me know it time to fetch more... and the ones I've shipped out have wonderfully created a stack of $1 bills twice the size of the earlier one!!
What makes it better is that these tokens pay for my annual membership to the Zoo (most of the other places are free access), and it's a beautiful place to spend an afternoon just walking and feeding those wonderful money-making machines. So I get a full day's exercise, a whole bunch of new tokens, and get to watch the kids playing in the playground and remember when mine were that small.
This will become an integral part of my retirement. Or at least between trips -- my wife wants to revisit all the international cities she visited when working for FedEx, and I think that would be fun as well. I hope the tourist sites there, at least the "Americanized" ones, will have more of these money-making machines as well!
"I take this collection to our local Zoo, various tourist spots, several different museums, and use the money doubler machines. I put a dollar in and this interesting copper/zinc token is extruded. "
I have no idea what you're talking about, but I trust you. I especially was confused by "Then I fire up SixBit, tell it how many more of each number I now have, and then tell it to post them, one at a time at auction, until they are all sold out. Part of SixBit is running on my computer all the time - it takes care of all those details for me. "
"I take this collection to our local Zoo, various tourist spots, several different museums, and use the money doubler machines. I put a dollar in and this interesting copper/zinc token is extruded. "
I have no idea what you're talking about, but I trust you. I especially was confused by "Then I fire up SixBit, tell it how many more of each number I now have, and then tell it to post them, one at a time at auction, until they are all sold out. Part of SixBit is running on my computer all the time - it takes care of all those details for me. "
Probably because I don't know what SixBit is.
Thank you! I wasn't sure anyone was reading my posts anymore.... I don't mean to ramble, it just seems that I type 'stream of consciousness' style. 🙂
The machines are called variously "squiched pennies", "flattened pennies", "squished pennies", or a few other terms I can't recall at the moment. Technically, they are called "elongated pennies", altho there are machines for nickels, dimes, and even quarters.
SixBit is a 3rd party (eBay, seller, SixBit) Windows desktop application for managing online sales inventory, listings, sales, and buyers. It's based on the free version of MS SQL (a database) that is limited to 10GB max size, with the option to run on a licensed version with significantly larger database sizes and better performance.
When I find a new source, I press a few pennies, then image them and create an Item record. Since I use a template, I'm basically only entering the title, adding the pictures, creating the description, and if it's a Disney elongate, I try to locate it in one of several Disney elongate databases that are maintained on the web.
Once I have the Item record finished, I can have SB post it, either immediately or schedule it for a specific date/time. The Item record now shows that I have 1 (auction) to many (GTC) units of this item listed. If the item sells, SixBit picks up the buyer and order data from eBay and places those in the database as well. I then print the packslip, pull the elongate from my inventory trays, print the eBay label (Standard Letter) and place the pouched elongate into the tri-folded packskip, seal that inside a standard business envelope, attach the label, and drop it in any convenient USPS receptacle.
When I pick up additional elongates that already have an Item record, I simply add the count of the new elongates to the proper Item record and their ready to be posted. With a slightly higher release of SixBit (I currently run SmallBiz, there are also two lower, less expensive versions and the Enterprise version which is pretty much unlimited everything (within the 10GB limited imposed on the database). With Enterprise comes the ability to, as I said, tell SB to keep this item posted, auction after auction, or one GTC and add more inventory (if available) to keep the listing above a minimum qty point and below a maximum qty point. SixBit will then automatically post those listings, handle any sales, and repost as necessary until all units are sold.
It also tracks all the fees I pay, so I can generate a decent report of what I sold, for how much, to whom, and the landed cost if on the Item record and net profit if all the numbers are correct. At work, we use this to cross-check the info we get from eBay. Trust....but verify.
There are other tools that do similar functions - SixBit is the one I've been using since 1999, and I've never regretted getting it and putting it to work. If I can get my computer to track and manage all the nitty details that drive me nuts anyway, I'm all for it. I currently have some 4500+ Item records in my database, and over 150K listings sold (more unsold, but I tend to clean those out to recover space). The numbers at work are some 15K Items (over the 10yrs I've worked there), and similarly large listing and orders counts..
My database is using less than 500MB to date, at work we're just over 4GB. The database is pretty compact, and I have SixBit keep the images used for each item outside the database, to save room.
I'm a big advocate of automation to free up humans from tedious tasks so they can focus on more profit-making activities, like imaging, shipping, answering questions.... you get the idea. SixBit works for me, it may work for others or not. But automation that fits the way you work (not the other way round) and frees you up for more creative work is generally a good idea once you get past the closet-cleaner and/or casual seller levels.
Anyone who wants/needs to know more can DM me and I'll answer whatever questions I can.
What do you want to sell? Do you want to pay true wholesale and sell retail?
When you figure that out the Thomas Register (of manufacturers) can be very useful. It's now called Thomasnet.
I discovered it in the 70s when it was a book with the names and addresses of manufacturers. The manufacturers I wanted to purchase from required a business license and they had an initial minimum purchase price of $600 to $1,000 to buy from them. Plus you had to have a good Dun & Bradstreet rating. Some required a line of credit from a business bank account. I have no idea what is required now, 50 years later.
Only one of you came close to mentioning the best (my) sourcing method... and it's only because that person was promoting themselves 🙄🙄
Can you keep a secret? Please please please! It's between you and me! We all know it!! My method of sourcing starts with E and ends with BAY.
I have (at least what I think) are really nice margins. (I am able to source at good prices). I have quick turn around time (mostly the category I'm in I suppose). I get to do all of this in my jammies, never NEED to leave home, and get to help support my fellow sellers with my patronage â¤ï¸â¤ï¸
Totally not factored into my margins, this is just a bonus.... I get 6.33% cash back on all my EBay purchases. (I double dip). I have an EBay Mastercard which gets me 3.33% cash back, and Capital One Shopping Rewards gives me 3% back. Tell me any place you source where you regularly get that benefit.
I'm relatively smaller. I started this with a small capital investment and have used my reinvestsd profits to grow slow and steady, grass roots style. I currently buy $4,000-$6,000 per month on average. I've not run into a problem sourcing stuff. My limiting factor is usually my apetite to buy (how much and what areas), not my ability to find stuff. Definitely enough supply to meet my demand.
That's my 2 cents. Now go source at thrift stores and stuff, leave me and my sourcing method alone! 🤣🤣🤣
@ajs_coins_and_alchemy LOL... I did not think of it as promoting myself.....I was just making a joke. Will see if I can get it removed as I do not want to be seen in that light.
Lol OMG no I didn't mean it like that. I know you meant it as a joke or were being sarcastic. That was my attempt at a joke back as I poke fun at no one pointing out what I think is the best sourcing method of all....except the one person who was only making a joke of it 🤣
Lol OMG no I didn't mean it like that. I know you meant it as a joke or were being sarcastic. That was my attempt at a joke back as I poke fun at no one pointing out what I think is the best sourcing method of all....except the one person who was only making a joke of it 🤣
I do a lot of my sourcing on eBay, it's one of the few sites where I can buy by the pound and sell individually or in themed sets. My other sourcing has always been face-to-face. You never can tell where a casual conversation may end up. I've shared the tale of my shoe consignment adventure before - I'll not share it again here as I'm trying to reduce my word count for a while. 🙂
@ajs_coins_and_alchemy LOL... I did not think of it as promoting myself.....I was just making a joke. Will see if I can get it removed as I do not want to be seen in that light.
Dang! I was sure he was talking about me... I promise to try harder next time!
Has anyone checked Sri Lanka lately? I heard because the US dollar is so strong you can buy a lot of coco nut shell items cheap. Bowls I heard are extremely popular. Shhhhh! A little birdie tells me you can make a killing selling them here on eBay.
Has anyone checked Sri Lanka lately? I heard because the US dollar is so strong you can buy a lot of coco nut shell items cheap. Bowls I heard are extremely popular. Shhhhh! A little birdie tells me you can make a killing selling them here on eBay.
Go to the source. If you want to sell widgets, go to a widget wholesaler and buy in bulk at cost or wholesale pricing. I wouldn't buy from a reseller, but that's just me.
Post 3 tells you the BEST places to get stuff for resale. With fees and ship cost I cannot believe very many people can afford to source at stores and make a profit reselling. Just to sell an item for $20 you would pay approximately $4.65 in fees + $7.00 ship cost ($11.65) = $8.35 net. So to list a $20 item you cannot afford to pay more than $4.17 for it. Good Luck
You've been here since 2014. You have close to 400 listings at the moment. You have well over 1,000 sales. Methinks your question is disingenuous. In any event, it is unanswerable because it depends on what you want to sell, and whether you want to sell it new or used, for a fast nickel or a slow dime, domestically or internationally, and on and so on.
You have to think outside the box, oops tent. Just go tent to tent for your source of items to sell. There's a treasure trove of stuff... new, old, used, unique, one of kind, etc.
I no longer have to go far or pay much for my inventory, I apparently have the gift of acquiring all this inventory just by going through life so I get all my items right from my own house. I am sure there are literally still hundreds of things just waiting to be listed (granted some would require the permissions of my wife which can be a bit tricky at times but I'm still at least 100-200 items from even having to go there).
And I am sorry to have to tell you before you ask, but I seriously do not know how this all came to be this way. But it's the way things are, I have not had to leave the house for the purpose of acquiring inventory in a fair bit of time now (years, some might say).
Just about Every business has excess inventory. Keep knocking on doors, build relationships with merchants or any type of business until you have all you can list and store.
Just about Every business has excess inventory. Keep knocking on doors, build relationships with merchants or any type of business until you have all you can list and store.
The company I'm currently working for owns a number of thrift stores, as well as selling online across multiple venues. I've been talking to my boss (the owner) about working out some kind of discounted purchasing arrangement for after I retire. He already has a very good employee discount program, but I'm looking at buying 500lbs of product once or twice a quarter, especially if he loads it up with PC stuff - even the open box stuff.
That was the beauty of my shoe consignment client -- they had a LOT of shoes they wanted sold. They really didn't care about the money, and they had no problems with my initial fee or the increase I requested after 3-4yrs. They wanted the shoes gone and if they got back 10 cents on the retail dollar, they were good with that. But there was never any doubt that, regardless of how much I sold today, there would always be more tomorrow. Shoes aren't all that profitable, especially when you're only looking at 25-33% of the net profits. But when you can get multiples of the same model, just difference sizes and widths, you save a lot of time not re-doing images and descriptions and can post the additional units in minutes. THAT makes a lower consignment rate much easier to grow on.
Finding inventory one time is a fluke. Learning to find it over and over -- that's a skill. Skills take practice and learning from your mistakes. Lots of great suggestions here (except maybe for that parking lot thing) -- find what works for your situation (speaking in general here, not to any specific poster) and practice, practice, practice. It does get easier with time.
From West Monroe La try Shreveport. Find out when they traditionally have their garage sales (usually Friday or Saturday but necessarily) and commit to going. Also develop a route of their thrift stores.
I grab stuff that falls off of trucks and roll people in parking lots and steal their clothing.
That was you?!?! I want my PU faux leather bomber jacket back and those 25yr old sneakers!! 🙂
Back when eBay semi-supported consigment sellers, I found it easier to sell products I didn't buy. My clients would supply their excess, our contract determined how it would be listed/priced, and I got a commission for every sale and all the listing and fvf fees paid by the client. One BIG note: I only worked with businesses - no individuals. Individuals, as a general rule, almost always think whatever they have is worth many times more than what even a wee bit of research shows the actual selling price to be. And they don't understand that, if I'm doing all the work, I deserve a cut of the sale. So I stayed with businesses and things were a lot smoother.
As to where I got my non-consignment products: wholesale suppliers used by my employer at the time (using their account - the more you buy over time, the better your discounts get), retail stores going out of business (bought multiple FrontPage98 retail products when several local office stores closed - and resold them on eBay for several times what I paid... and just a few days later!). I've even found inventory when the family has been traveling and we stop at various outlet malls or tourist areas.
But you have to know your numbers!! I was offered a bulk lot of mens dress shoes (wingtips, German made) - and the price was very tempting. But about 15 minutes of research on eBay and a bit of math showed me that even if I were to be the only seller with these shoes (I wouldn't be), and could somehow sell twice the number of shoes as were currently selling (I doubt it), it would still take me multiple years (something less than 10, but not too much less) and most of the inventory would have dry-rotted before it could be sold. Plus I'd have to pick up another 10x30 storage units, and the racks to put in it, just to store it all!
The math didn't work. And I still use that same math today, some 20 years later. Only now I'm buying bulk PC lots locally (usually 'trash' from various repair shops), breaking them down, and selling off the pieces. Still have to know what things are selling for (I get more for a 40MB Seagate MFM drive than a 1TB Seagate SATA drive, for example), and how much I can reasonably expect to move over the course of 3,6,12 months. Some lots are better than others, but I've been working with PCs since I started college (fall '76), so I've developed a bit of an eye for what is worth attempting to save or part out and what isn't. Not perfect - I still have some stock that likely will never sell and will have to be recycled, but practice makes better!
Started out being miffed at you for revealing a possible source of inventory, but you have, fortunately, redeemed yourself in my eyes by your "must feed my people" remark.
I grab stuff that falls off of trucks and roll people in parking lots and steal their clothing.
Wait, so those weren’t just nudists?
Some put up quite a fight but I'm dammed and determined, for I must feed my people.
You should try some of the local morgues the people put up less of a fight and don't seem to mind giving up their clothing and other items for free. Landfills are also pretty good but you have to stay ahead of the dozers covering things so you don't become part of the fill.
Landfills are also pretty good but you have to stay ahead of the dozers covering things so you don't become part of the fill.
I've seen so many listings over the years that I think there ARE sellers who list things from landfills. Especially many who come here with the conspiracy that Ebay hides their listings.
We had a mendicant order of monks here who dumpster dived and repaired items they found and sold them. I'm not sure if they're still doing that, but I bought an excellent bike saddle from them that they had refurbed with a piece of purple leather. I had jokes about "the wings beneath my butt".
I found the local Freecycle group to be a decent source for both 'decomposable' computers and packing supplies. The computers I'd convert to cash, one tested & working part at a time. The packing supplies made me money because I could buy less new and yet still have plenty. And I consider both to be recycling, so that was even better.
It's amazing how much you can pack into a full-sized SUV with both the rear seats and the middle row seats down. Even better when that weird auto-leveling air suspension it came with lifted the back end up to normal ride height. So cool to watch!!
I grab stuff that falls off of trucks and roll people in parking lots and steal their clothing.
Wait, so those weren’t just nudists?
Some put up quite a fight but I'm dammed and determined, for I must feed my people.
You should try some of the local morgues the people put up less of a fight and don't seem to mind giving up their clothing and other items for free. Landfills are also pretty good but you have to stay ahead of the dozers covering things so you don't become part of the fill.
Cemeteries and graveyards. Very lucrative. Bring a shovel. 🙂
I grab stuff that falls off of trucks and roll people in parking lots and steal their clothing.
Wait, so those weren’t just nudists?
Some put up quite a fight but I'm dammed and determined, for I must feed my people.
You should try some of the local morgues the people put up less of a fight and don't seem to mind giving up their clothing and other items for free. Landfills are also pretty good but you have to stay ahead of the dozers covering things so you don't become part of the fill.
Cemeteries and graveyards. Very lucrative. Bring a shovel. 🙂
The only problem with the cemeteries is that the styles can be a bit dated, and you never know what you're gonna get. You have to go in at night, and then I could work like a dog and end up with a pile of imperishable double knit Alfred Dunner and Appleseed's - that stuff is like Twinkies, it would survive Armageddon and the harrowing of he!! so the market is saturated. But an upscale funeral home...now that's an idea.
That reminds me of a play called The Thief of Tears - a woman who would go to random funerals, sob over the Departed, bend to kiss them and nip off the earrings, or finger off the watch. I don't have that kind of brass, though.
I grab stuff that falls off of trucks and roll people in parking lots and steal their clothing.
But it is washed before listing, right? Unprofessional, otherwise.
-
When I go into the laundromat to steal people's wetwash I replace it with the stuff I've obtained and run out the rest of the cycle - I have standards!
By the looks of things amazon tons of drop shippers here.... The "team" guy above nailed it though seriously that's how you start off here and then grow but its an up hill climb for sure
sailinship
·3 years agoI might stick around. Sure do wish they had an "edit" function though.
sailinship
·3 years agoY'all are freaking hilarious. I like it here, people have a sense of humor.
sailinship
·3 years agoI'm going to be sassy, warning in advance. I suggest buying U.S. Dollars, freshly printed, and then selling them for more than a dollar. It works for some.....
rosachs
·3 years agoI'm actually doing a slight variation of that now. I collect US $1 bills until I have a couple hundred of them. Makes a pretty big pile, so I have a brown leather messenger bag I keep them in.
I take this collection to our local Zoo, various tourist spots, several different museums, and use the money doubler machines. I put a dollar in and this interesting copper/zinc token is extruded. I'll collect 3-4 of each of them by the end of the trip (one location at a time - I do have physical realities to deal with), all nestled snugly in old prescription jars - so they don't rattle around too much.
I take them home, carefully place each into it's own little clear plastic bag and number them. The I sort them into a converted sewing/hobby supply box, with the numbers rising from the first space to the last. I have multiple boxes if needed.
Then I fire up SixBit, tell it how many more of each number I now have, and then tell it to post them, one at a time at auction, until they are all sold out. Part of SixBit is running on my computer all the time - it takes care of all those details for me. All I have to do is check in once or twice a day, print the packslip, pack the proper number and selection of the bagged tokens, along with the matching packslip, into an envelope and mail it out. When I run out of any of these numbered tokens, SixBit let's me know it time to fetch more... and the ones I've shipped out have wonderfully created a stack of $1 bills twice the size of the earlier one!!
What makes it better is that these tokens pay for my annual membership to the Zoo (most of the other places are free access), and it's a beautiful place to spend an afternoon just walking and feeding those wonderful money-making machines. So I get a full day's exercise, a whole bunch of new tokens, and get to watch the kids playing in the playground and remember when mine were that small.
This will become an integral part of my retirement. Or at least between trips -- my wife wants to revisit all the international cities she visited when working for FedEx, and I think that would be fun as well. I hope the tourist sites there, at least the "Americanized" ones, will have more of these money-making machines as well!
-Bob.
sailinship
·3 years ago"I take this collection to our local Zoo, various tourist spots, several different museums, and use the money doubler machines. I put a dollar in and this interesting copper/zinc token is extruded. "
I have no idea what you're talking about, but I trust you. I especially was confused by "Then I fire up SixBit, tell it how many more of each number I now have, and then tell it to post them, one at a time at auction, until they are all sold out. Part of SixBit is running on my computer all the time - it takes care of all those details for me. "
Probably because I don't know what SixBit is.
rosachs
·3 years agoThank you! I wasn't sure anyone was reading my posts anymore.... I don't mean to ramble, it just seems that I type 'stream of consciousness' style. 🙂
The machines are called variously "squiched pennies", "flattened pennies", "squished pennies", or a few other terms I can't recall at the moment. Technically, they are called "elongated pennies", altho there are machines for nickels, dimes, and even quarters.
SixBit is a 3rd party (eBay, seller, SixBit) Windows desktop application for managing online sales inventory, listings, sales, and buyers. It's based on the free version of MS SQL (a database) that is limited to 10GB max size, with the option to run on a licensed version with significantly larger database sizes and better performance.
When I find a new source, I press a few pennies, then image them and create an Item record. Since I use a template, I'm basically only entering the title, adding the pictures, creating the description, and if it's a Disney elongate, I try to locate it in one of several Disney elongate databases that are maintained on the web.
Once I have the Item record finished, I can have SB post it, either immediately or schedule it for a specific date/time. The Item record now shows that I have 1 (auction) to many (GTC) units of this item listed. If the item sells, SixBit picks up the buyer and order data from eBay and places those in the database as well. I then print the packslip, pull the elongate from my inventory trays, print the eBay label (Standard Letter) and place the pouched elongate into the tri-folded packskip, seal that inside a standard business envelope, attach the label, and drop it in any convenient USPS receptacle.
When I pick up additional elongates that already have an Item record, I simply add the count of the new elongates to the proper Item record and their ready to be posted. With a slightly higher release of SixBit (I currently run SmallBiz, there are also two lower, less expensive versions and the Enterprise version which is pretty much unlimited everything (within the 10GB limited imposed on the database). With Enterprise comes the ability to, as I said, tell SB to keep this item posted, auction after auction, or one GTC and add more inventory (if available) to keep the listing above a minimum qty point and below a maximum qty point. SixBit will then automatically post those listings, handle any sales, and repost as necessary until all units are sold.
It also tracks all the fees I pay, so I can generate a decent report of what I sold, for how much, to whom, and the landed cost if on the Item record and net profit if all the numbers are correct. At work, we use this to cross-check the info we get from eBay. Trust....but verify.
There are other tools that do similar functions - SixBit is the one I've been using since 1999, and I've never regretted getting it and putting it to work. If I can get my computer to track and manage all the nitty details that drive me nuts anyway, I'm all for it. I currently have some 4500+ Item records in my database, and over 150K listings sold (more unsold, but I tend to clean those out to recover space). The numbers at work are some 15K Items (over the 10yrs I've worked there), and similarly large listing and orders counts..
My database is using less than 500MB to date, at work we're just over 4GB. The database is pretty compact, and I have SixBit keep the images used for each item outside the database, to save room.
I'm a big advocate of automation to free up humans from tedious tasks so they can focus on more profit-making activities, like imaging, shipping, answering questions.... you get the idea. SixBit works for me, it may work for others or not. But automation that fits the way you work (not the other way round) and frees you up for more creative work is generally a good idea once you get past the closet-cleaner and/or casual seller levels.
Anyone who wants/needs to know more can DM me and I'll answer whatever questions I can.
-Bob.
redlinear
·3 years agoFrom ME of course! Bring a suitcase full of cash and a big, big truck 😄
fab_finds4u
·3 years agoWhat do you want to sell? Do you want to pay true wholesale and sell retail?
When you figure that out the Thomas Register (of manufacturers) can be very useful. It's now called Thomasnet.
I discovered it in the 70s when it was a book with the names and addresses of manufacturers. The manufacturers I wanted to purchase from required a business license and they had an initial minimum purchase price of $600 to $1,000 to buy from them. Plus you had to have a good Dun & Bradstreet rating. Some required a line of credit from a business bank account. I have no idea what is required now, 50 years later.
https://www.thomasnet.com
ajs_coins_and_alchemy
·3 years agoBEST SOURCING METHOD!?!?!?!
WOW.
Only one of you came close to mentioning the best (my) sourcing method... and it's only because that person was promoting themselves 🙄🙄
Can you keep a secret? Please please please! It's between you and me! We all know it!! My method of sourcing starts with E and ends with BAY.
I have (at least what I think) are really nice margins. (I am able to source at good prices). I have quick turn around time (mostly the category I'm in I suppose). I get to do all of this in my jammies, never NEED to leave home, and get to help support my fellow sellers with my patronage â¤ï¸â¤ï¸
Totally not factored into my margins, this is just a bonus.... I get 6.33% cash back on all my EBay purchases. (I double dip). I have an EBay Mastercard which gets me 3.33% cash back, and Capital One Shopping Rewards gives me 3% back. Tell me any place you source where you regularly get that benefit.
I'm relatively smaller. I started this with a small capital investment and have used my reinvestsd profits to grow slow and steady, grass roots style. I currently buy $4,000-$6,000 per month on average. I've not run into a problem sourcing stuff. My limiting factor is usually my apetite to buy (how much and what areas), not my ability to find stuff. Definitely enough supply to meet my demand.
That's my 2 cents. Now go source at thrift stores and stuff, leave me and my sourcing method alone! 🤣🤣🤣
frodobagginskennedy
·3 years ago@ajs_coins_and_alchemy LOL... I did not think of it as promoting myself.....I was just making a joke. Will see if I can get it removed as I do not want to be seen in that light.
ajs_coins_and_alchemy
·3 years ago@frodobagginskennedy
Lol OMG no I didn't mean it like that. I know you meant it as a joke or were being sarcastic. That was my attempt at a joke back as I poke fun at no one pointing out what I think is the best sourcing method of all....except the one person who was only making a joke of it 🤣
rosachs
·3 years agoI do a lot of my sourcing on eBay, it's one of the few sites where I can buy by the pound and sell individually or in themed sets. My other sourcing has always been face-to-face. You never can tell where a casual conversation may end up. I've shared the tale of my shoe consignment adventure before - I'll not share it again here as I'm trying to reduce my word count for a while. 🙂
-Bob.
rosachs
·3 years agoDang! I was sure he was talking about me... I promise to try harder next time!
-Bob.
pickermall
·3 years ago@wad_ceci - you seem to be doing pretty well with inventory. Where do you source YOUR items? Asking for a friend 😃
theteamsetguy
·3 years agoHas anyone checked Sri Lanka lately? I heard because the US dollar is so strong you can buy a lot of coco nut shell items cheap. Bowls I heard are extremely popular. Shhhhh! A little birdie tells me you can make a killing selling them here on eBay.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agotheteamsetguy
·3 years agoThat"s a good one!
gloryglorygifts
·3 years agoGo to the source. If you want to sell widgets, go to a widget wholesaler and buy in bulk at cost or wholesale pricing. I wouldn't buy from a reseller, but that's just me.
luckythewinner
·3 years agoSellers with a good source for inventory are not going to give that information to a competitor.
IMHO if a seller wants to make money, 95% of his effort should be focused on identifying good inventory to sell.
If it was as easy as asking on a messageboard then everyone would be rich.
coolections
·3 years agoPost 3 tells you the BEST places to get stuff for resale. With fees and ship cost I cannot believe very many people can afford to source at stores and make a profit reselling. Just to sell an item for $20 you would pay approximately $4.65 in fees + $7.00 ship cost ($11.65) = $8.35 net. So to list a $20 item you cannot afford to pay more than $4.17 for it. Good Luck
maxine*j
·3 years agoYou've been here since 2014. You have close to 400 listings at the moment. You have well over 1,000 sales. Methinks your question is disingenuous. In any event, it is unanswerable because it depends on what you want to sell, and whether you want to sell it new or used, for a fast nickel or a slow dime, domestically or internationally, and on and so on.
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shag182
·3 years agoYou have to think outside the box, oops tent. Just go tent to tent for your source of items to sell. There's a treasure trove of stuff... new, old, used, unique, one of kind, etc.
You might also catch MRSA.
aeparts1
·3 years agoFirst, tell us where you get the items you are currently selling. Contact names, email addresses, phone #'s & the like would help. Prices you pay too.
With that information we will be sure to not tell you anything you don't already know.
clown_car_driver
·3 years agoI used to drive an ambulance.
Got lots of coats, shoes. Wallets. Jewelry, watches.
Sometimes ... gold teeth.
Good times.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoI must be misunderstanding your message -- or else it's a joke.
But you made no effort at all to find the rightful owner of items left in the ambulance?
maxine*j
·3 years agoHe was kidding. Besides a sarcasm emoji, we need a silly font for posting when we're in a nonsensical mood.
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reallynicestamps
·3 years agoBesides a sarcasm emoji, we need a silly font for posting when we're in a nonsensical mood.
Well there's this: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
Or more mysteriously: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
maxine*j
·3 years agoI wondered why I suddenly felt, I don't know, like lighter when the ambulance dropped me off at the hospital emergency room.
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harafkac0
·3 years agoI no longer have to go far or pay much for my inventory, I apparently have the gift of acquiring all this inventory just by going through life so I get all my items right from my own house. I am sure there are literally still hundreds of things just waiting to be listed (granted some would require the permissions of my wife which can be a bit tricky at times but I'm still at least 100-200 items from even having to go there).
And I am sorry to have to tell you before you ask, but I seriously do not know how this all came to be this way. But it's the way things are, I have not had to leave the house for the purpose of acquiring inventory in a fair bit of time now (years, some might say).
gloryglorygifts
·3 years agolakefor94
·3 years agoJust about Every business has excess inventory. Keep knocking on doors, build relationships with merchants or any type of business until you have all you can list and store.
rosachs
·3 years agoThe company I'm currently working for owns a number of thrift stores, as well as selling online across multiple venues. I've been talking to my boss (the owner) about working out some kind of discounted purchasing arrangement for after I retire. He already has a very good employee discount program, but I'm looking at buying 500lbs of product once or twice a quarter, especially if he loads it up with PC stuff - even the open box stuff.
That was the beauty of my shoe consignment client -- they had a LOT of shoes they wanted sold. They really didn't care about the money, and they had no problems with my initial fee or the increase I requested after 3-4yrs. They wanted the shoes gone and if they got back 10 cents on the retail dollar, they were good with that. But there was never any doubt that, regardless of how much I sold today, there would always be more tomorrow. Shoes aren't all that profitable, especially when you're only looking at 25-33% of the net profits. But when you can get multiples of the same model, just difference sizes and widths, you save a lot of time not re-doing images and descriptions and can post the additional units in minutes. THAT makes a lower consignment rate much easier to grow on.
Finding inventory one time is a fluke. Learning to find it over and over -- that's a skill. Skills take practice and learning from your mistakes. Lots of great suggestions here (except maybe for that parking lot thing) -- find what works for your situation (speaking in general here, not to any specific poster) and practice, practice, practice. It does get easier with time.
-Bob.
inhawaii
·3 years agoAlmost 2AM in Hawaii and you guys got me LOL. 😃
toysaver
·3 years agoFrom West Monroe La try Shreveport. Find out when they traditionally have their garage sales (usually Friday or Saturday but necessarily) and commit to going. Also develop a route of their thrift stores.
ckimodog
·3 years ago@wad_ceci
You could always google it.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoI grab stuff that falls off of trucks and roll people in parking lots and steal their clothing.
rosachs
·3 years agoThat was you?!?! I want my PU faux leather bomber jacket back and those 25yr old sneakers!! 🙂
Back when eBay semi-supported consigment sellers, I found it easier to sell products I didn't buy. My clients would supply their excess, our contract determined how it would be listed/priced, and I got a commission for every sale and all the listing and fvf fees paid by the client. One BIG note: I only worked with businesses - no individuals. Individuals, as a general rule, almost always think whatever they have is worth many times more than what even a wee bit of research shows the actual selling price to be. And they don't understand that, if I'm doing all the work, I deserve a cut of the sale. So I stayed with businesses and things were a lot smoother.
As to where I got my non-consignment products: wholesale suppliers used by my employer at the time (using their account - the more you buy over time, the better your discounts get), retail stores going out of business (bought multiple FrontPage98 retail products when several local office stores closed - and resold them on eBay for several times what I paid... and just a few days later!). I've even found inventory when the family has been traveling and we stop at various outlet malls or tourist areas.
But you have to know your numbers!! I was offered a bulk lot of mens dress shoes (wingtips, German made) - and the price was very tempting. But about 15 minutes of research on eBay and a bit of math showed me that even if I were to be the only seller with these shoes (I wouldn't be), and could somehow sell twice the number of shoes as were currently selling (I doubt it), it would still take me multiple years (something less than 10, but not too much less) and most of the inventory would have dry-rotted before it could be sold. Plus I'd have to pick up another 10x30 storage units, and the racks to put in it, just to store it all!
The math didn't work. And I still use that same math today, some 20 years later. Only now I'm buying bulk PC lots locally (usually 'trash' from various repair shops), breaking them down, and selling off the pieces. Still have to know what things are selling for (I get more for a 40MB Seagate MFM drive than a 1TB Seagate SATA drive, for example), and how much I can reasonably expect to move over the course of 3,6,12 months. Some lots are better than others, but I've been working with PCs since I started college (fall '76), so I've developed a bit of an eye for what is worth attempting to save or part out and what isn't. Not perfect - I still have some stock that likely will never sell and will have to be recycled, but practice makes better!
-Bob.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoWait, so those weren’t just nudists?
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoSome put up quite a fight but I'm dammed and determined, for I must feed my people.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoNot if you were up against me. I’ll bet you’d even pay me to make sure I keep my clothes on.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoStarted out being miffed at you for revealing a possible source of inventory, but you have, fortunately, redeemed yourself in my eyes by your "must feed my people" remark.
So -- push on.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoSome put up quite a fight but I'm dammed and determined, for I must feed my people.
You should try some of the local morgues the people put up less of a fight and don't seem to mind giving up their clothing and other items for free. Landfills are also pretty good but you have to stay ahead of the dozers covering things so you don't become part of the fill.
coolections
·3 years agoI've seen so many listings over the years that I think there ARE sellers who list things from landfills. Especially many who come here with the conspiracy that Ebay hides their listings.
reallynicestamps
·3 years ago@coolections
I think there ARE sellers who list things from landfills.
A former employer lived near a county dump where residents would leave "old but good" stuff.
He had one cute little side table he took to trade shows to hold brochures and we would get two or three offers for the table every weekend.
And Hornby Island BC has a "Free" shop where people leave "stuff" and pick up other "stuff". Always crowded.
http://www.hirra.ca/recycle/
There is a similar non-business in Castlegar BC.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoWe had a mendicant order of monks here who dumpster dived and repaired items they found and sold them. I'm not sure if they're still doing that, but I bought an excellent bike saddle from them that they had refurbed with a piece of purple leather. I had jokes about "the wings beneath my butt".
rosachs
·3 years agoI found the local Freecycle group to be a decent source for both 'decomposable' computers and packing supplies. The computers I'd convert to cash, one tested & working part at a time. The packing supplies made me money because I could buy less new and yet still have plenty. And I consider both to be recycling, so that was even better.
It's amazing how much you can pack into a full-sized SUV with both the rear seats and the middle row seats down. Even better when that weird auto-leveling air suspension it came with lifted the back end up to normal ride height. So cool to watch!!
-Bob.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoCemeteries and graveyards. Very lucrative. Bring a shovel. 🙂
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoThe only problem with the cemeteries is that the styles can be a bit dated, and you never know what you're gonna get. You have to go in at night, and then I could work like a dog and end up with a pile of imperishable double knit Alfred Dunner and Appleseed's - that stuff is like Twinkies, it would survive Armageddon and the harrowing of he!! so the market is saturated. But an upscale funeral home...now that's an idea.
That reminds me of a play called The Thief of Tears - a woman who would go to random funerals, sob over the Departed, bend to kiss them and nip off the earrings, or finger off the watch. I don't have that kind of brass, though.
turnpiketreasures1
·3 years agoThanks for my morning laugh, Chapeau. 🤣🤣🤣
maxine*j
·3 years agoBut it is washed before listing, right? Unprofessional, otherwise.
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chapeau-noir
·3 years agoWhen I go into the laundromat to steal people's wetwash I replace it with the stuff I've obtained and run out the rest of the cycle - I have standards!
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoI grab stuff that falls off of trucks and roll people in parking lots and steal their clothing.
garrethe
·3 years agoI gotta try that....
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoChina
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoChina
Already lots of sellers doing this, heavy competition but no shortage of products out of that country, counterfeit or not.
psfhobbies
·3 years agoBy the looks of things amazon tons of drop shippers here.... The "team" guy above nailed it though seriously that's how you start off here and then grow but its an up hill climb for sure
theteamsetguy
·3 years ago@wad_ceci ,
Based on my observation, many sellers get items from:
1. Thrift stores
2. Garage sales
3. Estate sales
4. Local auctions
5. Merchandise returns from major retailers and Amazon by the pallet
6. Rummage sales
7. Flea markets
8. Liquidation sales/auctions
inhawaii
·3 years agoAny store that sells merchandise.
I doubt many sellers here will want to reveal to you where they source their products from.