The dollar store.

[inhawaii]

I can't stand dollar stores.  I never go in them. What a bunch of junk!

A few weeks ago a friend of mine dragged me in a dollar store with him.  Somehow the topic of ebay came up. He bet me $20 that i couldn't buy something from the dollar store for $1 and re-sell it on ebay for $5.  I carefully chose my item.

Handy TV remote control/cell phone storage rack/holder/organizer US SELLER!

I just sold 3 of them.  I won the bet.  LOL

[inhawaii]

Yeah i won the bet.  I wish it was $60.  LOL I under estimated the shipping. I had a box to ship them in. It weighed in at just over 1 lb.  so it cost me $10.85 to ship PM.  Customer S&H charges were $11 which covered the shipping but not ebay/paypal  fees.

Still not bad for a one time impulse buy/bet. 

If i sell out the remaining 3, who knows, maybe i'll go back for more?

[upgradedendmills]

That is the kind of thought pattern that keeps you as the Best Seller on eBay!!!!!!

[corvettestainless]

I buy padded manila envelopes- 100 for $25 or so, 16x10's, 19x12's, 10x8s- for items that weigh under 16oz. - overall cost average is .25c for envelope, .18c bubble wrap (if using 3 12x12 sheets) and $4-$5 shipping- total is less than $6 shipped (includes the .20c I pay for ink and a sticky label with receipts (also bought here, 500 for $50). 

All helps as the PM boxes add 6-12 oz to the package, envelope is 2-3oz keeping package in the 1st class range. 

[buyselljack2016]

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@inhawaii wrote:

Yeah i won the bet.  I wish it was $60.  LOL I under estimated the shipping. I had a box to ship them in. It weighed in at just over 1 lb.  so it cost me $10.85 to ship PM.  Customer S&H charges were $11 which covered the shipping but not ebay/paypal  fees.

Still not bad for a one time impulse buy/bet. 

If i sell out the remaining 3, who knows, maybe i'll go back for more?

---

So, unless you get a $20 bet on those other three, you make no money😎

[buyselljack2016]

In the past I have resold item purchased from "a dollar store" that had "liquidation buyout" items, but no longer see any of those deals, so I don't resell from the DS, but my purchases include

• Wise potato chips
• Chex mix
• Pirouline wafers
• TGI Fridays potato skins
• Off the rack reading glasses to wear places that I do not want to pull out the prescription ones
• LED night lights
• 2/$1 Hallmark sympathy cards
• $0.25 clearance Christmas outdoor solar lights
• Scotties facial tissue
• Black markers to use on my eBay stuff
• Campbell's chicken noodle soup in the 25% larger can(beats the grocery store sale price on the regular size can)
• 9V batteries for the multi-meter that I forget to shut off
• Name Brand honey wheat bread on occasion
• Nail polish to mark items before shipping
• VO5 and White Rain for Men shampoo in the +20% larger size

[chapeau-noir]

The only thing I get at the DS are batteries for the peripherals I sell.  I swear, there's so much junk in the one near me, and I really hate shopping so I don't explore much further.  Maybe I will - it may be my avenue to eBay milliunz! 

[buyselljack2016]

Now I want one of those racks 😊 , but will have a look in the $ store rather than eBay.

I probably have enough scrap to build my own, but for a $ + tax I will snag one already made sometime when I am there if our area stores carry them.

[femmefan1946]

@m60driver 

There are still many people out there who do not live close to a dollar store, or a Home Depot, or a Costco, or even a Walmart.

DD is two mountain passes away from the nearest WalMart in Nelson BC. On the other hand, the skiing is great.

Not all dollar stores are big chains.  And not all stores get the same merchandise. The smaller businesses get some truly weird stuff.

Dollar stores are a good source for party items. Cheap and gaudy, just as I like 'em.

[emerald_door]

I saw $5 plus $5 for shipping.  I'm glad you won the bet.  

[etcism]

Why feel guilty  - it's all business.  Just consider yourself a much smaller version of, for example, Walmart.

Walmart, today alone, probably bought a million items for a $1.00 each from one of their wholesalers and will put them in their stores for $10 or $20.

I shop at Dollar Stores for myself and maybe once or twice a year, on a lark, will pick up something interesting to resell.  Last one I can remember was about a year ago I picked up 2 or 3 of those As Seen On TV hard boiled egg peeler machines and sold them all lickety split.  Didn't make much profit at all but it was interesting to see the interest in them.  There are many people who don't live near stores or are homebound, etc. who are very happy to find "just the thing they've been looking for" online and can get it delivered to their door.

[loveyourimagination49]

We have Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. Are you talking about any of those or is there a store called the Dollar Store?

[bigdeals.etc]

I once sold a 99c store brand item for like 3 dollars. It was a kitchen utensil. The packaging had the brand on it and it said 99c on the corner of the cardboard packaging.

The buyer got really upset at me saying how shady I was selling it for more than 99c. The listing had the brand name on it and everything correct. I guess seeing how much I paid for the item made the buyer angry.

[bigdeals.etc]

Since it weighed over 1 lb, you couldn’t find any flat rate boxes that it fits into that might be cheaper? Like Small FR box, or Regional A FR Box?

[buyselljack2016]

OP item would not fit in SFR unless it maybe comes un-assembled.

Regional A would be no savings on a 2# ship weight.

[namele365]

Congrats 🙂

I live within easy walking distance of walmart, dollar store, starbucks, denny's, game stop, tuesday morning, walgreens, joanne fabrics and others.  I can throw a rock and possibly hit my bank.

I live here not by choice;  I was forced to leave my home and live in my shop after divorce.  But I digress.

I'd gladly give up all the convenience to be living on the island.

Aloha , a me malama pono cuz 🙂