I Got Her and I'm Going To Keep Her

On Valentines Day,  I wrote a blog whining about how my favorite thrift store would not sell me their vintage mannequin. You can read that post here. My sister had called the store that day and they told her it wasn't for sale. I was sad. I wanted her. I needed her. I thought about her everyday. I'm not even sure why I got so fixated on her. I don't sew. I don't sell clothes on Ebay. I don't have a flea market booth. I don't really need her. But I wanted her so bad. I'm the type of person most people can not say no to. I'm not sure why. I have some kind of aurora about me and I usually get what I want. I'm not trying to be egoistical. It just happens. So yesterday my sister wanted to go to the thrift store. I told her I was going to ask about that mannequin.

When I got there, she was being displayed in the clothing section. She was wearing a hideous sweater with a gold chain. To further her embarrassment, they had put a glass bowl on her for her head. I had to rescue her. I quickly scanned the store for the manager. I saw him in housewares rearranging some shelves. I approached him and nervously asked "Would you sell me your mannequin for $20?" I was prepared to go higher if needed. He looked at me and said "That mannequin over there?" I nodded and he continued " Hmmm that's my only mannequin. I'd hate to get rid of it." (The horror of him calling her an it) He looked at me and I must have pleaded with my eyes and he said "Yeah you can have it". (again with the it. He did not deserve her) I went to go find my sister and told her the good news.

The manager got Arlen to help me with her. He told him to take the sweater off and get it down. She was on a table. I told him he could take the bowl too. He started to take her sweater off and almost knocked her to the floor. He caught her just in time. When he removed the sweater, I noticed they had run some coat hanger through her for arms. I gently removed that crap. WTH??? I then went to pay. She would not fit in the car so I had to put her in the trunk for the ride home. She is standing in my living room. I'm not sure what I am going to do with her but I love her so much. I named her Mandy.

linking to Her Library Adventures

What 5 Dollars Bought

Converse All Star toddler high tops

They are slightly too big for Ryker so I put them up for auction on Ebay. They are brand new. They retail for $27 on the Converse website. If I do not get any bids, I will put them into my store until they fit Ryker or sell.

linking to Her Library Adventures

Featured On Terapeak's Blog

I have been featured on Terapeak's blog. You can read it here. If you don't know what Terapeak is, it is a market research tool to help you price your items on Ebay. You can see what your item sold for in the past and decide whether or not to buy that item. It can save you money on inventory and help maximize your profits. It is a very valuable tool to have. You can read more about Terapeak and/ or sign up here. 

Thanks Ryan for featuring me on your blog.

I'm Gonna Cry... Not really but

My favorite thrift store has started putting prices on their items. Before you could go to the counter and make on offer on most anything (some stuff was marked) Now almost everything is marked or there is a sign. And its not even cheap anymore!!! Before, I could get a book for a quarter. Now that same book is $1. I went there to get a stroller (they used to sell them for $5 -$10) Now they are $20 I asked if I could get a better price and he said $15. It was so dirty I'm glad I didn't buy it.

This isn't even a nice thrift store. It's in a crappy neighborhood and alot of the items are dirty (like toys) They were painting it today so I think they are trying to make it look better. Everything was organized. I don't know where I'm going to get my ebay inventory now. I can still make a profit but not as high as before. I realize they have to make money too but here is my issue. All their inventory is FREE. The workers there are either volunteers, doing community service, or live in their half way house. The people who run this store are the same people who had the warehouse close to me that closed in October. They reopened in another area of town and changed their business model to a higher end thrift store. So they have 2 buildings. I don't understand why they did not close the store in the crappy neighborhood and keep the warehouse, leaving one rent payment instead of 2. That way they could have continued to offer cheap prices. I think their higher end boutique isn't making it so they had to raise the prices at the other store. It sucks but what can you do? It's still cheaper than Goodwill but the quality just isn't there. I did find this dictionary for a buck. It's from the 50's.





I also found another Speak and Spell but this was at Goodwill. This will be my third one. I'm not sure if I missed the buying craze or I'm pricing them too high as none of them have sold. I did sell a Speak and Read a week back for $45 to a buyer in the U.K.



Saturday, I sold my vintage sewing bag for $35. I saw one last week at Goodwill but did not purchase it. Today, I decided if it was still there I would buy it since my other one sold. It was still there. (Not sure if that is a good sign or not.. Was it still there because it was destined to be mine or will this one be a dud?) I have it listed in my store.



There was also a vintage mannequin at the thrift store. I debated about getting it. Later in the day, I had my sister call to see how much it was. They told her it wasn't for sale. (insert sad face) I'm really bummed about that. Why won't they sell it to me??? Putting one clothing item on the manny isn't going to get your crappy clothes to sell. Honestly. Sell it to me. I neeeeeeeeeed it. Ok I'm gonna wipe away those tears now. j/k

linking to Junker Newbie

Pinterest For Ebay?

Are you using Pinterest to promote your Ebay listings? If not, you really should. What is Pinterest you ask? I had never heard of this site until I read a blog on We Sell On Ebay. In it, Leslie describes what it is and how you can use it to promote your Ebay listings..

Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board that allows users to share images they find interesting or inspiring. Once shared, these images become "Pins" that can be placed on thematic boards that users can customize for any topic. (Yes, that can include your Ebay store.) Once something is "Pinned" it can be repinned by other users. So your item could end up on several other boards and may direct more traffic to your store.

After reading her article, I decided to check the site out. First, I needed to get invited. I asked one of my friends on Facebook to send me an invite. (If you would like me to send you one, leave your email address in the comment section or private message me) After I was in, I set up my boards. I have 6 boards: Items for Sale, Owls For Sale, Treasures in Thriftingland, Wish List, Yummy, and Cool Things.

After you set up your boards, you can pin. I've discovered there are a few ways to go about pinning. Some websites, like Bonanza, already have a Pinterest button and you would just click on that. A pop up will appear prompting you to add it to one of your boards and add a description. Easy peasy. Another way is too repin. You find something you like on a fellow members board and click the repin button. The third way requires you to add the Pinterest button to you favorites bar. If you find an item you like while surfing, click the pin button in your favorites. The last way is probably the most time consuming but since I have computer problems and my favorites do not show, I have been using this method. In the right upper corner, you will see Add+ If you click that, a menu will appear where you can add a pin, upload a pin or create a board. Click on add a pin and it will give you a space to type in the website url.

Of course you don't want to exclusively promote your items. You will want to add other boards like recipes, things to create, favorite books, etc. Warning, though, pinning can be addicting! Does it help your sales? It certainly can't hurt. In the past two weeks I have been on there, 4 of my pins have sold. I'm not sure if it is a coincidence or not. Of those items, two were new listings, one was on its second month and the last I had since summer. If you would like to follow me just click on the icon on the bottom of this blog.

What $5 Bought

A play work bench for Ryker

I found this at the Goodwill in Rib Mountain. It has a saw, hammer, screwdriver, a level and wrench. It has some bolts and nuts and pegs to pound in. Ryker loves to pound. He still has not figured out how the screws work though.