Ray Of Sunshine

I found this yellow chair at my favorite thrift store on Thursday. It was sitting outside in front of the building and I did not notice it when I went inside. I looked around and didn't find anything except a pair of Winnie the Pooh slippers for Ryker. While I was paying for my purchase, Sarah was outside looking at the chairs. I noticed her looking at this fiberglass yellow one. I asked her if she was going to get it and she said no. I then asked her if she noticed any cracks. Nope. I told her I was going to go back in and offer them $2 for it. They accepted my offer.

I believe it came from the local laundry mat as I remember sitting in these chairs while doing my laundry. I was hoping it was marked. The Herman Miller chairs, that are similar to this one, sell for big bucks on Ebay. Check out these completed listings here.

linking to Her Library Adventures

Would You Buy It Wednesday

We went to Goodwill on Monday and I was kind of disappointed with the selections. I did find some pants for Ryker which he needed. I also found this owl. He is huge. He is almost 12 inches tall and weighs over 7 pounds. I listed him at auction and he already has a bid. To see my auction, click here

I also found this egg cup from Japan. I don't know anything about these but listed it at auction as well. Unfortunately, when I left the store, I found a hairline crack. I'm not sure if it was there when I bought it or if it cracked because the cashier did not wrap either purchase. There are no bids on this yet.

While I was there, I found a Buzz Lightyear for Ryker. I thought the price sticker said $1.99 I let Ryker play with it and some time between getting it and checking out, he tore the price sticker off. When the cashier could not find the price, I said "oh he must have torn the sticker off. I think it was only $1.99" She called a price check and when the employee came to get the figure, I said "I think the price was $1.99". The employee rudely said "No it's not. It's $10.99."

$10.99 are you freaking kidding me? What the hell are they smoking? I told her I didn't want it. I don't know how much these retail new but $10.99 seems quite high for a used toy. And I could have sworn the price was $1.99 Guess I need to get my eyes checked. and yes Sarah, I'm still harping on this.

Linking to Junker Newbie

My Mandy Needs A Diet

Remember a few blogs back when I scored a mannequin from my favorite thrift store? If not, you can read it here. I had contemplated selling clothes so I had a use for her. Last week, I bought this skirt from Goodwill.

It is a size 10. I tried to put it on her so I could take a picture. Well, Mandy is slightly large boned. I could barely get the skirt pass her hips and when I did, I could not get the skirt to button. I wiggled her out of it and ended up hanging the skirt from my curtain rod. That's what all the successful clothes sellers do, right?

(To see my skirt in my store, just click on the picture.)

Estate Sale Finds

I wanted to go to this estate sale this morning but dragging a two year old into a house of breakables is probably not a good idea. I sent DH instead. I told him the few items I was interested in as there were pictures posted online. The sale opened at 8 but since Bill had to drop William off at school, he wasn't able to get there until 9. At that time, a man was carrying one of the owl lawn ornaments I wanted out to his car. (sad face) Bill said there were alot of people and the stuff I wanted was already sold. He did manage to get me a floor lamp and an owl cuckoo replica clock.

linking to Her Library Adventures

Selling On Facebook

Have you tried selling your items on Facebook yet? It's like Craigslist. However you need to find a group in your area or start one. This is the group I belong too. I have sold a few things there lately. Nothing for big money. (Our group mostly consists of bargain hunters and garage sale sellers.) I also bought my owl lamps from this group.

Yesterday, I sold my bird cage.

When I bought it, I thought it would look great as a decoration. I had it in my living room for a few months and after picking it back up for the hundredth time, (little man could not leave his hands off it) I took the owl and leaves out  and in the basement it went. I listed it a few days ago and someone messaged me wondering if I would take $20 for it. I only paid $3, so I told her yes. She picked it up yesterday. She is going to use it to hold cards at her daughter's wedding and then as a plant holder afterwards.

Tomorrow, I will be selling my Mickey and Minnie Learn to dress dolls. I have had them listed on Ebay since the summer. Bill had gone to a garage sale and purchased 3 paper bags of toys for $5. Most have sold except for a few things including these dolls. I was offered $10 and accepted. Hopefully they will show up.

I really like selling things on Facebook but like I said, I don't make alot of money there but every little bit helps. And the best part: No paying fees to Ebay or Paypal.

How To Pack An Owl Lamp

There is a huge profit on Ebay selling those owl lamps you see at the thrift store or garage sale. Don't be intimidated by their size. If you follow my advice, your lamp will arrive safely to it's buyer.

I have sold two of these lamps for $100. The first one broke but was insured. The second arrived safely. These are the lamps I have sold. I do not sell the shade.

You will need the following supplies to pack your lamp:

1 LARGE BOX  You will want one that opens horizontally so your lamp can lay down. There is less chance of it breaking if it is not standing upright.

2 PIECES OF STYROFOAM BOARD


PACKING PEANUTS


BUBBLEWRAP


BROWN PACKING PAPER OR NEWSPAPER


RUBBER BAND OR TWIST TIE 


PACKING TAPE


Place one piece of styrofoam board on the bottom of the box. You can also add some big bubble wrap on top of that for extra padding. Put about 3 to 4 inches of peanuts into the box. Start wrapping the lamp. Use the rubber band or twist tie to wrap up the cord. Bubble wrap the cord.

Next, bubble wrap the light socket. Be sure to use enough so the socket does not get bent in shipping. If your lamp has spaces between the owls and the tree trunk, you will want to stuff brown packing paper or newspaper in that space. If your lamp has a bowl, pack paper into that as well.

Bubble wrap each owl individually. Again, be sure you are using enough wrap. Once all the owls are wrapped, wrap the whole lamp in more bubble wrap. Use enough so that it looks like a mummy. You want your lamp to arrive in one piece.

Once the lamp is all wrapped up, lay it down in your box. Fill in all the empty space with packing peanuts. Cover the lamp completely with peanuts. Next add the last piece of styrofoam. Close the box and tape it up. Be sure to mark the box with Fragile stickers. I know alot of sellers believe by marking the box fragile, you are putting a big bullseye on it, but in case your lamp does break, the buyer can not say you did not mark it.

Because of the size, it is most likely going to ship by dimensional cost rather than weight. The first time I shipped, I used parcel post and it cost around $30 to ship from WI to CA. The lamp ended up breaking. I had not used packing peanuts but crumpled up grocery bags. Not a good idea! I also had shipped it standing up and I am sure it fell over.

The second lamp, I shipped FedEx from WI to CA and it cost $80 If I had printed the label at home, I could have saved $20. Parcel Post would have cost around $30 but since my first lamp broke shipping it USPS, I decided to give FedEx a chance. I used the above instructions on this one and it arrived safely.

I priced my first lamp at $150 with free shipping since I was using parcel post and knew shipping would be around $30 at the most depending on where my buyer was. I accepted an offer of $130. The second lamp I priced at $200 with free shipping. I did not add a Best Offer to it. Both lamps sold within 2 months of listing.

One last piece of advice. Buy insurance. If your lamp does happen to break, you won't be out your money.

New Owl Lamps

I found three owl lamps for sale on Facebook. I contacted the lady and she had her son meet me at Kwik Trip to pick them up. Unfortunately, one of the lamps had several cracks, so I did not get that one. I got the other two. The creamed color one probably needs to be rewired. The socket was bent and Bill fixed it but I do not trust that it will not start my house on fire. I may sell the brown one to a waitress Bill knows who collects owls. I hope she wants it because I do not need two lamps.



linking to Jenny Matlock



linking to Her Library Adventures