There were thirty-four garage sales that started today in Grand Forks which is a large number for a Thursday. If normal ratios are the same as in past years that means there may well be fifty to sixty new sales on both Friday and Saturday.
This is unusual for this early in the season. It is normally the first or second week of June before this many are seen Thursday, Friday, and Saturday around here. We have had exceptionally nice weather the last two weeks so maybe people are getting the “bug” earlier than normal.
I started started shopping at 6:50 this morning with a sweatshirt to ward off the early morning chill, a large Midnight Roast coffee from the nearby Holiday station, and some John Fogerty CDs to keep me motivated.
With all those sales, I only purchased three things for eBay. A one-stroke painting video set, a pair of Michael Jordan sneakers, and a Fred Bear re-curve bow. All the rest of my purchases were books that are destined for Amazon.
In a comment to yesterday’s post Stephen asked if it was possible to list the titles of the books I purchased to put on Amazon. I make no promises that this will be a regular thing, but since nearly all of today’s buys are destined for Amazon, here’s a list of the titles that I purchased and their authors:
- Experiencing Philosophy
- High Blood Cholesterol - Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment Of High Blood Cholesterol In Adults
- Basic Ethics
- Bioethics - An Introduction For The Biosciences
- The Elements Of Moral Philosophy
- A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox
- Medical Ethics
- Creative Resources For The Early Childhood Classroom
- There’s Got To Be A Better Way - Discipline That Works
- Thirteen Ways Of Looking For A Poem
- Playing The Race Card
- I.V. Therapy Made Incredibly Easy
- An Activities Handbook For Teachers Of Young Children
- Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book
- Under The Whelming Tide
- 2006 Intravenous Medications
- Ecofeminism
- The Newspaper Indian - Native American Identity In The Press - 1820-90
- Century Of Struggle - The Woman’s Rights Movement In The US
- Writing Poems
- The Curves Of Life
A few cost $1.00, but most were purchased for $.50 or less apiece.
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May 17th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Gary,
Thanks for being so gracious!!
May 18th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Gary,
Were any of these titles College Text books??
May 18th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Stephen,
None of them are actual college text books. The ones about ethics and philosophy would be on the required reading lists of some college philosophy classes.
I purchased those at the garage sale of the woman who is the head of that department at UND here in town. (One of the advantages of living in a college town is sales like hers - she receives a lot of books from publishers hoping they get put on the must read lists.)
The other books all came from several different sales. Most of it is good stuff though.
So far, about 24 hours after listing them on Amazon, five of them have sold. After Amazon’s commissions I have $96.56 coming for the five. Out of that there is about $12.50 for shipping I paid, but $84.00 isn’t to bad for a $3 to $5 investment.
Gary
May 20th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Gary,
Did you use ScoutPal to identify these particular titles as items that you should pick up, or were they “gut feeling” purchases??
If they were “gut feeling” buys, maybe you could share with us, what were the “flash points” that caught your attention and made you pick them up rather than pass them by??
As always, thanks for your valued insights!!
May 20th, 2007 at 10:04 am
…Heck no, trading $3-$5 bucks for $85 isn’t bad at all!! Imagine if all our returns on EVERY investment were so large!?!?
My wife and I like to say of our inventory finds, “we’re trading nickels, dimes, quartes and $1 for $10’s & $20’s and $100’s!”
Case in point…yesterday I purchased (”educated gut feeling”), a stack of 11 early jazz & salsa 33 1/3 rpm LP records for $4 bucks (appox. $.40 cents each), and have identified 7 with a sales history of $25-$40 EACH!
I’d be a fool not to trade $0.40 cents for a potential $25-$40 ANYDAY, and the best thing is that it’s a WIN-WIN-WIN for everybody involved!!
May 20th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Stephen,
Sorry, no deep dark secrets. All the books were purchased based on what ScoutPal showed.
Gary
May 21st, 2007 at 9:54 am
Thanks Gary!!
BTW — When’s the fly fishin’ trip ??
May 21st, 2007 at 8:28 pm
We are leaving on June 9 and will be back sometime late on the 16th.
Gary