I am sorry to write that we lost a friend yesterday. Gary passed away about noon on Tuesday June 23rd following a massive heart attack with no previous warning.

We know that this sight and computer auctions were a big part of his life and so wanted to let anyone out there know what had happened.

The Funeral is Sat. June 27th at Stennes Funeral Home in East Grand Forks, MN with visitation starting at noon and aslo Friday from 5:00 to 7:00pm. The Obituary will be in the Grand Forks Herald Thursday June 25th.

Thank you for any part you may have played in Gary’s life.

–Gary’s Family

Popularity: 64% [?]

Whether you realize it or not, at one time or another you have likely been exposed to a plastic canvas Kleenex box cover. They can be found in millions of homes across the country. And, while those Kleenex box covers may never be big sellers on eBay, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people around the world addicted to the plastic canvas craft.

And, these crafters aren’t making just tissue box covers. They are stitching away on purses, doll houses, refrigerator magnets, coasters, along with things you would never even think of. They spend a lot of money on patterns for their next creations and are constantly on the lookout for new patterns.

The most frequently seen patterns are four page leaflets although you will also find pattern booklets ranging from eight or ten to two dozen pages in size.

Used patterns can be found at garage sales, thrift stores, and book sales, often for $.10 or less per pattern. These patterns can be turned into nice profits on eBay if you know what to look for, how to buy them, and how to package them.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 74% [?]

You may not have noticed, but vampires are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. And not just among young people. A growing number of adults, particularly women, are fascinated with them.

That fascination has spilled over into the publishing field in the form of several series of novels by a number of authors. Many of these series sell quite well when offered on eBay.

For some ideas regarding what authors and series to look for, check out Vampires - Throw Away The Garlic And Welcome Them Into Your Home over at The 2009 Garage Sale Challenge blog. Be sure to read the comments also.

Photograph by Annafur.

Popularity: 73% [?]

An experienced garage sale shopper/flea market seller walks into a moving sale in an older neighborhood of Grand Forks last Saturday.

One of the first things he spots is an old John Deere pedal tractor from the 1950s sitting in one corner of the garage. He walks over and looks at the price tag - $200. He estimates he could make between $100 and $150 profit on it.

Now the thought process begins. He only has a limited amount of cash for the day and paying $200 for the tractor would mean he’d pretty much be headed home for the day right after the purchase.

While he’s considering buying the pedal tractor, he starts looking around and finds several other things he’d like to buy all priced considerably less than the tractor. He opts for several other purchases that come to a total of roughly $90.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 32% [?]

Roughly six months ago eBay launched Fixed Price Format listings. In eBay’s New 30 Day Fixed Price Listing Format I talked about two possible ways I saw to take advantage of the new format.

I’ve been testing both over the last six months. While both methods have proven to increase sales to a degree, a third approach to using Fixed Price Format listings has shown itself to regularly increase my profits with certain kinds of items on a regular basis.

This approach works best with items that appear fairly frequently on eBay in both the auction and eBay store format. I’m going to use an example of something I sold a couple days ago to show what I’ve been doing.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 25% [?]

In two weeks, on May 11, 2009, the US Post Office will be implementing rate increases for several classes of mailing along with extra services such as Delivery Confirmation and insurance.

Their new price list is available on-line in PDF format. It includes a lot of information that the majority of sellers will never use, but you may want to print out the sections that pertain to your business and keep them next to your computer for quick reference when writing auction ads.

You should also remember to begin using the new rate chart when writing any auction listing that will end on, or after, May 9th, along with any new store or fixed price listing you are getting ready to write.

Now might also be a good time to begin updating any eBay store or flat rate listings that will need to be changed to reflect the new rates.

Photograph by Kok Leng Yeo.

Popularity: 22% [?]

There are many things you can do that have the potential to increase your profits on eBay. Here are six simple ones that will guarantee your bottom line increases.

1. Buy More Inventory - If you have been selling on eBay for very long you know what your sell-through-rate is. Increasing the number of items you have to sell will increase your sale resulting in more profits.

2. List More Items Each Week - One of the things I noticed during the 2008 Garage Sale Challenge was that some participants purchased a lot of inventory but never got around to listing it. Doubling or tripling the number of items you list each week will double or triple your profits.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 17% [?]

One of the most commonly heard pieces of advice about selling books on-line is to concentrate on non-fiction. But if you buy much of your inventory at garage sales, thrift stores, or book sales, there are plenty of opportunities to make some money with common fiction too.

A good place to start is with popular, best selling, authors who have written a series of books around one central character or theme. Because of the popularity of the authors and their series, these books are fairly easy to find and can often be purchased for $.50 or less.

The secret to making money with them is to sell them in lots. While you won’t get rich selling this kind of fiction, lots of 15 to 20 or more books by the authors explored below will offer you a reasonable chance of getting between $2 and $7 a book.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 21% [?]

Martha Stewart’s Blueprint magazine is another recent publication that you will likely see at garage sales and thrift stores this summer.

The premiere issue of Blueprint magazine was the Summer 2006 issue. The magazine was not a huge hit, and after the January/February 2008 issue the magazine ceased publication. During that time only eight issues were published.

Although Blueprint magazine never gained the subscriber base to make it a successful publishing venture, it still has a big enough audience that it is still worthwhile picking up copies at garage sales.

Although individual issues don’t attract much issues complete runs of all eight issues bring between $35 and $50 on eBay. Smaller lots of three to five magazines will usually bring somewhere around $5 an issue.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Domino magazine is an excellent example of a magazine you have a good chance of finding at garage sales or in thrift stores that can be extremely profitable when sold on eBay.

Domino magazine, published by Conde Nast, first appeared in April 2005 with a Spring/Summer Premiere issue. The magazine’s tag line, “A Guide To Living With Style” described the overall content of the magazine - interior design.

In January of this year, Conde Nast announced that the March 2009 issue would be the last issue. During the four years between 2005 and 2009 a total of 28 issues were published.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 34% [?]