Six months post eBay

Lead-off image is when the poppies were in bloom. Thrift shop ceramic frog in permanent wonder at their beauty. 

Having taken a six-month hiatus from selling on eBay, I am ready to start over again. I do have my shop tam_gonza and over 1,200+ positive feedback. 

The only bugaboo to this Grand Plan is my product is stored somewhere in a packed outdoor shed.  

Most of the eBay branded boxes and rolls of tape, I gave away. What I found most useful are the different sized polymailers. Those, I kept. 

I will limit my sales to the following items:

Uncut sewing patterns
Unique books on cooking or crafting
Tarot or New Age philosophy deck of cards
Color-coded sets of Barbie-sized clothes
Needlekits

Those are the few categories that I know I still have items to sell. In the move/purge, I can't remember what flew out the door. 

I had been avoiding estate sales. There are certain items, like those listed above, that other buyers overlook. Old bibles and dusty pieces of artwork can be fabulous finds.

Quick thrifting update: New feather/down pillow $9, retail price $29. 

Gardening update: Plants have to be watered twice a day with the 100+ degree heat. 

We are hibernating inside during the heat wave.😡

Sewing Stuff

September is National Sewing Month. Calls for a couple of funny images.  

Seller update: I have been kicking around the idea of live selling. I have applied to eBay live selling but I don't think I fit their age demographic (they like them young). TikTok live selling is another option. It all sounds like more work, maybe I won't go there. 

Lurking and hoping that a local estate still has all of the crafter goodies I saw posted online. I can make it to the sale on Friday afternoon so I hope to post all kind of goodie images. I have nearly gone through all of my death pile stock. 

First day of estate sale

I finally made it to the first day of an estate sale. Since most open on Friday, I work that day albeit remote. This sale was on my way to the post office with my eBay deliveries. I have since branched out on my categories for sale. Added to my list are vintage games and Bibles. This estate sale produced a new Bible in its box, and an older Monopoly game. Next year, I will be free to visit all of the estate sales on Day 1. 

1966 Barbie was $1.50 at half off day at thrift. Since she had her clothes, she was a bargain. The individually priced outfits were $3.00 each. I gave her an upgrade in her outfit to this one. I am on the lookout for Barbie shoes. 

Barbie fans know that Barbie faces have changed over the years. The first Barbie looked like a world-wise older woman. 

And on to other things:

Finally getting my own estate in order. The safe deposit box now opened, I have a phone appointment with an estate planning attorney. When my mom passed, everything was in order. I had simply to follow the instructions she had left, down to the last detail in her celebration of life event. 

Promo here for my upcoming Countdown to Christmas beginning December 1st. This is an annual event. I have gathered my usual 25 holiday-themed Christmas CDs - all thrift shop rescues. Image gathering of Christmasy items continues all year long. 

These are the fabrics I have pulled to wrap my eBay orders in. When December rolls around, I will wrap orders in holiday-themed fabric. 

My department had its first all staff in person meeting a week ago. Out of approximately 200 people, 6 so far have contracted COVID. I am down with something so it is either a mild form of the ick, or is the seasonal flu. 

Lastly, I garnered over 2,000 views in one day on this blog. That is a first! Hello to all of my regular readers and those who have recently joined me. 

Day 2 of Estate Sale Sourcing, and Garnering the Gown

I don't worry too much about getting to the first day of an estate sale. By Day 3, they are ready to give items away by the bagful. This was the third day of this sale, family had told the Mrs. to "downsize." This staging was only from the outdoor shed, next month would be the contents of the house and garage. 

It was hands down the biggest sale I had ever attended. It took nearly two hours to go through most everything. It was a hot morning, the temps headed to the 100s. Talk about sweat equity, hard work ~ I was even too tired to make the thrift shop rounds after that. There were a lot of clothes and it has been my experience that the best ones are at the bottom of the piles. 

I filled 3 bags at $10 each so $30 "sourcing." I put that in quotes because I did grab more clothes than usual. The blue gingham one is a German girl Halloween costume -Think Viking/Nordic. There is a red cashmere sweater in perfect condition. The jacket to the left has Picasso prints all over it - very cute. It is a keeper. 

 

What in the world am I going to do with a purple beaded formal gown? IDK. It may appear in the AtoZ Blog Challenge 2022 theme reveal. That introductory post always requires a gown, link to this year's theme-reveal.

I picked up my usual fare of books, most resellers pass on the vintage cookbooks. The Buck Rogers book is in bad shape so I may send it back to the Great Thrift Shop Beyond. 

And then I grabbed vintage toys, for whatever reason. I think I get caught up in the event, kind of like at an auction. Add in a red Christmas hat with pins, a beaded handbag, and leopard print readers. The nesting doll soldiers have seen better days. They could always be repainted to revitalize them. 

This sale was more for me than for reselling. Sometimes that is OK. For years, my thrifting was all for myself. I will recoup my $30 investment on those vintage cookbooks. 

Traveling to Estate Sales are Well Worth the Effort

I had some extra time on my hands on Saturday morning and traveled to an estate sale. It wasn't a huge distance but it was a jaunt into the country. I will first show the things I didn't buy, and then the $20 lot I did buy. 

Beneath the plastic sailing ship was this sleepy-eyed composition doll. It was second day of the sale and no one had even looked at the dolls in the plastic tub. I laundered her clothes in a lingerie bag and hand mended them. When my mom moved to assisted living we gave away a doll that was similar to this one, only bigger. I figured if I could buy the lot for $20, I would bring this one home with me. 

At the very least, I will recoup my $20 investment with the Monsters, Inc. costume. The books are mainly for me, I may sell a couple of them. 

Boy Scout items were hidden in the bottom of a plastic bag, I snagged the belt with metal awards and the scarf. The belt a sure-fire seller on eBay. 

The Round Up - Let 'er Buck Silk scarf and hat, yep, Tami keepers. The hat has some missing beads, an easy rehabilitation to restore. 

A Western-themed photo shoot is coming up. I bought a statement piece necklace that has been on my Tami wish list for some time. 

And the final find of the day - the embroidered linens, Dutch girls and chicks. The linens have yellowed but my intent for those pieces are quilt blocks or appliques. The chicks are adorable! 

It was a good day. The smoke from the surrounding fires have polluted the area again so another stay inside weekend. 

Estate sales and eBay

I had always known sourcing from estate sales was profitable but those types of sales used to be few and far between. I have been able to attend 3 estate sales, with the last one being the estate of a book collecting naval historian. 

The Mr., who has no interest in thrift shops, said he would be interested in going to estate sales when we retire. 

I have been selling on eBay since 2002. It took awhile to find my niche and I have settled in. I did try my hand selling vintage clothing on Etsy but wasn't very successful at it. 

English Birds' Nests Soup

The nests used for this soup are those of the tropical swallow, and their shape somewhat resembles that of a rind of a quartered, dry orange. 

In the first place, prepare a chicken consomme containing a large proportion of nutritious ingredients. Set three nests to soak in cold water for twenty-four hours, the object being to swell the glutinous elements of which they are composed and to make them transparent. 

When they have soaked sufficiently remove any pieces of feather which may have remained in them, using for this purpose the point of a needle, and, when the nests are quite clean, drain them and put them into the consomme. At this stage set the consomme to boil, gently, for 30 or 35 minutes without interruption. During this time the gummy portions of the nests will melt into the consomme, giving the latter its characteristic sticky consistency, and there will only remain visible those portions which, in the natural state, constitute the framework of the nests; little threads not unlike superfine transparent vermicelli.

The Escoffier Cook Book

Exceptional Estate Sale and Gypsy Tami Travels

While thrift shops have been my primary destination for sourcing, estate sales finds can result in big ticket items. A local estate sale provided a slew of books. I grabbed all of the sewing/quilting related ones and a few military related ones, buying the lot for $30. A waving Mao Tse Tung watch will nearly cover that cost alone. Another chachkie is the Chinese compass, listed online for $80, so mine will join that "rare" one. I suspect it is a tourist item from China.  

Just when I finished selling the last lot of Barbie clothes, I find a $5 bag of 4 of them at thrift. The doll second from the left has a button where she shrugs her shoulders and her hands are articulated. The doll on the far right possibly is a Midge. 

When I first started reselling, I pooh-poohed the idea of selling books. I was of the mind that people weren't reading books anymore because I had stopped, with the exception of textbooks, that activity. As those books started selling, I got better at spotting which ones to list. You bet I snabbed this 1977 publication Guide to the Soviet Navy from the estate sale. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/184635435279

I went back for Day 2 of the estate sale and spent $20. Turns out the gentleman was Kit Bonner, Jr., naval historian and rare book collector. I now have some publications I need to take for valuation. Other amazing items included an English Leeds plate and a Chinese Empire hand painted vase. I have been Blessed by the Bonners. 😇 I have to admit I cried for awhile as I unloaded the books and looked closer at all of the items. My $50 investment will bring at least $500 or more my way. I need to do my own show! 

I am all hat and no cattle. Time to admit I am no longer a city girl but a country girl. My time in Sacramento came to an end a pandemic-ago. 

I splurged on the Harley Davidson western hat $19 at thrift. I love it! Also wearing thrifted Learsi fringe jacket, and Articles of Society ripped jeans with black leggings and not thrifted Ariat black cowboy boots. A photoshoot seemed a great way to celebrate my estate sale good fortune and show off the amazing hat. 

My latest dream? To have a Gypsy wagon and dress up each day of the fair or event and sell specialty items or certain foods. This not being around people business isn't good for any of us. Gypsy Tami Travels or Tami Takes You Gypsy Traveling? We'll see. It is fun to dream. 

The last of my finds was the book 1000 Places to See Before You Die. I am going to bookmark 50 I find intriguing as a goal in retirement. 

Junk'N in the Junction and Estate Sale Finds

I went Junk'N in the Junction and had a great time. 

The best part of the day was finding a quilt top - $8. Another pink bordered star pattern vintage material one, this girl has blue cornerstones and is missing her side border like the other top I rehabilitated last month. I will iron it out, repair any damage to the sides and put borders on it. I don't think I will even try to match that pink material unless by some stroke of luck, I have something that blends with the rest.

I know Outfit of the Day and sharing thrifted fashion finds linkups have gone by the wayside but want to share my Junk'N outfit, the knit skirt a find the day before, AND a real men's fedora, Christy's Crown Series ($6.99 thrift). I sold my last men's fedora and kicked myself for it. Not selling this one. 

Stopped by my first local estate sale. While furniture seemed to be the most popular, I snagged all of the nearly completed, just started and unopened needlework kits at the estate sale. Most of the kits are from the 1980s. Got the whole lot for $20 including 9 CDs, all of those kits, a log cabin blue patchwork tote and a ceramic collander thrown in for good measure. I. am. in. hog. heaven. I also hooked up with the local estate seller who said there was an upcoming sale of a large estate. 

How can I resist not completing this amazing needlepoint Christmas stocking? Its a keeper. 

Estate sales in my area have been few and far between over the years. My theory on what is happening, older people are dying at a faster rate. Whether this is virus-related or not, I am not the one to come to that conclusion. We are even categorized as one of the counties with the least infection and 16 deaths (last count). 

Reselling goal by year's end - to have total value of all ebay listings at $10,000. We will see. I am at $8,000 total value now and I have the week off during Christmas. Yahooooo!