Do you buy Resale?

I came across some interesting facts about the amount of clothing that is donated to thrift stores. Just one single thrift store called Transamerica receives 17 million pounds a years of clothes and the Salvation Army on Quincy St. in New York receives 18 tons of textiles every 3 days. Moreover, second hand clothes are the #1 export by volume. So where does it all come from?

Most of us have at least one piece of clothing in our closet that still has tags on it that will be worn for that perfect occasion that just hasn’t come up yet, clothes that will someday fit, maternity clothes that we may need again. Then spring cleaning time happens, we move or decide that old clothes just need to go. So what do we do with the clothes? Apparently most commonly people donate. So I ask what other options do we have? Yard Sale? That requires more than just a quick drop off. Sell online? again that requires more work that most aren't willing to do, which explains the millions of pounds of donated textiles. There is also the option to consign or trade clothes, like at a Plato's Closet of Buffalo Exchange.

eBay and other resale sites like Tradesy, Threadflip, Mercari and such  provide a unique outlet that we didn’t have prior to the internet. Prior how did we sell second hand clothes internationally? We didn’t personally, large companies only and even then it’s new items not pre owned. In this aspect the internet has a huge impact on environmental sustainability. 

My mission at Premier Finds is to positively impact environmental sustainability through the online resale of pre-owned items. E-commerce was the obvious choice as our platform because online resale reaches a vast audience therefore broadening the scope of potential buyers. Not only do we have international buyers, but we can cater to those who do not have various stores nearby or simply do not wish to spend exorbitant amounts on fashion. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to contribute in the manner, helping people get items they otherwise wouldn’t be able to get and helping the earth. Fashion trends cycle throughout the years, therefore clothes are out there so instead of buying new, reuse!

Unsold Inventory

So I wrote this about a month ago and of course it didn’t get finished until now….procrastinator...who me? Not to mention that my last years resolution was to blog more and I think I wrote and posted all of 3…….it’s more than time to step it up.

Summer Slump?? Not the case because it has carried into Q4-- Holiday season. How does this happen? Lack of listing? Lack of social media marketing? Loss of TRS? Regardless of the reasons what do we do with unsold inventory? I know things need to change, that’s step one, step 2 is making the changes but most importantly knowing what to change, which is the most challenging and important part. Aside from listing and increasing social media marketing What else can I do to increase sales?

So , in addition to eBay I have added other resale platforms such as Tradesy, Threadflip, Vinted, Mercari and Bonanza. It’s been a couple months and I’ve had a great response when accounting for the time I put into each. Each platform is easy to use side from having to copy and paste the info from eBay to each. Most importantly getting paid on each was fairly simple, not instant like eBay but easy.

I’ve also spent quite a bit of time researching why items haven’t sold. I made a check list and started going through each listing one by one…..when you have over 700 it can be extremely time consuming but if it makes inventory move and doesn’t cost more money why not?

                 Check list: Title? Complete description? Price? Pictures? Shipping?

After redone I then end the listing and hit “sell similar” so eBay thinks its a new listing and bumps it up higher.

I’ve found that price fluctuations in the market are the hardest to keep up with, everyone’s looking for a deal so if another seller with the same item is selling it just a bit lower chances are theirs will sell first. And when several hundred of the same item are listed it’s difficult to keep up and time is not on your side. Flipping fast for profit is key.

In addition not only do I run sales but I add the “best offer” option throughout the month on items that have watchers. In attempts to stir up sales, sometimes I get crazy and raise prices when I have several watchers on an item, in hopes people will think the item will get away. When all else fails donate for a tax write off or have a garage sale.

Thanks for reading and I promise there will be more to come...sooner than later. Happy New Year.

Summer Sales Review 2014

These past few months sales have seemed slower than previous summers. Not only is it summer but eBay has been experiencing more challenges than normal as well. However, I do have a few (several) B.O.L.O's (be on the look out) to share.

   Calvin Klein Women's Career Suit sold for $69.97 + shipping/paid $6.99
   K'nex  Screaming Serpent Roller Coaster sold for $95 free ship/paid $10
   Moosetivity Ceramic Set sold for $89.99 free ship/paid $5.99
   Ipu Heke MKH productions 2005 sold for $125 free ship/paid $3.99
   Bratz Sweet Dreams pajama Party Felicia sold for $79.96+ship/paid $7.99
   David Scotti Leather Purse sold for $65+ship/paid $5.99
   Ooma Internet Phone sold for $75 free ship/paid $7.49
   Frankie B. Zipper Heart pocket jeans sold for $55 free ship/paid $7.50
   Gucci Guccissima Travel Bag sold for $69.97 free ship/paid $9.99
   All American Rider Leather Bag sold for $65 free ship/ paid $1.00
   (YES...a whole dollar)
   K'nex Shark Run Roller Coaster sold for $124.96 plus ship/paid $9.99
   Adidas Adipure Adizero Basketball Shoes sold for $69.98 plus ship/ paid $9
   Kung Fu singing hamster sold for $35 free ship/paid $1.99
   Calleen Cordero Heels sold for $85 plus ship/paid $14.99
   Tsubo Mary Jane Heels sold for $49.96 plus ship/paid $7.99
   Hard Rock Cafe Bahrain Bear Plush sold for $49.95 free ship/paid $2
   Brighton Basket Purse sold for $35 free ship/paid $3
   DVF tweed coat sold for $52 free ship/paid $3.99
   Miss Me Carpi's sold for $55 free ship/paid $5
   British Hong Kong Sandwich British Isles Blazer sold for $42.96 free ship/paid $3.99
   Jewelry Music Box Made in Italy sold for $67 plus ship/paid $5.99

ALL of these items were purchased on my hour lunch break from my 9-5 job.....and listing didn't take much with eBay's handy app and my iphone :) Shipping can be tricky until you get all your supplies lined up. The USPS will provide free shipping supplies for those item shipped in flat rate boxes, above all their padded flat rate envelopes are the best for shipping and my tape comes from my local Dollar Tree. I love making extra money and treasure hunting is my adrenaline. Moreover I live in the perfect city to accommodate my addiction....lol. Hope everyone is doing well, and remember please ask questions!

Wait! That's not Trash, it's selling on eBay

Trash? YES – literally garbage. Believe it or not some people use items we unconciously discard because we, personally have no use for them. BUT others do and they re willing to pay, not a lot but why not put it in the mailbox instead of the trash and make a few bucks while you’re helping the environment.

I was recently cleaning out my kitchen drawers when I noticed hundreds of beer caps and my eBay brain kicked in. I recalled people using beer caps for art projects on Pinterest so decided to list them and …… here are the results:

                                           

I was very please with the results so I decided to look for more trash that I could sell and I discovered that people also but cardboard toilet paper holders and wine corks too…who would have thought??

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eBay Buying Strategy Tips

Certain techniques can be utilized in order to get better deals on items eBay. Keep this list handy whenever you are shopping on eBay. I like to keep things brief and to the point, after all we have shopping to do :) Enjoy.

1. Using sites such as typohound, fatfingers or misspelledauctions can be useful for targeting misspelled listings, which happens often to sellers who rush (I'm guilty of this).  

2. If you want the best price you have to price shop. I like to compare Amazon to eBay, but it depends on what you're searching for. A general Google search is also a must.  

3. Often times buyers don't think about the sellers location, i.e. buying from people closer to you saves on shipping, as long as the item doesn't qualify for free shipping of course.  

4. A huge money saver is auction ending times. Do you think more people are likely to bid at 3pm or 3am? eBay allows you to set notification on auctions also so you don't miss out, incase you're sleeping that is.  

5. Some sellers allow "best offers" Use it! Negotiate and if it doesn't work out, at least you tried.  

6. Sort your search by "ending soonest" and use the sniper bid technique. Basically just wait until there is a low amount of time left on the listing like 40 seconds or so then place your highest bid. The item may not reach the amount but it secures your win and if it goes over then you didn't want to spend that much anyways. Example: bidding at $15 with several bidders within last seconds place your highest bid, $40, if the bidding reaches $30 that is what you pay not the $40 max. Make sense? I hope so, if not feel free to contact me.

Thank you for reading!

                                                           

Sunny Sunday

So last Sunday we decided to take a family trip down to Pacific Beach. Of course my husband wanted to go spear fishing and of forgets his mask.......he goes to buy a new one and lucky me, there is a Goodwill across the street so I hop on in....he won't leave me there so I take my time. I found a Jonathan Adler diaper bag, brand new with tags.....score! I also found a Jaegermeister tank, also new,  a motherhood maternity dress and a pair of reuse jean shorts...new with tags also, a shirt for myself, and a beach chair for the baby,  all for $28 dollars. So far I sold the diaper bag for $50 and the maternity dress for $15.......not including shipping of course. It was a nice Sunday....