Flipping Tiki Mugs & Stuff on eBay

It's time to share another flip from my Flips contest in the Yard Salers newsletter at www.yardsalers.net:

Hawaiian Tiki Mugs

Hi Julia,

I so enjoy your blog on "flipping" on Ebay! I want to tell you about one of my best flips.

I stopped by a garage sale and picked up 2 ceramic tiki-style glasses with hula dancers on them. One of them had the paint rubbed off a little. The seller told me they cost a quarter apiece and had come from a restaurant in New York.

I bought them and went home to do research. I stumbled across a great site of tiki mug collectors (www.ooga-mooga.com) who advised me about the mugs. I listed them together on Ebay since one had damage and was pleasantly surprised when they got tremendous bidding action and sold for $278!! Now I always look for Hawaiiana and tiki items. I have even sold some on the Ooga-Mooga website and avoided the Ebay fees.

(Attached is a pic of the mugs)

Keep up the good work and feel free to check out my Ebay/garage sale blog!!

Amy My blog: http://collectiblesonlinesales.blogspot.com/

~~~

Hey Amy!

Super find! I love tiki stuff..someone said something about it a while back but I never wrote much about them, so I am especially glad to have your flip story. Thanks so much! What cute mugs. I wonder if that restaurant went out of business and that's why they were so valuable?

Thx for the ooga mooga site too. And readers should love your blog..you have some great finds..I see you've dabbled in Britains, too..lol.

Thx again and best of luck in the contest!

Julia

I asked Amy if I could user her blog address and she said yes. And about the restaurant: "The Hawaii Kai was a NY restaurant/bar that went out of business. Here's what I found out: The Hawaii Kai is a legendary tiki bar from New York, best known as the location of Joe Pesci�s famous 'Do I amuse you' scene in Goodfellas.

Thanks!!

Amy"

~~~

$2 Thrift Store Teddy Bear Makes eBay Seller a Warm 'n' Fuzzy $215

Here's a fun story from my last Flip contest on www.Yardsalers.net:

Teddy Bear Flip

Hi Julia, I thought I would share my favorite flip with you. I was shopping at a thrift store and noticed a plastic bag on a shelf with something furry inside of it. My curiosity got me and I picked up the bag to see what it was. I noticed that it was a teddy bear and recognized that he was made from mohair.

I bought the bear for $2. When I got home and took him out of the bag, I saw that he was in horrible condition. His mohair was dirty and it was thinned out in places. His felt paw pads were all moth eaten so his straw stuffing was sticking out of them. He had a music box inside and a mechanism of some sort. Both were broken.

There were no markings on the bear, so I searched online to identify what kind of bear this was. I found out that he was a Schuco bear from the 50's.

I decided to list him on eBay in the same condition as I had found him. I started the auction at $19.99 because I did not think anyone would want him in such poor shape.

A few days later the auction ended and the bear sold for $215 to a man in Germany. I was shocked at how much he went for.

I have been hoping to find another mohair bear because I had so much fun researching that one and learning about him. Of course the thrill of the auction was a lot of fun too. It makes me think twice now about passing on something because of its condition.

Thanks for all the great info!

Karin

~~~

Hey Karin!

I have a good friend in Holland named Karin. :)

What a fun flip! Wow..I have heard of Steiff and other bears doing well, but not this Schuco brand. I guess people are willing to overlook condition when they have nostalgia for something or otherwise really want something!

Thanks again, so much, for the great flip..it will be in the next contest! :)

Julia

[Karin wrote back after our exchange and said: 

"I had always read about Steiff also and had never heard of Schuco. I learned that they were pretty popular mechanical type bears. There is a mechanism inside so that you can move their tail and the head would move. There is one on eBay right now that is identical to the one I found, only he is in excellent condition. The auction # is 110453201344. You can see the huge difference in condition. I am curious to see what that one ends at."]

Well..it seems he ended at $636.86! Check it out here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110453201344

Keep reading, and flipping,
Julia

~~~

Christmas Cards Rescued from Trash Net eBay Seller Over $100

Just in time for the holidays comes this heartwarming tale of Christmas cheer..and unexpected cash:

Rescued from the Trash: Dodge Dealership 1950s cards

Hi Julia!

While helping a friend clean out her parent�s house, I came across several old 1950�s Dodge dealership Christmas cards that they were throwing out. I was trading my labor for items I thought were interesting, so pulled these, along with several other items out of the "going away pile."

Two of the cards were in fairly good condition; the other five were in rough condition. I listed the two goods one separately and the five others in a lot. The total of the three auctions came to over $100.00.

In total, from my two days labor at the estate, I have probably netted close to $1000.00. I am still listing items from the estate when time permits. However, my point is, always look at what is being trashed; I have found many treasures in these piles. And don�t forget "roadside shopping"!

Happy Hunting!

Barbara S.

~~

Hi Barbara!

Sorry for the delay! We've been hit by the flu here. :(

Oh yeah, I've probably been mistaken for a homeless person before, rooting around in "trash" that is set out in front of a sale or on a curb. LOL!

Dodge dealership '50s era Xmas cards..how fun! I bet it some some Dodge aficionados who snapped them up.

Here are Barbara's photos:

[I also dug up the following example of a Dodge Christmas card on eBay:]

And you are so right..things being thrown out or put in the trash can sometimes be the best finds! Thank you so much for sharing your find, and you are entered into the next contest!

Keep flipping,
Julia

[This flip is excerpted from the December issue of Yard Salers newsletter..subscribe at yardsalers.net.]

Buy the book of flips! http://www.bigbucksflips.com/

~~~

Popular Products for the Holidays: Beatles Rock Band, VuZix Video Glasses

Joe Queenan in the Wall Street Journal tells us it's our patriotic duty to spend this year. At least some. But he says there is no one super-hot product like there has been in the past; Tickle Me Elmos and the like.

But he does call out a few popular items:

- The Beatles: Rock Band

- Ducati Monster Motorcycle

- VuZix iWear AV310 Widescreen Video Glasses

- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

More Thumbnail Images in Feedback Forum on eBay Would Be Nice

In this season of wish lists, I've been thinking of what features or changes I'd like to see from eBay. I'm going to be blogging about them in the weeks to come. One thing I've been missing is the thumbnail images in the Feedback Forum. They seem to have spaces for thumbnail images now but they don't always come in. I'm not sure why.

In any event, I remember there being some foofaraw about privacy issues with displaying these images in a member's feedback area, so eBay has tinkered with the settings there. But it is sometimes hard to remember what something looked like or exactly what it was when you go to leave feedback, especially when there are similar items.

And did you know that as a seller you can customize your selling manager display so you can see thumbnail images with your listings? (It's the "Customize Display" link on the upper right of the Selling Manager page). I just discovered that setting and turned it on, and it will make viewing my listings so much easier, especially since many of my listings have similar names.

Hot Items to sell (and buy) this holiday season

Hot items so far this season (yeah, we're in it already):

- Zhu Zhu pets

A set of 4 is going for around $150 on eBay, so about $40 per pet. These originally sold for 8 bucks each at Wal-Mart.

- Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart

A long, over-the-hips sweater for $15? You had me at hello.

- Rodarte for Target

Hip pieces coming to Target Dec. 20. Hmm...that doesn't give you a lot of shopping days.

The top 10 most searched on eBay right now?

1.     ipod
2.     ipod touch
3.     iphone
4.     zhu zhu pets
5.     wii
6.     coach
7.     laptop
8.     ralph lauren
9.     digital camera
10.     xbox 360

Do you sell digital products on Clickbank, or make money selling products as an affiliate? Easyclickmate makes it a lot easier: http://easybiztools.com/go.php?offer=juliawilk&pid=4&tid=juliawilk

Come to think of it, eBay: eBay's new ad campaign and a better idea?

eBay's new ad campaign slogan is "Come to think of it, eBay." As people have not come to think of eBay as they once may have, maybe getting that out there is the right thing to do. On the other hand, it does underscore the site is not as popular as it once was.

But my issue with the slogan is it does not convey the value people can find, and have been able to find for a long time, on eBay. Especially now, in these recessionary times.

And yes, I have a modest proposal for another slogan...how about this: "Better check eBay first."

Scenario: two women are talking. "Have you seen those new knee-high Cole Haan boots? They have 3-inch heels but they have Nike sneaker techology in them so they feel like sneakers."

woman #2: "Girl, have you seen the price tag on those things? We're talking almost $500."

woman #1: "Well, I don't pay *retail*, girl. I check eBay first."

woman #2: "You found those on there?"

woman #1: "You bet I did. Paid half of retail..someone wore 'em once. Saves me $250."

woman #1: "Get out, girl! I'm gonna get myself a pair!"

woman #2: [Laughs] "You better check eBay first."

Well, you get the idea. And for the record, I did buy a pair of Cole Haan NIke air boots on eBay. I paid half of retail and I've worn them three seasons a year for two years.

See a sample ad from eBay's new campaign, from the Wall Street Journal's site:

eBay's new ad campaign tagline is "Come to think of it, eBay." The double-entendre on this is cute, but it underscores the fact that people have not been coming to think of eBay so much as they used to. But is acknowledging that a good thing -- will it work?

Textbooks the New Resale Gold? 12 Charged in Library Theft

I know reselling textbooks is profitable because I do it myself..when I can find them at yard and estate sales or thrift shops. But so valuable that it prompts some people to steal textbooks from a public library? That surprised me.

12 people were charged with theft after $87K worth of textbook materials went a-walkin' from Prince George's County Maryland libraries.

The story on WTOP news is here:

http://wtop.com/?nid=598&sid=1809094

According to some reports, many of the textbooks were in the sciences, such as nursing. And ironically, one was about ethics. Hmmmm.

If you're looking for textbooks to resell (legally!), here are the latest top-dollar sellers on eBay. Some of the top sellers are actually in the professional/post-graduate educational realm:

- 2009 BECKER CPA REVIEW COMPLETE SET W/COURSE CD SEALED - multiple sales, including $1399.95 and $1250

- PLI Patent Bar Home Study Course - $825.00

- FLORIDA GENERAL CONTRACTORS EXAM BOOKS - COMPLETE SET -  $750.00

Rachel Ray "garbage" bowls a hot reselling item on eBay

Have you seen these Rachel Ray brand "garbage" bowls? They are simple melamine bowls but they are selling like hot cakes. One woman got one at Kohl's for about 50 cents by using a $10 coupon she had from previous shopping. She listed it on eBay and it sold before she was done eating dinner!

Also keep an eye out for them at yard sales.

~~

Get paid to write for the Examiner: Apply via this Examiner referral page and apply for a topic in your local area that sounds interesting to you! If you decide to give it a try, please use my referral number 6038 when you join.

http://www.examiner.com/refer

Royal Mail Strike problems? Try MyHermes, service for UK shippers

Though I am based in the U.S., I have noticed some of my shipments taking longer than usual to get to the U.K. If you ship within the UK, you may have your eBay or other business affected by the Royal Mail strike.

I got a note about this service which you may want to try, myHermes at https://www.myhermes.co.uk/. I have not tried it myself, being U.S.-based, but here are the details, from a rep there:

"Hermes UK, who operate
their own independent courier network delivering over 100 million parcels each
year on behalf of some of the UK�s largest online retailers including Next
Directory, QVC, JD Williams and Debenhams.

MyHermes is a door to
door parcel delivery service, ideal for anyone who would like to save time and
money on their shipping costs. No more time wasted travelling or queuing to
deliver or receive a parcel, we take care of that for you and from as little as
�3.99!

MyHermes will carry parcels that
weigh up to 15
kilos and have a combined length and girth of 2.25m
with a maximum length of 1.2m on the longest side.

Parcels are collected by a
local courier (some exceptions for volume shippers) and end to end delivery is
expected within 3-5
working days.

More information on the
eBay offer is available here �

http://members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=myhermes_parcel_delivery

 The offer is only for
people shipping within the UK."