Here are more hot items to watch for: Vintage concert t-shirts!  Check out this auction:

Vtg Original 1980's Iron Maiden Concert Tour Shirt Lot

Wow, can you believe it?  $610 and it's not even finished yet!  Iron Maiden isn't the only band that sells well.  Others are Motley Crue, Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, The Smiths, Nirvana, Wings, Van Halen, etc..  Basically anything from the 70's, 80's and even early 90's.

I can't wait to score one to sell!!  For more awesome vintage items to sell, click on the Thrift Store Goldmines e-book to the left.  There are so many ideas just like this one!!

Ebayer Angie (aka blogger Wylie Mom) scored BIG when she found this Enesco Country Cousins set at a thrift store!

ENESCO Country Cousins Dad Bed Polly Sarah w/ Box EUC

It sold for $159.53!!

I did some research and not all of the figurines are valuable.  I believe the bigger the set, the better.  Angie was able to find a nice set still in the box!  Country Cousins are from the 80's and are obviously still collectible.  If you happen to see a set or two while out shopping, it definitely looks like an item to snatch up!!

Thanks to Michele (Mybelle Boutique) for this hot item to watch for!  It's a Carter's Just One year plush white & brown bunny rabbit.   This is what she said:

"I found this bunny by accident.  I bought a plastic bag that had several small stuffed animals in it, and I picked it up based on what I could see and the fact that it was 99 cents.  When I got on e-bay to check the possible values, I could only find one closed listing for a Carter's bunny that was in the bag, and it ended at $94.00. Hmmmm.  Could be a fluke.  I listed the bunny auction style and had three e-mails within 45 minutes requesting Buy It Now.  Since there were no bids yet, I e-mailed the first mom and told her I would re-list it as a best offer.  I started it crazy high thinking it would deter other bidders, and this mom could get the bunny.  The next morning I checked and someone else had bought it for $99.95!!  I spent a little time last night and googled this bunny.  I found there are many people searching for it.  One mom sent out a request on Craig's List.  I also found that there are websites dedicated to helping people find replacement lovies, and this bunny was requested on that site as well."

Wow!!  A $100 bunny!  And there are many more moms out there looking for it, so Michele's listing was no fluke.  Here is a picture of it:

I just learned about a free website which searches the best shipping rate for your package!  They even have advanced options for items going out of the country.  It searches, Fedex, UPS, USPS, and a few others.  You've got to check it out and add to your Favorites!

ShipGooder

Ebay Mommy is now on Facebook!  Become a fan and meet other like-minded Ebay people.  I started this as a F*R*E*E way for all of us to communicate, share, and talk about our sales!

Have you ever wanted to expand your Ebay selling but you don't feel you have enough money to buy inventory?  There is a great site that I have been using for a while now.  It's www.freecycle.org, and there are groups all over the United States.  Basically people offer F*R*E*E items that they no longer need.  I have both Offered things (a heavy stove and some truck tires we no longer needed and we didn't want to bother transporting them) and Received things (3 Coach purses which I sold on Ebay!).  It's a great way to get inventory without paying anything; just the money for gas to pick the item up.  This is the blurb on the Freecycle site:

"Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,870 groups with 6,860,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!"

Good luck and Happy Selling!

I hope you're all enjoying the holidays!  My sales have been amazing the last couple of weeks.  I hope yours have too!  The nice thing about selling vintage items and plush toys is that they sell all throughout the year.

I've discovered another doll to watch for: the Sasha doll.  They can fetch a ton of money!  I like them because they have distinctive faces that are easy to recall when you're out thrift shopping or yard sale-ing.  Here are the completed items on Ebay (you might have to log in to view).  Here is a great collector's site (www.oursashadolls.com) that has lots of information about the dolls.  Good luck!

Last week I received an email from Elizabeth, Ebay seller squid-silly, Your Top Drawer Corner Store:

"In October during one my garage sale adventures I came across several ties.  I have never paid much mind to them but these were all very brightly colored and caught my attention; the gentleman selling them asked me if I knew what they were.  Well, that would be no, not a clue...  They were handmade silk Italian that he had paid no less than $150 per tie, he was very proud that he would no longer be using them and was selling them for $1.00 each.  I didn't want to hurt his feelings so what harm could $1.00 do?  I purchased 7 and he was quite pleased.

Once I got home I started looking up the brands I had bought.  Vitaliano Pancaldi.  WOW they sold beyond very well.  I listed all seven ties and once the bidding starting I decided a dry cleaning investment of $2.97 each wouldn't be a bad idea. 

According to Terapeak, Vitaliano Pancaldi ties have a 74.42% sell-through rate.  I'm sure the 25% of ties that didn't sell were started too high; so if you have one of these ties you can pretty much guarantee it will sell!  If you find one New With Tags, you can fetch up to $325!  The average price is $72.16, not bad...  The brighter the colors, the better.  Here are some pictures of what the label might look like:

I'm not sure how many of you saw my vintage find last week, but here it is!!

IDEAL Toy Playpal DADDY'S GIRL 1961 Doll Red Hair Tall

I found her at a garage sale for $8.  I almost passed her up!  If it weren't for my daughter who convinced me to buy the doll, I would have left her for someone else.  There is sooooo much $$$$$ to make with older collectible items.  But who can remember what to look for?  Certainly I can't, and I know you can't either.  There are a few clues though.  If something is old and cheap, I will buy it and take a chance.  You never know what you might have.  If it's not worth anything, at least you didn't spend too much.

On the other hand, there are lots of things to look for.  I don't care WHERE you live!!  Whether you're near a big city or in a small farm town, you can find valuable vintage things to sell on Ebay.

I recently purchased a guide that taught me SO much about selling vintage items.  I learned how to identify vintage tags, what sorts or vintage items to watch for, and how to list them with correct keywords.  There is even a printable guide of what to look for in each department of your thrift store!  This ebook has already made me a lot of money - as you can see!  I had a lot of fun reading it.  Some of the items she mentions are items I have told you about before; but most are brand new "Wow I had no idea those are worth money!" items..  You will be thrilled with how much you learn, as I was!!

To check it out, click on the link below.  Do me a favor - if you like it as much as I did, let me know!


Click Here!

Here is a VERY hot toy to watch out for: Stretch Armstrong dolls.  You can learn all about the craze here: www.stretcharmstrongworld.com.  They can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars!  The BATMAN stretch doll seems to be the absolute hottest, selling for OVER $15,000 on Ebay!!!!   The dolls from the 1970's are worth more than the 1990's remakes, but I wouldn't pass up a 1990 doll for a couple of dollars either..

Current Stretch Armstrong listings

Completed Stretch Armstrong listings

A HUGE Thank You to one*cool*chick Aimee who discovered this amazing tip!!

Thanks to Elizabeth (Squid-Silly) for this hot tip!  Be on the lookout for a Gabrielle Designs Paddington Bear.  Gabrielle Designs was the first company to produce Paddington back in the '70's.  These are very collectible!  One sold for more than $400 recently!!

Gabrielle Designs Padding Bears on EbayIn other "news," I'm back from camping and ready to get back to working on Ebay.  I hope you're all having a great summer!!

P.S.  Have a hot item to share?  Let me know!!  I'll share it and link to your auctions for extra exposure.  :o)

Here is a brand to watch out for: Soma.  It's a division of Chico's and they sell lingerie, sleepwear, athletic wear and swimsuits.  Like Chico's Platinum and Chico's Travelers, the Soma line holds a really nice resell value, especially gently used athletic pieces!  If you find a Soma item, remember to put Chico's in your Ebay title as it seems most people search for it that way.  Here is a list of completed Soma auctions.  You might have to login to Ebay view it.

 

Last Monday I did another teleseminar with Lynn Dralle.  It was so much fun!  It looks like I will be meeting her at her Live Boot Camp held August 28-30th in Palm Desert.  I'll be doing a 20-minute segment about selling clothing and toys.  I'm really excited about that!  Are you going to be there?  Email me as I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks to Elizabeth who let me know about Tupperware Acrylic Glasses!  Apparently they were only distributed to Tupperware dealers, so they're hard to find yet popular on Ebay.  She found some and here is her auction:

Set of 6 Tupperware 14oz Acrylic Drinking Glasses

The glasses to look for are in clear rainbow colors and big: tumbler size.

Completed Auctions For Tupperware Acrylic Glasses

Good luck!

I think this is so very cool; I had to share!!   I've already raved about Lynn Dralle and her free ezines.  I also have her 3 "100 Best Things I've Sold On Ebay" books and I've learned to watch for so many high-profit items at garage sales and thrift stores from her success stories.  I added a lot of things to my Ebay "address" book after reading each edition.  I can't wait for her fourth book which is now available!  I hope to have my copy in a week or so.

For 48 HOURS only, she has a special deal: if you purchase her new book "Home Run" from this exclusive link, you will also receive more than $534 worth of downloadable resources from ten of the most successful, well-respected entrepreneurs in the eBay community (including Lisa Suttora, Skip McGrath, Janelle Elms, and HammerTap!).   All free of charge - no gimmicks, no catches and no hidden fees. 

Click here to learn more about the bonuses.  I definitely think it is worth the price of the book!  But you have to act fast since this offer ends Thursday (June 16th) at midnight.

I love the freedom of being my own boss; and it never would have been possible without learning from other successful sellers.  I get to decide when I will or will not work.  I still have time to hit the gym, volunteer at my children's school, and make money part-time!  If this is something you are interested in, or if you just need one more kick in the booty to get going, this is the deal for you!

Here is something to look for that you might normally pass up: Wee Forest Folk figurines.  They can sell for hundreds of dollars!!  They are little mice miniatures in various scenes, and they are very collectible.

All Completed Wee Forest Folk auctions

wee forest folk "Nessie", one-of-a-kind RARE!!  $761.78

Wee Forest Folk 1987 Limited Edition Signed RARE $587.00

Wee Forest Folk Hard to Find Copper Devil FTF  $399.00

Wee Forest Folk M-74 Tea For Two  $325.00

Wee Forest Folk Special Rubber Ducky April Showers  $299.99

Good luck!!

I'm sure all of you Auctiva subscribers have received this email too..  They sure are trying to keep customers!  Too bad they're STILL not very competitive.  I will still be saving money by switching to Inkfrog.  Here is what Auctiva sent to me:

"First of all, I would like to start out by saying that as Auctiva's founder and CEO, I am very sorry and humbly apologize for any frustration and anxiety we caused you to experience about the future of your business over the past week and a half. I know that these recent events have greatly upset our community and I take full responsibility for that. I am asking you to give me a chance to make it right.

Flat Rate Pricing

Auctiva is officially moving to flat monthly pricing: $9.95/mo. everything included

• 1GB Image Hosting
• A Faster, Easier-To-Use One-page Lister
• Bigger Supersized Images
• Better-looking Templates
• eBay's Most Popular Scrolling Gallery
• Free Scheduling
• 24/7 Customer Support
• plus all of our other time and money saving tools

In addition to our Standard flat rate plan, we have a special Starter flat rate plan for ultra-casual sellers: $2.95/mo., up to 15 listings, 500MB image hosting."

Sooooooo....  They're giving me 1GB for $9.95, while Inkfrog gives me 2GB's for $6.95/month!  Sorry Auctiva, too little too late!!

An item to watch for this summer is the Tiger-made Disney Kid Clips player and Kid Clips, which play music.  The more Kid Clips you have with the player, the higher your ending price!  The player looks like a small boombox, and the clips are like little tapes with clips on them so you can attach them to a ring or to each other.

Disney Kid Clips & Player, ended at $129.07

Good luck!

I've decided to go with Inkfrog (www.inkfrog.com) since they have a really easy way for us to switch our Auctiva images and listings over with little to no problems!  I can do 25 listings at a time, and I have 1743 in my store right now so it should take me a couple of hours.  I feel it's worth it!  Auctiva will be charging me $19.95/month, and with Inkfrog I'll only pay $6.95/month.  That is their "Image Hosting Package."  Their Complete Package is only $9.95/month if you decide to go with that (templates, sales manager, etc).  They also allow a 2-week free trial so I haven't paid anything yet!  I'm so relieved to have this issue behind me.  By the way, Inkfrog allows 1GB of image space, and from now on I will be using Photobucket (www.photobucket.com) for any NEW pictures.  Photobucket is free but it would take too long for me to transfer my old images over.

What have you decided to do?  I'd love to hear your comments!

If you use Auctiva (as I do) then you have probably received many notices that they will now be charging for their services.  OUCH!  I don't use Auctiva to list; I have always just used their site for picture hosting and cheaper insurance.  Auctiva is still offering 1meg free for picture hosting; but guess how many megs I'm using right now?  460!!  That's right - not a typo - FOUR HUNDRED & SIXTY!!!  Oh my gosh!  Most of them are stuffed animals which are listed in my store.  Going through and deciding which have sold or not so I can delete them will take months if not years.  My cost that I will have to start paying Auctiva is $34.99/month.  Another OUCH!  But I've decided that the time it would take me to manage all those images is worth $35/month.  It was a very hard decision, but for now that's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to throw around the idea of having my future listings only show the image in Ebay's picture services.  I'll still have a template, but my pictures will no longer show in the template.  I think..  :O)  I'm still throwing this idea around.  I might just do this for plush toys, not clothing.  I think my templates work really well with clothing, and usually my clothing items sell quickly and I can delete the images after they sell.

Turbolister (through Ebay) is and always has been free.  If you're not already using it, I encourage you to!  If you don't have an enormous amount of pics like I do, then you can continue to have your pictures hosted through Auctiva.

I'm interested to see what all of you will be doing now that Auctiva has changed their tune.  What will you do?  Leave a comment!!

P.S.  I had an AWESOME day at the thrift store today; I'm so glad I decided to forgo the gym and hit the thrift store early instead!  It was worth it!!

I really LOVE Google, so I was hesitant to switch over to Swagbucks which so many of you have recommended to me!  I decided to give it a try though, and it 's powered by Google and Ask.com, so I know it's good!

Swagbucks.com is a site that "awards" you points when you do searches.  I do lots of Google-type searches every day, so I've been using Swagbucks lately instead of Google.  With the Swagbucks I earn I can buy gift cards, toys, clothing, video games ~ pretty much anything!  It's really fun.  I figure I do so many searches throughout the day, I might as well be rewarded for it.  :o)

Do you want to be rewarded for your searches?  It's easy!  Click the banner below to get started: