Yet another Ebay public service announcement for you:

Starting today through the end of the year you can list free in any of the sports memorabilia, cards and fan shop categories.

I know many of us end up with sports gear from teams we'd rather not support (see me with Dallas & Green Bay~sorry cheesehead~football items), so this seems a good way to move some of those unwanted items that nobody at the flea will pay your prices for~

Veering slightly off topic here~did ya all see my Vikings pummel Buffalo on Friday?!?  I know it's only preseason.....but dang....we looked like a pro team again.  Haven't seen that in a couple years!~

After a month and a half hiatus from our local flea we went out to sell today.  We netted over $900.  So many folks saying 'we've missed you!'

We were blowing stuff out like crazy.  Sold probably $100 worth of cd's & dvd's at a buck a piece.  I know most sell theirs for more, but we haven't had a lot of luck when we charge more and I'll tell ya what~it was great making those sales.

Used cowboy boots and tennies flew out.  Camo & knives.  Tools galore!

I'm beat and sunburned and worn out..........but can hardly wait to hit it again next Saturday!

Best part is we only took out about 1/3 of our swap meet inventory~
Tomorrow we head to the antique fair (as buyers).  While there I'm gonna shop our Native American items.  Hopefully find somebody with some knowledge that has some time to go over our lot.

Hope others are experiencing great sales in their neck o' the woods!

Now could somebody please plug in the oxygen for craigslist???

 

We rarely do yard sales as we live quite rural and foot traffic is quite minimal.  But with us landing 5 lockers in a week and a half our yard was overrun and storms were threatening, so we went for it.

3 days of sorting and organizing and sweating and moaning and we were ready.
I billed the thing as 5 storage locker accumulation sale and had folks calling to find out more.  Expected a big crowd, but alas......it was quiet.  When we opened (at 5:30) there was nobody here.  Usually we have people waiting at the gate, but it was after 6 before we heard tires in the gravel.  Folks slowly trickled in.  I'd say we had a total of 80 customers all day and of those maybe 70 purchased items.  Most folks were great with only two (groups) that I wanted off my property due to rudeness.  I did mention in the ad that prices were subject to customers attitude (so smile!)~

We ended up making over $500 which added nicely to the $440 we did the day before selling some 'old' stock in the jbl speakers & a brush guard.  Oh yeah and sold just over $100 of mother-in-laws items~

Just a couple highlights~
I had the air jordans displayed and this young hispanic kid saw them.  It was instant draw with his eyes growing huge as he made an immediate beeline to them.  The young black man that was with him followed his gaze and both were devastated to find they were all too small.  I had such a good time with those two and they helped me immensely with all the hip-hop items.  A couple things I learned is that my prices were more than fair and that yes.......those hats & jeans are supposed to look ripped and torn.....dang I'm gettin' old!

Another great experience was with Steve.  A great older biker kinda guy who, at our last yard sale, bought a bundle of old coins in which he gave us market value.  we sat and talked and I mentioned our gold (very small amount of 10k).  He wanted to take a look at it.  He was digging through some of our 'cheap' jewelry so I thought I'd bring out our bowl of crap jewelry which he painstakingly went through. 

He pulled out maybe 8 pieces and told me to check these for silver and these for gold.  We haggled about the 10k and he said he could only go about $10 a gram on it as 10k is iffy.  We couldn't agree on a price and I told him I'd just hold it for now.  I got his number and said I'd call if we came across any coins.

After he left traffic was light so I sat and tested the items he pulled.  Most were crap but I found one sterling chain bracelet and the one piece he thought was German hollow link gold (white).  It tested out at 18K!!

I called him back and told him I'd agree to his price for the 10k as he just found me a 100 dollar bill.  He came back and we struck the deal and I threw in a questionable piece with the stipulation if he made millions off it to remember me.
Fast forward to yesterday morning when Steve showed up and said "About that heart pendant? Well we both have to get better at testing as it was 10k."  He handed me another $10.

I'm telling you folks......honesty like that just isn't seen too often these days.

All in all it was a great sale with numerous new friends/customers!

We've sold another $80 or so since the sale ended so even with the sweltering temps and threat of rain, things are looking up.  And my inventory has never been so well organized!!

Have auctions (two different caravans) today and again on Weds/Thurs so I'm glad I found my backyard.....hopefully I have the opportunity to muck it all up again~

Alright~auctions today with a Phoenix based auctioneer.  Relatively large crowd.  First facility had 10 units.  I've gotten to the point where I say (either to Don or myself) 'gotta get the first unit of the day'.  

Stood around shootin' the **** with the regulars and talking about moving the pool table.  Lots of talk of what we got for it, as some have said they have to practically give them away.  Well auctioneer is ready and away we go......

Doors open and what is the first thing that I see?  You guessed it.......an Olhausen pool table.  Ugh~
Bidding opened at $25 and I found myself bidding.  Well ended up getting it for $225.  It was about a 10X10.  Really not a lot of value showing~some nice speakers, kids stuff, an iron table base (or something~won't know until we finish unloading tomorrow) and stuff.

We carried on for the next 9 units, but didn't really bid again.  Decided we'd forgo the next 2 facilities and unload some of the smaller items.  The first box I looked in I found a bit of gold (a 14k chain~very light) and some sterling jewelry.  Yeah us!  

The speakers are JBL's and in very good shape.  There are 5 of those with two being extra-large woofers.  We were worried about finding the rails of the table, but did find them stored behind some gnarly dirty micro-fiber sofa~yeah!

We caught up with the auction at another facility where we ended up landing a unit for $675 that looked fantastic.......boy howdy looks can be deceiving.  It was full of antique looking furniture including a large wood buffet (it is old and cool) and tons of art~ugh~more art.

There is a lift chair and a hospital bed, but most of the stuff in the unit was either incomplete or junk.  I think we'll recoup, but turning a profit will be tough.  I think we recoup and the art will be the profit and right now......I don't see much, although some of the frames may have some value~we'll see.

Should have quit while we were ahead~
Oh well.....really sad thing is we needed inventory for the swap meet and really didn't end up with any.  Most of the items are going to be the craigslist/ebay stuff.

Oh out of the first unit Don found a large ring that I assumed was a fake, but it says 14K.  I ordered a test kit, but it hasn't arrived yet~anxious to test that one as that would make that first unit a HUGE success!!
Took some photos of the first unit~





So to make a long story short~our cheap unit is gonna pay off nicely and our expensive one will be a bear to move~shouldn't have gotten greedy~

So....anybody interested is a 7' Olhausen 3 piece slate pool table?!?!
 
 

Saturday found us out up and early at one of our local flea markets (swap meet in the desert southwest).  With threats of temps of over 100 degrees we hit it early and were set up by 7.  90% of sales came from the 'new' inventory from our outdoorsy (guys) locker.  We did just over $400 before crowds dwindled and temps rose by 10 am.  It was the shortest time we've ever spent selling there and one of the best.

A few weeks ago I had a lady interested in old pyrex casserole.  I told her $10.  She waffled, so I said "For you, $8."  She looked at me and back at the item and said "I'm going to take it and pay you the $10".  I was surprised as I've never had anybody give up a discount before.  Well Saturday we had one top that.

Haggled (pleasantly) with a guy over a couple items totaling $8 (originally $9) and he paid and left.  About an hour later he walked up and handed me a brown paper bag.  He said "you're working him too hard.  He needs nourishment, so here's a couple tacos."  Too funny!  Sometimes the haggling is just for the sport of it and not really about the $$$!  Oh and the tacos were killer!!

It had been 3 weeks since we had been out selling (yard sale then weather prevented it previous weeks).  We debated selling at the larger meet, but figured we needed to touch base with some of our regulars at our junkers swap meet.  Glad we did.  Made some quick cash and few new friends.

Oh.....had one guy tell us that the runway beacon was in fact used on radio towers and said he'd pay cash right then if I installed it for him~
I weigh a whoppin' 120 lbs~I had to laugh and declined his offer~

First unit of the day!  10X10 full with get this........a motorcycle in it!  All I know (at this point) is it's a Yamaha and has some big fat tires on it.  One of the guys there said we probably made the unit on that alone.  We paid $750.  I know the bike will need work, but honestly....we'll make our money back on the tools and furniture, so the bike and sporting goods will be the gravy~

Quite a few tools (yeah!) and tons of sporting goods.  There are at least 4 sets of skis, some Faber snowshoes and icefishing gear......uhmmm.....I live in Tucson AZ and we're heading into summer....yikes.

Some vintage furniture with a beautiful old coffee table and the coolest old stool.  It has cast iron legs that attach into a wood (barrel-shaped) block and screws up and down.  the seat is trashed, but it's still very cool.  I have an old metal sign that measures 3' X 2' double-sided with a neat scene and it says State of Vermont Maple Syrup then on the bottom Member Vermont Maple Sugar Maker's Assoc.  It's a bit rough, but all in all in very cool, vintage condition....even has a bullet hole in one corner~

Rollerblades, tennis rackets, fishing poles, hunting jackets.....too cool.  Not much in the way of housewares and the like, but certainly a money maker.  Oh and it is primarily a GUYS locker, but we did find a Dolce & Gabbana purse.  Have a friend who will 'authenticate' it for me tomorrow~

An extra oh....oh there is a runway light in there.  We didn't have room to haul it home on our first run, but it's BIG.  I know the glass is chipped and I have no idea of age, but we know it's a runway light.

I'm sure I'm leaving things out and will definitely update when I know more, but dang it feels good to get a unit with some 'surprises' again!

Alrighty~so I had over 400 albums listed on craigslist for $150 (yes....I know I could have piecemealed 'em out and made more, but who has time for that?).  Ran the ad....nothing.  Ran it again and Butch called me.  I knew immediately I was gonna like this guy, deal or no.  I had listed the ad so as not to mislead and I told him some of the albums (and covers) were trashed and others were mint.  He replied "yep.  I'll bet the Pablo Cruise and Herb Alperts are mint, as those of us who grew up with rock tended to be stoned and didn't much care how we treated our vinyl!" 

Anyway the guy gets here this morning (he lives about 80 miles away) and immediately shook hands and said he got a good vibe from us.  We talked about how we acquired the bulk of the albums and he got real excited and said 'I'm your vinyl guy!  any you get, you call me and I'll buy!'  We continued talking auctions, drugs & vintage vinyl, of which he partakes in two and I two, though not the same ones.  He finally said the deal was done.  Never tried to haggle, although I would have come down a bit, just to move them.  And voila! a great new contact has been made!

You know, with all the flakes that craigslist attracts, for every ten you get one Butch and that makes it all worth while!