Care Bear Countdown!

Bought: $9.00 Sold: $19.83 Fees: $3.39 Profit: $7.44

This was a set of twin sheets (fitted and flat) from 1981. They were a bit worn, but they are vintage and knew they would sell for something. When I got them home from VV, I was able to look at them closer and noticed two small stains on the fitted sheet (as Robin said: ewww!!!), so I listed them slightly lower than I would have otherwise.

A woman made an offer within the first day, and despite asking $20USD, I accepted $15USD.

I didn't make a huge profit, but a flip within 24 hours is nice, especially now when I'm still learning and trying to make sales and increase my eBay rating. The fact that VV had these sheets marked up higher than most sheets ($3.99 each), and the fact that they were stained hurt me. I normally list single sheets for $14.99 or $19.99 depending on the vintage/rarity. For a set, I'd normally list at $29.99. I will be sure to keep an eye out for more of these in the future.

A true Nightmare...

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $30.00 Fees: $0.00 Profit: $25.50

This was an auction for Nightmare the board game. What makes this board game unique, and thus somewhat desirable, is that it included a VHS tape that was required to play the game. There has since been a DVD version, which I have never seen. As well there are 3 sequels, which also sell well. Worth keeping an eye out for.

I found this yesterday, Saturday, morning at VV for $3.99. I am always on the lookout for certain games, and this one is on my list. I couldn't believe it when I opened it that not only was the tape there (often it is missing), but it looked complete! When I got home, I checked and only four pieces were missing - the nightmare cards - but thankfully they are not essential to the game at all. 

Now I know these sell on eBay, but I figured with Halloween coming up, and the game having some desirability generally, I'd first list it on Kijiji. Within 2 hours of posting the ad I got a response and they agreed to my asking price! Always nice not to have to haggle with someone. I met them today, and in less than 24 hours I had made more than 500% profit, and with no fees! 

Some more Meccano

Bought: $0.00* Sold: $13.20 Fees: $1.37 Profit: $10.83

I found a listing on Kijiji for someone selling a box of Meccano. The picture was terrible - used a cardboard box covered mostly with an instruction manual, and his ad said that it would make a great art project. He was asking $60, I offered him $45 and accepted. When I went to get it, he was curious what I was going to do with it, and when I told him I was going to use it, he was shocked. He said he didn't think they still sold these or anyone used them. He had bought them to make art but never got around to it. The box was heavy, and in it was an assortment of older pieces with a few instruction manuals. I sorted through the box, and took these long pieces. Mainly because they were so much bigger than everything else, and because it was an easy thing to try and sell. I intend to part out the pieces and sell them off in lots, and this was the first. I had it listed for $15 BIN, and accepted an offer of $10 USD.

*The reason I didn't put any value for the "bought" is that this was less than 5% of the entire box's contents, and I have a lot more to sell. I'll list the "bought" value at a later date once I've sold enough of it. It will all work out in the wash.

Musical Sheets

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $19.75 Fees: $2.93 Profit: $12.32

This auction was for a twin flat sheet depicting the New Kids on the Block from 1990.

I was walking among the sheets at VV and this pattern caught my eye. Now, knowing next to nothing about music, I didn't know much about the NKOTB other that they existed. The sheet looked vintage, and a quick search of eBay showed that it looked like it would sell. So I grabbed it, and it sold in just over a week.

Now, I have bought a number of other vintage sheets in the last few weeks, and so far this is the only one that has sold. I am hoping that the others will follow suit. If not, I may have to give up on buying vintage sheets.

My First K'NEX

Bought: $10.00 Sold: $19.64 Fees: $3.67 Profit: $5.97

This was a complete K'NEX Ferris wheel 14150 set, with no box. It included the instruction manual, and all the pieces. I had it listed for a BIN of $20.00 USD with a OBO, and took an offer of $15.00 USD. 

I found this on Kijiji. A teenager was selling it, fully assembled along with the instructions. I was curious to see if I could still make money off K'NEX, so I grabbed it. I took it apart, and despite being built and complete it was missing some pieces. Thankfully I had picked up a random bucket of K'NEX at VV, and was able to complete the set. 

I took the offer because it was still a profit and I was eager to make a sale. I probably could have sat on it and waited, but for the $5 it didn't seem worth it. The buyer received and emailed me thanking me and left good feedback. So overall it was a good flip. 

Pokemon Cards

Bought: $00.00 Sold: $32.16 Fees: $3.16 Profit: $29.00

Here I am back to selling my childhood. I found these in my closet in a box of old MTG cards. I used to have a lot more Pokemon cards. In fact I had every card in the first edition, but I have no idea where they went. I was shocked to discover that some of these cards still held value. Of the 10 cards I found, these four seemed to be worth trying to sell, and sell they did. I listed these each as a BIN, and they all sold within a few weeks.

These four auctions had a nice profit margin as I didn't pay anything for the cards. Well, not in 2015 at least, and they were just sitting in my closet. I'd much rather have the profit.

My first flip: Meccano 3000 Set

Bought: $11.29  Sold: $49.38  Fees: $7.12  Profit: $30.97

My first flip was a Meccano 3000 set. The box was beat up, but was still in tact. It had the instruction manual, the motor, and the stickers still unused. Of the 439 pieces it originally came with, 400 still remained. I purchased it at VV, and flipped it on eBay for a small profit. 

Where it all started...

For years my favourite store has been Value Village - though I'm sure any thrift store would do, but this happens to be the one that exists in Ottawa. I used to go once or twice a month, but ever since I got a car I don't think a week has gone by that I haven't gone. I never usually go for very long, and most time I'm not looking for anything in particular - I'm just looking.

The thrill of the hunt is what makes it so enjoyable. I never have any idea what I'll find. I've had a lot of fun finds over the years - comic books, a barber's chair, board games, and the occasional kitchen utensil. When I moved into my first apartment alone in Kingston, I furnished a lot of it with furniture from Value Village - though I think none of it has survived.

A few years ago Robin got me interested in the 1,001 book challenge, and while I had bought the occasional book at VV before, I had never really spent much time really looking. The 1,001 book list gave me a purpose, and that was my main reason for going to VV, and it is a goal that Robin and I have not yet achieved, and so will continue to serve as a incentive to keep going. One day we will own all 1,001 and less than 5% will likely have been purchased new.

That is where the thrifting of this all started - I essentially was already going to VV often just for fun, just to see what they had. As for the selling of things, that started at the end of high school. Chris and I were off to University, my parents were downsizing and selling the house. My parents were going to throw away all our old toys, including bins of Lego, K'NEX and Playmobil. Chris and I were aghast, but had no use for it. At the time I knew about eBay, and it always appealed to me, but had never used it. Chris and I spent hours sorting and collecting our toy pieces and listed them for auction, and over the summer before we left for University we sold off parts of our childhood. And we made good money doing it. If memory serves me correctly, we made abotu $600 profit, split evenly between the two of us. That is when I realized that you could make good money selling things on eBay - and more importantly that toys and vintage items had value. Over the years I've kept my eye out for large lego lots, but never found enough at a cheap enough cost to every justify buying it.

So, the bug to sell was still there, but I didn't have the means to fill it. A few years ago when I was working in IT at a law firm, we upgraded all the Dictaphones to digital ones. We had over 200 of them sitting around, and they were being boxed up to be sent off to an electronic recycling plant. I had an idea, and asked my boss to let me try and sell them online and I would keep 10% of the profits, giving the other 90% back to the company. It was essentially win-win for everyone. I was taking what the firm had deemed trash and was making money off it. I ended up selling them all, and in little time too.

Ever since then I've occasionally come across something that I will list on eBay, whether it is a rare comic I found that I didn't want, or something caught my eye at VV or a garage sale.

Earlier this summer I was at VV, and I was walking along the toy section when I saw something familair. It was a Meccano box. I hadn't seen one in years, not since I was a kid, but I had a vague recollection of reading something about them being around for decades and old ones having some value. This combined with my personal first-hand experience that building toys had value, I decided to grab it. It felt heavy. The box was in decent condition, and I could see that it had the instruction manual. So I bought it, took it home, sorted it, and listed it on eBay, and waited. I listed it for a 7-day auction, and there was an early bid, and then some last minute snipping. In the end it sold for $50, and the taste for flipping was ignited. Over the last month, I have been increasing my trips to VV, reading lots online about flipping, and expanding my scope.

As far as I see it, it is fun hobby that I enjoy and has potential to make money. I am not sure how long it will last, but hopefully I will have some fun along the way, and maybe even make some money.