Micro Machines Playset

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $19.71 Fees: $3.35 Profit: $11.86

This is a Micro Machines Play set. It unfolds to be a city that you can play in with your cars, or it folds up to be a Van shaped carrying case. I bought it without doing much research - it's a collectible toy from the 80's. I bough it the week of a geek garage sale that my brother had a table had, hoping he could sell it there. He had some interest but no one jumped at it. I listed it on Kijiji and had it listed there for a few months - was hoping to sell it locally to make more profit, and it was big and would be expensive to ship. Finally gave up and listed it on eBay, and it got a lot of views and sold in under a week. The buyer had to pay $30 to ship it to Florida - like I said, big and heavy. I'm glad it is finally out of my house, but I am not sure I will be buying any more play sets any time soon. They are big, take up space, and cost a lot to ship. I had to lower the buying price a lot to compete with other American sellers who get the benefit of American shipping. While I still made a profit, it is not huge. This was almost more hassle than it was worth.

The first of Robin's "That will never sell" that SOLD!

Bought: $2.25 Sold: $13.21 Fees: $2.26 Profit: $8.70

This was a listing for a vintage Harmonica made by Popular, from Czechoslovakia, still in box. I found it for a few bucks, and figured it was worth a shot. This was the first item that Robin was definitive about that I was never going to sell. Well, she was wrong! Not often I get to be right, so I am going to enjoy this. This is not the last thing Robin has said that too, and I am optimistically hopeful that it won't be the last thing that she has said it to that sells. 

Counter for things Robin said that will never sell that in fact did sell: One.

Who wants to play with fake food?

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $19.71 Fees: $2.95 Profit: $12.26

Much like the McDonald's play food set I sold last week, this one is from Subway. It also comes with a clear plastic backpack. This one is clearly missing some items, though not sure how many since it did not come with a photo of the contents. That being said, I got emailed asking if it would arrive by Saturday. I guess they need it as a gift? I told them I'd get it to the post office today, and if they paid for expedited shipping it likely would. They paid more for shipping than the actual item. I have no idea why they would want this as opposed to some other toy... Anyway, it is not up to me to question why people want something, just that they accept that they do and take their money. 

Rhino Label Maker

Bought: $11.30 Sold: $76.59 Fees: $0.00* Profit: $65.29

I found this industrial label maker while shopping at VV with Jake. He saw it and asked who would buy this? For $10? I would! This item often goes for between $75 and $120 on eBay, depending on condition and how many items are included. This one was missing the battery pack and the cartridges, but was otherwise in good shape. I had it listed for $100 OBO, and since I only paid $10 I was willing to take any reasonable offer. Someone made an offer of $51 since with shipping (which was a lot considering how heavy this was) he would be shelling out $80 total. I was making a good profit, and I would rather make a sale then sit on something for months to make a few bucks more. It also helped that eBay was having a selling feature where you could list 5 items and pay no selling fees, so I used that for this, which saved me a few bucks. Not a bad profit at all. 

Pennies still count as profit, right?

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $6.57 Fees: $1.99 Profit: $0.08

This is an Apple Pro Mouse. They were the "new cool" thing when they came out, and are still collectible by some. They, unfortunately, are not that valuable. This is why you look up everything before you buy it. In this case I figured it had to be worth something - it was Apple, it was hold, it was sleek looking. And while it is wanted, not at any price I can make profit on. I am fortunate that I at least made some profit, but this is hardly going down as a worthy flip. Unless I find a box of these for pennies, I will not be buying any more. At least it is one less thing in my basement, and hopefully will result in one more positive feedback. 

Anyone want McDonald's?

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $26.20 Fees: $3.90 Profit: $17.80

When I saw this at VV, I thought that there was no way it had any value. A kid's McDonald's play food set, really? But a quick search of eBay showed that they sold, and for a decent profit. I quickly picked it up. This set had some wear, it only had 34 of the 37 pieces (which I was even shocked it had that many), and one of the bag's straps was ripped. It did have the original tag though. It sat for a while, almost a month. Then this morning I was listing another McDonald's play food set I had picked up (with even less pieces in it), and I was looking at this listing to compare when I noticed that the whole time the listing title was "McDonald's Play foot" instead of "food." After overcoming my embarrassment, I fixed the typo. It sold within 30 minutes of fixing the typo. Now I don't know if they are related, but anyone searching for McDonald's Play food would not have found my listing before. The odd thing is that this had a significant number of views, probably due to people searching McDonald's, and a half-dozen watchers, so it was being found. Anyway, I hope the second one I listed today sells soon.

The Hard The Hungry and The Homeless

Bought: $1.12 Sold: $13.10 Fees: $2.16 Profit: $9.82

Another VHS tape. This one is a snowboarding video, which typically have value because they were rarely put onto DVD. I have never understood the concept of snowboarding videos personally, but that doesn't stop me from making a nice easy profit on selling it to someone who does. I just enjoy the fact that I can make $10 selling a VHS tape to someone in 2015. It is really a odd concept when you think about it. This technology is two modes back, and still sells - well a very small minority of it sells, but that is where the fun comes in. Finding those gems that someone wants to pay for.

Meccano Special Edition

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $26.20 Fees: $4.17 Profit: $17.53

This was an obvious grab, especially at under $5. I was really hoping it was complete, but sadly it was missing a few pieces. A complete set would have sold closer to $50. Nonetheless, it was a good grab with a decent profit. This set isn't that old, from 2006, but it was limited edition and the pieces were made to look more vintage. There wasn't a lot of them on eBay when I listed mine, and it had a number of watchers and views, so it appears to be a desirable item. Meccano sets are typically a good buy if old enough. I'd normally stay away from something so new, but the limited edition nature of it, and the significant quality improvement over their typical stuff made it an obvious choice to grab.

Star Wars Ship

Bought: $9.03 Sold: $52.42 Fees: $6.42 Profit: $36.97

A safe bet is that Star Wars sells. Usually the older the better, and the bigger the better. This was a large ship, still in its box. It was a great buy at under $10, I was originally asking $50 USD, but when I got an offer for $40 after it being listed for more than 30 days, I decided it was worth taking it. Still made a decent profit, and I got this box out of my basement. I have had a fair number of questions regarding this item, all of which I answered, and none resulted in a sale, so I am glad I won't be answering any more questions about it. 

Disney VHS

Bought: $1.10 Sold: $6.55 Fees: $1.46 Profit: $3.99

A Disney VHS tape that still has some value. If I had to guess why, it would be because these shorts have not been put onto DVD, but I'm really not sure. Even when VHS tapes do sell, they don't bring in a ton of profit, but it is something, they don't cost a lot to pick up, and they don't take a lot of space to store. Not a bad flip if you can find the few VHS tapes people still want.

Skeet shooting indoors?

Bought: $11.29 Sold: $52.48 Fees: $7.19 Profit: $34.00

This is a toy indoor Skeet Shooter that I found brand new in box at VV for $9.99. It seemed like an obvious purchase. It sat listed for almost two months before it sold, but I made a nice profit off it. This just goes to show you that you need the right buyer to come along. You can't predict what will sell when. Since Q4 has started (we are already 21 days into it), I am hoping that I will see more sales like this to come. 

K'Nex Box Set

Bought: $9.02 Sold: $45.53 Fees: $5.78 Profit: $30.73

I picked this up a while ago, it was actually one of the first things I bought at VV to flip. When I first got it, it was missing a few pieces. Thankfully I have picked up a number of boxes of assorted K'Nex pieces which is useful for completing boxes. This box was in good shape, included the instructions, and some pieces had never been opened. It sat for a few months, but finally sold. Made a nice small profit of it. Oddly enough, it was actually bought by someone who lives about 5 minutes from me. 

Disney VHS Tapes

Bought: $2.20 Sold: $12.90 Fees: $2.29 Profit: $8.41

VHS tapes have long gone, but few (and I mean VERY FEW) still hold some value. These include skateboard or snowboard videos, wrestling videos, cult horror movies, or any movies that have never made it onto DVD or Blu-Ray. Disney VHS, for the most part, do not tend to be that collectible since most have been put on DVD. There are some Disney films, however, that do have some value and that is their sing-along tapes. A lot of these have never been put on DVD, and people, for some reason, enjoy them. Furthermore, Disney Princess items are also more valuable. I found these two at VV, were VHS tapes are $1 each. Listed them together, and sold them in a few days. Not a bad flip making a couple bucks. 

Apples are better than bananas!

Bought: $3.38 Sold: $6.77 Fees: $0.69 Profit: $4.08

After the success of Banagrams - which is a word game similiar to Scrabble that comes in a banana bag - Scrabble released Srabble Apple to compete. It has not become as popular, but it still sells. I bought this because I was considering keeping it, but figured I would try to flip it first and only keep it if I wasn't able to sell it. I managed to sell it with a small profit (to be fair, I did double my investment). I'd probably buy this again if I found it for sale at a garage sale, but not sure I'd buy it again if more than a few dollars. 

Nightmares, Nightmares, NIGHTMARES!

Bought: $3.38 Sold: $15.00 Fees: $0.00 Profit: $11.62

Bought: $11.27 Sold: $51.66 Fees: $6.58 Profit: $33.81

I sold more Nightmare games! I actually sold two of them today (as well as the expansion).

My brother picked up a copy of the game for at VV for $3, but it was missing a piece. I managed to sell it on Kijiji for $15, which was a nice recovery for an incomplete game. Shortly after I sold that, my eBay auction for a copy of the original game and Nightmare II (the expansion) sold as well. I spent a bit more on them, since I had bought the two games separately, but it brought a nice profit.

I have now sold four copies of this game. I have one left. I will probably list it on Kijiji. I figure Halloween is the time to sell this game. It seems to be a pretty consistent seller, and if I can keep finding them for cheap (under $5) and being able to sell them for $20-30, it is a good flip.

Hammacher Schlemmer

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $58.18 Fees: $7.34 Profit: $46.34

I found this item in a bag at VV hanging on the wall - the bagged items at VV are the best place to find good flip items - and while I had no idea what the item was, I recognized "Hammacher Schlemmer" and knew it had to be worth at least $5. For those who don't know, Hammacher Schlemmer is a company that sells high-end gadgets - usually expensive and unnecessary. I was able to find this item relatively easily since it included the instruction manual. The bag included all the parts and appeared to have never been used. It sold in a few weeks, less wait time than I was expecting. Not too bad a profit at all.

Paper Programs

Bought: $1.12 Sold: $12.93 Fees: $2.66 Profit: $9.15

I picked this up for a dollar, figuring I could sell it for a few bucks. There were none on eBay, but the talking Whiz Kid machine is often listen. I actually found a Talking Whiz Kid machine at the same VV a week later (they probably got donated together), but they wanted $10 for it and it sells for about that on eBay, so I passed. These cards, however, are not often seen on eBay, and I'm sure were easily broken or lost. They are paper cards with a barcode on them and each one was a different game or program that this simple computer would run. This box contained over 50 cards, all in decent shape. For a dollar, it was an easy buy. I listed it for $10, and it sold in a few weeks. Not too shabby. These small flips don't bring in tons of money, but they are easy to list, don't take up a lot of space, and a sale is a sale!

Paper! I sold paper!

Bought: $2.25 Sold: $12.97 Fees: $2.61 Profit: $8.11

Well, I guess Lite-Brite sheets are more than just paper... They are black paper with dots on them. I was thrilled when I found this box of Transformers Lite-Brite sheets at VV for only $2. I was disappointed when I got home and opened it to discover that while it was the box for the Transformers sheets, it was actually filled with just the generic plain black paper - no designs on them. That being said, there was over 50 sheets, and many had not been detached, and none had been used. These plain sheets still sell, as collectors need/want them, and production has ceased. It took a while for these to sell and it wasn't a huge profit, but with such a small investment, and them taking up very little room this was a good flip. I'd buy this type of thing again if I came across them. The more vintage the better with these things - I'd be quite hesitant buying any newer Lite-Brite sheets or products.

Sailor Moon is still collectible, who knew?

Bought: $3.38 Sold: $19.67 Fees: $2.79 Profit: $13.50

I saw this Sailor Moon mini-backpack at VV for $3 and figured it was worth the risk. It was dated 1992, and it featured Sailor Moon in its Japanese logo. It had a number of views and watchers within the first day, and sold within two days. This was an easy flip with a small profit. I wasn't sure if Sailor Moon was still popular, but apparently it is. 

September Recap

Second month done...

I sold 19 items.

I spent $145.38 on those items.
I sold those items for $624.11.
I paid $70.54 in fees to eBay.

I made a profit of $408.19.

In my first month I made $122, so I more than doubled that ROI in my second month. My goal for October is to break $500.