Play-Doh smells like money

Bought: $6.79* Sold: $35.17 Fees: $4.13 Profit: $24.25

Chris picked up a bag of Play-Doh parts at Bibles for Missions (BFM) for $6.79. The nice thing about BFM is that when they have children's toys, they often come in a bag and are often very cheap. Chris did quite well with this bag. In it was three sets, all of which should bring in a fair amount. This was the first of the three to sell, and so I assigned the cost of the whole bag to it. The other two, when they sell, will be pure profit.

The person who bought this made two offers of $10, and then $20, with my asking price being $30. I had priced mine based off the only other copy of this set to sell in the last 60 days which sold for $27. I figured since mine was the only one for sale, and one had received $27, it couldn't hurt to ask a bit more. Well, I did a search on the items bought by the guy making the offers and he/she was the one who had bought the other one! No idea why he/she needed two, but I knew he/she would spend at least $27 on it. Since my box was more damaged than the other, and also because I was worried he/she was the only person who wanted this set and for all I knew no one would pay anything near that amount, I made a counter-offer of $25 which they accepted. A nice little profit, and even nicer knowing that two more items are going to sell with no cost for them. Play-Doh is fast becoming one of my favourite things to keep an eye out for, but like most things, it doesn't all sell. You need to find the right sought-after sets.

Yet another graphic novel sold

Bought: $3.94 Sold: $16.89 Fees: $1.52 Profit: $11.43

For years I've bought any graphic novels I've found at VV, as they are often so cheap and I've never had a problem with expanding my collection. Since I started flipping on eBay, I've had to make the choice whether to keep or sell any I've found. I've tended more towards selling them unless I really want it - which I'm sure Robin is happy with, as I'm sure she'd say I have far too many as is. This trade paperback is not currently out of print (as so many are) so it didn't fetch a huge price, but still $10 isn't bad, and it's going to someone local, which is always nice and saves me from having to ship.

Sometimes you have to sell things twice...

Bought: $2.36 Sold: $35.17 Fees: $4.16 Profit: $28.65

This is a Tech Deck carrying case, including 7 skateboards and screwdrivers to interchange the parts. Tech Deck was a fad of the 90's, and it was literally just mini skateboards that you "rode" on with your fingers. They made boards, little ramps, and little skate parks - essentially anything you could do on a real skateboard you could buy and do with these miniature ones. 

This is a carrying case for your skateboards, and it includes 7 boards. It also has a bunch of extra wheels and tools. I found it cheap in a bag at VV, and had it listed for $25 USD. There were none other carrying cases like this on eBay, but a number had sold for $25. I receive a lot of offers for this, but all in the $5 to $10 range, which I quickly denied. A number of Americans complained about the cost of shipping it, which I have little sympathy for considering how much we pay for shipping.

Last week someone bought it, and I was all pumped, only to have them message me a few minutes later saying their 9-year old had bought it without their knowledge and they didn't want it, so I cancelled the order and re-listed it. It sold today, for full price, to someone in Brampton. This had a nice ROI, and I'm glad it finally sold (for real).

Vintage floating candles

Bought: $7.08 Sold: $35.18 Fees: $4.28 Profit: $23.82

These are three sets of "un-candles" by Pyrex from the 70's. The "candles" are just small wicks that sit in some oil (vegetable) on water. The fire comes from the burning of the oil, and they are reusable since you just had to replace the oil. A cheap substitute for real candles, and because it is made by Pyrex it is collectible. I think, also, that people may use them just as vases. This was a set of three candles - a 5", 7" and 9" set - so I think that helped it sell. 

Who wants to be an electronic DJ?

Bought: $9.03 Sold: $28.15 Fees: $2.48 Profit: $16.64

This is an electronic USB DJ mixer. When I saw it I figured it had to be worth something, so bought it even with the expensive cost. I looked it up when I got home, and because it was made in 2000, the company never bothered to update the drivers for any operating system after XP. So anyone with Windows 7, 8 or 10 cannot use this, unless they find some fan-created drivers - which do exist. Despite this, this is apparently a well liked and used DJ mixer. I explained the lack of the drivers in the listing, so hopefully the buyer doesn't try and return it once they realize it doesn't work for them. Fingers crossed. At the end of the day, this was too cool an item to leave behind, and I made a decent ROI.

The rarest Avalon Hill game

Bought: $4.51 Sold: $124.89 Fees: $12.79 Profit: $107.59

Ever since I started selling Avalon Hill games, I did a search on eBay completed listings to see which of their games I should keep an eye out for - research essentially. Without a doubt the rarest, and thus most profitable, is Dune. This is a game based off a cult novel, and later movie, series. I can imagine that sales of this game were not great considering it is a complex game for a cult novel by a not-household-name company. I was at VV and found not only this game, which was complete, but three other Avalon Hill games! I currently have those ones listed on the Facebook group, was hoping to sell them locally, but despite interest no takers, so they will be going onto to eBay as well. I continue to have great success selling Avalon Hill games, and I was ecstatic to have found this game. I hope I come across more in my travels. 

Doctor Who VHS Tapes

Bought: $12.00 Sold: $30.00 Fees: $2.70 Profit: $15.30

Chris picked up a whole bunch of Doctor Who VHS tapes at VV. He listed them on eBay and sold a bunch of them - the rarer ones - and then he gave me the rest for $12. Not sure how he came up with that amount, and not sure why I agreed, but I did. Someone from Ottawa asked if they could buy locally and if I'd sell them cheaper. I had them up for $30 USD, and said he could have them for $30 CDN. So, a small profit and a big box is out of my basement. 

As a fan of Doctor Who I was quite tempted to keep these, but there is no way Robin would let me keep this many VHS tapes. Oh well...

Something different...

Re-posting of original post with new edit below

I thought I would post something different today. Instead of showing you what I sold, I am going to tell you what I bought, and then I will update this post as, if, things sell and see if I made profit on today's purchases.

Today was the start of the Rockcliffe Park Book Fair, which runs all weekend. I was not expecting it to be as busy as it was, it was a zoo! I could barely move, let alone get to books. I had to wait to get in and once in I was feeling quite claustrophobic. People were buying bags and bags of books, with seemingly no real discretion. I made it as far as the board games and kids books before giving up and leaving. 

I spent $34.50.

I bought:

1) Build the Titanic Paper model (NIB) - $3

2) Fun City Board Game by Parker - $2

3) Top Gear Board Game - $3

4) Star Wars Phonics Set - $3

5) The Secret World of Arrietty Blu-Ray - $2 [Sold with profit of $16.68]

6) Lord of the Rings Film Book - $2.50

7) Batman The Official Book of the Movie - $2.50

8) Bone The Complete Epic - $8

9) Shirley Temple reading Bambi Record Set - $1 [Incomplete. Did not sell]

10) Thunderbirds Annual 2001 - $2

11) Beano Book 1994 - $2

12) Dennis the Menace Annual 2003 - $2.50

13) Topper Book 1973 - $1

So far I've made: $16.68 with 1 sale.

Edit #1 (Nov 6): I got home and checked the items, and the Bambi Record set is missing one of the three records, and it is badly taped together. It is not going to be worth my time and I will likely never sell it. That is one item done, and $1 wasted. Also, the Bone Complete Epic, the most expensive book, has a coffee stain on the bottom of the book, though it did not seep onto the pages. I am hoping I can at least make my money back on it.

Edit #2 (Nov 9): Listed and packaged everything over the weekend. Now we sit and play the waiting game...

Edit #3 (Jan 26): The first sale from the bunch, and, of course, it was one of the non-book items. I sold the Blu-Ray, which I would have guessed would be the first to sell. So far after the sale of one item I have recovered half of what I spent. The rest will take a while to sell, books are not typically fast movers. 

Disney Blu-Ray

Bought: $2.00 Sold: $21.34 Fees: $2.66 Profit: $16.68

This is the Blu-Ray edition of Disney's The Secret World of Arrietty. I don't normally sell Blu-Rays or DVDs - far too many are worthless - but I picked this up at that book sale in the fall that was crazy busy and I just grabbed a few things and left. This is the first thing to sell from that purchase, and it had a decent ROI. If I can find certain collectible Blu-Rays for $2 I'd probably pick them up, but would not go searching for them. 

Disney VHS Tape

Bought: $1.10 Sold: $7.05 Fees: $1.40 Profit: $4.55

Finally a sale. I have been having a very slow week. This sale is bittersweet - I am glad something sold, but I wish it was something a bit more profitable than a VHS tape. This is another Disney 

Sing Along VHS tape, which have not been collected on DVD. They are still not, however, that valuable. Not sure I'll be buying any more VHS tapes any time in the future. They don't sell all that fast, and the profit margins are not fantastic. 

Model Car

Bought: $6.77 Sold: $16.96 Fees: $2.45 Profit: $7.74

I picked this up when I first starting buying inventory. This sat for a long time, and didn't make a huge profit. I am not going to be buying any more model cars anytime soon. I am just glad that it sold and is off my shelf.

Beer Memorabilia

Bought: $2.25 Sold: $14.50 Fees: $1.95 Profit: $10.30

This is a small MP3 speaker that you can plug your phone or iPod into, and it of course has the Budweiser logo on it. I am sure this came as a free bonus gift inside a 24 of beer or something. It was still new in bag when I bought it (along with some Molson Canadian headphones). I know that beer memorabilia sells, but I am still shocked that someone would buy this. I'm not complaining, just shocked.

Whose buying Barney stuff at 11:30 on a Saturday night?

Bought: $2.25 Sold: $13.02 Fees: $2.45 Profit: $8.32

This is a Barney plush from 1992. It is a bit used, but overall in pretty good shape considering its age. Robin said this would never sell - thankfully she was wrong. It isn't going that far, it is off to Cornwall. 

Counter for things Robin said that will never sell that in fact did sell: 5.

Straight up Nostalgia

Bought: $5.41 Sold: $258.42 Fees: $15.96 Profit: $237.05

On a Saturday in December I got a call from Chris at 8:50 a.m. asking me to drive him and his wife to the airport. I reluctantly agreed, mainly because there is a VV between his house and mine and if I hurried I could get there just as it opened at 9. I was one of the first people into the store, and I went straight to the board game section - where I always head first - and I saw this, and I couldn't believe my eyes. They wanted $10 for it, but that specific day it was 50% off toys. I walked out of the store with this vintage 90's item still new in box for $5. I couldn't believe my luck.

This is a Nickelodeon Flash Screen - how it worked was that you hung a photo-sensitive screen on the wall, had someone stand in front of it and then activated the handheld flash unit which created a shadow on the screen where the person had been. It gets better! The other end of the handheld unit had a small bright light that you could use on the screen to "edit" the shadow on the screen by exposing with the light. Essentially you can draw into the shadow. The device was quite popular when it came out in the 90's. I vaguely remember having one. Nickelodeon actually stopped production of these because there was some reports that the bright light was causing seizures in children - which just means that there is less of them around. I put it up for $200 wanting to see what offers I would get, and when I got one for $180 I accepted. This is my biggest flip to date! 

Comic Books are always fun

Bought: $5.64 Sold: $49.91 Fees: $5.34 Profit: $38.93

Chris picked this up for me at VV - he has done some good picking recently. It is a bound collection of comics - X-Men comics specifically - in a trade paperback (graphic novel). Marvel releases these "Marvel Masterworks" sporadically, and they are done so in a limited run. Some people enjoy collecting comics in this manner, and since they are limited and go out of print they usually retain their value. Chris and I, both being comic collectors, are always on the lookout for comics and trades at VVs, but usually for ourselves. I'd say about 1/3 of my collection of trades has come from VV. Chris already had a copy of this one, and myself not being a huge fan of X-men, decided it was better to sell. It sold pretty quickly, and brought a good ROI. Not at all comics are worth money, and most aren't, but being a collector helps. Chris and I know what will or won't sell.  

Hamtaro Playset

Bought: $9.03 Sold: $22.84 Fees: $3.04 Profit: $10.77

This is something Chris picked up for me at VV. It is a play set from Hamtaro, which is a a Japanese anime show. It came in the original box, but was used. It was missing a number of the accessories that came with it. I'm not sure this would have been something I'd have picked up, but Chris usually does pretty well, and it did sell. Not a great ROI, but never going to complain about making money. The problem with big play sets like these is that it costs so much to ship - especially to the states - and so they have to be rare enough or valuable enough to make it worthwhile. This one cost more to ship than it cost to buy, but I'm glad someone wanted it!

Another Disney VHS

Bought: $0.50 Sold: $14.17 Fees: $1.99 Profit: $11.68

Nothing overly exciting here - just another Disney Princess VHS tape. These are the few Disney VHS tapes that sell, since have never been put onto DVD. They don't sell for a lot, but it is not a bad ROI, and they don't take up a lot of room sitting in storage. 

Wireless adaptors

Bought: $2.20 Sold: $11.41 Fees: $1.76 Profit: $7.45

This is an receiver for a wireless game pad of some sort. Wireless receivers are often a safe bet to pick up - people lose them, and would rather buy the receiver than buying the entire full object again. This said for a really long time, and doesn't sell for a whole lot. I had two people from Bulgaria try and buy it - not sure why - but finally an American bought it. I really hope it works, I have no way to test it. Not sure I would buy these again, unless I can get really cheap at garage sale or a whole lot of them. Individually they take a long time to sell, and don't make a huge profit. 

Turn your iPad into an arcade machine!

Bought: $6.32 Sold: $77.81 Fees: $8.32 Profit: $63.17

This is an arcade cabinet - called iCade - that allows you to rest your iPad in it, and then the controls connect via Bluetooth. You can then download classic arcade games via their app, and play them using the classic controls. It is a neat idea, and I enjoyed using it as I tested it out, but considering that you need to buy each individual arcade game, it quickly became obvious that this would be a huge money waste. That being said, I have no problem selling it to someone who wants to make that mistake. These things retail for over $100. I tested this and it worked well, had no issues. I guess that whoever priced it at VV had no idea what it was, and figured it was just a wooden box. I've seen these a few times before, but the top is usually missing. This was the first complete one I've come across. Worth keeping an eye out for if you can find cheap.

An instant sale

Bought: $6.31 Sold: $70.74 Fees: $7.40 Profit: $57.03

This is a Thomas the Tank Engine train set. I got this at VV right after Christmas. Someone had donated a number of boxes, and in each one was a different type of toy. I picked up two of the boxes - both containing train sets, although different ones. This one was originally $8, but I had a 30% off coupon. It also came in a plastic rubbermaid bin, which I got to keep and is now housing all my eBay items, so that is an added bonus of this sale. I spent some time researching this, trying to identify the set, and I was able to figure out that it came from a specific set - Thomas at Tidmouth Sheds. I, unfortunately, didn't have the complete set. Shame, because complete sets, new in box, seem to sell upwards of $200. That being said, I had about a 75% completed set, and there were no partial sets listed on eBay. I thought my set was worth less considering it had no trains, and the Shed component, that gives the set its name, is largely missing. I put it up for $50 USD BIN with OBO turned on. Almost immediately someone made an offer of $45. I knew then that I had priced it too low, but it was still a great ROI. As I about to accept the offer, the person bought it outright. He was clearly concerned about someone beating him to it. Anytime something sells that fast, it means someone was watching for it, and likely sold for too little. Still, I am not complaining if something gives me a $50 profit. I think the reason for the offer before buying is that sellers can set to automatically accept any offer over a certain amount - so if he knew he wanted to buy it, there is no harm in making an offer and seeing if it auto accepts, saving him $5, and if after a few minutes it doesn't automatically accept he just bought it. Smart ploy on his behalf. Had he waited another 10 seconds he would have actually saved the $5. Overall, it was a good sale, even if perhaps too low. I still have another train set to sell clearly donated by the same person, and I expect it to have an even better ROI. 

K'Nex Big Book of Ideas

Bought: $0.00 Sold: $10.60 Fees: $1.80 Profit: $8.80

This is a book of 100 K'Nex designs. I got it included in a box of K'Nex pieces I purchased off Kijiji. This book was printed in 1997 and is out of print. If it was in better condition, it would fetch a lot. This copy was in rough shape - was torn, ripped and had serious water damage. I would never have picked this up, but considering I got it free with other stuff, no reason not to sell it. This is worth being on the lookout if you can find it in better condition. I remember having this as a kid, and it brings back memories. But I'd much rather have the money.

Making money sitting on the beaches of Cuba

Robin and I took a much-needed vacation from January 2-9, but thankfully my brother volunteered to manage my eBay store while I was away - essentially coming to get any boxes that sold, labeling them and dropping them at the post office. The hardest part is finding the right box - I really need to work out a better method to my organizational madness. Anyways, it was awfully nice of him, and allowed me to not shut down my store and keeping making sales. And did I ever have a good week! My first sale of 2016 I was sitting in the Ottawa airport waiting for our flight, and throughout the week as I checked my email from Cuba once a day I couldn't believe how much I sold. I think this was my best single week to date. Chris really saved me. So, what did I sell?

Bought: $6.77 Sold: $70.74 Fees: $7.22 Profit: $56.75

The first sale of the year was an Avalon Hill game! These things are such good profit earners, I am almost out of them. I got this one in a VV in Kingston, and it was almost complete - only missing one token. Thankfully it was the 2nd edition of this game, which is rarer and harder to find. So despite the missing piece, I still managed to sell it for a decent amount. I had considered trying to buy the piece online and selling it as complete, I was worried the incompleteness was preventing it from selling, but apparently not. 

Bought: $11.29 Sold: $49.51 Fees: $5.53 Profit: $32.69

This was something I had never heard of it. It is a toy, or rather play set, made by Schleich. Much like Playmobil, the sets are assigned numbers as opposed to names so that it is understood in any language. This one was #42034. and called "Oracle". As far as I can tell it is a mystical play set. I had never heard of this company before, but when I saw this new in box, I looked it up and couldn't believe how much this was selling for. If this was still sealed in box, it would sell for $80-90. This one was completed, but the box had been opened. Chris actually managed to buy another one of these this past week for me at VV, complete but with no box, for only $4. So that should sell, and have a nice profit. Chris did well!

Bought: $7.90 Sold: $212.24 Fees: $20.13 Profit: $184.21

I happened to be in Kanata recently for part of a trial, and at the end of the day I stopped by the Kanata VV, which I rarely get to. I was walking along and I saw a mother pushing a cart with this in it, and the photo doesn't do it justice, but this box was about 3' by 1'. It was massive! I was upset that this mother had beat me to this, but then the child started having a tantrum, and the mom put it back to punish him! I couldn't believe my luck. I quickly grabbed it and got out of the store before she had a chance to look for it again. Thank you children's tantrum! So, while this is Mega Bloks, and not Lego, which would normally have no value. Lego collectors hate any other types of building blocks, and Mega Bloks typically has no resell value, but being Pirates of the Carribbean licensed, this one thankfully did. Not only that, but this set was actually a collection of the three largest sets from this line - there were a number of Pirate of the Carribbean sets. It was about 95% complete. So while it took time to sort through an identify the parts, I knew it would be worth it, and boy was it ever. This was my highest sale to date.

Bought: $3.38 Sold: $38.20 Fees: $4.35 Profit: $30.47

I got this at the same Kanata VV as the last item, and I didn't even look this one up. I saw that it was a board game made by TSR, which was all I had to know to buy it. TSR is the company that made/makes Dungeons and Dragons, and I knew that any board game made by them from the 70's had to be worth money. Sadly, it wasn't complete, but nonetheless it sold for a good price. It would fetch an even higher price had it been complete. I will be on a look out for this again for sure.

Bought: $3.94 Sold: $14.14 Fees: $2.45 Profit: $7.75

This is a Dungeons and Dragon type game called Sword & Sorcery handbook. It was a small price to pay, and while only a small ROI, books are easy to store, and there is value in these. Nothing to exciting here, just an easy sale. 

Bought: $5.00 Sold: $56.59 Fees: $5.97 Profit: $45.62

Diplomacy is an awesome board game - one of my favourite. It is actually now released by Avalon Hill, but this was a really early edition - the 2nd edition - and is quite large (the box is about 2' long) and had wooden pieces. Later versions of the game the box got much smaller and had plastic pieces. Newer versions of this game sell for less, but I knew that someone would pay this price for this set. I got it off someone on Kijiji. They originally were asking for $10, but when I went to get it, they released one piece was missing so only charged me $5. That made it sell for less, for sure, but was still a great profit. 

Bought: $10.00 Sold: $127.34 Fees: $12.08 Profit: $106.26

A woman posted on Kijiji selling three K'nex sets, all unopened. I quickly looked at the pictures, and while two were basic sets that sell for nothing, I noticed this one and knew it sold for a lot. She was asking for $10 for all three, but I really only wanted this one. It sold to someone in Belgium! They paid almost as much for shipping as for the item. Fingers crossed it arrives with no problem. This is my second sale to Belgium - and both have been expensive items. Fingers crossed it all works out.

Bought: $0.00 Sold: $16.98 Fees: $2.48 Profit: $14.50

This is a trade paperback (graphic novel) collecting 6 comics from a Star Wars comic. I have sold a bunch of these last month, and got them all from VV. I already made my money back last month, so this one was pure profit. 

Bought: $4.56 Sold: $35.36 Fees: $3.96 Profit: $26.84

Settlers of Catan is a very popular board game. This is a card game version of it, for travelling. It is out of print, and hard to find. The hard part about selling this is that I don't think people know it exists, and simply searching Settlers of Catan brings up 100s of search results, but it finally sold. 

Bought: $4.73 Sold: $21.21 Fees: $2.74 Profit: $13.74

This is a foot pedal for a Singer sewing machine. I have no way to test it out, but I'm hoping it works. It is a pretty basic item, so not sure how it could not work. I often see Singer sewing stuff at VV, and usually get it. They have a good resale value. This is the first Singer thing I've sold, but I have a number of other things to list.

Bought: $3.15 Sold: $21.21 Fees: $2.77 Profit: $15.29

This is a mouse, nothing fancy about it. It is not a gaming mouse, but has some extra buttons and a bit more specific than a normal mouse. It has a good name, Logitech, and was in good condition. Was likely purchased by someone who had the same mouse and liked it. Mice are always something to keep an eye out for. They sell cheaply and some, whether gaming or just fancy, do resell well.

So, at the end of the week...

I made a profit of $534.12. Which is by far my best week to date. I am paying Chris 10% of that for his hard work and help. Even are reducing that, it was a great week. Just another reason why I love this hobby. I made money sitting on the beach in Cuba. What more could you want?

End of 2015

So, my first calendar year of flipping has come to an end. I only sold for the last 5 months, but that being said I personally think I have made good progress.

2015 by the numbers:

I sold 119 items.
I spent $829.22
I sold these items for $3,804.52
I paid $451.50 in fees to eBay.
I made a profit of $2,523.10

This is a good start, but I am hopeful that 2016 will bring with it more profits!

December Recap

Five months and counting - and end of the year.

I sold 36 items.

I spent $200.79 on those items.
I sold those items for $1,081.01
I paid $128.14 in fees to eBay.

I made a profit of $752.08

So I sold more items than last month - so my most items sold in a month so far. I made slightly less than last month, but I spent significantly less than last month on product, which is always good. This is a good end to my year, I have slowly increased each month - with last month and this month being roughly the same. I am happy, and hopeful that sometime in 2016 I will see a $1,000 profit month. Fingers crossed!