Sony Walkman

Bought: $4.51 Sold: $40.00 Fees: $2.39 Profit: $33.10

For some reason there is a demand for Sony Walkmans. It seems that Sony brand ones do better, which is not that surprising, and these classic yellow ones are quite popular. This one was in fantastic shape, with almost no signs of wear. It includes a cassette player, but also a radio. If you see any Sony Walkmans they are worth looking up.

Yet another Play-Doh Set

Bought: $4.51 Sold: $19.99 Fees: $2.20 Profit: $13.28

This is another Play-Doh set I picked up at VV. It was nearly complete, which always helps. Nothing overly unique about this one, except that you can "launch" the cars you make onto some track pieces. This set is from the early 00's, so I guess a bit dated now. 

Dungeons & Dragons Lot Update - 7th Book sold

Bought: $18.89 Sold: $111.29 Fees: $15.95 Profit: $76.45

Original Post (November 22nd, 2015)
I picked up nine Dungeons and Dragons books from VV for a total of almost $19. It is just easier for me to keep track of them as one post, so I will update this post as they sell. I won't see a profit until a few have sold, but that too will update with time.

All the books were from "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition" which is an older version of the game from the early 90s. They are currently on the 5th edition, so the books have some value but most people playing D&D today aren't that interested. This combined with the fact that a lot of the books are online as PDFs, means that these may sit for a while. 

Update to Post (February 1st, 2016)

I sold the 2nd book from this lot today, and have made made back my investment and am now $4 ahead. Meaning that when the next 7 books sell, it will all be profit.

Update to Post (March 17, 2016)

I sold the 3rd book from this lot today, and started to make a decent profit on this lot. With still 6 books to sell, this lot will, eventually, turn a very nice profit. It has taken 5 months to sell three books, so I realize it will take time, but it just goes to show that you need to have the right item listed when the right buyer comes along.

Update to Post (April 1, 2016)

I sold one of the cheaper books from this set today, but not only is a sale a sale, but this was my first sale of April, and it was before 8am, so that is a good start to the month. 

Update to Post (April 3, 2016)

Another sale today - two within two days. This was the cheapest one I had for sale, but a sale is a sale.

Update to Post (June 25, 2016)

This sale was the most expensive book that I picked up that day. With this sale, I am down to three books left from this lot. I have done very well for the amount I paid for them.

Updated to Post (June 26, 2016)

A second sale in two days! This was another one of the cheaper ones, but still contributes to the overall ROI.

Nov 22, 2015 - 1st sale, of The Complete Wizard's Handbook for $6.65.
Feb 1, 2016 - 2nd sale, of I, Tyrant for $21.09.
Mar 17, 2016 - 3rd sale, of The Complete Druid's Handbook for $26.71
Apr 1, 2016 - 4th sale, of Advanced D&D Dungeon Master's Guide for $10.33.
Apr 3, 2016 - 5th sale, of The Complete Wizard's Handbook for $6.53
June 25, 2016 - 6th sale, of Planescape The Planewalker's Handbook for $34.99
June 26, 2016 - 7th sale, of The Complete Psionics Handbook for $4.99

iPod Shuffle Generation One

Bought: $7.90 Sold: $29.99 Fees: $2.04 Profit: $20.05

Chris found this first generation iPod Shuffle at VV in a running carrying case. I know that Apple products typically sell well, but there is not a huge demand for this version of the shuffle - probably because there is nothing overly unique about it and it is only 512 mb. Still, made a small profit, and a sale is a sale.

Dungeons & Dragons Lot Update - 6th Book sold

Bought: $18.89 Sold: $106.30 Fees: $14.73 Profit: $72.68

Original Post (November 22nd, 2015)
I picked up nine Dungeons and Dragons books from VV for a total of almost $19. It is just easier for me to keep track of them as one post, so I will update this post as they sell. I won't see a profit until a few have sold, but that too will update with time.

All the books were from "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition" which is an older version of the game from the early 90s. They are currently on the 5th edition, so the books have some value but most people playing D&D today aren't that interested. This combined with the fact that a lot of the books are online as PDFs, means that these may sit for a while. 

Update to Post (February 1st, 2016)

I sold the 2nd book from this lot today, and have made made back my investment and am now $4 ahead. Meaning that when the next 7 books sell, it will all be profit.

Update to Post (March 17, 2016)

I sold the 3rd book from this lot today, and started to make a decent profit on this lot. With still 6 books to sell, this lot will, eventually, turn a very nice profit. It has taken 5 months to sell three books, so I realize it will take time, but it just goes to show that you need to have the right item listed when the right buyer comes along.

Update to Post (April 1, 2016)

I sold one of the cheaper books from this set today, but not only is a sale a sale, but this was my first sale of April, and it was before 8am, so that is a good start to the month. 

Update to Post (April 3, 2016)

Another sale today - two within two days. This was the cheapest one I had for sale, but a sale is a sale.

Update to Post (June 25, 2016)

This sale was the most expensive book that I picked up that day. With this sale, I am down to three books left from this lot. I have done very well for the amount I paid for them.

Nov 22, 2015 - 1st sale of The Complete Wizard's Handbook for $6.65.
Feb 1, 2016 - 2nd sale of I, Tyrant for $21.09.
Mar 17, 2016 - 3rd sale of The Complete Druid's Handbook for $26.71
Apr 1, 2016 - 4th sale of Advanced D&D Dungeon Master's Guide for $10.33.
Apr 3, 2016 - 5th sale of The Complete Wizard's Handbook for $6.53
June 25, 2016 - 6th sale of Planescape The Planewalker's Handbook for $34.99

Play-Doh Transformers

Bought: $2.25 Sold: $14.99 Fees: $1.84 Profit: $10.90

This is part of the Play-Doh Transformers playset. I find this occasionally and if cheap enough I pick it up. A complete copy of the set sells for a fair amount, and I figured this press would sell on its own as it is the main piece, but it hasn't moved very fast and I had to keep lowering the price. I'm glad it finally sold - I think I have another two listed. Thankfully the collectiblity of the Transformers will likely never decrease, and the supply of these is not going to increase, so if I sit long enough they should sell.

Vintage board game - Stock Ticker

Bought: $2.50 Sold: $19.99 Fees: $2.44 Profit: $15.05

I was driving around looking at garage sales a few weeks ago, and I noticed this box from the road and knew that it was collectible, and I was hoping that where there was one vintage board game there would be more. Sadly, this was the only vintage board game, though I did buy a unused copy of D&D Clue which should sell well. Stock Ticker is an interesting board game, in that you bet on stocks on a fictional stock market, but the value and whether stocks rise or fall is based entirely on dice rolls - so it is essentially random. Most board games incorporate some degree of random, but this game has no real skill, just luck and randomness. It is a bit of an anomaly in that regard. 

One of my last K'NEX lots sold

Bought: $5.64 Sold: $19.99 Fees: $2.20 Profit: $12.15

This was one of the few K'NEX lots I had gotten around to listing. I picked up a box set of this Super Mario set at VV, but it wasn't complete. I would have completed it, but it was missing a lot of unique pieces, including the Mario figure. I decided to just list the unique pieces from the set that I had, along with the manual. I wasn't actually sure this would sell, so I am glad it did, and it sold the morning after I sold all the rest of my K'NEX. I'm glad it is gone - one step closer to getting rid of all my K'NEX.

Over 150 pounds of K'Nex

Bought: $248.08 Sold: $250.00 Fees: $0.00 Profit: $1.92

I have been picking up K'NEX since I started selling on eBay, and while I have sold some, it has mainly sat in a corner at the bottom of my stairs for months not being touched. I finally got tired of it seeing it, and put it all up as one lot on Kijiji. I really just wanted my investment back and it gone! I am so glad I managed to get rid of it all, at once, and not lose any money on it. Clearly the $250 I spent was over months on many different things, but I just didn't have the motivation to sell this stuff. Since this isn't a job, it is just a hobby, if I don't feel the desire to sell something, it will just sit there. I realize that now, and part of this hobby is learning as I go. I'm bound to make mistakes, but as long as I can learn from them, adapt, and hopefully not lose too much money it's all good. I learned that I hate selling K'NEX, and it is all gone. Time to reinvest that money back into something that will sell better. 

Jurassic Park Board Game

Bought: $10.00 Sold: $19.99 Fees: $3.10 Profit: $6.89

This is another board game from the second lot I bought off that guy on Kijiji. This game was not the reason I bought the lot, but I was able to flip it for a bit of profit and help offset the cost of the lot. It is a pretty interesting Jurassic Park game. It had a lot of signs of use and wear. 

A&W Root Beer Mug

Bought: $2.25 Sold: $19.99 Fees: $2.20 Profit: $15.54

Fast food memorabilia has a market, and I am always on the lookout for anything that I think might sell. This was a 7" tall glass A&W root beer glass, and it was stamped with a year. I didn't see any one eBay, but for $2 I figured it was a safe bet. I bought this months ago, back in the winter sometime, so it sat for about 6 months, but it finally sold. Clearly someone wanted it, because they paid just as much for shipping as they did for the mug. 

Fisher Price Movie Cartridges

Bought: $2.37 Sold: $24.99 Fees: $2.56 Profit: $20.06

When I was in Toronto visiting my friends Hayley and Stephen, they were kind enough to take me to the VV right by them - that was walking distance from their house! Since I was flying back, I knew I couldn't pick up too much - though I did have a hard time fitting everything I bought into my suitcase. The first thing I saw when I entered was a bag on the wall with these three Fisher-Price movie cartridges, which I knew have a decent value. Some are more collectible than others, but three of them for $1.99 was an easy decision. The unlabeled one was sleeping beauty - or at least I think that is what it is from my limited ability to see the film strip. So, these were bought in Toronto, flown back home with me, and now being shipping back to Toronto - well, back to a mail forwarding business in Toronto. The buyer is actually in Dubai. 

Top Secret SI RPG Game

Bought: $0.00 Sold: $39.99 Fees: $3.58 Profit: $36.41

Bought: $0.00 Sold: $39.99 Fees: $3.58 Profit: $36.41

The first lot of 16 board games that I bought off that guy on Kijiji, that I a few months later bought another lot off of, included this RPG game from TSR called Top Secret and it's sequel Top Secret / S.I.. Both of these games also included a number of expansion books. I've listed all the expansions separately, and only counted the initial cost for the box sets, which have yet to sell. So these expansions were unexpected bonuses. A guy in France bought of those for $40 each, and so this was a nice ROI with a good profit. I have now broken even and started to make a profit on the lot as a whole, and I still have 14 board games from that lot listed and a number of expansions, so it will end up being quite a good investment. It is pure profit from here on out.

Money made off the lot as a whole so far: Spent: $120 - Sales: $152.98

Pokemon Master Trainer Board Game

Bought: $10.00 Sold: $44.99 Fees: $4.10 Profit: $30.89

I saw an ad on Kijiji for a lot of board games for $40. When I got there, I realized it was the same guy I had bought four lots of board games off of early this year. This lot was everything that was left. It was about 9 games, but only four of which had an value. So, while $10 a game is pretty expensive, the four games that I have listed will each net between $40 and $50, so it was worth it. With the sale of this game alone I have made back my entire investment, so the other games will be pure profit. This is a very collectible game from the 90's, and includes a token for the first 150 pokemon. This copy actually had the board ripped in half down the crease, so I sold it for a bit less, but still a good profit. If you ever see this in the wild, it is worth picking up. The game was re-released later with changes and it is in an orange box, which does not sell nearly as well. You want to keep an eye out of this black box version. 

Nerf Gun

Bought: $12.40 Sold: $30.00 Fees: $0.00 Profit: $17.60

I picked up this very large automatic Nerf gun this winter. It was missing the handle and the tripod, and I quickly realized that the shipping for this would make it near impossible to sell on eBay. I decided to wait until the summer and put it on Kijiji. I sold it to a 8 or 9 year old kid who his dad brought to buy. The kid tested it out and approved it and paid me himself. It was pretty cute. At the end of the day, not a huge profit but this very big gun is out of my basement. 

Harry Potter Diagon Alley Board Game

Bought: $3.94 Sold: $24.99 Fees: $2.99 Profit: $18.06

This is one of the more collectible/rare Harry Potter board games. I'm not quite sure why, maybe it is the most fun? I just know that I've read on blogs that if you see this game for cheap, it is worth picking up. This version was missing one of the coins, so I lowered the price to try and get it to move. If complete, it should bring closer to $30. I have two other copies of this game that I've been waiting for this one to sell before listing, so hopefully they continue to sell.

Nerf Football

Bought: $2.25 Sold: $25.99 Fees: $2.63 Profit: $21.11

This is a 1980's-era Nerf football that includes a counter inside it that counts each time the tail spins as it is thrown. I've had this for a while, but it makes sense that it wouldn't sell until the summer. Oddly enough, this is my third sale of the day and all three are off to Quebec. 

Atmosfear III VHS Game Expansion

Bought: $4.73 Sold: $29.99 Fees: $2.96 Profit: $22.30

This is a copy of the French version of Nightmare III, called Atmosfear in French, which is the 2nd expansion to the VCR board game. I have had great success in selling this game before, and have actually managed to sell the French versions, though they take longer to sell. It is also nice to see some older stuff from my inventory sell, and out of the blue. These expansions are worth picking up if you see, I have had nothing but good luck with them.

K'Nex Mario Set

Bought: $5.00 Sold: $17.99 Fees: $2.10 Profit: $10.89

When I picked this up, and saw that it was complete, I figured it had to be worth a bit of money - how could it not be? It has a unique Mario piece with him in his raccoon costume! Unfortunately, these things were sold en-mass and the demand is there but so is the supply. I've had this sitting on my shelf for a number of months now, and am very glad it has sold. I have decided that I am done with K'Nex. The demand is just not there, it is frustrating to count all the pieces, and it just doesn't sell that well. I am looking to try and get rid of my K'Nex that I still have quickly. Just glad to see this gone. 

Settlers of Catan

Bought: $5.00 Sold: $34.99 Fees: $3.28 Profit: $26.71

I was driving around a rather disappointing community garage sale recently when I saw a guy standing on his driveway with three small piles of stuff in front of him. Normally I wouldn't stop, but the side of this box caught my eye, and recognizing the distinctive box I stopped - hoping he had other games as well. This was the only thing of value, but it was like new and had never been played. He had no price and asked what I'd offer. I am terrible at negotiating when I have to suggest the first price, because I feel bad offering too low, so offered $5. I knew I would make money back, but he probably would have taken a dollar or two. Oh well, still a good buy and a quick sale. Can never go wrong buying Catan or any of the expansions if you can find them cheap enough.

Anyone know how to use a slide rule?

Bought: $1.12 Sold: $120 Fees: $9.34 Profit: $109.54

This is a Japanese-made bamboo and metal "Sun Hemmi Slide Rule No 255D." Chris saw this at VV for a dollar, and when I looked up the company - Sun Hemmi - I saw that they sold for $20-30 and told him to get it. When I went to list it, I looked up the part number, and realized the company made a whole selection of slide rules, each with different calculations on them. This one was one of the more complex ones, used for electrical engineering and fetches over $100. I listed it for $150, but when I got an offer of $120 I had to accept considering how little I paid. I have no idea who uses slide rules anymore, but I am not complaining at all. I have another slide rule, but it is plastic and more basic and will maybe fetch $20 if I am lucky. This was just one of those finds that make this so worth doing. Paid $1 for a random thing, and make over $100. Chris gets all the credit for this one.

Lot of Polly Pocket Stuff

Bought: $14.41 Sold: $28.00 Fees: $2.79 Profit: $10.80

This past weekend I went through my purchases and listed everything I had to list. It took me the better part of two days. I finally hit this box of stuff that I've been slowly filling it over the last few months. Stuff that would sell, but it was either not in as great shape as I wanted, or it would require work, or it came with something else I sold and was keeping it to piece with something else. There was a number of Polly Pocket stuff in that box and instead of trying to piece it all out, I just threw it together in one lot. I had already picked out and sold the stuff that was worth much, and I couldn't be bothered listing these individually to make a few bucks. I really just wanted to make my investment back, and to get it out of my house. I'm glad I made a bit of profit, but more so glad it is gone. 

Rechargeable battery and charger

Bought: $4.51 Sold: $24.99 Fees: $2.50 Profit: $17.98

This is a battery pack (presumably for an RC car or some other toy) and a charger. It sold within a day, which is always nice. These things tend to sell quickly and for a decent profit. The only problem is that I do not have any way to test this, so I have to hope it's working. 

Flipping Experiment #1: Comic and Anime statues, comics and posters - Month #2

UPDATED - June 13

June 13 - Lot of 2 CG CY Girls BBT Blue Box SKY & SHADOW 12" 1/6 Scale Figure

Sold for: $90.00 Fees: $12.02

This was two CG CY Girls, which was a line of dolls featuring an elite unit of female crime-fighters combining the elements of both a doll and an action figure. These two figures were both still in box and unopened, but both boxes had some damage.

The Numbers:

Initial Cost: $2,000

Number of items sold in June: 4

Number of items sold overall: 10

Gross Profit for June: $275.00

Fees to eBay: $36.92

Net Profit for June: $238.08

Net Overall Profit: -$991.26

Chris and I have each recouped $504.37 of our initial $1,000 investment so far.

Original Post

We did pretty well in May, and by the end of the month all statues had been listed. Now that we are in the middle of Q2 I am not expecting these to fly off the shelves, and likely won't see good sales until the fall, but still hoping to sell a few.

June 09 - The King of Fighters '98 Shermie

Sold for: $140.00 Fees: $17.63

This was the last statue I posted, and when I was doing research on it was not able to find a lot - it is one of the oldest statues dating from 2000. I did find some fanpages indicated that the pink dress version was rarer than the white dress version. Chris and I decided to put this for auction starting at $100, and we had a number of watchers and a little bit of a bidding war, but it sold for $120. The winner never paid though, so after waiting the required time, I re-listed it, but decided to list it for $150 BIN OBO and accepted an offer of $140. At the end of the day, no idea what this statue is worth, but very glad to get that price for it.

June 09 - Titans The Heroic Visions Of Boris Vallejo And Julie

Sold for: $10.00 Fees: $2.27

This is a book of art featuring the X-Men as drawn by Boris Vallejo. I was surprised that this book didn't go for more than this, but I am glad it sold. Our first book/comic sold from the lot. The same guy who bought the statue asked if I could combine shipping on this item, so he saved significantly on the cost of mailing this.

June 10 - Kaiyodo Mon-Sieur Bome Vol.19 Yamamoto Isoroku "Kichikuoh-Rance" Figure

Sold for: $35.00 Fees: $5.00

There were a number of these "Mon-Sieur Bome Collection" figures in the lot, and all are stilled sealed. The seller said a lot of people message just trying to buy these figures, and they do seem to be in demand, but there are a lot for sale on eBay and don't fetch  a huge profit. That being said, it is still a sale. It helps a lot that all of these figures were new, always much easier to sell NIB.

Vintage Dungeons & Dragons Box Set

Bought: $22.59 Sold: $70.00 Fees: $5.80 Profit: $41.61

This is a vintage Dungeons & Dragons Box Set. I picked this up at VV in Kingston. I had a hard time trying to price this because while there were a few on eBay, the prices ranged a lot, and I knew mine was an early edition (the book was stamped with 2nd Edition). It was complete, and had some early dice too. It sold within minutes of being listed, which usually means that it was listed too low. I checked out the eBay page of the buyer, and he sells on eBay and currently has two copies of this game for sale. One that looks similar to my edition he is asking $400 USD. I may have sold this too low... While a profit is nice, it does hurt (a lot) to realize how much more I could have made. I am going to follow him and see how much he re-lists this for, since he is clearly intending to flip this.

My first attempt at flipping video games

Bought: $22.00 Sold: $74.99 Fees: $2.96 Profit: $50.03

This is a Playstation 2 Slim with 10 games and 2 controllers. I was at a garage sale last week, and I arrived just as he was setting up. I saw a box for a PS3, and opened it wondering if he was actually selling a PS3. It was actually a PS2 with what you see above. He said he wanted to sell it as a lot, and that he wanted $20 for it all. He also wanted to sell the Dancing with the Stars game pad as well as part of the lot for $25, but I said I just wanted the box. He asked if I would just take it for $2, since he really didn't want to try and sell it on its own. I took it and I will donate it to VV, as it has no resale value. This was a bit of a gamble, since I know, and knew, next to nothing about flipping video games and systems, but I figured for $20 it was worth the risk. A lot of people flip only video games, and make a lot of money on it. The main reasons I don't are because there are high potential for scams and the market is just flooded. I would much rather be one of only 2 or 3 people selling something, as opposed to one of 100s or 1000s. Anyways, I checked out the games and none had great individual value - if they had I would have listed them separately. I checked the system and all the games, and everything worked. So, it was a pretty good profit. I am still not sold on selling video games, and until the buyer receives this and doesn't make a complaint I will still be anxious about the sale.

Bambi Ceiling Light Glass Cover

Bought: $9.03 Sold: $35.99 Fees: $3.43 Profit: $23.53

This is a ceiling light glass cover featuring characters from Bambi. This is the 2nd ceiling light cover I've sold. The concern with these is shipping, but I had no issues with the first one, so hopefully this one goes just as well. VV always seems to price these high - probably because they realize it is vintage and Disney. Still, there is plenty of meat left on the bones and these tend to sell quickly. This will undoubtedly be put up in some nursery somewhere. 

A pair of mugs

Bought: $2.25 Sold: $17.00 Fees: $2.27 Profit: $12.48

This is a set of mugs with the logo from "Saturday Night at the Movies" which was a television program on TVO. I wasn't sure if these would sell, but I figured that they were rare enough and the show ran long enough that someone may want them. They sold within two weeks, which is awesome, and surprisingly are off to Alberta! I was sure that these would stay in Ontario. 

CAT Construction Train Set

Bought: $16.94 Sold: $40.00 Fees: $4.35 Profit: $18.71

I saw this train set (it included tracks) in a bag at VV for $15. I looked it up quickly, and while I couldn't find the exact set, I knew that CAT toys told relatively well and the bag had a number of them in it. Once home and able to research it better, I found the set these were from. Thankfully the set was complete and in good condition. It was selling new on eBay for $50, so I'm content to get $40 for a used set. Not a huge profit, but I'm glad that this gamble paid off and I didn't lose money, and it was a quick sale. 

Home Alone the Board Game

Bought: $4.51 Sold: $17.99 Fees: $2.19 Profit: $11.29

Sometimes I just assume something will be worth money and don't actually look it up. This is a real problem I have with vintage board games. I figure how could a Home Alone board game not be worth selling? Well, it sells, but not for a lot. Also, as much as I love selling board games, vintage board games come in this classic size box - which is a size that is really hard to ship. It is just a large and awkward size that doesn't fit into any modern size box. I am always making my own boxes for these, and so not only do they not make a lot of money but they are also a pain in the ass to ship. Still, this was a profit so I guess I can't be too bitter. 

Zathura Board Game

Bought: $4.50 Sold: $19.99 Fees: $2.83 Profit: $12.66

This is a board game based on the board game from the movie of the same name. It appears to be somewhat collectible - likely because it wasn't a great seller when it came out. This copy, unfortunately, wasn't complete - although only missing minor pieces - and the box wasn't in great shape. This would sold for a bit more had it been complete or in better condition. I am going to try and move away from buying games for $5 to sell for $20, there just isn't that much meat left on the bone by then. Especially considering that board games are often big/awkward and shipping becomes expensive. This game was $20 to ship to Saskatchewan. I'm going to try and focus on more value for my money games.

Ready! Set! Spaghetti! Board Game

Bought: $3.38 Sold: $24.99 Fees: $2.66 Profit: $18.95

This is a board game from the 90's that I had never heard of, but Chris picked it up at VV and it seems to sell well. It is an interesting game, where each person has a string attached to their fork and needs to remove the obstacles to wind up their string. The game was complete, but not in great shape. 

Hacienda Board Game

Bought: $3.95 Sold: $30.00 Fees: $0.00 Profit: $26.05

This is a modern board game that I found at VV. Any modern board game I buy, as long as it is from a well known company and Rio Grande makes good games. I posted this on the Facebook Game Board group when I got this a few months ago and promptly forgot about it. This morning I got a message on FB asking if it was still for sale, and I replied it was. When I went to look for it, I couldn't find it to save my life. After 20 minutes of looking I finally found it - it was on the main floor of the house, where Robin has forbidden my flipping stuff to ever be. I guess I had hidden it from her when I got it, and never moved it. I hit it pretty well, because I had forgotten where it was. Finally found it, and sold it a few hours later. Not a fast sale, but no fees and good profit. 

Vintage Star Wars Die Cast Ships

Bought: $70.00 Sold: $90.00 Fees: $4.36 Profit: $15.63

I saw an ad on Kijiji for six vintage Star Wars die cast ships, and knowing Chris' friend collects Star Wars ships, I send the ad to him. He was interested in three of the six, and said it was a good price, but didn't want all six. He asked if I would buy them, sell him the three he wanted and flip the others. I knew I wouldn't make much profit on it, but I was willing to help him out, especially since he lives in Toronto and couldn't buy them himself. Of course the three he wanted were the more valuable/rare ones, but I gave him a deal for the three he wanted at $40.00. I then listed the other three as a lot on Ebay for $60. They sat for a while, but yesterday I got an offer of $50, which I accepted. The guy lives in town, and offered that he could save on shipping if he wanted to pick them up, but said it was easier to ship - fair enough. So, I made a bit of profit, but I did not go into this deal to make money, I was just trying to help out a friend, and am glad that I didn't lose money. 

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion

Bought: $3.94 Sold: $59.99 Fees: $5.05 Profit: $51.00

I normally avoid books, as it just isn't what I want to spend my time on. A lot of people flip books, and do quite well for themselves. That being said, it normally involves scanning the bar codes of hundreds of books and looking up their value online - not my idea of a fun time. That being said, I still look through the used books at VV for two reasons - to look for books that I might want for myself, as Robin and I have quite the collection in our library, and to see if anything obvious jumps out at me. With Chris being almost a Doctor in English, and my own interest in literature, I have a basic sense of what may be valuable. Ultimately I am often looking for first editions or something odd or unusual. When I saw this old looking version of J.R.R. Tolkien's lesser known novel I figured I'd check the edition. It turned out it was the first UK edition - and since Tolkien is British, this is the actual first edition. It was a quick buy, and thankfully eBay is a good place to sell first editions. One advantage of selling used or rare books on eBay over Amazon is that it allows you to post more pictures and provide a more thorough description of the book and collectors want to know that information. At the end of the day, I learned a bit more about this novel, and I made a nice profit. 

A VHS tape sold!

Bought: $0.50 Sold: $9.99 Fees: $1.08 Profit: $8.41

This is a snowboarding VHS tape that I got at the Brockville Salvation Army. It was the first, and only time, I made it to the Brockville SA before it closed down. This is a snowboarding VHS that was never released on DVD, so has some desirability. Not a huge profit, but it is hard to turn down something for 50 cents when you know it will sell. This VHS actually originally came with a CD included as well, but I just had the tape. A couple of people messaged me asking if I had the CD - I'm guessing that is harder to come by now. I haven't picked up any VHS tapes in a long time, I don't even really give them a look anymore. I'd gladly sell off the remaining ones - there just isn't enough money to be made on them.

Playmobil Castle

Bought: $9.84 Sold: $30.00 Fees: $4.24 Profit: $15.92

I picked up a Playmobil castle at BFM for just under $10. It was partly built, and had a bag filled with parts to it. I took a risk, because if the castle is complete it can fetch over $100. It wasn't quite complete, was about 85%. The main problem was that the base plate was quite large, and together it weighed over 8 pounds - so shipping to the states was ridiculous. I got a message from a buyer asking if I could take out the base plate - he wants to expand the castle he already has - and would that reduce shipping. So I repackaged it, and it cut the shipping in half. I was originally asking $50, but was just glad to see it go so took an offer of $30. I took a risk, and it could have paid off significantly, but it didn't. That being said, I didn't lose money, so it's a win all around.