Something that irks my bubble.. maybe yours too?

[danloop]

How is that dealer trying to take advantage?.

Selling crap dressed up as the real McCoy.

 

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[xrunndonex]

Selling crap dressed up as the real McCoy.

Unless they state its a replica.

 

[JustinNH]

I suspect most people don't even know if they are making money or not because most people (and many businesses) can't be bothered to keep decent records.

100% Agreed. I keep detailed spreadsheets on inventory costs and hos long I have had the item in inventory. Good to know when to accept a best offer or when to wait.
I also keep track of all aspects of the revenue and expenses detailed down to not just 'fees' but ebay fees, ebay fees on shipping, paypal fees, actual shipping costs, etc. It goes with the quick nickel vs slow dime. I can calculate in a few seconds if a quick $4.79 net profit immediately out weighs the $10 I hoped for in the long run.

hell, I even have both of those spreadsheets auto-populate a makeshift income statement and inventory sub ledger.

I should also note, I am a senior accountant... so it is a little more natural. But it makes 100% sense. I can tell you every aspect of any and all sales- all the way from original cost to net profit.

I should also note, I have much cooler hobbies, such as duck hunting, striper fishing, and of course metal detecting. I could be much more of a dork than described above... haha

 

[Joe777Cool]

Yes, it really grinds my chain and yanks my gears!

 

[SilverForBrains]

As for the iPhones, they are here to stay, so we better get used to it. My #1 reason for buying an iPhone was to be able to look up values on ebay. The very first month that I had it, it saved me from buying a pedal car for $120 that was basically worthless on ebay. I rarely use the ebay app any more, and just go with my knowledge and gut, but sometimes it is nice to have. It is nice to triple check values, and to make sure that the bottom hasn't fallen out of items like Coleman 3 burner stoves. I don't get mad at those using an iPhone. We all had to start somewhere. I started out buying $2 box lots at auctions, and then looking up everything when I got home, and listing anything with value. Life is too short, and the picking is too easy, to get upset with newbies that are looking at an app. By the time they are done looking up a Stanley #4 plane, I've already picked the Stanley 45, 55, #1, #2 and #3 planes.

cheers on that one man, my thoughts exactly. I can peruse all the shelves of a thrift store and pick out the top items before they can get done looking up a handful of items on one rack. speed wins the game, knowledge is always power

 

[SilverForBrains]

the phones are bad enough, wait until these folks all have google glass. only a matter of time before info is given instantaneously as a shortcut to actually knowing anything. The first person I see wearing a pair of those, I'm going to rip them off and shove them up their #$@

now if that's not hostile, I don't know what is

 

[clovis97]

Grossing $12K per month has nothing to say about how "well" they are doing. The only thing that stat demonstrates is that they sell a lot of stuff. They could be losing their asses. If they sell $12K per month but they spend $15K, their NET is -$3,000 per month and they will soon be out of business. Even if they aren't losing money, they may not be "doing really well". Maybe they sold $12K but spent $11.8K so their NET is $200 per month. That ain't much for full time work. I'm making a point of this because I hear this sort of thing all the time. Even major manufacturers and retailers brag in their commercials about being the "biggest seller" or "largest volume dealer", etc., etc. That means nothing in terms of profitability. I suspect most people don't even know if they are making money or not because most people (and many businesses) can't be bothered to keep decent records. But back to the OP's point, I haven't really seen any change but I don't think it matters much anyway. My experience has been that you really don't have time to do much research when out yard sale pickin'. The people who really know what they are doing are out early and the best stuff gets snapped up quickly. To score well consistently you need a good store of knowledge in your head and a good eye for quality and value. I suspect many noobs that have been inspired by all the TV shows will quickly find out it is much more difficult to be successful than they think. They will be easily discouraged and quickly move on to the next "big opportunity". In any event, I'm not worried about it because I'm having fun and making some money. I'm not getting rich but then I didn't expect to so it's all good!

You are exactly right.

There used to be an ebay reseller around here that went to every auction, and would outbid everyone on every item. At times, it was a little maddening. I was newer to the business, and this guy was running everything under the sun to insane prices. It made it a little hard to buy, especially when he was paying $50 for a tool box that was worth about $12.

This guy used to brag how he sold $60,000 on ebay in a single months time. You could hear the guy brag his head off about a rare necklace he bought at an auction sold for $562 on ebay.

I learned later, that many months, he was spending $55,000 to $58,000 at the auctions, and just barely cash flowing it all from month to month.

He, like tons of others I've met, were simply a flash in the pan, and are no longer around.

 

[trdhrdr007]

Selling crap dressed up as the real McCoy.

Only to people who think owning a smart phone is all it takes to get into buying items for resale.

 

[diggummup]

The other side of the coin are sellers taking advantage. I found an "antique" Aladdin mantle lamp for 190.00 which had a dirty new chimney and a cheap aluminum burner which didn't work. Looked old but just a collection of dirty parts from different models.

Buyer beware. Nothing new here. Personally, I wouldn't drop $190 on something I didn't know about.

 

[releventchair]

Ha,newbies. Yes I can recall most people would not be caught dead in a thrift store let alone "garbage sailing".
New comers to buying and looking stuff up is fine by me. Though I ,m into the chase very little today. We used to have niches where you hunt particular classes of items more than a broad attempt to cover all bases.One guy I knew who did well enough wheeling and dealing as a hobby would be through a site before you could get out of the vehicle all most.Unless he on rare occasion spotted something he wanted.He knew all most at a glance alot about what was being offered and pricelines.A people reader a lot of questions went unasked till worth asking. l.o.l..As usual the programs on the idiot box are fanning the get rich quick flames that should have been left as embers.Storage ones I glimpsed are insane. A family we used to see at such did well a long time but are done now. What I seen last required dumpsters and the buyer should be paid for cleaning units as in this economy of late few people are leaving valuables go.If common sense dictates what you see is what you get 90% of the time ,why buy blind,really. Maybe people don,t realize there's a couple hundred million people in the boat and if every one stampedes to the same side it just gets wobbly and crowded then enthusiasm and exclusivity gets drowned for some strange reason.

 

[Beans]

To many people looking for the same stuff. Thrift stores not worth the trouble. So I quit about 6 months ago and went back to the stock market This will slow down and the wanna be pickers and tv shows will fade away. Then I will get back in.