posted on June 27, 2003 10:26:53 AM new
I was cleaning out my vanity last weekend and came up with a bunch of stuff ... old bottles of perfume that I never wore, hair implements, unopened makeup, some bath stuff, and a bunch of other flotsam and jetsam that I would normally just pitch or donate. I had my digital camera set up to photograph some other items, and I figured, "what the heck?" I took a few pictures, split the stuff up into a couple of lots and tossed 'em onto eBay with a .99 cent starting price. (I was very careful to note that the stuff was "aged", if mostly unused. I know the scent of perfume changes after a few years.)
There were no bids when I looked Wednesday night (I wasn't surprised) so I semi-spaced on them and missed the closing last night. When I checked this morning, they had both closed for a total of about $60 - one bidder has already paid and the other has high feedback and has already been in contact as well. I'm quite frankly stunned. My normal auctions have been so slow that I was considering taking the rest of the summer off.
I'll probably eat it a little bit on shipping because I guesstimated on the weight. But who cares? It's free money! I have some time off this weekend, so I may just scour around for other unloved items and see how they do. It's better than watching my regular merchandise sell at a hair and a freckle more than I paid for it.
------------------- We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.
------------The Talmud
posted on June 27, 2003 11:41:02 AM new
Yeah, I've been doing this for months now.
The scary part is that my efforts aren't making much of a dent. But they've brought in over $1,000 in cash, so I'm lovin' it.
I haven't even started on the attic yet...it's probably 115 degrees up there today.
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California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
posted on June 27, 2003 01:06:27 PM new
You are a better woman than I am, Fluffy Din. No way am I getting up in the attic.
I have done this before, but never with stuff that I was so very close to throwing out. I was explicit with the woman who bought the lot with the big bottle of expensive perfume - it's got to be at least seven years old. She doesn't care because she just plans to put the bottle on her dresser! (She bought the lot to get other things, so I'm not too worried. The perfume doesn't smell spoiled to me, but I never liked it anyway so I'm not the best judge.)
I had been planning to get rid of some of the clothes I had before I lost weight, but clothing's not doing well at all right now. I figured there was no way this stuff would succeed. Happy to be wrong!
------------------- We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.
------------The Talmud
posted on June 27, 2003 01:30:11 PM new
"it's probably 115 degrees up there today".
Put in a vent fan and a switch easy to reach from below. Run from about 2 PM until six pm and save about 100.00 a summer in AC.
posted on June 27, 2003 04:30:19 PM new
Hey guys, actually we have a vent fan controlled by a thermostat.
However, it still gets infernally (pun intended) hot up there in summer.
It's quite a large attic and probably could have used two or even four fans instead of just one. You can imagine the multitude of sins we hide up there.
I'm doin' the homeowner's happy dance today. I finally got a clue and buttonholed the neighbor's lawn maintenance crew. They came over and 20 minutes later with six guys mowing, weeding, edging and whatever they did to get the vegetation out of the driveway cracks, the place looks fantastic. The best $50 I ever spent.
Partner is going to have such a pleasant surprise when he gets home.
--
California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
posted on June 27, 2003 04:32:36 PM new
Hey ms. 'nito,
Perfume bottles will surprise you unless it's something you deal in regularly. Even scents you wouldn't think were collectible can fetch bucks. It's a puzzlement, but you scored! Yippee!
--
California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
posted on June 27, 2003 10:00:13 PM new
Every time I read someone's posting about all the two-bit junk on Ebay, I'm reminded of your experience here. I cannot begin to estimate all the stuff I've sold that I thought was junk and turned out to bring in some decent money. It's what keeps us all going, isn't it?! ~Adele
posted on June 27, 2003 10:16:18 PM new
In the last three weeks I have had two rooms in my home professionally wall papered: the sitting room and the master bedroom. In the sitting room I had six cat plates hanging on the wall above the sliding door to the patio. I had to take them down, and I wasn't going to put the plates back up because there was going to be a real pretty border up there next to the ceiling. I bought the plates around 1998 for $5.00 for all of them. I listed them on eBay and they sold for $167.
I have a display cabinet in the sitting room. i had to empty it so the wall paper lady could move the cabinet. Up on top, behind some vases, I found a stack of small bun plates I had totally forgotten I had. The bun plates sold for $261.00.
Those are my two most successful summer cleaning stories so far. I have a fairly large home, with lots of closets, built in cupboards, display cabinets, shelves, etc and I am cleaning out closets and such one by one. Some things are going to the church thrift shop, some things are reorganized back into inventory for this winter, some things are shuffled out for display and some I've been listing on eBay with results better than I expected.
posted on June 28, 2003 05:36:23 AM new
I was told by our Post Office that we couldn't ship perfume because the airpressure change in the airplanes, during shipping would make it leak or explode and that it is flamable. Does anyone know if this is true ?
posted on June 28, 2003 07:15:43 AM new
My understanding is that domestic first class hasn't gone by air since 9/11.
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California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
