posted on October 14, 2003 05:02:51 PM new
My wife and I were in the Adirondack mountains for the past 4 days. I managaed to find some remarkable items at garage sales in the middle of nowhere Saturday and even Sunday. I think I can pay for the 3 nights and most of our meals with just 4 auctions! I didnt think it was possible but there was ZERO pressure from other ebayers as I systematicly picked my items including a large unused PHONICS set for $5! Ever make some nice "out of town" scores??
posted on October 14, 2003 05:18:23 PM new
I once attended a convention in Honolulu and met a man who intended to pay for his stay with his metal detector on the beach. He had done it many times before by making some big finds on jewelry. I decided to try it on my next trip to Kauai. All I found was 6 hotel room keys and a million pull tabs from beer cans.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on October 14, 2003 05:23:45 PM new
A few years back I practically paid for a trip to Sammy Hagar's birthday bash in Cabo San Lucas by buying a bunch of the 50mL Cabo Wabo Tequila's. They were $6 each and sold for over $20 each. I was in Cabo this past June and bought one mini Cabo Wabo Tequila keg for $32 and sold it on eBay for more than $150. I have considered flying down for a weekend just to get about 10 of the kegs. Airfare is about $300 and a room is about $50 a night. I could pay for this easily and have a great time as well!
posted on October 14, 2003 06:35:41 PM new
i was on a weekend trip to see a rock concert. after the show was over, people were passin out promo stickers for a new cd coming out from a popular band. most of the people who got them just threw them on the ground....i knew they were good for atleast $5 per sticker on ebay....i picked up about 50 of them and listed one to try when i got home. it sold in 3 days for around $30..sold the rest over the next few weeks with avg sales price of around $15+ per sticker...paid for my whole trip...not bad for free stuff.
posted on October 14, 2003 06:59:57 PM new
My BUSINESS is to go to the Olympics, trade for pins with people who get them for free (employees, volunteers, participants, so on), and ebay them when I get home. I've been to 8 Olympics and the only time I've failed to at least pay for the trip was Sydney. Nagano was the Down Payment for my house (The Japanese LOVE little cute things, and the universal monitary unit is over $10 (the Universal Monitary Unit is a Big Mac, Fries and a Large Coke)... ATHENS, HERE I COME!
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. B. Franklin
posted on October 18, 2003 09:04:53 PM new
I rarely take a trip anymore without finding items to bring back to sell. Most trips are paid for that way. That also makes the trip tax deductable as a business expense.
posted on October 19, 2003 12:21:49 PM new
This is the way, we've always vacationed.
In fact we even take an empty suitcase, filled with packing material, just for these situations.
The extra airport security has made it a hassle, for metal, pottery, and xtal objects (which show up as black on xray due to lead in xtal). So now we just do paper collecting; prints, mags, and books, it lighter, and much less a hassle!
--------------------------------------------
Invest in the Future, by saving some of the Past!
posted on October 19, 2003 02:42:50 PM new
I go to Holland every year to buy antiques and it pays for my vacation. This spring I brought Lake Superior agates to sell at the flea-market in Amsterdam. I sold out within 30 minutes and had an extra 3000 Euro's to spend on items to bring home. The agates sold unbelievable fast because agates are rare in Holland and pot heads love agates and pot is legal in Amsterdam so there are lots of customers. After I sold out I found out that I could have gotten in trouble selling at the flea market because I wasn't a Dutch resident and I didn't collect the 17-1/2 percent VAT tax on the sales.
posted on October 19, 2003 03:15:22 PM new
I have done it twice!! In 1998 I drove back to Rockford, IL from Santa Maria, CA. I stopped in Denver for a day to visit 2 cousins, went to an antique store, bought a set of Noritake china. Stopped 2X in Neb. & once in a little town of Walnut,IA, called the antique capital of IA. It is between Ohmaha, NE & Des Moines, IA. Anyway I bought 2 sets of china there. Went to an auction in Ropckford & bought another set of china & the complete set of Boehm Plates by Lenox. Paid about $1500.00 for all of it & netted $3,000.00. In August I went with my best friend to the national convention of Medical Transcriptionist in Anaheim. While she was in meetings, I went "china chasing" in old Orange. Bought 2 sets for $750.00 netted over $500.00. Considering the room was paid for (she is on the natioal board of directors, so her expenses were paid) I only had to pay for gas & my own food. A really nice 4 days.
[ edited by sanmar on Oct 19, 2003 03:16 PM ]
posted on October 19, 2003 03:37:00 PM new
micmic66, The pot heads just sit for hours and look at the pretty colors on the agate. What is really funny to watch is when they lick the stones to get them wet because the colors and patterns show up better when the stone is wet. But I don't tell them that I kept the stones outside and that my dog likes to pee on them.
posted on October 19, 2003 08:14:44 PM new
I did it just this last weekend, but we planned to hopefully pay for the trip. Went to a hula seminar that we would have attanded anyway, bought booth space for $75.00 and sold enough Hawaiian Nodders, dvds, etc. to pay for the trip and about $250.00 extra. The only bad part is that you have to man your booth during part of the seminar (that room isn't open the whole time, though) so you miss out on some "party time". Of course the packing and setting up is a bummer too.
posted on October 20, 2003 10:23:43 AM new
watch out, ihula- you get sucked into being a vendor and nothing else.
I have one event I go to, and this year is said- nope, not taking a table- I just want to concentrate on the events for once. Well, my common sense got the better of me and I took a table. The vendors were stuck in an out-of-the-way room that very few people managed to find, and as usual the classes were good ones. And if there is one person at my table, I can't make myself leave and go to the seminar i'd marked off!
SO- I didn't even make my nut, and I didn't get the classes i wanted. bad deal all around.
On the other hand, I usually bring back sticks of wood in my luggage! last time it was Eucalyptus, from CA.
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
posted on October 20, 2003 08:01:31 PM new
I have made a full-time business out of it! I travel to China and Thailand and ship back containers of antiques, furnishings and garden decor. Some of my time over there is business but much of it is fun. Yea, so i work for an airline and I can fly for free but the fun of this business is FINDING the stuff, isn't it? We even own a condo in Bangkok, bought and paid for by eBay. Business is so good, I haven't had time to sell on eBay since February though.
