SecondMoonshot

Nothing is off limits for the most part, but I find myself gravitating on a consistent basis to certain things. I don’t really follow the analytics on “what sells” and “the best categories”. I stick with things that interest me and have proven to provide profit/selling history, highly unique, represent my brand or at least enjoyment in having them for a period. So here are some of my favorites - all contingent that I can get at a reasonable cost: China Sets and Singles: I am doing some “replacement” business on a limited scale, but enjoy finding good sets, in excellent condition, no chips or crazing, and a pattern that is generally classic or has some sales history to anchor to. UPDATE 1/23/23 - Now that I have a decent inventory of china replacements, the Q4 sales for 2022 were awesome and definitely seasonal. Signed and Limited Edition Prints: I will do an occasional unsigned print here and there if the subject matter and framing is nice, but generally I tend to focus on limited edit...

I found this old draft, but reread and all still relevant. eBay selling is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor and changes between categories and sellers. Here are some guides I use which may or may not apply to you. Not finding close or exact comps is a good thing usually; it allows you to make your own price (within reason). And if buying at an auction, bids sometimes stay low for this reason. Stay away from plates, china and porcelain items with crazing, chip, cracks; very few exceptions here. Garbage-ware. When buying at estate sales and auctions, inspect inspect inspect. Go with what interests you and don't be afraid to move into a new category. You will get an opportunity to learn more, keep your brain active and open new opportunities and maybe ones others haven’t thought of. If you do find something is broken, see if you can salvage some costs if it can be sold for parts or repair (doesn’t work for dishes). I try to buy inventory I can sell for no less than double. I don’t do ...

Updated with a YouTube video of the process (refined a bit). One of the things I like to sell is original art and signed / numbered prints or any interesting print for that matter. I find that I can sometimes acquire them at a reasonable price as many resellers will shy away from these types of items as they require sometimes complex and careful packaging to ship and considered risky. I personally find that to be an opportunity and have gotten to a solid level of experience shipping pictures as large as 36” x 48” or even larger.  There are a couple things that I feel are key, first is that in order to keep the glass from breaking, you need to package the picture such that it has minimal flex in the final box. Second, layers are essential and normal medium to large pictures will have 4 layers of bubble wrap and cardboard on all sides. Of course, it is a good practice to always use corner protectors which are very easy to make yourself and I picked that up through YouTube.  My p...

Following up on my post on Finding Signed Books , I thought I would share the outcome of a 3rd visit to a local thrift shop in Raleigh, NC….North Raleigh Ministries Thrift Store. Went to a dud of an estate sale so on the way home, wanted to see if maybe I could salvage the day and hit the store. I have been there a few times before and previously have come away with 12-18 books and probably 2 dozen on the first trip. They have about 10-12 bookshelves with 5 rows of books each (6’ shelves or so). Overall, the hunt took me probably about 25 minutes, skipping some of the religious areas and kids books. I was very selective on what I pulled off shelves and only passed on one book, Flame-Out by James Blackburn as I already have 2 copies and they are generally low value; I don’t need another but picked it up to see if it was signed…it was. This store is in a pretty nice area of town with homes ranging from the $500k - $1m, and not far from downtown, so no surprise this get some good donation...

So lets talk a little about what I am looking for when I go to an Estate Sale and look for items to list. Everyone is different and should be, because that is what makes each seller unique. There are a couple things which might be more applicable across sellers and will try to hit on those. Final Sale Price Should be No Less than Double of Item Cost This is a good general rule to follow, but adjust the % up as needed depending on what you are selling. Certainly some will get significantly more than that, so this is your floor. With eBay, after shipping fees, promoted listing fees, possibly international shipping fees, and shipping, you will be lucky to keep the overall costs below 50% total. Normally my starting price will be a minimum of double of what I paid and an additional 20% on top of that, then I will do a Buy-it-Now and allow lower offers at roughly 20% lower (sometimes less if I know it will be a hot item). As I study the costs and track them, I will continue to adjust this. ...

One of my early areas of focus for SecondMoonshot was Signed books. I really wasn't too concerned on the topic of the book, as it turns out that signed books are desired by anyone that reads for the most part, including religion, philosophy, academia, business, etc. Signed books can be found in Estate Sales, Thrift Stores and occasionally Flea Markets, but by far, the highest volume of signed books come from Thrift Stores. My theory is that people just don't know or don't remember that some were signed and donate them. A typical Thrift Store will have about 300-400 books. Some mega-Thrift stores have special library-like space with thousands! While Thrift Stores are my go-to for seeking signed books, I wont pass up an opportunity at Estate Sales or Flea Markets and usually will walk away with a handful, especially if the Estate Sale if for a lawyer or some high class resident (or politician). Goodwill/GCF, ReStore, Salvation Army, Pet-centric Thrift Stores and even some Bou...

Last updated 8/3/2023 I am sitting at the car dealer getting some service done, so thought I would get another blog post done. I am at Porsche Southpoint in Durham, NC - great folks (hey Roy!). This is the only place I love coming to get car service done…other than paying the bill…but this is warranty work, so all good. For this blog post, I thought I would share some guidance or learnings related to shipping (primarily with eBay, but applies probably to all types of shipping). As I mentioned on the other post, still learning and I bet others (or you) have even more tips to share.  Note that I sell in a lot of categories so vintage anything, books, albums, China replacements, art and pictures, smalls, larges, etc. your category specialties may have different patterns. Let’s get started. 1. PirateShip.com When I can’t use eBay, I go to PirateShip.com. They don’t charge a subscription and just put in the size, weight and shipping info and it gets billed back to you. Pretty straight f...