SecondMoonshot

I have been wanting to do a Blog post on my overall strategy on approaching eBay and growing a new business. Remember, this is somewhat new to me and most of my approach is defined from my general street skills, pragmatic approach and some general research.  There was a fundamental mid-term goal which was to generate on a weekly basis, enough income to support the business, pay normal bills like mortgage, utilities, etc., reinvest a bit. I am still in the growing phase and about 50% towards the general goal and expect I will achieve it sometime early to mid 2022. I don’t know if my strategy is good, bad or average and same as what everyone else is doing. There was some research early on about the basics of eBay selling and “tips and tricks” which you might gather out of this, but some is just me and a few ideas that align to my objectives. When I started selling with a few of my old comic books and other items, I would track the average item price and work with that. Then when I st...

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...

I took the last 4 or 5 months of buyer feedback and plugged into a Word Cloud: Active listings: Sold listings (last 90 days ending 8/27/2021): Generated from:  https://worditout.com/word-cloud/create

Today I went with my son (Mitchell) to the Simple Sisters estate sale in Wake Forest, NC. Got a little concerned when we showed up at 10:45 for a Noon start and they said they don’t use numbers or list. The concern was unfounded and all the buyers stood in a nice structured (6 feet apart) line and behaved themselves. It was a very comfortable low-pressure sale and the staff were all extremely helpful and super nice. They will definitely be on my future “approved vendor” list going forward; I think they are just starting out, but a great start if that is true. Prices were very fair for a first day sale, although probably a few items higher than expected, but that’s just the way estate sales are, not out of the norm for sure. Specifically went for the New in Box Ariat boot, which I did get, although twice of what I hoped to get them for, but they should sell well and still make a reasonable profit. A good bit of copper, which has been selling extremely well, although think a piece or two...

Below are the item which I regularly order, this is more for my own quick reference than for anyone else. Build your own list! I keep most of the boxes and supplies in the garage, and slowly moving the majority to the storage unit/warehouse. I encourage you to look for best pricing as there are always specials and pricing constantly changes so fast, I can’t keep up  content below was current at the time of the writing, but sure many things outdated.   AGU Warning Fragile Tape-Handle with Care Packing Printing Tape-2 Inch x 330 Feet (110 Yards)-2 Rolls This is a good tape, sticks well and one roll lasts a long time. I don't mess with stickers and just use    small pieces of the tape on sides of a box that don't have any Fragile portions of the tape visible from sealing the box. Update: I now buy this in 6 packs. Duck Brand EZ Start Packing Tape Refill, 4 Rolls, 1.88 Inch x 54.6 Yard, Clear (280068) You can also get these at Walmart for close to the same price in a pin...

I thought I would discuss a little about my brand philosophy and some product examples and rationale that support the brand. When I started this, and I mean really started it vs. just selling my comic collection and McD Happy Meal toys in the attic, I put some thought into what was important to me to make it worthwhile. It really wasn’t about the money, but not lying that it wasn’t a component, but the money without some other form of ‘do the right thing’ mentality puts me back into the same state which pushed me into this to begin with. So I felt there should be no (or little) compromises on a few key core value statements: * If I am not happy, I will stop this. Non-negotiable. * I don’t want someone to pay for something they don’t want.  Non-negotiable. If someone doesn’t want what I sold them, then either I missed the boat or they did, but either way the right thing will always be to take it back and refund their money (all of it, including shipping and return postage if I want...

On a gut feel, we decided to go to the 1/2 off last day estate sale held by Baby Boomer Estate Sales for the Chelsea Antique Store. We didn’t know what to expect and thought we would go in for no more than an hour and then go to some Blue Moon last day sales and get our number in line early for some good pickings. Turns out we stayed there for 2 or 3 hours and then ate lunch after across the street at Fosters. It started at 9a and we were there at 8a to get on the list, while we were the first. It was so comfortable and everyone (customers and staff), were just so nice, you didn’t feel like you needed to compete, rush, just browse and share items with other customers. Totally different feel and must try another Baby Boomer to see if it was unique to this environment or something they nurture. They staff helped move stuff to the large holding area and made sure to label everyone’s area clearly (we got our own table we had so much!). I didnt have enough cash, so put on credit card and th...

Some awesome full moon photos on August 21st taken by Zabrina. One day I will get her a bigger lense. John

Pretty big day for SecondMoonshot! My daughter got into an accident (minor in the end, but put her vehicle out of commission). Turns out she needed to borrow my car for a few weeks, and so when she came to pick it up, she dropped me off at the local Public Storage for me to swap out another car. I asked her to hold on to let me look to see if any new units have come available as they are at a premium over summer months but what!!!! Finally got a 10x20 foot storage unit climate controlled. Mike at the Stickman St, Wake Forest location was awesome as always and what I truly love about this sight, seems simple, is they have LIGHTING! I have called around to practically every storage facility in the 30 mile area and this is the only one….likely due to initial construction and Public Storage probably acquired them. But either way, works for me. Even better, this is where I also store two of my cars (technically just 2 in a 10x30 foot unit), point being..I am familiar with the location and i...