At my oldest daughter's advice we decided to post a few items on Ebay with a "buy it now price." That would have been great had folks not been able to bid and purchase said items for a mere .99c. Ooops. We did something wrong and ended up selling a new pair of Lacrosse hunting boots (which retail for around $90) and a pair of Heelys for 99c. Live and learn.
We are thinking that unless we have really high ticket items that generate multiple bids, that we should sell on Craigslist.
Even better, I'm thinking that collecting books for McKays and trading for cash might be more profitable.
We have a stack of about 20 games that we are trying how best to sell. Any thoughts?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Books
Books to resell . . . hm . . . this is confusing. We found a 1938 edition of "Gone With the Wind" in my parent's attic. Go to Abebooks.com and you'll find the same exact book costing anywhere from $10 to $5000. Go to Ebay and you'll see a copy going for $1.99. If you have a first print edition with a dust jacket you'll see it priced for TENS of thousands (up to $80,000) at Abe books, but going for $124 on Ebay. I'm assuming one must know their books well in order to know when to buy and how to sell in such a way that you get the most for your investment. It's easier for me to buy the books I know McKays will take for trade (my favorite used bookstore in Tennessee) and not worry about finding antique books worth hundreds of dollars, although if I stumble upon one now and then, I'll certainly take advantage of the opportunity!
So many books . . . so many diverse prices on the same book!
So many books . . . so many diverse prices on the same book!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sale
YES! One of the 50c items (McDavid Cowboy Collar) sold for $20. It was listed on Craigslist and a man came and bought it. That's a profit of almost 400% (is that right?) minus time, energy and gas. Now, if we only had 200 more of those babies!
On another note, I helped my sister clean out my parent's attic and found boxes of hard back, old classics (some first editions). Thinking they would be worth some money I brought them on and checked on-line only to discover most were not worth more than $10. With the exception of "Gone With the Wind" (which may be worth as much as $100) we'll keep the books and pass them on to our children and grandchildren.
In the attic we also found old printing blocks that are mostly metal (brass and copper) and wood. They are very heavy and antique but they are not worth much either. Might be worth more as scrap metal.
Finding a niche will be important to ensuring less risk and more profit.
On another note, I helped my sister clean out my parent's attic and found boxes of hard back, old classics (some first editions). Thinking they would be worth some money I brought them on and checked on-line only to discover most were not worth more than $10. With the exception of "Gone With the Wind" (which may be worth as much as $100) we'll keep the books and pass them on to our children and grandchildren.
In the attic we also found old printing blocks that are mostly metal (brass and copper) and wood. They are very heavy and antique but they are not worth much either. Might be worth more as scrap metal.
Finding a niche will be important to ensuring less risk and more profit.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Two treasures
While Kimmy was busy posting the items on Craigslist today Courtney and I went to the Good Cents store and found 2 baby items -- each costing only 50c. Both have sold on Ebay for a minimum of $20!! I returned for the 2nd opening of the store and came away with only books -- books to keep (Survey of the New Testament) and books to sell (set of 4 Janet Oake books for only $1 -- Canadian series). I also bought a working, rechargeable Norelco shaver for $3. I bought it because my husband lost a piece off of his and it looked identical. I thought I'd fix his shaver but have discovered that the one I bought works just fine!
We've already sold a couple of "buy it now" items on Ebay and now we need to figure out the best way to ship! I opened a USPS assistant program on the computer. I've heard that the USPS will deliver boxes and labels to you if you request them, saving you from actually going to the post office!
We've already sold a couple of "buy it now" items on Ebay and now we need to figure out the best way to ship! I opened a USPS assistant program on the computer. I've heard that the USPS will deliver boxes and labels to you if you request them, saving you from actually going to the post office!
Back to business . . .
We began posting on Ebay and Craigslist. We've had some interest, but nothing to get excited about. We took yesterday off to prepare for Kimmy's evening surprise party which was a success -- she was surprised! Instead of posting, we sent Kimmy off with friends and spent the day preparing food. We did have one inquiry into our Gucci purse wanting to know if it was "real." We don't know if it's real -- how does one tell a "real" from a "fake"?
We have a ton of games that we are sure homeschoolers will love, but we're not sure the best way to resell them. Any ideas? Are there sites for used games? We'll have to do our research today.
My daughter suggests we find our niche. I'm beginning to agree. We'll have to do more research in order to discover the best use of our time if we are to continue this endeavor!
Off to the Good Cents store . . . .
We have a ton of games that we are sure homeschoolers will love, but we're not sure the best way to resell them. Any ideas? Are there sites for used games? We'll have to do our research today.
My daughter suggests we find our niche. I'm beginning to agree. We'll have to do more research in order to discover the best use of our time if we are to continue this endeavor!
Off to the Good Cents store . . . .
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Today's the Day!
Kimmy arrived Monday, and turned 17 yesterday. We took the day off to relax and enjoy lunch out, movies (I loved Horton Hears a Who), and more. Today we'll begin posting on Craigslist and Ebay the items we've purchased so far. Now we'll have to decide if we require minimum amounts, set shipping charges, etc. If any of you have opinions on how best to post and sell on Ebay, do share!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Etsy
Debbie commented and mentioned "Etsy" -- something new to me. I checked it out and it's an online store for handmade items. This would have been great to use if it was around when we were selling our FSU crafts! If you make handmade items (or if you want to purchase some unique, adorable, and affordable items), check out this online store at: http://www.etsy.com/about.php
Kimmy's home and tomorrow is her birthday. I'll give her a day to rest and celebrate then we'll begin posting our treasures on E-bay! She drove 440 miles home today with her 11 year old sister. The trip, fortunately, was uneventful!
Kimmy's home and tomorrow is her birthday. I'll give her a day to rest and celebrate then we'll begin posting our treasures on E-bay! She drove 440 miles home today with her 11 year old sister. The trip, fortunately, was uneventful!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
More treasures . . .
After a few more trips to the Good Cents store I have added to our collection of items to sell. In addition, I have some excited boys who found their own 50c treasures yesterday. My 22 year old son bought a dart board w/darts and a Jansport backpack for $1. Matt (age 13) bought a backpack that comes with a nifty fold out stool to sit on when one gets tired of hiking (50c) and Ben bought a pair of slip on deck shoes for 50c. My daughter Stacey asked me to look out for sandals and I found my grandson (Dominic) 3 pair of light weight sandals for 50c each. Yes, I bought a few things to sell (after all, that's the point to all of this shopping, right?) AND I did GREAT with finding books today! Many, many books. More and more books. LOTS of books. All were 25c each. Books that I can't decide if I should keep, trade at my favorite book store for cash OR sell on-line OR keep and read and THEN sell OR keep, read and pass on to children. I haven't brought the bags inside yet (it's raining and the strong helpers are not home), but I believe I bought 10 or 20 or more in the Heroes of the Faith series! I love those books.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Sports fans, take note
If you live in a town with a college or pro team, then there are business adventures to experience, money to be made! This is how a small incident turned into a craft business with products in 10 retail stores!
Our two oldest daughters, who I believe were around 12 and 10 at the time, were at a friend's house on the day of an FSU home football game. The friends lived near the stadium so they set up a coke and candy bar stand in their yard and made an impressive amount of money. My girls had a blast and came home exclaiming, "Next week is another home game and our friends said we could sell with them." I told them that was great but that they couldn't compete by selling the same products so they needed to come up with something different. They had a stash of sand dollars (from the FL coast) and they decided to paint them garnet and gold (FSU colors) and glue magnets to the back. Knowing that all experiences are educational I didn't dampen their enthusiasm by sharing my real feelings, to-wit: "Who in their right mind would by a fragile sand dollar on the way to a game where you are in the middle of throngs of wild and crazy fans?" It's a good thing I didn't dampen their enthusiasm because the sand dollars were a hit! What I learned was that it pays to keep your mouth shut (I'm still working on that lesson) and that FSU fans will buy ANYTHING if it has garnet and gold on it.
Side note: If you decide to make products for a team, you cannot add their logo or name w/o licensing privileges. Because licensing is costly we never included logos or the FSU name. We simply made our products garnet and gold.
The girls were out of sand dollars but ready to sell something at the next home game. At the time we were in a homeschool co-op studying American Indians. I taught the kids how to make leather and feather earrings at the last co-op and I realized that if we made the earrings garnet and gold instead of turquoise and black that they would probably sell. At this time I new very little about the wholesale/retail industry, but I was soon to learn a lot. I began by scouring Walmarts for garnet feathers, but couldn't find them. Our city (Tallahassee) at the time didn't even have a Walmart and I had to drive to Quincy. I also went to craft stores. The solution was to buy red feathers and dye them garnet in my washing machine. We began producing earrings using supplies we purchased at retail. We broke the process up into steps and paid a certain amount per step. Putting a bead on the leather strip was something even the 3 year old could do and we paid something like one penny per bead. We quickly realized that paying per hour was not economical because some children were much slower and not as ambitious or hard working as others. By paying per job the child could make as much, or as little, as they desired. The earrings sold so well that we began to expand our line. I knew how to weave ribbon into a braid so we braided garnet and gold ribbon and glued that to headbands. My husband said, "Why don't you make these so they go around your head the way the Indians wore them?" Great idea! I designed a headband that was adjustable, fit around any size head, and it had streamers of ribbon, beads and feathers hanging down in back.
A friend wore a pair of our earrings into a retail store and the cashier asked who made the earrings and how could he get in contact with us. That was the beginning of having the products in retail stores. By this time I learned that if you get a sales-tax exemption number and license you can buy products wholesale. The sales-tax exemption registration was free and the license, which allowed us to sell on city right of aways (non-permanent merchant) was only $25 or $35 per year. With the tax number and license I began ordering supplies wholesale to be delivered to my door -- no more searching for products and dying feathers! By the way, do you know how large a package is that holds 10 pounds of feathers????? It's HUGE! Once the first retail store bought our products I went to other stores showing them what we made and in no time the products were in ten stores.
Warning: If you design your own products, be aware that someone will soon steal your design and sell it as their own. There's not much you can do outside of spending lots of money and time. I was at a craft show located right next to a lady selling MY headbands. I picked one up to examine her handiwork (which was inferior, but close to my design) and as I looked at it the lady said, "I had to buy one of those at the store in order to figure out how to make it." She didn't realize she was talking to the person who designed the headband. I didn't tell her either. I went over to another vendor and shared the story with her. She said, "Honey if your product stays uniquely yours for a week, you are lucky." Someone once said that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." I was flattered.
We learned many, many lessons from this endeavor and I'll share more in blogs to come!
Our two oldest daughters, who I believe were around 12 and 10 at the time, were at a friend's house on the day of an FSU home football game. The friends lived near the stadium so they set up a coke and candy bar stand in their yard and made an impressive amount of money. My girls had a blast and came home exclaiming, "Next week is another home game and our friends said we could sell with them." I told them that was great but that they couldn't compete by selling the same products so they needed to come up with something different. They had a stash of sand dollars (from the FL coast) and they decided to paint them garnet and gold (FSU colors) and glue magnets to the back. Knowing that all experiences are educational I didn't dampen their enthusiasm by sharing my real feelings, to-wit: "Who in their right mind would by a fragile sand dollar on the way to a game where you are in the middle of throngs of wild and crazy fans?" It's a good thing I didn't dampen their enthusiasm because the sand dollars were a hit! What I learned was that it pays to keep your mouth shut (I'm still working on that lesson) and that FSU fans will buy ANYTHING if it has garnet and gold on it.
Side note: If you decide to make products for a team, you cannot add their logo or name w/o licensing privileges. Because licensing is costly we never included logos or the FSU name. We simply made our products garnet and gold.
The girls were out of sand dollars but ready to sell something at the next home game. At the time we were in a homeschool co-op studying American Indians. I taught the kids how to make leather and feather earrings at the last co-op and I realized that if we made the earrings garnet and gold instead of turquoise and black that they would probably sell. At this time I new very little about the wholesale/retail industry, but I was soon to learn a lot. I began by scouring Walmarts for garnet feathers, but couldn't find them. Our city (Tallahassee) at the time didn't even have a Walmart and I had to drive to Quincy. I also went to craft stores. The solution was to buy red feathers and dye them garnet in my washing machine. We began producing earrings using supplies we purchased at retail. We broke the process up into steps and paid a certain amount per step. Putting a bead on the leather strip was something even the 3 year old could do and we paid something like one penny per bead. We quickly realized that paying per hour was not economical because some children were much slower and not as ambitious or hard working as others. By paying per job the child could make as much, or as little, as they desired. The earrings sold so well that we began to expand our line. I knew how to weave ribbon into a braid so we braided garnet and gold ribbon and glued that to headbands. My husband said, "Why don't you make these so they go around your head the way the Indians wore them?" Great idea! I designed a headband that was adjustable, fit around any size head, and it had streamers of ribbon, beads and feathers hanging down in back.
A friend wore a pair of our earrings into a retail store and the cashier asked who made the earrings and how could he get in contact with us. That was the beginning of having the products in retail stores. By this time I learned that if you get a sales-tax exemption number and license you can buy products wholesale. The sales-tax exemption registration was free and the license, which allowed us to sell on city right of aways (non-permanent merchant) was only $25 or $35 per year. With the tax number and license I began ordering supplies wholesale to be delivered to my door -- no more searching for products and dying feathers! By the way, do you know how large a package is that holds 10 pounds of feathers????? It's HUGE! Once the first retail store bought our products I went to other stores showing them what we made and in no time the products were in ten stores.
Warning: If you design your own products, be aware that someone will soon steal your design and sell it as their own. There's not much you can do outside of spending lots of money and time. I was at a craft show located right next to a lady selling MY headbands. I picked one up to examine her handiwork (which was inferior, but close to my design) and as I looked at it the lady said, "I had to buy one of those at the store in order to figure out how to make it." She didn't realize she was talking to the person who designed the headband. I didn't tell her either. I went over to another vendor and shared the story with her. She said, "Honey if your product stays uniquely yours for a week, you are lucky." Someone once said that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." I was flattered.
We learned many, many lessons from this endeavor and I'll share more in blogs to come!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Treasures found
We went to the Good cents store twice today. Ben, my 10 year old, found a nice pair of Heelys with clear wheels and plugs -- for 50c! We have about 4 pairs of Heelys we've bought at this store and/or yard sales that we'll sell. Today a friend at the store found a red Gucci purse and passed it on to me -- wahoo! She also handed me a 1946 hardback copy of "Little Women." I found a 1944 boxed set of Shakespeare in 4 volumes! I'm not sure what I was charged but I don't think I paid over $1 for anything. (The cashier was ringing up too fast for me to follow along!) I bought a few more books to trade at the book store (and a few books for me!). Also purchased was a new, in the box, electric massager with 4 different heads (marked $20 from K-Mart) and that cost me $1. We bought several games that look brand new and a couple of chemistry sets (that we'll use). My daughter has been wanting a pair of slip on Sperrys and I found a pair her size today for $1. I also bought an adorable zip up lion suit for my grandson to wear next winter for 50c and I bought my precious granddaughter several pink dress up leotards/skirts/stockings (new) to put into a "dress up" chest for her next trip to the states.
We won't place anything on Ebay until next week when Kimmy returns. For now we'll keep collecting in preparation of listing!
We won't place anything on Ebay until next week when Kimmy returns. For now we'll keep collecting in preparation of listing!
Off for treasures
We're heading out the door to the Good Cents store 10:00 opening (they restock and open twice a day). In America children are often raised with a "what's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine" attitude and, I must admit, we often foster such a notion.
I love what I heard the Amish believe about children. For the first 7 years they are entirely dependent on you. For the next 7 years they can work an amount equal to their caretaking. The next 7 years the children pay back for the first 7 years of life. Why didn't someone tell me this 28 years ago??? Actually, our children have contributed tons to our family both in time and financial support. They are all very generous, hard working and supportive. We are truly blessed.
Yesterday we realized that the youngest (of our nine) who is ten is not quite the worker the others were at his age. We've decided part of the reason for this is due to the fact that he doesn't have younger siblings. By the time our oldest was 10 (Kelley), she had 5 younger siblings.
Gotta go ... the doors are opening soon.
I love what I heard the Amish believe about children. For the first 7 years they are entirely dependent on you. For the next 7 years they can work an amount equal to their caretaking. The next 7 years the children pay back for the first 7 years of life. Why didn't someone tell me this 28 years ago??? Actually, our children have contributed tons to our family both in time and financial support. They are all very generous, hard working and supportive. We are truly blessed.
Yesterday we realized that the youngest (of our nine) who is ten is not quite the worker the others were at his age. We've decided part of the reason for this is due to the fact that he doesn't have younger siblings. By the time our oldest was 10 (Kelley), she had 5 younger siblings.
Gotta go ... the doors are opening soon.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Introduction
My husband has been self-employed most of his adult life. He has taught our children to do a variety of tasks, some of which can be traded for $$$$ (jobs) -- all of which will come in handy when they are home owners, and when helping others . Over the years our children have earned money in many different endeavors. I'll share a few adventures: The first lemonade stand earned my daughter over $10 an hour (this was years ago).
The biggest financial failure -- a son trying to sell firewood in the summer (in the rain) in FLORIDA -- but it was a learning experience, for sure!
One of the best stories: David, age 17, bought a trailer he saw for sale in the neighborhood (cost $35). He asked me to buy spray paint for him so he could fix it up (a minor cannot buy spray paint in FL -- LOL). He fixed the trailer up, put a sign on it and sold it for $200 in less than 24 hours. All of the adventures haven't been financially successfully, but they have certainly all been educational! David bought a truck off Ebay that was located in NY. He and his brother had a great road trip to NY and back, having NO idea how many tolls they would be required to pay (charged by the axle, driving a truck WITH a trailer).
When David was 16 and Jonathan 14 a man in our church hired them to turn an outbuilding into a bath house, complete with bathroom. We were out of town that week teaching worldview seminars so dad wasn't available to consult or help in any way. They made a few mistakes (nothing major) but did a great job!
Our children have been paid to baby sit, house sit, do yard work, clean, do office work, etc. and in addition to these jobs most of the children have actively been involved in our businesses. I'll share some more stories in future blogs. Perhaps my children will write in with some of their stories (be nice to mama!).
What prompted the making of this blog? The decision that it will be fun to work together as a family, earning money! The children will have a greater appreciation of investment, risk taking, gas prices, profits and loss, if they are closely involved in this project. Realizing that the kiddos will face such a challenge with excitement I decided to blog our experience. Kimmy (who will turn 17 next Tuesday) is in Guatemala and Courtney's at camp in TN but they will return this weekend and our adventure will begin!
Actually, it has already begun because we purchased a few items at the Good Cents store (thanks to my daughter Kelley's enthusiastic exclamations of 'You could sell this on Ebay!' every time we visited the store.) We've accumulated a few things to sell and will put them on Craigslist or Ebay once Kimmy returns (she knows how to do the Ebay thing, I don't and with knowledge comes responsibility to I don't plan to learn -- I'd rather delegate). Buying and selling will be one of the ways we'll work together to earn money. We'll also allow Kimmy to continue babysitting, cleaning, etc. (aren't we nice?) because she still needs some money for Summit!
Having decided to do this I went by the Good Cents store at 2:00 today. I bought a few items for family and friends, some books and movies to take to my favorite used bookstore (which I can turn in for cash as well as trade), and I also bought TWO items that I'm very excited about. I bought a pair of almost brand new LaCrosse hunting boots which retail for $90 (mol) and I only paid $1. I also bought Sony software for making videos for only $1 and it retails for $75! I've already posted them on Craigslist (because I know how and there's no fee or shipping involved), but if they don't sell that way, they'll go on Ebay.
I also plan to have Kimmy take a lesson from someone who is doing the fiddledeedee.blog.blogspot.com suggestions so that she can learn to do what my friend Sheila's amazing daughter-in-law is doing every month.
Any and all suggestions, challenges, and great ideas are welcome! Who knows, perhaps this adventure will end up in a follow-up book to "Plant a Seed, Grow an Entrepreneur"!
The biggest financial failure -- a son trying to sell firewood in the summer (in the rain) in FLORIDA -- but it was a learning experience, for sure!
One of the best stories: David, age 17, bought a trailer he saw for sale in the neighborhood (cost $35). He asked me to buy spray paint for him so he could fix it up (a minor cannot buy spray paint in FL -- LOL). He fixed the trailer up, put a sign on it and sold it for $200 in less than 24 hours. All of the adventures haven't been financially successfully, but they have certainly all been educational! David bought a truck off Ebay that was located in NY. He and his brother had a great road trip to NY and back, having NO idea how many tolls they would be required to pay (charged by the axle, driving a truck WITH a trailer).
When David was 16 and Jonathan 14 a man in our church hired them to turn an outbuilding into a bath house, complete with bathroom. We were out of town that week teaching worldview seminars so dad wasn't available to consult or help in any way. They made a few mistakes (nothing major) but did a great job!
Our children have been paid to baby sit, house sit, do yard work, clean, do office work, etc. and in addition to these jobs most of the children have actively been involved in our businesses. I'll share some more stories in future blogs. Perhaps my children will write in with some of their stories (be nice to mama!).
What prompted the making of this blog? The decision that it will be fun to work together as a family, earning money! The children will have a greater appreciation of investment, risk taking, gas prices, profits and loss, if they are closely involved in this project. Realizing that the kiddos will face such a challenge with excitement I decided to blog our experience. Kimmy (who will turn 17 next Tuesday) is in Guatemala and Courtney's at camp in TN but they will return this weekend and our adventure will begin!
Actually, it has already begun because we purchased a few items at the Good Cents store (thanks to my daughter Kelley's enthusiastic exclamations of 'You could sell this on Ebay!' every time we visited the store.) We've accumulated a few things to sell and will put them on Craigslist or Ebay once Kimmy returns (she knows how to do the Ebay thing, I don't and with knowledge comes responsibility to I don't plan to learn -- I'd rather delegate). Buying and selling will be one of the ways we'll work together to earn money. We'll also allow Kimmy to continue babysitting, cleaning, etc. (aren't we nice?) because she still needs some money for Summit!
Having decided to do this I went by the Good Cents store at 2:00 today. I bought a few items for family and friends, some books and movies to take to my favorite used bookstore (which I can turn in for cash as well as trade), and I also bought TWO items that I'm very excited about. I bought a pair of almost brand new LaCrosse hunting boots which retail for $90 (mol) and I only paid $1. I also bought Sony software for making videos for only $1 and it retails for $75! I've already posted them on Craigslist (because I know how and there's no fee or shipping involved), but if they don't sell that way, they'll go on Ebay.
I also plan to have Kimmy take a lesson from someone who is doing the fiddledeedee.blog.blogspot.com suggestions so that she can learn to do what my friend Sheila's amazing daughter-in-law is doing every month.
Any and all suggestions, challenges, and great ideas are welcome! Who knows, perhaps this adventure will end up in a follow-up book to "Plant a Seed, Grow an Entrepreneur"!
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