ISSUE 31: July 2007
Yard Salers: Issue 31! Recent Sales, World's Longest Sale Yard Sale, & More - July 07
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Hello, all!
After all the foofaraw about eBay Live, and then some summer travels, it was nice to get back to good ol' garden-variety yard sales this past weekend. (The weekend before that, I actually had a yard sale of my own,with two neighbors...more on that later).
I have written between newsletters on my blog about some cool eBay tools, including one called Ztail (www.ztail.com) which makes it very easy to list anything on eBay that has any kind of product info online. And another web site has a tool that shows you yard sales in your area on Google maps. Check that and other stories out on my blog at http://juliawww.typepad.com/bidbits/.
But back to yard sales. I got out to many sales this weekend and picked up a smorgasboard of items. It got me to thinking it would be fun to post photos of our finds on the Yard Salers message boards. We're in the process of installing a new version of the boards, so hopefully there will be an easier way to upload photos there soon.
I do have one of my ebooks updated and ready to go: you can read about (and order) "Over 500 Books that Sell for $50-$5000" in this issue. I had hoped to have "What Sells on eBay for What" ready as well, but I have some more prices to add to it and I don't want to release it until it's totally ready. It should be soon, though.
Finally, a reminder that I've decided to go to the World's Longest Yard Sale this year, Aug 2-5. (Also known as the Highway 127 Corridor Sale). I'll be reporting later about that. I did hear from a reader who went, and has a great story to tell about it. Read on for that and more.
So without further ado, let's get to it!
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Who are you listening to for eBay and Internet success advice? Click here to get a live team of experts that have DONE IT.
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Julia's Make Money Selling Kids' Clothes on eBay ebook has been updated for 2007! Now 42 pages, it's jam-packed with brand analyses; high, median and low prices; and tips about where to find the best children's clothes to resell. Buy it!.
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The New York Public Library just named The eBay Price Guide: What Sells for What (in Every Category!) among its "Best of Reference" for 2007.
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In This Issue:
1) This Week's Haul and a New Boards Feature
2) World's Longest Yard Sale Update and Reader Story
3) Over 500 Books that Sell for $50-$5000 - All New!
4) Reader Mail
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1) This Week's Haul and a New Boards Feature
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I got a mixed bag of items while out and about at this past weekend's yard sale -- three vintage Breyer horses, some china and dishes, about six SAT and PSAT preparation study books, a Starbucks mug I still have to look up on eBay to see if it's worth much (usually the specialized ones like local or really vintage ones are the valuable ones), a Barbie hair salon I will give to my niece, and a Haynes Honda Accord '90 - '93 car manual.
A side note about the car manuals, like these Haynes manuals -- they can be desirable to snatch up because people who own old cars, or who purchase old cars from places like craigslist, and also auto mechanics, need these things.
I actually passed, at an earlier sale, on a Datsun 1983 manual (that made me laugh because I used to drive a Datsun B210 for part of the 80s, after it was passed down from my sister). In the end I decided it was just too old and I wasn't sure anyone would buy it. But was it?
I don't think so. One such manual just sold for $9.95, and another for $5.50. That's not a ton of money, of course, but with a pre-filled listing, it would be a quick list, and an easy packing job with nice cheap media mail shipping. For fifty cents or so, I'd do it.
By the way, what were the highest-priced Haynes repair manuals that sold recently on eBay?
A YAMAHA RD 400 TWIN 1975-1979 HAYNES REPAIR MANUAL sold for $31.97 with a Buy It Now. Several Land Rover manuals also sold between $20 amd $30.
And the most expensive car manual that sold on eBay recently? A Ferrari 250 LM Uso Manutenzione Owners Manual. It sold for $1,136.00 with 7 bids.
It's the same story with other luxury cars. The hard-to-find luxury car manuals go for big bucks -- Aston Martins circa 1963 - $911, Corvette, Lamborghini. Suffice to say, if you see one of those bad boys at a sale, you have my permission to throw caution to the wind and hurl your body over it if you see someone else approaching.
What else good did I find? A young woman (she seemed very young to me, tho she said she played with her collection of Breyer horses in the 70s, as did I) was selling her aforementioned horse collection.
I wasn't sure about the value of any of them, so I purchased a few that I thought were cute, and one that I thought might be especially vintage because he had a saddle and just had that old look about him. He's currently up on eBay..he's grey with a white mane, and I wasn't able to identify his specific Breyer name.
The other two were an Appaloosa stallion and foal. I haven't listed them yet but will shortly. A few of the ones I passed up on and, again. later second-guessed the decision: a Clydesdale family. This is because I went on eBay to check prices of Breyer horses, and the number one top recent sale was of a Breyer Clydesdale family of three..selling for a jaw-dropping US $1,393.00 with 7 bids.
I am not sure why this was, and in fact I've asked the seller if they can explain it. [Update: I heard back from the seller and she said it was in fact a typo from the seller. Whew! That explains that. I was kicking myself.] Other highest-priced Breyer Clydesdales sell for:
Vintage Breyer Special Run Semi-Glossy Clydesdale; 19 bids; $73.00;
Breyer, GLOSSY DAPPLE GREY CLYDESDALE, Stallion, old; 7; $65.00;
Breyer FLOCKED Clydesdale SR 1983 Sears VERY RARE!!; 9; $61.84.
I also bought a pink Wedgwood small covered dish. The seller told me dealers who came by earlier bought up the teal and brown ones, because they are rarer colors and are supposed to be more valuable. Blue, as you may know, is probably the most common color for the Wedgwood jasperware cameos aka intaglios dishes. So keep that in mind if you see Wedgwood out there.
'Nuff said about my weekend finds.
I thought it would be fun to post a picture of them all together in one heap. Then it got me thinking it would be fun for us to do that on the Yard Salers message boards community, so I am looking into a way to facilitate that better.
For now, though, you can go to the "Community" link on the left of the Yard Salers forum, and post a link to an image under the "This Week's Haul" thread. Or, create a new thread. [NOTE: I have deleted all the spam on the boards and posted a warning to the spammers, as well as installed a short registration authentication process to throw off future spammers].
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2) World's Longest Yard Sale Update and Reader Story
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I asked you for World's Longest Yard Sale stories and I got stories! Well, story, anyway. But still...it's a neat story. It comes to us from reader Ruth, who says they've been "3 times and are planning on going this year also. We also start at Chattanooga and go north. We've gotten as far as Crossville, TN. The first year we went maybe 10 miles TOPS!"
Wow, Ruth...maybe I'll see you as you make your way north when I am making my way south down from West Virginia. Anyone else planning to make the trip, please post on the Yard Salers Community boards or email me at juliawilk@aol.com and I will keep a list of which Yard Salers are going when so maybe we can all meet up somewhere.
Back to Ruth:
"We've always come back with a van full. You can find just about anything...some people even sell live animals (chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats). In some places, dealers set up, but the best places (in my opinion) are the true residents who just set up in their yard. The dealers want good money for their goods, but the general public who sets up to sell are more realistic."
The first year, we met some friends from FL, SC and TN and all went together in one vehicle. We had to tie stuff on top of the van!
Anyway, Ruth also has a really funny story, what I call "The Ultimate Quick Flip":
Hi.
I noticed in your last newsletter you wanted stories from people who had been to the sale. Here's a short story:
Two years ago, we went to the sale. We were in the Chattanooga area. We were driving along and saw some ladder back chairs in a yard. We stopped and walked up to look at them. They were rush seats and there were 6 of them. Marked $3 each.
We looked around and the woman selling them said to us "I'll let you have them all for $15. We said "SOLD!" As we were carrying them across the road, another woman was walking with us, and said she wished she had seen them first, as she wanted 4 of them for her daughter. I said "OK, you can have 4 for $20." She said "SOLD!"
So we ended up with 2 chairs for free and a $5 profit before we even got them to the car! Further up the road, we saw more chairs like them that were priced at $35 each!
Ruth
New Jersey
Hi Ruth!
Great story! Thank you so much for sharing! I can just picture you carrying those chairs to your car. What a great deal. It would be fun to run into you at this year's sale.
- Julia
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3) Over 500 Books that Sell for $50-$5000 - All New!
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As you may have read in some of my recent newsletters, my goal this summer is to update all my ebooks. I'm pleased to announce that another of my ebooks is now ready, and with a slightly new title: "Over 500 Books that Sell for $50-$5000 on eBay" (formerly "Over 100 Books that Sell for $50-$100 on eBay) is available for your moneymaking enjoyment.
This one is beefy, people. I included not only price data from the original ebook, so you could compare new to old prices, but all-new 2007 high and median prices from all the major Books & Magazines subcategories.
Here is a bit more description from the Yard Salers bookstore:
All-new for 2007!
Whether you're looking to make a living selling books on eBay, or simply get maximum return for clearing out some of the books in your own home, this ebook is packed with information that will help you. Books are everywhere, and relatively easy to ship -- and cheap, with the media mail option. But which niches hide the gems, and which niches might you be neglecting? With this over 120-page no-fluff ebook - Over 500 Books that Sell for $50-$5000, you get over 500 of the highest recent ending prices and titles for books in every major subcategory of the Books & Magazines area on eBay, plus two median prices and titles from each of those same categories.
You also get stories and anecdotes about where people find books and the various online selling venues are and what their pros and cons are. How my friend made $400 in two weeks selling books, including one ordinary book she found at a library book sale by this household-name consumer crusader. Also online resources, and one link to a booksellers' discussion thread that could be worth thousands of dollars to you.
To buy the ebook for $8.95, 1/2 off from its retail price of $17.95, click here.
(I am currently price-testing the book, but as I am settling on a retail price of $17.95 for the ebook, as always I am offering the ebook at 1/2 price for my subscribers, so you can get it for $8.95. That is less than the price of most paperback books. I am so confident you will find the ebook a good value, as always I offer a full money-back policy if you are not satisfied).
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4) Reader Mail
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Hello,
We came across a website with information about fake Dooney and Bourke pocketbooks. We are dealing with a dispute over a pocketbook we recently sold on Ebay. We sold this after I received it as a gift; however, not crazy about it. This was bought as a authentic pocketbook and though we believed it to be did not list "authentic" in the description.
The lady, who is being very nasty, said she took it and had it looked at and that the straps are vinyl and the inside should have a off white cotton lining. Is this true?
I looked everywhere and can't find a description about the inside of the pocketbook.
Thank you for any help in advance!
Sincerely,
Buffy and Craig
Hi Buffy and Craig,
Sorry for the delay getting back to you. I did some digging and it does sound like most Dooney and Bourkes have a cotton lining. Here is a link to a an eBay Guide from their Reviews & Guides section that discusses what some of the most commonly faked styles red flags are:
http://reviews.ebay.com/How-2-identify-authentic-Dooney-amp-Bourke-New-Style-Bags_W0QQugidZ10000000000703257
Another thing to look out for is the leather trim. As far as I know, Dooneys use genuine leather, in fact one of the things they are famous for is their all-weather leather, "AWL."
I'd like to add another red flag I've noticed with many of these fakes. The handles, or other part of the bag, is wrapped in clear, crinkly plastic. I can't think of a luxury bag I've bought that's come wrapped like that.
Here's another comment I found from the eBay Clothing and Accessories board:
"I am not an expert but here are a few things to look for.
"Does it have the red white and blue Dooney tag on the inside?
"Is the inside leather not lined?
"Is the patch sewn on all the way through the flap on just glued on?"
If you want to pick the brains of the experts, check out this fairly new eBay Discussion board: The Shoes, Purses and Fashion Accessories Discussion Board. It's a "spinoff" as it were of the Clothing & Accessories board.
If this were my auction, even if I were unsure it was fake or not, I think I would cut my losses and offer the buyer a refund. It's just easier than hashing it all out and risking bad feedback, in my mind.
Best of luck and I wish you much profit with all your auctions! Think of this one as a learning experience.
Julia
Hello,
I just came across your site and found it's a great resource for yard salers like myself. Thanks for the wealth of info!
A friend and I have recently started a garage/yard sale site at
http://gsalr.com/ that you may be interested in. It's for viewing upcoming yard sales on a map then building a route with directions for visiting them.
Thanks!
Nate
Hi Nate!
Great! As it so happens I am about to add a big new Yard Sale links page and will add yours to it.
There was another guy w/ something similar..have u seen http://www.weekendtreasure.com/?
Julia
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Still haven't read my bestselling eBay book, "What Sells on eBay for What"! You can buy it and download it instantly -- click What Sells on eBay for What or go to
www.aolmemorabilia.com/whatsells.
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Lynn Dralle's famous "boot camp" is now in a box! "My success was no accident...It has taken me eight years to perfect my system and hit the six-figure sales level on eBay. I've done it and so can you. And now I'm doing the unthinkable -- I am sharing all of my secrets - step by step, in my eBay Boot Camp in a Box!" Click here for Lynn's Boot Camp in a Box!
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That's it for this issue. Until next time! - Julia
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Questions about My eBooks Ordering
You can certainly purchase from me directly, as can anyone. All you have to do is email me and let me know which ebook(s) you want, if you are a subscriber and thus eligible for the discount, and then PayPal me to my PayPal id at juliawilk@aol.com. I'll be tweaking and updating the ebooks page on my web site soon.
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YOUR FEEDBACK WANTED: What Else Do You Want to See in Yardsalers?
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I am always open to reader articles, so if you want to write about something relating to yard sale-ing and eBaying, just flag me down! I will of course give you credit, using your eBay ID, web site, or any other contact
info.
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eBooks by Julia L. Wilkinson:
[All my ebooks are offered at 1/2 price from their regular prices to the subscribers of this newsletter. If interested in any of them, please email me at juliawilk@aol.com.]
- Making Big Bucks off Catalogs on eBay:
http://www.aolmemorabilia.com/clkslcat.html
- Selling Kids Clothes on eBay: email me!
http://www.yardsalers.net/bookstore.asp and scroll to the ebook to purchase.
- How to Spot Fakes: email me!
Julia Classic:
What Sells on eBay for What: $8.95, 1/2 price from the $17.95 retail price.
http://www.aolmemorabilia.com/whatsells
My Life at AOL (available at amazon.com, booklocker.com, and 1stbooks.com)
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Blogs, Blogs, and More Blogs
Check out My amazon.com Author Blog
Those of you who just can't get enough of my writing (are there any of you?) will be happy to know I now have a new blog on amazon.com. Amazon.com has created an "author blog" tool for authors to...well, blog. You'll see it if you bring up either of my books on the amazon site, but for good measure, it's at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593270550. (Scroll down to "amazonConnect").
You can also check out my typepad blog, "bidbits": bidbits
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Do you have your copy of Julia's book, eBay Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks?
It's available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. If you do want to order the book, I'd appreciate if you'd support Yard Salers and
eBayers by using my affiliate link below.
ebay top
100
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Copyright 2007 Julia L. Wilkinson
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Yard Salers, www.yardsalers.net
Publisher, Julia Wilkinson, author of the award-winning "eBay Price Guide" and "What Sells on eBay for What"
No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Yard Salers and eBayers makes diligent efforts to obtain accurate and timely information. However, Yard Salers and eBayers disclaims any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in Yard Salers and eBayers, whether or not such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.
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