eBay
March – 29 sales for 3433$; April – 15 sales for 1127$.
Total – 4560$ – 10% (estimated fees) = 4104$. This was a pretty good stretch for eBay!
Cross solid 18k fountain pen: 1500$. My totals were obviously buoyed by the sale of this solid gold pen, which you might remember as my best find of 2018.
Vintage Oliver People’s Aero sunglasses: 200$. The most valuable piece from my quality eyewear haul back in January.
Tom Ford sunglasses: 100$. These ones were fairly valuable as well!
Moscow 1980 Olympics bid book: 200$. This finally sold, only took around a year in a half. I started with a high price because I wasn’t able to find any comparables online, and lowered it until it finally flew the coop. I like it when things sell quickly, but it’s also satisfying to know that you got the most out of your item.
Wooden Soviet figurines: 100$. I found a bunch of Soviet dolls at one spot in Outremont, all of which ended selling for decent cash.
iPhone 6S: 100$. Most iPhones I find these days are iCloud locked, but this one wasn’t. In spite of my efforts I couldn’t figure out what provider it was on though, so I sold it “as is.”
Vintage bubbly glass doorknobs: 100$. Still haven’t seen any others like this!
Sanborns Mexican sterling silver salad servers: 125$. Part of last spring’s awesome silverware haul.
Pioneer CD player: 300$. Most CD players aren’t worth much these days, but this one was high end in the late 80s and held its value pretty well. I figured it might be worth something because it was unusually heavy and looked older than most other CD players. Also, Pioneer is a pretty solid brand all around. Found in TMR.
Gameboy Micro: 150$. I didn’t know these existed before I found this one not far from Dawson College. Either way, they sell for a pretty good price!
Lot of clarinet reeds: 80$. Found at a quality spot on St Urbain. I think most were used, but still had some life left in them. The buyer was happy, so I guess it was a solid deal.
Deep Trance Medium cassettes: 60$. I played one of these briefly and it was interesting to say the least. Found out front of a house being renovated near Square St Louis.
Vintage Zenith sign: 60$. The last of those cool store display signs I found a while back.
Local auction
1958.25$ (after fees) from 96 different lots.
Mokita espresso machine: 160$. The better of two espresso machines I found in Outremont this winter. This is something I probably should have sold on Kijiji, but oh well. There’s always more garbage!
Games lot: 38$. These are the ones I found with the iPods in Outremont a few months back.
Kindle + Kobo: 110$. This was one of my first lots that sold for above market value (I think). Based on my research I figured these were worth around 30-40$ a piece, with shipping cutting into those potential profits. I’m not sure why the bidding went so high, except that maybe they were going by the price of newer models and not the older ones. Regardless, it’s good to know that I will sometimes get better prices at the auction house than I could even on eBay, and it’s a reminder that bidding and buying isn’t always rational (which is something I’ve mostly assumed since the beginning).
Professional 9-speed Kitchenaid mixer: 44$. Looked barely used. Found with the eyewear in Cote St-Luc.
Pinup calendar lot: 42$. I found a huge haul of old calendars in Westmount a while back and these were among them.
Vintage airplane tin toy: 170$. At the time I thought this sold for way above market value, but in retrospect it was probably about right. Found in Westmount.
Unused tapes: 24$. Anytime I find unused cassettes these days I stash them in my garage until I have enough to make a decent sized auction lot. They actually do fairly well there, I used to sell them on eBay but this is a lot less work.
Mostly PS2 controller lot: 75$. I use the cassette strategy for other classes of items as well, like gaming controllers.
Kitschy painting: 150$. I wouldn’t want this anywhere near my wall but apparently at least two other people did! It came with a matching painting that sold for just 40$, and also a pair of clown paintings that also sold for 40$. These were all things that I probably would have sold at a yard sale for 5-10$ previously, so this is a great example of how the auction house is helping me earn more money than in previous years.
Danish teak table: 85$. This piece needed some work, but I’m sure whoever bought it is happy to do it.
1st Gen iPad, A1219 64GB: 180$. Here’s another thing that looks to have sold for above market value. You can buy these for 40$ on eBay, 100$ if you’re feeling really flush. I have no idea why the bidding went so high but I’m not going to complain. This was found with the Gameboy near Dawson College.
First ever scrap metal run: 111.45$.
Total: 6173.70$, 13070.20$ so far in 2019. I’m wondering if I’ve turned a corner in terms of income. This is my best ever stretch to start a year, and it feels pretty sustainable even though I won’t be regularly selling 1500$ pens. If this keeps up maybe I can actually starting paying off my student loans and other debts I accumulated as a dumb 20-something.
Links
1. Facebook page
2. My eBay listings, Sign up for eBay, Search for something you want / research something you have (I’m a member of the eBay Partner Network so I make a bit of money if you buy things [even if they’re not mine] or sign up for an account via these links)
3. Help me pay off student loan debt / Contribute to the blog
4. Follow me on Instagram