Tag: sales

Recent sales: August & September

garbagefinds20 Comments

eBay

August: 15 sales, 824$ before fees.
September: 12 sales, 685$ before fees.
Total: 1509$.

eBay sales were slow, as they usually are (at least for me) in the late summer. Fortunately, I sold a whole bunch of stuff at auction to help even things out.

Notable sales:

Carl Poul Petersen sterling silver tie clip: 64$. I probably would have scrapped this if not for the input of reader who recognized the signature below as that of Poul Petersen, a noted Canadian silversmith and apprentice of Georg Jensen. Monograms generally reduce the value of an item, but M.D. has obvious appeal to those with medical degrees. Part of a great haul from early 2016 – it took a long time to sell because I didn’t know where to price it.

1959-1960 Toronto Maple Leafs pocket schedule: 100$. I seem to have a knack for finding these old schedules. I couldn’t find any others like it online, much like the 1940s Canadiens schedule I saved last year. The Pepsi vending machine catalogue from the same pile also sold for a great price (75$).

Gio de Armani Eau de Parfum (50ml): 95$. There’s a solid market for this scent, which was discontinued however many years ago. This was part of a nice perfume haul I found in Hampstead earlier this year.

1921 Pope Benedict XV blessing: 240$. Pope Benedict XV stuff is relatively hard to find, so this was worth a bit of money even though it was likely signed by one of his assistants. I found it last year in the Plateau.

Montblanc “Hommage to Mozart” small-size ballpoint pen: 200$. This was a relatively recent find, tossed by some especially dumb rich people. It was in its original box (along with a complementary Mozart CD) and looked to have barely been used. Some other finds from this spot will make the blog soon.

Local Auction

August: 1309.25$ after fees
September: 1722.25 after fees
Total: 3031.50$

It was around this time that I dedicated myself to downsizing my unintentional collection of junk. As a result, the auction folk and I both made a bunch of money.

Notable sales:

Wine pump: 230$ (before fees). This ended up selling for a lot more than I expected! I guess it helped that the auction happened to end right around wine-making season. Found in Ville St Laurent.

Anti-explosion lights + misc junk: 85$. Found in the east Plateau.

Architectural element: 32$. I’m sure this piece will get turned into something nice! Found in Westmount.

Dried puffer fish & pike head: 32$. These were among my most unusual finds of the summer. Both will probably be turned into lamps. Found in Ville St Laurent.

Vintage Ford V8 hubcap: 32$. Found on the outer edge of Cote-des-Neiges.

Miniature perfume lot: 80$. Included in this collection was a lot that went unsold for some time on eBay and several others I found while digging through my junk (which I apparently forgot about). I’m happy with this total – miniatures aren’t really worth enough to list individually (at least for me), and it’s also hard to get people to pay reasonable money for them at yard sales.

Jo Malone sample lot: 55$. I spotted a huge number of these samples at the bottom of one of a bags. At first I thought they’d be more of a hassle than they were worth, but then I figured that I’d probably be able to get 20$ for them at auction. It turned out they sold for more than that!

Jo Malone is a quality brand and these samples were still fresh. My guess is that the previous owner worked somewhere in the retail industry. Regardless, this is a great example of how the auction house allows me to make easy money on things that would have previously been a hassle.

Antique domed glass frames + photos: 60$. I pulled these out of a dumpster in St Michel. Amazingly they didn’t break, though I did have to clean some garbage juice off one of them.

Yard sales

1220$ over four sales. To be honest I kind of lost track of my yard sale income, but I think this is a pretty good guess. This year I’ve often hired friends to help me with the sales, which cuts into my bottom line but really helps reduce my workload.

Total

5760.50$, 20265.75$ so far in 2018. A pretty good couple of months! It’s unlikely that I’ll get to 30k this year but I’ll probably get pretty close.

Recent sales: June

garbagefinds13 Comments

June was the month I first started bringing my junk to the auction house. I had a lot to deal with at the time (including picking during move-out season, my move to a smaller garage, and that stressful yard sale) so I didn’t have time to take pictures of all my wares. Below is a rapid fire look at what sold at auction.

Auction results:

  • Mickey Mouse coin bank: 8$. Found in the Plateau.
  • 1976 Champion Gilles Villeneuve poster: 22$.
  • Small rug: 20$. Found in Outremont.
  • Victorian lamp stand: 18$. Found in Outremont.
  • Plaster plant stand: 10$. Found in St Michel.

  • Wooden trunk: 16$. Found in Ville St Laurent and brought to auction that same day.
  • Agatha silver ring: 12$. Found in Outremont.

  • Le Creuset casserole dish: 18$.

  • Parti Quebecois election sign: 95$. Found in Rosemont.
  • Handmade wooden vase: 10$. Found in Outremont.
  • Vintage cowhide doctor’s bag: 80$. Found in Westmount.
  • Spiderman deluxe box set: 16$. Found in Cartierville.
  • Large vintage speaker, as is: 9$. Found in the Mile End.
  • Vintage rocking chair: 32$. Found in TMR.

Total: 322$ – 80.50$ (25% fee) – 14$ (listing fees) =  227.50$

I’m satisfied with all of these results. A few, like the wooden trunk were slightly disappointing, but I was also quite happy to get these things out of my space. The disappointments were more than offset by the successes. The PQ sign went for about what I thought it should, but required much less effort to sell than if I was forced to go the Kijiji / eBay route. The doctor’s bag went for a lot more than I expected – I actually had it priced at 20$ during the pop-up market in April (I’m glad it didn’t sell then!). The Gilles Villeneuve poster went for a good sum as well.

Overall, I’ve very happy with the auction approach thus far, and especially the amount of work and storage space this avenue saves me. I expect that auction results will be a staple of these sales summaries going forward.

eBay sales

  • 2 SAP textbooks: 95$. I wasn’t sure about listing them at the time but enough have sold to make the effort worthwhile. Found in the lower Plateau.

  • 1950s / 1960s African missionary slides: 60$. These were part of that big photo haul I found thanks to a tip from a reader last year. Found in St Michel.

  • Vintage Triumph car badge: 50$. Found in TMR.
  • Simmons pocket knife: 30$. Found in the Mile End.

  • United Colors of Benetton silver cross pendant: 15$. I’m surprised this was such a hard sell, it took about three years to find a new home. Found in NDG.

  • Primrose plate cocktail shaker: 70$. I figured I’d get a good price for this! Found in NDG.

  • Vintage Quebec flag: 30$. Found in the Plateau.

  • Priest stole: 15$. I gave the buyer a 50% discount when I noticed that one of the tassels had been accidentally torn off. It wasn’t a hard fix, but I wanted to make sure the buyer was happy with what they ordered. Found in Outremont.

  • Miniature Expo 67 flag: 22.50$. Found in NDG.
  • House of Seagram printing plates: 18$. Found in Montreal Ouest.

  • Vintage car plates: 90$. Found in TMR.

  • Studebaker letterpress block: 27$. Found in Ahuntsic.

  • Stadium motorcycle goggles: 45$. These were probably made in the 30s or 40s. Found in NDG.

  • Vintage Bulova watch: 45$. Found just down the street.

  • Antique silver grouse foot pendant: 27$. Found in Westmount.

Total: 639.50$. A bit of a slow month, but that’s to be expected in the summer. If some of those numbers look funny it’s because I started a 10% off sale around this time, I don’t usually set prices with cents in them.

Yard sales

  • 800$. This was the one that got a bit out of hand. Still, the overall profits weren’t bad. I realized recently though that the lightbulbs to my photo equipment were also stolen, which will cost me around 50-75$. I may have had another minor sale in June, but I can’t remember for sure.

Gold / silver scrap

  • 800$. This batch was composed largely of silverware from the collection I found back in April. Some were good to sell on eBay, but others were worn past the point of being desirable (ie: some of the prongs of the forks had been grinded down somehow and were sharp / uneven). So, into the scrap pile they went, along with other unexceptional or damaged bits of jewelry.

Overall total: 2467$, 12066.50$ so far in 2018. I consider that a decent month – twelve of those brings me close to 30k gross for the year.

Recent sales: December

garbagefinds19 Comments

After my recent auction success (which turned out not to be much of a success, but whatever) I decided to change a bunch of my older Buy it Now listings to auctions. I wondered if the auctions would get more exposure and clicks, and hoped that it would help clear out some old stock.

So far, it doesn’t seem like the listings are seeing much, if any more interest than they were beforehand. A couple have bids, so at least I’ll get rid of two things, but they’ll probably end up selling for less than I would have earned if I stuck with the Buy it Now.

Either way, it was a worthwhile experiment that goes to show the value of the Buy it Now listing, especially for niche stuff that’s unlikely to get a lot of views. My auctions end tonight at around 8pm EST so check them out if you’re interested! They’re almost certain to finish at a bargain price. If they don’t sell, most will end up in my yard sale pile.

December was a pretty good month for sales. I also calculated my total profit in 2017, which you can find at the bottom of this post.

1. Maruyama courting couple figurine: On eBay for 60$. One of the last pieces from that china collection I found a few years back. It was in great condition. Found in Ville St Laurent.

2. Vintage transit documents: On eBay for 15$. Found in Rosemont.

3. Vintage Paratrooper poster: On eBay for 25$. Four down, around 15 to go.

4. Christmas light lot (tested): On eBay for 45$. Testing all this stuff was a hassle, but the profit wasn’t bad. Mostly found in Westmount.

5. SAP textbook: On eBay for 40$. I’ve sold a few of my SAP textbooks now. Hopefully I sell a few more, but if not I’ve made a bit over 100$ for my efforts. Found in the Plateau.

6. Montreal Olympics slide lot: On eBay for 200$. The buyer seemed most interested in photos of the gymnastic events. Found in TMR.

7. Three brown bakelite light switches: On eBay for 60$. These were more valuable than I originally expected. Something else to keep an eye out for while picking!

8. Aurora Hastil pen with 14k nib, for repair: On eBay for 40$. It needed some fixing but still sold for a good price. Found in the Plateau.

9. Phillips LFH9600 digital memo recorder: On eBay for 120$. Found in TMR.

10. Krieger tidal watch: On eBay for 515$. It cost 35$ to get a new battery in there, which I subtracted from the profit. Krieger isn’t a particularly well known company, but they make quality watches and their tidal wares satisfy a niche market. Found in Outremont.

11. Superscope (Marantz) TDR-830 8-track player/recorder: On eBay for 90$. This machine needed some repairs, but Marantz stuff always does well on eBay. Found in Rosemont.

12. WWII Vickers ammo box: On eBay for 80$. This sold pretty quickly. Found in NDG.

13. Birks silver picture frame: On eBay for 40$. Found in Hampstead.

14. Birks silver picture frame #2: On eBay for 30$. This one was bigger but had no glass. Found elsewhere in Hampstead.

15. Ed Levin silver bracelet: On eBay for 80$. Found in the Mile End.

16. Boston Pops 1952 program: On eBay for 10$. I’m just glad this is gone! It had been on eBay for an eternity.

17. Zassenhaus 532 coffee grinder: On eBay for 250$. I would have loved to keep this for myself, but I can’t afford to own a 250$ coffee grinder. Found in Westmount.

18. Expo 67 construction photos: On eBay for 20$. Found in NDG.

19. Christmas light lot #2: On eBay for 40$. These sold on boxing day. Found in Westmount.

20. Christian Dior Poison soap bar: On eBay for 50$. Not bad for 30 year old soap! Found in Outremont.

21. Schuco Fex windup car: On eBay for 60$. I got neutral feedback for this because I forgot to mention in the listing that the winding mechanism probably didn’t work. My bad. If the buyer had contacted me directly I would have offered a partial refund, but I guess it didn’t bother them that much. Found in Westmount.

22. Round bakelite light switches: On eBay for 25$. More old bakelite switches. These were a little beat up, so I didn’t ask for much.

23. Yearbooks: To a reader for 100$. I gave them a deal on the yearbooks I had on eBay, as well as a beautiful art deco era “Old McGill” yearbook I haven’t posted here yet.

24. Drewrys bottle opener: On eBay for 15$.

25. Sherman bracelet: On eBay for 35$. I ended up giving a partial refund because I didn’t notice an issue with the clasp. A 15$ discount resolved the issue, however, and the buyer left good feedback. Found in Outremont.

26. Vintage Micronta alarm clock: On eBay for 30$. This had very big numbers!

Refunds:

1. Secret Dakini oracle tarot cards: -60$. These sold to someone in Germany but apparently they haven’t shown up. There’s no tracking number (tracking anything going overseas via Canada Post costs at least 40$) so there’s no way to say where it is. I can only hope that it shows up eventually, and that the buyer is honest enough to pay me again. Regardless, the occasionally refund is just a cost of doing business.

Total: 2015$, 27152$ in 2017. This bests my previous record by around 5000$. I credit an extremely successful yard sale season, as well as my consistently improving eBay skills for the great year. I hope to cross the 30k mark in 2018!

It’s worth noting here that my stated sales totals are the gross profit, and don’t take into account the eBay / PayPal / Etsy fees I pay for my online sales. So, my actual earnings are about 8-10% less on the things I sell on eBay and about 6% less on the things I sell on Etsy. I’d guess that I paid around 1800$ in fees in 2017 – I’ll figure out exactly how much when I do my taxes. No matter, I did pretty well for selling trash!

Links

1. Facebook page
2. My eBay listings
3. Etsy store
4. Kijiji listings
5. Contribute to garbagefinds.com
6. Follow me on Instagram

Email: thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. I often fall behind on emails, so I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to get back to you.