Plenty left to go
Just one warm spring-like day in March was enough to remind me that garage sale season is around the corner. Just when I thought I was making a dent in the death pile, I'm ready to build it back up again. It's even more ironic because I was just getting the hold on saying no to thrift store things that deep-down I knew wouldn't sell and would just sit on my shelf.
But I did make some moves this month. I broke down and sold off the small bookshelf that held all the miscellaneous mini figures I had collected. I bundled up some stale individual listings and sold them off in bulk.
Now, I'm left to wonder, what do I do in April?
By the numbers
Spend: $155.67
Net profit: $482.34 (vs. $894.57 last month)
Listed on eBay: 27 (vs. 36 last month)
eBay rating: 99.5%
What Sold
Wins
March brought another nice bump to the Instagram count. I went from 445 to 470 followers with 6 unique IG posts and the regular Sunday Sold habit. The clear winner was a feature of my face, some Hulk hands, a Guinness and a Little People Leprechaun to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It's pretty clear people either like me or like me showing off my collection.
Another Instagram bonus was an adorably sweet message from Holly, a new reseller based in Dublin (@hollysthriftedtreasures). Normally, I try to make an effort to reply with something of substance to everyone that messages me, so when Holly replied to one of my IG Stories, I replied back. She was so surprised. She said she's a big fan of my guides and I honestly think she couldn't have said anything sweeter. I'm happy I can make even the smallest difference for someone that loves this hobby & business as much as I do.
Speaking of connections, I accidentally collected 4 email addresses from the form at the bottom of an old guide I made here on my website. Back when I first had the idea of drafting some blog content to build an email list, I added a form at the bottom of the blog post "5 Toys That Resell Online for Profit and 5 That Don't". Somehow four separate people found it and offered up their emails, free of charge! Now what do I do with them!? Write more, probably.
Fails
Holly also gave me the great idea of attempting a $5 challenge. I would start with $5 and try to flip it to major profit, basically showing others how to get going with limited resources. The problem was I started with a slow-burning choice. I bought a bag with a rare, slow-selling Yo Gabba Gabba figure. I quickly realized that my proposed profit wouldn't come anytime soon. I think I need to scrap that start and try again.
Beyond breaking down the bookcase and making some regular money moves, there is still a solid death pile taking up space in my 1BR office. Amongst the worst is a pile of VHS tapes, a giant model flatbed truck, vintage Strawberry Shortcake sheets, and a box of Atari games I need to test.
I downloaded Whatnot and applied to sell. No word back yet, but I suppose that's how it goes. Not necessarily a fail but I'm not sure what to do with that. I haven't explored the app or the rules all that much yet.
Going Forward
It's time to clean out the inventory and make room for garage sale season.
How do I do that?
More listing and re-listing, including the big unavoidable things
Cut my losses and bundle the old inventory together
Start using my home decor IG again - @njflipshark
Plus, it might finally be time to try leaning into the blog content. I've had the concept for a while to teach people how to resell from scratch. Now that I've accidentally collected four email addresses, I have an audience. Maybe it could grow. It's worth a shot, right?
To build my IG account, I think I need to share more of myself and others. Make it fun. Highlight good work. Highlight silly things I find. People want to be entertained and educated. Figure out what is shareable.
Let’s go!
