The Beatles - North Texas Radio

Time – Pink Floyd (1973)

February 17, 2024

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
— Roger Waters

I’m putting a schedule together setting up specific times to work on things, thinking that will get me organized and into a routine.

The truth though – that also gives me an excuse not to work on the things I should be working on. I can work on them tomorrow, today I’m working on my schedule to help me get things done.

Putting something down on the schedule gives me such a feeling of accomplishment. It’s like I actually did something.

— David

Lost in the Supermarket – The Clash (1979)

February 13, 2024

I’m all lost in the supermarket
I can no longer shop happily
I came in here for the special offer
Guaranteed personality
— Joe Strummer and Mick Jones

Made some good buys, some bad buys but should be able to break even after 3 days of estate sales, garage sales and thrift stores. It’s a lot harder than it appears on YouTube. I’m luckier than a lot of flippers that are starting out as I already have a huge collection of DVDs, CDs and Cassettes pretty much ready to sell so I can take my time as I learn and not feel pressured to buy.

With Google Lens and the eBay app. everything has changed, sellers are able to look up things by picture so they’re searching the listings and unfortunately pricing things by what people are asking for. They don’t realize or just don’t care that the items people are trying to sale are generally priced higher than the ones that have actually sold.

I also see a lot of buyers walking around with their phones and looking everything up, I’m one of them but it’s not as easy as it looks. Besides the “sold for” prices, you need to check for the sell through rate (how many sold over a specific period compared to how many are currently listed), and be really specific on the item you’re looking up (size, model number, color etc). It’s hard to do in a crowded area and even harder to do it quickly. It’s exciting to find something new in box for $2 that retails for $20. Then you get home and see only 1 has sold in the last 90 days. Not exactly a high demand item.

As I mentioned before, I’ve been scouring reddit for reselling information and watching a lot of YouTube videos. A lot of information conflicts – YouTube resellers are into clothing while the reddit posters are saying it’s oversaturated and has too much competition. And the reddit people still hate on all the people I follow on YouTube.

You do need to pick some categories and learn them. Learn them well. I was at an estate sale this weekend that had a table full of ties for $1 each and women’s clothing for 50¢. I had to pass on everything because I don’t know anything about clothing. While there’s a good chance everything good had been picked over already (and don’t discount the estate sale people involved in shenanigans) there’s also a decent chance that they missed something.

I’m finding I’m doing best on things that aren’t priced and having to ask “how much do you want for this”.

Similar to the table of ties and closet of clothes oftentimes books, DVDs, VHS etc. are priced the same instead of individually so if you know what you are doing you might be able get some good deals. I am finding the quality of a lot of these things are on the lower side though so even if it’s a good title it still might not be worth picking up.

I haven’t listed anything I bought yet on eBay, that’s the least fun and most important step.

Tags

Music Videos	Clash
1970s	1979
Flipping	Flipping

On the Hunt – Friday Edition

February 9, 2024

We’ve got 6 estate sales on our list, from local to Dallas. I don’t expect to be able to hit them all but we’ll see.

Will update as time permits.

First stop – everyone including the people holding the sale had their phones out looking up prices, talked to the sellers, they were using Google Lens and using the “for sale” prices not “sold” prices. Asking too much. I didn’t buy anything.

2nd stop – was better, still didn’t buy anything. Learning that I need to learn about – digital cameras, kitchenware, books – lots I don’t know.

3rd stop – almost bought something. Artsy coffee mug. Was selling for $2, retails $15-20 online used but it was damaged.

4th stop, another no go. Nothing today for me. If I knew more about buying certain things I’d probably have more to show for my efforts. I’ll add a bit for context when I get home.

3:00 pm – Lunchtime – We’re done

Going over the day:

A couple things – I was trying to update the website off my phone and so was posting “live”. I was able to do that but looking at it now it was just unnecessary and got in the way.

The $2 cup, part of an experiment – Was trying to see if I could do and what I could with just $20 for the day. A $2 cup would have fit in great. As far as the experiment, the $20 unexpectedly lasted all day and went home with me.

It’s becoming more and more apparent that there has to be some specialization. Lots of things have possibilities but the more informed you can be in specific areas is crucial, no exaggeration – small details make huge differences. Clothes, electronics and artwork stand out as areas where there are a lot of opportunities, there is so much out there. I’m hesitant to go into those areas for various reasons but from looking at the “successful sellers” that are on YouTube – it looks to me that they all sell clothes, other things too but lotsa clothes.

While it’s not always the case, many of the professionally run estate sales out here follow a three-day pattern:
Friday – everything is full price (and overpriced)
Saturday – 25% off
Sunday – from 50-75% off depending on time – the later it gets, the better the deals.

— David

Drama

February 5, 2024

I was going through reddit, (if you’re not familiar with reddit, I consider it sort of the bowels of the internet – filled with lots of people that don’t know anything all the while pretending to be experts). I was looking at the eBay and Flipping subreddits trying to find resources and see what they had to say about the YouTube people I was following. For the most part they hate the people I’ve been following.

Basically they say most of the YouTubers with big followings are scammers trying to build their YouTube channels, sell courses etc. and aren’t really that knowledgable. That’s where the drama comes in… they really feel strongly – over the top and then there’s the disgruntled anonymous employees, theories about sourcing, theft and so on (if it was interesting I’d post links but it’s basically unverified accusations).

It does give me some pause for thought. I still believe the advice I’ve been getting and following is good but where I’m new to this I’m going to hold off on recommending anyone to follow.

I do have a pro-tip though. If you have an eBay store, you have access to Terapeak Research which is a 3 year listing of sold items. The thing is, if you’re out hunting it’s a pain to get to Terapeak Research through the app. I watched a video on it and I’m like “ain’t nobody got time for that”.

Here’s the tip: You can just save the link to your phone: Terapeak product research
On an iPhone, go to the link then click on the share button scroll down and save it to your Home Screen. I presume an android is similar.

For those without stores there is a 90 day sold listing if you use the filters on the regular eBay app – still a bit of a pain. There is some good news about the app though, if you weren’t aware you can search the regular listings by image or barcode on your phone. The Amazon app allows you to do this too.

— David

Eggs in a Basket

February 2, 2024

I’m just beginning to see how huge the flipping industry is. We’ve been involved with antiques and vintage things for years but I always thought of myself as a collector.

Thinking out loud: I see the move to flipping from being a collector as – not when you begin buying things to resell, but rather when you start purchasing items that you have no personal interest in, solely with the intention to resell them at a profit.

While previously I would look through albums, stereo equipment and tools at estate sales, now I might be looking up some Hello Kitty shit.

A flipper is a hunter, a collector is a gatherer – I suppose that’s a bit exaggerated – for the most part we’re all hunter-gatherers. Like crows attracted to shiny objects, there’s an instinctive urge to posses what we see as desirable.

I’ve been watching a lot of videos about selling on eBay, some really good ones and mixed in there are some scary stories too. If you’re reliant on one source and things go south it can be devastating. It doesn’t matter if you’re working for someone or doing something else.

— David

Taxes, fees, shipping… Oh my!

February 1, 2024

Yikes,
Just starting to figure out how much the costs are compared to what I’m actually making.

The picture only covers the last 30 days (I started about 3 months ago) but I was still learning as I set things up and wasn’t really listing with any regularity until a few days ago. Next month should be significantly better.

After expenses I get to keep about 50%. From $160 in sales, I got $85. – eBay gets $32, Shipping was $32, taxes were $10, then there’s the envelopes/packaging which isn’t included here.

I’ve been doing fairly well as far as the amount of sales compared to the number of items listed. I’ve sold about 30% of my listed stock since starting. My prices are very competitive and I shoot for a bit lower than the competition unless someone has priced something ridiculously low.

I’ve been watching a lot of seller videos and if I’m going to get anywhere though I’m going to be needing to sell more expensive and valuable items. This means jump-starting the process of listing some of our vintage/antique items. I’ve been holding off mainly because I’m still figuring out shipping. For DVDs, I use USPS, but for larger and heavier items I’m going to have to do more research.

— David

Tags

2024	2024
Flipping	eBay

Was that Bob Dylan? No – Mountain Goats

January 30, 2024

The elephant wants out.

I had a psychologist tell me I was good at explaining complicated things, she also said I was severely mentally ill. So there’s that.

I’m probably going to be posting about selling quite a bit as I to turn the site into web store and work to grow it into a successful business. Having an open record of progress or lack of progress could end up with results that were/are completely unexpected and hopefully interesting. And you are here to be amused, informed and entertained, right?

If you’ve been following me for any period of time I trust that you expect that I will keep high professional standards. The site isn’t going to turn into a seedy dive bar, then again – once I start putting out some of the vintage stuff it may resemble a strip joint.

— David

Tags

not assigned	Mental Illness
2024	2024
NTR Info	NTR Info

DVD Boxes and Boxes of DVDs

January 23, 2024

On the site I’ll be using the eBay grading on DVDs:

Movies & TV, Music, Video Games

Brand new: The item was never opened or removed from the manufacturer’s sealing (if applicable). The item is in original shrink wrap (if applicable). See the seller’s listing for full details
Like new: The item looks as if it were just taken out of shrink wrap. It has no visible wear, and all facets of the item are flawless and intact. See the seller’s listing for full details and a description of any imperfections
Very good: The item is used but still in very good condition. There is no damage to the jewel case or item cover: no scuffs, scratches cracks, or holes. The cover art and liner notes are included. The VHS or DVD box is included. The video game instructions and box are included. The teeth of the disk holder are undamaged. There is minimal wear on the exterior of the item. The CD/DVD doesn’t skip. There are no fuzzy/snowy frames on the VHS tape. See the seller’s listing for full details and a description of any imperfections
Good: The item is used but in good condition. It may have minor damage to the jewel case, including scuffs or cracks, or to the item cover, including scuffs, scratches, or cracks. The cover art and liner notes are included for a CD. The VHS or DVD box is included. Video game instructions are included. The CD/DVD doesn’t skip. There are no fuzzy/snowy frames on the VHS tape. See the seller’s listing for full details and a description of any imperfections

I must admit they’re pretty strict and not much room for ambiguity. I’ll probably be listing more things in “good” condition that may deserve a higher rating. (Yeah right, even I rolled my eyes out of habit reading that… but it’s true – I have a huge inventory and don’t need the headache of disagreements over subtle scuffs on generic cases)

I’m currently having to learn how to set up a couple of things. As you can see the DVDs are synced but the pages need some work and not all the information about specific DVDs is showing up yet.

— David

Affiliates, Ads, Sales

January 22, 2024

Sounds fun… as I set up things here I realized I should write up some kind of policy for what I write or post about and what I sell or am involved with.
I can’t expect people to guess if I’m getting paid for something I recommend or point to.

Fair question – it’s never happened and if I were to be in some promotional or affiliate program I would think it would be silly not to mention it and make it clear. I am looking to learn more about affiliate programs but I’m not currently involved in any.

The North Texas Radio station has always been noncommercial and I pay for it out of my pocket.

The only ads I have ever had are new additions and they are currently on the bottom of the website, these are from my personal eBay store. Our home business is vintage and antique sales. I’m looking to expand that to mail order and starting off with movies and music to get the hang of it.

I’m not opposed to ads on the website, I’d love it if people bought “space” like in the old days, which I guess is a lot like the new days but it’s still not like the old days.

— David

Tags

2024	2024
NTR Info	NTR Info

I was the Son of an Efficiency Expert

January 19, 2024

It was his job title, it’s who he was.
From what I understand, the position was created specifically for him.

It was rough growing up, rules were odd. Think of OCD, ADHD, addiction and a bunch of other crap that runs the gamut from neurotic to full blown insanity.
It’s annoying, it’s tiring, it’s overwhelming, it’s inheritable.

One of the things I’ve learned that helps – the brain has trouble focusing on more than one thing at a time. If you can, when you’re stuck – focus your attention on something helpful, productive etc. Sounds sort of quaint, but what’s the alternative? Keep running the same script over and over in your head?

In other news, I have started selling on eBay, I’m still working on setting it up here.

— David

Tags

not assigned	Mental Illness
2024	2024
NTR Info	NTR Info

not assigned	Audio Only
Audio	Jimmy And Johnny
1950s	1958
Flipping	Flipping

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