The older I get, the less I like the cold, and according to the National Weather service, it’s going to be frigid in these parts over the next couple of days, with lows in the lower teens, and highs only in the 30s. Now, I know those of you up north who suffer through real cold weather are probably scoffing at me, but 13 degrees in middle Georgia is just crazy.
On Saturday, the high was only 43 degrees, so we didn’t venture out even though there were several yard sales, and one estate sale that looked promising, at least on paper. Sunday dawned warmer, so we braved the chill, and trekked up the road to Macon for what we hoped was the half-price day at the estate sale. According to the proprietors as we walked in, it was “super sale” day, and they were willing to deal. The house seemed too full for day three of an estate sale, and I soon found out why as I started looking at their prices. I could be wrong, but it appeared that the proprietors looked up the more sellable items on Ebay, and then subtracted about 10 percent, and marked their items accordingly. Even at half price, most the items were just too expensive for resellers, which was a shame because they had some nice items, including American Girl dolls ($150), homemade quilts ($75), and even a few books ($9 price on a book worth $8 on Amazon).
Still, Ella managed to snag a few items for herself, and after an exhaustive search, I finally found a needle in the proverbial haystack. Naturally, I found it in the book section, which, as I’ve discussed before, often is ignored by the majority of resellers. The book, Retired Dallas Police Chief, Jesse Curry Reveals His Personal JFK Assassination File, had an estate sale price of $4, and an Amazon price of $44. It was a minor ka-ching, but made the trip worthwhile.
After the sale, since we were in the big city, we went to one of my favorite stomping grounds, Kmart, to check out their remaining Christmas merchandise that had been marked down to 70 percent off. Kmart still had lots of stuff, and I anticipate a further reduction in the next week or so. One item grabbed my attention, though, and after a little research, and witnessing a little boy point at them and say “magic wand,” I grabbed them all, including the light up display box, at $8.99 each.
I also purchased two giant stuffed Bumbles from the Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer series for $10 each. These $35 abominable snowmen will keep the magic wands company until the next holiday season.
Sales over the weekend were sluggish. Among other items, I sold my first pair of men’s shorts from the lot that I bought in late October. The shorts were bought for $.99 each, and listed for $27.99 plus free shipping.
Over on Amazon, including Alibris and Half, I sold 24 items over the weekend. So far this year, I am averaging just over $71.00 per day in sales.
Ella and I also have started our annual inventory, and I will write about that in another post. It’s my least favorite chore, but it’s something that obviously needs to be done.
Looking ahead, I have no idea. Obviously, yard sales are practically non-existent, and the thrift stores, especially Goodwill, have been fairly barren of good stuff as well. Luckily, I’m like the ant in the parable … I have things stored for the winter.
Keep warm, and have a good week.
Who is buying shorts now?? Really? I'm wearing my winter coat in the house, it's so freakin' cold!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe shorts went to Mesa, Arizona, where it's a balmy 70 degrees today. As opposed to here, where it's a ridiculous 14 degrees.
ReplyDelete