What sold this week

Colorado weather this week has been crazy. It was 70 degrees on Tuesday, Wednesday we got 6" of snow, covered by freezing rain and strong winds. Most of our power poles are down, and our internet and phone have been down too. We have currently been without power for over 24 hours and are running the house off of our generator, The internet just came back on this morning. so I'm making this a short post today.

Here are a few of the highlights of what sold this week:

Amazon FBA-
Most of my sales on Amazon this week were the Easter Gift Bundles I sent in. I was really late in sending items in due to kiddos being sick, clearing the warehouse and the cold weather in Colorado. Also, Amazon keeps insisting that I ship my inventory to the warehouse in Florida, which means it takes about a week to 10 days for them to go live.
But 8 boxes were checked in this morning (Thursday before Easter) and they are selling out fast, yay! I'll give you numbers and the final result after Easter.

 

Spring Body Wash Set Paid $5 at discount store, sold for $39.95

sponge bob sheet set, I was able to score 12 sets, paid $5 each while visiting my stepdaughter in Wyoming this summer, sold the last set for $18.95- they were selling earlier in the fall for $75.00 This last one I sold at a reduced price just to get it out of FBA

Ebay-
2- wilton cupcake holders- I used these are my wedding 10 years ago, was holding on to them for my kiddos birthday parties, but we never seem to use them, so I listed them and they sold within a week for $20 each plus shipping. I think I only paid $15 for them new!

Men's Sailor Halloween costume

I paid $1.90 (90%) after Hallowen this year, sold for $24.95 and free shipping

Etsy-

Coleman Cooler  paid $5, sold for 29.95 plus $39 shipping- went to a popular national sporting goods store- not sure what that's about - display maybe?

cassette tape boom box (old tech sells) paid $3 sold for $20, I've had this for about 1.5 years and the starting price I had it at was $75- just happy to be moving some stuff out!

curlers, paid $5 at garage sale about a year ago, sold for 16.75 plus shipping ( I think I made about $3 on the shipping cost) again, another large item I'm happy to get out of storage and make a little bit on. 

The Future of Granny's Hoard- What you would like

I've spent the last month or so really pondering the future of Granny's Hoard. I've had another podcast contact me and ask me to do another interview (yay!) and I'm just wondering if I am ready to take this blog to the next level.  Don't worry, I'm not planning on going away anytime soon, but I am looking at ways to make the time I spend writing blog posts a little more profitable. Because after all, time is money.

So, I'd like your feedback.

Would you watch a Granny's Hoard youtube channel?

Would you rather Granny's hoard be only a youtube channel- no blog?

Would you read a book about the topics that I talk about on the blog- like tips, things to sell, how to use selling online to be a stay at home mom?

Would you still visit the blog if I upgraded to something other than blogger and started doing affiliate links?

Would you be interested in following Granny's Hoard via Pintrest, Instagram, Facebook?

My Goals for 2016

I'm a little late in getting these posted (and in finally deciding what they are) but here are (both personal and business) goals for the year 2016

My main goal is to double what I sold this year. It sounds like a lot, but I actually think it's totally doable. I just need to work smarter, not harder. 

Business:

get set up for international selling on Amazon FBA, UK, Japan, Canada, Mexico?

look into setting up a website for selling, maybe shopify?

expand my blog/change to wordpress, possibly add advertising links, offering coaching or writing a book about reselling

Schedule change- I have already done this and love it. More about this in another post this month.

go deeper into bundles and buy enough items to make at least 24-48 of the same bundles each time, if possible

purchase more end of the season clearance for next year's bundles

Halloween bundles into Amazon by August
Christmas Bundles into Amazon by September/October

look into hiring help- possibly listing on ebay or photo editing (maybe family friend or my stepdaughter) probably will be a virtual assistant type of work

get my shop/workspace organized so that I can focus on listing and shipping, instead of finding items and a place to put them
-finish insulating
-shelving units up
-entire shop gone thru and decluttered
-kids consignment items all listed and priced, hanging and ready for sales when they happen
-garage sale this summer to get rid of excess inventory

prepare for my baby girl to start preschool 2 days a week next year (sob and yay! at the same time) - I'm looking at those two days as my amazon days and the rest to spend more time with her


Personal:
- remember to take some time for myself- I'm hoping for two days a week to work on something of my choosing- sewing, scrapbooking, learning something new, reading something not related to business or TBI's.

-I started the read thru the bible in a year 3! years ago, I want to finish it this year, at least once.

- Bible Study time everyday

-continue to declutter the house, my scrapbook room, and my shop- the more the clutter goes, the more relief I feel and the more time I have to do other things, like list or do something for myself!

-continue to refine ways to save money/become more self sufficient- last year I learned how to can a few things and we grew a small garden, this year I would like to add chickens and learn to can more things- last year I did mostly high acid/water bath-small batches


For my household:
Meal plan more consistently
find more ways to save money
try to find ways to reuse/redo what we have instead of purchasing something new
continue to do homeschool preschool for baby girl 3 days a week (she will be in regular preschool two days a week)

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Three years ago today my life changed in more ways than one.

We welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world via scheduled C-Section.

Fast forward to 3 hours later- my family was out getting lunch and I was finally getting some sleep in my hospital room.Then the nurse finally discovered I was hemorrhaging, badly. The Dr. was quickly called and while the nurse was running around out in the hall my family returned from lunch. I was in severe tachycardia and couldn't speak so they could understand me. They didn't know what was wrong, or what was going on, and I didn't know either.  How scary it must have been for them! 

Then the nurse rushed in and shoved my mom, dad and sister in law into the corner of the room, handed my sister in law the baby and closed the curtain. My hubby was already with me at the head of the bed holding my hand. The Dr. rushed in and started ordering all of the nurses (about 5 by this time) around and proceeded to get the bleeding to stop. My poor family had to listen to the whole thing through the curtain. My poor hubby still has nail marks on the side of his hand from me squeezing it so hard.(In my defense, he told me to squeeze)  It ended with the nurse giving me a hypo in the thigh and 4 bags of blood thru a difficult IV line. Then it went fuzzy for a day or so. 

It was a scary and difficult time those next few days as the realizations set in that I had come within 5 minutes of losing my life. But when I went home three days later, I knew something had to change in my life. I knew I had been given a second chance and I wasn't going to spend it away from my family anymore. That's when the dream of being a stay at home mom and selling online became a plan with a deadline. By her first birthday the plan was well in motion and about a month after her birthday I gave my resignation to the school. 

I have been a stay at home mom now for 1 1/2 years and while it hasn't always been graceful, happy or successful, it has always been worth it. Yes, our budget is tight, even more so since my hubby's TBI diagnosis. I do miss eating out, drinking soda and Starbucks, and going for a whole day without thinking about the budget. 

But what I don't miss out on is the million hugs from baby girl (she is sitting on the couch blowing me kisses across the room right now) volunteering at my son's school, taking my children on play dates, baking and cooking dinner with little helpers, tucking my kiddos in every night and eating breakfast with them every morning. And following my dreams. I literally look forward to the quiet time of the day when baby girl is napping and I get to sit down, watch a little Netflix, or listen to an audio book and list. I love working on my business and I love that I can spend time with my children while I do it. 

So, as I reflect back on the last 3 years, the word to describe how I feel the most is thankful. I am so thankful to the Lord. Grateful to spend another year watching my family and my business grow and trying not to waste the rest of the life I have been given.

Happy Birthday Precious Baby girl, you changed Mommy's life, in more one ways than one! 

What Sold This Week

This series was originally called What Sold Wednesday, but since I can never seem to get it posted by Wednesday, I'm just calling it What Sold This Week from now on.



Amazon FBA:
sold 37 units
total sales for the week $637

Please excuse the horrible picture- it's not mine, as someone else created the listing on Amazon. This didn't sell for huge money (I paid .49 and it sold for $8.9, approx $6 after fees, etc) but it is proof that old tech still sells, and it's easy to list, ship and makes a great bread and butter item to help increase your overall profits. I puchased 50 of these at Goodwill about 6 months ago and I have less than 10 left. 

paid .14 each last August at our local grocery store. I think I purchased about 50 of them. I have one left, and have sold 15 this week ( 5 to one customer) They sold for 11.95 each, approx $8 profit each after fees, etc) I send swim items into Amazon all year long, as there are people who live in warm areas who need swim gear all year long. I sell a lot of kids swim items at Christmas time! 

This was one of the very first bundles I made to sell on Amazon last spring. I made 4 of them and the last one sold this week. I have $6 in the items and they sold for $24.95. approx profit $11. I try to have higher margins now, but for a first time bundle, I think it did pretty well. 

Ebay:
sold 16 items
1 return- didn't fit
total $358.00

old camera I used to use for Ebay, got for a gift, sold for $40

coleman cooler, rough shape on the outside, paid $2 at Garage Sale, Sold for 34.00

Topsy Turvy Doll (not vintage) paid $2 at Goodwill, sold for $24.95

Etsy:
sold 3 items
total $53
I still haven't listed much on Etsy, probably less than 10 this week, so I'm glad to have these sales!

leftover pages from a torn Curious George book ( I used some pages to decorate for my Daughter's baby shower) paid- Free, sold for $14.95

Men's Sweater paid $4.99, sold for $24.95

vintage metal tray paid- Free at garage sale (I got a box of 25 of these for free at a garage sale)

sold for $14.95 ( I have less than 10 left!)

I didn't have a lot of big sales this week but it's been really steady, let's hope it stays that way. 

What I bought

I was sick last week and had to go to the Dr. Then I had 2 hours to wait until the prescription was ready. Since we had already been to the grocery store earlier in the week, my little girl and I went to the Goodwill to browse. I haven't been to the Goodwill in a couple of months and the pickings were pretty sparse. We were lucky enough to find the 50% off sign on jackets and outerwear and scored a few fun items. All of the items were listed with a best offer option, so while I hope they sell for full price, I'm expecting to sell them for $5-$10 less than what I have listed. I will let you know in future posts when they sell.

Vintage Women's Puffer Vest paid 2.00 listed for $49

Vintage Women's Leopard Cropped Jacket, Dressy Coat paid $3.00, listed for $40

Ralph Lauren Women's Size 6 Tweed Jacket Blazer Faux Fur Collar Green Label

paid $3.00, listed for $49.95

paid 3.99, listed for $ 44.95

Women's Columbia Sportswear jacket 

paid $5, listed for $50

Vintage Handmade Women's Cape 

paid $4.00, listed for $40

Vintage Men's Aspen Ski Jacket

paid $3.50 listed for $60 

OBERMEYER Snow Ski Snowboarding Suit 1 Pc Girl's Juniors Teal Red Size 12

paid $4 listed for $75

Where have all the online selling blogs gone?

I was updating my blogroll a few days ago and I was sad to discover a lot of them were no longer active. While I totally understand it's hard to keep up with a blog and selling and life, I am really missing having lots of great blogs to learn from. So, if you write a blog about selling online, or have some you'd recommend please leave me a comment and I'll add to the list!

You Voted, I listened.

Thanks to everyone who voted in my poll. It helps to know what you're interested in reading about.

Here are the Results of the poll, starting with the highest votes
things that sell on ebay, amazon, etsy
selling on ebay
tips for organizing inventory
listing process
sales numbers

I posted some of my top sales from the week in my What Sold Wednesday Post and I will continue with those posts weekly.  I will also be sharing a quick little Goodwill haul at the beginning of next week and I am working on a series about organizing inventory, as that is what I am knee deep in (sometimes literally) right now.

If you missed the chance to vote, or have more ideas about what you'd like to see, please let me know in the comments below!

What Sold Wednesday: March 8th, 2016

What sold Wednesday

Here's a few of the best Items I've sold on Ebay/Etsy/Amazon this week:

Amazon:

Tuck- Wonderpets Stuffed Animal 24"

paid 3.99, sold for $24.95

fresco wallpaper (new) paid 2.99 sold for $44.95

Rug Hooking Kit free from my mom, sold for $49.95

 

Ebay:

Icelandic Design Wool Vest Red Fully Lined Women's Large Floral Graphic Design 

paid $3.99, sold for $30.00 (best offer)

Old Tech Still sells! 

Maxell MF 2HD IBM Formatted Floppy Disk 5-5 packs SEALED High Density Disc NIP paid .99 sold for $23 (best offer)

Etsy:

I haven't listed anything new on etsy in months, so right now I'm happy for any sales I get there. I need to get back on the listing train! 

 

Vintage 1988 The Land Before Time Petrie Rubber Toy Puppet Pizza Hut paid .99 sold for $25.00

Vintage Teenage Mutant Rubber Stamp and Coloring Kit paid .99 sold for $16.95

March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month

Just doing my part to share information about Brain Injury, since March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and my family has been so deeply affected by it.  

Traumatic Brain Injury can happen to anyone, anytime. If a TBI has touched you or someone in your life, it will forever be changed. 

While someone with a TBI might "look just fine" the long term symptoms of a TBI can effect everyday life. Every TBI is different depending on the areas of the brain injured. Long term symptoms can include:

Cognitive: amnesia, inability to speak or understand, mental confusion, difficulty concentrating, difficulty thinking and understanding, inability to create new memories, or inability to recognize common things, loss of short term or long term memory, 

Behavioral: abnormal laughing and crying, aggression, impulsivity, irritability, lack of restraint, or persistent repetition of words or actions, inability to see long term consequences of decisions

Whole body: balance disorder, blackout, dizziness, fainting, or fatigue, vertigo, brain fog, 

Mood: anger, anxiety, apathy, or loneliness, depression, isolation, inability to function as before in public settings

Gastrointestinal: nausea or vomiting, trouble with digestion, swallowing, uncontrolled appetite, loss of appetite (often because they forget they have not eaten, or have eaten)

Sensory: loss of smell, taste, touch, increased sensitivity to sound, motion, light

Speech: slurred speech or impaired voice, difficulty with finding the right words, vocabulary

Visual: blurred vision or sensitivity to light, inability to control eye movements

Also common: persistent headache, depression, nerve injury, post-traumatic seizure, ringing in the ears, or stiff muscles, spasms

Any bump to the head, with or without loss of consciousness can cause a TBI. Please, protect yourself and your loved ones, and if a situation occurs that might have caused a TBI no matter how small it might seem, please seek medical attention right away.

The best treatment is prevention. Protect your head! And please, spread the word about Traumatic Brain Injury.

What sold Wednesday: What I've sold on Ebay/Etsy/Amazon this week

Here are some of my best sales from the week:
Framed Needlework Waterwheel black and white toile look handmade 15.5" x 18"
paid $3.99, sold for $24.95 plus shipping

Rigadoon Theresa Full body large puppet Girl educational storytelling
paid $3.99 at Goodwill, listed at $150 for about 6 months, sold for $150 plus $44 international shipping, got positive feedback today!

Vintage Mens Large Ralph Lauren Polo Jeans Co Jacket Reversible Red Black Plaid

paid approx $3 (purchased at Goodwill Bins, by the pound and it's a heavy wool coat)  sold with Auction (5 bids) $24.95

Vintage Rectangle Tablecloth Mid Century Modern Appx. 71 x 53 Orange Green White

paid $2.99 sold for $19.95 plus shipping (auction, 2 bids) 

I don't usually sell by auction, but I am really trying to get rid of some old inventory so I can get my storage area all organized. I had good luck with the auctions selling. Although a lot of them sold for $10 or less, it still was money in my pocket, as most of the items were clothing items given to me by my mother. 

What is a bundle?

Before my post about the program I used to really boost my sales using bundles, I thought I'd first address what exactly a bundle is.

You can read the official Amazon's Seller's Guidelines here:

Product Bundling Policy Bundles: General Policy

Well-designed product bundles provide convenience and value to buyers. Adhering to this policy, including the below guidelines for the creation of bundles, will help Amazon.com customers locate specific bundles more easily, and prevent duplicate or near-duplicate listings.

Sellers can create bundles composed of different products to create a new bundled product. Bundled products may be listed in all categories except Books, Music, Video, and DVD (collectively, BMVD) and Video Games. Bundles are only allowed when the primary product in the bundle is not a BMVD or Video Games product. For example, you can list a bundle composed of a yoga mat (the primary product), a yoga DVD and a yoga book, but you cannot list a bundle composed of a yoga DVD and a yoga book.

The referral fee applicable to the product category in which the bundle is listed will apply to the entire bundle.

All bundles are subject to review for appropriateness and relevance. Amazon may in its sole discretion determine whether any bundle complies with this policy. Failure to adhere to the policy, including the below guidelines, may result in the removal without notice of any bundled product listing, account suspension, or both. Amazon reserves the right to modify or revoke this policy at any time. 

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I view a bundle as 2 or more things you would normally purchase together, or something that makes life easier for your customer. Like school supplies, things to make a gift, bath soap and a pouf, etc. The thing I love most about bundles is that there is literally no limit to what you can do. You can make bundles in almost any area (except BMVD, see above) and it's harder for competition to compete with you, because they would have to find the EXACT items you have put together. I will be back with a blog post in a few days with a recommendation for my favorite bundle course.