Tip Tuesday: Amazon App- Scan items without a UPC code

I just learned this great tip a few weeks ago. It has been really useful when I'm looking up items for Amazon  that are either missing the UPC code, or don't have a UPC code. It is especially useful at the thrift store and I bet at garage sales too (it just hasn't been nice enough to go to any garage sales here yet!)

Step 1- download the Amazon Price Checker App onto your smart phone. (Note: this is different than the Amazon Seller App)

Step 2- Find an item you want to look up on Amazon that doesn't have a UPC code

Step 3- choose the snap it option on the app

Step 4- Take a picture of the front of the item  
You can also tap the little microphone to say the title of the item for a faster search (I'm terrible at typing on a phone!) but I do feel a little silly sometimes and get some strange looks when I'm whispering into my phone in the corner of Goodwill- Just sayin'

Step 5- Do the happy dance, because you didn't have to try and figure out the search terms to find the right item on Amazon!


**Amazon does say that this works best on media type items, but I have also had success with puzzles, toothbrushes and other household items. This will tell you what it's selling for on Amazon, but not the profit/fees like the Amazon seller app will.

Was this tip helpful to you?  Did you already know this?  What are some other tips or topics you'd like to hear about on Granny's Hoard?  Please leave your suggestions in the comments below. I'd love to hear what you're interested in!

What Sold Wednesday

Ugh, somehow  I lost a day somewhere and was operating under the premise that today was Wednesday. However, my hubby informed me that today is actually Thursday. Which means I have a house to clean for baby girl's birthday party this weekend. I can't believe she's going to be 2!

So, here's a very quick look at my numbers for this week:

Amazon:
Number of Items Listed: 2199
Sales for the week: 1140.00
Average price of items sold: 25.35

I don't have a quick way to tell you the cost of the items I sold, sorry!

Interesting comparison: 

sales from same week last year 162.17, Much better this year! 


Etsy:
Number of Items Listed: 308
Sales for the week: $ 60.00
Cost of Items Sold: $ 6.00
Average price of items sold: $20.00


Bonanza:
Sales for the week: 0


Ebay
Number of Items Listed: 1076 (highest for the week was 183)

Sales for the week: $295.00
Cost of Items Sold: $54.00

Average price of items sold: 19.55

total sales for the week: 1495.00

* some numbers were rounded up 

I sent 4- 18 x 18 x 16 boxes to Amazon this week. 

Spent on inventory this week: $31.00

Overall good week on Amazon and pretty slow on Ebay, but I also only listed about 20 items the whole week (only 2 days.) My hubby has been busy getting his business going, so I am going back to taking the photos myself so  I have enough to list everyday. 

Hope sales have been awesome for you this week! 

Tip Tuesday: Give everything a second glance

I have been on a big decluttering kick at my house. I've been trying to take at least one black trash bag of items to the thrift store to donate every week. Thankfully I made sure to scan or look up everything before putting it into the donate box. I found a squinkies set my son doesn't play with anymore that's selling for $40, that when I looked up last year was only selling for $4.

My mom also gave me a bunch of her "old lady" clothes, that I really didn't think were worth anything. But I looked them up and most will sell for $14-$20, which is great when they were free.

So far I have only been decluttering my house, but it was 86! degrees today so if the weather keeps this up I will be out working in my shop very soon. I really need to double check my listed inventory and purge some old stuff.

Before you throw it away or donate, double check to make sure it's not worth selling!

What Sold Wednesday

Sales have been pretty slow this week. I've been waiting on hubby to take photos and have been listing some from scratch listings of backlog on Amazon. He took some more photos for me this morning so hopefully I will be able to get some things listed this afternoon. Our schedule is all messed up with the time change, potty training, and a loud oil crew working right next to our house all hours, which makes it difficult for me to get very much done! 

Here's the Wednesday wrap up for the week.

Amazon:
Number of Items Listed: 2277 (not including multiples)
Sales for the week: 671.15
Average price of items sold: 27.99

I don't have a quick way to tell you the cost of the items I sold, sorry!


Etsy:
Number of Items Listed: 306
Sales for the week: $ 0
Cost of Items Sold: 0
Average price of items sold: $0.00


Bonanza:
Sales for the week: 0


Ebay
Number of Items Listed: 1068 (highest for the week was 178)

Sales for the week: 306.00
Cost of Items Sold: 53.00

Average price of items sold: 14.57

total sales for the week: 977.00

* some numbers were rounded up 

I sent 8- 18 x 18 x 16 boxes to Amazon this week. 

Spent on inventory this week: $0

Tip Tuesday: It's going to happen sometime, be prepared with your answer!

Last night was my 5 year old son's Parent Teacher conference. His teacher (and my friend) got a little gleam in her eye when she pulled out his writing assessment to show me. The prompt went along with the Corduroy bear story. They were to write about a time that they lost something. Here's what little man came up with:

If you're an ebay or amazon mom it's going to happen eventually, might as well prepare your answer now! Luckily for me, my son's teacher is also my friend, so she knows what I do. However, I have encountered other people in the past, and I'm sure I will again in the future, who question in some form what I do for a living.

For right now I usually just agree with whatever situation they offer up- yes, my children are really spoiled, yes, I really like to stock up for Christmas- whatever- if they don't offer a situation I just give them something that will keep them from asking more questions. I have found that telling people the real answer usually results in more expensive prices, or they get mad, so for now I just go with the flow. I live in a small town with limited resources, so I really don't want to make too much competition for myself either.

What do you say when you get asked about what your job is, or why you are buying so much?



p.s. Dear Cashier at Walgreens who would not stop following me around today. I promise I was not stealing, just scanning.  You really don't need to stand 4" away and stare at me. m'kay? Thanks.