Most surprising eBay sale?
I’m working on a book listing items commonly found in homes that will bring at least $25 on eBay.
Things like:
- Basketball shoes - 10-20 years old in great shape can bring hundreds depending on the brand and athlete tie in.
- Old advertising matchbooks - most of these are worthless, I’ll explain in the book which ones bring the most money.
- Employee pins. Like the matchbooks, most of these have no value. I’ve sold some for $50-250, and seen a few sell for $1200 and more.
- Kitchen appliances. I once sold a wood tray that went with a 1930’s toaster for $150.
- Collectible cards and stickers. My first eBay sales were Wacky Packages stickers I had collected in grade school. I didn’t have a camera, but had a scanner. The shoebox full brought in more than enough to buy a camera. (Digital cameras were expensive back then!)
- Cereal premiums. I sold a set of Dick Tracey rings years ago for $145. They were from Post cereal.
- Got suggestions?
What have you sold that brought an odd amount? Something that surprised you? If you post a comment below with something you were pleasantly surprised with the selling price, I’ll give you a copy of the book when I get it finished. By posting you’re giving me permission to use your name and words in the book.
Terry
PS If you post, please be as specific as posible. If you’re story involves dishes tell us the maker, the pattern, and the price.
June 25th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Beat-up old flashlight that apparently was provided with General Motors Automobiles (1930’s) - $275.00
June 25th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I have some new age/alternative health CDs and tapes lying around. I wasn’t using most of them and needed to start cleaning house. I put up a couple of body energy-related cassette tape sets on eBay. Remember cassettes? Neither do I.
I had a starting bid of $10. Was expecting to get, maybe, about $20 or so for them. One of them sold for over $60, and the other for about $40 or $50 (I don’t remember exactly - it was a long time ago).
Steve
June 25th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I had found an old radio kit from Heathkit which was still in the box unbuilt with all of the original packaging in it. I listed it for $3.95 following Terry’s advice I had read. Now I thought I would be lucky to get $5 for it. It ended up going for over $70.00! As the auction was ending I was watching it and got very excited and kept refreshing the page so I could follow it. What was amazing at the time is I had only been on ebay a month or two at that time.
Thanks Terry for your advice I had read.
Jim
June 25th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Yes I sold a big hunk candy bar wraper from the 60″s for $231.00
June 25th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Hi terry
I purched a Mouvie cameria for five dollars the camera was not working.
And he trew in the flood light with the camera i listed the light on ebay .my surprise it sold for $102.00
Jim
June 25th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
My biggest surprise sale on ebay was a few years back when Chrysler introduced the PT Cruiser.
I was at the local Wal-Mart shortly after they came out and spotted a 1/43rd model of the car. It was a tin, friction motor model that cost $1.98.
I liked the look of it, bought one, took it home, photographed it out of the box, and listed it with a starting bid of $4.95 hoping to double my money after the ebay fees.
To my surprise, I got a bidding war going (remember this was a few years ago when those actually happened) and the car sold for $74.00!
I have to admit I was almost embarrassed to send the car to the winning bidder. He left me good feedback though so I guess he was happy, although, I’m sure, not nearly as happy as I was!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
The greatest surprise was on my first e-Bay sale in 2001. Being a garage sale junkie, I had a great stash of linens and household items that I considered “shabby chic style”. I had a beautiful comforter that I would have liked to keep, but I put it on there hoping to get $50.00 or so. I wrote the ad, took many photos, and watched the bids climb to over $200.00. Once I got that amount, I was hooked, and continued to sell many items for over the amount I would have expected.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I HAVE HAD MAY ITEMS GO FOR REALLY WILD PRICES… EXAMPLES:
1. I used to buy “FARM COUNTRY TOY PLAYSETS” for 4.99 at Toy Liquidators, (Several years ago) Prices always brought between 30.00 and 85.00.
2. I bought an “ASHTRAY” at an Antique shop for 22.00…. wanted about 50.00… went for 129.00
3. I had an old 1.00 bill, Serial number 0000000000001*…. I had pais 2.00 for it about 25 years ago…. WOW 7200.00!!!!!!!
4. Many toys I bought and planned on reselling went for lots more than I expected…. Double… Triple my estimate!!!!!
5. I have bought stuff on ebay….. relisted it in the correct catagory…. Doubled my money…
So many more…. I have not messed much with the auction sales but I am going to start back up soon…. Toys are usually good… But with todays econemy??????
June 25th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I sold used PDA’s for really close to original market value. Also, used software - I sold them internationally for like $15 more than they originally cost here in the US!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I sold an old pepsi can opener with the Pepsi company name, Martin TN
phone number on the can opener was 3-4 digits long so I know it was old.
Found it in the dirt, cleaned it up and sold it for $76.00.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Five year ago ebay was really sweet. Ten years ago it was even sweeter. A lot changed in 2001. But I can remember a lot of deals that seem too good to be true now.
Okay heres one. How about a box of linen post cards from a specific area that the lady begged me to take for free. They sold for $280 on the bay. A quarter used to buy a lot but people got educated and its not the same.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Hi Terry, I sold a mug on eBay in 2005 for about $1200. The person who had the mug had just taken it out of the dishwasher and had been using it as a pencil/pen holder. It was a mug from John Wayne for a cast member of El Dorado. The auction price totally shocked and delighted the owner! I loved it! Nice consignment commission. Lynda
June 25th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Recently, I listed 2 brand new Dish satellite receivers, both were the 625 model. The only difference was one of them did not have the remotes or cables. The model missing the remotes brought in only $100.00 (I started it out at $70.00). The complete setup brought $230.00 (I started at $100.00), boy if I had known that in the beginning I would have ordered the cables & remotes (which would of cost about $30.00). That was a costly lesson.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
These two sales blew me away. I had two laptops that got fried by a lightning strike. I could not even power them up. I took them to a computer repair shop and was told I had probably burned up the mother board. I removed the hard drive from each one. I listed them on eBay with a full disclosure of everything I knew was wrong or possibly could be wrong with these laptops, including the fact that they would not power up and therefore I had no idea what else might be wrong with them. I started the bid at .99. The HP zd8000 sold for $301.00 and the HP ze5185 sold for $280.00. What a surprise. My advice - don’t throw anything away - you never know what someone on eBay will pay for it!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I had 20 Copies of the old Small Womens Circle Home Cooking Monthly Magazines dated 1974 to 1982 and got over $30.00 for them.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
My wife’s first set of false teeth would never fit properly and had to be remade. The dentist asked if she wanted the first set or should he throw them away. She joked that her husband would sell them on eBay. I sold them for $50. and had two inquiries for other sets of teeth.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Some surprising items:
- Import car (infiniti) parts manual $140
- Misc car brochures $50 - $100
- Tape Deck, Nothing special, $100.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Sold garage sale books that had no value to me.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Terry, While shopping at one of my favorite thrift stores I found a one inch tall empty perfume bottle shaped like a crescent moon with a face, cost 10 cents…brought almost $200, went to Japan. It’s been a few years ago so I don’t remember the name of the perfume company but I was sure surprised and excited. Never seen another one like it either, of course!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Oh, ya, one more,
80’s Intellivision - Video system and about 20 games $120.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I purchased a copy of ‘Hawaiian Music and Musicians’ on Ebay- for $50 and sold it on Amazon for $145.00
Bought a Book about Horses, at a yard sale for $20 and sold it on Ebay for $220.00 ‘Portraiture of Horses’
Bought a wooden religious Statue at a yard sale for $3 and sold it on Ebay for $200
Bought four War Games for 50 cents each at a yard sale and sold them on Ebay for $216…..
Bought 3 old Bentley Movie Projectors and 3 Bently Movie cameras at a yard sale for 550 cents each (never used in the original boxes) and sold them on Ebay for $152.00
June 25th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
A Peasant Wreath
I was at a yard sale one day, looked at this wreath (it had $5.00 on it) then went on to other items. The lady said to me you want this wreath don’t you? I said Well it is pretty. she said as she was taking the $5.00 price tag off, where is your car? I’ll carry it for you.
so a bit of time went by and I decided to list it and it went for $158.00
I was very pleased with the profit on that item.
I would have left without the wreath, glad she insisted I took it.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Sold an old Garfield stuffed animal for $10
June 25th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
American Flyer 8 railroad and 3 street/road signs in fair condition sold for $51 on ebay. I thought at best I’d get $10-$15.
Steve
June 25th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
When I first started selling my late mother’s belongings, I had no idea what people would pay for certain items. She had an old corner cookie jar that we have had since the 60’s. The lid had fallen and broke in two pieces which she roughly glued together, but it was a clean break. I thought well cookie jars are collectible. So I cleaned it up, took pictures and listed it on eBay. It was an old looking flasher cheerleader cookie jar by American Bisque. I found this out through researching. A broken cookie jar was worth $76.00 on eBay much to my amazement! I doubt if I could’ve even sold it at my yard sale for $5.00!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Sold an incomplete set of old lincoln logs in a beat up container for $25.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
The most unusual item I sold was a Louis Wain Postcard, an itsy bitsy thing, with his signature on it, for 17.85. It couldn’t have measured more than 2″x3″ and was a painting of a Persian Cat. I described the cat’s demeanor in great detail, which helped seal the deal. She was proud yet sensitive in the rendition, high and mighty yet sad in some sense. I have no idea now if the cat really felt these feelings, but it helped to make a sale and at the time I was being totally sincere.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I have 2 items I sold on eBay which pleasantly surprised me. One was a green depression glass mixing bowl and the other was a primitive wooden masher (1800’s). I have purchased items I paid too much for, but I think that’s a different story!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Hi Terry!
Great subject!
I had a great find from an auction about a year ago.
It was an old board game called Auto Race (or something close)
I actually did a search on ebay before the auction and saw only one but it brought good money, so I figured what I could spend at the auction to get a good return.
Sure enough, all I had to spend was $17 at the auction and listed it on ebay for $14.95.
I can’t remember how many bidders but I think about 3 or 4 kept the bidding war going until it reached almost $156.00 USD.
I was very excited:) Sent it out very quickly so no damage on my end!
Hope this helps,
Lin
P.S. Do you know why it went so high? I am pretty sure I know and I do not think it was just the niche….
June 25th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
8 Track tape players- all makes and models, especially the cheap makes from the late 60s and 1970s. Got a Panasonic model for $5.00 at an estate sale, it sold for $95.00.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
It was a ICOM (Ham Radio) microphone not worth more the $10 to $15 NEW. It sold for $81.00…I just couldn’t believe it that it sold for that amount.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I have found that back issues of certain magazines sell very well. They have to be a hobby that someone collects those mags, but there are a lot of them. Almost anything to do with scale modeling will sell well, especially 3 or 4 back issues sold together. Some examples are FineScale Modeler, Windsock International, WW1 Aero, Over The Front, Military Modeling Magazine, After the Battle Magazine, Figure International, Armor Models Magazine. I’m sure the same thing holds true in the Railroad hobby.
Mack
June 25th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
A few years ago I sold some of the software that went with my Mac SE. There was a great graphic adventure game called “Deja Vu II” that sold for $61. I’m not sure why, the SE was old news by then, the box was pretty beat up and most of the other stuff only sold for a few dollars.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I bought a glass paperweight from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair on EBay for $95. I did not intend to spend that much, but it was a gift for my father. Another bidder kept raising the price, so I entered what I thought would be an ‘over the top’ high bid of $100, and then was surprised that the final price came very close to that amount. My dad loved the paperweight, so it was worth it in the end.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I have two ideas! one is the old tanning lamps……….the ones you could get badly burned with! Yep, I have bought them from garage sales, got them from friend’s basements, and sold them for DECENT money, one went for over $50 with the original box.
The other idea is health/beauty items. I found an old clunky curling iron (the kind that pull your hair out when you use them) got them at an auction for $1 and sold for over $30 a piece. Same with old Avon moisturizing creams and colognes.
Hope these will pertain to what you’re asking!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I sold a small toy truck that I had as a kid (I’m now 63). The paint was almost totally peeled off and other similar trucks had sold for $12-15. To my surprise, my truck sold for $35.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I sold a pink vinyl shower curtain that was found in the back of a linen closet, it was probably from the 50’s, never used and still folded in its original box, it sold for close to $100.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I’ve sold mostly larger appliances and gotten surprising amounts. I sold a Husqvarna mixer for almost as much as I paid for it, even though it was 5 years old. I also sold a knitting machine without a manual for more than the buyer would have had to pay for a new one with the manual. Buyer behavior amazes me!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I recently sold a Far Side Mug for $202.50. I kid you not. I’ve sold quite a few Far Side mugs from the 1980’s and 1990’s. Certainly they don’t all go for $200 but they always sell and people are likely to have them in their kitchen cupboards. Depending on the cartoon on the mug and your timing on eBay, you can get a nice price.
Good luck with your book.
Carolyn
Terry says: I have one my stepfather got from his coworkers for his birthday years ago. I use it as it comes to the front of the cabinet. It has two polar bears tearing apart an igloo. Caption is “Oh hey! I just love these things!… Crunchy on the outside and a chewy center!” I’ll have to see what it’s worth.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Real Estate Books/ Manuals/ & tapes - I always make alot of money on these items. (Stay away from carlton sheets- everybody has this and there is little demand).
Old yearbooks/Phone books - great sellers.
Old Electronics - pre 1980 stereo players 8 track tape players, woofers, cameras, etc.
Old purses- Name brand like gucci, fendi,coach, burberry, Tiffany & co.
Collector plates - They do better if you sell them in a group than individually.
Antique Books- Any book pre 1960. (Look up for value on abebooks.com)
Childrens books valued by collectors.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
One of the highest priced items we have ever sold was a clock that sold for well over $400.00 It was about 4 feet tall. Went for about 4 times more than we expected it to do. We have had other items that sold for lots more, but this one was the one that sold for much more than we hoped for.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
This is my second AH-HA eBay sale. I listed a brand new 20 piece set of Pfatlzgraff Yorktowne dinnerware with a starting bid of $19.95. It did not sell. I relisted it with a starting bid of $9.95. It did not sell. Guess what I did? I separated the pieces into four different sales listed as a dutch auction. That is one sale was for a dinner plate, quantity of 4; one sale was for a cup & saucer, quantity of 4; one sale was for a bowl, quantity of 4 and the final sale was for a small plate, quantity of 4. You’ll be as surprised as I was to discover that all 20 pieces sold for more than $200.00. Someone, actually several someone’s, could have bought the full set for $9.95, kept the pieces they wanted and re-sold the remaining pieces for more than they paid for what they wanted. Two lessons from this: 1) Be creative with your listings; and 2) look for something to buy on eBay that is multiple pieces, selling at a low price, buy it, keep the part you want and re-list what you don’t want. Happy selling, Skip
June 25th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Yo Yo….
Vintage Cheerio Wooden Yo Yo, no string, sold for $330!!!! Original yo yo from 1950’s. Amazing….
June 25th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I once did very well selling some old radio tubes. The best ones were tubes that are still used today in guitar amps. They need to be new in the original box to get full price. If not in the box then they have to be tested. Do an eBay search on the the tube codes to see what the going prices are.
Another good item is a series of books published by Motor Boating Magazine. It’s called the Ideal Series. They were published from 1920 into the 1960s. They are full of plans for building wood boats. I’ve purchased these books at garage sales for about $2 and had them bid up to over $60.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I bought a new almanac for .50 from goodwill and sold it for $100.00 and I had an old milk bottle that I put on and it sold for $300.00.
Thanks, Sandy
June 25th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I bought this Arnart Madamoiselles LIPSTICK Holder #55/811 for 89 cents and started the bid at $3.99, never dreaming it would sell for $24.50. At most I figured I would get about $10 for it.
I.ve had numerous items that I bought at $1.99 and they sold for $59.99 and $79.99 go and figure! BTW bought of those items were perfume bottles and one of them was signed.
barbara
June 25th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I purchased an old Singer Featherweight Sewing Machine at a garage sale for $10.00 and sold it for $200.00. Now thats a surprise! Thanks.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I saw a wicker thingy at a Salvation Army store. It wasn’t priced, so I asked how much and was told 99 cents. I took it home and put it on ebay. It was a Jai Alai Cesta (throwing basket). A bidding war broke out on it, and it sold to a guy in France for $87!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
About four years ago, my husband found an old Martin fishing lure in a tackle box he got for $2. He mainly wanted just the box. When he opened the box he was surprised to find old lures in it. Since we weren’t familiar with the prices, we figured we’d try to sell the ones that looked rather older or interesting that we weren’t planning on using. He listed the Martin lure with its own box (probably from the 1950s) for less than ten dollars, I think somewhere around $5. Imagine his surprise when people starting bidding at the last few minutes of the auction to raise the price over $40! I think it ended up being $45, minus fees plus the $2 for the tackle box … made well over $30. Not too shabby for one unexpected item.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Hi, I purchased a figurine at a garage sale for two dollars that sold for $67.00 on eBay. It was a Joseph Original which didn’t mean anything to me when purchased. Greatly surprised and pleased at the selling price.
Regards,
Bob
June 25th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I was very surprised when I sold my Michael Thurman weight loss kit. I had paid new about $120.00 and sold it on ebay in used condition for $93.00. That’s almost as much as I paid and would have sold in my garage sale for $5 to $10 dollars at best!!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Old camera’s generally do really well. We bought a 8mm Canon Movie Camera at an estate sale for $20.00 and I thought it might bring $40-$50, but ended up at $176.00. And I have a lot more example of the same.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
My husband pulled a piece of brass out of the dirt on his grandpa’s farm. He told me it was a tailpiece for a Gretsch guitar. (It said Gretsch on it.) He cleaned it up and brought it to me to list one day. We put a low opening on it wondering if anyone would even want it– and it went for over $200!!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Hi Terry — I enjoy your newsletters. Recently I sold an old leather briefcase from my husband’s college days — I was surprised when it sold for $75 with several bidders. Everyone said no one would want my old out of date, so last century word processor from the 90s. It sold with several bidders for $96.00. My next challenge is to sell a pair of Army Combat Boots from Vietnam days.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I purchased a Dyson animal vacuum cleaner two years ago and in the packaging was a coupon for a free toy Dyson . The freebee “toy” sold for $90 on Ebay!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
4- 1847 Rogers “Old Colony” silver plate round bouillon spoons recently sold for $49. I was hoping to get around $10 & was pleasantly surprised with the results! Old silverplate flatware is very unpredictable.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Hi Terry,
Great offer and idea, thank you for the opportunity to share.
I have been dealing with Breyer Model Horses for quite some time and have many things to share. However, this is limited to one experience so;
A while back I thought I would take a chance on buying a set of three models. The picture wasn’t very good and the information pretty limited so the winning bid was right around $20.
Well, when I received these models, each one of them was perfect. Each in mint condition. I turned around and sold two of them for about $20 each and the third one I added a CD to it because the model was fashoined after a Country Singers horse. That model and CD sold for $49.99! (The cost of the CD was only $5)
I was thrilled to death! Ever since I have been looking for other ways to “look outside the box” and to be unique. It takes work, but it is fun to see the green coming in.
There are many other stories I can tell, but I may incriminate myself in revealing them.
Thank you for all your help Terry, the information you share is priceless.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
sold a mattress and box spring set for $250. with no offers
June 25th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I bought a couple of apothecary type jars at a live auction for $4 and sold one of them to a competing bidder. The blue one (with a broken stopper) I couldn’t identify but put it on eBay with lots of photos because it was very pretty. In the first couple of days I received emails from 3 different people asking me to end the auction with a BIN of up to $150. I refused and let the auction run know I had “something” but still ignorant at to what. The winning bidder responded to my request for information (after I’d sent him the bottle) and educated me about cobalt blue poison bottles. Final bid? Over $300! Wish I could do that every day.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Last year, I sold a desk ornament, bust of Abe Lincoln on eBay for around $75.00. I bought the item at a dollar store. I couldn’t believe it. But, the money sure spent great. From one dollar to 75 bucks…man, I wish I could do that several times a day, all day long.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I was trying to complete a teaset of Belleek. Instead of $10 for a cup it closed at $40 for one cup & saucer.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
This is something that I’ve been watching and will be buying - Adding Machines - mechanical not electric. Some of them are from the 1800’s and the early 1900’s and are amazing creations. There are other earlier office devices, but I think this is the best collectible of the bunch. Early pens…but I’m betting they are expensive and common as a collectible.
I missed out on a book that covered early versions, but the photos were amazing. You’ll find simple pocket versions that can add and subtract and 30 lb. desk models.
You could easily resell them to computer and software company executives.
Just for balance, I’ve learned to use a Japanese abacus. They are also on Ebay (I bought one). Search “abacus lessons”. You’ll want one with one bead in the top row and four beads in the bottom row; not two and five.
Not a great collectible. Too difficult to find in the U.S.
Art
June 25th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Duck decoy pattern books. I purchased a lot of 8 at an auction for $12. One out of print book alone brought $200.00
I got about $800.00 for the entire lot. Look for Patrick Godin books especially.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I sold a stainless steel 3 stick candleholder for £85. It was just a few pounds when bought in 1974, but has now become collectible. I was amazed at the selling price.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I sold a pair of converse high top tennis shoes in a bright orange color for $75.00.. These were purchased at a yard sale for $1.00 and personally I did it as a joke as thought they were u-g-l-y!!!!!!!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
A lot of old aluminum ice cream spoons that came in with another purchase. I almost threw them out, but decided to list them. Each grouping of 5 or so had the original tape tying them together, which was quite yellow. The little guys brought between $100 & & $200 buckaroos! I patted myself on the back for that one.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Hi Terry!
I once sold a 1948 snow globe that didn`t look like much but was a souvenir globe of Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. To my great surprise it fetched 150.00! Good luck with your book. I for one, am certainly looking forward to it! Best! Kitty
June 25th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
The very first item I put on Ebay was a set of Maverick cap pistols with holsters from the old Maverick TV series. I expected they’d bring 30.00 - 50.00. They brought 178.00. I gave 10.00 for them at a garage sale. I also found an old Paladin cap pistol in the attic of the house I bought. It was not in very good condition and didn’t have a holster but I put it on anyway and got 87.00 for it.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I purchased a Magnavox Odyssey gaming system for $25.00, not knowing anything about it. Researched it and found out it is the very first gaming system to come out from Magnavox.
Sold on eBay for $127.50
June 25th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I currently have an auction going (at the time of this writing) and it is a Dyno D-Tour Freestyle bike I purchased a couple years ago for $5.00 and just didn’t get around to listing it.
After researching, I found out it’s an older bike that bike collectors “clammer” for and I have had MUCH, MUCH, MUCH interest in this bike.
At the time of this writing, it is up to $51.00….but I anticipate it to go over the “century mark”….hopefully :o)
June 25th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I’ve sold some books that were very pleasant surprises. One in particular was an 1882 Chinese-English dictionary done by the American Tract Society that I thought may bring $25-$30. It ended up selling for $120!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Years ago I bought an item called a Fulton Traffic Signal Finder, this was long before ebay. I tried for years to sell this at flea markets and never could. Well guess what. one sold this last Sat. for $162.50, mine is now listed and should sell for something like that. Who knew, here is my auction number 320266489256. Knowing how I buy I probably gave a dollar for it when I bought it.
Thanks Terry
June 25th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I have had great luck with books by one author listed in lots…. Janet Evanovich books with numbered titles 1 through 13 with funny titles (One for the Money, Two for the Dough…) I bought a bag full at a sale for $5.00 and they sold for $150.00, lots of people have caught on to them now so you won’t get this much out of them but still worth your while.
Also Little House on the Prairie sets, American Girl Sets, Manga/Anime Japanese comic type books, Rich Dad (Robert Kiyosaki), Cookbooks, Lemony Snickett sets, Magic Tree House, all do well sold in sets.
Another listing of books I’ve had luck with is Money Saving, Frugal Living, Investing etc. listed as a lot or Homesteading, Country Living, Self Sufficient Living, Raising Chickens, Cows, Pigs, Gardening(Foxfire books of Appalachian Living always sell great too).
Sorry I got carried away!!, I just love books and I love selling them too. Hope this info is helpful for someone else! Selling on Ebay is very addicting…buying is too…that’s why I sell now to pay for my buying habit!!! LOL!! Good Luck with your Ebay Sales!
Darlyne
Ebay seller: Darlynebp
Ebay store: Darlyne’s Books Plus Much More
June 25th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
2 old helicopter pilot helmets that went out of the country - sold for $120
Dried gords that I received free - 23 sold for $104
Vintage deep fleece patagonia jackets - sell for $60+ on a regular basis
June 25th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I had a bunch (about 20 pieces) of old food and drink recipe booklets and brochures, the kind that companies used to give out for free. They had been my mom’s and she gave them to me. These items were from the 1940s to the 1960s, from companies such as Hiram Walker, Rum Carioca, Campbells, Sunkist, Minute Rice, Kraft, and Schenley. They were in good, not excellent, condition. Started the auction at $.99 figuring to get a couple of bucks, but ended up with a final bid of $36.00. Since then, I always scoop these kinds of items up if I see them at library sales, estate sales, etc. when they are free or really inexpensive and then sell them in lots. They always sell!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
My husband bought an old electric skillet at a yard sale for $5.00, and I used it for a while, then decided to get a new one. He was going to put the vintage skillet in a yard sale he was having, but on a whim I decided to list it on eBay. (I usually sell books.) It sold for more than $100.00! I have since sold two more of the same kind of skillet, in not quite as good condition or lacking the instruction booklet, for $60.00 and $76.00 - each purchased at a yard sale for less than $5.00. So if you see a Miracle Maid LektroMaid Skillet, with cutting board, large dome top, serving tray, and original booklet and cord (all of which the first one had, in almost-new condition) - snap it up!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I purchased an old t/shirt from an oppurtunity shop,(second hand shop) for $1.50, this was 10 years ago and sold It on eBay for $120.00?? It was a t/shirt advertsing a car racing meeting from 15years ago. Wow, what a suprise
June 25th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I was recently selling some imitation leather antonio Italian bags that I had bought in bulk for 5 euro each and selling at 12 euro. One was significantly nicer in design than the others, and two American ladies became obsesed with it and the final price was 126 euro, no joke! I had bought 10 of these bags for 40 euro! The winner was not happy with the quality given what she had paid but I kinldy explained thaa I had offered it for 12 euro and speciifed it for what it was. A very funny and profitable sale!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I sold an old postcard of a town called Bangor in North Wales for $90 (in pounds sterling) - I was very surprised because it wasn’t in particularly good condition and I almost threw it out.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Hi
I bought a set of 24 automotive sales training cd’s by Grant Cardone at a goodwill for 8.00 dollars and sold it on ebay for 811.00
I always take a chance on any type of sales training material if the price is low.
Many board games sell on ebay as well. I always grab copies of trivial pursuit version 6 any time I see them (other versions are not as valuable). It sell’s regularly from 45.00 to 60.00.
Small appliances new in the box are often good.I bought a high end juicer
(l’equip) for 5.00 that sold for 69.00 and often sells for 75.00 and up.
Some cookbooks are popular. I buy as many betty crocker red pie cookbooks as I find.I get them for a dollar or two and they often sell
30.00 and up.
kindest regards
Bob L
June 25th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
My wife and I were out looking at garage sales one day and we bough a pair of collectible tins. They were identical and in excellent condition with a red british telephone booth painted on them and a bobby (police officer) painted as if he were inside the booth using the telephone.
The name on the booth was “Telephone” and not Police Box like in Dr. Who.
They were originally tins for Russell Stover English Caramels.
I only paid $0.25 each for them and they sold for over $10.00 on eBay for the pair, and to a fast paying customer in England.
That is better than a 95% gross margin. Woo Hoo. Not much money but easy.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
At a library sale spoted some model railroad magazine dating from 1979 to 1995. Since they wanted $25.00 for the magazines and no certain how they would sell, offered $16.00.
Some years had all the magazines and others less.
Received an email from a customer saying he thought his total was $360. Checked the final results–Pure profit of $495.00
June 25th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Terry, this is a great idea and I look forward to reading the book when you get it finished.
I had an old teen annual from the seventies, I think it was My Guy but I’m not certain. It was not in a suitable condition to list on eBay, the covers were quite tatty and there was some writing inside the book, but it included a 4-page article on actor Ben Murphy. I tore the four pages from the book, listed them in the TV Memorabilia category and was pleasantly surprised when a bidding war pushed the price up to £24 (around $47).
It’s highly unlikely that I’d have got anywhere near that amount if I had listed the book as is.
Lynn
www.onlineauctionideas.com
June 25th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I acquired ten RCA brand gel keyboard wrist rests from a 99cents only store and wished that I had gotten more. I listed them with a 2.99 starting bid and they sold for $8.00 to $12.00 each.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Last year i was digging through a drawer and found a pair of hearing aids aquired after my grandmother passed away several years before. Not sure why I had them just did. So I decided to list them and to my surprise they sold for almost $300.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I was in a hospital waiting room and one of the nurses was going to throw away a puzzle of Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion if somebody didn’t take it. Nobody wanted it. I took it and it brought $16.00 on Ebay.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Unusal Dragonware Peices seem to go real high on ebay. Of coarse OLd Levi Jeans. Older watches and clocks Im always surprised how well they do.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Hi Terry,
My most recent item was a 5×7 picture of a little cowgirl sitting on a pony that came in a box lot I bought at auction for $7 and it was inside a magazine in the bottom of the box. I put it on eBay and got $30.50. In another box lot purchase that I paid $30 for there was small brass Antique padlock that brought $47 on eBay, it also had 3 Antique straight razors that sold for $101.99, a WWII book on weapons at sold at $5.99, and an Airguide Auto Compass that sold for $9.99, that one box which I paid $30 for brought me $164.97 on eBay in one week. One of my best ones was a piece of test equipment used to find gas leaks, that I found at a Thrift store, it was in a Zero Halliburton Aluminum case with all the original manuals and the bill of sale. I paid $20 for it, the bill of sale said it sold for $3695.00 in 1990; it needed batteries but worked when the charger was plugged in. I put it on eBay and it brought $1120.00 from 3 bidders going head to head for a week. I could go on with many more great deals like that, but it proves one thing, you never know what can happen on eBay with the smallest cheapest thing you have.
Dick Turosh
dick21845
June 25th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I found an old WWII Army signal lantern in the garage. It looked like trash, but I cleaned it up and sold it for $51.00. Also found a fairly plain looking coffee mug that turned out to be from a highly collectible pattern and got $16.50 for that. At a garage sale, I paid $2 for a set of 180 thread count set of sheets that were still new in the package, although the package was torn open. I didn’t think 180 thread count would sell at all these days, but got $15 for those. Also found a blue fox fur coat for $50 at a church sale and sold that for $125.
Thanks for all the great ideas!
Cheryl B.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I purchased a pair of “giraffe” earrings for .50 to give my sister as a joke (that’s a long story so I won’t go into it here). Anyway, after we all got a good laugh, I decided to list them on eBay to see if anyone would buy them. I knew they wouldn’t sell for much but figured I’d try to recoup my money and make a few cents. I couldn’t believe it when the bids started coming in. The auction ended up with 19 bids (and many more watchers!) and sold for a whopping $37.00. I couldn’t believe it!!!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Hi Terry
Stuart here in the UK. A few years back I found an old, illustrated book on foxhunting at a flea sale. I paid $20. Removed the plates (illustrations) mounted them ($1 each) and they sold on eBay for between $40 and $80 each (the book contained 16 plates!)
I’ve turned this into a regular part time money earner which you can read about at www.printsmakeprofits.com
June 25th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
As an old Avon rep, I made the most money selling samples that cost me pennies.
Also any old discontinued Avon item sold for 5-6 times the actual original cost.
An old book I found in my basement sold for $40, and I have no idea why, I was going to throw it out. I have so much stuff, and not enough time for ebay!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
My biggest surprise to date is a Miss Twiggy purse remember her from the 60s I paid $10.00 sold for $212.00I have been looking for more
Art
June 25th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I sold my step-father’s old 1970’s Pulsar LED watch with a Speitel band. I wrote in the post that I couldn’t be sure it would still work by the time the person got it as I had only been able to get it to come on a few times. Still the watch sold for $158.49!! Who Knew!?!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Sold a Debbie Mumm Mummford plush stuffed penguin for $75.00 (Bought him for $2.50 at a thrift store). Turns out he was made famous by the Friends tv show and was Joey’s pal. Joey named him Hugsy. The market has declined a bit for him, but he usually brings at least $30 now.
Recently sold a set of Angelina Ballerina poseable figures for $99.99.
Peggy Moffit book I bought for $.25 cents sold for $49.99.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
We live in the country and have some old farm related equipment around. The best thing that we sold was an air pressure gauge that said, “Michelin Tires” on the side and had the Michelin guy on it. It sold for $260!
We have also gotten good returns on old farm equipment manuals and gas nozzles.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Terry……Over the past 6 years I have sold a number of items on ebaY for far more than I had invested, much to my surprise. I have never liked ebaY’s advice to drop your starting price if an item failed to sell on the first go around. After all you’ve just increased your overhead on the item, sometimes doubling the original cost. My most surprising sale was from such an item that failed to sell on the first two listings, normally I stop if it doesn’t sell the second time. I decided to experiment and listed a pair of mid 1800s cast metal newel post figures, a matching boy and girl in colonial garb. The first listing was below cost and the response according to the counter was terrible and there weren’t even any questions. The second listing I raised my starting price $20 and was rewarded with questions and a respectable counter count. Still they didn’t sell so I decided to triple the original starting price and BINGO! they sold………Wreb-selz
Remember:
Trash & garbage are….”COLLECTIBLE” …at least once a week
“BOOK” is for dealers that can afford long term storage
June 25th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I have an old Betty Crocker cookbook that I just love. I decided to find one for my daughter who is in the USAF. I thought it would be inexpensive but I found out they are collectible items. I bid on several that went for over $30. then finally was able to actually buy one for $17. I’m going to take better care of the one I have from now on!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Clearing out the house I came across a pair of old leather goggles that we had all played with as children. Having little expectation I listed them on Ebay and eventually received £90.00 from an overseas buyer who identified them as World War 2 British Army issue. Had I not listed them I would almost certainly have thrown them away.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
A 3 bedroom, Craftsman, 1925 house. $53,000. eBay had a real estate listing sale a couple of years ago. We had had some trouble getting prospective buyers so thought we couldn’t lose much other than the $150 to list it. The listing ended after a month but people who had been watching ~2,000 miles away, bought it. All was done by fax, email and phone and we didn’t have to give a realtor 7% so we could reduce the price for the buyers. Wish they’d have another listing sale. I have two more houses I would love to list.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Hi Terry,
I sold an old used pasta maker, which almost landed in the garbage, for around $40. It went to Belize, and I was asked by the buyer if I had anymore. Was pretty blown away by that one, since in wasn’t in prefect shape, but I was up front about it.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I went second hand clothing store shopping and brought a Roger Federov Jersey for $7.00. I bought it from my husband as he is a hockey goallie in our local town in Australia and needed a shirt that would fit over his padding. In the mean time he found himself another shirt so this one wasnt neded so I put it on Ebay. The Jersey sold for $69.00AU
I was amazed!!!!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I purchased a Playstation 1 game called blast lacrosse at a garage sale and paid 3.00 for it. I ended up selling it on ebay for 83.00 since it was a RARE game
June 25th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I bought a set of owners manuals that included the car manual, the radio manual, and the service booklet in the original plastic cover for a 1974 VW Beetle for $1 at a neighbors yard sale. I sold it shortly afterward for $67 on eBay. All car manuals that are for a specific model sell like crazy and, the older the better.
We’re “old paper” dealers primarily and we find all sorts of surprising paper items that sell. One thing you should always watch for Real Photo Postcards. These are actual photographs that were taken during the 1920-30s with a special camera. Many people had these and took original photos of people, places, and events. They then then had these developed as postcards. These 3×5″ pieces of paper can sell for $100s depending on the subject. We’ve seen them go for $600 or more. We’ve never been that lucky but we have sold many above $30 and several above $50.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I purchased four mens neck ties at a garage sale. They caught my attention because they had a sign on them that read, Jerry Garcia. Another buyer picked up the other 6. I paid $4.00 for them and sold them for $104.00 in a lot on ebay. They were from the Filmore in San Francisco. They were beautifully decorated and each had an artists name printed on the front. Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd. The person that bought them from me, relisted them individually, under rock and roll memorabilia on ebay and profitted at least another $30.00 on each tie even after his costs to buy them from me. I had listed them under men’s neck ties. Had no clue!!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I picked up a carton of 10 old WWII military manuals at an estate sale for $3.00. One, a USN diving manual sold for $70.25 and a USN Yeoman’s Guide sold for $89.00. The others sold from $7.99 to $22.50.
Whenever I can find WWII militaria I send emails to prior customers and advise them when the listing will be made.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Had 5 Modelairplane engines new in boxes tht were 18 yyrs old. All sold for 3 to 5 times what I paid for them. Th highest one was to a Swiss collector fro $175
June 25th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I recently bought a name brand handbag in new condition at a Rummage Sale for $50 and it sold for $250. I was shocked.
I bought a Annette Funicello CD box set at a yard sale for $2.00. It sold on Ebay for $25.00.
You gotta love Ebay!!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Baby and kids stuff continue to amaze me. When my son was little, I would buy nice brand name clothes at garage sales (would never pay more than $1 or $2), he would wear them 6 months, and I would consistantly sell them for $10-$20. The best selling items were baby sports team logo’d clothes. I would sell his football logo’d clothes for many times what we paid for them new. Also, old video games and systems not available anymore. They brought in great prices!!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I use to spend weekends going to yard sales. Sometimes it paid off with a treasure or two.
I bought a 5 inch Spiderman figure for 10 cents. I decided to see what it might bring on ebay. My wife told me I was wasting my time and money.
It brought $17.53!
My next yard sale resulted in finding a metal Peter Pan lunchbox that I purchased for a quarter. I sold it on ebay for $98.00.
Another was a Marx train, new in the box, from the 70’s. I paid $20 for the train and sold it on ebay for $150.
You never know what someone will buy on ebay. Many times the “crap” I was getting ready to get rid of is the “crap” I sold on ebay!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I bought a 1960’s Masonic book that described in detail the 32 degrees of Masonry. It was in fair condition and had a program from an induction ceremony in Little Rock Arkansas taped inside. I paid $1.00 It sold for about $25.
And a 1941 Navy Seaman’s manual sold for about $20. I had paid fifty cents from a man who said the book belonged to his dad and had the name written inside. I couldn’t believe he was selling it. A Marine bought it. Semper Fi!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
In the year 2000 one of my early sales on eBay was a kit for a Marx Fix-All Station Wagon w/ Transparent V-8 which I had found at a garage sale many years earlier. (I bought the kit because I had owned a 1963 Mercury station wagon when it was new in 1963, and the model in this kit resembled that vehicle.)
I never got around to working on the kit and forgot about it until cleaning out the attic when we were moving. It sold to a delighted buyer for $96.00.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
My sister inherited a bunch of ceramics and dinner ware from an aunt last year. We decided to list them on ebay. There was a green glass goblet with a moose etched on it…I started the auction at about $5.00…and the thing sold for $75!!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I was clearing off things on top of my dryer and found a pair of Grinch gloves that a boy had given my daughter when she was in third grade. She’s 21 now! They were made of regular old felt and had white fur around them. I was going to throw them away, but it was around Halloween so I listed them on Ebay. I started them at $1.99, expecting maybe $5. I ended up getting $54!
June 25th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Listed an old Polaroid camera and opening bid posted at $4.99. The camera went for $45.99. Amazing what people will buy.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I’ve had quite a few “Aha” eBay sales in the almost seven years I’ve been at this. My first Christmas on eBay I bought a small 6″ high wooden Nutcracker at a thrift store for $.69 cents. It had some minor dents and scratches so I figured I might get just a few dollars for it. It sold for almost $18.00! There was a small Cat Face Plaque, 3-D and brightly painted but it was resin not porcelain. It was a gift so I paid nothing, it sold for $30.00. I’ve sold many old craft books and VHS video tapes too, for more than I ever thought they’d bring. One old Australian movie that I paid nothing for as it came from an inherited collection, sold for over $27.00. Most recently, I started selling vintage postcards. A few months ago I had a Linen-era one of a basic shoreline scene: ocean, cliffs with a road and an old car on it and a woman walking along the side of the road. Nothing remarkable, no buildings etc. It sold for over $70.00!!! It’s items like these that keep me in the business, so, I’m definitely looking forward to the new book!
June 25th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I purchased a vintage door knob cover, made of some sort of rubber/plastic. It’s the kind that would go over an old glass door knob… nothing special. I bought it for 99 cents at a thrift shop just because I thought it might work on one of our ugly basement doorknobs. When I searched for something similar on ebay, there wasn’t anything like it, so I thought why not list it. It wasn’t something that I just had to have… it sold on ebay for just under $90!
I had a bunch of craft books that I no longer needed and listed them all at the same time in individual auctions. All of them sold except for 1. A couple of weeks later I relisted the unsold book with a starting bid of $4.95 and it sold for $114! The best part is, that this book was readily available on amazon and other sites for $15-$20.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I was given some old magazines at a yard sale. I sold some back issues of Mother Earth News for almost $30.00. My mom gave me a few dishes that were in an old paper bag. Nobody wanted them. I did some research and sold three mugs for almost $40.00 and a dessert bowl for $10.00. My neighbor was throwing out old medical books from the 30s and 40s. I have sold a few of them for varying amounts. It just goes to show the old saying is true…one man’s trash is definitely another man’s treasure.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Sold a 15 year old Baldwin Brass lamp shade that set in my closet for a long time. It sold for $60.00 without the lamp.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
A couple of things come to mind..first a book which I bought for $25 at a convention sold for $125 and a Dark Tower game , purchased for my kids a number of years ago, sold for $280.00..I’ve had several other real surprises over the years, but these two rose to the surface when Terry asked the question.
all the best to all,
Doc
June 25th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I sold a 1975 Pink Floyd concert poster for 1125.00, then I found another copy and sold the second one for the same price. It was a great day in the neighborhood!
June 25th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Hi Terry!
I’m divulging a HUGE secret here… AND no one has seemed to mention it as yet.
Old Corning Ware (Cornflower Blue & Spice of Life) & Visions (the glass amber & cranberry pots) that sell for 25 to 50 cents each at yard sales make BIG Bucks on eBay!! I was SHOCKED when I realized this a couple years back.
Also, VINTAGE (the OLD harvest colors especially) Tupperware, Ultra 21 Ware and the Watercolor Acrylic Cups do GREAT!!
Pampered Chef branded items and expecially their baking stones.
SOME Pfaltzgraff items, but it is hit or miss for these items.
Items need to be in good to excellent shape & NEVER sell LARGE lots. It’s best to sell only a piece or two of Corning or a lot of 2 to 4 dinnerware pieces. People are usually looking to fill in and replace NOT buy entire sets. Also, there is a “bargain mentality” on eBay and the more items you have the cheaper per piece people are expecting to pay.
I personally make my living on eBay selling mainly these types of items — they go for cheap at thrift stores and yard sales, and BIG bucks on eBay.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
My greatest surprise was cleaning out the garage and selling an old oxidized set of aluminum valve covers for 99.00 !! I started the bid at 4.99 and hoped to get 20 bucks. I was certainly surprised.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I was looking for a gag gift for my husband’s retirement present and knew I had found the perfect one at a garage sale. It was an old time clock for $5. After pairng it with some time cards and telling him it was so he could clock in and work around the house when he retired. After the gag we decided to sell it on ebay. It worked great and looked like knew - and it sold for about $180.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I almost forgot this one and how could I? I was working one rainy day in an apartment complex and drove by a dumpster… I noticed what looked like an airplane propellor laying beside a trash dumpster. To my surprise that was excactly what it was, an old wooden airplane propellor about 7 feet long. I took it home, dried it off, hung it on the wall and admired it for years. After a move it ended up under the bed and stayed there for a few more years I recently took it out, took pictures and listed it. It sold for $600.00 and $75.00 shipping. The shipping part is what I had dreaded the most. How to ship a 7 foot long object? To my good fortune the winning bidder was a local man that came and picked it up. Of course I didn’t charge the shipping but I did find 600 bills that day in the trash. One mans trash is truly another mans treasure!
June 25th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I found 1,000’s of brand new Avanti greeting cards that someone had thrown away. I sold them individually for up to $5.00/card and then as lots for up to $10 - $15! I was shocked! I made a few hundred dollars from someone else’s trash!
June 25th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
I had an old power saw that my Grandfather used in the 1970’s. He took good care of his tools and even had the original box. I was just trying to clear out some stuff and listed the saw on ebay. I wasn’t expecting more than $25, figuring it was much like the other tools I had laying about. But I sure was surprised and delighted with the $182 and change received.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
A few years ago some friends brought me a fruit jar to sell for them on consignment on eBay. I knew it was pretty rare, but the final price floored me. $6511.00 for a one quart canning jar. WOW! And to think that many years ago it was a common jar probably used in someones home for canning precious food to get them through winter. My how things change.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
This is a great thread! I’ve sold a 25 year old atari game for $40 and 20-year old car radios for $40-100. It’s truly amazing what is in demand.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Terry,
My biggest surprise was a set of (4) old cotton mill wooden pattern gears.
My son and I had taken them to different cities and tried to sell them at garage and yard sales in a 100 mile radius and priced them at $70.00 for the complete set. Had no luck, but lots of window shoppers and several folks said to just throw them in the trash can. Well we decided to keep them and then last August I listed them on eBay with a staring bid of $19.99 and the last day of the listing they sold for $612.00. This was just unbeliveable. Not bad for a $40.00 investement.
Larry
June 25th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I sold a mini blue M&M dispenser for over $50 (it came free with some M&Ms). After that I tracked down some more and they all sold for around that amount.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I had 3 pencil sharpeners shaped like a space capsule rolling around in my desk drawer for about 20 years. I listed them on eBay hoping to get rid of them and possibly make a few dollars. Was I ever surprised when the auction ended at over $28.
Terry says: Sterling Plastics made a pencil sharpener Saturn rocket. Nose cone was a sharpener, the body held pencils. The nose cones come in different colors. These sell for good money because they were used on Lionel flatcars as loads.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Love reading all the finds!
My best one to date was a Limoges handpainted china plate, signed by the artist, made in the early 20th century. I paid $4 for it at a church sale. Put a lot of research into it, was excited to see it could sell for about $40 ~ was even more excited when it sold to a collector for $368.
On a lesser scale, I paid .25 at an estate sale for a Wham-O Glow-in-the-Dark Moonlight plastic frisbee ~ it sold for $53.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I was at a garage sale and I brought 2 items from the lady for $8.00 and I handed her a $10 bill. She didn’t have any change so I asked her what she wanted for a Art Nevo Mirror and she said take it for the $2.00. I put it on ebay and started it out for $9.99 and it sold for $63.00 and I could not believe it. Good luck with your book and let me know when you finish it.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I listed some old native, beat-up beaded (possibly 1920s Algonquin Indian) moccassins, that had been my Grandfather’s, as a charity auction for my brother, who needed money. The moccassins were stained and smelly, and beading was falling off. My brother had worn actually worn these relics at the cottage. I photoed them nicely against deep blue background and wrote a great (and completely honest) description. I was concerned that they wouldn’t sell at all at $10, and that I would lose my listing fees. To my surprise they sold to someone in the western US for $186 US! I think when I have done charity auctions for my dear (gay) brother, that sales have really gone up as the gay community wants to support one of their own. Isn’t Ebay great. Thanks Terry for this opportunity to share.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Hey Terry,
Great idea.
A couple of years ago I purchased a teapot at a local auction for $16.75.I had no intension of buying it but I got into a bidding war with a local antique dealer that I really didn’t care for and I had in mind of running it up and dropping out but it backfired and I ended up with it.It was a Hall Superior in the Connie pattern and boy was it an ugly green and gold.It turned out to be in mint condition but it was still UGLY.I listed it on the bay for a .99 start.I checked it an hour after the listing started just to see if there was any action.Needless to say I was in total shock to find that it had 25 bids and was at $280,that’s when it became the most beautiful teapot that I had ever seen.The $280 bid was the closing bid for the teapot.Really unusual to get all the action in the first hour the listing.That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.It really was an UGLY teapot.BTW I enjoy your news letter keep up the good work.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I bought a nice Anna Sui Eye Shadow make up set from ebay for S$15, able to get a good bargain from best offer.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
At one time I had been seling alot of 1950’s Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines. Mos had gone in the $3 - $5 range. Then I listed one that had a “Snow Cat” on the cover. Final auction price was $110 plus he wanted Overnight shipping from the U.S. to the U.K.
Definately a pleasant surprise from something I found treasure hunting, a.k.a. trash picking in some areas.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
a friend of mine had given me an animated Santa Claus that sang Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. it didn’t sell in her garage sale, so she gave it to me to try and sell on eBay to contribute to a mission trip fund… it sold for $103! one of the first items i ever sold on eBay was a silver fork that i had picked up at Goodwill for 17 cents. i sold it for $11! not a bad profit. too bad i can’t find them anymore. =(
June 25th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I sold a set of Alien #1-4 comic book set (usually sells for $9.95) that went for over $30.00. Surprised I was.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I had a unbuilt model of a motorcycle and the rider in my closet,Tamiya Suzuki RM250 and the rider was was a seperate kit.The box was bent from stacking stuff on it,but otherwise unbuilt inside.The size of bike was 1/12th and maybe big enough to fit in your hand if built…anyway fetched $90.49 together !!! Most likely if my wife would have cleaned out the closet,she’d threw it out ! Using Terry’s auction tips helped ! Was a breeze to ship in a small box,and went to Australia…..love those blokes!
June 25th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I found an old 1 pound Gordons Potato Chip can while cleaning out my parents estate. (not in the greatest condition) I took some good pictures and listed it for .99 hoping for maybe $10.00. I had seen others that looked in better shape go for $20-30 bucks. Much to my pleasent surprise it sold for close to $80.00!
June 25th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I recently sold a brick cell phone from the 80´s for $183. I bought a brand new cell phone with that money. ….amazing!
June 25th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I was selling some Aroura model motoring stuff from my youth, Some of my cars were fetching $20-$30 and I was pleased. In one of my boxes was just the body of one of the cars. It had never been used and was a candy apple red Mustang with gray racing stripes. The response was tremendous, people emailing me with offers to end the sale for their price……$80, $125, $231….I did not end the auction early and at the end a 2 inch plastic car body sold for $734!! I was utterly astounded and now search all auctions for old Aroura racing stuff!
June 25th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
One other posession I sold last December was an 1867 volume of Gray’s Anatomy. I had tried twice earlier with a $99 starting price and a $125 Buy It Now with no luck , then on a third and final listing the bidding war started and it was won by a soon to be bride who purchased it for her soon to be husband and Doctor………..for $339!
Timing is everything it seems!
June 25th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
We found a 1959 New Orleans phone book at an estate sale. It was actually in a box with some junk that was going to be tossed - we pulled it out and put it with all the other items we bought…net cost on the book ended up around 50 cents or so. We hoped we’d get around $50 for it… it ended up selling for $224.50! It was appropriate that it was sent back “home” to New Orleans as well! Would love to have another sale like that!
June 25th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I had purchased a box of model train hobby materials at a local consignment shop for $10.00. I was mainly interested in the tools (worth more than $10.00) that was included with the hobby materials. The Power Command Train Transformer MRC Model 9000 Tech 3 I stashed back thinking one day it would probably bring me a few bucks on eBay, basically recouping my $10.00 investment. WOW! Was I surprised! It sold on eBay for $50.00.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I have been doing eBay since the end of Nov 2005. That first Christmas, I had several successes. The first was a musical Purple People Eater Doll with a low cost price tag in his ear from WalGreens. I got it for 25 cents at a yard sale and it sold for $70. The second item was a large box of wooden brio train tracks, trains and accessories. I paid $8 and sold it for around$100.00. The week before Christmas I bought 4 American Girl Patterns for 50 cents each. Each one had the pieces and instructions to make a complete wardrobe of clothes for a different doll. I sold them for around $50 each. Then came January & February and almost nothing sold.
During that same time period I bought a couple of large old rag dolls for a quarter a piece. I took them home and couldn’t find any like them on eBay. They had some small stains, were well played with and even had some small tears. I kept them for about 2 years, then decided to put them in a garage sale. I did one last search. I still didn’t find them but discovered other rubber faced dolls from the same company(Rushton). Some sold really good and some didn’t. I took a chance and listed them. in the description I asked if anyone was familiar with them, could they give me some history. I started getting watchers and bidders, and also a couple of emails telling me that the girl was the same doll that was Ms. Beasley on Family Affair. It was suggested that I end the auction and relist them with Ms. Beasley in the title. I did and they brought in somewhere around $1oo.
Some other successes:
Huge lot of computer magazines from the 80s - paid $6. I divided them into 4 lots and sold them for over $80.
Bought 4 different interactive game software for older computers. One sold for $59
Old dusty covered wagon with broken wheel and “”heche in mexico on the bottom. Given to me to sell. It ended at $89
Bought 4 war type board games for 50 cents each. 2 sold for $30 each and 1 for $70
CPR Manikin - paid $5, sold for $70
Thanks Terry for all you do
June 25th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I just sold a coin changer from a candy vending machine for $50.00.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Hi, I was at a tip shop and found a little book about 4inches square and only 20 pages thick, it cost me 5 cents it was called “epidomious and his puppy” I listed it for 99 cents thinking to make just that and to my surprise it sold for $33.50. It was the most racist thing that I have ever read.
I also sold a leather bound Readers Digest Book for $50 which we got 3 for $1 from a vinnies store.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I had an old trunk of items back in 2001 and thought one day I would just post them on Ebay. Some of the things included an old Sherlock Holmes computer software game that I found in a bin at an office supply store years before I paid $10. It sold on ebay for $74. I got another suprise an old record I got for free sold for about $15. Old toys also did well including a tabletop game Donkey Kong Jr. sold for $60. Thanks in advance for putting the book together, I can’t wait to read it!
June 25th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
we (hubby & I)belong to the local Harley Owners Group (HOG club) and also the National one - and we each get a “free” patch and matching pin each year. I don’t bother sewing mine to vests, jackets, etc and had quite a few years, so I listed one set and got $40+ and the neat part was that it went to a Harley owner in France - we emailed back and forth and he emails photos of him and his wife on their Harley. I listed a few more and averaged from a low of $12 to a high in the $40’s. (I’ve got some more, got to get back to listing some again!) Thanks, Terry for all your great ideas, advice and good common sense approach to things!
June 25th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
My
daughter bought a house on the understanding they clear all the junk out.
they were burning boxes and boxes of stuff I dropped by and snagged four boxes of Old turn of the century Granby Mining Reports complete with assays and old photos. the first one a I put up sold for $150 and so far I have sold two boxes full for over $2000.00 so now the joke is they burnt there new babies college fund but I am plugging away selling the rest of there ‘junk’ and it is fetching small but regular donations to the college fund. i am now hooked on ebay and trying to move from used to knew stock but new does not seem as lucrative as all my thrift store finds and there barn full of junk.
I have lots to learn about web marketing but I enjoy the challenge
June 25th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Hi Terry
Thanks for your great newsletter and website. I’ve learned an aweful lot from you, and want to say “THANKS!!!” again.
A few things:
A few years ago, as a joke my nephew gave his dad a set of 3 cheap plastic/foam cups, made by Aladdin I believe. They featured the 3 stooges, and were sold back in the 90’s by Clark gas stations for a dollar or two each. Last year, I listed them for my sister on Ebay, and they brought $45.00!
A few months ago, my wife picked up a tiny porcelain mermaid figurine for a quarter at a garage sale. Sold for $28 and change; all we could do was laugh.
And about two months ago, my wife bought 5 large boxes of Enesco’s Kim Anderson Pretty As A Picture figurines at another garage sale for $50. Almost 200 of them. She kept about half for her own collection, gave me the rest to sell. One brought $79.96; another is still available with bidding up to over $60 as I write this. So far I have sold about a third of the ones she gave me, for an average of almost $20 each. I am listing 10 or so each week to keep from glutting the market all at once, and selling about half of each group. Best single buy my wife or I ever made was that $50 pile of figurines!
Combining my wife’s “eye” for the “treasures” with Terry’s tips & techniques is doing wonders for our bank account!
June 25th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Bought an early 1980’s sears portable sewing machine in working order with case at a yard sale for $20.00. Sold it on ebay much to my surprise for over $200.00. Most hits I ever had on auction- just under 1,000! Also 1980’s vintage Yamaha keyboards-the consumer kind, not the pro ones- can be found at yard sales for ~$10.00 or so and usually sell for well over $100.00 on ebay- apparently they are sought after by DJs.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
I was wandering through a thrift store and they brought out an unusual chair made of ash. It had great lines and was only $10 so I bought it. Got it home and there was a little metal tag that said Vermont Tubbs. Found it was from the 40s so listed it at 9.99 w/ buy it now 199. It sold within the hour! Now I know it might have gone for 300 but who cares? The buyer was thrilled.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Bought some vintage thread on wooden spools at a yard sale. I laid them out in groups according to color families and took the picture for my auction. I don’t recall what I paid for them and really had no idea what to expect them to close at but I do recall it sure was fun to watch the price rise.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Last September at a garage sale my husband bought 3 boxes of Classic Car Collector Cards, most of which were still sealed in their packaging, for $25.00. We started the auction out at $49.99, and they sold for $175.00!
At the same garage sale we also bought a Sansui 8080 stereo receiver (tube type) and included the brochure for $35.00. It also sold on eBay for $175.00.
At a garage sale a few years ago we bought a large box of juke box parts for $35.00. As luck would have it, the parts went to a fairly popular/rare juke box (Wurlitzer Model 1100), and they sold for over $300.00!
We weren’t even looking for stuff to resell on eBay, but when opportunity knocks, it is hard to turn it down.
One last story…we were looking for boxes in a dumpster next to some storage buildings, and found in one box about 20 vintage but new in the package light switch plate covers with various members of Charles Schultz Snoopy gang. This was right after Charles Schultz had died. We put one of each kind on eBay and when those sold, we offered the duplicates to each of those buyers at the price they sold for. We wound up making over $300.00!!
June 26th, 2008 at 1:02 am
I purchased a pair of really different cowboy boots at an auction they were red, black, yellow, white, green the worst combination ever and with a big eagle on the front. I paid 35.00 and they went for over 200.00.
My husband found a car body toy in our pasture, no tires, chrome, bumper, just the body. I listed it as unknown kind and the guy said it was a 32 Chrysler Air Flow. and paid 60.00 for it.
Since 2003 I have sold lots on eBay and it’s always a surprise when something goes way over but you just never know anything is possible on eBay.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:24 am
In an old trunk of mine, I came across the program for a Jefferson Airplane (remember them) rock concert I had gone to in the 60s. I hadn’t actually saved it all those years, just never thrown it out and it was in with a bunch of other old stuff. This wasn’t a special souvenir program for which there was an extra charge, but just the free program that was handed out to everyone who attended.
Nevertheless, I figured it might be worth something — especially because one of the warm-up groups was a then little known band called the Grateful Dead. I listed it on eBay in 1999 at a starting price of $4.95. Very early on, I knew I had something special because the price wss bid up quickly and I got a lot of e-mail about the item. The e-mails included several that begged me to end the auction early and sell it privately, offering $300 if I would do so.
I’ve always believed it isn’t appropriate to stop an eBay auction — the fair thing is to let everyone interested have an equal chance to bid and buy. I let the 7-day auction run its course. The bidding continued and concluded with some wild bidding at the end. To my astonished delight, the final sale price was a whopping $915.
My only regret is that the auditorium floor at the end of the concert had been littered with discarded programs. I could have picked up dozens of them, but who knew at the time.
June 26th, 2008 at 2:01 am
“Ten Years in an Open-Neck Shirt”, an unprepossessing paperback book of poems by John Cooper Clark, which sold for over thirty euros, and which even had a flyleaf missing.
June 26th, 2008 at 3:17 am
I found a book written about the Titanic voyage. It was written in the 1940’s, was a hardcover dustjacket book, but nothing that special, so I thought. I paid $.50 cents at the local Goodwill for it. It sold for $88.00
June 26th, 2008 at 3:19 am
Another item my father-in-law gave me was a Surge milker, used for cows, goats, etc. I knew nothing about it so I looked it up and they sold for more money than I thought. He got it for free, and I sold it for $55.00.
June 26th, 2008 at 4:08 am
Hi, I read you mail as soon as it arrives. Although not all applies to me (a small seller helping my elderly parents downsize their household belongings in preparation to a move) I find many helpful tips. My parents accumulated many odd items over the years and many have been stashed in the attic and pantry. I listed a wooden jigsaw puzzle that belonged to my grandmother for $9.99, just hoping to get a single bid. The box was coming apart, there was no picture of the puzzle on the box and I had to assemble the 400+ pieces to see what the puzzle was and to photograph it. Much to my shock, it brought in $120+. My parents were astonished. Sure wish we had found more! I enjoy your newsletter. Thanks. Ernie M
June 26th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Years back, I bought a box lot of books at a local auction for 5.00. They were all 1940’s books most with dust jackets.
The next morning, when I took the box out of the car, I noticed money sliding out of one of the books! Not American, I did some research. They were Zwazig Kronens, most of the serial numbers were in sequence. I listed and sold 1/2 of the bills, for $1150.00. I kept a 25 or so, put them back in the book and am saving for a rainy day. The rest of the books I sold for 7.99 each, there were about 30 of them.
Wish I could make those finds each week!
Great Topic, Terry…It inspires and motivates us to start listing again! Look foward to the book.
June 26th, 2008 at 4:16 am
the most amazing thing i have sold on ebay was a nappy wrap bin got it free with a voucher from a mothering club when daughter was born and got £27 for it only retails at £24.99 but too many people have realised this now lucky if bids go over £6.00 now.
June 26th, 2008 at 5:05 am
I bought a set of Corelle blueonion dishes last summer at a thrift store for about $20. There were a lot of serving pieces with it - salt & pepper shaker, large bowl, etc. I broke the pieces into separate auction, I think something like 8 dinner plates, 8 luncheon plates….they ended up totally over $200!
Lynn
June 26th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Sold a book on breeding and raising guppies. I paid $10 to $12 for it and it brought $65.00 on eBay.
June 26th, 2008 at 6:17 am
Old electronic Christmas items always sell well — go figure. I sold a cheap plastic ornament ball with a plug that played bird songs. It was screechy & cheap and sold for over $20! I found a screw-in light bulb with a top shaped like a rhinestone pin only it had red plastic “jewels” — also a Christmas item that came with a box. Bought it for 25 cents and sold it for almost $50.00. A buyer said it was commonly called a Majestic star. Musical “Bells of Christmas” sell well, especially the ones that have a clapper that actually moves and not just the light bulb that lights when the songs play. Thanks for the GREAT thread!
June 26th, 2008 at 6:18 am
About a year ago I went to the post office to mail some items that I had sold on eBay and noticed that the town hall next door was having a rummage sale. I wasn’t going to stop in, but my wife said why not?
Nothing much of interest, but a WWII Mae West that piolts used to wear. It was in excellent condition and had the date of manufacture (December 1943) and company name stamped on it. I asked how much? He said $15.00, I said how about $10.00? He said OK. Sold on eBay for $365.00!!!
June 26th, 2008 at 6:21 am
I found a WWII vintage souvenir rayon pillowcase from Pearl Harbor while cleaning out my mother’s house. It was sent as a present to her from my father while stationed there. It featured beach scenes, hula dancers, and a central image of an old Navy PBY airplane. The item was in okay shape, but had been in a drawer for decades.
I put it up for sale and received $45.00 for it on a Buy It Now offer. I emailed the buyer and turns out he’s an older guy who collects decorative pillow cases! You never know what someone will buy.
June 26th, 2008 at 6:46 am
I found an old Harry Potter “Bertie Botts” cookie jar in the box in my attic. I listed it for $9.99 and to my surprise it sold for $384.00!
June 26th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Old home study course from the 70s or 80s on Milinary (hat making). I paid 50 cents and the final price was $139.
Doll house, dolls and furniture - all disassembled in 3 boxes. The furniture and dolls looked well made. I paid $5 for it all. My daughter and granddaughter assembled it. It was called a Grand Mansion and had a portion of the roof missing. I sold for around $130 too.
June 26th, 2008 at 7:14 am
My aunt gave me a lava lamp several years ago when she was in a “cleaning mood”…I had loved that lamp for years!…Once she gave it to me I only used it a few times when I got that “nostalgic feeling” for the “good old days”!!!…LOL…I decided it was time to go so on a whim, I decided why not try to seel it on ebay…I figured it was just a piece of old junk and if it didn’t sell (I didn’t expect it to) I would just put it in the trash…Well, much to my surprise, it sold for $62.99!….Then another time, hubby and I went to a farm sale (lots of them around here all of the time)…He wanted to look at a piece of farm machinery and I didn’t want to go but I did…When they were selling some household things, there was a box that no one seem to want so the auctioneer started adding more boxes (5 big boxes in total) and I decided to bid…I bid $1.00 and no one else bid against me…So, all of those boxes ended up mine…When we got home, we looked through them and found 2 microphones…one was an Astatic (really cool looking!) but with no cord and the other was the kind used with a ham radio…The Astatic brought over $195.00 and the other brought almost $60.00!!…What an excellent profit margin!!…Now I’m on the look out of things that no one would think of selling!…
June 26th, 2008 at 7:18 am
I had a course on how to sell on eBay that included audio CDs and seom DVDs that were basically slides and a book. I had dog-earred pages in the book and wrote some notes on it. The information was still useful for someone new to eBay thought the fees & some specific information were out-dated. Since it was in pretty used condition (which I specified & showed photos of) and was about 5 years old I didn’t think I’d get a lot for it. I think I paid $165 for it new. Started it at $9.99 and hoped to get $20 or $25. It sold for $101 to a buyer in England. I’m thinking of looking for more “old courses” about other things I may have around the house or at garage sales to try.
June 26th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Sold a pair of Doc Martins for $52.00 on ebay …. nice thrift store buy.
June 26th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Old glass typewriter keys sell well. Apparently people use them to make jewelry & crafts.
We’ve purchased the entire typewriters (very heavy) for $5-$10 at yard sales. We carefully remove the keys, junk the typewriter, create an auction listing and they sell very very well, bringing $50-$100 per set!
We paid 25 cents for a 1949 Negro Motorist GREEN BOOK a small, 80 page soft cover booklet at a yard sale, it sold for a surprising $221.16 !!!
June 26th, 2008 at 7:56 am
My most recent sleeper was a 1961 Coleman 1 Gallon water jug with an International Harvester decal on it. Sold for $185.
June 26th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I sold several rubber stamps, many for more than the original price. Recently sold an “Oriole” stamp for $16.00. The “retired” rubber stamps seem to go for the most money. Seems there are still a lot of people interested in stamping.
June 26th, 2008 at 8:47 am
The very first thing that I ever put on Ebay was a little tin, the size of an old aspirin tin, that I got in a box of junk at the auction. I would have sold it at my store for a buck or two at the very most. I just wanted to join in the fun of playing on Ebay.
It was ‘Tiger Brand’ profilatics - made in NY - it said ‘for the prevention of disease’ - it had three nicely wrapped condoms still in it. It brought $352. Needless to say, I was shocked & happy. Haven’t had any major surprises since, but it was proof enough that it’s possible.
June 26th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I purchased 2 Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) commemorative bowling balls from a GoodWill 2 years ago for $15.00 each. They were new and were never drilled for finger holes. I held them for about a year thinking they were worthless. There were never any auctions on Ebay for them so I couldn’t compare the price for them with anything.
I finally listed one of them last year and got $75.00 for it! I listed the second one and got an e-mail from the buyer of the first ball asking if I would do a BIN for the same price as the first ball. I did and he bought the second for $75.00 as well. I have not seen any auctions for any of these bowling balls since.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:04 am
I found a pepper shaker, a figural Santa Claus from a set made by Ceramic Arts Studio in Madison, Wisconsin. I payed 25 cents at a garage sale and thought I could turn that into $20 fairly easily. I was amazed at the end of the auction when that Santa Claus Pepper Shaker went for $137.50!
June 26th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I once sold a lot of 30 rolls of expired film for $50! It went overseas.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I picked up some old Catholic Holy Cards from turn of the century-early 1900s. I paid .10 each for the 17 cards and hesitated to buy more because this buy was pure speculation. My 17 cards ended up selling for a combined total of over $300, with some selling for $6.99 and one selling for over $130. I wish I’d just bought the whole pile - it couldn’t have been more than another couple of dollars! The cards that sold best featured Jesus or the Holy Family and a lacy paper edging or gilt trim.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I sold an old camcorder, that although it was in fairly good condition and had some extras, it was NOT digital! From research I carried out, it looked as though I would be lucky to get 100$ - but I got 210$. Nice surprise!
June 26th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Good question Terry,
One that comes to mind is some suspenders that my mother-in-law gave us when she was cleaning out her house. They were unusual in that they had little devils running on a white background.
They were a bit used