Check out our New Arrivals This Week!
Forgotten Realms Novels and Short Stories!
Who wants spring? I do! Here are some products to get you ready!
Are you in the mood for warm weather? I sure am. Until then, check out these video games to pass the time.
Valentine’s Day is in 2 weeks!
Do you have someone special who loves Starbucks?
This adorable 2 piece mug is available in my store! Check out all of my Valentine’s Day items.
Has Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu Killed the DVD Industry?
I walked into my local Goodwill today and saw a cart full of DVD and Blu-ray movies including entire Seasons and Series of popular TV shows. I actually got kind of excited! I proceeded to start scanning them to see if anything was valuable, but I was shocked to see shows such as 24, The Simpsons, and Family Guy selling for less online than the Goodwill was charging. I know that Goodwill has gotten a little wild with prices over the last couple years, but I was amazed at how saturated the market on Amazon and Ebay is with DVD’s. I then thought about how I had watched the entire 5 seasons of House on Netflix. The price on the SEALED house DVD set was originally 99.99. They sell for about $10 on Ebay right now. My joy soon turned to nostalgia as I remembered former technology made obsolete by technology. Who wants to store physical objects when they can have everything digital or “on the cloud”. Fortunately, there are still obscure sets that are not readily available online, fueling the collector culture. LUCKILY, I was able to find a few that still have some value. Here are my current collectible quality DVD’s for sale.
Littlest Pet Shop Collecting: Online Sources For Identification
Identifying LPS Figures!
Most LPS are fairly easy to identify with the right tools.
One tool, is ebay! Use the Cat in the photo as an example. Go to ebay and search for “LPS cat green diamond eyes glitter”. The search results tells me this is #626. Typically, you want to put in the type of pet, (Cat, Dog, Mouse ect.) the body color, eye color, and any identifying shapes. Once you have a number, you can verify it at this Wikia.
Fan Blog sites are another useful tool for some of the less common pets like bees, fairies and more. Nicole’s LPS Blog is one such site. This particular site has a wealth of information sellers can use to market their pets and enhance descriptions. If you are a collector, you will love browsing her pages.
Other Fan sites with loads of information are Pet Shop Shoop and Collectimania.
Vintage LPS Collector is a community of LPS Fans and Collectors of the EARLY VINTAGE pets. Complete with forums and a Facebook page. You can also buy/sell/trade there. Check them out!
If you have a favorite LPS site to add, please leave it in the comments!
How Thomas the Tank Engine Built my Stay at Home Business
Both of my sons were addicted to Thomas the Tank Engine. If anyone walked into my house they were guaranteed to witness wooden track layouts all through the living room. Thomas on the VCR with the first and then DVD with the Second. My younger son went nowhere without a train in each hand. Before them, it was their uncles who were just as addicted as they were who handed many movies and die-cast vehicles down. The Thomas phenomenon has lasted decades, and will last for decades more. Why? Because some kids AND adults just LOVE trains!
I hear people ask, “What is the bread and butter of your ebay business?” For me? Toys! Including a non-stop inventory of wooden, Trackmaster/Tomy, and Die-cast toy trains. If I can get my hands on a lot of Thomas and Friends or other Brio Compatible sets, I can list with confidence that they will and DO sell.
Currently, my ebay store has 48 train related toys and books. I would have more, but they have been flying off the shelves!
For those considering a business? Work with what you know! My many years mothering Thomas fans has helped me know what to buy and sell.
Happy Labor Day!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Weekend! We sure did and have lots of new arrivals that will be inventoried and listed this week! We have a huge variety of Stampin’ up and other Scrapbooking supplies. We have also been adding lots of Sewing Patterns. Other new arrivals include video games, board games, and Baby toys. For the Longaberger collectors, I have added Woven Traditions Classic Blue Dinnerware.
Newest Arrivals! Stampin’ Up!
My newest arrivals this weekend include a Huge collection of Stampin Up! Rubber stamps. Some Very hard to find, and all in amazing condition!
Check out my other Rubber Stamps as well!
Thrifting in Mechanicsburg, PA
Yesterday, we ventured up to Carlisle, PA for a ham radio gear pick up, and of course took the opportunity to hit some thrift stores in the Area. Our day started out at a few local yard sales, and the ones we found along the way. I got some great things to add to my store including a collection of Littlest Pets and other goodies I have not had time to inventory yet. We also hit a few in Carlisle that had some great stuff and the area is beautiful.
We ate lunch at the Middlesex Diner. It was quaint and clean with fast service and yummy food. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick sit down place with decent prices.
After lunch, we were ready to get serious about thrifting, so we put in the address for the Mechanicsburg Goodwill into Wayz, my new favorite phone app! On the way, my husband spotted a thrift store that did not show up in our google searches, so we turned in to check it out. The parking lot was very empty and we wondered if it was even open. It was indeed, so we headed in.
Volunteers of America
675 Silver Spring Rd
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
The Initial area of this store is furniture. It was the typical vintage furniture and lamps, but nothing stood out as valuable. Inside the store was large. Lots of clothing with housewares and toys in the rear. I am not a clothing person nor a fashionista. I usually steer clear of clothes and shoes. I can say the clothes looked below average for a thrift store. The toys and wares also were below average. They were things many other stores would never put out. My daughter did find a set of gem tones crayola crayons she just had to have and a Perler bead set. I walked away with one lone rubber craft stamp to add to my inventory.
Next, we headed to:
Goodwill Store & Donation Center
4880 Carlisle Pike
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
I had read good reviews, so was expecting great things. Once we got past the adorable special needs man singing terribly to bad country greeting everyone outside on the walkway of the strip mall, I entered what looked like a typical Goodwill for the area. It was clean and organized with lots of potential. There is a central isle like the yellow brick road to Oz, and on that isle I spotted an American Girl Backpack that has a place for the doll as well! I have not had a chance to clean it up yet or inventory it, but it is a gem! Toys and electronics were a bust, but a set of dinnerware caught my eye. A huge box of Sheffield Granada for $12.95!! It came home with us and will be up soon.
Directly across the street from Goodwill is:
CommunityAid, Inc.
4833 Carlisle Pike
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
This place was packed full of cars and was monstrous inside! The entire center is clothing and heard people calling each other via cell phone to locate on another. The outside starting from the right when you want in is baby items and toys. There are also bags of toys on the tops of clothing racks. Most of the bags were randomly selected and probably too hard to get sets out of. Im sure there were gems in there somewhere if you know what you are looking at. Walking around the exterior, the ends of the clothing aisles have wire bins full of toys as well. The 3rd bin I looked in was THIS! A Vintage TOMY 70’s Fashion Plates . No box or Pencils, but intact otherwise. I also found a bag of rubber craft stamp to add to my inventory. They had several Stampin Up sets, but wanted $8 a set for them. Too steep for me! Housewares and dishes was extensive including Books and Records. Continuing around, there is a section of baby gear and luggage. Lots of vintage pieces. The clothing looked gently used and the had something for every occasion and season out. Prices were generally low and they had volunteers working the register who were extremely nice. One offered me a tissue when I commented I needed one.
Our last stop of the day was:
Salvation Army Thrift Store
3901 E Trindle Rd
Camp Hill, PA 17011
This place was cramped and stuffy, but not as dirty as some of the other Salvation Army stores I have been to. The store is large and shelves are crammed full of goodies. I got this Longaberger Salt and Pepper shaker and a few patterns out of the stop. I could have spent a lot more time there but everyone was getting tired. The prices were fantastic and the selection was great.
If you are ever in the area, definitely spend a day hitting these fantastic spots that are just a few minutes from each other!
Mom’s tips for Selling on Ebay
We sold our first item back in 2002, and have been hooked ever since. “We” as in our household. It started out selling things we did not need anymore, and amazingly enough, other people bought them as fast as we could list them. Of course those were the years we “toyed” with selling. As time went on, buying and reselling became a weekly hobby. Our “dates” out without the kids are “on the hunt” for ebay treasures, and that time together is priceless. For the past 2 years I have taken a serious approach to selling and am able to share a few tips for those just getting hooked on ebay selling!
FIRST
Start selling items you are familiar with or have laying around the house and don’t make it about the money, but about the experience. There will be a learning curve, so use these items as your trial run. Try some different styles, like Buy It Now, Auctions, and Auctions with Buy it now. You will learn how to post an ad, go through the payment process, and learn about different shipping options that work best for you.
SECOND
Never start an item lower than you will be happy with and ALWAYS include shipping into your price or add a calculated shipping. So many times I see new sellers put an item for 99 cents with free shipping and end up losing money. Also, it is not good customer service to pull out of the deal because an auction ended below your expectations. You will get negative feedback and no one will buy from you unless they are desperate.
THIRD
Join some online communities such as Facebook groups. These groups will help you with tips, support, and items to BOLO “Be on the lookout” for.
FOURTH
Learn to give great customer service! Always answer questions with a smile and never patronize or fall trap to someone’s negativity. Make your customer want to come back. This is especially important if you focus on a niche market like children’s clothes or books.