Here is another interesting item that is part of this collection. These are three dolls that are Inuits plus a Umiak boat. I do not know anything about the origin of the dolls, but they appear to be handmade of leather and fur.

Other People's Collections

Just recently I got a new client who is liquidating a large amount of old stuff. So for right now, instead of concentrating on my own flipping, I am focussing on this collection. Here are some of the items I am currently auctioning. First, some Disney princess figurines from the 1960s.

Good Sale

I doubled my money on the Vibroplex telegraph key, so I am pretty pleased with this purchase. Now, I am on to one of my childhood favorites; My Little Pony. One of the first things I sold on Ebay when I started my business about 2 years ago, was my own childhood toys. I loved MLPs, and I had a pretty extensive collection. I learned a lot about these toys when I sold them the first time, and I have picked up a lot of vintage 1980s ponies recently at the Goodwill. Now I have the pleasure of washing, conditioning and researching these ponies!

Another Foray Into The World of Flipping

Because I have had some success with small items, I decided to try my luck with some larger investments. So this week, I bought a telegraph key from 1919 and a code book at a local antiques store in my small town. I paid $45 plus tax for this item, and as it seemed to be popular on Ebay, I started the auction at 99 cents. Not two hours after I had listed this item, it had already been bid up to about $20 more than I paid for it! The auction ends on Sunday, and I think it will do well. Here is a picture of this interesting item.

Success!

Well, my purse sold for $31, that is thirty times what I paid for it. I am very excited, however, I am going to have to ramp up the volume if I am going to make a living at this. So, today I returned to my favorite thrift store and bought a few more items. I am going back tomorrow morning to see if I can find any other good prospects. Today I bought a beautiful train case that dates to the 1950s or 1960s, and is in great condition. It even has a mirror inside that is intact and very pretty. After I do some treasure hunting tomorrow, I will post some new pictures. Wish me luck!

Becoming a Market Warrior

I Love the show, "Market Warriors," on PBS. I understand this is counterintuitive, since the experts on the show rarely make money but often get taken to the cleaners. The reason I love the show is that I have been selling other people's stuff for a living for about 2 years, and now I am starting a new career as my own kind of market warrior. For the last two years,  I have been selling things (all kinds of things) that belong to my family and friends and taking a commission. I have actually been fairly successful at it, so now I am branching out. I have been buying things at local thrift stores recently and reselling them for a profit.

My strategy is to buy an item at a low price, and resell it on Ebay, starting the auction at the price I paid. This way, even if I don't make any money, I won't lose any either. So here is my first thrift store find, an authentic Coach bag with leather accents. I found it in a thrift store bin and I paid exactly 99 cents for it. It is in great condition, and I took pictures and started my auction. By Sunday, I will be able to report my great success or dismal failure.