On the off chance that you missed the message on the main page (as I did, my husband emailed me about it!) go change your eBay passwords right now as they got hacked!
In other notes I have almost nothing to report on! Sales online are zilch because I'm just not putting in the effort at all this month, I'm too busy with all my other projects like photography, my final consignment sale of the season next week and my little Antique store booth.
I worked my 2nd shift at the shop this week and it was pretty slow and went well. I sold a few things last weekend so I've officially made my rent for the month (Whoopty do, but at least I won't have to pay anything for June.) and now I just need to make enough more to cover the 12% commission so I can actually get a check in June and make this whole thing worthwhile! I went through the store and looked over what the other dealers have sold this month (All the sold tags go in each dealers book so I was able to look and see what they sell.) and it looks like the aesthetic of the store is more that of lifestyle than antique meaning that the vintage items aren't always what end up selling so I'm going to focus more on the design aspect rather than the old factor when I'm out sourcing for things for my booth.
Anyways, hoping for some good finds over the long weekend, fingers crossed! We are heading to Leavenworth which can produce some really good garage sales!! We also are hoping Max does ok in the car for the trip, he hates the car but loves Leavenworth so we want to get him in the river at least one more time!
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Summer's Comin!
Well this week it feels like summer has arrived! The weather is sunny in the high 70's to low 80's and we even broke out the hose last night!
Of course they were freezing afterward but hey it was good fun while it lasted!
Max is still hanging on. The vet says he would not give us more than a couple of weeks to 90 days with him. They put him on some steroids and pain meds to help him be as comfortable as possible and he's actually bounced back quite a bit. He's still very tired and does not want to eat anything resembling dog food so I've been making him chicken breasts and giving him as many treats as we can get in him and he seems to be pretty content. The vet's office said to pick 5 things that Max loves to do and once we get to the point where he isn't able to do those things then it will be time. This is hard to think about but we decided that since all he really loves to do at this point is lay outside in the sunshine in the grass all day that once he's not able to get himself outside to do that then it will be time. Until then we will spoil the crap out of him and give him as many hugs and cuddles as we can. Its going to be hardest on my daughter I think. They are very close and once she realized what was happening and we talked to her about it there were lots of tears and ever since Max has gotten lots of get well soon cards from school every day. This will be tough...
At any rate, our lives are kind of on hold for the moment but everywhere else life goes on as normal which means I have photos to edit for clients, sales to package and ship and my booth space to worry and fret about some more!
On the booth front, I worked my first shift on Monday and it went really well. I signed up for my 2nd shift next Monday and I'll be at the store all day so if its slow maybe I can re-arrange my space a bit and make it really pop! I have so far sold a total of 6 or 7 items totaling only $45 and had one $3 item break. Its 1/2 way through the month so hopefully a piece of furniture sells or something valuable in the next week or so so that I don't have to actually pay her for June's rent. I feel like with such a small space that my stuff is over crowded so maybe I'll actually bring a few things home and wait til more sells? I don't know, we'll see how this week goes!
Online sales have tanked but only because I'm just not putting in the effort to list like I was earlier this year. Last week I went a whole 7 days with no Cha-Chings so I did get a little listing does and a couple sales over the weekend. LOTS of things going Internationally which always makes me cringe and nervous because its just so scary to put something in a box and not be able to track it or know who is going to be handling it once it leaves the country or if it will even make it to the buyer.
Anyways, enough rambling for me, I'll leave you with a few of the items that have sold for me in the last month, I'm going to go enjoy this early taste of summer and plant some flowers or something!
As always, Lilo and Stitch are BOLO's for me. Sometimes it takes a while but they always seem to sell and for a good profit. Bought in January for just over a buck and he sold this month for $35, netting me $23 after fees and shipping. Worth the wait!
Another random Disney Store plush. This is Rosebud from Super Buddies - I paid $.28 for her in April and she sold with a best offer of $44 netting me $33 after fees and shipping! This is why its so addicting to do this!
Starbucks high relief NYC mug that I picked up for $2 back in March. It sold within a month of listing for $35 making me $22 after fees and shipping.
This is Little Bear - I remember when I used to babysit when I was a teenager that all the kids I sat for LOVED Little Bear. My kids never caught on to him but he's still on TV years later in reruns and that means parents are on the lookout for his items because you don't see LB in stores anymore. I snatched up this little backpack for $6 and almost returned it when I got home because it wasn't in the best condition but I'm glad I didn't because it sold within a couple of days for $50 making a profit of $30 after everything, whoop!
These silverplated spice canisters caught my eye at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago. I thought they were so neat looking so I bought them for $4. I was kind of surprised but they sold within 2 days to a buyer in England for $50 and they are on their way now so hopefully they make it safely, knock on wood! $4 turned into $36 profit after fees and almost $18 for international shipping!
Of course they were freezing afterward but hey it was good fun while it lasted!
Max is still hanging on. The vet says he would not give us more than a couple of weeks to 90 days with him. They put him on some steroids and pain meds to help him be as comfortable as possible and he's actually bounced back quite a bit. He's still very tired and does not want to eat anything resembling dog food so I've been making him chicken breasts and giving him as many treats as we can get in him and he seems to be pretty content. The vet's office said to pick 5 things that Max loves to do and once we get to the point where he isn't able to do those things then it will be time. This is hard to think about but we decided that since all he really loves to do at this point is lay outside in the sunshine in the grass all day that once he's not able to get himself outside to do that then it will be time. Until then we will spoil the crap out of him and give him as many hugs and cuddles as we can. Its going to be hardest on my daughter I think. They are very close and once she realized what was happening and we talked to her about it there were lots of tears and ever since Max has gotten lots of get well soon cards from school every day. This will be tough...
At any rate, our lives are kind of on hold for the moment but everywhere else life goes on as normal which means I have photos to edit for clients, sales to package and ship and my booth space to worry and fret about some more!
On the booth front, I worked my first shift on Monday and it went really well. I signed up for my 2nd shift next Monday and I'll be at the store all day so if its slow maybe I can re-arrange my space a bit and make it really pop! I have so far sold a total of 6 or 7 items totaling only $45 and had one $3 item break. Its 1/2 way through the month so hopefully a piece of furniture sells or something valuable in the next week or so so that I don't have to actually pay her for June's rent. I feel like with such a small space that my stuff is over crowded so maybe I'll actually bring a few things home and wait til more sells? I don't know, we'll see how this week goes!
Online sales have tanked but only because I'm just not putting in the effort to list like I was earlier this year. Last week I went a whole 7 days with no Cha-Chings so I did get a little listing does and a couple sales over the weekend. LOTS of things going Internationally which always makes me cringe and nervous because its just so scary to put something in a box and not be able to track it or know who is going to be handling it once it leaves the country or if it will even make it to the buyer.
Anyways, enough rambling for me, I'll leave you with a few of the items that have sold for me in the last month, I'm going to go enjoy this early taste of summer and plant some flowers or something!
Well that's it for now!
Friday, May 9, 2014
A Hard Week
Well I feel like I'm reliving something that happened recently to one of us in the blogger community. I don't want her to have to relive her pain but Lorraine over at Clamco lost her beloved dog Coco a while back here and I remember being so heartbroken for her at the time. Our pet's are other forms of our children and losing one is one of the hardest experiences we have to endure and we willingly get these pets knowing they won't live forever.
My husband and I got our dog Max back in early 2006 when we were in the middle of planning our wedding. I took one look at his sweet little face and just melted. Practice Baby otherwise known as Max came home with me that evening.
Man it was HARD work having a puppy and planning a wedding but we quickly became a threesome instead of a twosome and we adored him even though he pooped on everything, ate the carpet, ran away all the time and generally made us fret he was the sweetest, well mannered little guy I could've ever hoped for.
Fast forward to 2008 when Naomi came along... He wasn't too sure about this noisy little thing we brought to live in his house but he loved her and always has, they are totally buds.
Now Mason on the otherhand... He's a boy and I think poor old Max is a little terrified of him sometimes!
My husband and I got our dog Max back in early 2006 when we were in the middle of planning our wedding. I took one look at his sweet little face and just melted. Practice Baby otherwise known as Max came home with me that evening.
Man it was HARD work having a puppy and planning a wedding but we quickly became a threesome instead of a twosome and we adored him even though he pooped on everything, ate the carpet, ran away all the time and generally made us fret he was the sweetest, well mannered little guy I could've ever hoped for.
Fast forward to 2008 when Naomi came along... He wasn't too sure about this noisy little thing we brought to live in his house but he loved her and always has, they are totally buds.
Now Mason on the otherhand... He's a boy and I think poor old Max is a little terrified of him sometimes!
We LOVE Max and cannot imagine our lives without him. He's only 8 and a half but would still play like a puppy and chase shadows all the live long day. Then last week, BAM, all of a sudden we noticed he wasn't eating. Our boy has always been so great about self feeding and we fill his bowl when its empty. Well my husband and I just thought each of us was doing the bowl filling until we noticed that the bag of dog food we'd bought him hardly had a dent in it. We got concerned so we called the vet and took him in yesterday.
My sweet little practice baby has liver cancer. I'm heartbroken over it. Mostly feeling guilty that we didn't catch him getting sick sooner and also that we are facing the end of his life that we weren't quite prepared for yet. Hubs is at the vet with him now getting an ultrasound on his belly so we can fully understand and prepare for what comes next. There's a slim chance that he could have surgery and get past this, but the vet says he's 75% sure that it is more than just a small tumor and that we could be coming to the end. I have been a total wreck the last 2 days and haven't been able to get much done, I knew this time would someday come but I was hoping we'd have him for at least a few more years.
I don't mean to depress anyone by posting this but I just felt like I needed to get it out and this blog is the best outlet for me to do that. I am anxiously awaiting them to get home so we can make a plan and I'm praying that it isn't going to happen in the next few days but maybe we'll have a little time to at least get some family portraits done with him before he leaves us.
I'm working my first shift at the shop on Monday, I'm always wondering how my items are doing and if anything is selling so hopefully I'll see good news there on Monday. I've had a few eBay sales but I don't really have any BOLO's to post most of it has just been stuff we all know does well and has always been good sellers for me like plush, mugs and cross stitch kits. It's rainy here this weekend so I'm not counting on many garage sales, plus I kind of want to be home as much as possible for my pup.
Sorry for the depressing post, I really hope all of you have had a much better week than I. Hug and love your pets and children as much as you can today!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
I Did It!
Well I did it! I finally opened my own space in an antique shop!
I apologize for being "blog-sent" for the last few weeks. I have been busy painting furniture, creating jewelry hangers from old windows, pricing items and finally moving into my space!
My little spot is called the Alcove and it's in the basement of the Whitehouse Antique and Candy Shop in Bothell, WA. The location is in a great little shopping place called Country Village and its a very popular spot for people to visit during the summer. There are cute shops, food, a train and even a pond where you can feed ducks and chickens. I'm hoping this will mean lots of traffic and business to the shop over the summer and hopefully lots of sales!
Let me tell you after I moved in on Thursday I worried and fretted all weekend that nothing would sell or that it didn't look right or my prices are too high or etc etc etc! I am going to be taking some stuff I found out at yard sales on Friday to the shop on Tuesday morning I think so I'll be excited to check on the booth and see if anything sold over the weekend. I'm used to instant gratification with my sales so it will be a hard adjustment for me to do the wait and see method!
My booth space rental costs $60/month plus a 12% commission and an 8 hr shift once per month in the shop. The way I see it is that I need to make at least $150 in sales per month just to break even. I'm hoping with my furniture pieces that I will surpass that goal. Fingers crossed for me and if any of you have ever done this or currently do, ANY tips and comments will be much appreciated, I want to actually make money at this!
What do you guys think?!
** UPDATE ** I went to the shop yesterday to rearrange a bit, add more to the walls and check sales. I sold $22 over the weekend which was just 4 days between trips! First thing to sell? Those awful boxer paint by numbers for $10! Amazing what sells and what doesn't! Can't wait to see how I do this week!
** UPDATE ** I went to the shop yesterday to rearrange a bit, add more to the walls and check sales. I sold $22 over the weekend which was just 4 days between trips! First thing to sell? Those awful boxer paint by numbers for $10! Amazing what sells and what doesn't! Can't wait to see how I do this week!
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