Sunday, April 22, 2012

You're Selling That For What??

I've noticed some funny stories coming from resellers lately. When you find something hot, you usually want to keep it to yourself. Why would you share with others what sells best for you? Maybe it's because I grew up around the flea market, where resellers are like rabid dogs. As soon as you find out what sells well for someone else, you need to get it for yourself.

This happens to my parents on a regular basis. My dad once sold a particularly type of glasses, and he did really well at it. Another vendor decided that he wanted to sell the same glasses, but my dad wouldn't tell him where he got them. The seller eventually purchased some from my dad, and then a few weeks later showed up with his own supply. It turned out that he followed him from the store to his supplier, just to find out for himself. I've also watched as my dad sold out of certain items, only to have other vendors start bringing in the same thing a few weeks later. The prices drop from $20 to the point where no one is selling anything, and everyone has the same thing sitting on the shelves.

I read a lot of blogs online, and I have to giggle when I see what some people claim they sell. Maybe not what they sell per say, but definitely what they say they sell it for. I saw someone boasting about selling a Barbie from the 1970s for over $70 on eBay. I sold a similar doll and barely hit $30 on it, and mine was in better condition/originally packaging. Frankly, that doll isn't worth much. Since he claimed he sold it recently, I did a search for recent auctions. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the most that doll sold for in the last month was $27.

It makes me a little sad when I see these BS stories. A lot of people want to make money from home, selling on eBay or other sites. When the "veterans" jump in with stories of big picks and big price tags, other people try to sell the same things and barely make any money. It kind of reminds me of the people on Storage Wars, who put over inflated price tags on everything...

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