We have a second channel that will cover making money from arts and crafts for those interested. There will be a lot of How To videos as well. Here’s a link: ru-vid.com/show-UCaViiCbXUWhekTbp8ttqUuw You can also check out one of our latest videos here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xkAX3RjI254.html We are now on Instagram as well: instagram.com/theauctionprofessor/ If you wish to help support our channel our Patreon page can be found here: www.patreon.com/TheAuctionProfessor If you'd like to see the equipment, shipping supplies, and reference material we personally use you can find it all right here: www.amazon.com/shop/theauctionprofessor (We may get a small commission from these links)
This is by far one of my favorite reminder videos, in fact I saved it. Loaded with golden nuggets of super info, and all for free. Become a Patreon folks, smart move, trust me.
Thanx for the validation of where we are headed in the new year. Moving totally into smalls. We lost 6 elderly members of our families & received 3 households of family memorabilia & papers from the 18- Early 1900’s. Someone will want/enjoy them. No cost, just time. So quick to list, and take up smaller footprint.
I feel so bad when I see people at thrifts with carts stacked to the brim with clothing, I know with the quantity they have that they're settling for clothes that sell for $10-15 and making themselves a sweatshop.
Your comment about items available by region is spot on. I have access to collectibles, vintage tools, vintage farm, ranch, hunting items. Some Books too. Everyone here wears their clothes until there rags. Lol I bought a auction of used vintage knives and am doing very good. Everyone ( generations) here own a handful of knives 🌻
GOLD NUGGETS ADVICE. The quote that hit me, “if I was to sell all these things for $1, there would still be a million dollars worth of value here.” WOW. So true.
Auction professor, you're the 4 star general of collectibles selling. Thankyou for your service. I was just thinking how much success you would have attained by selling your expertise on DVD videos and books. Thanks again.
Your setup is my dream retirement gig. I have dabbled in this for the past year and a half just to get the idea and how to fine tune it. I went through the clothing and books just to get the shipping down and that got old fast. I only wish I could find the time to get to more sales and eventually make the contacts necessary. In the meantime, I'll just live through you on RU-vid. I LOVE paper
Clothing is a good way to build your reputation as a new seller. Then move on, because the market is saturated with thrift clothing. Should start calling you the 2D professor because your items are so efficient. And you buy them by the lot.
Thank you I'm here in central california, and have been doing most of the wrong things and its like your talking about me. I want. To get this right and will not give up. I need a mentor like you to beat it into my head, thanks for the slap. My problem is i get ahead of myself, I've done this all my life, I'm 59 I better get this right. Thank you so much. I look forward to your lessons. I better get out to my overflowing garage of big junk.
Agree 100%. A couple years ago I was buying every clearance or thrift item I could find but found the process of sorting, cleaning, photographing, listing and storing such a pain. So I moved over to a category that is small, has a super low buy cost but I can sell 10-25 units/day and have the same if not more profit as I had on the larger items. Crazy to think that the 20k items I have listed plus the 20k on standby only takes up equivalent to a closet. You don't need to follow in the same footsteps as everyone else on social media to be successful, there is a lot more out there.
Man you really are the best, and I appreciate you sharing knowledge instead of claiming to know things and charging for it. You do a service to motivated people and i hope you get the karmic reward for it
Excellent video! I too have been selling online for over 20 years. Clothing just takes up too much room! I had a garage almost full of new clothing that took a year+ to sell on eBay. The small stuff, neatly organized, is the way to go. So much easier, and the profit margin is usually greater than clothing.
Thrift stores in my area recently upper the prices for their clothing, not all the stores, but places like Goodwill and Savers. And season clearance at Walmart essentially matches thrift store pricing now.
This is so spot on, I initially watched the guys who scan books for amazon and I started of scanning books. It became very clear that I am not in an area with enough high end books to make it worthwhile. I saw myself coming home from a full day out scanning in four local towns and maybe having 3 books for amazon and the rest I could realistically just send them to the book wholesalers for a very small mark up or bundle for ebay and not worth my time and effort.
Yes, I did clothing one year - washed everything, took hours photographing, measuring, placing in sealed plastic bags, etc. and am loving non clothing now for its ease.... still exploring what niche is best but my plan is for a very reasonable, attainable certain amount net per month to supplement my retirement income.....
This video really got me thinking. I’ve mostly sold clothes but I really don’t enjoy listing them. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, it involves a lot of work for me. I’m not one to haphazardly throw a wrinkled shirt on a hanger and snap a few pictures. Not judging those who do (you probably make more money than me) but it’s not something I’m able to do. Because of this I have a storage unit full of clothes that need to be listed. (Sourcing clothes where I live is SO easy.) However, I’ve always enjoyed listing small items, ephemera, magazines, and hard to find books. I’m going to focus on those moving forward and see how that goes. Also, I enjoy your videos but really don’t like the music at the end. It raises my blood pressure and gives me anxiety. Please consider changing it to something less jarring. 😂
LOL. I never stick to the end of videos. As soon as they give the closing comments and ask for likes and stuff, I close out the video. So I have never heard his closing music until now.
This is my favorite video you have ever done. I usually only watch a few minutes and of course hit Like, but this one I watched to the end. I didn't even click on it, my phone captions your words. I need to get your scanning set up and research target sourcing. I do love mosying my cart through thrift stores! But I can still do that for fun.
Everything you said makes sense. Yesterday I ironed clothes & today I was measuring & writing descriptions as I listened to you. I have thought about going into hard goods. I need to make a complete transition or at least scale down. I’m glad I found this video. Thank you!
This video makes me think of going to the Goodwill clearance bins and just buying all of the smallest items. For people not doing FBA and have storage space issues. Fill up a 10 gallon tote with 4" action figures
Thank you. I have been watching your videos for the last year and this is the best one so far. I have been looking for a change in my ebay part time flipping, however I did not know what to change. This is exactly what I need since my space to store items is extremely limited and I do like collectables.
Thank you so much - this information is invaluable to me! I am a brand new seller, starting from nothing, kitchen table seller right now, and I never liked the idea of reselling clothing, for all the reasons you outline - it's a time guzzler, and a storage nightmare. Same for books; years ago I sold used books on Amazon, never got to a large enough inventory to make any significant money and it was a huge pain in the neck to store them, and to move them, when I changed locations. It was also expensive and a time guzzler to source valuable ones. I love the idea of selling small items that are easy to store and ship, and that bring in lots more money.
Thanks Don . It is certainly a goal to try for, to get smaller items for storage purposes. I'm just trying to find anything that sells, because starting out is a learning process . In a few years I'll figure out what works for me.
Great video I am trying to switch over to something else because like you said all the driving and searching is just not worth the time. not to mention the photos and measuring and forms you have to fill out on eBay 😩
Great video Don! I typically specialize in larger items and sell locally; but I have recently discovered the value of selling smaller items for eBay and it has increased my sales exponentially! Because of this I have been able to get rid of my paid storage unit and keep all of my inventory in my own shed at home. I hope folks listen to the great advice you just offered because they will be better off in the long term. Keep up the great videos! Jay
Every.. single.. video.. I see of you, is SO informative and clear!! Thank you so much for all your hard work! Hope you and your family have a loving rest of the Holidays and a continuing successful, healthy New Year!
Your stellar man! Thanks for your passion, and sharing. I am getting out of the clothing. I’m still selling what I have and I feel like I need a whole Etsy- vintage focus or a name of “shop” that’s focused for type of clothing. I will say that many do videos on Instagram sell better that way.
What you have is a body of knowledge that can be used to your advantage in buying and selling. That takes time. You have to be willing to learn the process.
I agree with you 110% I am so over selling clothes. They take up to much space to much time.. and everyone has their own idea of like new or whatever. Your very helpful for new and old seller! Thank you.
I switched to smalls pretty immediately after I started. I am just not a clothing person but already had some vintage collectibles and a strong interest in antique and retro knickknacks and jewelry. I mostly skipped paper ephemera for reselling until I started watching this channel. Now I am having a smacks head moment, especially since the one label from my own collection that I listed sold fast and it was from the 80's, not even that special. Thanks for the tips.
Quality small items = Less storage , shipping headaches. Many times they are much more profitable than a big bulky leather jacket or a big piece of electronics that are also higher chance of damage in route to buyer etc...
Hi. So... I managed to score a stack of vintage postcards.... ha... now what? I am doing research and am hoping for some guidance on where to look and what to look for. I think I have a few interesting ones but, alas, I haven’t a clue. Please assist professor. Thank you.
I started on eBay in 2001 with clothing as well. It was a pain because people are picky about their clothing, shoes, etc. If it had one thing not to their liking, boom negative feedback. It was a game changer for sure to change to collectables. And they are much more fun to source.
Great video, as per usual. I’ve only been selling on eBay for a little over a year & have made so many connections already that I get so much stuff for free or very close to it. I pretty much dabble in everything: from clothes to books, records, plush, glassware, jewelry & tools. I store most stuff in 2 out of my 3 car garage, other than my media which I keep in extra bedrooms. Still looking for that one category that calls me. Wishing your family a safe & Happy Holidays!!
Thank you for this. Yes Exactly i try to stay small when items like VCR's get too big I feel guilty for charging for shipping. Video games, Trains, small figurines. Books have been a miss for me, I did find a first edition Red Storm Rising but the condition wasn't all that great. It just goes in my collection of hardback books I read when I was younger.
Another great video. And great advice. I too did a ton of clothing and it takes up a ton of space. Even records take up room once you get a thousand or two. But they are easy to list. You really have a great idea with ephemera, it’s easy to handle and list. Very smart.
When I started (a whopping three months ago), I threw up about five clothing items, one was new with tags. I have yet to sell any of those items! Wait, I take that back, I did sell a Mercedes Benz fleece. Those few items taught me very quickly to stay away from clothing. I still buy baseball caps and would buy vintage t-shirts if I can find them. But I'm generally too much of a night owl to get up in time to do yard sales, so I don't have an opportunity to find t-shirts. The majority of my inventory comes from online estate sale auctions and shopgoodwill. And a lot of the items you talk about can be found on shopgoodwill, but the prices aren't as good as I'd get if I found that stuff elsewhere.
The best advice I could offer is to stop buying single piece items and start buying in lots, ephemera lots usually are cheap and by the time you add it up if your into most items for a penny i would be suprised.
I agree. I rarely sell clothing just due to the time it takes to clean and list them. If I do sell clothing I have to make at least $100 +. I admire people who have the patience to sell large quantities of clothing. To each his own. I also don’t like selling anything that requires a proper fit for someone to keep the item (i.e. shoes, clothing, rings that can’t be sized, etc). When proper fit is necessary, returns happen more often. I rarely have items returned. I think I’ve had two returns this year.
I've always loved your informative videos. In your patreon group do you provide helpful tips on sourcing ephemera, collectible lots. I live in a small town in the Midwest & I would not have a clue how to source items you've mentioned. I want to wholesale my clothing & get into something that is less of a time suck as I am an RN that works full-time as a Health Occupations Instructor
Would love to sell small paper items but really dont know where to sourse these. Noone in SF sold paper in lg quantities. They mostly listed on ebay. This was 10 yr ago.
The problem for most regular people is that they don’t have the time nor patience to look through all of this kind of stuff. You actually have to do this for a living.
Hi Don, I don't know how you can scan a small label on your duplex. Do you put a small piece of paper in to something? I don't know where to find paper lots.
Have enjoyed your channel for a while now. Subscribed and look forward to more. Will check out the art channel too. From way down South in Alabams. Roll Tide!
Selling stuff is something I recently got into, I have around 500$ I can use to invest in merchandise to resell. Auctions in my local area have been good but they haven’t had a lot of bulk item’s for sell that are easy to ship.
It's not required. currently the only thing ebay is getting on sellers is the city/region. Postcards is super easy to list. Duplex scanner takes a photo of both sides, change the title, change the price, click list item. I can do about 30 listings an hour and that includes researching the price to list it at. I thought no one would buy postcards but you would be surprised at how quickly they sell and for how much.
