Back To The Grind

The past week reminded me that Life isn't always what you make of it.Sometimes Life has its own plans. Life it seems, decided to kick me in the teeth this week and left me with a stinging reality.Our lives are not our own. No matter how hard we try to keep the world at bay it will always find away to creep back in. Our family has endured life's lesson this week, but we did not come out unscathed. However, It has brought us closer together and allowed us to remember what is  really important. Especially this time of the year. Happy Holidays everyone.

                                                  BACK TO THE GRIND

   
    This week proved to be profitable for the small amount of money that I had invested.I didn't have a lot of time time to put into eBay this week because of home demands.Thank God this is kind of a passive income once you get it started. Even though a million other things were happening at home this week, and I pretty much had to drop the whole project, the work I had done the previous two weeks kept paying off. My phone kept making the Cha Ching noise every time someone made a purchase. It was a comforting sound at a time when we really needed the money. Have a look at what sold this week.

                                              THE UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER

This sweater was ugly but  the pictures just don't do it justice. Let me explain.

During the holidays more and more people are joining together to celebrate a growing fad , The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. The center piece? The UGLIEST sweater you can find.I hear they're a hoot and would love to attend one.For now, I'll just supply the sweaters.Where would you find an ugly Christmas sweater? This one was found at Goodwill for $2.99.

This old sweater netted me a 10 spot with little effort. The sweater was literally hand stitched by some little old lady for an ungrateful family member I would imagine. The threads were loose and it looked like it was shedding everywhere.No one else in their right mind would have bought it.But I did. Here's the math:

SOLD              $21.58

Paid                     $2.99

shipping cost        $5.15

EBay/Paypal fees $1.60  

PROFIT             $11.84

VINTAGE TOY -SPEAK AND SPELL

This was my Favorite Pick last week and you'll soon see why.I walked into Goodwill and found 3 of these gems laying stacked one on top of another for $2.99 each . I knew what they were because this toy was popular when I was a child. It was immortalized when E.T used one to hook up to an umbrella and phone home.

I thought "Man , you don't see those around anymore. Cha Ching!"

A quick check of EBay from my smart phone revealed that they were averaging $40 each! I grabbed up all 3 and placed them oh so carefully into my cart. I felt a sense of pride welling up from within as I thought. Ha ! If I sell all three of these at $40 Bucks a pop That's more than a days wages for me at work!

Well, I sold 2 of them so far and  I just listed the third one today.The first auction hadn't even finish when I got a personal message from a guy in Los Angeles asking If I had another besides the one that everyone was fighting over. That man paid me $95 total to Fed ex it to him. Leaving me with a Cool Profit of $60 bucks ! This morning the 1st auction closed at $56. I still have one more to sell and just listed it, I bet your asking  yourself why anyone would pay $60 bucks for a relic like that huh? It seems there are very popular bands out there that are "bending" or "modifying the circuits to use them as instruments in dance music.You can check them out on You-Tube! 

            Speak n Spell       SOLD              $115               (for 2)

                                      Paid   $5.98

                                      PROFIT  $109.02  !

1 more to sell !

                                                                GOT        INK?

     

 Here's another item that was picked up while at Goodwill. Two unopened packages of Kodak printer Ink.If you have a printer at home then you already know that sometimes printer ink is so expensive to refill, that its actually cheaper to buy another printer with the ink already included and toss your old one out.While I don't advocate filling the landfills with your printers every 30 days, we live in a throw away society. This is why I knew this would be a good pick. Please take heed : not all inks are created equal and some have expiration dates. You are not allowed to sell expired goods on EBay so please do your home work first.

  

Kodak Printer Ink cartridges   SOLD  $20.50

                                                Paid     $1.99

                                            EBay fees $1.60

                                               shipping $3.00   PROFIT   $13.91  !

                                                            Converse All Stars

 

 In case you didn't know, converse All Stars have been around for a LONG time and have a HUGE following, used or not.I'll just skip to the good part here.Picked them at Goodwill  off the women's shoe rack at a cost of $2.99.If you do this, make sure the shoes are in great shape with little to no wear.

                                                            All Stars SOLD $21.99

                                                                                Paid $2.99

                                                                          Shipped $7.35

                                                                               Fees $1.90    PROFIT   $9.75 !

                                                                         (Lets see your Mutual Fund do that in a week on $2.99)

                                                   Skechers Exercise Shape Up Shoes

These Skechers Shape Ups seem to be a recurring theme at our local Goodwill. I scored two pairs in the same day that looked brand new.I believe they are supposed to help firm up the Lady's rear quarters while they walk and are classified as an exercise shoe.At any rate  they are in demand! Women everywhere are looking to get rid of their holiday meals around this time of the year.

Skechers Shape Up Shoes   SOLD  $24.99

                                               Paid    $2.99

                                             shipping $7.35

                                                                                     Fees $2.10   PROFIT   $12.55 !

Another Day, Another Dollar

Yesterday I told you about the angel ornament and the ceramic Christmas tree that we found at a yard sale. They both brought gave us a good return.I had also mentioned that I picked up  a ceramic Santa figurine I paid a dollar for. The santa was in its original box packed in styrofoam.

  I could tell that Santa was an older collectible because of the fade in the box and he was.I listed him on ebay with a starting bid of  .99 cents. Why ? Everyone wants something for nothing, and I knew I wouldnt lose anything if it the auction closed at .99cents because I only paid a dollar.

  The auction recently closed with the winning bidder gettiing our Santa for just .99 cents. However,

my shipping price was set  at 12.99.Its only going to cost me $6 to ship.  Not a huge win but were moving forward.                                               

                                                      Santa collectible  sold     .99 + $12.99 shipping

                                                                                                     $13.99

                                                                                      

                                                                                             Paid    .99 cents

                                                                             actual shipping   6.99

                                                                          EBay/Paypal fees  1.25   =   $4.76 Profit

Heres some more closed auctions from this week.

                      

  

                                                 

     Sold       $9.59

  Paid -        $0.99

  shipped-    $5.35

 Ebay Fees- $0.86    Profit  -  $2.39

We could have shipped this cheaper and I'm sure well get better with that, but it was only one of several auctions that closed that day and we had our hands full.We decided to make shipping easy and just shoved it in a flat rate padded envelope. somebody bought these to do christmas crafts in case your wondering.

  You may remember drinking out of these things when you were a kid in the late 70's early 80's. They were jam and jelly jars made by welch's and had cartoon characters on them. I bought 5 of them at Goodwill for  $0.59 each 5 x0.59 = $2.95 for the set.

Sold         $17.06
 Paid          $2.95
Shipped     $8.00
Ebay fees   $1.53   Profit    $4.58 
 I am definatly going to have to learn the economy shipping , It would certainly maximize profits.



   Vintage Nymphenburg Collectible

 Sold          $18.99
   Paid        $ 2.99
 Shipped     $ 7.00
 EBay fees   $1.70   Profit    $7.30

  

              

Success!

Some exciting news from the home front here. It has been a very hectic week for us here but its ending quite nice . I caught more than a hand full of eye-rolls from Cris as I explained my crazy ideas of how I thought I could make something from a lot of nothing. So far she has humored me and allowed me leash enough to follow my gut.
   I've decided to share what I'm doing to try and make ends meet.

                                    WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU I GIVE YOU ........

                                                     THE EBAY PROJECT

                    

I'm so excited I don't know where to start so I'll just begin like this...

Do you like my picture? I took this picture. I'm Very proud of it because although I dont have any training as a photographer, I feel like I have an eye for what I like. I like this picture. Your probably thinking.. "Big Deal, He spelled Out the word success with scrabble tiles." Yes I did... And then I put them in the box pictured there and shipped them to a buyer who paid me $15.00 for them. I paid .050 cents for the whole board game.
   They also paid  the $5.35 for me to ship them to them.

                                      Buyer Paid   $20.35
                                     cost of game-    0.53
                                            shippin     - 5.35
                                        Ebay Fee        -.90
                                        Payal Fee        -.12      = Profit  $13.48
             
                                                That's Nearly an hours wages for me at my job! Your probably asking yourself why someone would pay $20 for crummy old scrabble tiles right?  It seems the tiles are a hot item on ebay right now as people everywhere are utilizing these scrabble tiles in their jewelry crafting. They make little pendants and such out of them as seen here . When I bought those tiles, I bought them at Goodwill in a complete board game for .50 cents, removed the tiles ( they dont want the board game) and bagged some profit.
  Whats interesting to me is appraently nobody told them they could go down to walmart and buy the board game for $17 new. Whats EVEN MORE  interesting is that the manufacturer's website ( Hasbro), sells replacement tiles direct  for around  $5.00 for the whole lot of 100 tiles.

I Hated To See This Angel Go

  This angel ornament was picked up while Cris was at last weeks Christmas Craft Bazaar selling her bottle lamps. The Church, a block down, was having a basement yard sale and selling cookies. The children and I had a few minutes before we were to be at a Christmas party so we set off to see what we could find.
   Upon arrival it was clear to see that this sale was definitely about the cookies because there were only  two tables and three or four junk boxes on the floor. For the most part it looked like the stuff most people throw away. A half used candle here, an unmatched pair of socks there, a box with a glove in it. Did you hear me? A box with  a single glove in it.You know, just in case you happen to have the matching one at home?
  It was the box on the ground that drew my attention. A card board flat really, the kind that a 12 pack of soda is delivered in. There in the box, was more junk..Christmas junk. Mismatching ornaments, a string of lights with half its bulbs and a bunch of miscellaneous pieces haphazardly tossed in the box. I asked the lady , "How much?" She said.. "Oh, those are five  for one dollar. Just junk really." I had the kids with me and encouraged them to get down on the floor with dad to  "see if there's anything shiny"
  We scooped up a dollars worth, each child helping to pick one and this is the gem that we came up with.
    The Angel, Marked "Hong Kong"  on the bottom, was junk when I was a kid. It was everywhere, Not anymore, everything is now marked china. I knew somewhere, someone had a good memory associated with this vintage 1980's ornament, and an affection connected to it. Maybe  not but what they Hey.. The risk is .20 cents .Ive spent more on a scratch off  lottery ticket in the past.
   On the way out,  my attention turned to a ceramic Christmas tree that looked like something my grandmother would have had sitting around on the holidays.It was 17 inches tall and marked Holland Mold on the bottom with a single X carved into it.The asking price was $15 and seemed reasonable , so I bought it. I also picked up a ceramic Santa's of the world 14" figure for a buck but first:

   I'm proud to say our little angel showed her gratitude for being rescued from that awful box of garbage because she closed in an EBay auction today for $21.93 ! That's right, she had worth to someone out there.Someone wanted her. Cris and I had a blast watching two people bid her up this week. We were really amazed and I believe they're going to be very happy with her. I really hate to see her go because I know she would have looked nice on our tree.

                                         Carolites Musical Angel  Sold      $21.93
                                                                                Paid   $    0.20
                                                                              shipping    $5.35
                                                                EBay /Paypal fees   $1.85                Profit = $14.53





                                                                The Moldy Christmas Tree

    I mentioned above that i took a risk on this ceramic christmas tree marked Holland Mold on the bottom. It was fully functional but had been chipped on the top and repaired with super glue. I was totally honest of its condition in the auctions desciption and provided lots of close up photo of the tree and pointed out the previous damage. I set the auction7 days so it would have time to gain some viewers and 

 what do you know, another good choice!

  
                                                  Moldy Christmas Tree SOLD    -  $65.00 !
                                                                                               Paid  -  $15
                                                                                             shipping $15
                                                                             Ebay/paypal Fees $5.20    Profit -- $29.80!

Wine and Liquor Bottle Accent Lamp How-To

In This post, I'll show you how we make the Wine Bottle Accents Lamps. From here  on out , we will refer to all of them as wine bottles.I will also detail the following:

 -Where to find empty bottles


-Tools and Materials


-Preparing and Drilling your bottles


-Where to sell them.



                                                   FINDING BOTTLES
  Finding empty can be a little tricky. It's easy if you have a few laying around or have family or friends who are drinkers.You can also utilize local sources like Craigslist or Freecycle. But if your looking to make a lot of bottles you'll need a bigger source. Bars can be your best friends BUT TAKE HEED!    
      In Pennsylvania it is against Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board regulations for bar owners to give you their bottles. Most will not give you the time of the day if you approach them wrong because they know it means a HEFTY fine. I'm sure other states have similar laws so it wouldn't hurt to find out first.The solution ? Make friends first. Sit down and have a beer,  or a soda if you don't drink. Then they are usually ready to let you in on a little secret. Its illegal for them to hand them to you or to let you walk out with them. However, after they've set them out in the recycle bins ,usually just outside the back door, they are yours for the taking! No digging through the trash. Most are packed neatly in the original cardboard boxes that the distributor delivered them in.Please make sure you have permission from someone at the bar first.You don't want to get in trouble over empty wine bottles.
    Explain to the owner or employee that you would like to make Christmas or holiday crafts and are in need of empty bottles.
  We usually go very early on a Monday to ensure we get plenty of bottles in one trip.The weekends are when most bars do the bulk of their business and we usually fill the trunk after just two stops.


                                                               TIPS

  -When you are given permission, try to make it as painless as possible for establishment when you are gathering your bottles.By this I mean , don't come during Happy Hour looking for bottles.Instead, hit the recycle bins early in the morning before the bar opens or just after they set bottles out from the night before.This  way, you wont ruin a good thing. If done right you will have a solid supply and most likely will never had any troubles.

-Do not break bottles or rifle through their garbage ripping bags, This is one sure way to get cut off. I wouldn't utilize a bar that doesn't recycle their glass anyways.The labels will probably be ruined anyways and you don't have to, most bars recycle.Just find another.

-We have found it good practice to give a nice lamp to the bars that allow you to take their bottles just to say thanks.They are usually very grateful and can't believe you've turned their trash into something so kool!Some of the establishments we gave back to even went on to display the lamps behind their bar.This led to sales we never expected to get! That's the power of word of mouth.


                                                TOOLS AND MATERIALS

   This list is pretty minimal as it doesn't take much which is why these things are such a money maker!

 You will need:

 -An empty Bottle of course!

 -Hand drill or drill press-Variable speed is best.

 - 1/2" glass/tile bit  ( it looks like a spade.I get mine at Ace Hardware for $11.99 )

  -3 in 1 oil ( available at Ace and Walmart for around $2.99)

  -Plumbers putty ( $1.49 at Ace or Walmart)

(Picture coming soon in case  you dont know what it is)

  -1 can of Frost Glass Spray ( Walmart $4.99)

  -A string of 20 count colored or clear Christmas or craft light that plug in to the wall ( Dollar tree  -$1 per )

  -Old rags or t-shirt ripped into rags to wipe the oil off. ( free)

 -Dust Mask ( $1.29 almost anywhere)

 -Safety Glasses - Free if you already have some, otherwise the dollar tree, walmart, dollar store etc usually all have them for under $2.00.

 -A few small Pieces of scrap wood. ( you don't need much, its used to make a Jig to hold the bottle  still while drilling)

 So for a start up cost of $25 , assuming you have access to a power drill, you are in business! Even better, your first two bottles sold will put you above the break even point!


                                   
                                  PREPARING AND DRILLING YOUR BOTTLES


 I'm going to tell you what works best for me.This process has evolved with lots of trial and error and I have come to a happy place where I get the best results.That is what I will show you here

Before we get started here are a few General do's and Dont's that will save you time effort and money.Because time IS money.So is burnt drill bitsand  unplanned trips to the emergency room.

Do
-Where you safety glasses

-Build a Jig
Its very hard to holda spinning bit on a rolling bottle!

-Take your time, dont rush drilling -
   It takes twice as long to break a bottle and then drill another to replace it

-Empty Residual Liqours prior to drilling.
     We dont want 100 proof Liquors Igniting inside the bottle as the  drill bit creates heat.

-Keep you drill bit oiled.
    I cannot stress how important this is.This to me, is the single most important aspect of the drilling process.If your bit starts to heat up , youll lose it, and your bottle.Last year, i went through 4 bits at $12 each.This year, only One. Keep those drill bits Oiled! Its cheaper than bits.

-Lastly Use a variable speed drill.
  Youll know if you have variable speed if when pulling the trigger a little barely moves the drill, and pulling it harder makes it go faster. You want to go slow! Let the bit do the work, you should not be pressing down into the bottle.

Dont 

-Rush the drilling process.
      It takes time. You will gain a feel for it and it will get easier with patience. It takesme about 3 minutes  to drill a bottle depending upon the thickness of the glass.Not all bottles are the same.Some, like Grey Goose, have VERY THICK glass and take a little more time, but they are extremly sturdy and resist fractures.Other bottles such as Ice 101 will EXPLODE if you even look at it the wrong way.These differences will come very fast to you as you progress.For the record, I have never been injured drilling a bottle.Knock on wood.

-Lick your fingers
  Plumbers putty is sticky and Poison! Please read the container warning.

                                         Lets Get started!

  Inspect the bottle for defects and make sure the label is intact.No one will want to buy it if the label is wet, wrinkled, or peeling off.


   Remove the cap and dump out any residual alcohol. I leave the cap off during the drilling and I keep a container around just to dump the alcohol and used oil in.


   Place a rag or hand towel in the jig to keep from marring the bottles label and then place the bottle in your jig label down. You want to drill it in the back of the bottle so the cord comes out from behind and the lights illuminate around the product label.

  Take out enough plumbers putty to knead a small dam around the place where we will drill.This will contain the oil, aid the bit in its cutting, and keep it cool.

  Fill the damn about half full of 3 in 1 oil and place keep the bottle near by as you will need it when the bit breaks into the bottle.You will see the oil from your dam start to spill inside and you'll have to compensate by adding oil to the drill bit shaft, a little at a time to keep the bit cool.

  Go slow and steady keeping the bit moving downward at its own pace.

Don't be alarmed if you hear a crack .It doesn't necessarily mean you broke the bottle.Hopefully it just means you broke through the glaze, this is normal and drilling should  move faster from this point.

Continue drilling until the widest part of the spade bit sinks below the inside wall of the bottle.THEN STOP  YOUR DRILL , and slowly extract your drill bit.Sometimes your hole may be a little off round and you may have to turn the bit this way or that to get it out but if you try to pull it out while the drill is still on you taker a bigger risk of breaking the bottle.

 Use a rag to remove the plumbers putty and wipe the access oil off of the bottle AND THE PUTTY. The putty, unless you break your bottle, is good for an all day drilling session.

Congratulations You've just successfully drilled your first bottle! Or broke your first bottle, WHICH WILL HAPPEN, it still happens to me. YOU WILL BREAK BOTTLES. There's no way around it 100%. Just don't get discouraged and keep at it.

Now it is time to clean the bottle.You can drill several, just don't let the oil much sit too long.Place your finger over the hole and carefully fill with dish soap and warm water and cap.Keeping your finger over the hole.shake vigorously , and drain out of the top.Be careful not to get the labels wet.Rinse repeat until they're all clean.Lastly you can use a dish drainer to put the bottles upside down to air and drip dry.

Why The Poor stay Poor according to Rich Dad

No, the title is not in reference to my father, but rather, A book I bought on amazon last year called "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". According to that book, rich people know this to be true," The poor, will always be poor because you cant teach an old dog new tricks".
  Essentialy the author says people in general, who are stuck in the rat race and cannot make ends meet, are in this position because they're too busy trying to keep up with the "Jone's family". In other words. They invest in LIABILITIES , or things that COST YOU MONEY.  For instance, a cell phone, your cable bill , your car , and even your dog are all liabilities. THEY COST YOU MONEY. Recurrently.
  A rich person , however,thinks differently. If I buy an ASSET, (something that MAKES YOU MONEY) , then my asset will pay for whatever toys I might like to have ( toys =Liabilities).
  All of this is fine and dandy, but there's an old adage that says " It takes money to make money". What if you have little money?I mean LITTLE money. Does that count me out of this life game that is so similar to monopoly? A game where all the properties are bought up and I keep landing on everyones property until I  bankrupt and fold? Pass GO, collect your paycheck, land on the utility company, the landlord and the tax man's spot.
You know, I'm just figuring out that life really is like a monopoly game, except on a bigger scale.One glaring difference is we don't all get the same opportunities. It's like coming to the table  to play AFTER all of the properties have been bought up, and then trying to survive. I wont get into politics here because it always turns out  bad. But I recently heard a politician during a debate saying " We cant just have Joe Blow opening a bank on the corner and lending money out of his garage now can we ?" If it's a FREE market, my question is, WHY CAN"T WE? I'll tell you why, people's interests are being protected, rest assured, their not mine.
   Today, I turned a  Quarter into  $15 dollars. and $2 into  $10.  It's a start! and it feels good, hope I can keep it up.
I'm hoping to show some cool pictures soon, so bare with me. I'm certain, I'll divulge some of my secrets by the end of next week. Until Later,
Rick

The Ebay Project

  I think I'm finally starting to catch a financial break here. I'm excited to show everyone what I've been working at lately but have to get better organized first .I have a Tutorial  in  the works so you can see how we make these lamps.I'm currently taking pictures of the whole process and wrestling with my writing skills.
   Today ,Cris sold 4 more lamps to a lady who bought 4 from us last year! Apparently she really likes these lamps because she gifts them to her friends and family for Christmas. CHA - CHING!  4 bottles X $25 = another $100 bill. Cris is going to make a special lamp for her as a gift just to say thanks.I know it makes her feel good that people are going nuts over her artwork.      
         Two days ago, she sold nearly $300 dollars worth and two weeks before that, they netted us $340 during the 6 hour fire hall craft show. These things literally sell themselves! At times, you cant help but feel bad for the other vendors who sell the wood, jewelry, candles and soap crafts because there is such a crowd around our table and little business at theirs.
        Today marks the 2nd week in my newest project, my journey to make a few bucks on EBay! I have to say, I'm impressed.VERY  Impressed. I can't wait to share the results here on my blog, I'm extremely proud of my new found entrepreneurial skills. Theres nothing quite like the sound of your smartphone going cha-ching! in your pocket everytime something sells because in my world , every little bit helps!

A Hit!

Needless to say, it didn't take me long to secure some empty liqour bottles ,a drill bit, and dig out my hand drill. That little idea turned christmas around for the O'Banion family last year. They were a huge hit! They are very easy to make and turn a very nice profit !

  Below is a picture of some of our finished bottles from this years community craft fair.