My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 107 - Quick Update

Just a very quick update on the auctions which ended last weekend.

Total sales netted around £ 35.

The vintage postcard album has found a new home in the far north of Scotland near the fishing port of Peterhead.

I will be listing some more items for sale later this week, time permitting. I will also have to have a look out for some new stock to buy as the current inventory is beginning to run low again.

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 100 - This week's auctions

Day 100 of My 365 Day Ebay Challenge and I thought I'd give you all an update on a few of the items I have listed for auction this week...

This week's "star" item is the above postcard album which I have filled with vintage postcards dating from the 1900's to the 1950's. The album has already attracted a bid at the auction starting price of £ 9.99 and has a large number of watchers (some of whom will hopefully later become bidders!).

Please click here to see the auction and further photos of the album.

A few weeks ago I bought a job lot of militaria from a chap in East Malling, Kent which included a number of plastic model kits such as the 1/72 scale Afrika Corps pictured above. These plastic model soldiers are popular with war gamers.

Apart from the Afrika Corps soldiers, I have also listed a set of World War II RAF personnel and a set of World War II USAF personnel.

Links to these auctions can be found here...

Afrika Corps

RAF Personnel

USAF Personnel

The majority of this week's auctions are due to end on Sunday and I will post an update then (if not before).

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 98 - End of April Report

Here is a quick position update on My 365 Day Ebay Challenge as at the end of April...

Sales to date (net of postage and Ebay fees)

Total - £ 121.06

Stock

Approx 300 vintage postcards - cost price £ 18.00

Various model kits/militaria - cost price approx £ 15.00

Airfix box set - cost price £ 3.99

1 x vintage postcard album - cost price £ 9.50

Total - £ 46.49

Based on the above, the initial £ 100 stake is now worth £ 167.55

Not stellar progress to date but my Ebay activities have unfortunately been severely curtailed by my day job which has been extremely busy over the last few weeks.

This weekend there was an Ebay free listing promotion and tonight I have made a number of new listings to take advantage. Included in the new listings is the vintage postcard album which I have filled with cards. I am optimistic this will bring in a good price. The auction is due to end next Sunday.

With a bit of luck, I will make another post tomorrow evening and list out the auctions which I currently have running so that you can follow their progress.

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 79 - Success at last!

This evening I have finally managed to win an auction for another empty vintage postcard album after numerous attempts over the last few weeks.


For some reason empty vintage postcard albums have been selling at silly money recently on Ebay and as the primary aim of My 365 Day Ebay Challenge is to make some money, I have had to duck out of many auctions.


The seller is located quite close to me so I am hoping to pick it up on Sunday, fill it with around three hundred of the remaining vintage postcards I have in stock and list it up for sale on Ebay as soon as possible.


This strategy worked well last time I tried it so I am hoping for another profitable result.

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 63 - End of March Report

Yes I know it's April now but I've been a bit busy!


Here is a quick postion update on My 365 Day Ebay Challenge as at the end of March...


Sales to date (net of postage and Ebay fees)


Total - £ 107.29


Stock

Approx 300 vintage postcards - cost price £ 18.00
Various model kits/militaria - cost price approx £ 25.00
Airfix box set - cost price £ 3.99

Total - £ 46.99


Based on the above, the initial £ 100 stake is now worth £ 154.28


On the purchasing side of the equation, I have bid on another two empty vintage postcard albums this evening. So far I have not had any luck winning any auctions for albums at a sensible price.


I am keeping my fingers crossed.

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 53 - Quick Update

Just a quick update on day 53 of My 365 Day Ebay Challenge.

Sales this week have been going well with just over £ 67 received for model kits, old postcards and some of the militaria that I listed up.

The "star item" this week has been a Bren gun magazine which came as part of the job lot of model kits and militaria. That sold this evening for just over £ 19. The good news is, I have another identical one to sell!

I am still on the look out for another empty vintage postcard album and have placed a few bids. Fingers crossed I will be successful in picking one up at a reasonable price in time for Easter.

In the ideal world I would like to fill the album up with some of the remaining vintage cards I have in stock and get it relisted up over the Easter break.

From past experience, it pays to have items listed up for sale during public holidays as people are at home and tend to spend time browsing Ebay.

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 38 - Update

Just a quick update on my Ebay activities since the beginning of this month.

On 1st March the vintage postcard album sold for a total of £ 45.45 including postage but taking into account the Ebay listing and Paypal fees.

This was a good result as the album and cards it contained only cost £ 19. I am now actively looking out for more empty vintage postcard albums as I still have another 300 + vintage cards remaining in stock and I am sure that they will sell for a better price in an album than loose.

Last weekend, I drove out to East Malling in Kent to pick up a lot of model kits and assorted militaria (the best way to describe it!) including some Bren gun magazines and a steel helmet of unknown origin.

Yesterday I received the Airfix model kit in the post. Unfortunately the seller had skimped on the packing and it arrived looking like it had gone ten rounds with Ricky Hatton :-(

The seller will get a suitably worded feedback pointing out the error of his ways!

Despite the condition of the box, the item should still sell for a reasonable profit.

I will try to post up some pics of this new stock later this week.

Update of the financial and stock position as of today....

Sales to date (including the album)

Total - £ 84.11

Less postage and Ebay final value fees

Total - £ 22.19

Balance

Total - £ 61.92

Stock

Approximately 340 vintage postcards - cost price £ 20.40

Various model kits/militaria - cost price £ 51.00

Airfix box set - cost price £ 3.99

Total - £ 75.39

Based on the above, the initial £ 100 stake is now worth (on paper at least), £ 137.31.

I'd better not rush off and book the world cruise just yet but it is going in the right direction.

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 29 - Selling

It has been a busy finish to the first month of My 365 Day Ebay Challenge.


Firstly, a number of the auctions I had running ended at the weekend and I am pleased to say that all the items listed sold despite it being a fairly slow week on Ebay.


Here are the figures for the sales with paypal/listing fees deducted but still including postage charges -


3 x bulk lots of 1950's - 1970's postcards - £ 19.13


Heller Vampire model kit - £ 10.17

Heller Thunderjet model kit - £ 4.88

Heller Sabre model kit - £ 4.48


Total - £ 38.66


The position at the end of February is roughly as follows -


Remaining cash from the initial £ 100 fund = £ 20.32

Sales to date = £ 38.66 (as detailed above)


Total - £ 58.98


From this total will need to be deducted my postage costs for the items and Ebay's final value fees. Final value fees are Ebay's commission on items sold through their site and are invoiced separately on a monthly invoice.


I still have remaining "in stock" approximately 540 (mainly vintage) postcards including 200 in the vintage postcard album. The auction for the album is ending this evening and at last check was at £ 26.00 with many watchers in the wings.

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 26 - Auction Update

Just a quick update on some of this weeks auctions.

Two lots of vintage postcards (total 285 cards) have been sold to a gentleman in Bedfordshire bringing in a total revenue of £ 11.70. From this total I have to deduct Ebay listing fees, final value fees and postage.

The auction for the Heller Vampire model kit is due to end in about an hour and is progressing nicely.

A bid has been received for the Heller Sabre model kit and there are a large number of watchers (potential bidders) for the vintage postcards album with 200 cards. The bidding, at time of writing this post, stands at £ 9.99

Generally speaking, this has not been a good week on Ebay for sales.

You can follow the current auctions here....

Heller Vampire model kit

Heller Sabre model kit

Heller Thunderjet model kit

Job lot 175 x vintage postcards 1950's - 1970's

Vintage postcard album with 200 postcards 1900's - 1950's

My 365 Day Ebay Challenge Day 19 - Album Listed Up

This evening I have been feverishly slotting cards into the vintage postcard album ready for listing up.

As I mentioned previously, Ebay have been running a two day free listing promotion and I wanted to take advantage of it.

Normally when I am listing up an item I only include one picture to keep fees to a minimum but in the case of the postcard album I have included several different ones.

I believe on this occasion it will be necessary to include the additional pictures if I am to sell the album at the best possible price.

This evening I have also listed up one of the set of three model kits that I purchased.

I am also pleased to report that the first bid has been received on one of the bulk lots of 1950's - 1970's postcards that I listed up earlier in the week.

If you would like to follow the progress of my auctions on Ebay - or even bid on an item yourself, here are the links to my current listings.....

Job lot 150 x postcards 1950's - 1970's

Job lot 135 x postcards 1950's - 1970's

Job lot 175 x postcards 1950's - 1970's

Vintage postcard album with 200 cards

Vampire model kit

If you have enjoyed reading this post why not leave a comment? They are always very welcome.

My 365 Day Challenge Day 17 - More Stock Arrives

The postman has been working overtime today. First to arrive was the empty vintage postcard album which I bought on Ebay for £ 7. I am pleased it has arrived as Ebay have a free listing promotion running until midnight tomorrow (Friday 18th February).

This evening I've been sorting through the old postcards to find suitable ones to go in the album. I am hoping that they will sell for a better price if they are presented nicely in the album rather than sold as a job lot of loose cards. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating!

I'm intending to get the album listed up on Ebay tomorrow evening. For those who may be unfamiliar with Ebay, items can be listed up for 3, 5, 7 or 10 days - there is no difference in the listing fees.

I am going to put the album on a 10 day listing firstly to get maximum exposure and secondly so that the auction ends at the beginning of March and importantly after buyers have had their February pay cheque.

Later in the day, the postman returned with a parcel containing the three vintage Heller model kits that I bought on Ebay for £ 12.68 including postage.

I will get these kits listed up tomorrow, probably on a ten day listing. I am quite optimistic the kit of the Vampire in particular will go well as it is rare and sought after by model kit collectors due to the colourful box top artwork.