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Original poster

New Year 2015 Declutter Challenge

139 replies

HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 30/12/2014 16:24

Anyone fancy joining me?

I am in the middle of de cluttering misery and making a bit of cash out it might ease the trauma Grin

As it's free listing at the moment, I am taking advantage and getting a few things on there.

I have at least two big bags of things that have been pushed into a cupboard to be ebayed one day Hmm. Going to try and make a start on them this evening/tomorrow.

My target is £300 by Feb half term.

OP posts:
PurpleFrog · 02/02/2015 15:55

Well done glammanana! I sold 5 things last week. I would have sold another over the weekend, but the offer was withdrawn before I had decided to definitely accept it. On looking today i see that the buyer was in Bulgaria!? I was not offering overseas postage, and not accepting bids from countries I don't post to! So, not quite sure how that happened.

Did anyone get the free listing offer for 1st-3rd Feb ? I didn't... Sad

Original poster
HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 02/02/2015 19:17

Well done, both!!

No free-listing for me Sad.

Yesterday, I had decided to keep one of my listed items but before I got round to ending it, someone bought and paid for it! Isn't that typical?! Hey, ho, every little helps Grin

Sold a couple of other things, too but need to go and rummage in the ebay cupboard because I have completely lost track of what is actually in there Blush

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Dumbledoresgirl · 03/02/2015 15:09

I have just worked out I made £66 for January (roughly - I am not quite sure what was in my paypal account when I started, and may have got in a muddle with ebay fees & postage, but it was roughly that! Grin). Not bad going, but I don't think I am going to do at all well this month as I don't have much new added. I got the 100 free listings this weekend, but I have mostly just relisted stuff that I have been listing since the autumn. £150 glammanana? That's fantastic!

PurpleFrog · 03/02/2015 16:04

My net profit for January was only £35.46, but considering I never had more than around 16 items listed at any one time and mainly sold "rubbish" that is not too bad! [By "rubbish" I mean things that are not worth giving to a Charity shop and I would have chucked out or given away anyway - comics, catalogues, magazines, freebies that came with grocery items/fast food!]

I really need to get some time in the evenings this week to sort out some new items and keep my fingers crossed for free listing this coming weekend.

fairisledog · 03/02/2015 21:06

Made £36 in January without listing anything new, just re-listing from time to time of the remnants of the big clear-out of 2014.

Have found another batch of kids PJ's so want to get them listed whilst the weather is still chilly and people want the lovely warm sort that my kids had.

The last pair of kids shoes I had listed has also sold but the kids have outgrown another few pairs recently so I'll clean what's still in reasonable condition and see if there's any takers.

Original poster
HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 03/02/2015 23:44

Hmm, just spent ages trying to work out what my total is! Is it possible to work out pp fees without checking every transaction?

Three more items sold yesterday and today...one is a car seat and was a total pain to pack for the courier but it's now ready to be dropped off tomorrow.

My balance seems to go down very quickly Blush...must stop buying things and using pp!!

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Dumbledoresgirl · 04/02/2015 08:40

Hiccup - ah I was about to say I don't worry about calculating paypal fees, just subtract postage costs and ebay fees from my paypal balance, but of course that only works if you are not also spending from your paypal account. Tsk tsk! Wink

I sold 3 items in quick succession last night! Most odd but I wish I would carry on like that.

PurpleFrog · 04/02/2015 08:48

I'm afraid I keep a spreadsheet to record all my eBay income and expenditure. Blush It is only possible since I don't list huge numbers of things at one time. It is also useful for working out the potential profit from various pricing options for items before listing.

Original poster
HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 04/02/2015 10:34

My quick calculation is to take 20% off for ebay and pp fees. I know this is higher but it means I'm mostly pleasantly surprised when I do check my pp balance Grin

It was quite interesting to look at all my sales since the end of December. I usually only look at the app and that just shows the last few sales. I'm wondering where the empty space is that should now have appeared after getting rid of quite a few big things!!

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Original poster
HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 04/02/2015 10:37

One of my goals for this year is to learn how to do spreadsheets Grin

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PurpleFrog · 04/02/2015 12:23

Hiccup Grin

I have a few more specialist items that I want to sell - stamps and vinyl LPs. Has anyone sold either? I (actually DP) don't have many LPs left (

Dumbledoresgirl · 04/02/2015 13:49

I have LPs I sometimes consider selling, but I haven't because

a) unless it is something iconic like Sergeant Pepper, signed by the band Grin the money doesn't seem that great

b) I can't be sure of posting them securely

c) I can't guarantee there are no scratches etc

d) I didn't have a very good taste in music when LPs were the thing (think the Muppets, some greek hits bought on holiday, tv soundtracks etc Blush) Oh and lots of classical music which I do think are good taste, but not the sort of thing buyers want.

But let me know how you get on if you do decide to go ahead as I know I don't want to keep any of my records.

Snowball4girlz · 04/02/2015 13:57

February already but managed to sell 7 things and relisted everything else with a few auctions i need to edit and add details. I was lucky enough to get free listing this weekend so when i finish editing digging takig pictures and rummaging ( not neccessarily in that order i might have 100 things on :) is it too early for cropped jeans bridesmaid dresses and summer uniform ? I trt and work out what i have made for each sale at the time i post and although alot is only a pound or two it all adds up. Couple of friendly faces / on here from doing these over the years (waves) just need tortoise to join again lol.

Snowball4girlz · 04/02/2015 13:59

i am nervous about selling LPS bloke in the pub wants me to sell his pink Elvis LP but worry about how LP actually play if cant test them and breakages in the post.

glammanana · 04/02/2015 15:05

I didn't get invite for 1st-3rd February either just my normal 20 free listings so maybe this week or next,to stop me using my PP account I am withdrawing when I get up to £50.00 and have given OH my bank card so I don't find something to buy or else I will be buying more bleedin wedding hats ??? (got a thing about big hats)
No new sales as yet I was going to put on some really nice Per Una stuff but Marks are having a 50% sale so that defeats the object I will wait until next month. Good selling girls x glamma x

PurpleFrog · 04/02/2015 15:10

Dumbledoresgirl - that's my list of reservations too! Records are one of the (many) things that I know I want to get rid of, but am not sure yet what to do with them.

I suppose if I sold via Gumtree for collection only, the buyer could examine them carefully before parting with cash! I have seen "wanted" adverts there from dealers, but I don't think the numbers I have would justify someone making a special journey. Alternatively, our local Oxfam sells LPs....

We do have one LP with a signed cover, but I am afraid it is from an obscure Scottish 70s folk group, not the Beatles! But unsigned "mint" copies have recently sold on eBay for £10-15 +P&P.

millymae · 04/02/2015 16:09

Selling vinyl is a minefield but can be (very) lucrative if you know exactly what you are selling.

Matrix numbers, pressings, country of origin etc are all important as is the condition of the vinyl, sleeves and inners if you want to get the best possible price. Ideally you need to beg or borrow a copy of the Record Collector Rare Record Guide as this will provide all the info you need to include in your listings to ensure that potential buyers know exactly what they are bidding on. Take the values quoted with a pinch of salt though, as more often than not this is far above what you will get. Previous sales on EBay are a good guide as is the Disgogs website

Condition is king especially to the many collectors out there who are very quick to complain if descriptions are not accurate. For this reason I wouldn't advise selling anything unless you have listened to it for surface noise, skips and jumps etc. If you haven't, or can't, you need to make this very clear in your description.

Packing too is important and I wouldn't advise selling vinyl unless you are prepared to buy proper record mailers and stiffeners. Experience has taught me that you need to do everything you can to minimise things that buyers can complain about and if your albums are properly packed this is one thing less for you to worry about. I've never found posting to be a problem. Royal Mail has served me well - 2nd class with proof of posting costs £2.80 - first class £3.20. and touch wood nothing has got lost or damaged yet.

PurpleFrog · 04/02/2015 16:55

Thanks millymae - that is very useful. Is it "Disgogs" or "Discogs". I could find the latter, but not the one mentioned in your post.

I will have a look at the records in daylight this weekend and make a decision whether to send for the record mailers or make a trip to Oxfam on Monday!

millymae · 04/02/2015 16:59

Slip of the fingers on my part.................you're right, it's discogs!

PurpleFrog · 09/02/2015 12:44

I posted 2 more items this morning! And got some new items and some relists on yesterday as I got the Free Listing invite. Smile It lasts until Tuesday, so hope to get a few more bits done.

I didn't get round to looking at the LPs, although I did hand wash my ball dress which I fished down from the loft a few weeks ago. It was only worn once (for my Graduation Ball in 1986) then stuffed into its paper carrier and not opened since. I had been frightened to look at it to see what state it was in. There were some mud marks round the hem which seem to have come out, but luckily there were no rips. Unfortunately it isn't a designer label, just a long, flouncy 80s bridesmaid-type dress, but a similar one in a different colour sold on eBay a few months ago for around £30, so it is worth a try! I'm not looking forward to ironing it for the photos...

Snowball4girlz · 09/02/2015 17:14

Four items posted including a skirt I had to drag of my DD. Wash and dry in super quick time after she came home from school, because she split her proper school skirt and did not tell me over weekend. So luckily had this skirt that fitted her but was selling because she was not allowed to wear it to school. Aargh!
Got a few ending and a load to revise.

Snowball4girlz · 09/02/2015 17:16

i have two bridesmaid dresses but scared of trying to iron them :( one grey and one cerise think they might sell though as people are planning weddings.

Original poster
HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 10/02/2015 17:25

Interesting reading about the vinyl-selling tips. A friend asked me to teach him how to sell on eBay, years ago, so that he could sell his vinyl collection. Not sure if he ever got around to doing it though.

Still no 100 free-listing for me Sad. I bet they do it this weekend (I'm going away thurs-tues!!). I have considered taking lots of photos of stuff waiting to list then spending a couple of hours listing while I'm away. In reality, I'll run out of time to take photos or won't be bothered to do it while I'm on holiday Grin

Another couple of things sold and posted. Now, if only I could stop spending my 'winnings' on pushchairs!!! Although, in my defence, I do usually put them back on eBay eventually!!

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Snowball4girlz · 11/02/2015 14:23

Hiccup you can save listings as drafts or even as schedule them for a week or more ahead, you don't get charged or anything until they go live or at least you never used to. You can take your pictures and set your auctions and then just go in and start them straightaway. I used to do this all the time and wait for free listing weekends. Need to double check but am pretty certain. I need to be more organised it it the taking of pictures that take up all the time :(

PurpleFrog · 11/02/2015 14:30

I do schedule things and manually make them live later, but I usually only schedule them until later that evening or the next day. It is the photos that kill me as well. At this time of year it is still too dark in the mornings before I go to work to take any in daylight, and the same at night. That means that I have to remember to do all photos at the weekend around other things, or make do with crappy ones taken with flash or artificial light.