Making Money Monday: Selling on FB yard sale groups

Prepare to have your mind blown. Facebook Yard Sales are the best things ever. Basically, it's like the same thing as craigslist but easier and more visual.

All you have to do is search and see if your neighborhood or city already has some kind of yard sale group. I am a member of 4. The one shown below is the biggest one in my city, but I am also a member of specific area yard sales that are in my general vicinity.

I had to request membership, but other groups may be different. If your city or town doesn't have a yard sale group, maybe you could make one! It's run by normal people and there are usually some rules.

So here is what the screen looks like from my phone. People are posting a listing like every 10 seconds on here and you just scroll.
The ettiquette for this particular yard sale group is that you write "interested" if you wish to buy the item and then arrange meeting details with the seller.


Here is an example of something I would list. I post a picture (always) on the group wall. I state what the item is, the size if its clothing, price and I state where I meet. I will meet people at 2 different places within a few miles from my home. As the seller I get to mandate that.

A few pointers...
Unless you need to pick a large item up, meet the buyer/seller in a PUBLIC place. I meet people in Target/Wal-Mart/Kroger parking lots.

Similar to eBay, post your items when people are more likely to be on facebook. In the evenings or on weekends.



When someone write they are interested on my listing, I tag them in a comment telling them when I am available to meet in the next few days. You can also PM (private message) them meetup details. Facebook will typically send the conversation to the OTHER folder in your inbox since you are not friends with this person. Weird, I know. I didn't even know I had an OTHER folder until I started selling on here. You may not be able to access the other folder from your iPhone FB app, I usually have to pull up the full site version in Safari or use a computer version. 
Be careful about:
-Meeting strangers, I always let someone know (my husband, mom, sister) that I am meeting someone - Going to someone's house, I went with my mom one time to pick something up she bought, there is safety in numbers - BE ready for DRAMA! You can read about one of my first drama experiences here. 
Happy Shopping & Selling! If you have any questions I will be more than happy to answer or give advice!

Making Money Monday: Buying & Selling on eBay

I'm starting a blog series on one of my favorite hobbies. I like to buy and sell stuff on the Internet. I'm no expert and there are several more informative resources available if you Google it, but I have friends and family who are always asking me how I do it so I thought I would share my tips.

Today I will discuss one of the Internets' good and faithful gems...

Selling on eBay

More specifically eBay from your iPhone. It is so easy.


Download the free app! If not to sell, then to browse!


You can make a listing straight from the app and it guides you through each step. Here are some of my current listings.


Sell things when people will be shopping for them. You will have trouble selling a 2T winter coat in the middle of May. Think about when you shop for things and sale accordingly. 
Also timing is everything. If your auction ends at 1 am on a Tuesday night, people will miss out. Time it so your listings end when people are going to be browsing like in the evenings or on the weekend. 
Research how much your item is selling for before you list it so you can be sure your pricing is in range with what they're selling for. 
If I am really listing a lot of items on a weekly basis, I average between $50-$75 a month in eBay sales. 
Shopping on eBay
I like to look up name brand things on eBay because typically you can find really nice items for decent prices AND they hold value so you can sell them again when you're done using it. 
Here is my watch list as of this morning and below are items I watched but ended up not bidding on. I try not to get excited when an auction is ending because the price can go up quickly. I try to have an idea in my head of what I am willing to pay for an item. Also I try to attract free shipping listings. I love when I don't have to pay for shipping. 


Here are some of my recent purchases. 

3 pairs of shorts for $14. YES!
And 9/10 they are exactly what was pictured. Like my new dress...


I also shop for specialty clothes and name brand clothes for Kendall. I typically always buy her 1-2 pairs of Children's Place jeans and a few holiday tops on eBay. 
I really could write a whole blog series dedicated to my eBay experiences but I hoped my tips have helped summarize what you can do on eBay. 
If you have any specific questions I will be more than happy to answer them!! Leave them in the comments section. Happy Selling and Shopping!
Next Week: How I make $$$ with Facebook Yard Sale Groups

In an effort to declutter my house I am selling all of my stuff. I'm not really selling everything... just items that don't get used. I plan on using my earnings in 2 ways.
1. Fund Kendall's 1st Birthday Party
2. Put the rest towards paying down my credit cards

I love the idea of making money outside of our 9-5 income.

Because I love sharing my knowledge (remember coupon info blogs????) I will share the ways I'm making money by selling my things.

1. AMAZON
I used to buy/sell my textbooks every semester while I was in college using Amazon. Since I no longer have college textbooks laying around I have not made a huge amount with this avenue. However, by selling some dvds and books that were collecting some dust I have made over $50 so far.

2. EBAY
I used to sell MK and I have a lot of old packaging inventory. I have made over $250 this past weekend selling some of these items. I'm going to try listing lots of things on Ebay!!1

3. BLOG SHOP MY CLOSET SALE
Yep I'm going to try to sell some things to you. I have some new shoes and gently used (or new with tags) clothing listed under the "SHOP MY CLOSET" tab at the top of this blog. All the info is listed there.
You can also access it using this link. I will update this page with new items so check back!

Questions? Comments?

Would you be interested in learning how to sell your things online???

Amazon Queen, Alarm System and a Hump Day movie

I am thinking about starting an amazon business. Sunday I was clearing out some things in our "junk" third bedroom when I decided to list some books and dvd's on amazon. I did this all through out college with my text books and saved/made money rather than go throught UofL's bookstore.
Since Sunday I have sold 20 items and my amazon payments balance is $189.**. Pretty neat considering this was stuff collecting dust in my house only hours before it sold! Now I have been going through my house like a mad woman looking for other things to sell.
Here are my tips and reccommended websites to sell things online.

Amazon - Books/DVD's only - they already have the information for the item in their database all you have to do is type in the ISBN number and write a quick synopsis of the condition of the product.

Craigslist - Big items you want to sell locally. I sold my car through craiglist last week. This is a great place to post furniture or advertise garage sales too.

Ebay - Perfect for random things. I sold a $10 Kroger grocery coupon on here once. I've bought sewing material through ebay. This is your catch all place to sell random things.

Have you ever sold anything on Amazon? Craigslist? Ebay?
Do you know anyone who has an Amazon business?


Anywho... we had an alarm system put in our house yesterday. I feel so much safer sleeping alone 4 nights a week now. It will give me so much peace of mind when Kendall is here. My friend Kelly came over afterwards to pick up some product. I got to see her bling (she is recently engaged) and we talked about wedding planning. I showed her some of my wedding pictures. It made me kind of sad because I look so skinny in the pictures! Especially compared to now!! I thought I was fat then (so sad). It really makes me think about how hard I'm going to work on my diet/body when the baby comes.
Yes, 60% of my reasoning for wanting to be a hot mom is vanity but the other 40% is because I want to be a fun, energetic mommy!! I want to play with Kendall outside for hours and wear a cute bathing suit next summer when it's her first time swimming!
I really hope I am still motivated after she arrives. I'm sure the moment I see her beautiful face I will direct my entire being to be better for her!!!!

Tonight I have plans to go to dinner and see Eclipse with a good friend from my Valley View Church days! I'm sure the theater will be PACKED!
I just love going to the movies in the middle of the week. It makes me feel like I'm a high school kid again on summer break. :)

Have a GREAT day!!!

Great weekend and even GREATER tax return!!

My weekend was awesome. Girls night and Dear John were fabulous. Of course it veered from the book but I still loved it! Saturday I got my hair did! It's super cute! I got a lot more trimmed off than I thought I would but it feels so much healthier and thinner now. I stuck with low lights and got zero highlights so it's more natural looking and less maintenance. I will try and take a picture sometime this week. Yesterday was the super bowl. Yay Saints! I think I have a new crush and that is Drew Brees (sp?) did you see him crying while holding his son? Was that Hallmark or what??

I failed at working out this weekend and ate horrible. Oh well! I enjoyed myself and everyone needs that!!!

Now the important part - having a home business proved to work wonders with our tax return. I can proudly announce that when our tax return comes in our bank account we will be able to do the following:

1. Pay off small balance credit card

2. Pay off large balance credit card

(THIS WILL MAKE US CREDIT CARD DEBT FREE!!!!!)

3. Buy new tires for both of our cars (snoozefest)

I am just so ecstatic about paying off our credit card debt. That leaves us with a huge advantage when paying off all our other debts this year. Woohoo!! I would love to be taking our large tax return and use it for our home or plan a trip but seriously... there is so much peace of mind knowing I can pay off my credit cards!!!!

Have a great Monday!!