Wow… it’s awfully dusty and cobwebby here in my blog admin area…. it has been a LONG time since I posted anything!
The good news is that I am feeling SO MUCH better.. and I am “myself” again. I won’t say “normal”, because I will NEVER be that! (thankfully).
I have been working my tail off trying to play catch up and get Stuart’s and my NEW business and partnership up and running with some quality content to share and sell!
In case I forgot to mention it, Stuart and I formed a “real-life”, tangible partnership…
with paperwork and notaries and all that stuff that you have to do to make things official.
Stuart flew over here, we did a LOT of work on a new product (Prints Make Profits Workshop) and got all our “legal” ducks in a row…
We are now officially “Deb n Stuart LLC“… creative, huh?
Well, at least it doesn’t pigeon-hole us into one niche! LOL! As long as we BOTH are working on it, it fits! AND, it’s memorable… so long as you can remember what our names actually are!
We finally got the updated 3rd Edition of Prints Make Profits completed and the sales page updated… in case you care, click HERE to check out the BRAND NEW sales page that I designed… I’m SUPER-DUPER proud of it!
Last Wednesday I started teaching my Fall class “The Basics of Selling on eBay” at a local community college. It’s a Continuing Education class, so the students don’t get college credits, but they DO get Cont. Ed. credits.
I just LOVE teaching this class as it gives me an “excuse” – as if I NEED one — to go onto eBay and start doing random research.
Even though I have PLENTY to talk about, I get more into it personally when it’s a BRAND NEW niche that I dug up just from a bit of time and a small amount of effort…
So… without further adieu, I’m going to share what I dug up with you…
I think this will REALLY mess with some of your heads!
As I have mentioned, I have a seven-year old daughter. She likes little things, stuff, knickknacks, found items… she likes to sort, she likes to use things for purposes other than what they were originally designed for.. she is a pack rat AND a walking disaster!
As parents will attest, MOST toys and games come with a gazillion little pieces… and these little pieces are EXACTLY what makes the item cool… right?
AND they are exactly what ends up getting lost.
I’m going to describe a typical scenario that goes on in millions of households constantly around the world…
Let’s say you own a copy of the Disney Monopoly game (or the NFL Monopoly Game, or Chinese Checkers, or a deck of cards with a really cute vintage design or a Scrabble game or two or three or more!).
Let’s also say that you are a typical parent with a child (or children) that LOSE pieces of a once “complete game” or set of toys or whatever.
So you are looking to clean out the playroom… and you would LOVE to SELL some of this stuff. Maybe recoup a bit of cash to go toward a NEW lot of Christmas toys and presents.
Much to your dismay, as you are picking up and (DESPERATELY) “sorting” the loose items that are STREWN across the playroom floor, in the cracks and crevices of the toy box and stashed in little girl purses, Easter baskets, tins, empty ice cream tubs (yes, my daughter ALSO saves trash to use as containers for her toys) and God knows where else ….
…. that last pewter Monopoly mover, the 4 missing letter animals from your Fisher Price Little People Alphabet Zoo and the once full deck of vintage calico kitten cards (at this point you are NOT playing with a “full deck”) AND you have lost most of your marbles from the Chinese Checkers game – PUNS INTENDED…. you realize that there is NOT ONE THING you have managed to pack up in your recovery efforts that you could sell on eBay!
Or could you?
As you can see above, here is a “Complete” 1972 Clue Board Game.
It has ALL the pieces.
BUT there are also a bunch of things the seller needed to make an apology for…
….a small tear in the directions, a smudge here, some dirt there, only 10 of the original sheets are left, but there is a large pile of photocopied ones…blah, blah, blah.
For all their effort (including finding a suitable box to ship the game in!) they are rewarded with a HUGE sum of money… NOT!!!!
This item sold for a mere $5.00… ugh!
What a waste of EVERYONE’S time and effort as far as I’m concerned!
But wait, you TOO have a copy of this game!
You are missing some cards, the little “Confidential” envelope is ripped and it has a “return address” scrawled in crayon on the back of it… maybe you should bin it…
STOP! Don’t do THAT!
You are throwing out some good money!
Right now you are thinking that maybe I really have gone crackers…
Didn’t I just say that a complete “used” game in decent condition only sold for $5.00 … yep, sure did!
Here’s the secret… you can make WAY more money from selling just the pieces and parts… than by selling a whole game!
Check this out…
from the SAME two weeks of “Completed Listings” on eBay, I found the following:
If you can’t read the auction above, let me enlighten you!
Those SIX little weapons from your clue game (thankfully, you found ALL of them…) sold with 20 bids for $5.04.
Okay, you are NOT going to be able to buy your own private island BUT, you can also list the other stuff that you DID find separately…
And I mean COMPLETELY separate.
The player’s pawns, the dice, the actual playing board, the cards, the Little Envelope (well, not YOUR “Little Envelope”!), the almost completely unused pad of game slips…
I’m sure at this point you are thinking… “Lightbulb!”
Here’s another goodie to look at:
THIS listing is for just ONE weapon from the Clue Master Detective game…
which sold for $5.24 …
Think of the packaging, postage costs & effort selling a game in bits SAVES you.
SURE, you have to put up a bunch of auctions, but hey, I’d rather sell and ship a handful of playing pieces than a whole big board game in a box, worrying that the box might end up smashed in the mail.
So exactly WHY does this work like this? Good Question!
And I’ve got some answers…
Think crafters, artisans, collectors, scrapbooking, card making, altered art, mixed-media, altered books, jewelry, dollhouse miniatures, custom storage boxes…
The list goes on and on and on…
To the left is a hand-made mixed media card that is made up of all those bits and pieces that you, me and a bunch of other eBayers might have listed and sold.
This Etsy mixed media artist LOVES to make themed cards, altered books and storage boxes with plenty of “found object” embellishments.
And another item I found on Etsy….
This person uses identical multiples of a set of different games bits and then sells them as packs for OTHER people to scrapbook, craft with or integrate into THEIR projects… which then might be sold to another group of on-line buyers…
See how well this little game works?
The hunters & gatherers find the collections of little bits, who then sell it to the enterprising middle man who creatively merchandises the bits a completely different way so that the final “users” can create an original masterpiece to sell to their fans and admirers…
EVERYONE makes a profit for their efforts!
What can YOU learn from this?
Well, for one thing, for all the people that have asked me what they could sell right now to start bringing in money on eBay, this is a GREAT way to start!
You don’t need to invest much money (if any) to start selling game pieces on eBay.
In fact, it’s probably better AND easier to sell bits and pieces from incomplete games than to try to find, inventory, list and ship entire board game sets.
This goes for toys too…
I have 18 of the 26 Fisher Price Little People Alphabet Zoo Animals… at first I was really bugged by this! But then I started to research more.
The highest final selling price for the ENTIRE set of 26 animals was $33.00.
HOWEVER, the little animals were selling individually for $1.99.
That’s $52 for the whole set!
Since my set is incomplete anyway, it is DEFINITELY the best way for me to go.
So to my daughter…
Baby doll, it’s OKAY that you have lost pieces from nearly EVERY game, toy set and puzzle that you have ever owned…
in the end, I’ll make more money selling it piece meal anyway!
HOW did I find these niches?
By using the techniques in my eBook “Fishing For Niches.”
I started by using the research methodology that I teach.
I ended up in the “Monopoly” sub-category as my jump-off point, as I own about a half a dozen “themed” Monopoly games.
While implementing my techniques, I stumbled upon a few successful auctions for bulk Monopoly pewter tokens ($50 for a grab bag of 200 pieces). My interest was piqued, and I started down a rabbit hole that led to the revelations and ideas I shared with you above.
If you haven’t checked out my eBook, you owe it to yourself to seriously consider investing now. I have reduced the price for both mine and Stuart’s subscribers to 1/3 of the original price!
That’s a huge savings… and for only $9.97, you can learn to research and source the smart way — learn FIRST, then go spend money.
To purchase and get your discount directly, click HERE.
If you want to check out the sales page, click HERE.
Happy hunting & gathering!
Deb,
So glad to hear from you again and that you are back to your “not normal” self hehe. I already have Fishing for Niches but need to reread it. I have been looking at this game pieces thing in another way. That is, I have been buying the most popular ones at thrift stores even if they are not complete. My thought was that if I was missing a piece from one game, i could use the other(s) for parts to complete the other sets. There are some games that sell for big bucks on Amazon if they are complete and the box is in good condition. I love this idea better though as I do not relish the idea of shipping a big box with an odd sized game inside. Thanks again for putting a new spin on this niche–so glad to have you back. I just bought you and Stuart’s ebook and am loving the ideas presented there.
Hey JaDeene!
Thanks for the compliments… it’s GREAT to be “not normal” again! LOL!
As for your strategy… I would suggest you do a price analysis… I’m sure that there are probably some games that you ARE way better off selling as a complete set… and IF you happen to run across a SEALED game, make SURE you think long and hard before opening it up… but I’m SURE you know that already…
Also, thank you very much for your repeat business, both Stuart and I really appreciate it!
I’m thrilled you like it…
If you are looking for MORE great tips & ideas, you should check out our proof guides…
Stuart has two available at this point, both at $5.00 a piece..
a STEAL for the info and hints, tips and sourcing ideas…
You can check it out here:
http://printsorcery.com/proof-guides/
Hope you don’t mind a shameless plug… LOL!
And yes, it is SO GOOD to be back!
Best ~Deb
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. cheers
Hi!
Thanks so much for the compliment! I used a VERY customizable WordPress theme, that is actually free… I did do all the layout settings, colors, fonts and graphics, however I am not currently available for hire. Sorry!
The theme is called “Atahualpa” by BytesForAll and you can download it here:
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/atahualpa
Hope that helps!
Best ~Deb
Hi Debbie,
From time to time I help out at local Charity shops (Thrift shops) valuing Antiques.
I have noticed the trash bins with board games, toys, etc. that have missing pieces or broken pieces, the charity sorters are putting the items in the bins, which are then sent away to be destroyed.
Could this be the place for you to find your items for sale on e.bay.
Regards, David
Hi David!
As a self-proclaimed “Dumpster-diver” and “Bottom Feeder”, if I can get stuff FREE or as close to free as possible, it’s ALL good!
The cheaper the better in my book… remember, you make your money in the “buying”, i.e. sourcing, NOT the selling! (Unless of course, you beg, borrow and plunder, but never actually SELL anything!) LOL!!!
Thanks for the tip!
Best ~Deb
Hi Deb,
What a great article! All these years we’ve all probably had these bits and pieces of games sitting there staring at us and never thought of doing something so simple as selling the pieces separately. I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve decided not to sell something because it was incomplete and thought that it had no value because of missing pieces. Thank you so much for a great article!!
Andrea
Hi Andrea!
Thanks for the kind words…. and yes, the point of this article is to throw away nothing, until you are SURE you haven’t overlooked some buried treasure!
In fact, on a whim, I just looked up EMPTY pill bottles… I’ve been pulling my labels off, destroying them and then throwing the empty bottles in the recycling bin….
WELL, I should listen to my own advice! Although I’m not going to get “rich”, it’s certainly a doable and worthwhile endeavor to save my bottles for a couple months and then sell them as a lot.
Best ~Deb
Debbie – It is wonderful to hear from you again. The last email I had from you was just before your surgury – and then Stewart sent out one quick email saying you came thru your operation just fine.
Tell me do you think there is a nich for McDonald’s toys – I have tons of them – and see them by the box loads at sales all the time.
Please keep the email coming
Sincerely
Susan
Hi Susan!
It’s GREAT to hear from you too!
As for the McD’s Happy Meal toys, there are three different approaches, and they ALL seem to be pretty successful!
1. List a HUGE lot — say 150+ SEALED (New in Package) toys as a grab bag… depending on the date range (1980′s and 90′s seems to be the most popular) you can expect your eBay auction to finish in the $75 to $100 range.
2. List a COMPLETE set (or multiple complete sets) of SEALED toys. Based on the set, the total number of actual pieces in the lot and the overall demand you can expect your eBay auctions to finish in the $20 to $150 range.
For example – an auction with 21 complete sets just sold for $157.50.
AND a complete set of 16 Smurfs NIP from 2011 just sold for $129 and a “complete set of 10″ for $102.50!
3. List the most desirable ones (either opened or NIP) as single or sets of two or three. This will give you a higher rate of return for the “scarcer” ones… and you would be appealing to an audience that was trying to complete a set.. so the better the condition, the more apt you are to sell them.
Finally, this particular niche is NOT limited to just eBay. I did some research on Amazon and Etsy.. and although some of the selling techniques would be different, such as setting fixed price and picking the correct category and the way you phrase your item description and overall condition, these seem to be selling there just as readily!
Hope that helps!
Best ~Deb
Thank you for the McD toys info. I just passed up a large box filled with SEALED happy meal toys and am kicking myself! You bet I’ll be going back to that thrift store to see if they’re still there.
Good luck Beth!
I hate it when I do that! Doh! It just makes me sick to realize I just left a TON of money on the table (or in the store…)
Best ~Deb
Hi Deb – I’ve just discovered your blog via Stuart Turnbull. Congratulations on the partnership – match made in heaven I’m thinking! – I’m just starting to discover the joys what can be done with public domain material and you guys have achieved the perfect meeting of the minds.
Best wishes
Carol
Thanks Carol!
I’m personally SO thrilled about our new partnership! I think that we make a GREAT team, we work well together, and our synergy is incredible!
It’s so much fun to have someone on the same wavelength to bounce ideas off of.
We compliment each other’s skill sets and we both are quite driven and have the same business ethics and practices…
So, yes, you are right.. it certainly IS a match made in heaven
Best ~Deb
Hi Deb!
So glad to hear you are up and around. Love this post. I knew there would be a reason that I kept all the pieces when the monopoly game got soaked. lol Now I can call myself an “enterprising pack rat” instead of just a plain ol’ pack rat.
Stay well and enjoy teaching!
Allison
Allison,
Anything I can do to raise the overall “social staus” of a fellow pack rat is all good by me
Thanks so much for the well wishes!
Best ~Deb
Hi Deb,
It’s amazing what people will buy these days. To think that little odd pieces of a game would be worth something, is like you say, mind blowing.
I will definitely add this to my list of things to look out for.
Thanks for sharing. Multi channel selling & diversification are the way to go.
I myself, have kept all my eggs in the eBay basket for too long. That must change.
Also, let me also congratulate you & Stuart for officially teaming up. You two make a charming pair, LOL.
I’m excited to see what you two will cook up for us in the future, both near & far.
George
Hey George!
You made some GREAT points!
Diversify what you buy AND what, how and where you sell it.
If you are stuck on only one product or only one site, you are risking your entire business if something drastically changes.
As for mine and Stuart’s partnership, we have a couple “buns in the oven” that we will reveal in due course… LOL!!! I promise some of these things are REALLY exciting… but I can’t spill the beans yet!
Best ~Deb
Hi Deb,
I had a thought while reading this… I haven’t spent much time on Etsy – but could you sell the pieces there? Seems that the crafters may be looking there as well?
You always give us great new food for thought! Thanks.
Vicki -
ABSOLUTELY! The only reason why I don’t suggest Etsy more readily is that although it is easier to list an item, cheaper to insert a listing and the final values are WAY less, there are TWO things to keep in mind:
1. There are no “auctions.” You pay a flat insertion for EACH item ($0.20 USD) for three months for ANY fixed price. The key is knowing how to price as there is NOT a “Best Offer” option either.
2. You have to take REALLY, REALLY awesome photos, that are clear, engaging and professional. Etsy’s store listing FOCUS on the image, rather than the text description.
Etsy is most likely a better outlet in general, but it requires more of an artistic flair to get your stuff sold.
Best ~Deb
Deb,
Great stuff here! I am going to re-think some of my listing strategies. I do sell board games that I come across at thrift shops already, but now I’m going to check out the pieces price before I list the entire game. And also, I always pass by board games that are in rough shape…this is the perfect answer for that issue.
I also enjoyed learning about the class you teach. What an awesome way to share and give back–good for you!
Thanks for the great ideas,
Wendy
Hi Wendy!
Thanks for the compliments!
You have made the EXACT point that I was hinting at!
If you go to yard sales, boxed lot live auctions or thrift stores… and of course, YOUR personal game closet, I am giving you “permission” to start selling off the bits… rather than lamenting that you can’t find all the stuff you need to make a “whole!”
This WILL cut down on your overall sourcing time, IF you do your homework and figure out what is selling and from what games… then, if you run across a game that you have PRE-RESEARCHED as a winner for parts, and the price is right, it’s a no-brainer… throw it in your cart/pile, and keep moving!
And remember, just because a particular game only has say 25% of the parts that are REALLY desirable, doesn’t mean you can’t take the other stuff that would be a waste of time and money to list and put it along with parts from other games with the same issues and list it as a “junk drawer” lot of mixed media/altered art/embellishments bits and pieces! In fact, this large group of “stuff” might be best listed on Etsy… and just decide on a certain number of items or total weight or item theme (sports, Steampunk, letters, game cards, dice, characters, etc.), and pick a price that seems reasonable based on what other Etsy shops are doing….
Best ~Deb
PS And don’t count out Amazon… there are folks on there selling Legos by the pound, Scrabble tiles by the bag, and single Little People figures and furniture!
Hello Deb,
I mostly want to say how wonderful it is to hear that you are recovering. I have been following your progress and it is so good to read that you are “yourself” again. I have purchased your book through Stuart’s newsletter and look forward to really getting into it.
Very best wishes,
Lucy in Australia
Thanks so much Lucy for the well wishes…
AND thanks for purchasing my eBook! If you have any questions, just need a bit of help or comments / constructive criticism, feel free to drop me a line…
Enjoy my book!
Best ~Deb
Wow! that is great about your new partnership.
Love the information you gave us today. I don’t know but I don’t think I would have thought about selling the game stuff separately. I would have been the one doing the whole game and explaining all the stuff that was wrong with it. Thank you for showing me the way.
Hugs
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn!
If I can convince enough people to “see the light” and SELL their junk instead of binning it, I can personally help the environment by keeping “good trash” out of the landfills!!
Recycle, Reuse, PROFIT.
Best ~Deb
Hi, Deb,
Good to see you are back in full flood again. Sounds like daughter is following in her mum’s footsteps!! By the way, if you remember me, you might be interested to hear that I made my first eBay sale recently. I must get my copy of fishing for niches out again.
Best wishes
William
Hi Bill!
As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.. and that is a VERY true statement when describing my daughter!
Thanks for the well wishes and CONGRATS on your first eBay sale!
Best ~Deb
Congrats to you on your new partnership with Stuart! And it’s ironic to read your post today, since the same thing happened to me. As I was researching the going price for a certain pasta maker to sell, I noticed the accessories and replacements parts were selling for more than the whole item. So, after taking pictures of just the pasta maker, I returned to take individual pictures of all the parts. Even the instruction manual will sell all by itself!
Mike
Hi Mike!
Thanks for the congrats… Stuart and I are having a blast working together.. having a partner just makes victory and success that much sweeter!
As for your comment on the pasta maker, it is SO TRUE. Check out the KitchenAid mixer accessories – those too are worth a bundle. It has been my experience with vintage watches and clocks, toys, games, dinnerware sets, tupperware (lids) AND books.
Basically, if you can find a niche audience, you can figure out how to sell pieces for WAY more than the whole. In the real estate market it’s called sweat equity… you add some hard work, and magically the value goes up a notch or two or ten times! LOL!
Best ~Deb