12. OEM Toyota floor mats $40
11. Texas Instruments graphing calculator $40
10. TLSO brace $56
9. slot car set $65
8. software for Brother sewing machine $65
7. PC aviation game controller set $68
6. commercial upright vacuum $70
5. electric haircutting system $83
4. espresso machine $128
3. commercial grade vacuum $175
2. six-person tent $200
1. wind deflector $234

Oh my... I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted an update! We are getting back into the swing of things (I think)...

#12: vacuum cleaner $50
#11: LED dimmable bulbs starter kit $50
#10: cargo cover $50
#9: cargo cover $50
#8: auto floor mats $50
#7: hair styling brush $51
#6: RC airplane controller $61
​#5: knee orthotic $99
#4: RC plane kit $100
#3: color calibration device $150
#2: ironing board $150
#1: prosthetic leg $220

Last two month combined top ten (10) sales:

1. $500 - Leckey Squiggles pediatric special needs stander. We can often pick up large medical items like these and wheelchairs for $25 or less. These are thousands of dollars new. Break them down for reasonable shipping cost. 

2. $275 - Adult Special Needs Car Seat see above. I think we paid $5 for this - no more than $10.

3. $200 - Electromagnetic Beam Therapy machine. paid $11

4. $199 - Automatic Pool Cleaner. paid $14

5. $181 - Louisville Slugger fastpitch bat. We have been making good money off bats for a while. We pick them up usually for $3-5. Clearly some are better than others. Make sure to search the specific model to determine resale value. 

6. $175 - micro stereo speakers
7. $150 - subwoofer. Purchased this and above speakers (same brand) in a box, all for $50. The subwoofer was black and micro speakers white, so broke up the box into separate items.

8. $170 - new Saladmaster with five (5) cones. Parts or whole, used or new, always a great buy (unless ridiculously marked up).  We usually pay $10 or less for these. 

9. $135 - Microsoft software

10. $125 - Posture Pump. One of our favorite regular finds. This is the full spine model.

We have decided to make use of Amazon again. Amazon has pros and cons compared to eBay and we really prefer eBay for our market, but some things will sell faster and/or at higher price on Amazon. Many of the items we sell on eBay aren't allowed on Amazon; that is one of the reasons we prefer eBay. The sales below are from eBay unless otherwise noted. Top 10 Sales Only: received $1,825, paid $132

10. $115 - wheeled golf cart bag carrier (pd $5)
9. $120 - luxury CUV cargo cover (pd $3)
8. $135 - slot car racetrack set (pd $10)
7. $165 - Saladmaster food prep (pd $30) - this was returned as a flaw was missed, however it was resold in August for a little bit more, with the flaw identified.
6. $200 - vintage Bianchi bicycle (pd $20) - posted with free shipping and lucked out because buyer was local and we met to deliver.
5. $200 - vital sign monitor (pd $20)
4. $200 - vintage Cutco steak knives set (pd $6)
3. Amazon sale $200 - window shade fan motor (pd $6). This is one of the lot that was purchased last month.
2. $240 - Ironing Board with built in steamer and attachment for iron (pd $7)
1. $450 - heavy-duty telescope with tripod mount (pd $25)

1. $456 - water ionizer system. We paid quite a bit for this system, expecting it to sell for over $1,000. Water filtration systems are one of our favorite items, but because this is not one of the popular brand names, it did not get the attention we had hoped. Still made several hundred dollars on it.
2. $300 - parlor guitar over 100 years old. Paid $20. There was damage to the headstock but overall in very good condition. We have purchased a few acoustic guitars for $10 or so in the past that needed repair and sold for $100 or more. Some things retain a high resale value even when flawed.
3. $200 - motor for a window shade. Got 7 or 8 of these for $5 apiece. Still have all the other ones (there were three different kinds of the same brand) and waiting for the right buyer. 
Everything below paid $10 or less for:
4. $154 - Lexus cargo cover
5. $125 - Pier 1 frog statue
6. $123 - Orbit Baby car seat base
7. $100 - golf travel bag 
8. $100 - roof rack for SUV
9. $99 - automatic ball toss machine for dogs
10. $78 - air purifier
11. $75 - kit to make your own rubber stamps
12. $75 - Cole Haan Nike Air men's dress shoes

Up to 15 this month due to ties for 9th and 10th place (amt pd):

15. $100 Oreck Floor Polisher/Buffer ($13)
14. $100 Connelly Water Ski ($8)
13. $100 Electronic Drawing System ($7)
12. $100 Bauer Goalie Mask ($6)
11. $100 Excalibur Talking Bingo, new ($5)
10. $100 Anthropologie label embroidered purse ($4)
9. $100 vintage clicky keyboard, straggler from previous month ($1)
8 $110 vintage double chiffon peignoir set ($8)
7. $115 Scubapro BCD ($8)
6. $124 Rainbow vacuum ($15)
5. $127 Fluidity yoga bar ($4)
4. $163 Rodebjer dress ($7)
3. $165 Rainbow vacuum ($25)
2. $550 Babylock sewing machine ($13)
​1. $950 EasyStand ($25)

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Sorry for the lack of new info. (There has been a little more activity on the Facebook sellers group if you need more interaction). Our main focus has been on running our business, as we suffered some financial loss due to medical issues. On the plus side, being self-employed means we don't worry about losing our jobs when health problems strike. But this has left us always playing catch-up with the bills, mainly due to large debt payments from health issues a few years back. 

As of late last week, we had gotten caught up with all the miscellaneous bills and paid our overdue eBay invoice to avoid being shut down, but deep in the hole for our rent payment. I had about an hour to kill before picking up our son from school, and made one stop at a nearby thrift store, saying a little prayer to the thrifting gods before exiting the car. 

I found a brass fireplace fan with a gargoyle base (people love these). But, alas, the fan was bent and not worth the price ($15) for its condition. Then I found a pristine set of vintage highball glasses that generally go for around $90. Not bad... Reached almost the last shelf and there the treasure was!

Brand new vintage computer keyboards. $0.99 each. To the untrained eye, these look like old junk, keyboards for computers that probably can't even access the internet. Looked one up... used ones selling for $75 free shipping, no box. Needless to say, I bought them all. At the register, the cashier didn't believe they were marked $0.99 and had to call the manager to confirm (she thought they would be $1.99). I could have asked for a discount - the date showed they were priced in October 2016. But I didn't bother.... 

The qualities that made these desirable besides being NIB (new in box): "clicky," number pad on the side, IBM compatible. 

In five days, our sales for these total $951. And we still have two more. 

UPDATE... 1 hr later: total $1.040, one left

This is the seventh year I've completed our taxes involving Schedule C self-employment income. It's been much easier year after year as I figure out which ways I need to track the information for tax purposes to make everything fast and ready as soon as the 1099s are released. Bookkeeping tips for an eBay business here. 

We've had quite alot going on since July 2016, but updates are on the horizon... 

Happy thrifting!

For those paying attention... last month I temporarily downgraded the site and there is not currently a subscription required to access the member portion. The reason for this is that we have moved twice in the past ten months, and my main focus is the making of money on eBay. Since I have not had the chance to add new items to the Field Guide or blog frequently for a little while, I opened it up until I'm back on top of it. I am also currently working on some projects that should interest you; details later.

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