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Here’s a video to get you in the mood:

Well, things around here have been simultaneously eventful and incredibly uneventful. “How can that be,” you ask? Well, you too can attain this level of boredom by taking pictures of everything you own (and want to sell) and listing them on Craigslist, eBay, Etsy, and Hipswap (my new favorite resale site…think of it as Craigslist, without the pantless men answering the door). It’s like we are permanent “Open House” agents, with all the people coming and going. On the PLUS side, we are selling a TON of our stuff and I haven’t lost money on ONE SINGLE ITEM. In fact, we’ve made a hefty profit on most. Most of these items I’ve blogged about already, so you’ll be familiar with what I paid for them and the amount of elbow grease* I put in. (*not a real product. It’s a figure of speech)

I had MANY people interested in this dresser and sold it the first day for $175. Maybe I wasn’t asking enough? My plan with this move was that I would list all the big items first (and for a high price) so that I still had 2 months to sell it. All it takes is ONE person who approves of your price. I didn’t care if everyone else thought it was too much. SO, I guess because it sold so fast, maybe I couldashoulda asked for more. But I end up feeling pretty greedy, you know what I mean? I should be happy with that price! Ok, on to the next one.

  • White lacquer desk – purchased for $150 including chair

I bought this at a local consignment shop and spent $150, more than I normally would have. However, I got lucky when I did my research when I was ready to sell. The nearly identical model is at ZGallerie for $499. I also found out that the plastic bucket chair is from West Elm and retails for $149. SO, I ended up selling the desk for $270 and the chair for another $65. I believe that because I cleared my desk off and made it look nice, I was able to sell it for more. In fact, many people asked if the rug was for sale too. Moral of this story, make sure you’re somewhat styling your photos when you try to sell. I’m not talking about getting Glamour Shots done for your old chair or anything, but fluffing it’s pillows and relocating your old stank baby blanket can go a long way.

I sold 2 of them! I’m a real artist now! I sold 2 for $600! This made me feel super great because I put a lot of time into finding the sea fans, painting, etc. And it was nice to make a nice profit on a $40 project.

  • Lucchese cowboy boots – purchased for $50 at an estate sale

This is probably my best. find. ever. Just let me tell you about this last one and then I’ll stop bragging. Bought these for $50 and knew they were worth more because of the brand (Lucchese: pronounced Loo-kay-see) and because they were croc or alligator. During my research, I found that the 2 piece croc is pricier than boots that are pieced together with multiple skins. Anyway, some of my research told me that custom Lucchese boots can cost upwards of $30,000. I posted my on ebay for $2,000 and sold them for $1,600 the first week!

Ebay takes a lot of $$ for fees, but it’s still a nice profit! Keep in mind, though, that I’m moving AGAIN across country and need to buy some new items at the new house. Which brings me to my next Question and Answer segment…

How much should I spend on a couch? Normally I’d buy a used couch (duh) but for some reason, I might mix things up and go for a new one (or at least a barely ever used one). I just think that my brand new baby might appreciate that they be the first one to pee on the couch, not some frat boy. So I’ve started shopping around…Here is the new one I want from Crate and Barrel.

  1. The problem is that it’s $2,400 when you piece together all the parts. Too much, right? I am the queen of Craigslist, so maybe it’s completely reasonable? You tell me!! Please! Here is option #2This one’s around $1850. Ugh. Still seems like too much…Here are my favorites on Craiglist for much less. West Elm, like new on Craigslist, $1100 (and negotiable!)I’m obsessed with this gray velvet one too. $500 and just reupholstered!

Anyway, I guess to sum it all up, we’re doing well here selling our things, but there will be a lot of new things once we get to San Diego. And I haven’t even figured out baby stuff yet, either! I need your advice with prices for a new couch AND your thoughts on second-handedness.

XOXO
Wallis