Yeah, so remember how I complained last week that thrifting wasn't so good? Seems it happened again.
Anyone surprised? It's not that the stores weren't stocked. They all had plenty of stuff, just none of it worth purchasing.
Well, except for that dining room set I would have totally bought if I actually needed one. But I don't, so I didn't.
Heck, there wasn't even anything WTF-enough to take a picture of.
Hopefully, next week will be better. If we don't get snowed in. We're supposed to get snow today (yesterday it was 55 degrees), maybe some more on Wednesday, and again on Saturday. It's no wonder I'm in a grumpy mood. Add to that the fact that sometime last night we lost our interwebz (again), phone, and TV and, well, my typically sweet personality is kind of sour today.
Anyway, here's what I got. You ready?
1. Glade! Yeah, it's a Glade scented oil warmer. With a fan. Funny story: I emailed SC Johnson (a family company) asking them if they still made the warmer with the fan. Got a very nice reply saying no, but they now make a similar item (that switches back and forth between two different scents), and they're sure I'd like the new one so they're sending me a coupon. I was expecting a dollar-off coupon, but what they sent me was a coupon for a FREE warmer. Wasn't that nice? Just goes to show that if you have a question, just email the company and see what happens. Anyhoo, I saw this and thought I'd get it as a backup. Rescue Mission Thrift. $4.00 (kind of pricey, I think, but the lady there was really nice, so what the heck?)
In other news:
The ebay auctions for the Cathrineholm fondue pot, the vintage doll clothes patterns and the two random dolls ended. What a debacle. The patterns auction went okay but when I looked at the other two, the Cathrineholm winner was in Japan and the doll winner was in Italy! I was pretty sure I had specified that I don't ship overseas, and was particularly panicked because ebay was reporting that shipping for both items would have been FREE! WTF, ebay? So I immediately tried to cancel both of the auctions. That didn't work, but it all came out okay in the end as both winning bidders had shipping addresses in the US. I guess they have someone here who resends items. And then suddenly, the proper shipping charges showed up.
When did ebay get to be so hard? Years ago I sold stuff fairly regularly and it was always pretty easy. Now everything seems harder than it needs to be, and they charge a fee based on shipping as well as the final price. And let's not talk about the Pay Pal fees, either. I'm going to investigate the whole "pay for shipping and print labels online" thing, as that may save me some steps.
See? Told you I was in a bad mood!
But they say you should jump back on that horse, so I'm getting a few other things ready to list this week. I've got too much stuff in the house and it's time to start getting rid of some. Hopefully I'll make a little profit but I've got a bunch of things I have no idea what I paid for, so heaven only knows. At least if I can free up some room in the house I'll be happy.
What I made department:
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Me: Anything in particular you want for dinner next week?
Hubster: Oh, whatever.
So when he asked for this, I got on it right away! The picture, by the way is from Caker Cooking, and if you haven't checked out Brian's site, you totally should.
B. Italian Wedding Soup! There are meatballs in it, they're just sunk to the bottom. This was the first time I've ever made this (I don't think I've ever eaten it before), so I'm not quite sure how it came out. I tasted a little bit last night and it seemed kind of meh, but soup is often better the next day, so we'll see when we have it tonight.
And that's all the news that fits, kiddos. Unless of course you want to hear how the power supply for my netbook died, or how I blew out the knee in a pair of jeans, or how the DVD player is acting up....
Should I even bother linking up at all? Ah, what the hay--Sir Thrift A Lot, Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm, and We Call It Junkin.
My sister would love that soup!
ReplyDeleteWere you on eBay back in the day before Paypal when you could send cash, cheque & money orders? It was so much easier & with over 300 transactions I had done during that period, I had gotten ripped off once. Stuff didn't "get lost in the mail" - surprising how often that happens now, eh? When you are able to say you never got the item & get your money back, why wouldn't it? But yeah, now stuff doesn't make it 1/20 times. So odd.
I WAS on ebay in the check/money order days. It was so nice not having to pay the Pay Pal fees. And the one time I tried to use the Ebay guarantee, they said the item wasn't eligible. Huh? Still, they're the only game in town, so I guess we have to play by their rules.
DeleteI'm not sure the soup is actually good, but it certainly was easy!
I definitely recommend using the print-shipping-label and pay online step. I hesitated a while before I used it but it really is easy...and you get a discount on the price of shipping. But yeah, all those fees are a pain. You'd think eBay was in it to make money or something. A lot of money!
ReplyDeleteI know, right? What's up with that?
DeleteI'm definitely going to try the print-your-own this time. I went out and bought a postage scale, and used the packages I shipped Saturday to test it--it was right on the money! Now if I can get my printer to work, I'll have it made!
P.S. I made a spreadsheet that calculated the actual profit on the auctions after subtracting all the fees. Boy was THAT depressing!
I have had the Italian wedding soup before, I had the Progresso canned version and a cooked ready to eat hot soup version from a nearby supermarket (it was probably from a can, not from scratch.)
ReplyDeleteIt is an OK soup, but like anything edible, there are those who love it and those who hate it.
I haven't done any ebay selling in a few years, so after hearing about your annoyances concerning ebay I might just let my account stay in limbo and sell through Craigslist or some other auction site. Ebay needs to be reminded that a company that gets too big for its britches tends to go the way of the eight track (anybody remember those things?)
I believe I still own a few 8-tracks!
DeleteThe nice thing about Ebay vs. Craigslist is that the auction method sort of automatically sets the appropriate price. I've sold a bunch of things that I would have had NO idea what price to put on them. Yeah, I could have done some research, but I'm lazy ;)
Progresso soups always smell funny to me. I don't know why. I'm sure the soup I made will be at least edible, even if it's not delicious!
Mine week TOO. Except I found two pairs of jeans for me which NEVER happens. I also received two coupons after complaining that the pattern I bought for Christmas pajamas had a 19 inch inseam for the size 16 young mens..WTHeck?? so we're tied except I didn't make tater to casserole but I did make homemade pepperoni!
ReplyDeleteHomemade pepperoni? Color me impressed! Good for you on the jeans. I never look at clothes because it would take forever. Plus, I have a short attention sp
DeleteI've gotten to the point where I love emailing companies about their products. Sometimes it's a complaint, sometimes it's a question, and sometimes it's a comment. But a lot of the time I'll get some good coupons from just a quick email. Case in point: I asked Unilever if Noxzema was supposed to be so hard and crumbly. They sent me a coupon for a free jar!
I know what you mean about Ebay, I had taken a break and then listed a few items, only small items and just figuring out the postage hardly seems worth it - it's frustrating!!!
ReplyDeleteI'll only list things that A) aren't super fragile, B) aren't too big/heavy and C) will likely give me a high ROI. Needless to say, that leaves a lot of stuff out.
DeleteOh, well. It's not like I'm trying to make a living at this, right? Just trying to unload some ballast.
I have a great Wedding Soup recipe. I'm Italian. Send me an email and I'll get it to you if you wish.
ReplyDeleteI've been having big issues with my internet connections, too. Comcast?
Verizon FIOS. Apparently, everyone in the neighborhood was out. Got our interwebz back around 6:00.
DeleteSend me your recipe and I'll send you mine, which is about as easy as opening a can. Authentic? Not sure. But tasty!
Bummer your eBay sales didn't go great, I haven't had much luck there either by the time eBay AND PayPal takes their fees (and eBay owns PayPal so they're double dipping... must be nice) I haven't made Tater Tot casserole in ages, now I'll have to make it. Thanks so much for sharing this at my History & Home link party this week! -Dawn @ We Call It Junkin.com
ReplyDeleteThe sales didn't go too badly, I guess. At this point, I'm just trying to get things out of the house. Oh, and ebay is *triple* dipping, since they also charge a fee for shipping costs!
DeleteDo make the Tater Tot casserole. It's one of my all-time favorites, and a perfect dinner for the harsh weather we've been having.