I think this belongs in General Chat. I read some old threads about people having MS goals and posting about their progress. I thought it was interesting and cool to read, but didn't want to limit it to MS. Just curious, what are your goals for MS or anything else for the rest of the year? How is it going so far?

For myself, for MS, I want to limit myself to only shops that would already be on my way or part of my routine. Where it doesn't feel like it's out of place. More simple and straightforward shops, with the occasional dining shop. Working again, and I think that works out better for me.

I think a good thing is that I've approached MS with more professionalism and respect. With less shops, I believe the quality of my reports have increased, and I try to open myself up more to give associates an opportunity for better scores. Before, I don't think I ever really took MS that seriously. Reading the forums more and how some rely on it heavily, I've learned to respect the assignments more, irrespective of other factors.

For personal, doing really well with eating clean and getting sleep by my standards, but struggling with being consistent on exercising regularly. I think making this the first or last thing I do during the day helps knock it out and be done with it. Compared to early in the year, this is the best I felt physically. Feel everything in all of my extremities with no pain and lean, but need to work on flexibility and building functional strength.

I guess we'll see.. I wanted to mostly retire and just do grocery shops and well bonused gas shops, but those things seem to not be realistic. The grocery shop MSC changes the rules and makes it more and more difficult each month, and last round they blocked me until almost all of the shops were already taken. So if that "issue" is corrected this coming round, I gained an extra round of rotation on pick up shops. If it isn't, or if I've been blocked from self-assigning the shops again (or permanently), I probably won't take it well, and I may bite my nose off despite my face.

My mobility issues are getting worse, so all but the most basic gas station audits are going to be out of my reach unless I use my walker. And I'll need a different cover for my tablet, I just switched to a notebook style cover (a year or so ago), but I'll need to buy one like the old one that died with the armor and the strap to put around my neck so I can use my hands. I'll probably upgrade the tablet too, because the battery is starting to not last as long as I think it should, and I honestly can't imagine not having a tablet again, even if I have to give up doing gas stations completely.

I've been toying with the idea of joining Planet Fitness again, I could at least do the resistance exercise machines, and the bicycles. treadmills and stair steppers aren't an option anymore, but if I get back to a dedicated Keto lifestyle with the resistance exercise I could possibly get to a weight where they would consider replacing my knees. Then maybe I could walk more?

Ah Morledzep I hope you're able to do the grocery shops again with due time, and it works out. Hate to hear about your mobility issues. Anything you can do within your power and ability, and with the assistance of the walker, keep at it and keep going. Stay resilient and consistent.

In the past I did Keto at times, but hard to maintain, and elements of it were not for me. I now eat plant-based whole-foods, with small amounts of fruit. I give myself 1-2 cheat meals a week with meat. For me, there's really no room for error with empty carbs, and sugary/heavily processed stuff is a hard no. That coupled with intermittent fasting and detoxing my body has kept my glucose in check. Little by little, I'm holistically improving my Insulin sensitivity. Now, I watch a lot of YouTube on healthy meal prep. Going all-in for three months now, it's become like a lifestyle now.

My MS goal for the year was to focus on hotels. It's going ok. I've done more than normal but not quite the amount I'd like to.
Personally, I'd definitely like to lose some weight and hit the gym.
I also bought a money pit of a bar that I'm trying to offload, but I don't think that's going to happen, so I guess I need to hit the lottery and turn it profitable at some point.

@Okie, glad you now take MS more seriously, and you've narrowed down the jobs you take. I think that's a good approach.

@Morledzep, I hate to hear how your mobility has worsened. You were already having a tough time. What type of case do you need? Does it have to be name brand? If you can message me a link to something that would work for you, I can keep my eyes open for something and send it to you. I've got a few Tablet casts on hand but I do not think any of them have a strap for the neck.

@nolimitem I hope you can turn your bar business around. Can I ask what is draining your costs?

After venturing on two different business avenues last year (mystery shopping/audits and online reselling), I made the switch to focus more on reselling in 2024. While I truly enjoy the gas audits and mystery shopping jobs and had some good months making money at them, Q4 last year I realized that long-term the money would be in reselling. Another factor was mom's memory deteriorating further, which I started to notice last fall. I would be out-of-town doing a route, call to check on her and make sure she had eaten. She would tell me what she ate. Then, I would call again before heading back to see if she needed anything. She normally said she was good. I would pick me up something to eat and come home expecting to eat, only to find that mom had not eaten. Or, if she did, she didn't remember.

After what I felt were good sales over Christmas, I closed for two weeks, invested in some shelving units to put in our garage so I could store inventory. I had things almost complete when New Year's Weekend a tree from a neighboring property came crashing through the roof, with me inside. I made it out safely. Had I not rearranged where I had my inventory, I probably would have lost most of it. While I had a few things to break, it wasn't anything major. The tree dust was more of an issue. I almost gave up right there my reselling efforts, because I did not know how I could operate, much less grow the business, without that space. There is no insurance on the house, something I didn't know. The property belongs to a rental company, who refused to do anything to help. Legally, they are in the right to refuse.

After my day-long pity party, I decided I would stick to what I had planned and what I felt was right. I dismantled my bedroom and converted it over to an office and storage. My personal property, some inventory, and regular stuff that you would find in a garage, all went into storage. I got what I felt was a good deal for a 10x10 unit at $90/month plus insurance costs. After letting the garage building settle for a couple of days, I worked tirelessly for 18+hours a day for nearly a week straight to move my inventory out, check it and clean it off. I boxed up my room, bed, etc., and made the switch. Ten days into the new year I opened my online store. At the time, I had 85 items posted and about 150 to list. For the past 9 months I have worked diligently to grow the number of items in my store from 85 to over 600. I could not have done it without my oldest niece's help, who assisted me over the summer. I set a record for monthly sales in June, and another one in August.

Most of the mystery shopping and audits I've done this year were in Q1. Even then, the number I completed was less than what I normally did in one month in 2023. I've not done a gas audit, except for a closed Shell, since April. I have done a handful of online/phone call shops. While there are several parts to them, I'm organized and can work through them at a good pace to make them worth my time.

My storage unit costs have risen, and I'm now paying $130 plus insurance. I have to get out of it. I could be putting that towards something I own and have it all here at the house. My hope was to get the garage repaired, but the only estimate I was able to get came in at $15k. I did good getting the tree removed. A few weeks ago I decided I needed to make the move and get out of the storage unit. I decided I needed to do an inventory reset and count before going into Christmas. Not only have I listed more things, I have well over 500 items I've bought to list. I'm running out of room. I spent about $500 in high-quality bins with locking lids, mostly 40 galloon and 20 gallon sizes. I purchased desiccant packs off Amazon to help control moisture. I moved my shelves back into the garage, near the front door and where the roof is still intact. I have most things out of my bedroom, except my light box, which is where I photograph my products, and my good shipping boxes and supplies. The past few days I have been moving stuff from storage back here, and working on getting things organized. I'm going to move as much as I can fit here, then make the decision on whether to donate what is left or just downsize the storage unit to a 5x4. I won't have enough room to put my bed back in my room, so that's still a no-go.

Looking ahead, I plan to continue to grow my store. I expect to have at least 900 items listed by the end of the year. Keep in mind I have to replace what sells. I've been selling about 100 items per month and adding around 100 items. I do not know if I can keep that up with Christmas sales getting ready to start. If I get too busy, I have around 150 listings saved as drafts. I just need to photograph the items, and those can be made live.

If I have a good quarter 4, then I plan to take the last two weeks of December and the first two weeks of January (if not all of January) off. Then, I plan to grow again for 2025, with hopefully about 2200 items listed by the end of next year.

I'm hoping by early 2025, I will be able to get a shed built here. I've got the pad to put it on. If I end up with anything from my dad's estate, then I may be able to consider repairing the garage. I would rather have everything in it as it is quite large.

On a personal note that I cannot go into details about, I did achieve a goal/come out of an issue that had been plaguing me for years.

Health wise, like the rest of you, I need to have a better diet and get some of this weight off. I used to have an issue gaining weight. Well, no issues with that anymore! I'm a junk-foodaholic. I've improved on what I eat over the past year, but I still like my Flamin' Hot Doritos, Nutter Butter Cookies, and Starbucks Frappuccino. I do not eat as much ice cream as in the past. I turned 44 this year, and didn't think I would make it to 40. I'm grateful to be here. 5 years ago I was into cardio. I could do 1500 jumping jacks over the span of 45 minutes. I need to get back to that. I have talked about going to a gym. I used to be good at taking a daily constitutional, but that has mostly gone by the wayside due to staying busy during the safe hours to be out on the trail.

Thank you for sharing! I think having a cheat meal every once in a while keeps the best of us sane. Finding two or three healthy foods that you personally like, and slowly incorporating it helps.

As I mentioned in the other thread, pizza has been my cheat meal for about the past year and a half....it's a delicacy around here, after living so long without any decent pizza in the south.
But I need to cut way back on it....all that white flour you know, not the healthiest.
Thankfully I enjoy vegetables of all kinds and Asian food, so those are my focus.
Financially, so much to do....I need to refine my spending plan, find a lawyer for a will, the list goes on.
MSing - it has become so hit or miss....I really only have good luck with it when I leave my immediate area so that says something lol...but I come here to watch and see if there are any new updates or programs.
The health insurance shops should be coming out soon, they pay well, relatively.
I'm feeling a little stress over the plans I need to make for later this fall....I need to go to Florida and make arrangements to ship my personal belongings north....I pay over $250 for a medium size unit...ugh...but more important even than saving $ is getting access to my things.
Speaking of MSing again....I really have to look into whether there's any kind of side/part time/gig work to be had at the three casinos near my home and two more casinos not too far from here, so that's five casinos. One location is growing like crazy. My prior career involved working with the law and I was in law enforcement, so my credentials are very strong and publicly documented for working around money, security, etc.... I keep talking about it, but it falls low on the priority list.

ServiceAward, I find your reselling business interesting. I sometimes find myself shopping on eBay and can tell from the seller or storefront that they aren't selling from personal use, they must be buying from estate sales? yard sales? liquidations?
just curious, not trying to pry.

@ServiceAward my building is 125 years old. The previous owners were using a residential kitchen that the health department hadn’t seen in 12 years.
I redid plumbing and electric on the first floor. I got a gas line and replaced the boiler. I redid the entire guest facing interior. The roof leaks. I’ve had raccoons in the wall. The basement flooded. My subfloors needed replacing. No one wants to come because I can’t afford to build a commercial kitchen after all the other expenses.
I just want that cursed building out of my hands.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

Financially, so much to do....I need to refine my spending plan, find a lawyer for a will, the list goes on.

I feel the same way, procrastinated on a lot of stuff.

Keto is the way to go. Even without weight loss it helps joint pain immensely, in fact going mostly carnivore is even better.
Sugars/starches are inflammatory.

I am assuming you also know all about lectins and oxalate dense plants to avoid?

I limit my meat intake (tee-hee). Not ideal, for me.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

ServiceAward, I find your reselling business interesting. I sometimes find myself shopping on eBay and can tell from the seller or storefront that they aren't selling from personal use, they must be buying from estate sales? yard sales? liquidations?
just curious, not trying to pry.

To run reaelling as a business for tax purposes, you have to sell more than personal belongings. Otherwise the IRS will say you have a hobby. Most things depreciste in value, so if you only sell personal items, you will always be at a loss.

I started selling on ebay in 2004. I had never bought anything on there either. After my uncle passed away, my aunt gave me his model train collection and collection of new, unopened vintage model military vehicles. I had no idea what to do with that stuff. So I started selling it on eBay. Literally only 2 or 3 things at a time. Back then eBay was an auction site. It could take weeks to get something sold and weeks to get the transaction completed as you had to wait to receive payment by mail before shipping. If the buyer sent a check, you'd wait another week for the check to clear. For many years that i sold, thats how it was. I never bought anything to resale until about 2013 after i lost my job. Life happens and i stopped reselling up until last year.

When I started again, the first few months I sold personal items and 10 year old inventory I had bought in 2013. I started buying from thrift stores again last year. I also started buying Amazon pallet boxes. These are huge boxes filled with stuff sold on Amazon. They are liquidation boxes, normally full of stuff from 3rd party Amazon sellers who did not pay their FBA fees or who wanted to move dead stock out of Amazon storage. I pay literally pennies on the dollar for each item in the box, depending on the MSRP values. For instance, I pay $10 for a pallet box with items that MSRP on Amazon for $10-$50 each. I pick the stuff i know I can sell for $20 or more. I never know what is in the box. There will be some junk. Almost all of it is brand new stuff. It is common for me to make $500 or more off one $10 box. What I consider junk I will lot together and resale to other resllers or just people that like junk. (There are plenty of junk hoarders.) Sometimes i will give a tote of that stuff to my niece when she goes to sell.at tue flea market. I will have her sell that stuff for like 3 items for $1. At some point ill just donate that stuff and take the tax write off. I have made my money since those boxes can have 100+ items in them. Anything i donate or give away just cost me mere pennies. I also get higher end Amazon pallet boxes. I pay $60 for those and get all types of electronics (mostly). Those items normally MSRP for $60+ each. Again, i never know what will be in the box. It it is fun to open them. Kinda like Christmas. Lol

I get similar boxes from CVS and occasionally Walgreens. Those boxes usually have seasonal stuff that was pulled from stores, and OVC medicines that are either overstocks, damaged packaging, or expired. I can't sell expired OVC meds, so I either toss it or give it away.

I buy from thrift stores. That's harder than it used to be. Many stores raised their prices when they realized resellers were making a ton of profit of their backs. Goodwill has become notorious for this, but some stores are not as bad as others. Goodwill employees look up every item that gets donated so they know how high to price it. Stuff still slips through. If you can find a Goodwill bin store, that can be the jackpot. You oay by the pound there. They sell mostly clothes. I dont sell a ton of clothing because the market is saturated, but if you can find certain brands (Lululemon is a good example), there is profit to be made. Blue jeans always sale, so i load up on those at the Goodwill bin store.

Estate sales are great places to get inventory. I do very well at estate sales. They really like people who will buy a lot. I will often spend 2 or 3 hours at a large estate sale going through everything. Take a pair of gloves and a flashlight. Look up top and down below. People are too lazy to look in those areas. There are oftens gems to be had as people who get older hide stuff away and forget about it. The people working for the estate company sre normally too lazy to price that stuff, too, which means you normally pay a $1 or $2 at most. The backs if closets normally have the best clothing. Thats stuff people have not worn for years. Many resellers miss it because they are in a hurry trying to scoop up that one $500 valued item that will take two years to sell. There is a place for that stuff, but i like to keep stuff moving. I don't want 70% of my store being the same stuff 6 months from now as it is today.

My MS goal is just to make 1K per month which is going pretty well so far. I would like to do this by taking on less shops at higher fees. This was actually working for awhile until other shoppers started grabbing things at base. I have noticed that it isn't happening as much lately. Maybe they are on vacation or maybe they learned that the fees go up.

Personally, weight loss is a thing for everyone it seems. I am focusing more on a healthier relationship with food. No more restrictions, no more feeling guilty, no more pressure to lose a certain amount of weight this week. I have gone the route of eating more protein, less calories. It is working but very slow for me due to medical reasons. I have to stay in a low calorie range for me to lose anything so I try to do 2 weeks of low calories and 2 weeks of maintenance so I don't go back to binge eating. It seems to be working better for me. Took me years and years to figure it out. I would like to thank Tik Tok and all of the great creators who taught me that all foods are good, no foods are bad. In moderation of course. If I mess up, I don't worry about it, I just continue. My clothes fit better, I feel better, slow and steady wins the race!

Only one significant goal that requires active participation: diy rehab a knee and avoid surgery. Weight loss is real with no change other than a change in thyroid medication. I still know the names of the two surgeon-approved otc joint products and how to use them. Just need to get them. Won't mention the brand names because this could seem like sales and someone else's doc might recommend something else altogether. Good luck to everyone with the goals!

@service Award, have you looked at or considered a small shed, like the ones folks make tiny homes out of? I've seen repo'd sheds here go for amazingly small prices and/or very low monthly payments, and in a few months you would own it, have no more payments, and still have storage space. Just an idea.

I've only sold a few things on ebay, and every time it's turned into a nightmare, so I decided a long time ago not to play that game. You seem to be making it work, and that makes me happy for you.

@barefoot, I don't use sugar. Haven't since 2009 when I did that 22 days sugar free challenge. Anything that I eat that has any kind of sugar in it really bothers me. I started eating and cooking more asian food, minus the rice, and italian food, minus the pasta. I'm very sensitive to soy, I do my best to avoid it in almost every form, and only use coconut aminos when I cook my own asian food. I also avoid ALL processed sugar substitutes and sugar alcohols. IF I need to sweeten something, which doesn't happen often, I use a small amount of raw honey or 100% maple syrup.

I freely admit to eating more fruit than I should, but it doesn't make my stomach feel bloated, so I probably won't change that significantly. Maybe go with smaller portions of fruit in my whole milk greek yogurt and unsweetened coconut milk smoothies, I also add 100% whey protein powder, L-glucosamine, Collagen Peptides, Spirulina, and psyllium husk powder to them.

I HATE steamed flavorless vegetables, every vegetable I eat is roasted or sautéed, and I eat vegetables of some kind with every meal. And root vegetables, including sweet potatoes are NOT on the menu. Not even turnips, but I do eat a LOT of greens. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, greens from almost everything, except collards, mustard and turnip greens are my favorites. I slice cabbage very very thin and sauté it in butter and garlic for a pasta substitute. I've also started using hearts of palm alternative "pasta" occasionally, but there is a learning curve, and my son's curve is a LOT longer than most.

I make a really good casserole that I call Loaded Cauliflower and Broccoli. It's a lot like mac n cheese, only it tastes good (I've never been a fan of mac n cheese, no matter how it's made). Anything with melted cheese is my friend, burnt melted cheese is even better. I haven't tried making taco shells out of burnt cheese yet, but now that I have the blackstone, I probably will sooner rather than later.

I have an entire recipe book (not published) that is modified meals that work for either paleo, keto, or both. And each recipe has alternative suggestions to help someone modify it for their specific dietary needs. I'm still writing some of the descriptions, and updating my sources, because some of my recipe sources no longer have active websites. And I haven't even looked for a publisher yet..

I should also add that mystery shopping and my son's dumpster diving have caused some lapses in my keto(ish) lifestyle. And I've toyed with the idea of making sourdough for sandwiches. There is a loaf of bread that's tough to find at Kroger, but it's olive oil and rosemary bread made by La Brea bakery. It's dense like real sourdough, and the rosemary makes it taste a little like focaccia bread. I'm guilty of succumbing to that temptation far more than I should..

@Morledzep wrote:

I've also started using hearts of palm alternative "pasta" occasionally, but there is a learning curve, and my son's curve is a LOT longer than most.

I make a really good casserole that I call Loaded Cauliflower and Broccoli. It's a lot like mac n cheese, only it tastes good (I've never been a fan of mac n cheese, no matter how it's made). Anything with melted cheese is my friend, burnt melted cheese is even better. I haven't tried making taco shells out of burnt cheese yet, but now that I have the blackstone, I probably will sooner rather than later.

I have an entire recipe book (not published) that is modified meals that work for either paleo, keto, or both. And each recipe has alternative suggestions to help someone modify it for their specific dietary needs. I'm still writing some of the descriptions, and updating my sources, because some of my recipe sources no longer have active websites. And I haven't even looked for a publisher yet..

@Morledzep You should post in "What are you having for dinner?"

The first time I cooked with hearts of palm, I botched it and didn't do it right. But it was available at a salad bar recently, and it had a good amount of texture and fiber. I could envision having it with some tomato sauce.

Like ServiceAward, I'm a reseller too. I've been on eBay since 1999, and was buying and selling there sporadically through the years until I got more serious about it around 2018. I've never had more than 300 items listed at a time. Currently, I've been letting my inventory slowly sell off while I've been working on other things and rearranging my apartment. I'm down to only about 100 items listed. My goal was to spend this month listing as much of my death piles (unlisted inventory) as I can, to be ready for Q4. I need to get moving on that before October is here! I now have a surplus of about 1,000 items to list. My apartment is fairly large but doesn't have much closet space, so it is tricky figuring out how to store my inventory. I have mostly been selling clothes, shoes, accessories, and beauty items, but my big goal is to expand into other niches and sell mostly hard goods.

.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2024 06:07AM by shopnyc.

@nolimitem wrote:

@ServiceAward my building is 125 years old. The previous owners were using a residential kitchen that the health department hadn’t seen in 12 years.
I redid plumbing and electric on the first floor. I got a gas line and replaced the boiler. I redid the entire guest facing interior. The roof leaks. I’ve had raccoons in the wall. The basement flooded. My subfloors needed replacing. No one wants to come because I can’t afford to build a commercial kitchen after all the other expenses.
I just want that cursed building out of my hands.

Wow, I am sorry to hear about the situation you are in. It may very well be time to try to sell it and take the loss. I hope that you are able to find a solution that won't leave you too much in the red.

@shopnyc wrote:

Like ServiceAward, I'm a reseller too. I've been on eBay since 1999, and was buying and selling there sporadically through the years until I got more serious about it around 2018. I've never had more than 300 items listed at a time. Currently, I've been letting my inventory slowly sell off while I've been working on other things and rearranging my apartment. I'm down to only about 100 items listed. My goal was to spend this month listing as much of my death piles (unlisted inventory) as I can, to be ready for Q4. I need to get moving on that before October is here! I now have a surplus of about 1,000 items to list. My apartment is fairly large but doesn't have much closet space, so it is tricky figuring out how to store my inventory. I have mostly been selling clothes, shoes, accessories, and beauty items, but my big goal is to expand into other niches and sell mostly hard goods.

.

I am hoping to finish up this inventory reset by the end of the week. This has included going through the death piles and figuring out what I want to move forward on and donate the rest. I've not listed anything in a week because I've been busy with this, but it has been worth it in the long run as I've run across things that I thought were listed and were not. (or, more likely, eBay dropped listings and I didn't realize it.)

ShopNYC, are you the one I was looking into an unlocked phone for? I can't find the thread to know who it was. LOL

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2024 07:36AM by ServiceAward.

@ServiceAward wrote:

ShopNYC, are you the one I was looking into an unlocked phone for? I can't find the thread to know who it was. LOL

Yep, that was moi!

I much appreciate all the comments and suggestions about reselling and of course, healthier eating...
thank you all for sharing....as an eBay buyer, I am also trying to better understand how to bid or negotiate....some people of course, just want to unload quickly, so good deals there....others don't seem mind carrying inventory for awhile...
I buy gently used sunglasses.....because I am particular about brand and style and prefer the higher end for better UV protection...and because I am terrible at losing things like keys, sunglasses, umbrellas, etc it doesn't make sense for me to buy new. I also appreciate being able to buy things that would normally require a professional license...like certain hair styling products.
I am a fan of greens and in particular, escarole greens. My own recipe comes from the Italian side of my family: wilting the greens in crushed garlic and olive oil, sprinkling some prepared bread crumbs over them...light handedly lol makes a nice meal with some fish or chicken, maybe a nice glass of pinot grigio.

shopnyc, have you written here in the forum about...to sound obvious, shopping in NYC? I've always wondered about that...I'd prefer to shop by foot or train if I was in the city....er..bigger city. lol. Today is 9/11, all are in my thoughts today... on 9/11/2001, I was in a meeting at the Pentagon.... a day I will never forget.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2024 12:04PM by BarefootBliss.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

I much appreciate all the comments and suggestions about reselling and of course, healthier eating...
thank you all for sharing....as an eBay buyer, I am also trying to better understand how to bid or negotiate....some people of course, just want to unload quickly, so good deals there....others don't seem mind carrying inventory for awhile...

It's been a while since I bought something from eBay, but sometimes after leaving the item in your cart for a while, you may later get a personalized offer from the seller at a discounted price. I think the seller gets notifications if items sit in carts. In the past, I remember every once in a while there may be a promo code sent from eBay to apply an additional discount.

@ServiceAward oh, it's been listed. I have no takers. I don't expect to. It should be torn down and rebuilt. I may have to entertain a land lease with a larger company, which I wouldn't be mad at, but would take some research.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

shopnyc, have you written here in the forum about...to sound obvious, shopping in NYC? I've always wondered about that...I'd prefer to shop by foot or train if I was in the city....er..bigger city. lol. Today is 9/11, all are in my thoughts today... on 9/11/2001, I was in a meeting at the Pentagon.... a day I will never forget.

I lived in NYC for over 30 years, and that was where I lived when I joined this forum. I left the city in late 2019 and traveled a bit before I moved to northern New England in 2020. I haven't changed my username here because I can't think of a good one, really. But yes, when I was in NYC, I either walked or took buses and subways to do shops. I lived in a neighborhood where I could do a fair amount of restaurant, retail, and bank shops within walking distance. I also used to do a lot of route shopping at the airports, to which I could take public transportation.

I never owned a car in my life until I left New York. There's a reason why you see shoe repair stores on almost every block - it's a walking town! Being in a place where I need a car to do almost everything has been a huge adjustment!
.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2024 10:29PM by shopnyc.

I did merchandising for 28 years and mystery shopping for 20 years. Due to serious health issues I had to give up merchandising mostly. I still do small easy jobs like gift cards and audits that don't take very long. I still do ms'ing but only a few times a month when I can make a small route out of it.I sell on Ebay have since 2000, also sell on Mercari, started on it in 2018. I collect SS also, so the work I do supplements it, along with the selling.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

I much appreciate all the comments and suggestions about reselling and of course, healthier eating...
thank you all for sharing....as an eBay buyer, I am also trying to better understand how to bid or negotiate....some people of course, just want to unload quickly, so good deals there....others don't seem mind carrying inventory for awhile...
I buy gently used sunglasses.....because I am particular about brand and style and prefer the higher end for better UV protection...and because I am terrible at losing things like keys, sunglasses, umbrellas, etc it doesn't make sense for me to buy new. I also appreciate being able to buy things that would normally require a professional license...like certain hair styling products.

For bidding, I would watch the item, then bid close to the auction end. Otherwise, you just bid the price up days in advance. If I am bidding on an auction, I won't place my first bid until the last few seconds. One thing to keep in mind is many savvy buyers use various apps and tools to bid automatically for them in the last millisecond of the auction ending. This is especially true if an auction has a lot of interest. It can be extremely difficult to win, if not impossible, unless you are using a sniper toll. You can Google "Auction Sniper" if you want to know more about those tools. If an auction has a Buy It Now option and it is an item you really want, then I would go ahead and buy it and not wait until the end of the auction.

As for listings that are Buy It Now, unless the seller has turned on the "Make Offer" option for the listing, then you may be out of luck. Savvy sellers do not entertain offers in messages. In fact, I normally block people who send offers though messages. If I wanted to accept an offer, I would turn on the option for buyers to use it. There are times when I will turn on offers. Normally at the end of month and/or quarter, if I've not met my goal. Right now my gross sales are up 21% over Q2 and up 180% over Q3 last year and up 290% for the year, so I'm sitting good and not taking offers.

When buyers start messaging for discounts, that is normally a red flag for me. If I engage and let them know I'm not accepting offers, they may go forward with the buy, then leave negative feedback because the item was too expensive in their view. I don't want or need to deal with that, so I put those people on a block list. Most buyers who send unsolicited offers throw out prices that are nowhere near what I would even consider. I'm talking about people will offer $5 for a $50 item AND want it shipped free. I used to write people back and ask if they would like me to throw in a crisp $100 bill as well. If someone messaged an offer that was within 15% of my asking price, then I would probably take it as long as it isn't an item that was listed in the last 30 days. If it is something that has been sitting there a year, then I'm more apt to accept 30% off the listing price. It would really depend on the item, how rare it is, and whether it is generating views. There are a few things I don't mind if they set for 2 or 3 years because I know I am looking for a specific buyer.

Sellers can send buyers unsolicited offers. We get notified if an item is eligible to have an unsolicited offer sent on it. We do not know what triggers the notification (eBay keeps the exact qualifiers a secret), but generally items that get watched buy buyers and items where a buyer has spent time on the listing will trigger the notification to sellers. Some sellers do not send out any offers. Most will. Some may only do it immediately, daily, once a week or once a month. I've tried various methods and I can't say there is one way that works better than the other from a selling perspective. If it is a recent listing, I'll offer 5% off. Anything over 30 days old, I'll offer 12%-15% off, and anything over 90 days old I'll normally take 20%-30% off, depending on the item, the interest, and my need to make a sale. Another factor is whether something is already on sale. If I am running a 20% off sale, I'm less inclined to send out offers.