Magazine Mayhem at the Recycling Center!

I braved the nearly 100 degree heat to hit the recycling center the other day because I was low on shipping supplies. I was hoping to find some padded mailers, bubble wrap, and empty boxes to use for my Ebay sales. Since I started selling on Ebay I have never purchased any of these items - my only expense has been tape. And last month I "bought" a bunch of tape off Amazon with credit that I had earned from Swagbucks. 

Anyway, when I opened up one of the dumpster doors, I found an entire year of Seventeen, Vogue, and Teen Vogue magazine issues.

I loaded them into my backseat, then peeked into another dumpster where I found that someone had ditched several years worth of horse magazines! They filled up the rest of the back seat:

After I got home, my son Jake and I sorted them all out by issue and year so that we could start listing them on Ebay:

Magazines cannot be sent by media mail, because they contain advertising, and they are heavy to ship, so I always list them with "calculated shipping" which the buyer has to pay separately.

Oh, and I also found some shoe boxes, Kellogg's Family Reward codes and Coke Codes, but I guess I'll have to try another day for those elusive padded mailers....

April Dumpster Diving Discoveries!

Since the weather warmed up so nicely today, I headed over to my recycling center to see what I could find. I got some empty boxes to pack my Ebay sales in, and the following:

A bunch of coupon inserts:

A collection of Kellogg's Family Rewards codes:

Some Box Tops for Education (BTFE), a Purina Weight Circle, and the cap from a bottle of Coke with a code:

A nice assortment of blank, brand new Christmas cards with envelopes:

And these two wicker items that some less than bright star thought were recyclable!

The basket is now a trash can in my "Ebay shipping and packing" area!

My Monday Morning Marketing

This morning I ran over to Rite Aid to get the Stride gum and Bic Razors that I posted about:

I spent $1.19 out of pocket and got back a $1.00 UP Reward.

Then, I stopped in to Harris Teeter to pick up some yogurt. My 18 year old son is home from college on spring break, so it doesn't hurt to have extra snacks in the fridge! I already had a $3.50 credit from the General Mills promo, and I got the following:

6 Yoplait yogurts - $3.00
1 stalk of celery - $2.29
Fixodent - $4.99
Total = $10.28 - $3.50 instant savings = $6.78 - $3.30 in coupons = $3.48 plus tax. 

For some reason my Fixodent ZVR didn't come off so I went to customer service and got back $2.50 plus tax. 

Total of first transaction = 98 cents and I earned another $3.50 credit.

In my second transaction I got:
6 Yoplait yogurt - $3.00
1 Miracle Whip - $3.00
1 Oscar Mayer P3 Protein Pack - $1.99
2 Haribo Gummy Bears - $1.49
Total $9.48 - $3.50 instant savings = $5.98 - 75 cent ZVR for the P3 = $5.23 - $5.00 in coupons

Total of second transaction = 23 cents plus tax and I earned another $3.50 credit! 

When I got home I took the Stride gum from Rite Aid and the Gummy Bears from Harris Teeter and added them to the other candy bars that I got for free or close to it while shopping this week:

I squirrelled all the candy away to add to my kids' Easter baskets. And speaking of baskets, I peeked into the dumpster at a thrift store today and found all these baskets inside:

I brought them home and posted them on a Facebook yard sale site and immediately sold them for $10.00.

All in all, a pretty good day! 

My First Grocery Store Dumpster Dive!

I recently joined a Facebook page for dumpster divers, where people post photos and stories of their "scores". I was amazed at how many folks find perfectly good food behind some supermarkets - particularly Aldi's! I did a run behind my Giant and Harris Teeter supermarkets, only to find that they have giant compactors connected to the back of the store by a tube, so that whatever they toss gets smashed and shipped to a landfill. 

This morning my husband had an errand in Winchester, so I tagged along just to check out the Aldi's there. I went inside first and didn't find any really hot deals. The prices were lower than the grocery stores in my area, but nowhere near as low as what I am used to paying with coupons. Aldi's is a German chain with a no-nonsense system and does not accept coupons. I did buy a 3 lb. bag of apples for $3.39, which at $1.13 pound is a pretty good price.

Then we drove around back and I peeked into the dumpster. I couldn't believe my eyes! About 15 loaves of bread, a box of cereal, and other assorted goodies were inside, but they were all out of my reach. I grabbed what I could get easily and ran back to the truck! 

Here is what I brought home:

The orange juice says "best by April 9, 2014" and was tossed because the top was smashed in! It was tricky to open, but we managed to cut it with scissors and poured it into a pitcher.

I suspect the hummus just didn't move because it was spicy (it has cayenne pepper in it) and was disposed of to make room for fresher merchandise. It still has a tight plastic seal on the top, under the lid, and says "sell by April 14, 2014".

The bread says "sell by February 28, 2014" and I have no idea why it was thrown out. I opened it, and and it smelled fresh, so we used it to make tuna melts for dinner!

My Dumpster Diving Book Bonanza!

I hadn't been to the recycling center for several weeks due to the freezing temperatures and snow here, but one day this week it was a bit warmer and I ran over to see what I could find. All the dumpsters were empty until I got to the very last one, opened it, and saw this:

The ENTIRE thing was full of books, many of which looked brand new! I filled my car completely up with boxes of books and had to get the whole family to help me carry them down to the basement:

I think in total there were probably around 350 books! I had to leave some behind that I couldn't reach at the bottom.

It took me a long while to sort them out, but I found complete collections of Harlequin Historical Romances.....

...Harlequin Intrigue Romance Suspense novels....

....and other series in "like new" condition!  

I hope to find some buyers for these on Ebay. You'll know if I was successful the next time I post my sales results.

Cash to Trash - My December Ebay Sales

Here is my report on Ebay profits for the month of December. I found every one of these items at the dumpster during my regular trips to the local recycling center:

These 3 Virginia Real Estate books sold for $12.50 with free shipping.

This lot of kids magazines (7 issues of Discovery Kids and 8 issues of National Geographic Kids) sold for $25.00 with free shipping.

This lot of Campbell's Labels for Education worth 74 points sold for $7.00 with free shipping. (OK, some of these came from my kitchen.)

This lot of 9 Martha Stewart Every Day Food magazine issues sold for $9.00 with free shipping.

This lot of 16 back issues of Time magazine sold for 11.00 with free shipping. 

This single issue of Vogue magazine that was still wrapped in plastic sold for $6.00 with free shipping.

This lot of 7 hardcover books by Dr. Robin Cook sold for $15.95 with free shipping.  

This lot of 10 issues of Teen Vogue from 2012 sold for $10.00 with free shipping. 

These Victoria's Secret coupons sold for $3.99 with free shipping.

This lot of 10 back issues of Seventeen magazine sold for $10.00 with free shipping.

My favorite sale last month wasn't a dumpster find but an item my husband brought home from the office. It was a new tube of poison ivy cream that his boss got for free somehow. His boss didn't want it, so he gave it to my husband. I listed it on Ebay and sold it immediately to someone in Tennessee for $10.99 with free shipping:

My total sales came to $121.43, but after shipping costs, Ebay fees and Paypal fees, I made about $75.00. Not as great as Nov and Oct, but not bad for trash! 

More Ebay Trash to Cash Earnings!

Last month I posted about how I earned Christmas Cash with Coupons by selling my drugstore money makers and dumpster diving finds on Ebay. A lot of people enjoyed that post, so I decided to continue reporting on my profits. This month I've sold the following so far:

This lot of 9 boxes of Visine eye drops that were money makers at Rite Aid last year sold for $21.00 with free shipping:

This Sally Hansen Instagel Strips Starter Kit that was a money maker back in July at Rite Aid sold for $10.00 with free shipping:

This lot of 10 issues of Travel & Leisure magazine from 2012 sold for $21.00 with free shipping. I actually got this subscription for free last year, but I cannot recall how. They were just laying around my house, so I decided to list them!

This lot of 3 boxes of Samy Fat Foam hair color that were money makers at Rite Aid last year sold for $21.00 with free shipping:

 

 This paperback book that I found in the dumpster sold for $6.00 with free shipping:

 

These 2 boxes Azo Urinary Pain Relief tablets that were money makers at Rite Aid in July went for $8.00 with free shipping:

 

This paperback book that I found in the dumpster that was autographed by the author sold for $9.99 with free shipping:

 

These Purina Weight Circles totaling 223.5 lbs sold for $12.00. Some of them came from packages of dog food that I got for free with my UP Rewards at Rite Aid, but most of them came from my dumpster dives:

 

This lot of 4 boxes of Nair Bikini Crème hair remover that cost 25 cents each last week at Rite Aid sold for $18.00 with free shipping:

 

  

And my favorite deal this time around:  this lot of 10 issues of Ceramics Monthly magazine from the year 2003 that I found at the recycling center sold for $40.00 with free shipping!

  

My total comes to $167.00 but after Ebay, Paypal, and shipping fees, I made about $110.00. Not quite as much as last month, but I also sold some yard sale and thrift shop finds (not shown here) and did this:

 

My son had a complete game of Warhammer 40,000 Cadian Battle Force that he had previously purchased with his own birthday money. He also had partial sets of the Necron and Tau Empire Battleforces. This is a war game with little model soldiers that you put together and paint.

Some of the pieces were new, but most had already been put together and about half had been painted. I listed them on Ebay as a mixed lot and sold them immediately for $100 plus shipping! The $85.00 profit went directly to my son for college expenses.

 

How I Earned Christmas Cash with Coupons!

I've been dabbling with selling things on eBay for about a year now, and it took me a while to get the hang of it. A few times I actually lost money because I sold things for too little, and by the time I paid my eBay, PayPal, and shipping fees, I ended up in the hole.

Last month I decided to make a concerted effort to find and list more items to save up for Christmas. Here are the results so far:

If you have been following this blog since last spring, you may recall that Hautman Brothers Wildlife Series Christmas Ornament that I found one day while dumpster diving.  It was still new in the original package and I sold it for $9.99!

Remember that deal I posted for the money maker Paypal Mobile Credit Card Readers in October?  I did that deal, made a $6.00 profit after submitting for the rebate, then listed and sold them for $17.00!

I did that Gas-X money maker deal twice at Rite Aid - once in October and once in November - and sold the lot of 18 for $45.00.

I sold a lot of 2 Bausch & Lomb Soothe Hydration Drops that were a money maker at Rite Aid back in July for $13.00.

I had 18 Poise Towlettes and Panty Fresheners that I got at Rite Aid as fillers. I think they cost me 19 cents each after my Gold Discount and a $3.00 insert coupon, but of course I "bought" them with UP Rewards - not cash. I boxed them up and sold them for $18.00.

There were 4 boxes of Clairol Nice N Easy Hair Color sitting in my basement since last April, when they were a money maker at Rite Aid. They sold for $24.75!

 

I had a lot of 5 Oral B Toothbrush Replacement Heads from money maker deals at Rite Aid that I sold for $16.00.

 

I found these 15 back issues of Cooks Illustrated magazine in the dumpster a few months ago, and sold them tonight for $19.50.

And my favorite deal of all was this lot of 14 Highlights Activity Books that I found in the dumpster last week - brand new, some with the plastic still on - that I sold for $36.50!

 

The above sales total $200, but I had to pay for shipping, eBay fees, and PayPal fees on all these items, so I calculate my profits at around $150.

 

It just goes to show you that people will buy anything, and that one man's trash is another man's treasure!