Sales & more Mug shipping talk

I am still trying to slowly (but surely) ramp up my listings.
Its so hard when you have, zero, zip, energy. Pregnancy kicks my rear end.
I have sold a few things recently... Mostly items that have been sitting for awhile.. with lowered prices in hopes of getting them moving. (I guess that's a good thing).

 Starbucks Pumpkin Bearista Paid: 50 Cents Sold: 11.95 Fs

 Doberman Mug Paid: 25 cents Sold: $14.95

 Boyds Plush Bear. Sammy the Slugger Paid: Free (My mother in laws) Sold: 10.95 fs

 Gamehide hunting jacket. Paid: Free (from a local auction my brother won) Sold: Best offer $45.00 fs

 Sugarloaf Chiki Tiki. Paid: 80 cents Sold: 14.95 fs

 Another Robert Graham Shirt. Severely stained around the inside collar. Paid: Free Sold for: 26.95 fs within hours of listing.

BCBG Maxazaria Red Dress. Paid: $3.25. Bought it for myself, wore it a few times and then got tired of it. Sold for $29.95 within hours of listing. (THE BEST KIND OF FLIPS). 

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So on the eBay facebook group I am in, I recently was reading a thread about shipping mugs. A lady had posted a question about how to ship a mug... I was about to chime in with a "Jelly roll method, all the way" comment.. but then I read a few comments saying how people didnt trust that method. The group owner, who is a big blogger herself, (Suzzane Wells- eBay selling coach)... mentioned how unprofessional the "Jelly Roll Method" (Or also known as FOMO method) is. Hmm.. I was actually completely disappointed. I love the jelly roll method. AND- I have gotten feedback and emails from customers saying how my mug packaging is GENIUS! 

What do you think? 

Dollar Store Sourcing

A few months ago, I read a few articles online about finding products to sell at the dollar store. I thought it was an interesting concept... but was skeptical.
I decided to go to a local 99 cent store (instead of the actual Dollar Tree) to find some items to sell. Our local 99 cent store tends to have more of overstock items rather than Dollar Tree brands...so I thought I might have some better luck this way.
I had a goal to only spend $10-$15 on items to "test".
I bought about 10 items, and here is what has sold so far:

 Queen Anne Chocolate Covered Blueberries. I put a note in my listing that they would melt in delivery most likely, and I was not to be held responsible. They actually just sold last week for $18.95. Shipping was 8.00 and they cost me about $3 for all three. After fees I made about $6.00

 Beverly Hills Polo Club "Crazy Bright" Socks. I knew these might possibly do well since bright socks for men are in style right now. Large lots of these actually sell well. I opted for two pairs, and listed them for 12.95. Shipping was about $2.00, and I paid $2.00 for them. About a $7.00 profit after fees. 

 Cashmere Bouquet bar soap. I'm not lying, my eBay cabinet smelt like my grandmas house with these babies in there. It was a pleasant smell, and actually all the clothes I had listed started kind of smelling like this soap... I am not sure if that was good or bad. 

Paid $1.00 for a 2-pack. Sold for $6.95. Shipped for $3.00. About a $2.00 profit (Boo!)

 Another box of Queen Anne. I wish I bought more of this kind. This one box sold for $19.95. Paid $1.00, shipped for $5.95. Overall profit about $12.00

Father of the Bride DVD. A quick sale, especially because for new DVDs eBay lets you use their stock photos. Paid $1.00, sold for $5.95 minus the $1.99 Shipping. About $2.50 profit. 

OVERALL:

Invested money: $8.00

Profit: $29.50

I definelty made some money back, but was it worth it? Probably not. For as many thing as you have to list to get about $30 back... I feel like I could do that with 1-2 of my regular items I list. 

However, because this was just a trial run, my items were kind of all over the place. If I had focused on one item, like the French Vanilla Cherries for example, I could have made a large profit. If I had bought ten boxes of those that could have been a $10 investment, to make a $100+. 

So can it be done at the Dollar Store? Yes. But carefully. You have to know what it going to get you a decent profit so your not wasting you time with things that make you $1-3 dollars in return. Its not worth your time for such a small return. 

 Have any of you ever tried sourcing at your local Dollar stores? Please share!