How To Make Money Selling Used Toys

I have been buying and selling items on eBay since the beginning. Even thought many of the collectable items have changed in the 25 years I have been buying thing to sell, one of the main things that has been consistent selling is popular toys. 

If they were popular when you were a child, there will usually be a resurgent popularity 25 years later as the parent then has children of their own. They will usually start to climb in price about the 20 year point as kids have grown up and have some expendable cash. 

Electronics are usually something that goes up in value. Also, the old boy dolls. GI Joe, Star Wars figurines, and old Military toys. For girls, it is usually some type of doll. I remember when I was young, I had a doll whose eyes changed color and one whose hair grew and retracted. I loved those dolls. 

Now, the dolls that my girls liked are coming up as they are over 25. So, when you are out and about shopping at thrift stores, second hand stores, and yard sales, don't ignore the toys. There may be hidden treasures for minimal cost that turn over great rewards. 

I made a video on toys I bought recently and show how much they are selling for on eBay. There are so many toys that are valuable, you just need to take the time to look. 

Have a blessed day!

Another $5 Jewelry Bag With Princess Four

I think that our local Thrift shop is once again having some issues. They have a new person over the jewelry and once again there is NO silver or jewelry in any of the bags. It is amazing to me that the situation keeps reoccurring, but even though you say something, it is what it is. 

In the six months or so since the new person arrived, I have seen NO gold in any bag. I have seen only a few pieces of silver in three bags, and they were pieces that weren't labeled clearly or were "iffy" about if it was real. 

I don't know if I will find many more bags, but I have been so busy lately that it is probably a good thing.

 It isn't like I need any more but it is always fun to find treasures. 

Have a Blessed Day!

My Poor Friend - Freezers Defrosted

I was helping my friend again today. I wish I could share some of the troubles she is going through and had in her world, but I want to respect her life and privacy. 

She only had a few hours where I could come as she had to leave town later in the day, so I went over and we were working for a few hours. We were nearing the end of the time where we planned on finishing when she got some bad news. 

Her daughter came in and said that the freezer food was all melted. They have three freezers in the garage and when they pulled out her kitchen four days ago, they forgot to turn the fuse back on. 

I only took pictures of one of the freezers, but I stayed to wipe out and help dump the food so it didn't ruin the freezers. It was so sad. She had LOTS of expensive food in those freezers. I was super sad for her as she had so many other things going on. 

I am most likely going over tomorrow and Saturday as well. I pray her life will get a little less stressful. 

Have a Blessed Day!

Working With A Friend

I have been helping a friend out who is remodeling her kitchen and is feeling a bit overwhelmed. She does daycare and with the kitchen all ripped up, it is trying. I was there working until 11:30 tonight and don't have any pictures to share as I didn't think that was fair to her so I am headed to bed as it is 2:30 since I hadn't eaten all day and needed to cook something. I had not idea how late it was while I was working there. She had a clock in the kitchen that wasn't the right time, but I didn't know that. I got in teh car to go home feeling very tired but freaked out when I saw how late it actually was! 

I'm falling asleep writing this. Hopefully, I will have a little time tomorrow to share a longer post. 

Have a Blessed Day!

I Did an Oopsy Putting the New Toilet In

I spent the day buying parts and trying to put a new toilet in the master bathroom. I had a crack in the front of the toilet in there for years. 

More recently, I bought a toilet brush and when I used it, it created scratches in the finish and the cracks would collect bacteria and I would have dark lines running back and forth through the bowl. 

I decided to put a new toilet in and when I took the other one off, I had forgotten that when someone helped me put the tile in that bathroom, the flange got put in wrong and the screws are supposed to be held in by sliding it under and sliding it down but due to the positioning, if it were to be held down, the toilet would be crooked. 

Also, the metal had been rusting and so I decided to take that flange out so I unscrewed it and in doing so, realized that it had rusted through in one spot so I chipped it out. I ran to the hardware store again, and bought a new one. 

The new one didn't fit with the grout so I had to chip the grout and a bit of the tile to get it to be able to fit. In doing that, I dropped the little file I was using to chip out the grout down the drain. It went down to the basement and I could hear it falling! 

I finally was able to pull it up. I was so excited that I didn't have to try and get it out of the trap in the basement or to call a plumber. 

I didn't quite finish the job as the larger washer that goes between the tank and bowl that I purchased was smaller than I needed. I will have to get the right one and finish it tomorrow. 

Have a blessed day!

My Cute Little Dinasaurs - Different Halloween for Many This Year

I got some cute pictures of Princess Ones kids. All of her kids were Dinosaurs this year!

For Halloween this year, they chose not to Trick-or-Treat. She decided to have a Costume Contest and printed up little cards for the kids to vote on the costumes of the kids that came to their house. They only had 8, 9, and 10, cards, but the kids really enjoyed sitting at a judging table. 

They watched Halloween movies and ate caramel apples. They video chatted with the family and we all enjoyed them judging our "costumes" and they were so cute. I was actually washing my windows on a ladder and told them my costume was a "window washer" which was funny. 

I had a nephew that did trick-or-treat by doing a treasure hunt through their home. I also had a friend who had her kids and grandchildren trick or treat to every door in their home and gave them LOTS of candy.

A neighbor's family met up with all their family at a cabin and did games and distributed candy to the children through the weekend together. 

I think many of them had more fun than they would have had they actually gone Trick-0r-Treating. 2020 and the year of Covid-19 will be one for the record books. 

I was washing my windows and then was out in the garage area and it was dark. I didn't have lights on and I heard the families walking past saying, "Yes, this is that house, guess they aren't doing it this year." 

I felt sad that I couldn't have people come in and pick jewelry like I usually do, but felt that by taking candy "jewelry" to all my neighbors, I was being safe for them and me. We did hand out candy before dark as Princess Four was home but I was washing the windows on the house until dark so I didn't hand out any of the candy. 

I hope that next year we can get back to "normal" and live without fear of connecting with others. 

Hope you had a wonderful Halloween and a blessed day!

Automatic Walking Tractor Sprinkler - Fun Little Find at Our Second Hand Store

I was shopping at our local thrift store when I found this cool vintage Cast Iron Ace Brand Tractor moving sprinkler with high and low settings. I had never seen one before and after looking it up online, I could see that they are old and couldn't find many. 

I figured I could sell it if it worked. I also figured I could make a video of it working and post it on YouTube. I couldn't find a video of this actual tractor but other brands. There aren't many, but I thought it would be fun just to try it myself and see how it went. 

I hooked it up to my hose and had fun trying it. While making the video, I didn't realize you could set it to go in a circle by turning the wheels, or that I could put it over a hose and it would follow the hose around the yard! I could see it for It can go in a straight line, or you can angle the front tires and it can go in a circle. You can use a hose as a track as well. I learned that by watching other brands videos. 

It is gear driven using water pressure. It is SOLID cast iron and SUPER Heavy! It is a fun conversation piece. 

It can be polished up by using TEAK Oil which you can purchase at any hardware store, and even Walmart for about $10 a can. I figured some people may not want it shiny, but like the old oxidized look so I thought I would share how to do it here in case someone else wanted to do it. 

Just clean the item well before putting the teak oil on it or it will seal in dirt. Once clean, just wipe on the teak oil using a clean cotton cloth or paper towel. It will take off any oxidation that dulls the paint leaving a shiny new look on the item. It also dries rather quickly but just make sure there are no bugs around as they like the smell and end up getting stuck in the finish so heat of day is better than dusk or dawn.

Hopefully, the video will give you an idea of how the tractor works and moves. It shows the speed of low and high, and the distribution pattern of the sprinkler. I was interested in the way it only sprinkled in a circle the size depended on the amount of water coming in from the hose. 

I think if you had a large lawn, it could be fun to just have it going around in circles and then move the circular hose and let it go again for a few hours.

It is fun to watch the tractor work. I also think it is a cute decoration for a farm house! 

Have a blessed day!