Today I was cleaning out my own ebay world, all in preparation for Sarah’s and my garage sale happening June 8th. Last year’s garage sale was a huge success, so I am busy pulling every last piece of junk out of my house to sell this year.
My “ebay world” (in our basement) is full of things that didn’t sell on ebay and things I never got around to selling on ebay.
You might notice an Effanbee doll, I think I bought at this sale. I never sold it on ebay because I noticed its wig was falling off, and so I tried to super glue it back on, but then the glue ate part of the hair. Oy.
There’s also this stupid Teddy Ruxpin caterpillar friend I bought at a weird consignment shop I made Sarah stop at. I don’t know if we ever wrote about it, but basically I thought I could resell this thing. Except that he is missing an important cable cord that lets him speak with Teddy Ruxpin. UGH.
And then there is Mrs. Beasley. I DEFINITELY could have resold her, but remember that little hair bonnet I made for her? Since her hair was all sticking up and mangled? Well, it didn’t work. Into the garage sale she goes.
OK, so on to the real point of this entry and the TTFYHO (Things That Freak Your Husband Out). So I’m packing up all these items, and I see these legs sticking out of one of my cupboards.
AND THEN I REMEMBERED. I bought these insanely creepy clown dolls at a sale and ended up never listing them on ebay. I just forgot about them. I think I hid them away because of how terrifying they are, and then let them slip from memory.
This isn’t the first time that one of us has freaked our husband out by buying something clown-related. However, this is the first time that one of us went to extra lengths to make sure that our husband was TO THE MAX creeped out.
Here’s what happened:
A few months ago, Zach bought a security camera because there had been some break-ins in our neighborhood. Well, that’s part of the reason. We were also generally curious to spy on the neighbors, mailman, general street traffic, etc.
The camera works by turning on when it senses motion. It then snaps a series of photos and emails them to Zach. Every morning when he would check his email, it was the same old thing: cars driving by, a stray cat walking by, or just the wind setting the darn thing off.
Until I decided to creep outside one night…
And that’s how Zach died. He opened his email, saw this pic, screamed, and died. The End.
-Erin
Update from Sarah: I just wanted to add that Erin is incapable of saying “Teddy Ruxpin.” She kept saying “Teddy Rupskin” the day she bought that dumb caterpillar, even after I tried to help her pronounce it correctly. We were both LOLin’.
Have you ever looked in your closet and found a treasure that you forgot you owned?
Of course you have! Especially if your closet looks like mine.
Well, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this but I will anyway. Finding a treasure in your very own closet is awesome because it’s either A) something you totally forgot purchasing or B) something you’ve had a long time and forgot you owned.
Well, my morning was off to a great start when I found a pair of shoes in our closet that I forgot I owned. I’ve had these shoes since my late teens. Anyway, they are pretty cute, still fit, and were still in great shape (or so I thought), so I threw them on and headed off to work.
Here’s what they look like:
Pretty cute, well-constructed (made by Naot), and VERY comfy.
But you’re probably wondering why that picture is just of ONE shoe.
Well a few minutes ago, I was talking to a friend here at work, and she said, “What the hell is going on with your shoe?” I said, “What do you mean?” She said, “I can see your foot."
Now in all honesty, I thought, "Well no shit, they’re mary janes!” but then I looked down. This is what I saw:
Evidently, at some point this morning, the act of walking with these shoes on made them completely disintegrate, since they’ve been sitting in a closet for 10+ years.
I still can’t stop laughing. Thankfully, I am going right home after work today.
-Sarah
Update from Erin: Wait, I missed the part where you were going to discuss the “cute” shoes you found and wore today. I see none here.
Happy Memorial Day!
It’s a long weekend, and you’re probably at a family BBQ, or at the beach, or the mall, or playing video games. Maybe you’re out fishing, or in napping. Whatever you are doing, be sure to check out DTT’s very first prize giveaway.
And a reminder to commenters on the digthistreasure.com website, you don’t have to leave your full name. We respect your privacy, yo. So keep those comments coming!
Remember, you can win your very own Beefy! Here he is, probably in a Memorial Day parade!
-Erin
On Sunday morning, while Sarah was busy finding treasures at Comic Con, I was driving home from a Relay for Life event. I saw a sign that said “Estate Sale” and another that said “Antique Barn Sale”, and even though I was exhausted from the relay, I decided to stop. Well, first I chanted “SECRET SALE SECRET SALE,” and then I stopped.
The sale was pretty much all garbage, including this stuffed bear who mysteriously has no ears. There weren’t even remnants of once-existent ears. Just absolutely NO ears on this bear. YOLO.
I am now noticing that this bear also has a mom haircut. Actually, it kind of looks like Ellen DeGeneres.
Bellen BearGeneres.
Ok, so I am only telling you about this sale because I did pretty much the best thing ever at it. I was so delusional from fatigue that after looking in one of the rooms, I walked out of it and turned off the light switch. Just out of habit. Everyone in the room starting yelling, “HEY!” I turned the light back on, saying nothing (like a creep), and left.
Sowwie!
So after that sale dud, I followed an endless number of signs to the “barn sale.” I must have drove at least 3 miles following little tiny signs posted to random trees. I’ll applaud whoever put up the 800 signs every 10 feet for this sale though, because the number of streets I had to turn on was astounding.
Finally, in the middle of a neighborhood, I saw this:
A weird little barn oasis in the middle of a bunch of houses!
The littlest chairs! You can’t really tell, but these were each less than a foot off the ground.
You all know I’ve been wanting some locker baskets for awhile now. But why, why, why are they so pricey!
Everything at this sale actually was pricey. So I didn’t buy anything. However, I did see my SECOND giant wasp nest for sale!
I’ll tread lightly here because the last time I talked about people selling wasp nests, we got our first ever negative comment on the blog!
-Erin
Dig This Treasure is hosting our very first prize giveaway! Thanks to all of you readers, Dig This Treasure is a totally hoppin’ internet place to be!
Remember Beefy? Well, Erin just re-discovered him during her tour of eBay world last Friday. Now you too can own your very own Beefy! For free! Just for enjoying this blog.
DTT is giving away TWO of these Beefys, one to a Tumblr follower and one to a reader on digthistreasure.com.
Here’s how to enter:
Tumblr followers: Reblog this post! We will choose one of you at random as the winner!
Website readers: Leave us a comment! Just say hello, tell us what you collect, or let us know your favorite DTT post. Be sure to leave your email address (it won’t show up on the website, don’t worry!)
We will announce the winners in ONE week! So get to sharin’ or sayin’ hi! And THANKS to all of you for reading.
-Erin and Sarah
Anonymous asked: Have either of you "fought" over an item at a sale (or bid on the same thing)?
Good question! You know, we really haven’t. Sarah and I (luckily) have really different tastes. She likes a lot of cutesy-1960s/1970s kitsch and I like a lot of primitive or pre-1950s stuff.
The only things we would fight about are things to resell on ebay, but usually it’s finders keepers. Although we have given up items in the past if we know it is something the other person has sold before or would be better at selling. For example, Sarah has made some mad cash repeatedly selling old greeting cards on ebay. If I were to find a whole bunch of them, I’d give them up because I know it’s her “thing.”
There was one time at a doll auction when I accidentally started bidding against Sarah for an item. When I realized, I looked at her and said, “Oh sorry” and then backed out. Apparently you aren’t supposed to do this. The auctioneer said, “You aren’t colluding are you?!” Read about auction collusion here.
Anyway, to be honest, I get more worried when Sarah’s mom Cindy is around because she and I buy similar items, for keeping and for selling. Cindy is a lot of fun though, so I like when she tags along…I just have to keep a close eye on her.
-Erin
Update from Sarah: Erin’s got it right. We both like different kinds of things and we don’t really fight in general. Except for that one time we both cried on her driveway over a Christmas party. And we both have pretty bad memories, so the only thing I can think of recently that I really loved that she found first, was that folk art bear she found a month or so ago.
A few weeks ago, Adam and I were driving home and as we turned into our neighborhood, we saw the sign advertising our annual neighborhood garage sale. It was about two weeks away, and Adam suggested I participate. I reminded him that Erin and I were already planning to hold a sale this summer during her neighborhood sale (just like last year!) but Adam wasn’t having it. He convinced me that it made sense to try to get rid of some stuff first, and then take the remains to Erin’s sale in June. Conveniently, Adam was going to be out of town for work during our neighborhood sale, so I enlisted my parents (my dad, specifically) to help, because trying to do a garage sale on your own is the worst.
You’ll remember that Erin and I converted my mom Cindy into an estate sale junkie last summer, so she has her own hoard of leftovers waiting to be resold. Like Adam, my dad was thrilled for the opportunity to purge their house of some of the garbage my mom has brought home with her, so we both got to work!
For example, my mom had quite the selection of vintage Jell-O molds to offer our shoppers! Looks like she had some fun buying these early on and then realized that they’re not that re-sellable, even though Erin seemed to think so at some point. By mid morning on Friday, the sale was jumpin’ (Erin would not approve of that messy table of clothes):
For this sale, I focused on purging clothes rather than leftover treasures, and that worked out in my favor. Around noon, I found myself surrounded by a swarm of teenaged girls, all from the same family (I swear to god this mom could have given Michelle Duggar a run for her money), and all eager to buy my sh*t! I think my dad was a little overwhelmed (not that I can blame him) because at one point I saw that there were other people (not part of the Duggar fam) ready to pay, and I had to shout, “Dad! These people want to give you money!"
By the end of the day, our sale was totally picked over, and we were pumped!
Those tables were stuffed to the gills when we had started!
Erin stopped by at the end of the first day and I enlisted her help in gathering more goods for the next day. I allowed her to step foot in eBay World, our spare bedroom that is currently used as a warehouse for all of the goods I have purchased at sales to resell or eventually display. I have never seen such a shocked look on someone’s face when she stepped foot inside the room. She begged me to allow her to take a picture, but I wouldn’t let her! But I will show you something else:
This is a sign for eBay world that one of my nieces made for me last summer. Erin saw this in eBay world and started dying laughing because SHE THOUGHT I MADE IT FOR MYSELF.
Anyway, she was very helpful in giving me some tough love on what I need to get rid of. Many of these items were things that you’ve seen before. It hurts my soul to admit that she was right about the fact that I should NOT have bought some of these items. With one exception:
I bought this Murano style glass fruit at the Windsor auction we attended a few times, and Erin is the person who told me to buy it! She actually told me to keep bidding! I ended up paying something obscene like $25 for it! Sold it for $5.
Now here are some purchases she was right about:
This bird without a name has a long backstory that I won’t bore you with. Bottom line is that I found it at the sale where Erin wanted some overpriced moccasins for her unborn baby. Erin pleaded with me to not buy this bird. I thought it looked pretty cool, though! Erin insisted it was a seagull but I still disagree. Seagulls aren’t black underneath. They’re dirty and grey. But it’s possible that NEITHER of us is able to properly identify a common animal.
This kitty has been hanging out in eBay world for quite some time. I found her last spring. I have no idea what I was thinking and I’m sure Erin tried to talk me out of it at the time.
If this little buddy looks familiar to you, it’s because you’ve seen him before. I thought Adam would be tickled by the fact that there was a lamp with a little Adam and Max on it. But he wasn’t impressed. Erin actually spotted this lamp at that really weird sale we went to a few months ago, and it was priced at $2.50 so I couldn’t pass it up. And she didn’t talk me out of it.
You might remember these little buddies because I found them at that sale where we got SUPER scolded by a crazy woman.
Both Erin and I thought this Immaculate Heart of Mary plaque was awesome, but in the end, it just freaked Adam out too much.
These Muffy and Hoppy dolls aren’t actually things that Erin told me not to purchase–they’re things that Erin loves (just like Beanie Babies), and I’m surprised she didn’t try to steal them when she was over on Friday. Anyway, you’ll remember that I bought a boatload of these at an auction last winter, and these are the little dudes that didn’t sell on eBay. Turns out nobody wanted them in the garage sale either, so I’ll have to put my thinkin’ cap on.
On Saturday, people must have been in the mood to chillax, because for the first two hours, this is what our list of profits looked like:
The weather was great and people straggled by, but most seemed interested in the free box near the curb and disinterested in walking up my driveway into the garage itself. Speaking of the free box, I put this guy in there because I just couldn’t imagine asking someone to give me money for him.
My dad warned that the other occupants of the free box might catch hepatitis from him. Of course, someone quickly snatched him up!
In the end, even though Saturday was slow, my dad and I each made about $250 and had lots of fun people watching!
There are still quite a few items leftover for Erin’s sale, not to mention all the crap I haven’t even gone through in my house yet. Here’s a picture of the state of my garage this evening, three days after our garage sale:
All in all, a successful garage sale! I can’t wait for round two!
-Sarah
Update from Erin: I have never seen a more seagull-looking stuffed animal seagull in my life. In fact, Zach just confirmed that this is a seagull. At one point, Sarah tried to say this was a goose. Look at that neck! That ain’t no goose. What I do know FOR SURE is that Sarah should not have bought this.
And I’ll admit that I was wrong about that glass fruit. To be fair, I bought some teeny tiny glass pumpkins around Halloween on ebay and they were like $10 each. So I thought for sure she could sell that fruit. Whoops!
As for ebay world, Jeez Louise. I really should have snuck a photo of the place. At this point, I’m pretty much entirely convinced that Sarah goes home after a long day of sale-ing, puts her purchases in ebay world, and then sentences them to a life of quiet solitude and uninterrupted slumber. I suggested she get one of those locks with the skeleton key so that she can lock all the purchases in there like Jane Eyre or something.
Ok ok, so I’m exaggerating a bit. And really, I’m cool with ebay world because it means we get to keep sale-ing each week!
Six months ago, I found an Arranbee “Dream Baby” doll at a sale, and took a chance on it for $50. At the time, I think I referred to this doll as a “dumb little idiot” because it looked really funny without its dress on.
This dummy grew on me though, and I started to really love it. I bought it specifically to sell, but I remember waiting to list it on ebay while I decided whether to keep it. This was REALLY strange for me, because I have never been a doll person, not even as a child. I’ve only bought one other doll to keep, and eventually sold it after a month or so after falling out of love.
But there was something about this Arranbee doll that I loved. I think it was its cute little face and weird little teeth. And it also has something to do with its stubby little body.
Look! Someone even put a tiny handmade diaper on it. Probably a child in the 1920s or something. So cute.
Ok, so I am dragging this out, but here is the deal. So six months ago, despite being in love, I sold this darn thing on ebay for a whopping $250. The money made my love affair less important to be honest. I was thrilled. I packed little dummy up in a million pounds of bubble wrap and shipped him off to California.
But then, little dummy came back. Because little dummy’s stupid little dumb eyes fell out of its skull while being shipped to California. The doll had “sleepy eyes” which opened and closed, but the jostling around of transit had loosened them.
Luckily, I had paid for insurance with USPS, so I filed a claim and got reimbursed the full $250. That way, I could refund the buyer, and still have made my sale profit.
I wasn’t sure what to do with little dummy when he came back all eye-less. But then I found a doll hospital in Berkley, MI. The doll ended up staying there FOR FOUR MONTHS.
And then yesterday, little dummy came home. I started singing that Eminem song that goes, “Guess who’s back? Back again…”
So what will happen to the Dream Baby now? Well, it’s back up on ebay of course!! That’s not to say I didn’t struggle for a good half day on whether to keep it…
-Erin
Yesterday I decided to tag along with Adam and our friends Asif and Pedro to the annual Motor City Comic Con. I debated at first, but then decided that the experience would probably be blog-worthy AND also just simply eye-opening. I was not disappointed.
The three dudes I tagged along with are all fans of their own nerdy things (Legos, comics, Transformers, Harry Potter, video games, etc. etc. etc.) so they were not strangers to the nerdiness of what awaited us. Now remember, I’m a librarian so I’m not a stranger to nerdiness either. But this was just different.
When we arrived, I was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of stuff to look at.
Right away, StylinOnline.com caught my eye. How could it not?
I was also quickly frightened by some of the stuff on display. This, for example, greeted you when you entered the convention:
Ok, you’ve convinced me, dungeon master. I will not obey.
Anyway, it ended up being a very fun and interesting experience. I am actually a fan of a few nerdy things (Harry Potter, etc.) and I like some comics. I also like anything where people go ALL OUT, so like I said–great venue for seeing such things. For example, one of the first things I saw was this guy:
Who doesn’t love an Animal/Stormtrooper mashup? Speaking of mashups, these nerds LOVE mashups. Even Adam, who carefully selected his Alfred E. Neuman/Misfits mashup tee to wear to the event.
I actually made fun of this before we left, and sure enough, he got lots of compliments from other nerds. Way to go, Honey!
The one thing I quickly learned is that the people who dress up for this event really enjoy having their picture taken with you. Here is some proof of that:
(Does he know that Alice isn’t a Grimm tale, or is this some other sort of weird mashup?)
Ok, the Tauntaun didn’t explicitly say he wanted his picture taken, but he enjoyed it I’m sure.
I have no idea who all of these people are supposed to be (except sexy Wonder Woman and sexy Captain America) but they were pumped to be photographed. Mad props to the dressed up child in the middle.
Another popular theme, besides mashups, that was ever-present at this thing, was steampunk.
That is a large selection of protective goggles with various mechanical wizzligigs and doo dads attached. Perfect for your next steampunk adventure or gathering.
Besides seeing lots and lots of this
I did see a lot of cool old stuff.
Remember the Get Along Gang?! Love those guys.
I loved that cover!
So let me tell you about my history with Freddy Krueger. When I was a child, I was an absolute p*ssy (sorry fellow feminists, but I can’t think of a more accurate word)! I was afraid of everything, including bugs, fire, and PAPER BOYS. The people who lived next door to my grandparents had kids our age, so when we were little, my brother and I would play with them a lot. When the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie came out, I’m sure you can only imagine how terrified I was of good ol’ Freddy K. Well these kids knew it and would torment me, telling me that Freddy was going to be hiding under my bed, etc.
Can you blame me for being afraid to fall asleep?!
Anyway, flash forward to college. I took a film class that was called “Horror, Sex and War” and featured films from these genres. One of the ones we watched was the first Elm Street so I had to confront my fears and face Fred. It ended up being really cheesy and dumb, and I actually went on to become totally obsessed with horror movies for a while. I’m still a fan but I’ve reverted a little to my fearful ways.
Back to Comic Con. How about I tell you what I purchased? Well, one of the first things I wanted was this HP themed “always” tee:
Sold by evietees from Brooklyn! She was super nice and had some other pretty awesome HP themed shirts as well. I also picked up some Domo earrings, a Beavis and Butthead keychain, a cute necklace from Lydia’s Vintage, and a Harry Potter lego man. My favorite find, though, was this Six Feet Under themed poster made by Adam Heath, who was a super nice dude.
I am obsessed with this poster and can’t wait to frame and hang it somewhere. Good thing I was at Comic Con with a bunch of other nerds because I totally missed this booth until Pedro wanted to swing back by and purchase a Zelda poster.
After about 3 hours of walking around seeing more boxes of comic books than I ever want to see again in my life, we decided to call it quits. We were all starving, so we toured around the Novi, MI dining scene. After joking about eating at Hooters (I would NEVER, fellow feminists), we decided to go to a place called the Tilted Kilt that looked like a pub. When we got to the door, Adam said, “Uh oh… I think this might be Irish Hooters.” Sure enough, it was Irish Hooters. While my veggie wrap was pretty delicious, it was served to me by a young woman wearing a sexy schoolgirl outfit who talked in a porno voice.
All in all, a memorable day.
-Sarah
P.S. Names I had to look up while writing this post, in order to spell them accurately: Alfred E. Neuman, tauntaun, Freddy Krueger.
Update from Erin: I don’t have a problem with Hooters. Just FYI. And I was a Women’s Studies major. So send me your Hooters coupons y'all.