The eBay Life "Score of the Day" is a new pair of $200+ MBT sandals purchased for $12 and sold for.....

Last weekend I went to a conference in San Francisco.  It was great because San Francisco was empty.  We had the whole place to ourselves!  We stayed on the Wharf which made it very easy to get around. 


San Francisco is the most expensive city on the planet. (OK. I don’t know that for a fact, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.) As we drove into the hotel parking garage, we were informed that parking would be (hold onto your hats) ………………………


                                         $44 a day!!


Apparently, the parking structure at the hotel is privately owned and validated parking is toeeetally passe‘. I don’t know why I was shocked. The last time I was in the City, I paid $30 for the privilege of parking two whole hours.


The first thing I noticed about the hotel was the décor. Apparently Andy Warhol is alive and well. He must be living in a flat somewhere near Fisherman’s Wharf because they obviously hired him to redecorate the place. Take a look…..

Even though San Francisco was pricey, I still felt thrifty. Why? Because I live The eBay Life!! While at the conference, I wore my brand new Naturalizer flats that only cost me $5 at Salvation Army. I also wore my new high-end jeans which I purchased on eBay for only $30. They were NWT, and I usually buy them for $120 in the stores. (I used eSnipe.com to get those. If you haven’t tried it out, you should.)

And get this! I used luggage that I bought brand new at a yard sale a few years ago for $15! I’m not usually a big spender, but this was a great deal. While at yard sales, I do ALL my shopping. I don’t just shop for inventory.

While in San Fran, we went to some very nice shops.  Everyone was super friendly.  In Nordstrom we met a shoe salesman.  We told him we were eBayers looking at brands.  He told us that he had a very nice, totally handmade pair of shoes that he was interested in selling. They had originally cost $1200, but he had purchased them at a big discount and had only worn them a few times.  Since we are friendly and helpful eBayers, we slid into the next department, sat down on a bench, and did some research on our trusty iPhone.  We found out that the shoes only go for between 50 and 100 dollars.  (We were afraid of that.)  Just because shoes go for $1200 in the stores doesn’t mean they will sell for much on eBay.  We delivered the bad news as gently as we could and wished him well.   


While visiting the very nice shops at the SF Centre, we took some pics of brands we know sell.  Pay close attention to the following pictures.  This is secret information to which only eBay Life Blog readers are privy.

                    Fossil watches and purses are hot, hot, hot!

                    A leather jacket in this department was $1300 -- 
                                and this brand sells on eBay.

Kenneth Cole, New York is much hotter than the Kenneth Cole Reaction brand

I bought a pair of Ugg men's slippers this summer for a $1.  They sold for a pretty penny -- especially considering the fact that they were used.




At one point, we got hungry and decided to buy a truffle.  It was very tasty, but it reminded us that we were in the most expensive city on the planet.  Check out the price per pound at the chocolate shop we visited....

                         Yes, you read that right.  $66 a pound.


At this point, you're probably wondering if I bought anything in San Francisco to resell.  Well, we did go to two thrift shops on our way out -- one in Tiburon and one in Mill Valley.  I purchased a pair of $150 Tatami by Birkenstock clogs for only $7 in Mill Valley.  (They were in great shape) and a pair of Gucci eyeglasses for a buck in Tiburon.  Surprisingly enough, the Tiburon shop didn't have much.  We usually stock up when we go to the City, but our house is only so big, and right now it's packed.  I listed the Tatamis for around $40 and the Guccis for a little under $40.  We'll see what they sell for!  And now for the "Score of the Day." 


Last week I visited one of Chico's most expensive thrift shops.  Because it's overpriced, I only look for "scores" when shopping there.  Sure enough, it was my lucky day.


On a shelf,  ready for me to snap up were some MBT sandals.  MBTs are the sandals that rock back and forth when you wear them.  They're supposed to be good for bad backs, and they're super pricey.  Rumor has it, they don't work.  Not sure what to think, but I do have a number of friends who love their MBTs.  Anyway, I snapped them up for $12 "new with tags"!


When I got home, I looked them up on the Zappos website.  Sure enough, Zappos had drastically reduced the price of most of their MBTs.  They were offering these specific sandals for around $115 (more than 1/2 off).  I looked up the style name of the ones I had purchased, and decided to list them for $89.99 or best offer with free shipping.  Then I went out to do some errands.

By the time I got home, they had sold for 

                                $89.99!  That made my day!


For eBay selling secrets, check out The eBay Life Blog every week!  If you need shoes, please check out my store, Bluefrogshoes.com.  I specialize in hard-to-find sizes and brand names!  FYI - If you have a "score" you would like to share with eBay Life readers, please let me know.  I will include a link to your store or your userid in the write-up.  And don't forget to become my friend on Facebook.  (See link to the right.)  Have a great week!