Odds, Ends Part One Flea Market Postal, ETC. first I wish you a happy Fourth of July. I was able to get out to flea market today before the heat. Next I will talk about postal rates. I will reshow some of my favorite figures and whatever else tickles my fancy.
Odds, Ends Part One Flea Market Postal, ETC. Flea Market Time
Today I was able to get out early to my midweek flea market. Usually I get there late because I have to take Laurie to work. I did not figure on getting much due to the competition.My feeling was right though the competition did not get much either. I ran into Mike Russo, who said the market had been packed the previous week. This week it was half the size. Mike said he has been not finding much. Tom Stine back that up as he only found auto racing set and a few figures. He had a good time in West Virginia.
I saw very little plastic. One dealer had four Timmee clowns for $15.00. It was something I would have bought years ago, but I have one up on Ebay and it is not selling. I did get Pascal the little lizard from Tangled. I have been getting this set in bits and pieces over the last few years. Besides Pascal, I also bought some junk bags. One has a Stuart Horse which I can pair with another one for Ebay. Another bag had BMC Spanish from the Rough Riders set. What was surprise were to find some AIP Rough Riders in the bag. I left early as it started to get too warm.
Odds, Ends Part One Flea Market Postal, ETC. Postal
I get amazed on some postage charges people charge on Ebay. An item that postage should be $4.00 is $7.00. On the other side I get people who tell me my postage is too high. This especially happens on foreign postage. I respond that is what I am charged by the post office. They usually do not buy.
Odds, Ends Part One Flea Market Postal, ETC. Favorites
In the coming months I will give my favorites in playset and figures. The first one I will mention is the Timpo Bandit with two guns. I had this one as a child until he got damaged. I called him Outlaw Blue because of the blue coming through. I had him as bad guy then as a good guy. When I started collecting he was one of my priority of finding. I got him first in aluminum which was from France. Then I got the original figure. I have gotten some of the other ones in the series.
These three figures are from my childhood. The middle one I have talked about before the other two were also good guys in my stories. The pioneer on the right I called Davy as he reminded me more of the final scene of Disney movie Davy Crockett at the Alamo. I got him a figure bag for the Alamo. The Union standing firing rifle was another character in my stories. I do not know how their weapons broke because I was very careful with my figures.
Paul, i was extremely careful with my Warriors of the World figures as well, and not a single one survived with weapons intact.
Postage is always an issue on Ebay. People need to remember that Ebay takes the same cut out of the postage fee as they do out of the item’s sale price. If you want to ship in a small flat rate box you need to charge $8.00, Ebay then takes 10% (or more) leaving you with the $7.20 for the stamp. First class’s cheapest stamp is now $3.50 so you need to charge at least $5.00 – Ebay’s 10% = 4.50 – 3.50 stamp =$1.00 to buy boxes and tape. As many sales seem to go to the west coast I charge $5.50 for first class. I generally lose money shipping to Montana and other northwest locations.
Because there are so many costs to attend a toy soldier show, I usually try to make myself feel better by calculating the postal costs which I can avoid by attending a show, figuring that the avoided postal costs will serve as an offset to hotel, gas, and dining out expenses at the show.
However, sometimes I spot things on ebay, or on Stad’s or Kent’s site that I feel I have to have. At that point, there’s no getting around shipping charges, and I end up just counting the postage as a necessary add-on expense of the figures I’m buying.
When I order from Amazon, I always like it when the shipping is “free”, even though I know there isn’t anything that’s really free, & that the postage has simply been added into the price, so buyers like me don’t see it.
Postage is crazy but to be honest in my personal case i had not complain with my international buyers ,almost never …I offer first class mail international in any till up 4 pounds .The priority after that as far box is not too large big of course.
Ebay and paypal both offer USPS discount if you pare then all together ,it always give you the saving off from fee ebay take off in shipping .I pre weight my lots /items/packs and add few oz or pound without box as i use bubble and foam that i get locally free from many stores as i get in contact with store manager years ago and they save it x me free ,same in packing.I offer multiple lots discount saving too.
International buyers complain a lot i guess because on top of cost they have to pay declaration item ,and total high value .
Here are my offers and help to them.
If buyer ask me x help in declaration i offer in personal response the description in packing as ” toy -gift x child” as it will reduce their customs .
Amount declaration is a hard problem ;yet.When buyers ask me to write less they lose the right to claim any damage valor,i have to explain it to then BEFORE writing a less small amount value in packing.
For me buying in regar shipping the worst places are Scandinavian,Belgium ,Holland and France with Australia .UK had become costly since few years back.
Germany,Italy,Spain ,Russia ,China ,HK ,Japan ,East Europe,South America are way much better to me specially if use economic packing that i always ask for it in any pack no more than 4 pounds too,but may take longer of course .
My thoughts…and some off tracking or using their country tracking system that is not problem x me .
Best
I don’t think i have that Timpo cowboy ,but also i did not notice his other gun looks rare as not a revolver!?
I like that cowboy, it is an iconic pose. Some of my favorites figures from my childhood are the Airfix Australians. I remember the getting them in Ireland as a kid on one of our summer vacations.
The shipping has become a killer for selling on eBay. I used to sell a lot of Playmobil for about 5 years when eBay first started. But then the shipping started to become a problem because I had a lot of oversea sales.
The Marx Alamo/Ft Apache guys were always among my most sought and favorite figures in my childhood. I always associated the clubbing guy with Davy Crockett, too. I also have several figures whose rifle barrels broke. One of my first conversions was to add a cannon rammer staff to the broken end (at the hands) and have him swinging it instead of his rifle. Didn’t look too bad to me.
I always keep an eye on postage when I buy online. It doesn’t make sense to me to pay more for postage than the actual item (and I have done that when I first started out on eBay). One of the things I think is being ignored in the current debate over paying sales tax for online purchases is the P&H charges added to costs.
I know I usually try to buy in bulk when I buy to mitigate the additional cost per unit in postage. It really doesn’t pay to buy only one box or set of figures when there’s another $7 or more added to the price. It’s not the seller’s fault – it’s just the nature of the beast now, so to speak.
Everyone wants their pieces of the pie – State governments are salivating over sales taxes; brick and mortar stores see “unfair” competition; but I don’t recall anyone ever mentioning the fact that often the price of an item can be doubled online by the time you pay for postage and handling – now add sales tax for an item bought out of state…
I’ve often thought about reducing my collection; I know I have some projects I bought for years ago that I’ve either lost interest in or will never get to in my natural lifetime. In the meantime I have literally cases of figures jammed into every crevice in my storage room to the point I can’t get to the figures I really want to work with without a major shuffling. Years ago, I sold some stuff on eBay and it didn’t go too badly. Back then, though, I did it through Money Orders and eBay deducted its fees out of my credit card on record. Now, I’ve looked at trying to sell and it seems like they’re hitting you with fees at every step of the game. I’m not out to make a profit necessarily (it would be nice) and really don’t expect to recoup everything I spent – but there comes a point where you think the loss is too much. So I hang on to my stuff.
Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems – after all, many of you seem to manage quite well.
Here is a question about the “new” chance to levy state sales taxes on online purchases: Does the state you live in allow “used” items to be taxed? In Ohio I know several people who hold garage/yard sales at least quarterly, and do not pay any sales taxes (7%) on the proceeds.
If this is allowed in all states I am afraid our “used” figures will become too expensive with all of the add-on costs.
If a buyer is from Pennsylvania I charge sales tax. With the new sales tax laws Ebay will have to deal with the various states.
Jack my response is a bit different.
If You are a private seller with not open business with Tax ID ,you should not charge tax to any ,neither Ebay will in your side even by selling to your own state area person by mail or direct ,it is same exact way you will sale without charging tax at a garage sale or by craigslist .
Yet there few cities that require you to have a permit with Tax Id and force you to charge taxes ,one is Oklahoma City.
If you are an open business like stadstuff ,me (selltoy) at ebay you are require charge to same state tax per transaction on ebay ,but not to other STATE BUYERS .
Same goes x larger dealers such Hobby Bunker and CTS that have their website stores and ebay site stores also and from both need follow the tax state laws and federal declaration sales ,purchase inventory as well.
Garage sale are legal private personal sales that according to every city ,town and village code ordinances are required to follow their rules such time been done/open and amount days plus areas .No tax should be charge and a person could be fined if is charging tax to any in any transaction at a garage sale as once again are intended x personal item only.But as i mentioned before few Cities do ask and force you to get a garage sale tax one time permit ,same way used x Toy shows if you go as private not dealers seller with tables .The sales tax charged to buyers and loss or gain should be required to be declared in your personal income tax to IRS as well.
Also If you open a garage sale on weekend and use it to sale your store stuff=profit goods in it then you are violating the code and could be fined and even demanded as those stores items are taxable declared inventory belong to business and should be declared and not x sale from a non open business retail building according to Federal not state laws.
Generally you can sale any vintage -antique personal item else as private at ebay ,craigslist or facebook using paypal and or cash as transaction payment and not need declare or charge any taxe at all unless is a houseboat,SUV,recreational vehicle or real estate …
The reason after this is as follow..
The casual seller is not looking to make a profit but to get rid of stuff and make a little money.
Most garage sellers are of the casual sales variety. When you have a garage sale or yard sale you are selling items you already purchased and for which you have already paid the taxes. Even so that the IRS says, “If you sold an item you owned for personal use, such as a car, refrigerator, furniture, stereo, jewelry, or silverware, your gain is taxable as a capital gain.”
But in a garage or yard sale usually nets you less than the price you paid for the items. In this case, you’re just getting rid of things and hoping to get some money for them. If these items are sold at a loss, you don’t have a capital gain. But you can’t claim the loss on your income tax return. You also can’t deduct the cost of holding the garage sale (buying signs, for example).
My thoughts..
best
I have question and I’m sorry i bother repeating same .
X Those selling international.
Do you guys offer “First class mail International ” USPS up to 4 pounds!?
It has tracking to most country and take from 7 to 17 days max depending country,is way more cheap from $14.00 to 24.00 USD max generally for any pack up to 4 pounds toys inside as far box is not over 82 inches square large .You can ship a lot figures/tanks cars in a case like that.
To me it has been a success and not problem shipping out minus few from Canada that think because too close is too high(I’m in Upstate NY) but is nothing could be done and generally i send direct USPS link to then so they see it by himself .
Some buyers think sellers take advantage and get money off shipping ,not my case but there few who does unfortunately .
My Suggestions only
My thoughts.
Best
My post office is regular full service post office. I had been using a contract postal office as well but once one of the people left I stopped using it. I use the rates Erwin mention. The killer is when the item only weights few oz it is still $14.00. Canada has a lower rate for their items.
I agree and understand is hard sale one or two figures plus shipping international especially but even across east to west here is too cost too much .
That is why i barely sale single of few but rather make larger lots matching or close deal in order to help buyer get better deal off w shipping .I do combine shipping a lot as well ,but in my case is not my main income of course so i do not list too many and not much time either.I do as i can …
The single figures listing unless seller have many others and combine shipping .i’m not interested and usually stop me buying many in years as too costly from abroad.
My thoughts…
There was a local Toy Show in progress when someone from the city or county tax collector’s office arrived and inquired at each table if the seller was collecting sales tax. This threw everyone for a loop as nobody expected it.
At show every table need to have either temporarily Tax ID or business IRTID in order to run business sales there.Sponsor should be aware of it and is his/HER responsibility or will be fined.
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Most shows have not been concerned about sales tax license. New Jersey is tough and most major shows require NJ sales tax license. One toy soldier show got hit and some people had to pay big amount as the tax people based it on their inventory at the show.
I don’t understand the legality of the nj codes they tax things that have not sold yet.I saw them take an old mans train collection from him at a train show and they were putting their own value on all his stuff if he wanted it back he had to go to Trenton and pay the tax on un sold trains then theyn whould be returned to him the poor guy almostn got a hart attack how do you pay sales tax on un sold items
NJ Sales Tax people are tough. They feel they can get away with it.
I dropped my NJ tax license with them years ago over their attitude. I do not sell at shows any more. The last show I did in Nj the other person had the NJ sales tax number. So I only have to worry about Pennsylvania at this time.
Tax people taking items/toys away at a show from a seller/vendor!?
I don’t understand that part well.!!
Never heard of that before.
As far i know IRS tax enforcer could put a lien in any levy as far you owed past due taxes in old sales and permits ,but that is after repeated informing you and open claim open before .
They can tax your value inventory ,but if not sold nothing could be collected.
They charge you -fine the dealer and sponsor x not having tax ID or expired .
my thoughts..
best
I never heard of such a thing either.
And until I become personally familiar with the facts of a particular event, I am skeptical of any purported story of a state agency “collecting sales tax on merchandise before it’s been sold”.
Sometimes the real facts of these stories get lost, garbled, or miscontrued in the translation.
Then the whole thing takes on the aspect of an “urban legend”, twisted & distorted far beyond anything that actually happened.
The only story I heard was they look at person’s inventory at the toysoldier show and said you owe this. as it is second hand I can verify the truth. I know that Chiller a horror show in New Jersey states on their web site that the vendors must have sales tax license. http://www.chillertheatre.com/main.htm#tax
Could be they placed an ‘inventory tax’ on the seller’s items, rather than a sales tax. One retailer I worked at years ago would load up pallets of merchandise just prior to the annual store inventory. The merchandise was trucked to a warehouse in Nevada, out of state.
Werever it is as Don say it looks bad spread tale with many odds and not correct.
How was done was different.
Tax agent enforcer never do that as they can be sue along agency too.Unless was an impostor.
I’m sorry.