The 80s on eBay ~ Selling Strawberry Shortcake

As a child of the 1980s, I loved and still love all of the great cartoons and movies of the 80s. I loved the music and still love the music. The 80s fashion on the other hand... eh, it can stay in the 80s.
Being a little girl during this time, I was partial to such greatness as Punky Brewster, Strawberry
Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, Cabbage Patch Kids, the Gummi Bears (I have the cartoon on dvd - love it!), and the list could go on.

The 80s are a great eBay seller for various reasons. One of the most common is that people want what they had but no longer possess. Kids move, parents throw toys out, or being 7 years old we don't realize that breaking off Barbie's left leg will not make her more valuable years to come.

Strawberry Shortcake has become increasingly popular in the past few years. She has been remade into a new style of little girl, complete with updated friends and an updated place to live. Due to this, the mothers that are in their late 20s and early 30s are looking to have their daughters grow up with the original Strawberry Shortcake, not the new version.They want their daughters to experience the Strawberry Shortcake and friends of their childhood, not a new version that holds no memories.


While I faintly remember watching the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon growing up, I remember more about the toys and accessories that covered my bedroom floor. You name it, I had it: sheet set, curtains, sleeping bag, pillow, dolls, figures, pajamas, sweaters, lamp, and the vanity set complete with dresser and toy box. I have not been able to part with some of these items just yet, such as the lamp and the vanity set. While I'm not saving them for future offspring, at the moment I am just saving them because 1. The lamp is actually still used in a spare room in my childhood house and 2. The vanity set is stored in the rafters in a garage, waiting to be uncovered and loved again.

Since I am not ready to part with my own personal childhood collection of Strawberry Shortcake items just yet, I am a-okay with selling Strawberry Shortcake finds. Just like anything on eBay, you have to research what sells and what lags for months. Items that are hard to find, complete sets, and delicate items that have survived the years can bring in better prices and higher bidders. Always do your research!

A few Saturdays ago, I was looking through one of my usual thrift store stops when I came upon a set of four vintage Strawberry Shortcake juice glasses. They were marked at $3.93 and unfortunately, were not included in the sticker sale that day. I did a little looking on eBay and discovered that Strawberry Shortcake juice glasses did fairly well. I found an identical set to what was at the thrift store, and after reading the description, discovered that these glasses had been made by Anchor Hocking in 1981. Sets had sold for between $30 and $40, so I figured with a $4 investment, why not.

I brought the glasses home, cleaned them up, and took some photos. The glasses looked good to me for being 32 years old - no chips, no cracks, and the colors were all similar. I listed the glasses starting at $32.50 with free shipping, with the winning bid ending at $33.50. I packaged the glasses up, shipped them out, and ended up making around $17. Not a huge profit, but a profit nonetheless.

A few days went by and I received an email from the buyer. She stated that the glasses were all faded and it looked as if they had been put through the dishwasher. Apparently she had a similar set of glasses and the colors on her glasses were much brighter and vivid. She was angered because apparently I hadn't provided enough of a description of the coloring in my listing and she always likes to know exactly what she is buying before placing a bid.

I was speechless. I wasn't sure what to say to her. Obviously, if you have a set that has been stored away in a box for years, colors are going to be different versus glasses that had been used. (Of which I stated that these were a used item, not in the original box). I hadn't seen anything wrong with the colors. All four glasses had uniform coloring - it wasn't as if one glass was more brighter than the others. For being 32 years old, the colors looked nice to me.

I emailed the buyer back that I was sorry she was unhappy with the purchase and that I would gladly refund the full purchase price if she would send the items back, with her paying for return shipping. I made sure to include that I had a 100% feedback rating and always try to describe the items to the best of my ability. My listing wasn't misleading - the colors were nice and the glasses were a used item, not in original box.

It took the buyer a few days to respond, all the while I of course was dreading having to refund her money. She replied yet again that she had glasses whose colors were much brighter and that coloring on the glasses that I sold her was faded. She kept the glasses and I kept my money.

So, what was the lesson that was learned? I always try to describe my items as best as possible, including even the width/length of chips and cracks if any are present. I knew that I wasn't in the wrong because I never stated anything like "Bright colors! Almost brand new!" I stated what the colors were - nice and still nice graphics for 32 year old items. I couldn't help that the buyer decided to not return the items. I would have gladly refunded her money and re-listed the glasses. But, she kept the glasses, "faded" and all.

If you are buying on eBay and are unhappy with your purchase and the option to return for a refund is there - with you paying the return shipping fees - you have a few choices:
1. Return the item and pay shipping fees. There is no sense in keeping something that you are unhappy with and are going to complain about in email after email. Get your money back and move on.
2. Keep the item and carry on. If you are going to complain but yet do not return the item, obviously you cannot be that unhappy with it. There is no sense in going on & on to the seller about how you expected this or how you thought it looked like that when you aren't going to pack it up and ship it out. If you keep it, keep your comments to yourself. The seller has offered you the option of returning what you are unhappy with, so take it.

And remember most of all.... Have a Berry Good Day!

The Avon Monkey & A Returned Memory

Being as I still have almost all of my toys from the 1980s and early 1990s, finding some of these items going for a good amount of money on EBay leaves me to believe I have hundreds of dollars in my childhood toy collections. Now, as with many people, we pick and choose what toys/mementos from our childhood we wish to keep and wish to dispose of, whether through donating to thrift stores, giving to younger family members, EBay, or even the trash.

I was never one to "ruin" my toys, though the occasional Barbie did receive a haircut or a limb went missing. Hey, at times there required an evil twin when you had two of the same Barbie... and obviously the evil twin needed the shorter hair. As for missing limbs, that is what happens when Ken tries to do a split.

Anyway, searching through EBay I came upon a stuffed monkey that Avon had put out in 1988. He was a cute plush, of the beanbag variety. His body was littered with numbers and stars. The packaging for Count on Andy stated the following: "Andy loves numbers, he's got 'em galore. Better count them again - there may still be more!" He measured around 20inches in length and for a blue monkey, was pretty cute.

There were a few sold listings for Andy, ranging in price from the $30s to $60s. I remembered that I had this plush and thought that I actually remembered where it was located in my childhood home. You must understand that my old bedroom at home has not really changed in the past 20 years. There are still toys, still drawers filled with my old clothes from when I was 10. The good thing about this is that the room is a treasure trove of toys for my youngest cousin, as well as a version of a time machine. Open the door and you are back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I love being able to sift through my old toys, but completely understand that some things have got to go. My mother would love to keep this room of memories as is, but I no longer need all of the stuff I had growing up, including the Avon monkey.

Andy was where I thought I had seen him last - on a shelf filled with other assorted plush. He was still in good condition, no rips or tears. His cute face was easy to recognize and I vaguely remembered playing with him when I was younger. This is what makes it easy to decide on what stays and what goes when it comes to childhood toys - if you don't have strong memories of an item, let it go.

I listed Andy for around $40 with free shipping. Nothing. A few watchers, but no bids. I knew that he would sell and wasn't deterred. I dropped the price down to $30 with free shipping. There was no sense in keeping a higher price, considering if it didn't sell it would just continue to sit around and collect dust. Sure enough, Andy received one bid. The only bid. I was a little disappointed that he didn't bring in a few more dollars, but happy that I had sold him.

Andy was packaged up, given a final farewell, and sent out to the post office. A week or so later, I received feedback from the buyer. I figured it would be the common phrases of  "Great Ebayer. Fast shipping. A+". Instead of the usual, I sat with my tea mug in hand, laptop positioned on my lap, and teary eyed as I read the feedback.

"Thank you. My daughter that passed away in 1993 had one she played with."

A simple sentence that moved me to tears. I immediately contacted the buyer and wrote that I was sorry for her loss, but glad that I could reconnect her with this item. I understood the feeling that she must have felt by finally being able to secure this tangible memory. In my last blog entry, I wrote about finally finding a puzzle that I had played with as a child at my grandmother's house. It was something that I thought would have been lost forever. But thanks to EBay, it was found again.

I was glad that I could bring Andy back into this person's life. I was thankful that they had been the only bidder and could now have some peace that they had secured a memory from their daughter's life. Sometimes, EBay isn't always about the money. Personal stories like this one bring us back to realize that people are always searching - whether it be for something to complete us, bring back a memory, or make us feel prized in the eyes of another. Reselling items is a way to make money, but it is also a way to return what has been lost, a treasure hunt of sorts. 

The more that I search, scavenge, and find, the more I realize that this one of the things that I love most: finding what was lost and making it found. Returned treasures.

Finding the Sifo Frog Puzzle...

EBay is great for a variety of reasons. People make money, spend money, and waste hours of their day searching for that “perfect” item. Some people that are anti reselling believe that buying items cheap from thrift stores & then selling them on EBay for obviously a higher cost is ripping off people. I guess what they don’t realize is the ability that EBay has to reconnect people with certain pieces and allowing people to find that “perfect” item. Read on...

When I was little, and even when I grew to be a teenager and adult, I spent many hours at my grandparents’ house. They lived in a small town, with a railroad track across the street. As a kid, you could walk around the town without having to worry about being stolen or running into strangers. Everyone was friendly and those that weren’t, you were warned to stay away from. Golden Girls and Love Connection were favorites of my grandparents, and as a kid you watched the show with them or amused yourself with the endless supply of paper that my grandfather got from the mill or the pile of boardgames hidden behind the couch in the front room.

As a child, I always played with a wooden puzzle that was kept underneath the living room couch. This puzzle had nothing exciting about it. It was a wooden puzzle with less than fifteen pieces. The figure on the puzzle was a frog sitting on a lily pad. Now, not just any frog, but one with a hat, bowtie, and yellow suit. I loved this puzzle and once I entered my grandparents’ home for a visit, took my shoes off in the front room, I would reach my little arm underneath the living couch to feel for the puzzle. It was always there waiting for me, like a good friend.

Over the years, the frog's left hand disappeared, but I still put the pieces together nonetheless. As I grew into my teenage years, I would still look under the couch to make sure that the puzzle was there. It was a constant at my grandparents’ home, something that I felt “belonged” to me at their house. I don’t know the story of how I first came across the puzzle. I’m sure it wasn’t anything dramatic, most likely being a 5 year old sifting through the games and coloring books in the laundry room on the back porch and finding this puzzle. But, whatever the story was behind it, I loved it and loved the memory of sitting on my grandparents’ living room floor, the light brown rug that was and still is older than I am, and putting the puzzle together.

As I went off to college and graduate school, I occasionally would ask my gram if she had stumbled across the puzzle in any of her cleaning bouts. It had disappeared from its’ place under the couch, and as much as I tried I could not locate it. In my 20s, I would continue to look under the couch, thinking that magically it would appear. I checked under the furniture in the front room that we were never allowed to sit in, but to no avail. The laundry room and junk room proved futile. The frog had upped and left.

After my grandmother passed away, her home and its’ contents were left to be sifted through. There were a few things that I knew that I wanted, such as the sea captain statue, the rocking horse whose left ear had been broken off numerous times, and my favorite mug that I always used at her house. The thing that I wanted the most was that frog puzzle. I needed it. It had to be found.

Boxes of stuff had been piled in the front room for the grandchildren to look through, picking and choosing what we wanted. My eyes were on the lookout for an orange wooden board, a frog with a missing left hand. The puzzle was not found in the boxes, it was not found in the junk room, and it wasn’t found in the basement. All of the furniture had been moved and I no longer had to reach under and swipe my hand across the carpet to find that reassuring piece of wooden board. It was gone.

I was saddened. Out of all of the items, all of my grandparents’ belongings, this simple puzzle was the one thing that I associated most with. It held a time span of memories and I so wanted to be able to find it once again and bring it home.

A year after my grandmother’s death, the puzzle had not surfaced. I gave up hoping that somehow it would miraculously appear. It was gone, most likely thrown out either during the clean up or years prior. Someone probably saw this puzzle, worn over time, a frog with a missing hand, and figured it for trash. I didn’t stop thinking about it though… I thought maybe it would be one of those “it was meant to find me” finds at a flea market. I’d be walking along and look down at a $1 table and there would be the frog, sitting pretty with his tie waiting for me to take him home. Nope.

I had ventured to EBay other times looking for the puzzle. I’d use the words “frog puzzle” and “wooden frog” to try and find the exact item, but nothing close ever came up. Last week, I tried yet again to see if the puzzle would surface on EBay. I didn’t enter different search words, sticking with the frog puzzle and wooden frog puzzle phrases. Two listings appeared on the screen. There it was, my beloved frog puzzle.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. EBay had pulled through! I clicked on the listing to find that this was an auction with a Buy It Now option. The listing was for not only my frog puzzle, but another wooden puzzle of a goose. The starting auction price was $9.99 and the Buy It Now option was $15.99. The listing still was active for another five days and already had 4 watchers. With shipping, the total cost to buy the item without waiting around for auction was $23. I didn’t think twice.

This is where my re-selling skills came into play. I knew that with already four watchers and five days left in the auction that these puzzles weren’t going to be around for the full auction time span. There was no sense putting in a bid, only to be outbid, put in another bid, and then be outbid again. Bidding could end up costing me more than the Buy It Now option,

Was I overpaying? Perhaps. The auction was for two puzzles and I only wanted one. But, by doing some research, I learned that my chances of reselling the 2nd puzzle were good. This puzzle brand, Sifo, was popular. Looking into the Ebayer who listed the frog puzzle, most of their previous sales consisted of all Sifo puzzles. Apparently, these were wanted items and people were willing to pay. So, with this in mind, I knew that: 1. I had to buy this auction, and not wait to bid. 2. I could make some of my money back by reselling the 2nd puzzle. 3. I wanted to look more into this Sifo company.

I purchased the puzzles and waited anxiously for the package to arrive. When my EBay find came in the mail, I immediately opened up the box and there it was – a memory of my childhood finally returned to me. Sure, it wasn’t *the* puzzle that I had tucked away underneath my grandparents’ couch, but it was that same frog with the bow tie and yellow suit finally looking back at me. I had regained something that was lost, a returned treasure.

* My Returned Treasure *

And that is the magic of EBay. My frog puzzle story is the same for millions of other people; you just have to swap out the frog for another other item. There are a million different reasons why people buy on EBay and one of the most prominent is to regain something that was lost. Why do you think that vintage toys go for ridiculous prices? You can put a price on nostalgia and people will pay it. Sure, it may seem trivial and some may view it as a waste of money, but to others regaining a piece of their history is worth the price.

That is why I think that those that view reselling as taking advantage of people/ripping people off need to look at it through a different perspective. Resellers are offering a service to the world at large – the ability to reconnect and/or find that “perfect” item. The person that I bought the puzzle from could have purchased a shed full of Sifo puzzles for a low cost. They clean, photograph, and list the puzzles. Do I know how much each puzzle roughly cost them? No idea, but I’m sure it was much, much less than what I paid. Do I not buy the puzzle because I don’t want to pay $15 for something that cost them $1? Nope. I want the puzzle, I want the memory back, and so I pay the price.

Could I have waited to see if perhaps another frog puzzle would be listed on EBay? Sure. But, one might never be listed again and I would still be on the search for a memory. Thanks to this Ebayer, I now do not have to think of the idea of having this puzzle lost. I don’t have to rely on just the memory of it. I have the item & I have the story of finding it again. That is why people collect and why people scavage: to bring back what was lost, to shake off the dust and be made new.

Finding the NYC Subway at an Estate Sale.

Estate sales are a genre all of their own. I remember the weirdness that I felt going to my first estate sale, feeling a little awkward going through the bedroom dresser of some old woman that I knew was dead. After going to a few more estate sales, I got over that weird feeling and instead began to enjoy the opportunity to rummage through a complete stranger’s home. When else can you open kitchen cupboards and sift through dusty shelves in a basement of a stranger? Seeing what people collect is just one of the many unique aspects of estate sales. While I know that most people buy to flip at these types of sales, I always hope that those who eventually end up with the items cherish them as much as the original owner did.

I live in northwest Jersey, where I’m conveniently located to attend both sales in my corner of Jersey as well as Pennsylvania. I spend most weekends in south Jersey, where it seems like there is an endless amount of estate sales every Saturday. Due to schedules/activities, I can’t attend that many. I was able to go to one during the Memorial Day weekend and this turned out to be one of the biggest money makers in my start of buying & reselling.

I had gotten to the sale about 45minutes late. I had experienced getting to a sale super early once before and it wasn’t for me. The big ticket items I’m not in a position to buy anyway, so I was wasting my time standing in line and getting stepped on by those in a rush to grab the coveted collections. Even arriving almost an hour late, there was still a line outside, but at least a small one. I waited as did everyone else, hearing the usual complaints of “5 people came out, let 5 of us in!” This house was pretty small, so they were only letting a small number of people at a time, which is the usual practice.

After I leave a sale, I always wish I would have spent more time and not rushed, allowing myself to open every drawer and look in every nook and cranny. I’m still working on this, but this time managed to take some more time to just slow down and look. There was a good size mud room when you first walked into the home and a few bookcases and a desk. I looked at the book spines, seeing if any titled popped out at me. I then walked over to another bookcase where a paperweight thing stood on top a stack of books. It was definitely interesting and a little odd. I figured it for either a paperweight or some type of weird sculpture and thought that I could easily resell this thing on Etsy.

1960s Lucite Sculpture

I continued to the living room which was super small and crowded. There was a table with jewelry and other odds and ends that looked expensive. Old records, a record player, ornate small statues that I had no idea what they were, and some other items that I passed over. Out through the kitchen which didn’t have much to offer to the garage area that I could have and should have spent a good deal of time going through. Old cabinets with drawers filled with yes, junk, but I assume amidst the junk was a treasure.

I made my way into one of the bedrooms, again filled with people. The closet doors had been opened and I peeked inside. Clothes, shoes, and jackets were stored away. There was a single shelf in the closet, up high enough that I had to stand on my tip-toes to get a glimpse. A few old games, which I knew nothing about and so passed up – note to self, do more research! I then found a pile of assorted paper items. Looking back now, I should have picked up all of the papers that were there. The price of paper ephemera can be more than you would think nowadays. Scrapbookers are looking for interesting pieces to use and history buffs/family researchers are always looking for paper items that they have a connection to/family history of.


Among the pile of papers in the closet was a 1948 NYC Subway and Mass Transit map. I glanced over the folded brochure and opened it up to reveal a great looking map of the subway. The colors were amazing and condition was good too, having only one slit in the paper where it had been folded. I didn’t see the 1948 date right away, but when I did notice it, I decided this map was coming home with me.


In total, I picked up six items from this estate sale and paid a whopping $7 for everything. The “cashier” didn’t look through each of my items individually. I came to her with the items in a pile together; she glanced at the pile, and quoted the price.

So far, I’ve only sold two of the six items. No disappointment here, thanks to the subway map. Returning from the sale, I started doing research on the map. The 1948 NYC map was a special kind because of the uniqueness of it displaying the turns of the subway line. This map showed the actual curves of the traveling line, versus later maps that featured only straight lines. The map also highlighted parks and other areas of interest. Finding this item on EBay was interesting because all I could find were reproductions of the map, not original full brochure and map like I had. The reproduction pieces were going for over $40 and I even found a listing from a few months prior for a repro piece that sold for $100.

I listed on EBay and waited for the bids to come rolling in. No such luck. I had listed the starting price at $45 and couldn’t get anyone to bid. It was an interesting item and needed a specific buyer/market to entice. I was bummed that a reproduction piece could have more buying power than the actual item, but thought I would take my chances with Etsy. Selling vintage items on this site has seen much backlash from those that make their own items to sell. In my view, many vintage items can be re-purposed by those making new items, so the vintage sellers can help out the DIY sellers. But, tell that to the crafters.

Anyway, I decided to list the map on this site. I dropped my price a little and put the item up at $40. It was a neat map and the price wasn’t out of the ballpark. If anything, the price should have been more considering repros were going for that much and it had historical value to it. Well, like I thought it would, the map sold for $40. The buyer? A New Yorker, naturally.

So, after the listing fee, selling fee, and PayPal fee, I ended up having about a $37 profit from the map. Not bad for a $1.17 investment. Along with the map, I also sold the funky paperweight thing. That piece netted me a profit of around $10. So, I’m up $47 and thereby have paid off the initial $7 for all of the items. When the remaining five items sell, more profit!

The lesson in this is to slow down and look. The people that are in line first thing in the morning for an estate sale have looked at the pictures and have a few items in mind that they must have. More than not, the rest of the stuff in the house they could care less about. These are the men & women that own brick & mortar antique stores, those that vend at flea markets on a regular basis, and those that pick for a full-time job. They have the money to shell out $150 on a painting and have the contacts to flip it for $500. Sure, I could purchase the exact same painting, but I wouldn’t have any idea where to start in order to resell and gain a profit.

So, let those that are in to buy the “high end” items go first. Take your time opening drawers and digging through dirty boxes in the garage. I made over $30 on a $1 item just by taking a peek at what was on a closet shelf. As I stated before, I should have grabbed all of the paper items because who knows what else could have brought in a great return.

~ Flea Fact ~

        Go out of your way at estate sales to look where others won’t – you’ll find treasure for sure.

Meet the Author.

I'm going to be changing this blog around a little bit... dipping into different topics, incorporating more history, and having fun talking about the adventures of flea markets and thrifting. So, to kick off this "new" blog, here's a little more about the author, yours truly.

I'm a Jersey girl. (Insert jokes about Jersey here). Like every state, Jersey has its' good and bad parts. I believe that most people think of Jersey's bad aspects thanks to the proliferation of negativity driven by those wonderful Jersey reality shows. However, those that are born and raised Jersey know the difference between reality tv and true life.

Jersey has so much to offer, including a great history. I live in the northwestern part of Jersey, an area that my ancestors planted roots in and remained. I am about an hour away from both NYC and Philly and beaches are just a drive away on the infamous Garden State Parkway. My county is situated on the border of NJ & PA, along the Delaware River. It has a mixture of rural and urban, but is dotted with wonderful farmland. People passing through will find that there really isn't a whole lot of things to do... there's the bowling alley that hasn't changed in at least 20 years, our mall that is slowly becoming a ghost town, and the one thing that brings my town together: high school football.

This area has a rich history of railroads, mining, and the canal. Being close to the Lehigh Valley, it is easy to travel to such places as Bethlehem and the Poconos. Warren & Hunterdon Counties have small museums, stories of coal miners, and great antique shops and a few flea markets. I'm often reminded of how much I enjoy living in this area during back road drives... great scenery and small towns with main streets that still remind you of yesteryears. Of course, I wouldn't mind living down south where the beach is just a five minute drive away.

I grew up with a love of history and "old stuff." My dream job, which since has changed throughout the years, was to be a high school history teacher. This altered a bit in college, when I decided I wanted to aim higher and be a history professor. More altering occurred when after securing a Masters in Holocaust and Genocide Studies (yup, that happened), I was not accepted into a PhD program. I was crushed at the time because there went my "dream." I grew up wanting to teach history, specifically on WWII & the Holocaust, which I fervently read about since the 6th grade.

I still love learning and reading about WWII & the Holocaust, but do not wish to pursue a career of teaching on the subjects. It's just not in me anymore to want to stand in front of a group of 20year olds and try to get them excited about history. Perhaps if I would have been accepted into the PhD program, this would be different but alas, no PhD for me.

So what is my dream job? Give me an endless pot of tea, a computer, and a topic and/or genealogy question to research and I'm good for the day. I love doing historical research. LOVE IT. I don't think I can stress enough how much I enjoy sifting through library books, census, records on Ancestry.com, old newspapers on Google, and so on. I would love to get a paycheck for helping solve family tree mysteries and writing on historical topics. Pair being a historical researcher with re-selling vintage items on Ebay & Etsy, and I would be set.

All of the historical research that I do is either volunteer work for historic sites in NJ or for my own collection of "books that I want to write" topics. I have 2 books in the making and when I say "in the making", I mean it will be years before they are even close to being published. If I played the lottery and won, I would be able to have all the time in the world to research and write. One can dream...

So, instead of a published book, I have this blog. It works for now and who knows, perhaps it could help land a "dream job." I'll be changing things up a little bit and mixing in some historical research on local topics as well as Jersey history, plus incorporating my vintage finds and re-selling adventures. Stories of thrift stores, estate sales, and flea markets will dot the web pages providing helpful tips and tricks for those on the hunt for vintage treasures and finds.