My thrift store habit is beginning to cost me money. I'm always looking for something cool at a great price. Some things I keep and some I'm looking to sell. Recently I bought this Courvoisier Bar Rail Mat (the kind they have at bars to pour shots on) at St. Vincent's Thrift store for $1.75. Normally these things go for about $25.

It's a cool item for a man cave or a bachelor pad so I thought it would be an easy sell on eBay, small and easy to ship. I was correct on all counts but I offered free shipping which was my first mistake. I had read some eBay advice online that said it's much easier to sell your items and get top dollar if you offer free shipping. Great advice if a) the item doesn't weight much and is small and b) is worth over $50.

At the end of the bidding I received $11.05 which isn't bad for something I paid $1.75 for but unfortunately the shipping at USPS is over $12 (the cheapest option). In the end I'll have paid $3 for the right to ship this cool item to somebody in Massachussetts. At the end of the day I would rather have kept it for myself if I knew that would happen. It all could have been avoided if I hadn't offered free shipping.

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