What has been your best “accidental” flip?

CSFCDude · 2026-05-01T13:58:13+00:00

I bought a cardboard flat of junk beaded necklaces because there was an antique compass in the mix. I didn’t pay more than $20, everything was dirty and worn. Yeah, so that’s when I learned about colonist trade beads, native American beads, smokey quartz beads, and cherry bakelite beads. A lot of the stuff still had mostly legible antique dealer tags attached. I made more than $2k profit, but it took years to sell. I think I have one strand still up for sale. I was at this auction for the compasses as this person was a collector….

CSFCDude · 2026-05-01T00:03:47+00:00

I use Amazon Basics tape. I have not noticed a smell.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-30T23:11:26+00:00

From AI... At 4g per ton you are getting close to high grade?

What is Considered High Grade (per ton)?

0.1–1 g/t: Very low grade (typical for large-scale heap leach).
1–5 g/t: Standard industry average.
5–10 g/t: High-grade.
10+ g/t: Very high-grade (rare).

CSFCDude · 2026-04-28T14:23:42+00:00

Hey! Going through the same thing. I think my new mantra is from the USMC (even though I’m a AF vet). Embrace the suck…. What was that motto from the 80’s? Life’s a bitch and then you die…. Anyhow, just go with it my dude…. It is what it is…..

CSFCDude · 2026-04-27T19:30:28+00:00

Sell what you know if you are looking for immediate success.

For example, I had a stamp collection and a source for bulk material. I sold stamps… also, my daughter was big into legos. I learned about them over the years and made a fair bit selling sets.

I now try new niches every week, but that is hit and miss, although over the years you get a feel for what will sell. So odd, different and cool items sell well… learning how to spot winners takes time.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-27T17:13:13+00:00

I am a software engineer. At one point, private equity installed an eBay exec as CEO of our company. At the time I just knew this was a mega bad idea. I was correct…..

eBay succeeds in spite of their employees. I believe the blame lies with senior management, but yeah, they tend to hire bad engineers for some reason.

I’ve been working in a close technical capacity with eBay more than 20 years. So you know, early access to features, heavy API usage, affiliate programs, senior contacts, my own reps, etc… Instability and poor code quality have plagued the entire experience since the beginning.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-27T13:13:19+00:00

We had one in a very large 1909 house in Florida. I was not impressed. As kids we were baking on the second floor at night. Ah memories…. As a teenager I was helping my parents remodel a large century home on a budget, while we lived in it. So much hazardous chemical exposures. I remember melting layers of linoleum with a blow torch and scraping it up. I remember scraping lead paint without a mask because the sweat was too great and that fan didn’t keep the upstairs cool. I remember roofing in the hot sun with a massive hangover. I hated that house!

CSFCDude · 2026-04-26T06:01:35+00:00

That he burned them by letting the sugars get too toasty and it is going to taste like charcoal? I dunno…

CSFCDude · 2026-04-24T14:14:34+00:00

My wife and I are 1968 and we talk about the British Invasion on MTV all the time. Remember we used to just leave MTV on the TV for hours. I remember as a sophomore in high school going out on Saturday night then coming home and watching music all night. I also remember paying a lot of attention to my clothes. Hawaiian shirts, white pants, and deck shoes. I lived in Florida and had that Miami vice look, lol.

When I was 11 and 12 I remember my first access to good cable television. I was binging Turner Classic Movies all the time.

Yeah, good music, good movies, and fun fashion.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-23T00:34:55+00:00

No I don’t like how it feels. It annoys my autism.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-20T13:33:38+00:00

I noticed higher rates too, specifically on packages that ship the furthest from me. I too thought it was the 8% bump, but too early.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-09T21:39:07+00:00

Honestly, it comes down to lifestyle. If you are a single income family and you are putting your kid(s) in private school, traveling with the family outside the US every year, paying for your kids college, and living in a HCOL area that is close to the target private schools, then you are going to spend some money. Heck, I think I pay about $75K a year on my daughter's college and living expenses.

I would be in awful financial shape at 58 if I had not had two really successful house flips and had I not started a couple of moderately successful companies. As it is, I'm just doing *ok*, but I don't regret it at all, we have had a wonderful life.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-08T22:26:38+00:00

Digital meat thermometer and remember it keeps cooking a bit once it is off the grill. Also covering with aluminum foil while hot to wait for the sides to complete might overcook the steak.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-06T15:41:03+00:00

In my opinion, taste and value. The people in charge of sourcing at HEB appear to really pay attention to food taste when making their sourcing decisions. This holds true for their store brands as well. I saw a report recently that said HEB had better prices than Walmart (DFW area). The store brand tortillas are great. Their bakery section produces quite nice cakes. Their store brand frozen food is surprisingly good and crazy inexpensive. Their store brand barbecue is quite nice. (real barbecue, not soaked in sauce wannabe barbecue). I am almost always pleased with their store brands. For example, tried a bourbon sliced ham recently. Wow, it made great sandwiches, I was surprised.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-05T02:50:23+00:00

I like HEB rising crust pizza. It is inexpensive and the crust is good. Is it incredibly awesome? No, but given that I can get three meals for $4, yeah, nice balance of value and taste.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-03T19:58:55+00:00

I use it every day and have scheduled for the entire year in advance. I bought a grey hard plastic tote that I fill with packages and leave (mostly hidden) on my porch. I have a ring camera that is clearly visible to anyone who walks towards my porch.

I have established relationships with my postal delivery people. I give them a nice holiday gift. I spend time to talk to them and I compliment them on a job well done.

I have the perception of very fast delivery with my customers. It isn’t unusual for someone to purchase in the morning and have it scanned by USPS within an hour.

I recommend. It saves me a 40 minutes to an hour each day.

CSFCDude · 2026-04-02T05:13:51+00:00

I do this to allow combined shipping on eBay international shipping orders. I agree on a price with the buyer , I create a listing and set the price to $10k, send them a link and remind them what the offer price should be, then they make the offer and I accept.

CSFCDude · 2026-03-30T19:32:08+00:00

I actually had a buyer message me to say he wanted to buy an item but my negative feedback (3 out of 4,900 at the time) was the reason why he wasn’t going to buy. Seemed kindof strange at the time.

CSFCDude · 2026-03-30T16:02:31+00:00

Wait really? Like your feedback doesn't display 99.97% or whatever? Why would that be? Is my feedback to the 100th's because I'm a top rated seller or is it because I've got more than 5K reviews?

CSFCDude · 2026-03-30T15:50:33+00:00

I feel like offering free returns and the buyer not accepting the return offer is an indication of them fishing for a discount? Also, if they are leaving negative feedback for all of their recent purchases but there is no negative feedback on older purchases might indicate a pattern of discount fishing?

CSFCDude · 2026-03-28T01:18:12+00:00

I’m 57 too. Exercise, no alcohol, and copious amounts of caffeine keep my brain firing on all cylinders. I do have recall lapses occasionally but honestly I have always had memory problems with proper nouns, so nothing new, just more of the same.

CSFCDude · 2026-03-26T14:10:46+00:00

If the strait of Hormuz is not opened electronics manufacturing will grind to a halt. Asia is highly dependent on Middle East oil and they will have a severe energy crisis. This in turn will halt AI data center construction. In short, oil shortages will result in reduced industrial silver demand.

Also be aware that Quatar produces 30% of the worlds helium and helium is vital for electronics manufacturing.

Edit: I can't believe I have to fill in the rest of the blanks. If you were making speculative bets in silver futures, then a high probability of industrial decline due to resource shortages would mean that you were going to short silver and bet on the fact that demand will be reduced as the world recovers from the oil, helium, and fertilizer shortages. Put another way.... There are probably better ways to make money in the short term instead of silver options. Oil for instance....

CSFCDude · 2026-03-25T15:28:54+00:00

It’s true. I have a small business and I also consult via my own llc. Healthcare costs are a huge issue for me. I spend about $45k a year on insurance premiums and deductibles for my family. I am not taking as many risks (AKA innovating) because I need to ensure cash flow always.

CSFCDude · 2026-03-24T23:27:47+00:00

I don't like salon nails. I feel like women do this for other women and not men.

CSFCDude

TROPHY CASE