Monday, August 22, 2011

Let Them Eat Cake

I love me some cake and I generally don't care what shape it's in, as long as it tastes good.  But, there are many folks who are pretty particular about the form their cake takes on and that's where these fabulous Wilton cake pans come into play.  Did you know that Wilton will discontinue production on certain pans after a period of time?  That is not fun for the retail shopper who is looking for that 1979 Donald Duck Wilton Cake Pan, because it was long ago discontinued.  But, that situation can turn into some positive cash flow for the trained eye of the eBay seller!  I bought that pan for $1 at a local Goodwill store.  I did a little research and found that it is no longer being made and checked completed listings of that same pan on eBay and now I wait for the right buyer to come along.


Sure, there are some pans that are more in demand than others, but I don't pass up any of them.  I bring them home and give them a good cleaning and then check the item number that is stamped on the pan.  In Donald Duck's case, that pan is Wilton #502-7245.  I first check the Wilton website for information on that pan by plugging in that item number in the search box on the site.  Because the Donald pan is so old, it was not listed there.  So, another site I check for information is Slice of Heaven, where I was able to find the baking and decorating instructions for free.  Whenever the pans I sell do not have the baking/decorating instructions with them, I always email the buyer a copy of them in either a link or an attachment to an email.  This is a big selling point, as most people don't know where to find the baking/decorating instructions.

Most of the Wilton pans are pretty lightweight and can be shipped pretty inexpensively via First Class Mail, if wrapped in bubble wrap and a lightweight PolyMailer, or in a Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box.   There is a very nice return on investment with Wilton Cake Pans.  But, you just have to be patient and wait for the right seller to come along.  Here are all of my currently listed pans:  Wilton Cake Pans

Maybe, you'll be inspired to check your local thrift stores for any Wilton Cake Pans.  Or, maybe, you've been inspired to buy one of MINE and bake yourself a cake!  :-)

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Summer is Over

Yep, I said it.  Summer is over.  The kids go back to school TOMORROW.  I have enjoyed this summer but it just flew by so quickly.  My business has suffered, thanks to summer.  Sales have been slow, but steady.  But, watch out, local thrift stores... I'll be back this week! 

My oldest son has taken the fall semester off at college and moved away (today) temporarily for an internship in his field of study, Mechanical Engineering.  I'm pretty excited for him, but I'll be so glad when he comes home.  He'll be making pretty good money for a 20 year old, too.  I hope he saves most of his earnings!

I'll have two in high school this year (9th and 11th), one in middle school (7th) and one in elementary school (5th).  My mornings and afternoons are spent sitting in car lines at three different schools.  Somewhere in between, I hope to find time to tackle some housework, some thrifting, some listing and (hopefully) lots of shipping.  Unfortunately, we thought we were Congress this summer and spent more money than we could afford to spend.  Argggg...

So, stay tuned!  I plan to be back very soon with more tales from my adventures in thrifting.  Here's hoping for lots of great sales for us all.   'Till next time!