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Reselling and the Hawaiian High Cost of Shipping

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The first lesson painfully learned for reselling in Hawaii is the high cost of shipping. Mailing a pair of shoes in-state costs around $8, but once that Pacific Ocean is crossed, another $10 is added on. And that makes a huge difference for eBay sales. Paying an additional $18 for shipping on top of the item cost itself makes my listings less appealing.

Reducing prices for my listings is an obvious method but then this almost makes this venture cost prohibitive. USPS flat rate boxes don’t really help either. The medium size flat rate boxes don’t fit men’s shoes, and the large flat rate box costs $18.90. I think I may offer $10 fixed shipping and eat the difference. Sure that eats into profits but hopefully this attracts more customers.

Better in Person

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Gotta file these kicks under “Better in Person.” I’m talking about the Under Armour Micro G Volt Low. When I saw these shoes, I had to pick them up since I couldn’t quickly identify them. And that camo-like colorway on that organic upper is super intriguing. After handling the Volt, you feel the old school, solid construction, not like the woven stuff we see today. The Volt Low just feels solidly built.

Under Armour Micro G Volt Low

I’d never have considered these shoes if I only saw pictures online. These are definitely better in person.

But… I don’t need them (or so I keep telling myself), so they’re available on eBay.

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Starbucks Haupia Nitro, a Hawaii Exclusive

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The Starbucks Reserve Roastery location in the Waikiki Trade Center is the only place in all of America where you can order a Haupia Nitro. Yup, that’s a nitro cold brew infused with a coconut blended mixture. The walls of the special Reserve cup are lined with condensed milk (I think), and the finished drink looks like this.

Like any other Nitro cold brew, this drink is amped on caffeine. The taste is kinda strong for my preferences, but the haupia mellows it out overall. This is an expensive libation though, coming in at $6 for a grande, but keep in mind that since there’s no ice added, it’s all unadulterated coffee.

If the Haupia Nitro is not for your palette, be sure to check out the other unique menu items at the only Reserve Roastery in Hawaii.

Or better yet, ask the barista for a recommendation, and let her photobomb her creation for you.

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Turning Passion to Profit?

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Is it possible to monetize a passion and still keep the sanctity of this love intact? I’m going to find out as I take my first steps as an eBay (re)seller. You see, more often than not, when I visit a Ross Dress for Less store, I come across a pair of shoes that’s intriguing. The kicks may rekindle nostalgia, remembering them from back in the day. Or I could have missed out on them when they originally launched or there’s an interesting backstory to the shoe, or they just look cool. But historically, that’s where the story ended when I put the shoe back on the sales rack.

But now things are different. I’m actually buying these gems and then (hopefully) reselling them on eBay after learning about the shoe and possibly getting a new appreciation for them. Take these Air Max 90 from the Campfire Pack. Nope, I never heard of this series nor saw one before. But when I spied the colors at Ross, I knew I couldn’t leave them there. Yeah, they crazy, but they crazy good. Then you learn the Campfire Pack pays tribute to the creation of Nike’s All Conditions Gear (ACG) when legendary designers including Tinker Hatfield met for a true life camping trip.

Sure there’s not much difference in that I’m not actually collecting the shoe for personal reasons, but yet, having the shoe for longer than a moment feels like an elevated experience of satisfaction. After selling some of my older shoes as they fell out of my rotation, I realized that I don’t need them all, and I don’t have to let them sit deteriorating in the Hawaiian humidity.

Maybe my kicks perspective has changed with the rapid-fire nature of the modern day shoe game where new color ways and collaborations are released on seemingly a weekly basis. So a love for a shoe is probably more of an infatuation that will be soon replaced by another crush. But in all of this, getting a few bucks here and there can’t hurt right? I guess I also view this reselling as a curation of kicks for other shoe heads. I’m doing the finding so that they don’t have to. All they need to do is go to eBay and search for a wanted shoe, and hopefully I’m offering that match. I think that ease for the eBay seeker is worth the price differential aka my profit.

So we’ll see how this plays out. It’s surely not a stable affair since there’s no promise of any sort that Ross will have anything worthwhile. But the hunt has been fun, especially when you find something interesting like this Copper Flightposite. I originally thought Foamposite when seeing the silhouette and had forgotten that the Foamposite evolved to the Flightposite.

Nike Copper Flightposite

Stick with me as I explore this new fad, love, interest, adventure, and learning experience!

Ross Windward Mall?

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Is the Dress for Less Store headed to Windward Mall? If so, the last of the OG malls would have a Ross location. First was Pearlridge then Kahala. The Ala Moana location was a recent addition, and 2018 could welcome the former Sports Authority space in Windward Mall.

Trying the eBay Thing

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After watching one too many Hustler Hacks videos, I decided to give the “eBay thing” a try. And it’s a lot harder than initially thought and time consuming. It’s also fun and discouraging at the same time, full of potential and disappointment.

Along with new items, I’m also selling off some of my shoe rotation that’s not a good match for my flat feet. Why wear kicks that hurt me? Better they go off to someone who can love them more.

I’m still figuring out how to create good listings and shipping is an art and a science. Definitely need more experience with regards to shipping.

Askhole, Know Any?

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Saw this shirt at The Refinery in Kahala Mall that defines an “askhole.” Do you know any?

A person who constantly asks for your advice, yet always does the exact opposite.

Where Were You?

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Where were you when the (thankfully) false ballistic missile launch sounded?

Me – eating breakfast waffles at home.

Although a mistake, I’m sure awareness of what to do in this situation is definitely heightened and more people will get prepared

Mentioned by The Verge.

Yahoo News also reported on Twitter but with a mismatching image.

iPhone Battery Replacement Update

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Update 1/5/2018: Battery changed out after making a return “appointment.” Servicing took about 90 minutes. Store is full of customers wanting to check out their iPhone battery condition. iPhone 6 feels noticeably faster with the battery replacement.

Update 1/4/2018: Battery has arrived in store and need to schedule an appointment when to bring the phone in. I also got an email stating stop by anything (within 7 days), but it’s better to call back and actually set a time for the repair (1 to 2 hours).

After hearing that Apple updated its iPhone battery replacement program to begin immediately rather than late January, I made an appointment for Sunday, December 31, 2017. Unfortunately, the Kahala Apple Store Genius Bar had already exhausted its supply of in-house batteries on Saturday.

The Genius did run through a hardware diagnostic as a formality but didn’t find anything wrong with the iPhone 6 or its battery. He did say that we could change the battery for $30 regardless of the battery condition. We now have to wait about three to five days for a battery shipment then return to the Apple Store when notified.

From that point, it’s a one-hour service to swap out the battery. Not bad for $30.

And while you’re at the Apple Store, don’t look at different bands for the Apple Watch. Otherwise you might give in and get something like this deceiptively multi-colored “black” Sport Loop. Although described as black, the band has iridescent qualities showing off red, blue, green, and even more colors. It’s super nice and actually very comfortable!

Found My Next Court Shoe

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For the badminton court that is. Yeah, tennis shoes are a better match for badminton, but we both know my love for basketball shoes runs deep. Gotta blame Nike and that guy named Jordan for this continued love affair. And besides, some tennis shoes look good but not as good as the variety of basketball shoes out there.

For over a year, I’ve been playing in the Adidas Crazy Light Boost 2016. At the time, this shoe was probably the cheapest entry point for full length Boost, and they’ve served me well. Great cushioning and a comfortable fit. Its only drawback is the number of lace eyelets. With essentially only three eyelets per side, tightening the shoe seemed harder than it should’ve been. But still, a great performer on the badminton court at my level.

Over time I’ve noticed that the Crazy Light Boost cushioning isn’t as good where I feel the wear and tear of playing afterwards. A sign to get new shoes right? Only thing is I couldn’t really find a good replacement. I was thinking of using the Adidas Dame 3 featuring Bounce instead of Boost. However, the Dame’s one piece upper has a small opening for your foot, and since I wear an ankle brace, getting my protected ankle in the Dame 3 is just about impossible.

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While doing a routine #rossfinds, I came across the Under Armour Curry 2.5. Overall, I’ve heard good things about UA’s Curry line so while on the high end of Ross prices at $65, I got the blacked out 2.5. Sadly, these didn’t work for me as a badminton shoe. The design needs for SC30 are different from mine, and this shoe while comfortable doesn’t provide enough impact protection.

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The Charged Cushioning does feel interestingly good (though it took me awhile to get used to that foamy feel), but there’s nothing else to absorb impact. That burrito-style wrap also doesn’t really work for me either. I wear the same Zamst ankle brace that Steph Curry wears, but I couldn’t get the burrito upper to close around my brace. Steph Curry must have super skinny ankles to get the proper fit for his shoes and brace. So the Curry 2.5 has been designated as a casual shoe, but with the recent rainy weather, these high tops with a synthetic upper has been great at repelling water.

So where does that leave me in my search for a replacement badminton shoe? My own collection. A while back during a Nike clearance, I picked up the low version of the Air Jordan 31. While I was spying the black and pink color way, I just couldn’t do it and instead got what I thought was black and white. The colors actually were Navy blue and white but still a good looking shoe. Unfortunately as a casual pair of kicks, they aren’t very comfortable due to a snug toe box. But Jordans are always performance shoes, so I figured why not try these on the badminton court. And perform they did!

Supposedly the lightest Air Jordan ever made, they are ultra comfortable to play in, and I had no issues from the start. The snug toe box problem went away as the Flyweave construction stretched out I guess. I don’t recall every owning a shoe with full length unlocked Zoom Air but whatever the case, these just felt great while moving in them. From a mediocre casual shoe, I found my next badminton shoe going back to my roots with the Air Jordan line.

See more pictures of the Air Jordan 31.

Air Jordan 31 Low

Slow Shipping This Holiday Season

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I’m sure it can’t only be me, but has shipping packages this holiday season been slower than previous years? I don’t ever recall having so many parcels delayed or even damaged. I even thought one of my UPS packages was stolen only to find it delivered five days after it was reported. Must be the sheer number of online orders is putting a huge strain on USPS, FedEx, and UPS. Almost every delivery service seemed to have suffered this season.

In years past, purchases with Amazon Prime shipping to Hawaii arrived in 2-3 days, really unheard of compared to the typical 5-7 days of free shipping. But this year, I was lucky to get my Amazon deliveries on time. One order was literally destroyed with only the box label delivered. Yup, just the box label, no actual contents of the box.

Like I said, I had thought a UPS delivery was stolen since it was reported as delivered. I couldn’t find the said-delivered package so reported a lost package and started a claim over the Christmas weekend. Nothing came of it during the weekend and by the time I received a response, the package showed up even though the reported delivery date was five days prior.

I was supposed to have received another Amazon order on Wednesday by 8pm (via USPS by the way). At 8:11pm, I checked the delivery status and saw this.

How was your shipping experiences this holiday season?

 

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