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Great quote from Steve this week about a set of authentic Prince guitar picks: “This is one of those sales that make you go ‘holy crap, nice!”. Ha! Po[See the full post at: What Sells On eBay: Eyeglass cases, Prince guitar picks, Nodder mug, B&O phono cart, Vintage camera case]
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Great sales, Steve! Nothing over the top in terms of sales over my way. Everything remained in the double digits. Here are some highlights…
This was a surprise out of a box lot of remotes I bought for a total of $2. The auctioneer took the liberty of separating the remotes from the stereo equipment I bought earlier (grrr!) and lotting them all together, forcing me to stay until the end. But I’m glad I did! This simple, two-button remote I found out later controls a stairlift. Super specialized. They usually sell for $50-$60. I priced mine competitively and it sold in a few weeks for $54.
Bruno Stairlift RemoteHere is my biggest sale of the week. I picked this German-made Leitz slide projector up at a yard sale last summer for a dollar! I couldn’t believe it! I brought it home, tested it and it worked fine, but I noticed some mold growth on the glass. I noted that in the listing and finally took a best offer for $75. I probably could have gotten more for it, but it was taking up a lot of room and that price made me happy. I shipped it to a big-deal executive/entrepreneur out in California. I won’t say who it was on here, but let’s just say he has his own wikipedia page. 🙂
Leitz Wetzlar Prado Slide ProjectorSome more hardware sold from that lot I mentioned last week. These are four antique drawer pulls. The designs on these look so cool! It reminds me of the Illuminati or something. They cost me a few cents, and I sold them for $30. When the buyer received them, she immediately messaged me asking me if I had anymore. Unfortunately I didn’t, but she then raved about how amazing they were. That made my day.
Antique Drawer PullsI like selling tools, but too often they don’t resell for a whole lot of money. But I’m learning by doing, and I’m adding to my toolbox the things that aren’t worth my time to sell. That being said, I’ve learned some brands to look out for. Snap-on is one of them. I picked this ratchet up in a box lot. This piece came out to cost me $3. I clean the rust off, polished and oiled it a little, and sold it for a best offer of $38. And just to let you know, there’s an easy way to date Snap-on brand tools. Just look for the specific symbol on the tool and search Google for the chart of Snap-on symbol dates. Mine were from the 1950’s.
Snap-On Ratchet -
Here are a few things that I sold over the past month or so, click on image to see eBay listing:
Carrousel Art Magazine, I purchased around 30 different issues of these a while back, for less than $1 each, I sell one every month or so, this one went for best offer of $30:
An old distressed Red Head brand hunting game pouch, paid .50. sold for $20:
About a pound and a half of upholstery nails, found at a estate sale, thrown in with lot of other stuff, sold for $20:
At a warehouse/thrift sale I purchased some cartridge boxes and other miscellaneous stuff, this was in the box, I didn’t even notice it till I got home, paid about $7 for it, sold for $250:
I probably could of sold this for more, but I was happy with the $59.95 I got for it:
I paid about $1.50 total for both of these manuals, the Haynes manual isn’t worth much but apparently the Suzuki Samurai manuals are rare, these went for $54.45:
Sometimes I find these at estate sales and flea markets, an old floor furnace key, sold for $19.99:
-Steve
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I like to sell overlooked vintage cookie cutters and they are lightweight so ship first class. This was an oldie but a goodie. Paid a buck at a moving sale.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wood-Springerle-Folk-Art-German-Biscuit-Cookie-Butter-Mold-Press-Birds-/232283245354?rd=1I wasn’t sure about pricing these tiny Vintage Easter decorations. Paid pennies at an estate and found them in a box with Gurley candles. I’ve heard some people say they go to the basements first looking for holiday stuff. We don’t have many in Cali but this was in a guest room closet up high. Sold in 5 minutes. http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/332175705309?rd=1
Took a best offer of $50. I’m not into this kind of thing so priced to move. Paid $4 @ Indy thrift. I wish they wouldn’t put packing tape on paper boxes. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Hubley-Kit-Gabriel-Model-1930s-SJ-Duesenberg-Town-Car-Metal-4868-/232271070829?rd=1
Got most of our money back on these items used on our recent vacation. Love to recycle and sold quickly so maybe I could have gotten all of our $ back? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Disney-Tiki-Aulani-Travel-Mug-Refillable-Hot-Cold-Beverage-amp-Oaui-Revealed-Guide-/232283763498?rd=1
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I use to look for t shirts all the time. Now I am very picky. Usually vintage band t shirts like this The Cure T Shirt for $22.00 http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Cure-Black-T-Shirt-XL-Rare-Vintage-/192130980430?rd=1
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The last week and a half has been very slow for me, but a few of my recent sales:
This was a piece of contemporary Lalique bought on impulse at the local auction house, and ultimately, not a good buy–bought for around $45 and sold for $65 (and according to research I was at the top end of the market for this piece.) Moral is, never bid without researching first.
common tourist item (there are antique examples that bring $$$) but quick sellers–bought for $2.99 at a thrift and sold for $22
bought at a thrift store for $5, sold for $50
bought for pennies in a lot–sold for $35, unusual photos always sell
bought at an online auction for $22 with shipping sold for $65. There are a lot of repros of old still banks out there (which drove down prices) but I knew that this was old, and researched it before bidding.
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Steve – I can’t imagine walking four large dogs at once! I used to have a doberman/German shepherd mix, and he would just pull me all over the place. I think your dogs are much better behaved.
This was listed as a dream catcher at auction, but I found it was a three-tier mobile. I had it up for $119 for over 6 months with no movement and few views, so I decided to take the $59 offer when it came in. I bought it for about $2. Funny thing, the lady mistakenly gave me the feedback “This night cream is awesome! I would recommend it for everyone !!!!”.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=182326531741I bought the contents of a linen closet in an online auction for the minimum bid of $1. Many of the items were tablecloths in very good condition. Tablecloths don’t sell quickly, so I list them competitively. However, I could tell that this one was special. I did list it higher, but I think not high enough. Bought for pennies, sold for $16.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=182507972342I bought this pretty chalk message board also for the minimum bid of $1 at an online auction. The seller called it wall art, so I think that he wasn’t aware that it was a message board. It sold for best offer of $35. Unfortunately, I under-estimated the dimensions & weight and had to pay ~$5 addition shipping.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=182470576043 -
Thanks for the great dog walking adventure … they are all loving it! Nice sales, especially those picks!
I’m pouting over a book I sold that got returned for “PACKAGES NOT ALLOWED.” I had to pay return shipping.
When I got it back, I tried to contact buyer, no response, so decided to wait til end of month, maybe they were on vacation. Before I could refund, I got a paypal case opened against me, that she opened through her credit card. In responding to the case, I tried to refund (less shipping and return shipping), but since the buyer had not confirmed something in their account, it would not go through. The case finally closed, and the price of the book was refunded to the buyer, but they did not deduct the extra $6 for return shipping (it was a heavy law book).
Anyway, just going to call ebay to get fees refunded and forget about it.
Thanks for listening. :o)
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WOO HOO! I upgraded to a PREMIUM store today after 10 months at a Basic Store … THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE ADVICE, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND most importantly…KINDNESS!!!
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Great sales Steve! And yes, I’m very jealous of your free packing materials! I can usually get free boxes & air pillows in my condo’s recycling room, but never a massive bag of peanuts like that.
My interesting sales of the past week:
Vintage Brown & Sharpe Slant Line Micrometer No. 599-3 with box & paperwork
Love love love old precision tools. They last forever and are still just as useful today as ever. This one I bought at an auction for $10. Sold for $70 best offer. I’ve sold the larger ones for over $200 before.Pre-War German Dietzgen Reliance 10 Piece Drafting Kit
Another type of item I always buy, assuming the price is right. This one I bought at the flea market for $3. Normally, I assume they will sell for $20-$30 easily, but after research This one commanded a bit more because it was pre-WWI German made. So even with the case in poor condition I got full price $50 for it.1903 John Nutry Stevens Mfg Co Brooklyn NY Metal Box Bank with Key
Another auction buy for about $10. Took a chance on it because I know that old banks like this can be quite collectible. I was able to find the actual patent sheet for this particular one so I included it in the listing. I’ve had it for a bit over a year, but I took a best offer $70 and it’s headed to Japan via a drop shipped in CA.Vintage George Washington 1789 1st President U.S.A 1797 Medal on Necklace
This is one of those insane sales that you just can’t figure out. I’ve had this for probably a good 2-3 years. Bought it in a box of costume jewelry at the flea market, so probably didn’t pay more than $0.50-$1 for it. I’ve had it on sale so many times, promoted it, ended & relisted it… no bites, not even a low ball offer (cause I’d probably have taken it). It was on clearance sale for 75% off and the sale just ended and it sold for full price – $50.c1983 Microsoft MS-DOS Operating System for Rainbow 100
Never ever would have picked this up without the podcast. After hearing the success with old software that R&J and others have had, I picked it up for $1 at a sale. Took about 2 weeks but sold to an apparent MS-DOS collector for $40 best offer.(4) 1974 Kentucky Derby 100th Anniversary Glasses
Got these at an estate sale about two years ago… paid up at $10 because quick on the spot research was showing $200+ prices. Unfortunately, after deeper research, there were two versions of these glasses – one made by Federal Glass that commands the big bucks and then ones like these that were generic. Still sold for $45 best offer, but not the massive score that I was hoping for.(2) c1950s Eveready AA No.1215 1.5V Heavy Duty Flashlight Battery
Scavenging at it’s best! Bought and old radio for like $5 and pulled these out. Sold the radio for $50 and then these for $15! Clean old batteries definitely have a market.-
People collect old batteries?!? I had no idea. Something to think about if I ever buy vintage electronics.
I have a vintage drafting set listed similar to the one you sold, but much newer. It was made by a German company called Tacro. I’ve had it listed for over 6 months. Perhaps I should try to date it, but I’ve been assuming that it’s more of a 70’s or 80’s thing.
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In our area, there is a neighborhood site (nextdoor.com) that you can post things for sale, need recommendations for a plumber for example, lost animals, found animals, suspicious activity, mail theft, etc. I put out a posting that I have a small at home business … anybody with free packing materials, I would be happy to take them off your hands instead of going to the dump … I now have 3 wonderful neighbors that I didn’t even know before, saving me their packing materials.
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Good afternoon Beverly: Something in your post caught my eye. We too are subscribers to nextdoor.com. So I wonder, if Nextdoor.com is just a local thing, then are you in the NorthEast section of the Atlanta Metro area? Maybe NextDoor.com services sub-division all across the USA and your group is not local to mine. Our NextDoor.com encompasses about 15 to 16 neighborhoods that all adjoin each other in North Gwinnett County.
Just wondering if we are neighbors?mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta
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Oh, Now I see you are out of WA. Sorry about not looking at that. Guess I am like a lot of my own customers and don’t read the item specifics or description for all of the details before I jump into an email or post. Guess you are probably thousands of miles away.
Sorry about that mike in Atl.
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NExtdoor.com is like Craigslist. There are local groups all over the country.
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Well color me informed :-). Thought it was just for our local Home Owners Assoc and surrounding neighborhoods.
Jay, FYI… I used NextDoor.com three weeks ago and advertised for a helper for us to get on through all of the old antique booth death piles. Found a young lady, she lives two blocks down from us, worked years ago as a paralegal, speed types and is doing about 10-15 hrs. a week for us. She just left and in 4 hours she got 19 listings done in WonderLister for us and saved in a “Ready for Review” folder. All I have to do is review what she has done and edit as needed, attach photos and price and schedule for upload within WL.
I think this is going to get us through all those tubs of small items we pulled out of those 6 booths. Hopefully we can get all caught up in 6 – 8 weeks. Then we will see where we go from there.
Thought this may be of interest to you guys.
Mike in Atlanta
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It is a big chunk of the monthly income but worth it if we can finish up all those remaining items. We have 776 active listings in our store but have about 400 to 500 more [we think]. If we can get to 1,500 in a few months I think the increases in Sales will make her payment easier. Also once caught up, we may be able to go it alone, but we just were not getting ahead with eliminating those death piles. We can’t make sales if we can’t get our merchandise in front of the customers. Inventory sitting in our garage is like a dept. store getting their orders in but leaving it sitting on the loading dock. Just wasted opportunity.
mike in atl.
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A quick note on packing peanuts. If you have a health food store or vitamin / supplements shop near you, hit them up for packing peanuts. They get many of their shipments in small to medium sized boxes with lots of packing peanuts. The shop I hit up normally has many garbage bags full of peanuts (both standard and biol-degradable) and are happy that I take them off of their hands. Check to see if they have boxes also, the store I check is hit or miss due to many cardboard recyclers in the area.
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Steve – the music you paired with the dogs had me laughing. Loved it
Got this very nice bag for only a dollar at a yard sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Perlina-NY-Black-Leather-Crossbody-Organizer-Purse-Handbag-Pocketbook-W-Keys-/112194314202?rd=1Got these nwt shorts at a churchy rummage sale for only a buck:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VOLCOM-Vmonty-Black-Mens-Shorts-Sz-34-NWT-New-With-Tags-Modern-Chinos-Flat-Front-/112159665852?rd=1These were also only a buck at a rummage sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-of-8-White-on-White-Reversible-Placemats-18-034-x-13-034-Excellent-Condition-/112227539531?rd=1Sold this miner’s lamp ($70) for my brother in law who got it at a flea market:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Miners-Permissible-Safety-Lamp-Coal-Mining-Koehler-Lantern-C38-Mine-Ligh-/111981725074?rd=1And got this for a buck or less at another church rummage sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Louisville-Slugger-Baseball-Bat-Model-C243-Ash-33-034-2-lb-New-but-Signed-/111812710890?rd=1 -
Some of my recent interesting sales:
This is a large bowl mid century Iroquois Carrara. I bought a huge set of these dishes over a year ago for $25 and slowly they’ve been selling. My profit so far on the pieces I’ve sold is $225. Been selling much slower than anticipated. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Mid-Century-Iroquois-Carrara-Modern-Large-Center-Piece-Bowl-w-Squiggly-Lines-/252324357372?rd=1
I don’t usually shop the men’s blazers because I don’t like measuring and listing them but I stumbled upon a Ted Baker blazer. It stuck out from the crowd due to its unusual lining. Paid $6.96, listed at $175, took best offer of $91.50 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Men-039-s-Ted-Baker-Bandman-Blazer-Dark-Blue-Two-Button-Size-42-Ted-Baker-6-/252778507355?rd=1
Came across a lot of vintage Mrs. Grossman stickers for $25. I kept hesitating about paying that much but glad I did as I’ve been breaking it into lots and they’ve been selling quickly. Plus its been fun looking at them and sorting them. Here is one lot that sold for $29.99 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Lot-Mrs-Grossman-Scrapbook-Crafting-Stickers-1980s-90s-99-Strips-item-007-/252842008506?rd=1
Frederick Cooper whimsical rooster lamp with shade. Purchased at an estate for $35, listed for $249, took best offer of $175. Shipped it in two different boxes to keep lamp from crushing the shade. Fortunately it only had to make it one state away and everything arrived at the buyer safe and sound. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Frederick-Cooper-Chicago-Rooster-with-Original-Shade-Table-Lamp-21-034-/252508057160?rd=1
Finally, found NOS classic jazzercise leotard popular from the 80s. Paid around $3, with original tag, sold for $24.95 to someone in Ca. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-Vtg-80s-90s-LA-Workout-Leotard-Exercise-Wear-Size-Medium-NOS-/262871970230?rd=1
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