- This topic has 25 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 9 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
A friend of mine told me to check out Hobby Lobby. I have never been there before so we checked it out yesterday.
Wow!!! They had EVERYTHING shabby chic, chippy paint, industrial, retro, nautical, etc. I mean they missed nothing! Not everything was high quality but there were a lot of things that mimic true vintage and a lot of it was very nice looking.
As a scavenger I felt a little “gut punched” because I saw that people could get the vintage look for pennies so why would they shop on Ebay for my vintage items.
Have you been to Hobby Lobby?
Your thoughts?
Are they undercutting Ebay sellers on vintage item?
Should I change my shopping strategy?Always happy to get your invaluable input on these things and just help me put things in perspective.
-
Yep.. Hobby Lobby is the perfect example of .. WHAT FOR IT đ “Cheap Crap made in China.”
small tack welds on metal, thinnest gauge metal they can hammer out, 1 staple in the corner of anything instead of a mortised corner with glue and nails that are recessed and covered.They carry all the cheap stuff from China that a lot of the vendors at the few Merchandise Marts in America carry that most retailers buy at.
Pressed paper items that look like wood and here goes my statement that gets me into hot water. Why not, most young people today can’t identify any of quality if it fell on them! OK now yell at me about your kids and how well they know quality.
As for why would people buy from us on Ebay, that comes from knowing how to identify a quality made item, and know what is a unique item that is hard to find any more and selling to those who do know and will buy that rarity or quality.
The ‘young ‘uns’ of the 80’s / 90’s they just want the look and that is it. They will buy cheap furniture for an apartment, live with it for a year or two, move out and just leave the furniture, tables, sofas, chairs behind for the landlord. Low quality, cheap living decor stuff that has become disposable.
But now take most of us as “buyers”, first we all know the better brands in our various niches, Coco Chanel, Top designers I don’t know the names but our SL members do], Hull, Roseville, Lenox, Tiffany, Murano, Limoges, on and on. We spot those, put in our stores and bingo, those who know, see and buy. Many are collectors or have previously “INVESTED” in sets and things get broken so look to replace. On top of this are older buyers looking for nostalgia pieces. things they grew up with, played with, parents had. Depression glass made cheap but a recognized collectible.
Just way too many real good reasons that people seek to buy on Ebay and those wanting handmade items by artists and craftsman on Etsy.
But printed paper to look like wood, no glue in joints, a staple in the corner is just junk. Americans in many cases will buy crap because advertising makes us buy it and, in many cases, 2 or three of them in different colors, just to either have those cheap Chinese items rust, fall apart, come unglued, and disposable trash that we throw out.
How many members here on SL can tell just by looking if something is a veneer piece of a solid piece of real wood on a dining table? Hhumm.
Back to advertising, interior decorators, clothes designers are taught to create “trends” or fad items then Madison Ave. takes over and creates the desire thus the Market.
tell me that all these celebrity people who quote “Have their own Designer Lines” of anything work directly in the actual production and keep the work in America and make sure it is done with quality. Nope, They all sub-the work out to Indonesia, Thailand, China.
Sub it out to people who work for 10 cents an hour, import it back in and then create a false demand, then pump it out into the marketplace.
In my opinion, with the loss of so much of American Manufacturing that younger generations are clueless as to how things are made and will buy whatever fad or trend advertising pushes at them. Guess we all were maybe the same when we were in our teens.
But I think, again all of this is just my opinion, and I will admit, some younger people, will still buy better made things, harder to find things, nostalgic things on Ebay.
You ask is Hobby Lobby undercutting Ebay sellers, well only if you are an Ebay seller trying to sell the same cheaply made junk that you buy wholesale through Alibaba or the national Merchandise Marts. But if you think that the cheap fake look vintage stuff is the Real “McCoy” then Hobby Lobby is the place to go, along with Garden Ridge, Walmartâs, Dollar Generals and the such.
But they Can’t undercut real VINTAGE items because they don’t have real vintage items. Only cheap labor made, junk that happens to look similar in a few cases.Now to change your shopping strategy?? Well if you mean to buy something for yourself to hang on the wall and you don’t care what it is, have a go. If you want to buy to resell, I think you need to know as much about stuff as you can gather from over 400 episode of SL, What sold videos, read every posted what sold this week on SL and duplicate those items and efforts.
Now Sigilini I don’t mean anything negative toward you or personal about you, this is just an old guys rant more or less on how the generations have faded into a manipulated, non-knowing bunch.
So, in my opinion stick with what you know, learn what you don’t know, apply that to a business model that you see someone else being successful with and buy and sell in those categories. And make it something you are interested in.
Hobby Lobby has tons of other retailers to compete with, no need to jump into the Chinese Junk – Crap pond.
Now that I have officially done a Dennis Miller style rant, I guess I will get lambasted for venturing out with such opinions and may regret posting this later today. This shows I have had way too much time on my hands today LOL đ
Happy digging, hunting, picking everybody and keep your eye for quality bargains.
Mike at MDC Galleries and fine Art in Atlanta
-
Nice rant, Mike! As for eBay competition and reseller shopping strategy, I have a few comments. Everything sells on eBay, but some things better than others. If you run across a âvintageâ Chinese Hobby Lobby item at a yard sale for pennies, you can probably get $10-15 for it on eBay, if you wait long enough. There are budget shoppers who like the look and who donât know or care about age and quality but itâs only a segment. Just as there is a segment of online buyers who would never buy anything that is or even looks old. But fortunately there is a big segment who will only buy age and quality (including some kids, Mike! đ
As for impact on buying for resale, in my picking days in the â70s one of my big fears was paying too much for a cheap Pier 1 item or an antique reproduction. I honed my age and quality radar to filter it out. Pier 1 items had a certain look and feel, and true antique reproductions were pretty obvious and limited to specific collecting areas, like cast iron mechanical banks, carnival glass or nautical brass. The biggest sellers of antique reproductions were auctions and âantiqueâ stores. Not mainstream retail so there was not tons of that type of stuff out there.
Then I started seeing random unfamiliar âoldâ things in the wild, would get excited and pick them up, look closely, and think âwhat the hell is this?â Hello Kirklandâs, HomeGoods, and others and yes, Hobby Lobby. Itâs all over the place now, and I think much more of it than there used to be. (Maybe a result of Antiques Roadshow and the like? I donât know.) So my eye just had to get better at filtering it out while sourcing.Itâs all been around for a while, now. I donât think thereâs anything to worry about. Just know it when you see it so it can be realistically evaluated for resale.
-
Yep I forgot about HomeGoods, Kirkland’s, and also SteinMart, T.J. Max, man almost any retail store. So much stuff is thrown together in China it is unbelievable.
Of course Chinese tariffs will drive prices up, so much so, I would hope that someone thinks it might just be better to have somethings made back here in the USA. and start reinvesting on our own soil.I like to watch the last 2 minutes of the nightly ABC where they end each newcast with things about America and some times they highlight smaller newer companies making things here again.
Personally I don’t mind paying more for items if they were made here at home, created jobs, helped Vets and others to find new jobs and get new training.
-
Thank you very much for the input. I have only been selling on Ebay for two years so I am not as savvy as some on vintage items and antiques.
But regarding Hobby Lobby, honestly there was some pretty cool stuff there and yes some of it was very cheaply made and not real wood etc, as you pointed out. But some of it was nice and well made. I mean, Jay and Ryanne shop at Ikea and they admit it openly, so I don’t feel so low class for thinking that Hobby Lobby is cool. (c:
I might have to go there again a few times to check out the merchandise and learn to recognize it out in the “wild” as you said.
-
I apologize. i wasn’t trying to be insulting. Just pointing out the quality of that stuff.
A rule is that to even be called vintage it is supposed to be over 20 years old and antiques over 100 years old.
Etsy is not suppose to allow anything less than 20 years old [2000] or older to be listed. But belive you me, that a ton of people think all that stuff is cool. That what trends and fads are comprised of, and my point is marketing and madison Ave. drives a lot of that.
I didn’t mean to insenuate that someone who likes it is not cool. It is just not vintage, are reproductions and use almost slave labor to produce it along with crazy deals we have cut to allow the Chinese to get away with it.
Thinking it is “cool”, or liking it, buying it or using it is perfectly fine. But trying to buy it cheap and re-selling it would be hard to compete since that is what everybody buys.
Here is a link to where a large percentage of retailers shop. This is how America gets to buy that stuff. I think there are about six of them in America. We have one here in Atlanta, then there’s Chicago, New york, Los Angeles, and only a few more.
AmericasMart Atlanta is a wholesale trade center located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The exhibition center is one of the largest permanent wholesale trade centers in the world. AmericasMart Atlanta consists of three buildings totaling seven million square feet
the link: https://www.americasmart.com/
Most retailers mean they are going here 2 or 3 times a year when they say, “They are going to Market”. These Marts are not open to the public that does not have a Tax ID number. We can buy there because we are a corporation and have a Federal ID number. These marts are only open on the select weeks they advertise.
Everything you see in Pier One, Bombay [now closed], Kirkland’s, all the stores mentioned, all small boutique shops, etc. But very large companies do their own direct imports. But many, if you see a style in the “display booths” in the Marts, is the stuff that is the “newest trend. See if you can find someone to let you go with them to one if you are close enough and there is where you will find the trends, unless you are your own mfg.
You are not uncool, just an American Consumer like everyone else. You are “cool” because you have an Ebay Store, you are trying to be your own boss, you are trying to figure out how to use the capitalism system of doing business and learning to identify what to “invest” in and buy and what sells and for how much. YOU ARE COOL. Much more so than the whiners who hate their jobs and are trapped. You are “cool” because you are trying to do something about it.
So again my aplogises if I made you feel uncomfortable. Not intended or meant.
And I also do buy some stuff from Hobby Lobby and I usually get a 40% discount [coupon, my business account, tax exempt ID number]. But I usually only buy art supplies if I run short on doing something in the studio and need it quick. Otherwise I buy from DickBlick.com or JerrysArtorama.com on my business account.
As we said in the 60’s .. “Peace, Love, and Be Cool” , Groovy, Far Out,
Mike an ex hippe on the streets of Atlanta selling the “Great Speckled Bird” underground newspaper in 1969. LOL look that one up.
mc at mdcgfa
-
-
There are entire stores that specialize in country kitsch, old barnwood porn, and shabby chic. All made in China. Magnolia (aka Chip and Joana) is just an example of that trend.
If a vintage item gets so popular that they’re reproducing it in China, then time to look for other vintage items to sell. Best to be ahead of the curve.
-
OK Jay, I just busted out laughing at your first sentence above. What the hell is “Old Barnwood Porn” and what’s the URL addy to Chip and Joanna’s web page that focuses on “Old Barnwood Porn”, if they are a part of that “trend”. That is a riot.LMAO đ
mike
-
You know when you see it. Just throw some old shiplap on the wall with signs that say “Eat”. Hang some old farm tools.
Its all good. Just a style that is everywhere and being mass produced.
-
-
-
-
Hey Mike, NOT offended at all. I have read enough of your posts to know where your heart is.
Jay, yes, I agree, work to move on to other vintage things. I love architectural salvage and found an amazing piece today. No way would you find that in Hoppy Lobby. This son of a gun weighs about 50lbs!
-
-
-
-
Sigilini, then I guess I too will admit that I’ve seen a few pieces of furniture in there I really liked. They weren’t particularly well made (or what they appeared to be, material-wise), but still pretty cool looking. It’s definitely a great place to get ideas for my own woodworking projects.
-
-
A few years ago, there was an article about how ebay would tell Chinese manufacturers about various style trends (including vintage) and how the Chinese would then manufacture it (and it would be sold on eBay). eBay sellers STILL talk about this article, which amuses me no end. I tried back then to explain that the article was not actually about “Hey, look at us! We tell the Chinese to make fakes!” It was actually about the changes ebay was seeing in manufacturing times: the Chinese had revamped so that the time from design to manufacture and distribution was much less than it had been. Which meant this stuff could be put out there almost as soon as the trend became clear, rather than being put out just as the trend was starting to die down.
Some ebay sellers paint ebay as the villain in this, but these people ignore the fact that many, many companies are doing the same sort of thing. AT the time they article came out, I went to WalMart and saw “industrial style stools” made to resemble the stools made in the USA in the 1940s and 50s….This stuff is all over the place. Martha Stewart years ago turned on many buyers to vintage Jade-ite…and then Martha began manufacturing a line of “new” Jade-ite in China.
There will always be people cashing in on these trends, and making knock offs “inspired” by old stuff. As Mike says, some people just want a certain look, and they are happy to buy the knock-offs. Just like some people are satisfied with knock off “designer” purses. The market exists, or people wouldn’t be making them.
Hobby Lobby, WalMart, Target…..they all do the same thing. The idea that ebay is somehow to blame for all the Chinese knock off stuff is ridiculous. And the idea that ebay could curtail it is equally silly (unless eBay wants a vetted site for antiques, etc….more like Ruby Lane than eBay….
It’s just the reality of the modern day marketplace.
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but years ago a very savvy crafter/antique seller told me that if she came up with an original craft design that became popular, the following was inevitable: Her stuff would sell well at craft shows. Other crafters took notice, and began making the same type of thing. Sales and prices went down, but survivable. If the trend REALLY took off, the manufacturers would catch on, and the Dollar Store knock-offs would start up….the beginning of the end, because by then she needed to be working on something else new. She told me it was too time consuming and expensive to try to trademark her stuff, so she just had to deal with the same cycle over and over. It was the main reason she supplemented her craft sales with antiques and vintage.
-
Steve, Ah, that makes sense: you are a woodworker so you know quality. Anything made by hand always has more life in it because the artist put part of themselves in the piece.
Liz, Agreed! It is the Ikea of vintage items. Not for the avid collector but good enough for those that are looking for a quick fix to their home decor needs.
MyCottage: thank you for the input. That makes sense and raises my own awareness on what to look for out there when scavenging. After two years, I think I am ready to look for more weird and strange than usual and “collectible”.
-
For what it’s worth-my 2 cents. I was taken in by the title of this thread. I also felt sideswiped! I was like “WHAT? Hobby Lobby?? I used to shop quite a bit at hobby lobby. I’ve bought crafting glass, yarn, fabric, paint, etc. I would never think that Hobby Lobby was in competition with ebay. I agree with everything Mike at MDC Galleries said. To me, Hobby Lobby decor was just stuff you would by for, say, a party theme. Having a nautical themed party? Sure! Go to Hobby Lobby and pick up a couple of “Fishing this way” signs, or a cast iron mermaid sign. I would never think “hmm, let me see if I can flip this on ebay”. Or if I did think to flip it, I would think to flip it at a loss, not a gain. The stuff I buy, I buy to make a profit on. If I bought something at Hobby Lobby I would buy it, use it and sell for less than I paid just to get rid of it. No competition with ebay.
-
-
I agree that some of their items could be used for party themes but they had actual home décor like window with mirrors on the back, lattice wood medallions, really cool drawer knobs, furniture, and yes lot and lots of wood signage.
For a minute I thought of flipping their clearance items…. but that was only for a minute. They would have to have a $1 sale for it to be worth it.
-
I tend to doubt anyone is doing direct comparison shopping between “fake vintage” stuff at Hobby Lobby and actual vintage or antiques on eBay. These are two different audiences. I can’t imagine anyone slowly browsing listings for something like an antique 1930s birdcage on eBay, and then comparison shopping that to a Chinese-made vintage-looking bird-cage for sale at Hobby Lobby. The person who is taking the time to search for a true, quality vintage item for their home is not going to even consider a cheap (super duper cheap) Hobby Lobby reproduction, nor is the opposite true.
As a side note, when I go to yard sales, I see so many sales with tables and tables packed with cheap faux-vintage looking decor. I call these “Hobby Lobby” yard sales, and I pretty much drive right past all of them. Not worth my time. These are people that buy junk to start with and rarely do they own anything nice or worthy of resale. And contrary to some opinions on here, in my experience it is usually middle-aged women hoarding this Hobby Lobby stuff more so than younger people.
-
Hobby Lobby knows their demographics very well.
Our two closest Hobby Lobby stores are in Burbank, CA and Santa Clarita, CA. Both are large middle class Southern California neighborhoods. Santa Clarita is new-ish — lots of cookie cutter large homes. Burbank is classic, old, but also new. Both areas are NOT cheap to live in. The Santa Clarita store that I visited was HUGE. It was like a Wallmart only cleaner, brighter and much fancier.
If you are looking for chippy paint shelving, frames or windows, barn stars, vintage looking hooks, industrial letters, farmhouse dĂ©cor — and you are not fussy about whether it is real vintage or not, you can get some cool stuff. Again, not all of it was worth it — some of it was very flimsy but some of their stuff was really nice.
In my humble opinion, it is worth seeing/knowing what they sell just from the viewpoint that you can make smart decisions when you are out there buying inventory.
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.