What Sells On eBay: Tapes, patches, Ferragamos, six packs, desk blotter, sewing box

[Ryanne]

We also love selling Ferragamos. They’re a high end shoe that shows up at estate yard sales often. Post your What Sold video in the forum>>[See the full post at: What Sells On eBay: Tapes, patches, Ferragamos, six packs, desk blotter, sewing box]

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

Steven.. Got couple of questions for you. We are finally getting around to taking a closer look at a large stereo system I got for my birthday back in the late seventies. It was the one I asked you about sometime last year, but we just left it for the time being. But we are thinking about listing it as local pick-up as a complete unit. Amp, receiver, equalizer, radio, dual cassette deck [record and play] turntable and both large speakers. Only thing we can find wrong at first glance is that maybe the needle is shot. Haven’t checked the drive belt yet, but will. But we did notice when we pulled the soft covers off the front of the large speakers that one of the large speakers [each cabinet has 4 speakers each] had a dimple / dent in the silver center dome of the large bass-woofer. Is there any way to get that dent out of that center area? We discovered that our daughter poked her finger in through the front when she was under 10 years old she said. She is 38 yrs old now. I asked her the other day and she admitted to doing it way back then.

If we can’t get it pulled out then does it kill the value of the speaker and guess we list it as damage and show a close up?

Second question: I have noticed over the last sevral videos of yours at your new house that when I see your back yard, I see a steep downward slope of the concrete area from the garage to the back patio. Also I see a curtain drain running along the edge of the patio. Aren’t you afraid that if you get a real “Gully Womper” [southern slang LOL] down pour that the run off will be too much for that [probably4″ drain] underground, rush up and over it and flood into your house through those sliding doors?
We have had some real downpours here in North Atlanta and the runoff through our back yard can create a small mini lake 4 to 6 inches deep until he rain slows and allows the run off to catch up.

It is funny that my cats sit on my desk when I am listing and they watch my cursor move around a lot. When they see you dogs, they will raise up on their hind feet and put there paws on the screen and try to “pet” the dogs. Funny.

mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta

[Steven S]

Of course you’ll do better selling seperately on ebay, but be prepared with packing materials and boxes so when they sell you’re not scrambling. Selling locally may work OK given the high population density of the Atlanta area but vintage stereo guys on CL are for the most part very frugal.
As far as the speakers, what your talking about is just the center dust cover or cap, doesn’t effect the sound, you can try pulling it out with a shop vac hose, I’ve done it with a varying success rate, should’t effect the value too much if you describe it.
Depending on the cartridge the stylus or needle might not be too expensive, always best to sell ready to use.
I’m interested in what components these are (forgive me if you already said), I may be able to give you some value and or information on them.

As far as the drain system goes, I too had concerns as once or twice a year we get a torrential downpour. There has never been water in the basement so I’m assuming the drain is dug pretty deep. It may even be tiled into the city runoff sewer system.
The previous owner is deceased but his sister lives next door so I will have to try and get some more info on that.

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

Thanks for the reply. I still have the original manuals here on my desk from a year ago when I posted to you last year. It is not in the quality range of a MacIntosh or Marantz so depending on your advice it may not even be worth the time but here is the manual specs.
Everything is Compu Linked and all components work via a remote control which I still have. I also have the original tower glass front stand with adjustable shelving and magnetic door latch. Everything is all JVC in black, which being JVC brand may kill it right there. But for giggles,
the Amp is AX-R441BK, auto-return turntable AL-A110BK with clear dust cover, 6 disc cartridge compact disc automatic chnager [have 2 cartdriges for quick change out] XL-M400BK, Double Stereo Cassette Deck TD-W111, Computer Controlled Digital Synthesir Tuner FX-333BK,Component rack RK-333WD [glass front], Speaker System SP=333, [whew!!].
And I have all 7 original manuals for all of the components. I even think I may have the original invoice somewhere back in my files or I can ask my wife maybe she will remember. She gave it to me as my 40th birthday present in 1988. Yep I am that old :-).

The speakers are monsters at about 13″ x 15″ x 36″ high and when placed on each side of the components rack the total overall is 50″ wide x 13″ deep x 36″ high.!! I am just guessing the weight at this stage at 50 to 60 lbs. +/-

So, interested in what you think. I am guessing due to size and weight, skip the cabinet and try to sell each piece separately then try to sell the speakers as a pair. Boxing and shipping is no problem for me. Ran an 18 million dollar company with 287 employees and we had 6 loading docks and can skid, pallitize, stretch wrap and handle a fork lift as good as any of my employees could 🙂 Of course no such facilities or equipment now, but not afraid to strap down to a pallet and ship common carrier with a bill of lading. I just don’t think this brand / model untit would command enough to make all of that worthwhile. So break down into smaller units is my guess unless you think there is some value in having it all as a matched set especially since they all can be hard wired together and linked and operated with a remote control.

Await your thoughts buddy … as the famous line goes in the movie, “let’s see what the Great and Powerful Steven, huh Oz” has to say. LOL. 🙂

mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by MDC Galleries & Fine Art.

[Steven S]

I’m sure you’ve done some research and found little in the way of solds for thos models.
They were at the lower end of the spectrum but so was a lot of famous name audio gear like Marantz and Sansui unless you were buying their top of the line.
The amp and turntable might bring $80-90 each, the Cassette deck $30-40.

I would try and sell it locally first as a system, aim for someone wanting to get back into or trying vinyl for the first time. A plug and play old school format system that’s also iPod/Bluetooth compatible via the aux in.

Have it set up to demo for a potential buyer, there’s a lot of hipsters out there that don’t have a clue as to how this stuff works but think it’s cool.

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

Thanks for the Reply Steven. Started to do some research earlier today. You are right, not a much out there on these old JVC units. It may be just easier to try to sell a few of the components and move along. We still have hundreds of items remaining from the antique mall booths we closed down and should concentrate on those. So, appreciate the feedback and will think about it. That whole unit has been sitting in our spare bedroom for 10 years, maybe break it up into small units so I can just ship the pcs. But, I will still think some and talk with wife about the whole unit, but she said earlier about having someone come over to and into our home to demo it.

Hhhmmm.. will look up as many component prices and see what the total is.

Thanks again… mike

[omfug]

Just goes to show you–I have had zero luck with ferragamo (women’s) shoes–even a new in the box pair took forever to sell and I took a $60 offer on them. Also I have had several of those accordian sewing boxes and have never come close to getting $180 for one (maybe it was the brand name?) That said, those boxes always sell–so worthwhile to keep your eyes peeled for them.

some recent sales:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/527140015/reserved-converse-made-in-the-usa-1989?ref=shop_home_active_1

this was a particularly satisfying pick up–purchased at the goodwill for $10 and sold for $85

https://www.etsy.com/listing/500665956/exquisite-vintage-rs-mark-fine-porcelain?ref=shop_home_active_5

bought in a group at an online auction–per item cost was around $10, this sold for $39.99 anything hatpin related is popular.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/505541540/antique-bombe-shape-1910-large-size?ref=shop_home_active_10

bought at an online auction for $32 all in, and sold for $125

https://www.etsy.com/listing/272084710/mcm-vintage-sea-glasbruk-kosta-sweden?ref=shop_home_active_11

bought for $8 at a sale and sold for $45–heavy 50’s/mid century ashtrays still sell

[Doublythumbs]

I just sold a pair of blue ashtrays similar to those. I’ve had them listed it seems like forever.

[Doublythumbs]

I had an alright week of sales. Better than the previous two weeks. Here are some highlights…

Zojirushi is a brand I’ve learned about when I purchased my rice cooker. They’re a company that makes very well-regarded products…and are quite expensive new. But I pick this brand up whenever I see it, regardless of the product. Just look for the little cute elephant logo. This was a hot coffee carafe. Non-electric. Just a normal, pump-action coffee dispenser that you see all the time, but because of the brand, it sold for $30. I paid $10 for it at an auction.
Zojirushi Airpot Carafe

I may have mentioned it before, but I love to sell tins. They don’t always sell for a lot, but they sell often enough. Here’s a giant Oreo cookie tin. Came in a box lot so I probably paid a few cents for it. Had it up for a few months and finally sold for my asking price of $18.
Big Ol’ Oreo Cookie

This is my best sale of the week. I took a gamble at an auction and got these old Masonic collars with metal “jewels” for $22. I didn’t know a lot about Masonic stuff, but I knew I would at least make my money back and learn a thing or two. I priced them high and someone came and offered $120. I was a happy camper with that sale.
Masonic Collars

Summer themed items are starting to sell. Here’s a set of 4 green bamboo tiki glasses made by Libby. I picked them up at a thrift store for a total of $4. A lady bought them for $40. I don’t mind the 1000% profit at all!
Libby Tiki Glasses

[Brian Treasures from Grandmas]

Love those Masonic collars. I always pick up Masonic stuff for the right price. I’ve found that anything is highly collectible, but if it can be tied back to a specific person or a specific lodge the prices go up exponentially. And of course, the higher up the ranks you go, the rarer things become.

[Sharyn]

Steve – I love that one of your dogs is named Norman, also my dad’s name!

This back massager is made by a company called Nikken. It has magnets that are supposed to help with pain. I don’t know that it works, but products from this company sell well. This was sold on commission at $40 for a family friend:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=182495539810

My week was certainly boosted by a lady who purchased four items from me on the 18th. She said that she was buying for her niece who likes the color purple. This large purple purse with coordinating wallet was the most expensive item she bought at $34. My sister gave me the wallet and that family friend I keep mentioning gave me the purse, completely randomly, and I decided to sell them together.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=182411648185

Here is another item on commission from that same family friend. It sold for $37 including shipping (about $4). I’m pretty sure it was purchased by one of those forwarding companies. I’ve sold to just a few, but their MO is very similar:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=182428716656

On the commission items, I pay her 50% after shipping but with the eBay & PayPal fees. For the purse, I will take out some money for the wallet. It is a coincidence that this week my higher priced / more interesting items were mostly hers.

[Mark S]

I have a question about selling a pair of Prada Black Leather Slip On Shoes. I bought them with a bunch of other shoes at an estate sale in a somewhat well to do area. Most of the shoes were Bass and brands like that. But I found this one pair of Prada’s. It got sold to me just like an ordinary pair for $3 (I don’t think they knew they were there).

But, I have not sold Prada shoes before and I think Jay said that Prada is a good target for Vero’s. Does anyone have experience with selling Prada shoes?

[Brian Treasures from Grandmas]

I’ve never sold Prada shoes, but I have sold a Prada backpack. Didn’t have any problems, but maybe I was lucky. I just took a lot of pics of the triangle logo plates, stitching, serial numbers, etc. You should be able to tell if they’re real by high quality attention to detail like this. If something looks off like the seams don’t match, logos misaligned, etc, they’re probably fake and will be a problem.

[Mark S]

Thanks Brian. They do seem high quality and nothing appears to be off.

[pythonesk]

This is the most interesting sale of the week for us. Paid $12 for these at the auction, sold for 100: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Total-Fire-Group-Firefighters-Boots-Mens-Size-10-5-Fire-Department-16-034-Shaft-/111992119423?rd=1

[Brian Treasures from Grandmas]

Great finds & sales! And Norman lookin’ sharp after the grooming!

Interesting sales this week:

1976 Smithsonian Institute US Bicentennial Washington Silk Ribbon Bookmark
Neat little item, still wrapped and with the Smithsonian pricetag on it. Bought for less than $1 on the last day of an estate sale and sold for $30.

1987 U2 Joshua Tree Album Release Promotional Poster
Got this as well as several other promo posters in a box at an estate sale of a former record exec. Paid probably $3ish per poster and sold this one for $45 best offer.

Vintage St. Andrews The Old Course Golf Towel
Found this on the last day of a sale. They were doing “fill up a bag” and I found this while digging around in the basement. It’s used, old, dirty, but that’s why I liked it. Probably paid $0.25 or less for it, sold for $25.

NEW SEALED La Mer Blanc de Whitening Masks
This was part of the huge lot of high end perfumes & cosmetics I bought about a year ago. The stuff certainly wasn’t cheap, but it goes with trying to get higher end items in my store. It’s been a nice pipeline that’s almost exhausted now. These specifically I paid about $10 for and they sold for $45. In total, the lot I bought of Chanel, Gucci, and other high end brands i paid about $500 for and have made nearly $1800 thus far.

Zildjian Embroidered Adjustable Cap
Thanks to the podcast, buy neat caps all the time now. Never bought them before the show. Paid $1 at a yard sale, sold for $25. Bread & butter.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Brian Treasures from Grandmas.

[Mark S]

I saw a St. Andrews The Old Course Golf Towel at an estate sale this last week and passed it up. Not sure if it was vintage and I think it was a buck or 2. I’ll have to pick it up next time I see one.

[Brian Treasures from Grandmas]

I always pick up golf towels that feature courses (assuming they’re a buck or two). I think of them just like caps – you’re not going to get rich off of them, but a $1 investment for $20-$30 sale is a great pipeline. They’re easy to store, easy to ship.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Brian Treasures from Grandmas.

[Mark S]

Good tip on the towels Brian. Like you say, it just increases your pipeline. I have been doing well on your other tips for the flags, backgammon games, and wood shoe trees. You can never have too many types of items in your pipeline! Another BOLO item I recently added is vintage Large Crescent (any large nice wrench will do) Wrenches – the bigger the better. There is a guy near me who does barn sales nearly every weekend, he always seems to have a lot of tools like the wrenches. Selling a 36” Pipe Wrench (it was huge and heavy) for nearly $100 got me into the large wrenches.

[Idahoarder]

Well, I definitely don’t have any BIG sales to report, so here a just a few fun oddball items I sold last week.

Vintage Halloween Skull Decoration – I got a big box of really old Halloween die-cut decorations last summer for about $1, and they sold really well around Halloween. Then this guy sold on Easter for $37.50, flaws and all!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Vintage-Halloween-Scary-Skull-Skeleton-Paper-Cut-Out-Decoration-Beistle-/331933523389?rd=1

1931 Folgers Coffee Tin – Bought for about 25 cents and sold for $24.99.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Folger-039-s-Coffee-Tin-Can-1931-Golden-Gate-Brand-1-Pound-Size-/232280245354?rd=1

Vintage 80s-90s Crazy Print Hat – I picked this beauty up for around 50 cents and it sold for $24.99. I have another one too (come on, you KNOW you want one!).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1980s-90s-Print-Hat-Baseball-Cap-Bright-Colorful-Wild-NEW-/232191127725?rd=1

[BourbonTrailBazaar]

This is my first what sold video! Let me know what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wuf5pYwcT8&t=19s

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