Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Merry Christmas & soap on a rope to all!
Its been a busy holiday season. I spent a few days listing a huge Thomas wooden train collection and felt like I was selling trains as fast as I could list them. Some of them sell for crazy money and others not so much. I researched every piece and photo’d carefully to assure my buyers knew that they were getting authentic Thomas stuff and that they could see all the rough play that had touched each piece. This 1998 Daisy sold right away for $26.50 + $2.00 shipping https://www.ebay.com/itm/193260008856
I drive through Leadville, CO occasionally and pick up two of these hoodies (maximum per person purchase) to resell on eBay. I pick them up for $78 and sell for between $150 and $175, so it does cover my gas and time, but not worth driving up more than the times I am passing through. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193207241540
I’m hoping this 1990s Tommy jacket sold for $54.50 isn’t a return for fit. Fingers crossed https://www.ebay.com/itm/193146048927
Lego & Hogwarts – what could go wrong? This game has been in my store for most of the year. I was glad to see it go to a new home in time for Christmas. https://www.ebay.com/itm/192920818079 (BTW – I changed my handling time to “same day” for the week before christmas to assure people didn’t get spooked by my usual 2 day cushion and I am pretty sure it helped).
I took a $50 best offer on this Maus & Hoffman belt. Truth is, it is pretty ugly and I could wait a long time for someone else that wants a blond lizard belt to come along. https://www.ebay.com/itm/192963491376
I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year celebration. Best wishes, Daniel.
Last week a buyer sent an angry message stating that I should have disclosed the ridged edge on a goblet that I listed as “mint”. The goblet was made in 1830s and was 100% flawlessly preserved. The ridge was part of the technology of 1830s glass manufacturing.
I used Jay’s method of offering a return and then silence. She didn’t return it (yet) but I would happily eat the shipping to get away from such a buyer.
…a quick trip to the grocery store takes 2 hours because it is next to the thrift store.
I am tired of getting clothing returns for fit. I have mostly stopped buying clothing and shoes for the most part. I say a little prayer every time I sell any of my existing inventory. When something gets returned twice, I donate it. Right now my donation pile has a Levi’s Jeans Jacket that is cursed.
Anyway – all that to say that I think buyers don’t read measurements or don’t know how to interpret them.
I agree with Mike, it looks like a finial for a fancy garden fence post. Here is similar (cheaper version) on Alibaba https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/cast-iron-decoration-metal-crown_60047333975.html
Thanks for your informative video Steve. In the Venn diagram of what you sell in one circle and what I sell in another circle, the only point of intersection is hats. That is good for me, because I learn every time I watch your vids, so thanks.
This past week I had a few interesting sales: I got this vintage Nike key chain at an estate sale in the last hour after three days of selling (one of my favorite times to visit estate sales). It costs me 20 cents because I scooped it and four other things up and offered a dollar. I sold it in less than 24 hours for $34.50 + $2 for shipping. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193256849862
At the same estate sale, I picked up some Old Curiosity Shop ceramics – $15 for 28 pieces. I sold several pieces right away including this gravy set for $24.50. (I may have priced it low as I just shot from the hip on price). https://www.ebay.com/itm/193251782366
The little thrift store down the street put their Christmas stuff on 50% off sale a few hours before I got there and scooped up a few Spode pieces. These two bowls came to me for $1 and sold for $14.50 + shipping. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193251908236
I have been lucky with vintage bar ware. When I find it, it almost always is priced for a dollar or less per item (last day of estate sales) and when it is valuable – it can do nicely. These Georges Briard glasses sold for $80. https://www.ebay.com/itm/192752322158
Easily overlooked in Christian thrift stores are academic tomes on biblical history. These things sell like text books, and can usually be had for a buck or two. This pair sold in 24 hours for $38.50 + shipping https://www.ebay.com/itm/193250004520
A trick I learned from Steve (THANKS!) is to part out a game that is incomplete (or even a complete one). I sold 6 horses from this game for $7.50 + 2.00 shipping each. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193069569314
I have probably mentioned it here before, but I bought $500 worth of underwear at Costco when it was on sale for less than $6 each and have been selling it in ones and twos for $18.50 each since. https://www.ebay.com/itm/192751006886
Best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas or whatever mid-winter celebration you enjoy.
It looks like a book stand as mentioned. I would guess it comes from a Masonic temple or similar fraternal order.
I could find almost no information using google searching for this vintage robot toy that I picked up for $5 at my local thrift store. I realized that I didn’t have all the parts for whatever it had been originally, so I sold the parts I had. I was pleased last week to get $12.50 each for two wheels https://www.ebay.com/itm/192856618406
Vintage magnifying glass in original box – bought for $1 at a garage sale, sold for full price of $38.50 https://www.ebay.com/itm/193058690988
I got a box full of these dexterity puzzles for $30 at a garage sale. This one sold to a museum in California last week for $38.50 https://www.ebay.com/itm/193074414476
Local thrift store had just hung this motocross armor up for $4. They were having a store-wide sale of 50% off, so I got it for $2 and sold in a few days for $82.50 https://www.ebay.com/itm/193131756461
I made a mistake with this tactical backpack. I listed shipping of $1.50. It would not have been a bad error (most similar bags sell free shipping for around same price), but I should have excluded Puerto Rico. Shipping ate up all my profits on this one. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193131746718
Wow, those are beautiful paintings. I would price aspirationally and then accept offers. You never know when a collector is trying to find examples from specific years or scenes or etc. Never underestimate the irrationality of your buyer.
I was travelling for two weeks until the end of last week, so my sales have been a little slow (feel slow now still). I bought it knowing nothing about it, but the field criteria of “it’s technical and heavier than expected”. https://www.ebay.com/itm/192857405798 It is a refractometer that is used to test sugar content in fruit juice and it sold for full price in a couple months.
I got this two volume set of books on Marble Colorado. My experience is that published items like this (small town history) often had a very small circulation when initially published and today command a hgh price because they are infrequently available. These volumes sold for full price about a month after listing. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193060362352
My sister-in-law told me about silverware, so I had my eye out when this complete set showed up at my local thrift store. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193033887765 I snatched them up for $25 and sold full price for $275. Also, USPS Regional A Box was a score on shipping these.
Not sure from your language VintageTreasures, but it sounds like you are discussing an elderly gay gentleman’ collections. If that is the case, I would alert any respondents to the possibility that he may have vintage gay adult content (books, magazines, photos etc.) or other cultural artifacts. I stumbled across a trove of similar collected from the 1940s to the 1970s. The owner and estate manager were not aware of its presence and I was able to buy it for $20. The collection grossed nearly $32K in sales.
I mention this because (1) if the owner had been aware, they would likely have thrown these materials away since they were personal and could have been seen as embarrassing (2) gay culture was dismissed and trivialized during for decades before Stonewall. As a consequence, there are relatively artifacts left that document gay life before 1970s and those remaining should be preserved. (3) The living owner of this estate may not share similar material with you due to factors 1 or 2 above – they find it embarrassing or they don’t value it. Best wishes, Daniel.
Nice sales Steve, thanks for posting so regularly.
I have been trying to find means to make more money on sales with less time invested. This concho belt is an example of an experiment. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193078172318 I purchased this with a silver pin and a pair of earrings for $100 at an estate sale. After reviewing the available concho belts and the past solds on both eBay and Worthpoint, I decided to price this one at the usual selling point of around $200 instead of the stretch prices people seek ($400 to $1000). To my astonishment, the belt sold overnight at $195.
At a garage sale, the seller asked me what I was interested in. I was looking at her board games at that moment, so I said that I was interested in vintage games and toys – from the 1970s or earlier. She said “I have a box of stuff, but I wouldn’t part with it for less than $30.” Five minutes later she pulls out a box that had thirty 1920s to 1950s dexterity games, 20 of which were in mint condition. This one sold overnight for $38.50 https://www.ebay.com/itm/193074457079 From now on, I am ALWAYS going to have a short list of stuff I am interested in at garage sales.
I put all my shoes and boots on sale – trying to get out of the business (bulky, difficult to ship and etc.) I accepted a best offer of $40 on these near new tactical boots after reviewing solds and realizing that they are not selling for as much as when I listed them in the past. https://www.ebay.com/itm/192723904606
I broke up a new in the box Sirius docking station that I paid $40 for and later realized I would not make much on resell. I have been selling parts. This is the remote control that I sold last week for $14.50. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193058667794 Along with another set of parts (modules for docking specific radios), I have broken even on the purchase and still have three more parts to sell.
That is most of what is interesting in my store. On vacay next two weeks – going to Beijing to scavenge and sight see, (mostly sight see).
I was late to love Tame Impala, but the bass line to “The Less I Know The Better” hooked me about 6 months ago or so whenever they were all over Reddit. I also dig the 70s sounds on the Awesome Mix – stuff I have been listening to on/off all my life (I experienced the 70’s first hand).
Moon Safari is another album that I rarely run into in the wild, but is worth listening to if you’ve not heard it before. I especially love Sexy Boy (6:52) and the two songs sung by Beth Hirsch – All I Need (11:37) and You Make It Easy (26:05)
