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@spinachetr Your post has inspired me to list the vintage postcards in my collection. First I’ll do the research! What you said about retirement & decompressing / recuperation from the job is something I totally relate to! I’ve been retired for over 3 years now and some mornings I still wake up and pinch myself as I feel so super-lucky to be able to support myself and not have to go through all that daily stress of the “workplace”. I bought my forever-van…and I love it! Best regards on your retirement journey!
I think you nailed it! A prominent marketing strategy is to appeal to the cool hipster. Lots of content…but what the heck are they trying to say!?
Yes, this is a beta test. I was invited to join, but declined. I am also getting messages from Ebay suggesting that I drop my price on a wallet by $2.00. I wish they would focus on more important topics! 🙂
Two attempts and 18 paragraphs later you nailed what I was trying to say in one paragraph–lol! Thanks, Jay! 🙂
Good stuff on this episode regarding magazines. I have had success selling “specialty” magazines. The older cooking magazines like the defunct “Gourmet” sell very well for me.
Jay I think when I posted my introduction to the group that I over emphasized the fact that I had employee troubles at my brick-and-mortar store. Yes, it was a problem but the ultimate reason that I got out of retail bricks-and-mortar was that I felt tied-down. What I meant to say was to “anyone who dreams of running a store” you might want to reconsider and certainly don’t abandon Ebay (or any e-commerce for that matter) to open a traditional retail store until you test the waters.
I follow a few bloggers who sell on Etsy/Poshmark etc and it seems they dream/fantasize about having a traditional store. My experience was that I felt restricted & confined to being there during open hours 6 days a week. I discovered it wasn’t the lifestyle for me.
Ebay = freedom…IMHO ! 🙂
Thanks Jay, glad I finally figured out that my emails and requests to reset password were going into my spam folder!
I live in a ranch-style house with a basement. The upper living area of my house looks like a “normal” person lives here. Living, dining, kitchen, bedrooms etc., do not show any signs of scavenger-type lifestyle. My basement, however, is another story. I saw pictures– I think, somewhere here on your site–of Ryannes moms house and basement and instantly thought–OMG, a sister from another mother-LOL! Her basement looks exactly like mine! And that is to say my basement looks like a store with many retail fixtures and racks all holding vintage clothing, shoes, coats, bags/purses etc.
So to answer your question re: how I scavenge now? These days, I rarely (on purpose) go scavenging in search of vintage. If I want to list vintage –I just shop my basement! I allow myself about one trip a month to one or two thrift stores that I favor (no Goodwills!) and I am looking for anything and everything that I could flip for good $$. I still find vintage items that the average person does not know about or overlooks, but it is getting harder to find the mega-big-deal items like old military flight jackets or 2-pocket Levis jackets or red-line jeans. Everybody knows about them.
I have all this vintage but the truth is that selling vintage…since 1995, started to feel boring to me so now on Ebay I sell anything that I think will sell for top dollar. While scavenging, I go through clothing (methodically, in fact) and still do find good vintage, but I keep my eye out for New-With-Tags garments as they are easy to sell. I only buy top brands and stay far away from fast-fashion. I tend to focus on high-end mens clothing, small appliances, kitchen & cookware. I hate shipping/packing glass and try to avoid it-lol!
I tell my two (adult) children: if I die before I sell-off all this vintage you can have the mother-of-all-estate sales. I am serious about that. My basement is dry, I keep a dehumidifier running and everything is protected from dust. A sort of savings-account in my basement that I can draw upon as my motivation & energy allows. I am in my 60’s and enjoy good health, but these days money is not my main motivator. I garden, cook all my own food, do some volunteer work and love to read books. I’m sure many reading this would chuckle at my dinky Ebay store. I dropped down from the “Basic” store to the “Starter” store which allows me 100 listings.
I keep Ebay in my life because it keeps my mind occupied, provides me with “extras” and because it’s still satisfying and most of all, I still have fun doing it!
Thank you, Ryanne and Jay for the time and energy that you put into your podcasts and the community that you nurture, here. It is very motivating and I look forward to acquainting myself with your members!
Hello MyCottage… Yes, everything you say is true about back in the day when vintage clothing was highly available in thrift stores. I found many unusual top hats, derbies and bowlers most made from felted beaver fur. The old-school hat makers did not mess around, everything was quality!
Thanks! Glad to be here, everyone seems so nice!
Thanks for your well-wishes, megahaus. My store was probably ahead of the times in the Midwest, but vintage clothing stores were and had been a “thing” on the east & west coasts for some time before I even knew there was such a thing! Especially in NYC and Los Angeles. In fact, I met a husband & wife team from California who took yearly trips to Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania etc., just to pick thrift stores for vintage clothing which they sold to the Japanese, or at the Rose Bowl.
I am in the town next to Elyria–Small world!
