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Good stuff everyone! Another vintage Alfa Romeo OEM tool kit piece sold. This spark plug socket from out of the bottom of my toolbox went for $29 plus shipping after a couple months. I was speaking with someone recently who really wants an original complete tool kit for his 1960’s Ferrari and he said he’d likely have to pay “15” for the correct one for his model. I looked at him quizzically and he added “that’s with three zero’s”. He bought the car in the ‘70’s and paid about that for the whole car.
https://imgur.com/iK54P3k
Aside from its Foreign Internal Defense mission in Vietnam, US Army Special Forces from the 1950’s into the 80’s had to be ready to drop behind the Iron Curtain into Eastern Europe and recruit irregular forces to conduct guerilla warfare against the USSR in the event we went to war with the evil empire. This 1975 dated 10th SF Group guerilla training program of instruction manual was locally drafted and photocopied in cargo-pocket size. It contained lesson plans to instruct the locals in the necessary basic skills to harass the Russkies from behind the lines. It sold within a couple hours of listing for $65 plus shipping to an address in Colorado Springs, CO, home of Ft Carson where 10th Group is currently stationed.
https://imgur.com/UnHlLNe
Zippo brand lighters have been hot collectables for years and I don’t think there has been any slackening of demand. Usually they sell to Europe but this one from the USS VELLA GULF, a US Navy guided missile cruiser, out of my personal junk drawer from the late 1990s sold domestically within a couple weeks for $70 plus shipping. FYI the Vietnam-era military engraved Zippos are heavily faked now.
https://imgur.com/FTAWqvm
Google image search was my friend in discovering that the design on this small Richard Ginori porcelain tray was the Italian Navy crest. A couple bucks at a yard sale, it sold in about a month for $35 plus shipping.
https://imgur.com/PM90JFT
I’m not sure why someone would pay only about $10 less for a used one than the cost for a new one that can be ordered direct from the Boy Scout store, but this iconic red heavy wool official Boy Scout adult uniform item is in great demand. Found at an indy thrift for $10, it sold within a month for $69 plus shipping.
https://imgur.com/DTnak5Q
Political party/candidate donor giveaways like this are very common and are not particularly well-made, as medals and medallions go, but they do sell eventually. I only had pennies in this group of four items from the 80’s from a large box lot and it sold for $17 plus shipping.
https://imgur.com/LkUrBYyPrayer rugs can be a range of sizes, and this one is definitely within the normal range. Also it is a double. There are two niches with the pointed representation of the mirhab – the roof – of a mosque in the design. I didn’t find exactly what I’m looking for in my references, and again I’m no expert, but I think the keyword for region based on the heavily geometric design is Tribal Caucasian, not Persian.
That is a really neat handmade prayer rug! Prayer rug based on the size and the directionality of the design in the center (supposed to point to Mecca in use) and handmade based on the construction and uneven stitching visible on the back. It is possible that the cardboard is to hold a corner down – handmade rugs sometimes have construction flaws that cause the corners to roll up slightly rather than lay flat.
The overall wear is not a bad thing, the patina is preferred by many. I have an idea of the design, but I will need to check some things first and get back to you. I am no expert but I love old rugs.
The term “Native American” itself should not be a problem at least in the US since there are eBay US categories using that term in the title. However, eBay prohibits the use of the term unless the item can be identified as authentic. Tourist shops especially in Arizona and New Mexico have employed tribal members to turn out vast quantities of jewelry and art for many years to the present day so there are more “authentic” items out there than you might think.
It is really annoying to hear someone nickle and diming, especially if it’s an item you like and for which you’d happily pay the asking price. But whether or not the guy is being a jerk, I think it’s still rude to break in, and that’s actually a civil tort in many states in the US. If you interfere with a business negotiation on a big enough scale you could sued for tortious interference with contract expectancy.
On the one relevant item I have listed in recent memory I was able to complete the listing after including the required information.
Hi Alex. Sounds like you are in Paypal/eBay purgatory. You say you “trust” the buyer, but they have instituted a case to stop your payment, correct? So at the end of the day, you might not get paid. If you ship, you might lose the money and then you may have some trouble getting the item back.
So balance the factors. How important is it to you to not have a late shipment? Many people on the forum do not worry about late shipments; it’s not the end of the world. If you lose TRS status, eventually you get it back. How much did you pay for the item? If it’s a cheap item and on-time shipping is important to you, go ahead and send it. If you paid a lot for the item then assuming you don’t get paid and you lost the item, that might be bad.
You could also try calling eBay. They might be able to cancel the order for you if you ask for it, given the situation, or have some other resolution.
Mike, in my experience the effectiveness of various local selling apps varies on the area. A couple years ago back in Jacksonville FL I found Craigslist to be very effective for larger items and a friend had success on OfferUp but FB Marketplace was a mess and not worth the trouble.
Hmm. I wonder what reason SAS is giving Bonanza for the prohibition. A manufacturer cannot simply prohibit sale of their used items on the secondary market just because they feel like it. As poorly administered as eBay’s VERO program is, there is at least a legal basis, whether it is counterfeits or improper use of registered trademarks.
Nice stereo sale. I can’t wait until I’m not in a “gated community” so I can local-sale some big items myself.
I’ve learned not to throw away old key fobs and rings that I run across. Mostly not big money but they are reliable sellers for me and no hassle to ship. This Alfa Romeo key fob dates to pre-1971 based on the word “MILANO” present on the round logo. Found in a cheap box lot so virtually nothing in it, sold quickly for $15 plus shipping. I would have listed for more but it was a little rough.
https://imgur.com/dt0xAg5
This tie bar is a representation of the MK48 submarine torpedo. Taxpayers should take comfort in the fact that the MK48 was put in service in the early 1970s and is still in use to this day by the US Navy, albeit with updated electronics, etc, of course. A couple dollars at a flea market, it sold for $19 plus shipping in about a week.
https://imgur.com/mKOMnIH
This t-shirt was mine, purchased new from a local motorcycle dealer I patronized in the mid-‘80s while at Ft Carson CO for a short while in the Army. Wore it for years, passed it to my kids when I “outgrew” it, then recently got it back in the family donation box. I was going to grab it for a car washing rag until I figured I’d better research the dealer’s name on the back. I was thinking he may have been a notable race driver – the hot rod and bike crowd is heavily into early racing nostalgia. Turns out I was smart to research it, but off base as to why. “Buttery soft and paper thin” from age and use, old distressed authentic auto or motorcycle themed t-shirts like this are apparently quite the fashion statement. Listed at $95, sold for a best offer of $84 plus shipping in about a month, going to Spain.
https://imgur.com/WvrpkGO
For a long while, there was not broad interest in the Iraq War souvenirs that soldiers brought back. Sixteen years later the items sell quicker and for better money. This is an Iraqi Army rifle bayonet “frog,” an issued item to carry the bayonet in a scabbard on the belt. I have $4 in it and it sold within a month for $25 plus shipping.
https://imgur.com/BefHZZL
Many Iraqi items are unmarked but there is a distinctive property stamp sometimes present. The frog only had a partial stamp on the back, eligible unless you knew what you were looking for. If an item is stamped, it will look like some variation of this:
https://imgur.com/Id1xorC
This bolo tie was out of my dad’s estate, purchased new in New Mexico in the ‘60’s. Turquoise jewelry pricing is all over the map and I’ve got no eye to differentiate why some pieces are worth more than others but this one was signed and felt well-made so I just stuck a high price on it, listing it over a year ago at $336 to gauge interest. There was a lot of interest (even had someone beg me to unblock him so he could buy it – I did not recognize him so it must have been my auto-block for too many unpaid items) but I did feel the price was too high and I got impatient. So I have been lowering the price, received a few offers that I tried to unsuccessfully pull up with counteroffers, then finally accepted an offer of $175 plus shipping.
https://imgur.com/EUpOnKCI got some tape last month and to me it doesn’t smell bad. Thin but strong. Very sticky, too. I like it.
Bad memories for sure. The ‘70s and ‘80s were awful. There was an even worse gas crisis in 1973. Gas prices quadrupled and supplies got so bad that some areas were down to $3 and $2 limits, gas station lines around the block, etc. Inflation was crazy, over 10% a year at times. Interest rates were ridiculous. They got into the high teens and peaked over 20% in 1980-ish, IIRC.
