Featured Covid-19 impact on antiques business

I wasn't worried about who touched them that's for sure, and I just want to let everyone here know, if you have silver sitting in your basement, and you're concerned it might have COVID-19 on it, send me a message and I'll be happy to "dispose" of your contaminated metal

But seriously to dovetail on komokwa's comments, I do think that online stuff is going to get fairly active, here's a few reasons why:

1. People have time on their hands
2. People stuck at home are bored
3. Some people are trying to build up an emergency $$ fund, so they're selling things

Just calling it like I see it.

 

There is rumored to be a grocery here (in the land of "bring your reuseable bags or else) that is also refusing to use the customer's bags. However - there are no plastic bags here, so the goods are in paper bags (which normally cost 10 cents each.)

Pearls - the bit about germs on cardboard boxes is BS.

 

Online selling has been the way to go for the future and will continue that way.

 

Up here the Hotel industry is asking for relief.....as the bottom has fallen out of the travelers...

& I just heard the Governor of California has mandated that 40 million people in that State......... stay home for the foreseeable future !

& the Canada / USA border is closed to all tourist travel..........

Cheap gas...and no where to go !

 

The antique mall where I have a booth closed today, temporarily. Our state governor has ordered all malls, flea markets, restaurants, etc. to close.
I'm not happy, because my employer (at my real job) still expects us to continue to show up to work. All small businesses will suffer. I hope this doesn't last too long.

 

Like @Mansons2005 I am almost one of those dirty old antiques. DH and I made 2 trips out for pick-up. The traffic was almost non-existent. But I do wonder about those making the pick-up.

Since I can't stand to cook anymore and DH isn't really too interested, I decided about a week ago to go through the kitchen drawers and sell most things in groups. Most thing are rather mundane except a few nice knife sets and one little gem.

You remember when milk was delivered and the bottles had cream on the top? I found the little 'dipper' we used to dip the cream out for Dad to use in his coffee and Mom to cook with. Also found Granddad's long slim ham knife to cut very thin slices of Virginia (salty) ham.
Anyway, it was fun and kept my mind off the 'recent unpleasantness.

 

So far this week I have sold 3 things on Sunday, 1 of which hasn't been paid for yet, & then tonight I sold some B&B plates for a whopping $4.99. Anyway I have changed my mind from a couple of days ago when I said I was going to spend my time listing hoping people would get bored & start shopping on-line.

Instead I have decided to tackle the garage & this is where I have decided to start.


Underneath the blue sheet is a work table I bought many years ago from a JoAnn's Fabrics that was going out of business. It has been buried under a pile of stuff since we moved into this house & frankly that is just stupid.

I hope to have this section squared around by this time next week.

 

komo is correct

Gruesom Newsom has ordered a mandatory stay home order for the entire state.

 

@bercrystal
How did you get my living room in your garage?

 

We can't do anything now! We just got the rain storm of all rain storms overnight complete with thunder and lightning that woke me at 4 am. And that was after it rained all day yesterday and the day before. I was hoping to work in the yard soon, but it's now under water, like a swamp. The basement sump pumps (we have 3) are going off almost non stop. So that leaves cleaning the garage on the back burner. I was planning to get rid of a lot of stuff in our community garage sale. I'm beginning to feel a little depressed and anxious. Go figure.

 

Peggy, that is one big project!!!

I have been making a list of projects to do around the house for bad weather days and some to do in the yard for nice weather days. It got me thinking, if we were in an apartment with no outdoor space instead of a house with 1/2 acre of yard, I would be climbing the walls!

Online sales for me have been weak, but as Feebay doesn’t charge insertion fees I’ll keep at it for now. Once I have the photos and listing written, if it doesn’t sell this year I can always put it up for sale next year

 

This is one of the few places I could post photos like that & not fear all type of ridicule.

You should see the other sections that are going to be next if I survive this one!!

 

Marie - I just posted on the General Discussion a description of. how fragile our local economy is. We aren't going to see the real impact until next January. If Cape Codders don't make their money in the summer, next winter will be devastating.

 

My on-line sales have shown a pretty good jump in the last 2 weeks. People are buying vintage cookbooks faster than I can get them listed.

 

Pandemics have a long historic precedent, they come and they go. Humanity reacts, responds and recovers. I won't consider this the end of the world until the day the Sun explodes. In the meantime, I'm still trying, but still selling nothin' on eBay. All that's changed is I probably won't be selling nothin' longer. Disposable income for the average household will be plummeting for the foreseeable future and antiques won't be too high on the priority list of essentials. Hang in there, folks!

 

We have 3 estate sales this weekend...It will be most interesting as they will be limiting it to 10 people at a time.

 

I only sell on Etsy, I don't have any in stores anymore. We had sales last week, but haven't sold anything this week. I had one person message me and ask if I was still open.

I was wondering if it would either get better because people are home and bored, and will be shopping online more. Or if it would get worse because people aren't working so can't spend the money. Or they're afraid of the virus coming in the mail, etc.

I almost had the idea of leaving a note in the package, saying we took all precautions, washed our hands, etc while packing the item. But not sure if that would be overkill or silly.

 

I'm thinking it's going to be a mix. Some are home and bored, some are home and broke. There's still two estate sales on the local Craigslist. One is appointment only and the other is 10 people at a time. Neither is close to me and neither looks all that interesting anyway.

On the upside, I may finally get some of my backstock listed ... and I have enough for the next two years.(LOL)

 

Oh, I also wanted to add that luckily, my Etsy shop is more of a hobby that makes some money on the side! lol It's not our income or only means of money. If we stop making sales for awhile, it's not really going to impact us. Yes, it will be a little disappointing, and boring. And we won't have that extra income coming in, but it was more "extra" cash. Without it, we'll be fine.

 

OMG, we have SO much backstock! We've been collecting for years, and we're always picking stuff up here and there. I've tried to make a rule that when we pick stuff up to resell, I try to post it all right away. And the stuff in storage is next. Just to try and keep up with it. But, I don't think I'll run out of inventory anytime soon! LOL