Featured Probably my best items of all time: post 4 of 4

Concur! And highly collectable as opium paraphernalia, plus they have the original thick glass chimney value could be something around +300$ each...

 

Interesting site:
https://theopiumpipe.com/opium-lamps/

 

On this site is a massive Italian silver vase. I suggest, if anyone looks at this firm in Mayfair, look at the Alexander Fisher centrepiece. Sold for £1,450 in 1900. That is some price then.http://www.pashantiques.com/product.php?sID=1244

 

You could buy a house for that, back when.

 

It is a fabulous centrepeice, but I agree with you about the house. It is POA. A lot of the items are POA.

 

Incredible Silver Hoard Mr. Nate,congrats !
I'm guessing a lot of folks have revamped their picking methods recently. A better method (w/ current fuel prices) would be seriously surfing Craigslist Sites across the entire Nation/World.
Most Craigslist people don't want to ship -obviously not Ebayers because their Religion is shipping. Craigslisters are generally 'local pickup only' & have limited experience in online sales or are computer phobic- so you have to really make it worth their while by paying them a premium $$$ for shipping.
But with current gasoline prices,who can afford to put in 200-300 miles a weekend hitting sales,fleas,estates,collectives ? Plus You don't have to show up in person at 5AM and stand in line for 3 hours and...NO BIDDING FRENZIES.
Still,a lot of work and,sometimes guesswork and faith !

 

And no hitting 5 thrift stores for a single score that might pay for the gas to find it.

 

Mr Nate that silver hoard was a gift from god (or the cosmos if you prefer)-Collector Boot Camp
1. Study,Study
2.Search/Network In-Person & Cyber Feriousciously (like this extraordinary Forum)
3.Work Yr Sales Ass Off-Harder than Sham-Wow Guy/My Mattress Dude//Pappa John.
4. Work as hard as the 1776 Founding Fathers did when they put their lives and the lives of their spouse and children & all their worldly possessions (most of the Signers of The Signers of the Declaration of Independence died bankrupt).
LESSON-Professional Antique Sales-Not as easy as it appears ! If you want to pay the Mortgage,House, Auto & Health Insurance,Kids College Fund,Utility Bills,Food & Gas,Vets....You might think about marrying a Neuro-Surgeon, Corporate Lawyer or Tech Genius before giving up your job at Trader Joe's or Costco.

 

...BUT-it is a hell of a lotta (exhausting) fun !...just don't trust the Godess Fortuna to bless you with a 15 million dollar painting,keep punching that clock till your ship comes in (or find a Trust Fund Spouse in Boca).

 

That vase is a show piece…. Amazing and thanks for sharing.

 

Extremely fine silver knowledge Mr. Nate (and a heck of a work ethic). Mr Nate-have you always been into silver ? You've obviously have done a lot of studying.

 

Hi Bosko, and thank you for your kind remarks. I have an answer regarding the driving discussion/Craigslist etc but it may not be a good fit for everyone. I’m going to be a bit briefer in my response, only because I’m logged in on my phone since I can’t seem to remember my password tonight on my computer… lol

1. Driving is still highly profitable for me.
2. I’m always looking for silver, but I’m buying lots of other items to resell.
3. I’m doing this as a part time business in my spare time, and so I have to file taxes.
4. SINCE I file taxes, I can claim all of my business expenses which includes my driving looking for inventory. Every mile I drive related to buying silver and resale items decreases my tax liability at the end of the year.
5. Consider the following example to illustrate:

- I drive to 5 stores, each store is 10 miles apart.
- During that trip, I buy one item for $10, and later that month I resell it online for $100. My shipping costs $10, I had to pay seller fees of $15, so on the surface it appears I made a profit = $65. But in reality, the 50 miles I drove is a hidden benefit. The rate for mileage from Jan 2022 - June is set at 58.5 cents per mile and it just went up to 62.5 cents per mile for the rest of the year. Assuming I just traveled that means my 50 miles traveled is worth $29.25 in tax relief at the end of the year. The current car I’m driving gets over 40 mpg, so I’m actually making net positive money every time I drive for a business purpose.

Let me know if that makes sense. There’s a few rules you need to follow to properly claim mileage. There is a great smart phone app called MileIQ that makes it very easy.

 

Mr. Nate-With your great mind for math/mileage/money you might be able to make a decent living as an Accountant !
I hear you-driving around can be fun and sometimes exhausting.I had a Commercial Art Studio in my house for about 25 years,and wrote off abt 20% of the Rent,and later Mortgage-my Wife's an Accountant,so obviously most of the brain-lift fell on her shoulders.
So you specialize in Sterling Silver (obviously prob not a whole lot of Gold out there laying around),and by focusing on one thing-you can study and really hone your knowledge to an expertise level.
I imagine we've all walked past many a piece of Sterling in our picking lives.Being a visual person I tend to only drift towards the visually 'Wow' or 'Weird' pieces that scream Victorian Eccentric,probably walking past much more valuable items.
Is there a Site you really like,basically a 'Silver for Dummies' ?
Folks-Mr. Nate is right,if you have a business that's profitable for a certain amount of years,& you PAY TAXES on your sales-you have a legal right to claim a deduction.For example,if you have a room-solely (EXCLUSIVELY) dedicated to Ebay Sales (photos,sorting,storing,packaging and mailing),you have a legal IRS Deduction.
Obviously-if you're losing money year after,or are a cash,underground economy biz,no deduction.
Thanks Nate-Once I finish my 300 Home & Yard Projects might just hit the road again.

 

One more question:Haven't 'Bayed in years and years.How are Customers dealing with the higher Postal Rates ? Thanks for all your time.Is the best way still Priority Mail ?...like i say,been a long time since I sold.

 

It hasn’t been a major issue for me, but of course shipping prices have gone up. I’ve been using UPS more lately as they have some budget shipping options.

 

Which budget shipping re UPS do you like & do you ask if they want insurance,signature confirm ,etc. ?

 

Shipping UPS scares me if you don't have your own account. People who use it through eBay often report getting whacked with a big extra charge later "because they can" even if they did everything right.

 

Just UPS ground…. If someone messaged me asking for insurance, signature confirmation, etc, not gonna lie I usually just block that type of buyer because they are usually a picky person and a hassle to deal with. I pay for signature confirmation and insurance myself often, and it doesn’t bother me to pay for it myself.

 

I dig your 'pickiness' radar ! Just a clarification-do you mean UPS or USPS-Gov. or Private ? In the old days,I'd ask my customers if they chose insurance,they picked up the tab.
Can you get 'Negged' these days for blocking a Ebay Customer ? In the old days Sellers kissed a Clients rump as if they were a living God to get that Pos feedback !

 

UPS was what I meant.

Regarding blocking, I block them before they ever make a purchase from me. Blocking a buyer means they can’t purchase any of my items; since they haven’t bought anything they can’t leave me a review.