Featured Question for the resellers

I think biz may pick up come the fall and winter with holiday presents needed. But a lot of damage will be done by then. When I was at the thrift shop (my fave one) people were buying bathing suits nwt and tee shirts. Part of it was the price being so low. Not too many were looking for books or kitchen items to my delight. LOL

If I list again on etsy I am only listing items I have had great success with in the past and I probably won't list for awhile since listings run for 4 months there and I want to have my items run into the fall. But I am still deciding what to do.

 

Uhh, not really.
Front desk is not allowed to haggle, they call/text to ask about discounts on behalf of the buyer.
most of the time, if someone took the time to come up to the desk and ask, Ill give them 10% off, unless it's something I JUST put in there.
9xs out of 10 the person buys it just because they love any kind of discount... or they would have bought it anyways

But I also feel my prices are usually where they need to be for someone to buy.

With gas going up (have to drive around to find items), rent going up, commissions, and now a lot of dealers have to pay the processing fee if someone uses a card (which I personally think is absolutely ridiculous, either the store owner needs to eat that or pass that fee along to the purchaser), Im not surprised you're seeing higher prices.
Non-haggling may be a knee jerk reaction to everything being high, so hopefully people will relax in future.

If someone was asking for a deeper discount than 10-20%, you could always tell them you'll pay the commission on the piece.
As an example, I currently have a 1950s double sided porcelain Phillips 66 sign. My husband found it while logging.
One side is about completely rusted, the other has scrape marks from the machine running over it, bullet holes...
I threw $500 on it, which is the high side of a few estimates I received, but sign buyers will haggle and it's an eye catcher.
One guy caught me while I was in there and offered me $300 for it, but after my commission I'd be out another $30.
I told him I'd have to talk to my husband about it, whom I couldn't get ahold of and he said tell him to pay $330 so it'd cover the commission.
The guy gave me his number, but still, at the end of the day, I'll let it sit there and attract people and possibly get a higher price.

So maybe if you make a deeper discount and they say no, come back with an offer of that same amount, plus the cost of their commission.

Always ask at estate sales as everyone is different in how they conduct them.

One company I work for gives absolutely no discounts on the first day, second and third day, they stick to the % off, not a penny more, and they won't do "bundle deals", but this particular owner does not like to fool with haggling.

Another company I work for will start giving bundle discounts after noon on the first day, but you had better be super polite.
I can't tell you how many grumpy or rude people ruined their chances at a discount, even during the last minutes of the sale, but super polite people get awesome discounts.

 

Here we usually don't have more than one day of an estate sale. A few companies do it, but not the majority. One day sales are most common.

Because nothing at most estate sales here have price tags on it, bundling abounds with the high hopes the total is ok. You never know what prices the estate sale person is going to throw at you for what you have found. I do know some estate sale runners ask crazy prices and so I tend to avoid those sales so I don't waste my time. I found 2 cookbooks in the winter at an estate sale, they wanted $20. I never pay that much for cookbooks. So I handed them back and said good bye. I won't be returning to that estate sale runner. I know my margins and that doesn't work for me.

If they come in too too high, I haggle. It is very common here. I know some who haggle even when they are getting a fantastic deal on a bundle. They know most of us who go to estate sales are sellers so we have to make a decent profit on what we buy or there is no point. But I could see in a mall, if the buyers are the end buyers they may not care as much about a lower price since it is for them to use or display and not resell.

 

We have a mix - some do one but most do two. Sales with lots of merch do three. Some have prices on everything, but others only price the "good" stuff and the others are subject to bundling. One company does flat prices for jewelry items. They're high on lots of things but have a record of missing the gold bits. I needless to say keep going.(LOL)

My personal selling is all on line, at least until I finally close down, so the store thing isn't relevant. With shipping so crazy high I can't sell anything over a certain size, and medically can't go over toting about 5 pounds. Five pound purse plus five pounds of stuff is the limit, which needless to say puts a crimp in bookselling. Sometimes you can make a pile but I need help getting it to the car. Can't lift a lot of glass. Doesn't matter how good it is if it lands me in surgery. Again. I tend to stick to jewelery, or did until recently. Tried textiles etc and those were worse than the jewerly. Wall art does OK, subject to the size limitations. It's gotten to the point of being down to 2-3 sales per week, and with my limits I can't really diversify that far. Add in the MS and... might as well get out while I can.

 

My sales are way down last two months. Dec-Mar were maybe my best stretch ever. Economy probably and nicer weather ppl aren’t inside online shopping as much maybe.
Fast sellers for me of late:
Knives
Gun related
Good Chinese stuff
Banks
Straight razors
Pens
NA or SW rings

I am wickedly diversified and I rely on that. I never know what will sell but usually at least a couple things a day do.

 

The centres which do well here are, I'd say, the ones which are also a destination and make a fun day out. Alfie's, for example, has a lovely rooftop cafe, not expensive, and with amazing views right out over London. Spitalfields and Hackney, Chiswick and St Albans fairs and markets are all in city centres with lots of excellent foodie places either on site or close by. Those are both sit down eating and food markets. Think artisan cheese, and Caribbean chutney for example.

Other fairs and such are doing themes, like Goodwood, which has music and other things alongside, even an air display. Some of the other fairs are more dealer selling to dealer.

Those suffering are the ones which look and feel tired, with old stock that hasn't changed in a looooong time. Faded label syndrome. Mind you, I've found the odd treasure in those.

My friends doing well also curate, to use the trendy term. They select carefully, display with a real eye and show off their things in such a way that the buyer can visualise how they'd use or wear them. They also use social media: Instagram for example, to pull people in.

Even my favourite car boots diversify a tad. Bouncy castles for one thing and some really good food. Proper coffee, Moroccan barbecue. My burger van does both halal food and vegan, and has a five star hygiene rating. Plus, he takes cards.

 

Taking cards these days is required to get anywhere.

The faded labels are worth checking. Sometimes values, Pyrex anyone, have changed radically but the dealer's prices haven't gone up. And...bingo.

 

Sea Goat- Let's run by that again,so your Hubby found an old Phillips 66 out Logging ? What a trip-He better put a Metal Detector on his chainsaw and dozer !

 

Yes, many years ago they came across an old double sided porcelain Mack Dealership sign..
His brother ran it over with the cutter and it stood straight up in the air.
Unfortunately the original ring had been removed and was under some brush and it was damaged beyond repair.

They use many Mack's in their production, so it proudly hangs in his own personal shop at his home.


We've gotten a few farm bells left over from homesteads and sometimes they get to tear old buildings down, so things get salvaged from those as well..

I tell them all the time that there is no telling what they unknowingly turn up and re-dig back into the ground

 

SeaGoat-If a Farmstead's old enough,there's of course always the possibility of an old privy/outhouse-bottles & coins.I imagine when the guys are out on a job,they don't have a ton of time for relic hunting-that comes after Retirement !

 

There hasn't been enough time for recovery, probably. Technically, isn't it still a pandemic? But I surely understand why you would close your booth.

In 2007-2008 I dipped my toe in the water and rented a shelf inside a locked case at an antique mall. Most of what I was selling was costume jewelry, with a few other small items. Even in that boom time, just before the financial crisis of 2008, I didn't do well. Decided I'm not a seller "type." At least not an absentee one.

Anyway, that is why I hadn't looked at this thread until now. Good subject, @SeaGoat !

 

It is. Covid is flaring up again in and around Amsterdam. We in the southeast are still safe, but for how long? Holiday travel will bring it all back again, I think (fear).

 

AnyJewel-Haarlem's a nice commute to Amsterdam.When are they gonna have a Flea Market at the Rijksmuseum ? 10 yr & 90 yr olds on bikes,bikes,bikes !
Right after the US Subprime Mortgage Crash Ebay prices crashed.A $150 vase dropped to $35 in a few months.An existential crisis (covid,Ukraine,gas,food) will do that,and I'm getting ready to jump into the coin market (sadly friends-not gold).