Featured Finding and pricing antique/vintage items

what is the selling id? the link goes to ebay motors

 

Sorry CX. Lets try again: https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?ssPageName=STRK:MEFSXS:MESOI&_ssn=auctions.both.ways&_sop=10

Seems the 'bay' is having glitch problems with links. Surprise, a glitch!

If that does not work, try auctions.both.ways
Patd

 

They still do start many items at 99 cents.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/bleeding_g...OI&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2046732.m1684

I think the key element to still being able to do this is that you started it back when auctions were hot & you built up a huge following. Those buyers would check out your listings all the time, so you had almost guaranteed views on your stuff.

This seller was also very disciplined. He use to put up at least 100 new listings every week on Monday night. So his followers knew exactly when to look at his listings.

I noticed he did not have any new listings up from last night so this may have changed over the years.

I stumbled upon them a few years back when they were selling perfume bottles & actually did purchase a couple from them.

 

I can see starting auctions at $20 or above to be a good start, but yeah getting that first bid would be tricky. Imagine standing out from million of others. One thing that helps, if one has the extra time is opening an account on another platform (like Instagram) to promote your items. It's easy and direct, you post photos with tags and people find you. I once opened a small instant download print store on Etsy, just for fun.. and I honestly feel if it weren't for that Instagram account I wouldn't have gotten as many followers to the store. So, I can imagine how helpful it would be for selling other things.

I was following this one guy who has an Ebay along with other venues, he buys all his store from thrift stores..looks for brand vintage clothing, seems to be doing really well too. Buys a sweater for $5, sells it for $80. I think that's great, and can see how it would be a very profitable business.

I can deal with some loss, but in today's market and the protection customers have online directly from Ebay/Amazon etc.. I just don't know how I feel about people constantly complaining about "wrong size,color,smell.. wearing it then wanting to return" it would be easier in person than online. I suppose you can always list no returns, but that would just push people away especially in such category. Now, with other items such as home decor,art, and just about anything else that's straight forward the chances may be less likely, and even then you'd have situations where items are fragile. I guess, that's just one of the few risks with online selling though.

 

That's true! I've had some luck finding 'good' items, not necessarily for resell because I haven't gotten to that point yet. But, even for my own home goods! I went to this huge antique mall a few months ago, and I got lost at all the many wonderful things they had, prices varied too. I asked how much it would be to rent a space, I believe it was somewhere along $1.80-$3 per sqft, but I'm sure there's more to it. I would consider antique malls for things such as antique/vintage furniture and farmhouse/country style goods.. is it just me or has anyone notice the craze with farmhouse nowadays, it's definitely in!

 

I haven't been to an Estate sale yet, but I hope to sometime soon, have to do some searching to find those. I like Etsy! It's definitely more organized than Ebay in my opinion, and I like how they have the four month listing option.

 

you can list 'no returns', but if they pay with Paypal it doesn't matter what you say, they can return and will get their money refunded

 

Ah, I had no idea about that and most people are with Paypal as it is, so that's good to know! Seems like for the most part, the site is almost always in favor with the buyer which can be tricky for sellers.

 

There's no such thing as No Returns....so u might as well say u accept returns , that way your buyers are more confident in the quality of your items , & your business model.

 

I definitely agree! I've seen a few online stores in Etsy with "No returns accepted", I think Etsy allows sellers to write out their own policies. But, even then I'm sure if a buyer really wanted to return a purchased item, there's some sort of exception.

 

insurance is another thing you see in listings a seller will say if you don't buy insurance and your item is damaged or lost you won't be refunded, but again, if the buyer pays with Paypal they are covered and will be refunded.

 

The reality is if you sell on eBoo you are responsible to deliver what the buyer sees in the listing. So if it arrives damaged you are on the hook. Any seller who says if you don’t buy insurance too bad is an idiot!

 

I haven't read everyone's comments.
So I might be touching on areas already mentioned.

The "antiques" field has many venues and loads of different strategies.
From your comments, you sound like me, in that you are interested in everything. Which means you may not ever be a specialist in anything. Which is ok.

Garage sales, flea markets, malls, individual shops, ebay, etsy, high end auctions, etc.; all have different mind sets. Different selling stategies.
It is good to familiarize yourself with all of them.

Keep it simple. Cross reference. You want to be able to go back to items that were purchased years earlier. My book goes back to 1978 of everything I have purchased to keep or buy. I didn't learn to cross reference until the 1990s.

If you want to be a broad based dealer, I recommend picking up old Warman's or Schroeder's price guides. Simply because they cover everything. You can find them at used book stores, probably on ebay or abebooks. Doesn't matter what year, as prices are no longer relevant. What you are looking at are the descriptions and pictures.
Kovel's are out there as well, I just never liked their books. Miller's is another one worth looking at.

 

If it's eBay, they will force returns regardless of payment method, returns accepted or not, or validity of claim. If the buyer says it's not what they expected, period, eBay will force the return. Even when they receive the exact item pictured. Just a heads up to new sellers.

 

"Which means you may not ever be a specialist in anything"
Score! Oh yes, that's definitely me..in general. Choosing a major at college, career..list goes on. I find an interest in all, want to learn about everything..at first it sounds like a beautiful thing, but knowing me my only issue with that is I get overwhelmed, jump too quickly from one interest to another,lose interest because I am already trying to learn about something else or usually end up doing nothing at all. And in a field as wide and interesting, where anything can be considered an antique, I can see myself swarming all over the place.

To avoid that from happening, I'll start collecting. (collectorsweekly is a great site, to help me narrow things down a bit..and it's hard for me as it is!) That way, instead of wanting to collect it all, I'll just try to stick to one category and break it down.

Here's what I came up with as far as things I'd be interested in collecting and possibly reselling:

Home & Kitchen Accessories :
Lol! I know! This doesn't help as these accessories could possibly be anything you make it out to be (furniture,chairs,lamps,signs,bottles,clocks,advertising, etc..)

I suppose I can hand pick those unique things that I would personally like to put in my home. This is actually a favorite because I want to start getting into home decorating, so I could be placing two hobbies in one (?) Also, I've noticed a lot of home decor stores trying to imitate antique/vintage objects.. so what better way than to get the real deal. And from what I've seen in trends people will turn something into anything, mason/milk glass jars as flower vases for home or weddings and so on.

So.. maybe I'm getting somewhere. Sorry for the ramble!

 

Just keep in mind it will not be over night. Be patient, anything you explore you learn something. You'll eventually gravitate toward certain main interests. You just have to know enough and how to research, to be able to sell outside those areas.

 

@clutteredcloset49 - I have been working on identifying things to list and have many slips of paper in a 3 whole notebook, but that's as far as my organization goes - but I am severely challenged when it comes to organization. Severely.

Could you please explain how you created a workable inventory that you could cross reference? I had tried to begin by going with the maker, but that doesn't see effective.

Thanks.

 

Mine is still longhand, as I started in 1978, before computers.
At one time in the 80s, I tried to put it into a data base. I got tired of doing it, and am glad I didn't as all the operating systems kept changing and I would have lost everything.
Today, might not be so bad. It would be easier to do a search for something.

I go by date and place of purchase.
I use a 4 column pad.
I describe the item/sometimes draw a quick sketch. (EAPG vase doesn't work if you buy too many.)
List the cost/plus sales tax(separate for sales tax purposes)
Back in the 90s, I started putting the dates on everything I kept, so I could go back to the date in the book.
Then when I want to sell something, I put it in a store inventory book. I list the inventory number in the original book, so I know it was put up for sale.

It can be time consuming if you go to estate sales and buy boxes of items.
However, if you are going to price and sell immediately then you wouldn't need to list.
I tend to keep things before selling. After about 20 years in was hard to remember when I bought things. Although I often remembered where.


You could also just start a numbering system, and put the number on the item.

 

I set up a spreadsheet on my computer, my fields area:
Item number
Description
Category (glass, pottery, jewelry...)
Where I bought it (yard sale, flea market, private sale, thrift shop...)
What I paid
What I price it
What it sold for
Date bought
Date sold
Where sold
Fees
Profit

I know it’s a lot of information but all of it is searchable. I started it 15 years ago, I close each year out so sold items are not on this year’s list. I have no problem opening up my old spreadsheets to do research and each year’s list is exactly what I need at tax time

 

If I was starting anew, I would do a computer system.
After 40 years, I have too much that it would be impossible to transfer over.
I'm nearly up to 12,000 in my store inventory. Then there is all the stuff at home.