Featured Jewelry Dealer Selling a Lot...

How far does one go when you think the dealer is wrong but their store is full of jewelry?

He's listed the lot as plated silver and plated gold, but there's at least one silver ring, and I'm thinking several pieces.

Is it one of those things where it's not enough to advertise? Like a small silver ring isn't much in a large lot. There's a brooch that looks heavily tarnished but since they seem experienced would they miss that? Also a little case that looks silver but could just be plated.

I'll post pictures if you want them, but I'm asking in general. I would assume they have more knowledge than me, plus having the item in hand always helps!

Thank you ​

 

One only goes as far as they are willing to risk, on their own knowledge.

This could be ...that could be.. and you can end up paying for a lot.... that's ' not ' !!

Dealers miss identifying items all the time.......and some will salt their lots...just to get one to think they can pounce on their mistakes.....

You have to know what you're looking at......not what you think you're looking at...!

 

Sellers are often wrong, and even experienced sellers can make mistakes. But so can we.
Think of how much you would be willing pay for each item if it was plated. Add it all up, and there's the max you should pay imo.
If there are indeed real silver items, those will be the icing on the cake.

 

Hmm there's 48 pieces but it's 15.50 for shipping. Current bid is 30, if I get it for something under 40 I won't pay much over a euro for it. Still a lot though, the brooches are mostly antique, there's some dyed (?) stone pendants and a few rings. The gold ring up top is a snake.



This seller also has 2 lots 'a trier' (to test) coming up that I could try for as well, they have quality items but not so sure valuable (enough to resell).

Good points thank you! I like the idea of pricing for plate if it's an unknown.

 

I passed on it

 

as a rule......4 me at least...

better to buy one item at 50 bucks than 50 items at one buck..

 

Please say more on why that's your rule...?

 

Ditto Komo- Quality over quantity.It's easier to sell one exquisite piece for $500 than 50 mediocre pieces at $10 each.The quality item also attracts a wealthier clientele w/ more disposable income who may bid more passionately than a cheapskate like me (the rich aren't stupid,they just have more $ for their pet passions).
PS-The 'Best of the Best' items also weather economic uncertainty better than the common pieces.Naturally not all of us can afford those premier museum pieces to begin with.

 

These days that $500 item is selling for $400, but otherwise I agree. The nice but relatively common pieces are tough to move and have been getting tougher. That said, if you spot a D&E Easter Egg piece in an otherwise mediocre lot and no one else does, you can car boot or re-lot the mediocre stuff and resell relatively cheap while making a pile on the BINGO piece.

 

these guys said it well.....
but I'll add

the time and effort to sell one 50 dollar item..is mostly the same for a one dollar item.....
the math doesn't work..

yes , there are always exceptions to the rule....but generally you want to sell off lesser items...to get better items and grow your collection or stock..at a higher value..

 

Makes sense.

 

Agree, lower priced jewelry is harder and harder to sell, barely worth one's time and energy. $15 pieces take the same time to list as a $100 piece as Komo said, and probably take longer to sell. I think one reason why people are listing these jewelry lots. A way to get rid of multiple so-so pieces at once. As Ruth stated, doesn't hurt to check them of course, and/or check car boots -- there might be a missed treasure in there that is worth your time, but little slips by in U.S. Ebay auction lots if the photos are good IMO.

 

I personally like to have a mix of lower end, middle range, and higher end stuff. I buy plenty of stuff for resale in the $50-$1,000 range but I like to buy lots where I’m getting $1 items that I’m pricing at $10 (if they are super easy to ship) to $30 range or so. I do well selling lower end stuff. People don’t mind making an impulse buy under $100 for some, and under $50 for others. Over $100 and they have to think about it a bit more. Lower end vintage jewelry sells pretty quickly for me typically. As long as it’s nice, it can’t be total shit. The cheap stuff is kind of the bread and butter for me. If I can sell a 3-5 cheaper pieces a day at least, and then 2-3 middle and higher end pieces I can keep myself going. If the better stuff doesn’t sell at least the cheap stuff covers my fuel, take out, and bakery bill for the day.

It does take an awful long time to list things these day with all the specs eBay wants us to fill in. A good trick is to list like objects. List ten vintage costume bracelets in a row and you can piggy back off your initial listing and only have to change a few details for each one. Rather than listing a bracelet, then ring, then book, then statue, then record, then….. If you’re selling as a hobby or part time you may as well stick to better higher dollar items. If you’re doing it full time you’ve gotta be moving things every day and imo it’s good to have lower priced impulse type buys that you’re making good margins on. I just try to make sure the cheap stuff doesn’t require much research and is small and easy to ship.

 

My go-to is searching for like item (which you have to do for pricing anyway) and the "Sell One Like This" button. The listing will automatically fill the "specs" and you just have to tweak it.

I still avoid low profit items unless I already own them and they're easy to photo and new condition.

I have definitely picked up lots for cheap that had expensive items in them...but you really have to know what you're looking at because it's usually the lots with baaaad photos and no good searchable keywords.

 

Once upon a time I found gold mine, literally, lots on eBay. Those days are gone - too many eyeballs looking for too little treasure. I also used to sell a lot of lower end impulse buy stuff, at least when I was still selling. That ship sailed too. Too much work for too little return. Once upon a time those $10-20s sold early and often and fees were low enough to make it worthwhile. Now...flat no. The only items worth your time are signed or otherwise easily searchable.

It's still worth looking, just ask Bear, at booties and jumble sales. You never know when someone will have just dumped granny's jewelry box into a donation pile because they didn't want to deal with it. Or thought that Sherman rhinestone necklace or chunk of Russian silver niello was old tat.

 

I'm a PT/hobby seller & I try to sell things that will at least make $50 up.But last week I picked up twelve vintage table lighters for $25.They were all in a huge sealed plastic bag & I saw a few decent pieces.I got home & didn't find any Duponts or Cartiers,just a respectable batch of 1930's thru 50's $20-$35 pieces.
I'll just sell all these as a lot because I don't wan't to List,Package & Mail 12 different items,back in the day I would have.
PS-At $2 each,I won't lose any money.

 

Mostly vintage imo. A few items that are worth a closer look, but most aren't. There is some Art Deco, and the black cross could have a stanhope in it, this type often does.

Probably best.

 

Great discussion thank you! Its time to look at what has sold well and what's not moving. I've had great success with signed 80s costume, it goes quickly and its a quick profit in the 10-30e range, though I had a brooch from a lot sell for over 50. The silver doesn't want to budge even though I think I have fair prices, even low starting bids. The antiques do well but its a hit and miss sometimes. I've got an oria chain and pendant and an enamelled ring that are priced according to the sold listings, but nothing. Not even views, though I think that's our friend ebay at it again. I checked recent sold pieces and they've been sold recently for around the same price. The trade beads were a great hit, and that silver necklace too had interest, though I've taken it off for further research. Either ebay is playing games with non promoted items, or my pieces aren't of the quality that will sell.

I'm tempted to do a lot to clear inventory ahead of the car boot season. I did a massive one at the beginning of the year of mostly the rif raff and a few pieces that weren't moving, but now perhaps I should do another with some of the silver and antiques, I've had success with lots.

 

Promotion, aka strongarm/blackmail arm-twisted extra payments, are pretty much required now to get eyeballs unless something can be found easily with Google search. (i.e. not eBay's search engine) The jewelry search/browse is hosed and has been for a while. They're not fixing it. One reason I no longer sell - they're collecting danegeld and the Dane ain't going anywhere. So I did.

 

The insidious "We've streamlined your search results to show you the best listings" hiding auctions bullshit is the most upsetting to me because everyone should at least get the chance to be seen when someone is specifically keywording their listing! I've found some good things in there so it's not even accurate.

Also love that you shant dare to take a break because if you go below their volume metric, your listings will be downgraded and then you can never easily recover the eyeballs because the OTHER metric you have to meet is sales. Make it make since. Do they WANT money, or nah?