selling

We just recently reached a major accomplishment – we made our goal of 10,000 positive feedbacks on ebay! While it may not sound monumental to many folks, we know how much work it took. (Our dear friends put this award together.)

We’ve been selling since May of 2000. At first it was very part-time. Just in the mornings and evenings after work. We had some success and really enjoyed it. A down-sizing by one of our employers caused us to re-think our career path and while searching for another position, decided to try this on a full-time basis. And we found it to be just great!
Now, when we are asked “how did you ever reach 10,000 positive feedbacks?” we take our cue from an old comedian who we loved and admired, George Burns. He would have said “First you reach 9,999…” HA! We have actually had a lot more than 10,000 but when they are repeat customers, ebay does not count them again. We also note that less than 35% actually give feedback, even if they take the time to email with a thanks and ‘all is well’ message. But we are proud of reaching another milestone.

Selling on ebay, for the most part, has been a very positive experience. We’ve sent a number of items home! By that, I mean we were able to find things for people that “MEAN SOMETHING.” For example, we have sold advertising items from companies, hotels or restaurants that had the same name as the person who bought it. Or sent a calendar that advertised for a long-gone dairy to someone who worked there in the summer of 1965! Another gentleman bought a huge metal sign from us from a Milwaukee hotel that had closed years back. It had belonged to his wife’s family and he gave it to her as a Christmas gift. A recent sale of restaurant ware items found a member of the family of the original owners of the establishment! We have even sent several photographs to relatives of the person in the picture! And these were from the 1920s. Wow!

We have also played ‘match-maker’ on several occasions. We listed a bottom of a cookie jar and the lady who bought it had the top! We’ve listed creamers or sugar bowls that lacked a mate and they were ‘made whole’ when the buyer had the other piece.
We are also proud to say that quite a few of our items have been added to museum collections. For example, a photo of an old Milwaukee Clipper ship (ferry) has been added to a display case in Michigan. A gentleman in Arizona who collects unique advertising items purchased a very large, and rather unusual, beer wagon made of wood in Western Germany. It had a driver, 4 horses with a lot of fancy hardware and 80+ wooden beer kegs. He emailed to say it will be proudly displayed in his collectibles museum. Advertising items of “local interest” have also been purchased and added to their respective museums.
One of our favorite memories has been sending numerous wedding photos to a gentleman in Texas. He wanted them to display at his son’s wedding. He had purchased several turn-of-the-century wedding gowns for the reception hall. He placed the old wedding pictures on each dinner table. His son was very much into fashion design, so this was a wonderful surprise for him. He was kind enough to let us know it had been a big success!

Several of our friends started selling on ebay about the same time as we did. They thought it would be fun! And, while it is enjoyable, it is a lot of work! You have to find the items, (which is getting a lot tougher), sometimes clean them up, research to see what the minimum should be, list it, pay the fees (whether they sell or not), package them up, ship them off. Then you wait for the good news. We have used the US Post Office almost exclusively and have been very pleased with them. We’ve shipped well over 40,000 items and only 4 have ever been lost and 5 damaged in transit. That is incredible. While we have continued on with ebay, all of our friends have discontinued their endeavors.
In retrospect, it has been a very gratifying experience. We have shipped accordions, a large sink, a marvelous boat anchor, china dish sets of 80 pieces, oil paintings – you name it! We have enjoyed being ‘pickers’ for folks who cannot or do not wish to take the time to find these treasures.

We would love to hear about your selling or buying experiences!

“Gotta Collect? Then You Gotta Connect – Join our Collectors’
Community”

Ever since our daughters were toddlers and old enough to ask “would you take less for this?” they’ve been going with us to yard sales! There were times when they would grumble because it was too early in the morning, or they wanted to be out playing. But we always promised it would just be for a few hours and they would be back home soon! And we usually gave them a little pocket money so they could find a treasure or two.

There are some down-sides to taking kids to sales. The obvious one, of course, is the possibility of breakage. But our girls were told from little on – eyes are for looking, don’t use your hands until an adult gives you the nod. They were very cautious and not one thing was ever broken. Another down-side is that they can ask “are you going to keep that, mama, or sell it?” After a few times, and seeing the disdain on our faces, they realized that this was not appropriate. They were told to ask that question ONLY when we were in the car – and they listened. There is a really big up-side though. And that is that people love little kids and think it is just charming when they have a delightful 5 year old ask for a ‘bargain price.’ They almost always comply! In fact, they got quite a few things for free, just because of the ‘cute factor.’ We also think it is important that they learn the value of items and they realize items that are chipped, dinged or otherwise damaged, have a much lower worth!

Our oldest granddaughter has also been ‘put to work’ in hunting for antiques and collectibles. She has turned out to be quite a good luck charm! We were at a garage sale one summer and she turned to me and said “you like cows, don’t you grandma?” She handed me a tablecloth with Elsie the Cow from Borden’s. It was in wonderful condition and priced very low. (We made a profit of over $30 on that one.) Another time, after buying numerous items at a sale, we got into the car. She looked at me and said “did you see them pack up that horse statue?” Well, No, I did not – and ran back to find it still on the check-out table! Whew!

She also has very ‘young eyes’ and even with a magnifier at the ready, I don’t’ see every boo-boo. But she does, and readily points it out to me. We have tried to instill the ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ in her too by having her buy several items and then listing them on ebay. She enjoys watching the price escalate! After it sells, we calculate the price of the item, deduct the listing fees and selling fees, and come up with a ‘net.’ She has made some spending money that way! But we have also required that she help pack it up and go to the post office to ship it off. That way, she sees the full-circle and realizes it is not always easy. Especially when only one of the three things she listed sells, and the two remaining have fees to be paid.
There are times when we find an item that she really likes. She asks the questions “keep or sell” when in the car (as she was taught) and is disappointed when it is a for-profit piece. We explain that we never sell anything that has meaning to us such as a gift from our children or grandchildren, or something passed down from family members. And there are times when we keep things on a ‘temporary basis’; displaying it for a while, then when a new-improved item is found, we can sell the older one off. Sort of an ‘up-grade’ system. She has accepted that and knows we cannot keep everything we find!

So, don’t be afraid to teach your children at a young age about the value of things, the thrill of the hunt and the need to be respectful at sales. While many of the folks that hold these are simply ‘cleaning house’ and don’t care who gets it and what they do with it, it is important that you let them feel good about their sale. You can always ’squeal with delight’ later.

“Gotta Collect? Then You Gotta Connect – Join our Collectors’
Community”

On this past Saturday hubby and I were at a large local rummage sale, the KFGO Rummage Sale at the Red River Valley Fair Grounds. This time, we weren’t shoppers — we were sellers.

The day was exhausting (as was the set up the afternoon before) as we were busy from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. with those looking for deals — and re-stocking our tables. Yes, that’s right; we brought so much stuff that under the tables we had boxes with stuff we hadn’t unpacked yet. (Don’t laugh because at the end of the day only 4 of those boxes had never been opened!)

In fact, we were so busy we rarely left our booth (hence these photos are what we could see from our set-up) — we didn’t even have time to shop ourselves.

Well, that’s not completely true. Across the way, during set-up I noticed this lady had a pair of paintings which were similar to Pletan’s — and too cheaply priced (at $10 for the pair) not to grab up.

And the eldest daughter who was helping found us a copy of Frankenweenie. But that’s all we bought (honest).

I think we were so busy because we offered more than just used clothing, previously viewed videos, romance novels and the odd assortment of used household goods — we had unusual stuff. Stuff the other guys didn’t. So folks spend a lot of time in our two — yes, two — booths. Some actually thanked me for having such neat stuff ‘on display.’ (I did tell them it was available for them to buy and display at home — but not all of them did so. *wink*)

We had vintage glassware, retro toys, wonderful textiles, wooden beer crates, vintage clothing, old dolls, and antique German books mixed in with the usual discarded kids’ books, bud vases, candle holders and the out-grown bike.

In the space next to us, they had flower arrangements and lovely antique furnishings (reupholstered pieces), shown below.

But mostly the booths were filled with ‘rummage’ more than ‘collectibles.’ (This I noticed from my few dashes to the restroom.)

At every sale we’ve ever had there is at least one item we wish we could charge $1 for everytime it was picked up or discussed (cuz then we’d surely be rich!). This time was no exception.

At first the Castle of GreySkull was object numero uno for discussion. “Everybody” was telling us how recently on eBay one in the box, never opened, just sold for $600. (This story was told to me so many times I expected it to be an urban legend and the price to increase with each telling.)

But quickly, once it was removed from a box under the table, the top conversation piece became this musical decanter of a dog with a gun raised to its head which, when turned (as it oft was that day), plays “How Dry I Am.”

Derek and I kept telling people that it was the Worst Mother’s Day Gift Ever.

Just as it’s the rule that every sale has its conversation pieces, it’s equally true that these items do not sell. This is why they are conversation pieces. No one knows why the most talked about items are the ones you must pack-up again… This is just one of those rules that sellers have to accept.

Surely the $20 Castle of GreySkull was a fair price (no one offered a lower price), as was the $6 decanter (a very low price indeed). But while they didn’t sell, they did serve a purpose — they brought people over and looking. Kind of like advertising — only the price we pay is that we have to bring them back home. (Email me if your interested – Ha!)

I’d also like to point out something I didn’t notice before this sale. One of my vintage linens, a large green tablecloth, had been drycleaned and was still in it’s bag. Even though I had priced it (and I held it in my own hands again to put it on the rack), I did not notice until noon (while eating my typical vendor hot dog) that the drycleaner bag was dated 1976! Now there’s some proof that it wasn’t a new item, huh? (Once I spotted that bicentennial bag I had a good laugh and then snapped the photo — I was going to post it here and make fun of the seller, but Derek said he’d out me!)

While some would say we made good money for one day’s work, I’d have to remind them that this wasn’t just one day’s work. We not only had to set up the day before but there were the weeks of pricing items every night which lead to walking around all those boxes in the living room too. And it was an hour to pack everything that didn’t sell up, take it home where we had to tweedle it back into the basement again…

Not to mention the countless trips buying the stuff.

As I said, we won’t mention that — because we can’t complain about that part.

I continue to ask mom & dad, the generalist antique dealers extraordinaire of No Egrets Antiques, a few questions…

What advice do you have for dealers and collectors?

Dad, aka The Dean, has much to say. “You have to go to the antique stores and malls. You must. It’s your education. What do others say its value is? How many times do you see this thing — is it ‘everywhere’? Rarity affects price. Are the same things there visit after visit? Because then the price is likely too high.”

Mom interjects, “He’s always telling me that. I’ll be all excited over something — maybe we have one like it & I am excited by the price on it, and he will say, ‘Yeah, well it’s still here, isn’t it?’” We all laugh and then mom continues. “But you have to go and see. Guides and price lists aren’t as informative as visiting the stores are, and you can still get deals.”

“Our friends are always amazed that we can make a profit off of things we buy at antique stores,” she says. “But we do. Just because it’s in a store doesn’t mean it’s priced ‘right’. We’re generalists, and most dealers are as well. Generalists don’t know everything about everything, but rather have a general knowledge about many things. Sometimes we can find a deal because we knew more than the last guy. Sometimes it’s obvious the dealer specializes in glass and doesn’t know her books very well. If you go to the stores and malls you really can learn as well as get deals.”

When it comes to selling, dad says you have to treat it like any other retail business. “Remember to buy at ‘wholesale’ prices, no matter how much you like it.” It’s the same for antique stores, estate sales and actions. “This isn’t personal; so divorce yourself from what you like and think profit. The same is true for the mistakes you make. Don’t insist on a high price just because your pride’s involved. If the market won’t pay it, the market won’t pay it. It’s all about turning your inventory,” he says.

Mom adds, “If I buy something for $5 and it sells for $35, that’s profit. Even if it sells too quickly. One time, we had a wraught-iron bedframe. The first guy to the booth bought it before we were done setting up for $50. A few hours later, one of our friends who was at the flea market with us came running back to tell us how the guy had ‘ripped us off’ because ‘our’ bedframe was in his booth at $110. I just smiled and said ‘We made our money. Bully for him if he makes his.’ Our friend didn’t understand why we were so nonchalant about it. To him, we had lost money; but to us, we made money — and we didn’t have to lug it back home. (It was still there at the end of the day… no doubt the guy sold it at the price he wanted for it later, but he had to wait.) We were on to the next thing, the next sale.”

Lots of folks ‘blame’ ebay saying it ruined the antiques and collectibles market… Do you agree? Do you think the Internet has had any affect on the market?

“Every year is affecting it,” says dad. “Sure, it may have evened out prices, but that’s because with the whole world ‘in’ we now get a picture of how rare that thing really is. If the Internet has exposed just how rare an item is, it has also thrown a wider net (if you’ll pardon the pun) — which works for buyers and sellers alike. Overall it’s been a good thing, helping us reach a larger audience.”

“It’s what took me from part-time to full-time,” says mom.

What do you love about the business most?

For mom, one of her favorite things is to see items go back home. “The hunt for treasures is fun and keeps the juices flowing and the money is certainly nice. But the biggest kick is finding out that we have sent an item back home, where it belongs! For example, we just sold a calendar to a gent who had worked at the dairy it featured. It was his uncle’s farm and he worked there in 1965! We also listed a vintage print block from a Minnesota Beauty Pageant. The lady that won was excited because her niece had won this very contest in 2005! We’ve connected folks with their name-sakes on numerous occasions: a Johnston Cookie tin to a Ms. Johnston; Blatz beer items to Sam Blatz; a mirror from Ruby Farms to one of the descendants of this prestigious Wisconsin landmark; playing cards from a Snirkles Candy Bar to a granddaughter of the ‘inventor’; photos of a Milwaukee tavern to a lady who recalls her grandfather stopping there; old photographic equipment to a ‘camera museum’; post cards from Louisiana to a resident with fond memories of this park that was destroyed in Katrina; another post card from Florida featuring the hotel the winners spent their honeymoon at in 1949! Stories like this keep us searching for more of the magic connections.”

But both agree, it’s the thrill of the hunt and the joy of discovery, which keeps them interested. Who can know what is all ‘out there’ yet to be discovered? And everything has a story, a history, and if your lucky, you can add to that item’s personal history. But if collecting is addicting, being a seller is even more so.

“It’s a bit like gambling,” says mom. “You can be very lucky and get the right piece at a great price and find the right seller; or you can bet on the wrong ceramic horse. If you don’t want to build a barn for all those horses, you’d better better be able to turn them as inventory fast!”

Do you think the old story that collectors who get ‘too much stuff’ are the ones who become dealers?

Both mom & dad nod their heads. “Sure. Most of them anyway. The thrill of the hunt only increases,” says mom. As an example, she tells the story of another dealer she knows. He got lucky at one auction they were at, and bought a painting for $25. He turned around and sold the painting at an auction in New York for 1.2 million dollars!

But there he was just a few weeks later at the flea market, trying to to negotiate a lower price from mom and dad. My mom laughingly said to him, “Hey, you just made all that money and you’re trying to save 50 cents here?” His reply? “Hey, the thrill’s still there. That hasn’t changed.”

Isn’t that the truth. I bet mom and dad will do the same.

Go here for more on Val and Dean.