everything vintage/what is it worth?

I spent 3 days selling at the Kutztown PA Renningers antique show extravaganza last weekend. Sales were great! The spring is always the best show. They also have one the end of June and the end of September. Check Renningers.com for dates! This first photo is mainly some of my pottery and vintage games. I sold the Parcheesi for 8.00 and Shifty Gears for 7.00. One piece was missing from Chutes and Ladders so I am going to try to find it on eBay because at least 3 customers looked at it and were disappointed it was missing! I still have Cookie Monster but I did sell 2 other cookie jars.

In this photo I sold the old baby dish (bottom left) to a woman who was so thrilled to find one at a good price of 8.00 (it has a crack). I sold the darts for 7.00, one of the flour sifters for 7.00, some of the button packs for 3.00 each, and one piece from the copper canister set for 7.00.

I took 5 nice quilts to sell. Most of them were priced at 100.00 (the tied one was less). I did not sell any of them but they will show up on eBay soon!

This is some of the stuff I had on the ground. I sold the suitcase for 9.00, both enamelware pans for 4.00 each, and the sewing case with drawers for 18.00. I did not sell the tapestry (40.00), table (30.00), or market basket (5.00). I ended up with over 1000.00 in sales for the 3 days. I was happy!

I never heard of swanky swigs until this week. Here’s how it happened… .. About once a month I go to a local auction at a farmer’s market. They have lots of box lots and usually a crazy mix of primitives and glassware, toys and linens, pottery and guns and jewelry — you never know! I love it.

Glassware has always been very collectible but it doesn’t seem as popular right now. However, at most of these auctions, there is always some type of glassware. This action had LOTS of it! There were some very expensive pieces and then there were box lots of miscellaneous.  Of course, I bought a few boxes of miscellaneous — I always go for the cheap stuff!

Anyway…… I got a lot of miscellaneous glassware. I usually don’t like glassware because it is breakable and I sell a lot of things through eBay which means wrapping it in bubble wrap and mailing it — it’s extra work. To top off the extra work thing, these all had large stickers on them with a price and a description and they were very hard to remove!

I did appreciate the information though, which is how I found out that they are called swanky swigs! They are about 3 1/2 inches high so I just thought they were juice glasses. According to eBay searches,  most of these types of glasses are worth about 5$ each. Animals and flowers are popular. Some of the more expensive ones I found on eBay had a baby teddy bear (sold for 31.00), bright red flower (19.50), and a set of 4 red hot chili peppers (30.00).

Apparently, there’s a whole series of these in different colors called “Bustling Betsy”. She’s running around trying to serve some men. That dates it!

Then I found these with the tulips. One is slightly taller than the other so it’s probably not a “swanky swig.” Maybe just an ordinary juice glass! I’m going to sell them together on eBay anyway because the tulips are really cute. (I learned this little trick to put a white paper in the glass so you can see the design better).

These were marked with a big sticker that said “jadite swanky swigs.” So I’m going with that in my description. They are the right size and they are the color of jadite. Also in excellent condition! I only got 2 of them.

Click on any of the photos or on everythingvintagesteph.com to watch the auctions of the swanky swigs and other great vintage items!

I learn something new every day when selling on eBay. I am learning about men’s ties today. I found these J Garcia ties at the Goodwill store. I thought they were beautiful. I was surprised when they sold for 24.00 for the both of them.

Got this Rush Limbaugh tie at the same time. It sold for 19.50. So I started researching other ties and the prices they were going for. I never heard of a Chick Fil A tie but apparently they are rare and are selling for over 200$! Other names selling for about 200$ are Hermes, Armani, and Giorgio. I kind of expected that but I didn’t realize they were that expensive. I live at the Goodwill store, that’s why!

So I think this Perry Ellis tie I have listed now in my store for 7.00 is a steal! Other brands that are selling for between 20 and 40$ are Burberry, Van Heusen, and Ralph Lauren.

I also bought about 5 Tasmanian Devil ties at the Goodwill. This is the only one I have left and it is only 6.00 in my eBay store! There are some ties listed on eBay right now for 2 cents with free shipping!! How can they do that?? It doesn’t make sense. BUT it does prove that eBay is a great place to get bargains on men’s ties!

CLICK on any of the photos above or click on everythingvintagesteph.com to visit my eBay store and see what’s selling!

Good question! It’s one I face every time I list and I have come up with a few guidelines. I do have an eBay store with many vintage items and some great used clothing. I like to keep my store full of great stuff so sometimes I just list items in the store to get it more filled up. I have about 350 items in my store now and my next goal is 500.

However, I do like to list clothing on auction sometimes when I am not sure how much it is worth. The high end brands such as 7 for all mankind, Lucky, Diesel, should all go on auction unless you have researched a good fixed price. I usually don’t find these brands in the places I search for clothing!

Although the brands that have their own store such as Bass, Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne, Columbia, Gap, Old Navy are also very popular. Sometimes I will list these on auction if I have a unique pair but I usually put these right into my store with a fixed price of 9.99. Again, I am talking about used clothing for the most part and 9.99 is still a bargain!

I normally don’t bother with brands that are sold exclusively by Walmart or Kohl’s or other department stores. Although Route 66, Riders, Sonoma, and Faded Glory are popular, they don’t bring the prices of the other brands. However, I still might list those in my store and see what kind of response I get.

So, how do I decide?

1. Is it a higher end brand that is worth more than 9.99, even if used? Then put it on auction.
2. Is it a brand that has it’s own brick and mortar store? Then maybe put it on auction, but fixed price in the store might be a quicker sale.
3. Can’t decide? Then put it on auction with a buy it now of 10-15$ and see what happens!
You want to give the customer as may choices as possible.
And when it sells, thank yourself, don’t second guess your choice!

When it is a vintage item, always list on auction. I had no idea these mags from the 70s  would sell for more than 10$ EACH!

And this FBI shirt sold for 26.00. (I bought it for 85 cents).

Click on any photo to visit my store or click on everythingvintagesteph.com.
THANKS FOR VISITING! Leave a comment if you would like my opinion on what something vintage might be worth.

I was selling at an antique show this weekend in Allentown, PA. The weather was slushy and cold so we did not  have a very good attendance. However, I did sell about 3 times my table rent so it was worth the few hours I was there.  I would like to give a report on what I sold as well as some of the items I sold on eBay lately. The Karting News magazines above were sold for about 10.00 a piece. I sold them in various lots. They were all from the 1970s.

I had this really neat alien registration card from 1942. It sold for 5.00. I like paper items because they are easy to transport and mail.

This cool looking purse sold for 10.00. I think it is worth a lot more but… that’s always the story! I found it at a Goodwill store for 4.00.

This poetry book was dated 1905. It had a leather cover and you can see how the design is shaped like a necklace. That sold on eBay for 10.50.

I took this vintage cookie jar that I got for 5.00 at an estate sale. I actually got 2 of them for 5.00 because they were selling this larger one and a smaller one setting on top of it as one cookie jar. They are actually 2 pieces from a canister set. I priced them at 8.00 and 12.00 for the antique show but they did not sell. They got some attention though since they are really cute!

This last item is pretty unique! It is a vintage braided rug that was started and not finished. It has all the wool ready to go. Some of it was cut into strips and rolled up and other fabric was still uncut. I paid 3.00 for this at a local estate auction. I listed it on eBay starting at 5.00. It sold for 45.97. I was very happy! And hopefully, my customer was also very happy!

Click on any of the photos above or go to everythingvintagesteph.com to view my eBay sales, both current and completed. Thanks for stopping by!!!

I had 2 great shopping trips this week to get more items to sell on eBay and at my flea market and antiques mall booth.The first trip was on Monday. I went to an auction in Leesport, PA. It is held once or twice a month in a large room at a farmer’s market. My bill was for about 150$ and I came home with a VAN load of stuff!

Everything from vintage pyrex to vintage pixies! I should be able to 5-7 times my $$ on this van load alone. In some cases, I bought an entire table’s worth of “junk”  for 1.00. That is great flea market stuff.

From vintage gadgets to vintage games! The games should be worth about 10.00 each or so and the gadgets 5-10 at an antique sale and less at a flea market.

My next shopping trip was on Thursday—to my favorite Goodwill clearance store. Where every piece of clothing is 85 cents each. I found some great brand names and even a few items with the tags still on them! I have at least 20 pairs of jeans plus t shirts and caps, career pants, and even some Tommy Hilfiger shoes that look like new! I spent about 70$ on all of the items and if I sell each one (and I probably will over time in my eBay store) I will get anywhere from 4-10$ a piece (maybe more if I auction a few of the better choices).

So visit me at everythingvintagesteph.com to see how my items are doing!

These are some of the brands of jeans that I am offering right now in my eBay store everythingvintagesteph.com. I sell mainly vintage items but I have a great source for gently used, like new clothing, so I have branched out into that area. What are they worth? I start them at 4.00 on auction and list them at 9.99 in my store (shipping not included).

Since you are reading my blog, I will give you a special hint: I always use best offer on my listings and I almost always accept anything over 4.00. Why? Because I buy them for 85 cents a piece! Keep reading and you will find out where and how.

I listed these flannel lined jeans (LL Bean size 4) and they sold in one day! My secret source: the Goodwill clearance stores! They just raised the price in the clearance outlet from 75 cents to 85 cents per item. In Morgantown, PA, they change the bin clothing every single day. I only go about once or twice a month but they are loaded with great stuff every day! I just found out that this store will be moving soon and expanding to about 5 times the size and only offering clearance bins. I will be spending the day there!

Click on any of the photos or everythingvintagesteph.com to see what I am offering. Click on my completed auctions if you want to see what I have sold lately.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND THANKS FOR VISITING!!!

So it’s November and things are heating up on eBay as they are in most retail markets. What did I sell this weekend? Well, I list 6 things a day plus I also have an eBay store that anyone can buy out of at any time. That means I am happy if I sell at least 6 things in one day.

However, on just Sunday this week, I sold 10 items!

They were:

Royersford town history book 8.00

knoll new mousepad 9.00

partylite candleholder 4.30

lizwear pre-owned jeans 8.00

Eddie Bauer cropped pre-owned jeans 8.00

7 rubber stamping books 5.00

Nova new jeans 8.00

black pre-owned sweater 6.00

Oakland raiders girls outfit pre-owned 16.19

Philadelphia eagles girls outfit pre-owned 6.00

AND THOSE SALES ARE ONLY FOR ONE DAY!

So where did I find all these items to sell? I got the girls outfits at my church rummage sale for 1.00 each, the books were from an auction lot where I paid 1.00 for an entire box, the other clothing was from the goodwill clearance bins at 75 cents each. The knoll mousepads were from a surplus auction where I bought about 100 of them for less than 1.00 each.

Hope this gives you an idea of what you can do and where you might find items to sell on eBay!

CHECK IT ALL OUT AT   EVERYTHINGVINTAGESTEPH.COM

How do I find great costumes to sell at Halloween for a great price? I buy them the year before! Yes, I have a nice large place to store items so that helps.

After every holiday, Target usually does a 75% off sale and then if you can hit it just right, they clear out all holiday items at 90%! Yes, I hit 3 Target stores in my area yesterday and picked up a total of 34 costumes for less than 50$. The most expensive costume was a 19.99 one for 1.99. I just packed them all in a bin and will get them out next year and sell them for half price or a little more and they will fly out of my store! (I know because I had some this year).

10 of those costumes were for dogs! You can dress your dog like a ram or a blowfish or a submarine! Very unusual so I think they will do well next year.

I just listed this one in my eBay store. Sure, it’s a costume but it could also be a blanket for a cold day! I have 3 of these in a large size and listed them at 8.00 with free shipping. Ok, they cost me 1.29! I think they will sell soon!

Visit me at   everythingvintagesteph.com

for some vintage and not so vintage STUFF.

I’ve sold a lot of sewing patterns on eBay over the years. I find that some of them sell very well and others not at all.

In the area of clothing patterns, anything from the 1970s and before is good because of the fashion of that era. Bell bottom pants in the 70s, dresses from the 50s and 60s, and if you can find any patterns before the 1950s, they are good just because of the age. The one I have shown at the top of this page is a specialty clothing pattern that I just discovered recently. Vogue put out a number of patterns from famous designers. These are larger in size than the regular size patterns and some of them are “Americana design” and others are from parts of Europe such as Paris. Some of the designers I have seen are Teal Traina, Anne Klein, Guy Laroche, Bill Blass, and Fabiani.

Check out this vintage pattern (click on the red words) that sold for 280.00!   Vogue Paris Designer Wow—wish it were mine!

Then there are patterns other than clothing. Apron patterns are great. Also craft patterns of any kind, particularly toys. Again, these should be vintage patterns. If you can find any Betsy McCall (doll) patterns, you’re in luck!

Boy and girl clothing patterns are cute but I haven’t sold them for more than a few dollars. I usually try to group clothing patterns together (unless they are the designer ones), and sell them as lots of 3 or 4 or even 8. There is a market for it. I just pick them up whenever I can and do a search on eBay before I list them.

Thrift stores are a great place to look for patterns as well as yard sales and local auctions. Many people collect the patterns or use them for costuming for plays. So keep your eyes open for some great vintage sewing items, including patterns!