everything vintage/what is it worth?

Did you ever listen to eBay radio? You can listen live 2 times a week. See http://groups.ebay.com/topic/Ebay-Radio-Town/Welcome/Ebay-Radio-Town/2245?#msg3924 if you want to find out about it. I don’t have time to listen when they are live but I am told that 95% of the audience listens to the archives. That is what I do. But I take it one step further and download each show and then burn it onto a CD so I can listen to it in the car. You know, when I am travelling to auctions or sales or flea markets! Like tomorrow when I set up at merchants square mall in allentown.

Then I am left with all these great CDs that I used to throw away. So I started giving them to my friend who also sells on eBay. She gives them back to me and then I was throwing them away. I don’t like to throw things away — well good things anyway. So who wants them? I will send you all of the shows that I have for JULY if you are the first person to leave a comment and ask me for them. Then I’ll get your address privately. I’ll give away august and september too as soon as my friend is done with those. Probably in my next post. WHO WANTS ‘EM?

I never really liked Halloween. I guess it’s all that devil and witch stuff. For years, I never sold any Halloween type stuff on eBay. Then I hit this one auction where I got about 100 costumes for 1.00 each. A good deal always overcomes dislike! That was about 3 years ago. I sold the costumes for 10-20$ each. I don’t have any of those left.

Then last year my daughter called me up from Target. “Hey the Halloween costumes are 90% off!” That’s all I needed to hear. She bought a bunch of them in her area. I have 3 Target stores in my area. I hit them all. I came home with about 50 costumes. Pet costumes too. I stored them in bins in my attic. They are selling lik crazy right now because I can list them lower than original cost and still offer free shipping.

Then I am always on the lookout for costumes at the thrift store. I buy them all year round. At off times of year, they are easy to buy because no one else is looking for them. I love the bins at the Goodwill clearance stores. Usually if I find one costume, there are more, so I keep digging. I just store them until next year. Halloween looks good this year. Bring on the candy!

selling at Renningers extravaganza the next 3 days. Sept. 22, 23, and 24. Check it out at http://renningers.com!

Bought this doll in a box of other dolls for 1.00. She was setting in my office for a month or two and I kept ignoring her. She didn’t like that. I almost took her to the flea market for 1.00. She really didn’t like that!  I decided to research her first.  She sold for 33.00. Always research!

This is an 8mm film of Apollo 9 and10. I also had a separate one from Apollo 11. I sold them in separate auctions but together they sold for 28.00. I didn’t even know they were in the box lot that I bought for ah… yea… probably 1.00. That’s what I pay for almost everything…

Some more of those hats! I think I told the story before of how I bought an entire table full of hats for 25.00. There were over 50 hats and purses on the table. I bought them all at once. It was the end of the auction and the auctioneer was getting tired. I always stay until the end if I can! These 2 hats sold for 12.50. I’m still selling them but the pile is less than half!

I just listed this yesterday. It is a real egg that was dipped (?) and the design was scratched out of it. It is dated 1926. It feels like an old egg! I have no idea what it is going to sell for. Come back next week and find out! I don’t remember what I paid for it but it might have been 1-3$.

VISIT ME AT EVERYTHINGVINTAGESTEPH.COM

This is my desk right now. The same one I use to type on. It’s too crowded. I need to sell some of this junk! I just looked up the going prices of some of these items and decided to list them on eBay. (as opposed to putting them in my booth at Zionsville Antique Mall, or taking them to Renninger’s Extravaganza antique show). I have vintage  screw back earrings, 2 8mm Apollo space films, a hand painted Fenton glass shoe, 2 Norcrest angels of the month, and some vintage cosmetics. I already have photos of some of the items so I can list them today — hopefully!

Then when I turn to the left side of my chair, this is what I see! I had a Mont Blanc pen in the pile for a year and finally listed it last week. I paid 30$ for it and got 148.00! It pays to clean out the pile once in a while. I’ve also got vintage hats (started with over 50 and am down to about half), cookie cutters, greeting cards, and lots of vintage sewing.. to name a few.

Probably my highest amount of junk is vintage books. They are easy to buy, easy to sell, and so much fun since I am a former high school librarian! Books will sell anywhere between 2 dollars and over 50 dollars. I’ve had a few go higher than that but it’s rare.

I LOVE vintage junk but I have over 500 listings in the new and used clothing categories. This keeps me in everyday business. Who doesn’t need a new pair of jeans? Who doesn’t wear jeans? If you can find a really great source for clothing, it’s a great seller. Read some of my other blogs to find out how I do it!

Every day is a listing day for me and tomorrow I go to a local auction for some more awesome junk! Then the next day I set up for a 2 day garage sale at Merchants Square Mall in Allentown. This isn’t work — it’s FUN!

I just love this necklace! It is so pretty. I really should keep it for myself but I sell a lot of vintage jewelry on eBay and at antique markets and sales. This piece has matching earrings and is on auction until August 27. Put in your bid at everythingvintagesteph.com! I started the price at 8.00 and it had a bid in the first 24 hours. In my opinion, the set is worth at least $20.00-30.00.

I also have these vintage earrings shaped like teapots for sale until August 27. One of the pair is shaped like coffee pots. They are all screwback earrings but they could be converted to pierced earrings or worn as pins or used in other craft projects. They are vintage and are of great quality. No manufacturer mark. In my opinion, these earrings are worth from $5-$10 a pair. Very unusual! Check them out at everythingvintagesteph.com.

Thanks for reading my blog this week!

I had a garage sale a few weeks ago. Was it successful? NO! But my garage sales usually are very successful! There were some factors beyond my control. The main reason this one was not successful was because the local newspaper failed to run my ad. It does pay to advertise! Sometimes there are factors out of your control such as this, and of course, the weather. So what makes a good garage sale?

1. BE ORGANIZED

Be as organized as possible. This photo is about 3 of the 15 or more boxes of books I had for sale (it was a multi-family garage sale). They are all organized in boxes. Turn them sideways so everyone can read the titles. Don’t just throw books on a pile!
Keep like things together. Baby items in one section, kitchen items in another, clothing together, sorted by size. Even mark all the sizes on the clothing or at least have a sign for each pile as to the size. The more organized, the easier it is for your customer. Think of how the department stores organize their items. It’s all for more sales!

2. PRICE EVERYTHING
Don’t be lazy, price everything! Would you like to go into a grocery store and have to ask the price of everything? It’s more work, but it is worth it! I hate going to a garage sale and having to ask for prices. I walked past the basketball at my neighbor’s yard sale because it wasn’t priced. My husband asked and they said 25 cents so of course we bought it then! It really helps at check out time too, especially if you have more than one family represented at your sale. You have to keep everything separate.

3. DISPLAY DISPLAY DISPLAY!
It’s all about display. Why is Bath and Body Works so successful? After all, it’s only soap! Their displays are fabulous. You can see every item. Nothing is hidden. Make this your goal as well. As long as you have the space, spread everything out so the customer can see each item. Spreading it out on the lawn is better than piling it up on a table. Digging through a box is OK but don’t put too many things in the box–make sure it’s easy to look through. If you can hang up your clothing rather than having it on piles, so much the better.

a few more points:
1. be prepared — have lots of bags, a paper to record sales and figure prices, lots of change
2. get up early– your customers will!
3. advertise anywhere you can — newspapers, craig’s list, flyers, facebook, good signs
4. know your area — the best time of the day to have one, the best time of the year, reasonable prices

I have a garage sale once a year in the summer. It’s how I get rid of my own junk plus the items that don’t sell on eBay. I’m not afraid to put out my antiques either but I price them to sell. Then I donate much of the leftovers to Goodwill. I claim the deduction. It helps keep my eBay business from getting out of hand! Visit my eBay store at everythingvintagesteph.com Have a great sale!

I recently sold this vintage book on eBay for 36.00. Why did it sell for 36.00? What makes it more valuable than a copy of a Stephen King book or a 1960s Nancy Drew?
I think there are 4 criteria to consider the value of a book. In this order:
1. rarity
2. condition
3. subject matter
4. age

RARITY: This is not a rare book but the older date of 1943 was rare. I originally thought it was a first edition but later discovered it was not. However, the book did sell for 33.00. If you have a book that you think might be rare, just look up the title on eBay. Go to completed listings and look at those that were sold and how much they sold for. This should give you an idea. If you don’t find the book listed at all, that still might not mean it is rare. You just have to do a little more research on other search engines.

CONDITION: I haven’t listed this book on eBay … yet! But no matter how rare a book is, if it is is bad condition, forget it. This one has a few stains… not so bad. But if the cover were off and some pages were missing and the dog had chewed a corner, it just lost almost all of its value, no matter what the subject or age. I collect old textbooks from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Even at that age and rarity, I don’t want it if the cover is falling off!

SUBJECT MATTER: Both of these books are probably good for subject matter. They are somewhat rare and are in very good condition. Non fiction books are more likely to be of value than fiction since there are probably less copies available. Older children’s books are very popular, especially series like the Nancy Drew books from the 1930s and even the Goosebumps series from the 1980s.

AGE: These 2 books by Horatio Alger are not particularly valuable. I have 4 of them and am planning on listing them together as one lot. However, the older they are, the more valuable they would be. One of these is dated 1895 but 2 of them are not even dated. This is a popular series that has been reprinted several times so again, the older the better! One good thing to remember is that the ISBN system did not start until the late 1960s. So, if you have a book dated before then, but it has an ISBN, do a little more research! Also, a copyright date is not the same as a publication date. Always take the most recent date when listing a book. The date is usually found on the reverse of the title page.

Some books I have listed on eBay as of August 3. Check my eBay store at everythingvintagesteph.com.

I love old quilts! They are not too hard to find at estate sales but you probably won’t find too many at garage sales or thrift stores. There are all kinds. Some are applique, most are pieced, and this one has some beautiful cross stitch needlework on it. This one sold for 89.00 (postage included). Someone got a great deal! It was in excellent condition too. It was hand quilted also. The tied ones will not bring as much $$ because less work is involved.

How do I know this is a Quaker lace tablecloth? This one happened to have a small label so it was easy! The main way to tell is the fancy scalloped edging it has. The quality of the fabric is always great too. It is more cottony than slippery to the feel. Table runners and placemats are harder to find in good condition but these are a beautiful addition to any table! This one sold for 15.00 including postage.

Interesting story with this Skipper doll. She is a twist n turn Skipper from the 1960s. “Real” eyelashes, “Day at the Fair” outfit, paperwork included. I bought her at an antique mall. I also sell at the ZIONSVILLEANTIQUES.com mall.   I bought her for 18.00 because I wanted to take her to RENNINGERS.COM show and sell her there. I had her tagged at 25.00 at the renningers antique show. She did not sell. Barely got a glance! So I listed her on eBay and she sold for 40.99. That is why I love eBay! You can reach the entire world to find a buyer.

COME VISIT MY EBAY STORE AT EVERYTHINGVINTAGESTEPH.COM

I don’t sell much vintage and costume jewelry on eBay. I sell most of it at the antique shows and flea market Why? Just search for the words “vintage jewelry” on eBay and there will be over 400,000 hits! I tried “costume jewelry” and got over 300,00. hits. So I narrowed it down to “vintage jewelry lot” and got over 10,000 hits. Too much competition!

I do like to sell “lots” of jewelry though. I don’t think I have anything listed right now so I need to get a group together. I put together about a pound of pieces that are mismatched or missing a stone or slightly imperfect and sell these as parts and pieces for craft projects. A great way to save money for the crafter! This way a piece of jewelry never gets wasted! These lots can sell for 10-20$ depending on the quality.

I also like to group together 3-10 pieces of either earrings, or pins, or rings — all of one style or set. The bigger the grouping, the better the chance of a sale.

The individual pieces do sell well at the flea market though! No matter what other items I take to the flea market, they ALWAYS buy the jewelry! I sell it for anywhere from 50 cents to 5.00 a piece.

This might be a good set to try on eBay but I know I could sell it faster at the flea market. 2 of the places I go are merchanstssquaremall.com in Allentown, Pa and renningers.com in Kutztown, PA.

No matter what, vintage and costume jewelry is always a hit and lots of fun!

CHECK OUT MY EBAY STORE AT EVERYTHINGVINTAGESTEPH.COM