I'll just be honest and tell you that we don't often get premium high value items like this. Some sellers think a big name auction house will net them a better price but eBay is literally the biggest auction in the world so why not?! As someone who is fond of old lamps it was a real pleasure to handle this and I was grateful for the opportunity to find this a new home!
PLEASE DON'T CALL US ASKING TO BUY THIS, IT WAS ALREADY SOLD. I found this at a house where it had been since new in the 1960's. On sight I knew it was an amazing piece but it had a plant living in it and I didn't want to kill it so I took it home. For close to a year this lived in our dining room and took up a bunch of space until the plant eventually died anyway. I finally dragged it back to the store and wiped it down and took a picture. When I did my research I was able to identify it and was pleasantly surprised by the value.
We try to research everything we find that looks out of the ordinary. I was shocked to see this same case had once sold for around $1,000. I almost didn't believe it as I saw several more that had sold over the years for much less on a website we use to research sale history. Sometime we like to go fishing and while most people may chuckle at our nerve, once in awhile someone agrees with the value and someone in Switzerland was nice enough to make a very fair offer!
I could have spent a year of more trying to sell pieces from this collection for $5 or $10 but even I don't have time for that and this is how I make a living. Let someone else part them out - I was happy to get my money up front.
I sometimes joke about the only things that have value anymore would be something like a Ming vase. Well, even this didn't sell for much as the economy isn't so good right now. I honestly had no proof how old this was but it had an impressive look to it.
This same set once sold for over $1,500, so you can imagine my disappointment when my set only went for 275 and I had to wait five months just to get that. The economy is a mess right now and over the past twenty years or so many of the things that used to be collectible are no longer in demand.
I really thought these were amazing pieces and they were legitimately old to my eye. They took sixteen (16) long months to sell for my first and only offer. I sometimes wonder if certain things would sell for more at a fine auction house with more knowledge but those places will only talk to you if they suspect something is worth thousands.....
I took a chance and bought this from a dealer for $200 who assured me it was worth much more. After many months fishing for a buyer, my sale price was the same $200 I paid for it, minus eBay fees and time to pack it. When I buy stuff from people, I'm willing to pay a fair price but even when people give me stuff for free I don't always make a profit when you consider the labor involved.
Like any age old profession, vintage medical items can be collectible. I often sell things in a group lot as to make a minimum sale price and give buyers a great deal.
This was a nice older mixed media art piece so I at least had to try posting it for sale on eBay and let me tell you that finding a buyer to buy it for a fair price was truly a blessing!
Older video games are collectible now as people like me remember playing them years ago and want those memories back!
We spend a lot of time trying to handling a wide variety of vintage items but many of the things we post never sell. With over ten years experience with the marketplace, we finally have a good feel for what to save.
I love vintage toys because there is always someone looking for a certain item and they tend to sell quick, even if only for a small amount. It pays to research random stuff found in old boxes but most people don't have time for this like we do.
It's easy to recognize period art from the 1950's and 60's so we always try to rescue it and stuff like this usually finds a new home quickly.
We love retro stuff but selling larger items on the Internet can be a chore. I just happened to have the perfect size TV box for this set which made packing them less of a challenge.
Gas, oil, and transportation related items are pretty collectible, even something silly like this
In recent years, we have only taken high value items on consignment. Most of the things people want to get rid of simply take too long to sell. I had found evidence these pictures were collectible yet it took 14 months - that's over a year! - to find a buyer for what amounted to about $100 after eBay fees. I'm glad they eventually sold but sitting on something for that long just isn't good for business.
I love finding vintage stuff like this that's never been used in original box but lower value items like this are only worth the effort when we are slow and the item has a good chance of even selling at all.
Everyone knows I like funky vintage lamps but usually only a PAIR of them will have any significant value and they are a chore to ship.
Yes, I actually sold an old plastic plant for $200 as I know vintage decor is in demand and there aren't many pieces for sale at any given time - this was really big and required some effort to pack and ship which is probably why many vintage items don't get sold on-line.
Old military related items are heavily collected and knowing who owned something makes for a good chance selling for a great price
Older things that have never been opened can sometimes be more valuable than when they were new as people will pay for memories.
I have good luck with period decorations and accents as they can be hard to find in good condition and there is a small demand for them. Shipping bulky items like this cuts into what someone will pay but selling things like this on-line still usually nets more than retail in store.
Awful but classic
Old and authentic Native American pieces have a good following of collectors. Someone actually pointed out that these were Cheyenne as opposed to Navajo. We're not experts in any one subject matter but we know enough buzz words to get things found.
