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I was recently turned on to the strategy of 'junk drawer' lots on eBay. Dealers looking for smalls and hoarders alike will pay up for a bunch of random vintage stuff. In this case, I tried to make an appealing group of things but for only $65 I don't think I'll be doing it again anytime soon. Believe it or not, there was a good $300 or more worth of items here if sold individually. The problem with selling unmatched groups of anything is that it lowers the per-piece price and most importantly, it is too hard to market to specific collectors.

This piece had a lot going for it - I'm surprised it didn't go for more this time of the year...

Vintage Christmas anyone?!!

Things that weren't meant to last like old novelty items are always collectible

Old comics and anything vintage Beatles will sell well

Quality musical instruments will always have decent resale value but here is a story for you: A couple years ago, a customer brought me one of these to sell - I sold it - and that was that. That same customer, who was a professional level player by the way, decided that she wanted to play again - mainly for her father who's health is declining. She just happened to be checking on eBay and found this instrument - from a totally different customer - and went ahead and bought it and picked it up in the store. We're like a neighborhood trading post!

Here is another example of us pulling money out of think air. At $28 it almost wasn't worth the effort but with so many people repurposing and upcycling old furniture, we knew someone would want them and keeping things out of the dump is part of why we make the effort

This old cart had never been used and was almost 50 years old - it's the type of thing that's so obscure and most people would send to the thrift store or throw away. And just look at the pattern, we knew it was so awful that someone would love it but it took time and effort to sell. 

Even common household and health/ beauty items can have value if they are old enough and in good condition.

Yet another funky light

Just sharing another strange old lighting piece

As part of our employee 'picker' training program, we sent Kyle to the local thrift store with the intent to buy something and resell it for a profit. He paid $5 for this item and after about a month, it sold. After the eBay fees his profit was around $15 - he quadrupled his investment! Imagine if you could get returns like that in volume, selling hundreds of items a month. All it takes is a little knowledge and effort. Right here on this blog explains to you 80% of what I know - the rest is just instinct and experience which comes in time.

Sometimes, having a 'story' behind a given item not only makes it more salable but also increases it's value. Some pieces from this lot were used by a man who worked at the Mather mine in PA which exploded in 1928. He purportedly didn't feel well that day and stayed home from work while his father went in and was killed in the blast along with 194 other casulties. The person who bought this lot also had a family member who didn't go to work that fateful day either and was preserving the history through artifacts.

These Hallmark decorations typically retail between $10 and $20 each new at the store. As a second-hand dealer, we can't afford to take the time to sell things on the Internet for under $20. In many cases, we have to create 'group lots' like this knowing it will lower the per piece price and the weight and cost of the shipping will cut into the sale as well. These things considered, our timing was apparently good and this lot sold for a respectable price.

This piece was in rough condition but it dated back to the decade Donald was created and was probably one of the first cartoon toy figures made for him. Any markings had been worn off but we were able to find an identical piece that was attributed to the 'Knickerbocker' maker. So many items have changed hands on the Internet in the past twenty years or so that we can easily find almost anything we come across and get more information about it which in turn helps us sell the item.  

This awful piece found a new home in Australia! The buyer paid almost as much in shipping as the purchase price! Using buzz words like 'Mid Century' gets eyes focused on items that otherwise wouldn't have a chance of selling. This piece actually had a crack when we found it (shhhhh) but our vendor friend Mary doctor'd it up so no one would ever even know. A chipped item is usually worthless - no one would have spent over $200 to get it and it would have probably ended up in the trash. We are all about preserving things and keeping stuff out of the landfill. 

We recently acquired a collection of assorted never-used inventory from a client who was planning to eventually open a B&B. This piece was bought at Homegoods for $39 with a price sticker that said 'compare at $100'. It blows my mind that it sold for $139 plus $12 shipping and not only that but the buyer was a dealer who is planning to resell it for even more! It just goes to show that if you know your P's: Product, Price, Promotion, and Placement - you can make money with just about anything. 

Anything Disney puts out has millions of followers but most of these made-in-China porcelain figures are a dime a dozen. This one in particular was a Theme Park exclusive and the collectors drove the price up. The winning buyer was actually in Italy! Immediatly after the sale, the runner up bidder messaged me how upset he was that he lost the bid and suggested that he would pay more if I would sell it to him instead. No amount of money is worth my reputation so I politely declined and wished him better luck next time.

Just sharing some more vintage lighting we found and sold. These weren't the best of quality - they had fake wood trim and were clearly from the 1970's as opposed to being true mid-century - but the style is in demand and the price they sold for proves it. Fortunately they came apart in sections as otherwise it would have been cost prohibitive to ship a pair of eight foot poles.

Movie memorabilia has a great following of collector's - even these seemingly mundane film reels. Not only do they make for a great decoration but it wouldn't surprise me if the person who bought them actually intends to use the reels.

Most anything related to military service is generally collectible with some items having exceptional value - especially true when they are 100 years old or more.

I'll spare you the history lesson but these notes were printed between 1862 -1876 as a way of compensating for the lack of actual gold and silver bullion / coinage. If you ask me, this was just the beginning of sordid banking and treasury practices which have lasted well over a hundred years. With all the screwy 'fixes' Uncle Sam has initiated over the years it's a wonder we're not back to trading seashells and stones. Check out William Meredith - does that guy look shifty or what?

Never underestimate the value of random animal figures. If they have some age to them, be sure that some collector is looking for them. Pieces like these are donated to thrift stores every day and turning them around on-line can put money in your pocket. One of these had a small chip but fortunatley we have a friend that can touch up ceramics and pottery. Damaged items are usually worthless and that's no bull.

We all know older comic books are collectible but coloring books?!!? Really anything that has some age to it with good subject matter will have at least some value !

Movie memorabilia will always have a following - even in less than perfect condition, original pieces are very sought after.