This was a really nice work of art and even though I'm sure it was expensive when purchased, I didn't expect it to sell as the artist wasn't famous, so I'm glad it did.
We rely on eBay to get many of our items sold but the work to pack and ship glass and other fragile items is a challenge
Customers are always looking to get rid of old mirrors but most styles just don't sell anymore. This one however was from the Eames period - not only was it made of teak wood and lighted but it was made in Denmark which period collectors love!
We rarely take furniture on consignment anymore as it takes so long to sell. We actually bought this old desk from a customer in November 2021 and it just sold today August 2022. We got a fair price for it but storing a large item for nine months basically ate up any profit we made :/
Here is another piece that I thought was killer and had hoped for more but like I said, most old pottery and ceramics just don't go for much these days.
It's was slow last month and aside from a couple pieces of furniture, I think this was our biggest sale. Old toys usually do pretty well. They guy who bought them is a what I call a 'dealer' and seems to be parting them out in hopes of making a profit. I could have done the same and made a little more money but I am not a vintage slot car expert lol. I never had any luck buying on eBay with the intent to re-sell as the fees and shipping costs make it hard.
I love vintage lighting. I almost never sell a lamp with a shade as it is extremely difficult to ship together but in this case I made an exception as it was such a nice match - I hope it arrives safe :)
I've mentioned before that some things that used to be collectible just aren't in demand anymore so sometimes I sell things on eBay as a 'group lot' just to make a decent size sale and get rid of a collection all at once as parting them out would have taken forever.
This looked practically new and I had tried to get a higher price but at the end of the day it's just a chaffing dish so how much was I really going to get.... we can only sit on things for so long before they have to leave the building one way or another....
I always love vintage toys - this didn't work and wasn't in perfect condition but it still brought a fair price as it was pretty obscure.
When we clear out an estate after the family has claimed most items of value, my job is to find things that don't have any obvious value to most people. Stuff like this that's been buried in a china closet for fifty years is my bread and butter.
Most vintage costume jewelry we sell for about ten bucks in our showroom. Sometimes our senior outreach volunteer Phoebe will pick out something special that I can sell on eBay which makes up for all the pieces no one ever buys in our store.
This piece didn't seem that old or special to me but knowing that even vintage Chinese items are on the rise in value, I got a pleasant surprise of a sale.
We get a lot of art and most of it turns out not to be worth much or is hard to identify as we're not really art experts. Other pieces that are really big are just too difficult to ship and nowadays selling things on eBay or similar is they only way to move it out the door in a timely manner.
I had a large collection of loose action figures which were made only about ten years or so ago. I spent a couple days sorting and identifying them with Google Lens and I pushed them all out for auction on eBay at the same time. Some of them did really well which is surprising for newer toys mass produced in China! This figure actually came in pieces and you had to buy six other figures to make this one which seems to be pretty smart marketing to me.
When it comes to old pottery, china, crystal, or glassware - it has to be really unusual or funky to be worth much of anything these days as most of it isn't even worth trying to sell as no one is buying it.
You know I like selling old bookends and sometimes they actually turn out to be worth some real money
I'm always surprised when I fine newer stuff mass produced in China that actually has good re-sale value like these did.
Stuff like this used to be more collectible but it was all I could do to lot them together for a lousy $50 sale (minus eBay fees) ;p
Fortunately the legs unscrewed on these which allowed me to pack and ship them to a buyer. These would not have sold in our store for this price. Packing and shipping things is a LOT of work but we do what we have to in order to make a sale in a timely manner
I always like selling vintage lighting - a pair is usually worth a lot more than a single....
I was somewhat surprised that these would be worth anything at all as most people hate clowns and they didn't seem all that special but go figure.
I like old metalware and sometimes things like menorahs can do well.
I love vintage toys! While everyone remembers brands like Barbie or GI Joe, lesser know characters usually don't sell for very much.
Once in a while I come across vintage textiles or fabrics and they always sell for a decent price if they are in nice condition.
