Some things are just plain hard to sell and we have to be creative to get them found amongst the myriad of junk for sale on the internet.
Like I've been saying, certain styles of retro furniture can have big appeal. Accent pieces like this are hard to find and although it took us a long time to sell, someone half-way across the country felt it was worth the price AND the shipping cost as well.
Old car parts can be in demand but sometimes they sit on our shelves for a while before selling.
This little table was probably $900 new, so you'd think selling it second hand for $275 would be no problem. But let me just say that the ONLY reason I was able to get it sold for even that much is that the legs came off and I was able to ship it in a box to someone who wanted it half-way across the country. In our store, people would expect to pay $100 or less for a little piece like this.
People all over the world will buy the strangest things but in order to make that sale, you have to do the work to sell one item to one person at a time and get it to them in undamaged. This old call box is on it's way to Switzerland!
This figure was probably about $10 new and 2002 wasn't that long ago but toys are always in demand. Someone who was a kid then and is now an adult (with a job and money) may be looking to reclaim childhood memories - and the value is even greater if said toy has never been taken out of the box!.
I love old lighting! Here is yet another piece we found a new home for.
Old Chinese stuff seems to be pretty hot right now but there is no rhyme or reason as to what types of items. Anything made of jade, cloisonne, soap stone, cinnabar, agate, silver, or brass has potential though.
The market is pumped up for anything to do with transportation from years gone by - stuff pertaining to planes, trains, automobiles, gas and oil, are in demand. Even in less than perfect condition some pieces can sell for great prices.
I love seeing stuff like this and piece like this do still sell but like many things, the values are way down and probably won't come back. We've learned that things that were special to us are not wanted by our children so just get rid of them now and take what you can get.
I almost NEVER take fine china as no one wants it these days and packing a shipping a set is a royal chore. I will say that this one style is killer and since I got it on one of our house clean-out jobs I did make the effort to find it a good home.
Here is me capitalizing yet again on the Mid Century madness.
Every week someone asks me if Beanies have any value. At one point people were paying a fortune for 'rare' ones but let me just say that that craze is over and for the most part they are worth nothing - just donate them. We actually got a storage unit with a bunch of new dealer bags full of them and this was one of the only lots we even sold.
This piece was so awful that it was too good to pass up. I actually thought it would be worth more. It had a few scratches which I was planning to touch up but I just didn't have the time to fool with it so out of my life she went and all I got was a $100 bill.
Chessmen are another thing I've come to have an eye for as sometimes the value can be surprising.
This was a very obscure piece but it did sell in a timely manner for a fair price. We rarely get gold coins and diamond rings so finding strange things like this this a new home is where we shine and has become my specialty.
Yes, this is actually a blade from an old warbird plane. It's not something we find everyday and pricing things like this can be tricky but I knew it would sell fast and sure enough, it flew out the door.
Just looking at this I knew it was killer. Anything cloisonné seems to be hot all of a sudden and a collector in China of all places paid up for this.
This little guy was mixed in with a bunch of newer toy cars but I know to always hunt for that hidden treasure. Not a huge sale but it found a good home and the $30 helps keep my wheels turning for the next pick.
We ran a lead a few months ago and all I got was this stupid pig. I wasn't able to make a deal with the customer but they actually just gave me this thing as consolation. Of course, I knew it was so awful someone would want it so I took the pity offering with no hard feelings.
Just another old lamp. Not a great price but it found a good home and that's a big part of what we do.
Viewers know I love vintage lighting as well as advertising so it was no surprise a piece like this sold for a nice price.
Any type of vintage advertising swag is in demand these days and Coke pieces are at the top of the hot list.
Once again, anything decorative from the middle 20th century is popular these days. Most people threw away stuff like this when it went out of style so some people will now pay a premium for the nostalgia.
Old nostalgic collectibles like this will usually sell fairly well but the values have dropped in recent years and condition plays a huge part in the price.