Hello friends,
Time for the monthly recap of Etsy sales for August 2017. It’s been a great month with 38 sales! I don’t remember ever seeing this many sales in August, but September is off to a slow start. So let’s get this ball rolling! Be prepared for lots of photos!
Etsy Sales August 2017
Brass 5-light candelabrum…sold for $30
Licensed NFL Fabric…1 yard. Sold for $8.00
Seersucker daisy fabric, 2.5 yards, found at a thrift store…Sold for $11.00
1 yard pink floral fabric…sold for $6.00
Over 4 yards pink floral fabric…sold for $18.00
Vintage 60’s wedding dress sewing pattern…sold for $14.00
This 3-piece set of vintage dresser scarves took forever to sell…sold for $12.00. I renewed them 6x before they sold, so at 20¢/4 months, that not only adds up, but it shows these are not very good for resale.
Vintage 1939 Methodist Hymnal…sold for $10.00. These always sell, when I can find them. I have one right now that came from a smoker’s home, so the book is totally permeated with a stale smoke smell. I’ve tried putting it in the sun. I’ve tried closing it up in a zip lock bag and baking soda, but the smoke smell persists. If anyone has another idea for getting rid of the smell, I would love to hear it.
I was surprised at how quickly this sold considering how many I saw on Etsy already. This was one of the very few picks I brought home from Favorite Junking Finds Shelby Shores. It had the key, but so did several others. Sold for $16.00, which may sound cheap, but with competition, your prices have to be comparable or a little under to sell.
Mid-Century-Mod Minimalist Brass Candlestick…Sold for $19.00. I found this at the same smoker’s home, so luckily, it doesn’t pick up the smell. My inclination would be NOT to price this near $20, but I’ve found it’s important to add value by putting a higher price on items. It really does help them sell. It’s psychology. If it’s priced too cheaply, people think it’s cheap and tend not to buy. I have to fight the impulse to price things at what I would pay.
Package of Needle Felted Wool…Sold for $7.60, which included free shipping. These were bought with the item below, so luckily, it hardly added any weight at all to the package.
It’s always a surprise to me that these common paper plate holders sell, but they do. Sold for $11.00. I usually price these at around $2/each. Most sellers price them higher.
I found this large jewelry chest at an antique shop last Christmas season. It was $10, and the maximum I would pay, but I rationalized that it was in nice shape. I intended to paint it, but decided to try it as is first, and it sold! $40.00
I found these pretty little Florentine landscape scenes at a thrift store a while back. Made in Italy. Sold for $20.00
Perhaps you remember this Hardy Boys vintage 70’s metal lunch box from Favorite Weekend Finds…Getting my Thrift Store Fix? Unfortunately, It didn’t have the thermos, which adds more value. Sold $35.00
I have a good bit of crochet thread. I’m pricing it all to sell quickly, but it’s still not selling quickly. Bummer. Sold for $5.00
Brass Reindeer and Sleigh…Sold for $33.00 I believe I paid $8 for this set from an estate sale.
Set of 6 aluminum jello molds…Sold for $14.00
Vintage Metal File Box from Favorite Weekend Finds Montevallo…sold for $24.00
Pretty straw handbag…kind of unusual, and made in Italy. Found this a couple of years ago at a yard sale, used it myself for a while, then decided to sell it. Sold for $25.00
Vintage makeup mirrors always sell…eventually. Sold for $30.00. It didn’t work quite right, so hubby had to take it all apart and fix it. We paid $1 for it.
Pretty little vintage Avon bottle…sold for $8.99
This was a faux tin “ceiling” tile I found at a thrift store, and dry-brushed. Sold for $19.00
A recent find from Favorite Junking Finds in Greenback Tennessee, that sold very quickly. Bought for $5. Sold for $23.00
I sold these wooden furniture finials twice, but they were returned because the person on the other end couldn’t pick them up. So I sold them again and they were gone very quickly. Sold for $35.00
I found a vintage “Peanuts” flat sheet and 2 pillowcases at a thrift store in Mississippi. They looked a little faded. I revealed the less-than-perfect condition in the description, but they still sold, even though there were a ton of different varieties of Peanuts’ sheets on Etsy. Sold for $38.00
This was a lovely vintage acrylic box purse I found also at Favorite Weekend Finds Montevallo for $2. I sold this to a young gal in Singapore for $40.00
A variety of mixed belt buckles, which I figured someone would use to make jewelry, but no, she told me she used them on her belts. You just never know! Sold for $15.00
Vintage Pennsylvania tray…this is the first one of these I’ve sold. I’ve seen others at thrift stores and passed, but I may start picking them up now. It was only 25¢ so it was a good risk. LOL. Sold for $9.50
3 Self-releasing cake pans I found at a yard sale a while back. The only reason I bought them was to try making a tiered tray, but I decided to see if they would sell first. And they did at $12.00. Have you ever seen this type of cake pan? I haven’t. You twirl the bar in the bottom and it loosens the cake from the pan. That way, not as much chance of the cake breaking up.
Here’s a vintage “CUTTER” quilt, which means it’s mainly for people who use it for crafts. Bought for $1 at an estate sale out in the country, it was in baaaaad shape. Another lady and I were talking about just how bad. I almost didn’t get it. Sold for $20. All that to say…vintage patchwork quilts, not in the best of condition, are still salable. Just be sure to show all the flaws.
And then I made several sales in my other shop…SquareDanceNWestern….
I have 12 of these Red Western Bandanas exactly alike…Sold the first one for $12.00
Pair of Scarf Rings…Sold for $9.00
Western Bolo, personalized with the letter “G.” Sold for $20.00
Fancy Tony Lama western belt…Sold for $29.00
This is a unique Western bolo made out of safety pins. Can you see them? Sold for $17.50
Pair of men’s sharp-looking Western collar tips…Sold for $18.00
A lavender crinoline or petticoat…sold for $25.00
Funny story about the Square Dance dresses I have for sale….Someone contacted me about a particular dress they were interested in buying, but were concerned about the sleeves fitting because “I’m a guy,” he says. I figured he needed it for a special dance where the guys dressed as girls and vice versa. I measured the sleeve for him. Thus began a whole discussion about Square Dancing and square dance clothes. Long story short…he was a cross-dresser, and sent me a picture of himself in a dress, wig, and heels. Did he buy? No!
In the online selling world, you get all kinds. I’ve sold to theater companies, Disney’s Pixar, professionals like judges and doctors…maybe even some celebrities. Oh if only it was Ringo Starr (swoon), or Paul McCartney (double-swoon)!! Except I would probably never know it.
Be sure and check the Etsy sales from my friend, Wanda’s shop, “Just Vintage 2.” She carries a variety of vintage items from estate sales she conducts on the side. You will enjoy all her unusual stuff.
Hope you stuck with me till the end! Which was your favorite? I love to hear what you think!
Florence
Latest posts by Florence (see all)
- The Latest Vintage Hauls - February 10, 2020
- A Vintage Fall Haul - November 3, 2019
- September Sales on Etsy and My New Antique Booth - September 30, 2019
- Camping Trip Thrift Store Haul - August 2, 2019
Wow, you sure had a great month! I have seen those baking pans before with the arm that releases the cake from the pan, genius idea! Now that I’m all moved out of my space at the antique mall I’m starting to concentrate on my Etsy shop again. It had been neglected. My sales are already starting to pick up!
That story about the cross dresser… lol!! My mom sold a swimming cap with flowers all over it to a man once from her Etsy shop. He was married though and straight! I think he wore it to a water aerobics class with all his lady buddies! lol!
Tania
Hi Tania! Congrats on your sales picking up & I’m sure you’ve got some stress off being out of the antique booth biz. I know I sure did. I love the cake pans too. I would have been tempted to keep them if I did much baking, but I don’t, so I was glad they sold. I hated to tear them up by punching holes in for a tiered tray. I’ll find some more sometime. LOL about your mom’s sale of the swim cap. THAT I can understand! Ha!
Hi Florence, yes, I sell on Etsy too so I love you share your sales with us. I have learned so much from you, so please keep it up. Shipping does sound like a boring subject, but there is always something to learn from each other so please do an article on shipping.
Try one of those silicone gel packs for musty smelling papers and books. Toss it in a plastic bag with your item. I’ve had great success with them. Let me know if it works for you.
Thanks, as always for sharing your knowledge.
Linda
Hi Linda, glad to have your input about the shipping post. I will definitely do one & you’re so right…it can be a boring topic for sure. I’ll have to figure out a way to make it interesting…LOL. So glad to know you get something out of these sales’ recap posts.
Thanks for the tip about the silicone packs. I’ll definitely try that.
That is wonderful that you did so well, and very encouraging to me to start listing all the surplus vintage fabrics and trims I have on hand.
Go for it Ellen! They can be slow sellers, but you just have to hang in there.
Wow! You set the woods on fire last month! I loved the wedding dress pattern, was shocked the single, brass candlestick brought that much (And will be looking for that style in the future now. Thanks!).
The paper plate holders are a head scratcher for me, too. I don’t know how to tell vintage from Big Lots with most of them.
I have one of those cake pans! One. And it’s my favorite. Always wanted another one, but never thought to look for one to buy.
That dresser jewelry box was cute and unusual. Had a lot going for it. But I probably wouldn’t have thought to buy it for $10. You dun gooood!
I so enjoy seeing what other people sell. There were things where I thought, “I’d have bought that to resell, too” and some things I knew it would never have occurred to me. Love this business!
The dress story made me giggle. 😀
I debated about whether to put the dress story in there, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. It’s all true…not even anything of an embellished tale.
About the dresser box, I scolded myself for paying so much, which was why I asked so much for it, but it was large.
I had never seen the cake pans…wish I could have gotten more, but they weren’t going for much. They also took a long time to sell. I enjoy seeing what other people sell too. Your playing cards…wow! I can’t get over it.
About the hymnal-try opening it to loosen the pages-leave it that way & place a bowl/jar of white vinegar by it and leave for a couple of days. If that doesn’t work open it-loose pages again and sit out in the sun shine for a couple of days. I don’t know if they will work for a book, but they work for other things.
I’ll try those tips Kathleen! Thanks for sharing them. I’m open to anything at this point. So far nothing I’ve done has worked.
Thank you for this great post. I need to start selling and love seeing what can be done with etsy. Your blog is one I regularly follow and love it. I would be very interested in hearing your tips for shipping. I sold some items many years ago on ebay (before etsy) for my husband when he had his antique business and only charged exact shipping. I do not agree with high shipping fees.
Again, thank you for the education.
Thank you for those kind words Marie! I appreciate the encouragement. So glad you like my blog! Gladder even that you’d like to see a shipping post. I need to get working on it. Lots of detail in one of those.
I would be very, very interested in tips on shipping. Shipping, shipping costs and how to price things to include shipping are things that have held me back from opening an Etsy shop.
I’m so glad to hear of your interest! I’m going to be doing one on shipping, which is something that holds a lot of people back from online selling.
My favorite was the picture of the roses. We are just putting our artwork up, and I have a couple of spaces that need to be filled! I’m collecting small jello molds, too, but I’m doing it on the cheep — $1.00 or less. I hope to incorporate them into a curtain or something for the kitchen. They should look cute up there, but I’m still keeping my fingers crossed.
Loved hearing about your sales, and I’m glad they surpassed your expectations. I hope September picks up for you.
I know…that one of the roses was especially pretty. I probably didn’t ask enough for it, but it’s gone, and I’m always happy when something sells. I understand about the jello molds…you can often find them at estate sales, but you probably already know that. Your project for them sounds interesting. Is it something like what Tuula from Thrifty Rebel Vintage did? Such a cute idea of hers.
That Lucite purse by far is my favorite!! 2.00???? In-sane! You did so well — so many sales!! I’m just getting my shop back up and running after not having one for a year or more so it’s slow going right now. I think the key is to have LOTS of stuff because then there’s always something for everyone.
I know…I was surprised it was even still there when I got to that sale, much less be so cheap. (the Lucite purse). You’re right…need to have a lot of stuff in your shop to be seen on Etsy. My square dance shop doesn’t have much, so it’s not doing as well.
Wait wait wait . . . I missed the story about the guy wanting the square dance dress! That’s hilarious!
I know, isn’t that a scream about that story? All true. Not even embellished.
Its always so helpful to see what you sell things for. I learn a lot about pricing so thank you.
I remember using those cake pans when I was a kid. Cripes, that makes me sound old. LOL.
Thank you Kim! Glad to know it’s helpful for you! Where have I been that I’ve never seen that style of cake pan before?
Great sales month! I love to see what you sold so I hope you keep doing them.
Thanks Sharon! Glad you enjoy it.
You had a great month! August was a good month for me too, but in my herb shop 😉 You seem to sell a lot of fabric. I may need to look more closely when I see it!
Yes I sell a good bit of fabric. Glad it was a good month for you in your herb shop!
Wow! You had a busy August, Florence! Congratulations on all your sales! I love the patchwork quilt! It has so many pretty colors.
Thank you Tara. I appreciate your comment!
Ah darn it that Metal File Box is gone. I was so wishing that someone would invent a magical transporter like they have in Star Trek so I could buy it. Looks like you had an awesome month though Florence. That’s great, hope September starts picking up. I always love seeing what sold, it’s so interesting
Glad you enjoy it Michelle! Now what were you going to do with the file box? Repurpose it or use it?? That’s the question, and the answer I’m dying to know.
That one was way to pretty to re-purpose 😉 It’s the perfect color to use in my daughter’s bedroom so she can store all her paper stuff. And she has a LOT of paper stuff
Aww, I wish I could have handed it to you Michelle! I like your daughter & would have liked to imagine her using it!
I can’t believe how much you can get for some of this stuff! I would have never thought it! I think my mom actually has that exact jewelry chest. I used to love going through it and looking at all her jewelry when I was a child. And the cross-dresser…. Oh my!
It’s amazing, isn’t it? It always surprises me what people will buy. Thanks for coming by to visit & comment Amy!
You had an excellent month. Plus you have some very interesting items. You have the knack for selecting things people want to buy.
Thanks Debra! But you should see all the things I have listed that people DON’T want to buy…LOL. More about that in an upcoming post.
Wow, that was a great, informative post! I’ve picked up many of the things you showed, although for me and not for resale. However, I just started a new vintage goods etsy shop that I will be working on this winter. It takes so much time to take/edit all the photos and write up the descriptions, etc.! If you don’t mind my asking, do you advertise your shop(s) (besides on the blog) or do people just find you? I’m always amazed at just how much some people will pay for things:)
xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home
Yes, it does take lots of time to take good photos, edit them and write up a description!! Between that & blogging, there’s not much time left over! What are you going to call your shop Kathleen? Can’t wait to see it!
No, I don’t advertise. The only thing I do is put the latest items one-by-one on Pinterest. If you join teams, you can get on their group boards, and get more exposure that way, than if you just put them on your boards. Every little bit helps.
When you do open, it usually takes a while to get seen, so don’t get discouraged. The more items you have in your shop, the better. There’s no magic number, but the more you have, the more that someone searching can find.
Love to look at your finds and what you sold them for it a ton of fun.
Maria
Thank you Maria! Glad you enjoyed it!
I love reading your posts about what sells! I make and sell lye soap and have been considering Etsy. Do you have any advice for complete newbie? -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Glad you enjoy them Marci! There are a lot of soap sellers on Etsy, but you won’t know till you try! It doesn’t cost anything to open a shop, just costs 20 cents/per listing.
I really enjoy this bit each month. It’s so interesting to see what sells and for how much. I am so amazed at your wealth of knowledge on so many subjects. I can’t imagine all the time you put into knowing and researching. So cool!
Thank you Nikki! I’ve learned a lot of this stuff over the years, but yes, a lot goes into research. It can be quite time-consuming. Glad to know you enjoy it!
That makeup mirror brings back so many memories from my childhood. August was a tough month down at my booth. I’m hoping September is better.
August & September were always the slowest months when I had a booth. Hoping it picks up for you soon! I have no idea why it was a good month on Etsy this time. September is turning out to be pretty slow for me as well.
Florence I love reading your posts. So much to see and learn. I was thinking about the psychopathology of buying and selling the other day. And you are absolutely right, because we are thrifters we would never buy anything more than a certain price but others are of the other ilk. hey would never pay for something that was priced too low. It amazes me that you were able to sell some of these things for the prices you did. The wedding dress pattern? What would someone do with it? Are they collectors? Oh and the story about the cross dresser… haha. If only Paul did buy something from you. Maybe if you price something for a thousand dollars.
About the pattern, some people do collect patterns, or they collect the pattern envelopes. Some remake the designs…lots of different things you can do with old patterns. It is amazing what people will buy and what they pay for stuff. I often price by comparisons. I look on Ebay or Etsy & see what others have priced at & try to be competitive.
OMG!!!! So many different items but they are all so special for different reasons! I loved the jewelery chest and the straw bag but I have to admit that many items in this list I wish I could buy!
Thanks Christina! Glad you liked it!
I just LOVE those backing pans and would definitely save on parchment paper;) The mirror brings back memories of my mother applying her makeup with one of those, and her letting me play with her make-up. I remember thinking, “I’ll **never** pluck my chin hairs, like her!” …yeah right. lol!
I have never been let down with the kitty-litter method for smells (and I don’t own a cat). Just keep a large paper bag of it handy for the musty good will smells on treasures I find, especially books and paper items.
Put it on top the litter, opening face down (like making a Christmas tree with the book) for a day or two and whalla! Kitty litter comes in so many scents these days, just seal it in a zip-lock and it will last a long time.
**BAKING PANS** — too early in the morning:)
I’ll try that kitty litter method Sharon. I’ve heard it works wonders. I’ve never used one of those baking pans, but sure would like to try one. I’m glad I sold them though. Yeah, those makeup mirrors! Look like fun to a kid with all those different lighting settings. But we won’t talk about chin hairs…ahem, cough, cough.
Florence, it looks like August was a great month for you!! Congratulations! It’s always fun seeing what sells.
Thank you Keri! Appreciate you dropping in!