16 Vintage Finds That Turned into Huge Buying Mistakes

May 29, 2018 by Florence 20 Comments

Having just had a garage sale a week ago, I can’t help but reflect on the fact that I gladly sold several ~~dud buys~~ vintage finds, mostly at a loss, but at least I got something for them. But there were many that wouldn’t even sell in the garage sale! Enjoy the 16 Vintage Finds that Turned into Huge Buying Mistakes. Live and learn!

By the way, if you’re new here, I normally share what sells for me online every month, but I like to tell what doesn’t sell as well because you can learn a lot from that. For more on that topic, see “And Then There’s What Won’t Sell.”

Lest you think I’m a total bomb, I have over 1300 sales in my Etsy shop, and well over that on Ebay, but some of these vintage buys below have me stumped.

The 16 Vintage Duds Buys

4 Veggie Wall Plaques with hangers for the kitchen…cute but why didn’t they sell?

Didn’t even sell at garage sale!

$1/ea

Best of the Ames Brothers record. Has anyone even heard of the Ames Brothers? Vintage records do sell, but this ~~dud~~ one won’t. Sigh. It wasn’t even in the garage sale.

Cricket boxes…yawn.

Wouldn’t sell at garage sale for…

$1/ea

For those who like vintage apothecary tins, this should sell…but it won’t, and it’s not only full of Epsom salts, but it’s still sealed! I’m puzzled as to why it won’t go.

Wouldn’t sell in garage sale either.

But I bought this in a lot with other vintage apothecary tins that have all sold, so I’ve already made my money back on a 50¢ investment.

I bought this pretty painted firkin myself at a yard sale for $2, and back to a yard sale it went…and it didn’t sell there either! What’s wrong with it? I haven’t a clue, but it wouldn’t sell in my Etsy shop. I got tired of renewing it.

Men’s shaving paraphernalia sells, but not this Fire King shaving mug! I’ve lost count of how many times it’s been renewed. I’m trying it one last time.

I don’t understand why this Hammered Aluminum Farberware Relish Dish won’t sell. It’s in great shape; it’s vintage; it’s pretty… but it wouldn’t sell.

I tried different pictures…

Flowers in the picture,

Flowers out of the picture,

Food in the relish dish,

Food out of the relish dish.

I renewed it umpteen times on Etsy

and even tried it once on Ebay,

and it wouldn’t even sell in the garage sale either. I give up. Sometimes you just can’t win.

And it was just about the same with this vintage Wedgwood “Wellesley” bowl. Renewed umpteen times with very little interest. No interest at the garage sale either, and I even had a sign on it saying it was Wedgwood. My prices at the sale were dirt cheap too.

This was a thrift store purchase, so you know it wasn’t cheap! But no go on Etsy or in the garage sale either. Sigh.

This is a huge basket, and you see all that fruit in it, right? I want you to know I made a special trip to the store to have all this fruit on hand, so I could photograph it in the basket to show how big it is. Made no difference.

TIP: Don’t buy because YOU like it! It may not be a success story.

It’s been photographed with fruit in the basket, fruit out of the basket, and it still won’t sell. In fact, baskets generally don’t do well for me. So why do I buy them?? I like them, and I must quit buying because I like it.

Now this is a vintage Art Nouveau ornate dresser box I fell in love with at a yard sale. But you know the punch line…it won’t sell. I was hoping people could overlook the fact that the lining is missing. It’s just bare inside. I haven’t relisted it yet, because I told myself I can fix it. I even have red velvet on hand. Truth be told, I have no idea how to go about it. Does anyone know, or done this before?

I’ve looked at this floral tin so long, I think it’s ugly, and apparently everyone else thought so too. 😀 Even at the yard sale.

Now this Vintage Canasta game did sell at the garage sale! I was thrilled to get rid of it! Bought for $1 and out the door it went for $1. Yippee!

Vintage kitchen scales are hot….but not this kind. It’s too new-looking, even though it’s vintage, and originally sold by Sears. I knew that when I bought it, but I told myself it would sell. It hasn’t. It didn’t make it to the yard sale this time. I’ll probably let it go in my estate sale.

Who can possibly resist this beautiful Russian Folk Art Boho Toleware bowl? I can’t understand why it won’t sell! Yes it has the visible cut marks in the wood. Is that the problem? I don’t know. It hasn’t made it to any sales yet, so I’m still trying it a few more times in my Etsy shop. I haven’t given up yet.

Lastly, here they are again….two MCM (mid-century modern) Pennsylvania Dutch chip and dip trays made from melamine. Melamine is hot, but these are definitely NOT! Wouldn’t even go in the yard sale either.

That’s all 16 of the vintage finds I should have just left behind folks. Maybe it will help somebody. And yes, there’s more, but that’s for another day.

Did any one surprise you? Don’t forget to share ideas on how to line the little dresser box!

Sharing with these link parties…

11 Things I Avoid at Thrift Stores, Yard and Estate Sales

April 22, 2017 by Florence 30 Comments

Be aware that I resell many of my vintage finds, so these 11 things I avoid at thrift stores, yard and estate sales may not apply at all to you. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule…but I primarily avoid these items. They either don’t fit my niche or I know they are slow sellers.

Items I Avoid Buying for Resale~

DESIGNER PURSES OR OTHER DESIGNER ITEMS…anything claiming to be Gucci, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Vera Bradley, Michael Kors, and others I steer clear of. Knock-offs abound, and I can’t guarantee it’s the real thing. I tried selling a bunch of watches on Ebay once, including a fake Rolex. And I said it was fake. To “fix” the problem, I took the word “Rolex” out of the title, but had it in the description. I had to take it completely out of the title & description to get Ebay off my back. So be careful buying designer items & selling online unless you can authenticate them.

GLASSWARE…clear glassware is dead in the water & almost impossible to sell. Even some Waterford pieces!

CLOTHES unless Christmas sweaters. Some people probably do well with clothes. Not my niche.

JEWELRY…not to say it’s not a good thing to sell because it can be. Not my niche, although I do have a very small vintage estate jewelry section in my Etsy shop. Those were the good deals I couldn’t pass up!

BOOKS…are slow sellers for me. I love them, and sometimes a book or two will sell quickly. A couple of years ago I found 11 volumes of a collectible children’s series called “My Book House.” Can you believe I bought all 11 volumes for 66¢? THAT was a good deal I couldn’t pass up! I’ve sold 3 volumes, but the rest are languishing. Do kids even read books anymore? My granddaughter used to like to read…now she’s glued to her phone.

I’ve read that autographed books can do well, and cookbooks can. But I don’t have the time to look through every book searching for one autographed. I found a signed June Carter Cash cookbook, but it took forever to sell.

**My rule of thumb for books…if it’s still there by the time I arrive, don’t buy it. BUT….this is not always true.

HOLIDAY BARBIES, even if untouched in the box. I see them sitting at yard sales all the time. Also toddler toys, baby stuff, board games except Scrabble, Bingo, and others with small playing pieces. Crafters repurpose the playing pieces in various ways, and same goes for Bingo cards.
VINTAGE THERMOSES…I found one at a thrift store a couple of years ago and it took FOREVER to sell. No more.

VINTAGE WHISKEY BOTTLES

BEADS or other craft items unless unopened

CHINA….Nothing made in China & nothing with a bar code

LADIES VINTAGE ACCESSORIES….HATS, GLOVES, SCARVES….Ladies’ vintage hats were the first thing I started selling, and at that time, dealers grabbed them left and right, no matter what condition they were in. Then prices went up and sales stalled. I see them sitting at estate sales. Gloves and scarves are also dead.

So there you have it….my list of 11 things I avoid at thrift stores, yard, and estate sales. I would be interested in knowing what you think! Do you have any to add to the list?

Need some ideas about what to look for if you resell? Check out my list of Top Ten Things I Look for at Yard Sales.

Another post you might find interesting…Don’t Be Burned by These Picker Fails~

Don’t Be Burned by These Picker Fails!

March 29, 2016 by Florence 6 Comments

What are Picker Fails?

Things you buy with hopes they'll sell, but they turn into duds. 
Only experience teaches you this, so here's mine...

*Vintage scarves…For me, these only sell in lots or groupings

don't be burned by these picker fails — Vintage scarves do not sell very well individually.

*Men’s vintage electric razors….I must have been the only one that thought these old models were pretty cool.

*Beanie babies…probably another 50 years before these are valuable

Update: These finally did sell!

*Decks of cards do not do well for me…they used to sell, but not in a long time. These are vintage airline decks too, but they do not sell well if the box has been opened.

*Industrial brushes….a risky buy that turned into a dud

*Acrylic pen rest set without the pen…just one word for this….DUH

*Model railroad stuff…too much of it on Ebay already

*Handheld Scrabble…just because the big Scrabble game sells doesn’t mean this one will.

*Copper kitchen molds…there are pages & pages of these on Ebay and Etsy.

*Cute dog mug with damaged handle goes nowhere….what, you don’t want a cracked handle? But it’s such a cute mug!

*Vintage Girl Scout vest….I heard these sold, but not for me.

*Books..for me, they are slow sellers.

*Off Brand Perfumes….full name brand perfumes will sell, but not off-brand varieties

*Green stamp books…as soon as someone listed the first set, all the others in the world came out of the woodwork. Now these are useless.

Update: These actually sold to one of my readers

*Knives in knife blocks…I’ve found the best way to sell these is individually.

I have plenty of picker fails, and since I refuse to get rid of even the duds, I still have ’em because cheapskate picker who lives in a Depression Thinking world, does not throw anything away! Experienced & wannabe sellers take note…don’t be burned by these picker fails!