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What’s Selling on Etsy April 2018

May 14, 2018 by Florence 22 Comments

What I Sold on Etsy April 2018

It’s that time of the month again…where I reveal all…what sold for me on Etsy for April 2018. If you’re new here, I give monthly round-ups of what sells for me…an effort to help other sellers or seller wannabes.

April 2018 was an unexpectedly good month at 35 sales in my 2 shops: VintageSouhernPicks and SquareDanceNWestern.

April can be a hit or miss month. It’s often sparse due to tax season, but I was happily surprised by the good level of sales.

What Sold in Vintage Southern Picks Etsy Shop:

3 Small Wallet Size Vintage Picture Frames

$1 each at a thrift store

Sold to someone in Hawaii for $15.00

wallet size vintage picture frames

Heavy wool afghan, in my family for many years.

Sold $45.00

heavy wool afghan

Vintage Avon Powder Box. A recent estate sale find for $3

Sold quickly $16.00

Vintage Avon Powder Box

Vintage Better Homes & Garden 1947 Cookbook. This took a long time to sell, and bought by a guy. I probably paid $1-2 for it.

Sold $24.00

vintage 47 BHG Cookbook

A sweet children’s book, and a first edition, c. 1923…”Boys and Girls of Bookland,” but not in good shape. Paid $1-2.

Sold $20.00

first edition boys and girls of bookland childrens book

Big solid brass home decor piece or furniture decal, which is what I used one of these for. Paid $2.00 (Took a long time to sell.) It definitely matters what you call it in your title, keywords, and description, so that could have been a factor.

Sold $18.99

brass furniture decal or home decor piece

This little thing could have several names…Sterno Can Holder, Incense Burner, or Candle Snuffer.

Paid 50¢

Sold $22.77

brass sterno can holder or candle snuffer

Vintage Corday “Toujours Moi” Perfume Bottle. I’ve had it a long time and finally got it listed. A little research and I learned these are very collectible. After it sold, someone emailed to ask if I had others, so grab it if you ever see one. The atomizer was even hard.

Sold $18.00

corday toujours moi perfume bottle

Sweet vintage cross stitch kitchen sampler. Found in a musty basement at an estate sale. The frame fell apart all around it leaving a big dirty stain on the bottom. I tried cleaning it so I soaked it in a soapy solution, but the stain was stubborn. Luckily, it was mostly around the bottom left.

Paid $2.

Sold $15.00

cross stitch kitchen sampler

Aren’t these pretty? Found at a thrift store.

Paid $2

Sold $17.00

daisy bath curtain rings

I had the following 2 pictures listed together for-EVER! But they wouldn’t sell, they wouldn’t sell, and THEY WOULDN’T SELL! So I decided to split them up, to sell individually. The shipping would be lower for one rather than two together.

fall scene cross stitch

Someone came along wanting to buy both of them. She bought one, then saw the other for sale in my shop and bought it too, so everyone is happy. Go figure.

Both bought at thrift stores & I can’t remember how much at the moment.

Sold for $17.50 & $18.00…a good deal considering they were ready to hang with frame and glass.

Summer scene cross stitch picture

Generally, cross stitch is slow, but I like them, so I often buy. Not always a good rule of thumb, but I have weaknesses, LOL.

Gold napkin rings, an estate sale find. Took a long time to sell.

Paid $1

Sold for $18.00

gold napkin rings

This and the next are two are crochet sales I’m happy to get rid of, but not making any money on.

TIP: Selling  anything cheap doesn’t seem to make them more attractive to a buyer. They take just as long to sell, and “cheap” makes buyers wonder what’s wrong with it.

Sold $4.00

green crochet thread

Sold for $8.50

orange crochet thread lot

Hollywood Regency decor is a good seller, and this tissue box cover was in very nice shape. It sold quickly.

Paid $1

Sold $22.00

Hollywood regency tissue box cover

I sold 2 pair of ladies leather gloves last month, which is very unusual. Gloves rarely sell. Two pair in one month…unbelievable!

Sold $10.00

pair leather gloves

These were purchased by a California shop owner who used gloves to protect her hands in restoring cane and wicker.

Sold $8.00 

leather gloves sz 7

Pretty little unused needlepoint compact, found at an estate sale in my own neighborhood.

Paid $3

Sold $19.99

needlepoint compact

A rare razor, made in France, called a GYR Sufam razor. It worked on a flywheel principle, or to put it another way, it worked like the pull string on a Chatty Cathy doll to make her talk. I found one on Ebay, priced at $40, and it didn’t have the case or instructions.

Paid $5

Sold $40.00

Rare GYR Razor

Thermos lovers, eat your heart out! Found at an estate sale for $2, it still had the original label.

Sold $18.00

vintage red plaid thermos

Scrabble tiles used to be good sellers, but not so much anymore. These took a long time to sell.

Sold $10.00

Scrabble tiles replacement set

Those who follow me may remember this Hollywood Regency trash can cover I repainted and turned into a shabby chic vase! I can’t believe I bought it…it was so nasty!

Sold for $26.60

hollywood regency trash can cover painted in shabby chic style

Blogging buddy, Michelle L. bought this vintage makeup brush for her friend.

Paid $1

Sold $16.00

makeup brush

Set 6 Turtle Drawer Pulls I found at a yard sale.

Sold $19.99

turtle drawer pulls

I found 30 of these little mini brass shadowbox figurines at an estate sale a while back, and decided to split them up in groups of 5 to sell. This is the first group.

Paid $5 for all 30

Sold 5 for $15.00

Brass shadowbox figures

Everybody had one of these Mateus wine bottles in the 70’s! The label was messed up on it, so I didn’t know if it would sell or not, but it went quickly.

Sold $17.00

vintage mateus wine bottle

You wouldn’t think monogrammed/personalized coasters would sell, but these do. It’s the second set I’ve had. They looked barely used.

Sold for $21.00

monogrammed coasters

This was a very interesting vintage Good Housekeeping Cookbook from 1942. It had a Wartime supplement telling housewives how to conserve and make do with rationing.

Paid $1

Sold $25.00

1942 Good Housekeeping Cookbook

A vintage telephone I found at a thrift store for only $4.99. Probably the reason it was so cheap was because the casing on the base was cracked in 2 places. This was NOT a repro either…it was a genuine 40’s telephone.

Sold for $65.00

vintage black rotary dial phone

What Sold in SquareDanceNWestern Etsy Shop:

I found this cute red vest at an estate sale.

Paid $2

Sold $24.99

Fringed red vest

Pink Conch Belt

Sold for $17.00

pink conch belt

Wide Navy Belt

Sold for $18.50

wide navy belt

Red Petticoat selling for friend. The basic colors of red, black, and white are much harder to sell, and anything in size small is almost impossible to sell.

Sold $25.00

red petticoat

Red bandana skirt (mine). Not an elastic waist. These are also much harder to sell.

Sold $26.95

Red bandana skirt

And that’s it folks! Thanks for sticking with me. Which one was your favorite?

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Filed Under: What's Selling on Etsy/Ebay Tagged With: etsy sales april 2018, monthly sales recap, sales report for april 2018, what sold in my etsy shop april 2018, what sold on etsy april 2018

What Sold on Etsy for March 2018

April 4, 2018 by Florence 18 Comments

Time for the monthly roundup of What Sold on Etsy for March 2018! It was a slooowwwww month with only 18 sales. Sometimes March can be good, but in general I’ve found that as the weather warms, people aren’t in front of computers as much, and sales dwindle. I see it every year, so try not to get upset by it. In this business, learning to handle the bad months as well as the good can be an adjustment.

Keep reading to the end to see the update on the ring I mentioned in my last post.

What Sold on Etsy in March 2018

Sales in my main Etsy shop~Vintage Southern Picks

I found this pointy brass box in an antique shop around Christmas of last year.

Bought for $1. Sold to someone in New York City for use in a play…$24.00

Vintage peaked brass box

Crochet thread lot…priced cheap to move it. I don’t buy crochet thread anymore. I’ve had this a long time and can’t remember at the moment what I paid for it.

Sold for $8.50.

blue crochet thread lot

Galvanized metal lighthouse, a recent estate sale purchase. This was unusual and I believe handmade.

Paid $1.00. Sold $21.00

galvanized handmade lighthouse candle holder

Another recent estate sale purchase. I found it on the last day when there was very little left to be had.

Bought $2.00. Sold $22.00

12 oz stainless milk pitcher

Another purchase from the same estate sale. I was surprised these vintage Tupperware mugs were still there.

Bought $2.00. Sold $20.00

4 vintage tupperware mugs

I’ve had these knife, spoon, and fork napkin rings a while. They were losing their finish, so I painted them gold. An estate sale purchase in Tennessee, where we often go to visit family. I always squeeze in an estate sale or two!

Bought 66¢. Sold to someone in Switzerland for $17.00 I lost money on this due to the shipping being much more than I figured on. I’m still not quite sure how I made that mistake!

knife fork spoon napkin rings painted gold

I loved this large metal industrial basket! So cool! Sold to someone in Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.

Bought $2.00. Sold $59.50, which included free shipping.

large industrial metal basket

Bought at an estate sale in Sylacauga, Alabama, I’ve had these a while. Old spring door hinges, and one was broken, rendering it unusable. The gal who bought them planned to repurpose them into business card holders!

Bought $1.00 Sold $10.00

old spring door hinges

Another estate sale purchase I’ve had a while. A pair of vintage pillowcases with crochet detail.

Bought $2.00. Sold $16.00

pair vintage pillowcases with pink crochet details

3-piece set of Spode “Winter’s Eve” china (retired)…given to me by a cousin.

Free. Sold for $30.00

3 pieces "Winter's Eve" Spode china

Vintage Straw paper plate holders, thrift store purchase.

Bought…can’t remember, but if they’re not cheap, I don’t buy, LOL. Sold $17.50

vintage straw paper plate holders

Wooden pants hangers. Probably bought in a thrift store. I can’t remember how much without spending lots of time looking it up in my records book. I keep handwritten books. For me, it’s easier than Excel spreadsheets.

Sold $26.00

wooden pants hangers

This is the last of 3 faux oil paintings I found in a little shop in Greenback Tennessee last year.

Bought $5.00 Sold $25.99

Roses in a teacup faux oil painting

I found an old picture album at an estate sale last year. It was full of African American snapshots and falling apart. I had no idea if it would sell or not.

Bought 10¢. Sold for $18.00. 

over 50 African American snapshots from the 40's to 50's era

4 Sales from my 2nd Etsy shop~SquareDanceNWestern

Pair white shoes. Selling for a friend.

Free. Sold $18.00

ladies white Square Dance shoes

White frilly Square Dance blouse

Sold $20.00

Here’s an outfit I made and enjoyed wearing.

Sold $28.00

Black and pink polka dotted Square Dance dress

A pretty burgundy Square Dance belt I bought on Ebay long ago.

Sold $18.50

ladies wide burgundy square dance belt

That’s it for the Etsy sales! Thanks for sticking with me!

And now for the update on the baby pinkie ring I found in a vacuum cleaner recently….

I took it to a jeweler I use…

And learned…

It was 10k gold with no date, and no diamonds. boo hoo. And its worth? All of $6!

Fooey Patooey…

So I guess I’m $6 richer!

tiny pinkie ring for a baby

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Filed Under: What's Selling on Etsy/Ebay Tagged With: march etsy sales, online sales, online sales report, what sold on etsy

What’s Selling on Etsy February 2018

March 13, 2018 by Florence 20 Comments

What’s Selling on Etsy February 2018

February 2018 got off to a slow start for me this year. January and February Etsy sales used to be reliably good, but things often change for no reason. However, I was happy with the 26 sales I got. If you’re new here, as part of my Selling Tips, I show monthly Etsy/Ebay sales as a help for other sellers, or seller wannabes. So let’s see What’s Selling on Etsy February 2018!

Sales from Vintage Southern Picks Etsy Shop

Selling for friend…over 2 yds fabric.

Sold for $17.00

Pretty floral pink and blue roses fabric

Thrift store find…colorful recipe box made of hard plastic with a wood look…by FTD Florist, likely held flowers at one time. (2nd one sold).

Bought for 48¢. Sold for $11.00.

FTD Recipe Box

An estate sale find, an unmarked Josef’s mouse figurine, made in Japan.

Bought for 50¢. Sold for $9.99

Unmarked Josef's mouse figurine

Lots of these Baby Ben windup alarm clocks on Etsy already, but this sold pretty quickly. I’m too lazy at the moment to dig into my archives to find out what I paid for this, LOL.

Sold $10.00

vintage Baby Ben windup alarm clock

An estate sale find…Vintage Fruit Cake Tin…sold to a gal in Germany. I’ve had it a long time, so let it go cheap to unload it.

A crazy purchase on my part for $8.00 (it was full of sewing notions, but still not worth $8). Sold for $11.00

Vintage Fruit Cake Tin

These Ladies’ head vases are hugely popular vintage finds, but in the description, I said…with the 2 broken fingers and her smirk, she appears to be throwing a “bird!” The flaws with a missing earring resulted in a lower price than these usually bring.

Free (selling for a friend) Sold $38.00

Vintage Ladies Head Vase

Estate sale find…a relatively unknown vintage book by Louisa May Alcott, “Rose in Bloom.”

Bought for $1. Sold for $10.00

vintage book "Rose in Bloom" by Louisa May Alcott

An estate sale find…vintage perfume bottle. It’s cost? I can’t remember and I’m ah, too lazy to go find out.

Sold for $11.00

Vintage Perfume Bottle

A customer asked me to look for Pressed Glass Apothecary Jars…lucky thrift store find.

Bought $2.99. Sold for $15.00

Vintage Pressed Glass Apothecary Jar with seal

Yard sale find…Vintage saltine cracker tin…not terribly old, but still vintage. You know these aren’t the original vintage kind when they have Spanish on the side.

Bought for 50¢. Sold for $15.50

Vintage saltine cracker tin

I don’t make a habit of buying Sunshine Biscuit Tins, but it was a thrift store find on a day of weakness. Bought $1.99. Sold for $9.25.

Oval Sunshine Biscuit tin

A lucky church sale find…Copper Kettle in original box…someone’s unused wedding gift from the 70’s. The wedding greeting card was still in the box.

Bought for $5. Sold for $30.00

vintage copper kettle

An estate sale find…Boxed Retired Crabtree and Evelyn Lavender-scented drawer liners.

Bought for $2. Sold for $18.00

Crabtree and Evelyn Lavender scented box of drawer liners

Yard sale find….Makeup Mirror.

Bought for $5. Sold for $28.00

makeup mirror

An estate sale find I just had to have…a vintage box purse. This piece was favorited a LOT! Note the lace look on the outside of it, and it actually is lace trim. There’s a technique for doing this so that the lace hardens. I found it on Pinterest a while back, but have never done it myself. I’d like to try it when I find the object I want to use.

Bought for $12. Sold for $48.00

vintage-box-purse

An estate sale find…vintage rotating plastic thread caddy.

Bought $1.00. Sold for $18.99

rotating plastic thread caddy

Found at an estate sale for 10¢ & sold so fast it made my head spin. I should have asked more. A vintage “bolt” pipe lighter in great shape. Sold to a fellow in Turkey.

Sold $25.

vintage bolt pipe lighter

From various estate sales…6 Afghan booklets. I’ve had a long time and thrilled they’re sold.

Sold for $13.00

6 vintage afghan instruction booklets

Sales from SquareDanceNWestern Etsy Shop for February 2018

2 Vintage String Ties for men.

Sold for $12.00

2 Vintage String Ties for Men

Lovely 2-Piece pink Square Dance outfit. Selling for friend.

Sold $30.00

Ladies pink 2 piece Square Dance Dress

Black Western Prairie Skirt. Selling for friend.

Sold $25.00

Black Western Prairie Skirt

Square or Round Dance shoes. Selling for friend.

Sold $19.00

Ladies Black Square Dance shoes

Ladies white Square or Round Dance shoes. Selling for friend.

Sold $18.00

Ladies white Square or Round Dance Shoes

A highly ruffled and flounced Square Dance blouse. Sold $20.00

Ladies Ruffled Yellow Square Dance Blouse

This was my favorite Square Dance dress. I hated to sell it, but since I don’t dance anymore…

Sold $49.99

Red and black square dance dress

One Ebay Sale

Partial bottle of Ralph Lauren “Chaps” After Shave. I’ve had it so long, I can’t remember what I paid. At auction, it brought only the beginning bid of $1.99 + shipping.

Partial bottles of perfume, colognes, or brand name after shaves used to be good bets on Ebay, but I don’t know if they still are. Anyone have experience with this? Since I don’t sell much on Ebay these days, things may have changed.

Ralph Lauren Chaps Splash After Shave

That’s it my friends! Hope you enjoyed the roundup of sales for February. Which was your favorite?

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Filed Under: What's Selling on Etsy/Ebay Tagged With: etsy sales february 2018, what's selling on etsy, what's selling online

What’s Selling on Etsy January 2018

February 27, 2018 by Florence 30 Comments

I’m a bit late on getting January’s report out this time. It’s almost time for February! If you’re new here, I normally share my Etsy/Ebay sales month by month as a help and inspiration for new sellers, or seller wannabes. I’ve been selling on Etsy/Ebay for years, and have learned a lot in the process. It is my goal on this blog to share my knowledge.

January Etsy sales started out very slow, but picked up throughout the month for a total of 30 sales.

What’s so surprising…is how sales for January and February have changed the last 2 years. They used to be reliably good months, but things change.

Sales from Vintage Southern Picks Etsy shop:

An 1890’s Dresser Box, made in Germany, bought by a collector.

Paid $2.00 Sold for $20.00.

antique-1890's-dresser-box-made-in-germany

Over 3 yds blue and white check fabric, selling for a friend.

Sold for $21.00

Blue-and-white-check-fabric

A ho-hum plastic cassette case I found in a neighbor’s trash…

Sold for $18.50

plastic-cassette-case

 

Copper Fish Molds are ver-r-ry slow sellers, or any copper molds for that matter. I wouldn’t recommend buying them, but selling for a friend. I was very surprised they sold.

Sold $15.00

Copper-fish-molds

Funky Donkey Alarm Clock, a thrift store find, and not working. Once the hubby-who-can-fix-anything got his hands on it and sprinkled a bit of his magic dust, we were privileged (???) to hear the most awful donkey braying noise you ever heard in your life! But I guess that’s what an alarm clock does, right? Bought by a donkey collector.

Paid $2.07. Sold for $29.28 with free shipping.

funky-donkey-alarm-clock

Another thrift store find, a ceramic double light switch plate, in a sack with other switch plates I’ve already sold.

Paid $1.33 Sold $12.00

pink-and-white-ceramic-double-light-switch-plate

Ornate gold picture frame, vintage style. The print in the frame was from The Graphics Fairy.

Paid $1. Sold $22.00

ornate-gold-picture-frame

Looking like vintage lipstick, but it’s a vintage perfume dispenser by Hollywood Max Factor. Funny how the name “Hollywood” or “Paris” or “French” usually sells!

Paid $1.50 Sold for $15.00

hollywood-max-factor-vintage-perfume-dispenser

A beautiful Glittered Jester Frog Tealight Candle Holder, sold to a gal in France. It is the 2nd one of these I’ve sold, so a good thing to pick up if you see one.

Paid $4.99 Sold $23.00

glitterd-jester-frog-tealight-candle-holder

A vintage kitschy spice set, missing a couple of little spice “jars,” but still cute as can be, and includes the wooden fork and spoon. Took a while to sell, but glad someone saw the charm.

Paid 25¢ Sold for $16.00

kitschy-wooden-spice-set-with-wooden-utensils

Beautiful yarn, but took too long to sell. Yarn isn’t something I buy anymore.

Paid $9.00 Sold for $18.00

multi-colored-yarn-9-skeins

Vintage oval dresser mirrors are good sellers if they’re just a bit different from the pack.

Paid $5.00. Sold for $35.00

oval-dresser-mirror

48″ of Dangling Bead Trim

Paid 10¢ Sold for $9.50

red-dangling-beaded-trim

Just an ordinary red metal toolbox.

Paid $1.00 Sold for $15.99

vintage-red-metal-toolbox

A surprising sale after Christmas! I forgot I had these darling Sakura Cat Plates, and didn’t expect them to sell, but I was hoping to cash in on the Christmas frenzy, and it worked! Selling for a friend.

Free. Sold for $24.99

christmas-sakura-cat-plates

Over 2 yds green shamrock fabric. Selling for a friend.

Free. Sold for $22.46

green-and-white-shamrock-fabric

Small Sterling Silver Horse Pin is very cute, but has taken a good while to sell.

Paid 10¢. Sold $20.00

sterling-silver-horse-pin

Pair of vintage tea infusers…these have been in my stash I think.

Sold overseas for $15.99

vintage-tea-infusers

Vintage Timbale Set. Selling for a friend….there were so many of these on Etsy already.

Free. Sold for $18.55

vintage-timbale-set

Vintage 50’s Sewing Pattern…

Paid 14¢ Sold for $16.00

vintage-50s-sewing-pattern

Vintage white and gold porcelain Eyeglass Holder oozing with vintage glam. Broken, but well-repaired. Broken and chipped…I’ve sold it all!

Paid $1.50 Sold $24.99

vintage-eyeglasses-holder

Vintage Metal Tissue Box Holder was a very cool find from the same estate sale as the eyeglass holder above.

Paid $1.50. Sold $22.00

vintage-metal-tissue-box-holder

I listed it, but just knew these 7 pieces of wide eyelet lace wouldn’t sell! The buyer, who makes sachets, was very excited to get them.

Paid 10¢.Sold for $15.00

wide-lace-lot-7-pieces

I was thrilled that the Vintage Gold Beaded Evening Bag finally sold! It made my “And Then There’s What Won’t Sell” list of bombs. I believe the reason it wouldn’t sell was that I had a hard time getting a good picture. It sold after I re-took all the photos. The buyer, equally thrilled, was using it in her wedding!

Paid $5.00 Sold $40.28 with free shipping.

vintage-gold-beaded-evening-bag

Sales from SquareDanceNWestern Etsy shop:

9 Sales

Really cute handmade black and red Valentine apron set. Selling for a friend.

Sold for $30.00

Handmade-Valentine-black-and-red-apron-set

Another pretty handmade apron set…selling for a friend. Both these outfits went to an Alabama buyer.

Sold for $24.00

lavender-Square-dance-apron-set

Ruffled pink Square Dance Blouse.

Sold for $18.00

frilly-pink-square-dance-blouse

Vintage navy Square Dance dress. Selling for a friend.

Sold for $15.00

navy-square-dance-dress

I loved this skirt! Lavender purple Square Dance skirt…

Sold for $32.00

lavender-purple-square-dance-skirt

Men’s Western shirt with floral embroidery. Selling for a friend.

Sold $16.50

mens-western-shirt-with-floral-embroidery

Beautiful and ornate rose belt buckle with matching collar tips. Selling for a friend.

Sold for $40.00

roses-belt-buckle-collar-tips-set

Western boot pin.

Paid $1.00. Sold for $9.00

Western-boot-pin

Western Tie Slide

Sold for $15.00

western-tie-slide

You may have noticed I have lots of sales for a friend. If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be doing it because it’s a lot of work. My commission is 50%.

When it comes to clothes, I often have to wash, iron, and mend. Then research, take attractive photographs, store, and ship. For more on that topic, see “Why I Charge 50% to Sell for You.”

Hope you enjoy the post! What sells well for you? I’d love to hear!

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Filed Under: What's Selling on Etsy/Ebay Tagged With: etsy sales for january 2018, online sales january 2018, sales recap january 2018, sales report january 2018

3 Yard Sale Questions I Hate to be Asked

February 7, 2018 by Florence 35 Comments

Having attended recent yard sales, I’m reminded anew about 3 Yard Sale Questions I Hate to be Asked. I was on on the hot seat again this weekend. Am I the lone stranger when it comes to questions like these?

The 3 Questions I Hate to be Asked

 

i-love-lucy-giphy

These are in order of not so annoying to the most cringe-worthy, followed by what I’d like to say in return.

Question 1

So I’m walking up to a yard sale and before I’ve even landed in the goodies, the owner says coolly, “may I help you?” I was somewhat taken aback. I must be in a department store!

Well, you’re having a yard sale, aren’t you? I came to look at your offerings, lady, is what I want to say.

And a variation of that…”Are you looking for anything in particular?” Now I know I’ve just been transported to a department store. Then her kid comes up and says exactly the same thing.

To my mind, it’s like being hounded by the sales lady as soon as you walk in a store. In those cases I just want to leave ASAP.

Yes I’m looking for a box of sterling silver flatware that you don’t realize is sterling, lady.

But I don’t say that.

Question 2

NOW the hot seat is getting a little warmer. I really hate these next 2 questions because lying makes me squirm. I try not to if I can possibly avoid it.

I’m standing at the yard sale checkout holding yarn, and the person says,

Oh do you knit?

Um, I knit…yes.

If you count 2 dishcloths, and 3 scarves I made 4 years ago.

If you count the knitting tote gathering 4 years of dust on the floor.

But I wouldn’t be able to tell you how to knit and purl now if my life depended on it.

Thank goodness she didn’t ask me when I knitted.

Here’s the next one equally as bad. I’m standing there holding sewing trims.

Oh, do you sew?

Egad…

Yes I sew.

I can turn on the sewing machine.

But as for threading it… I still have to read the directions.

I’ve made a few things…like this Square Dance outfit a few years ago.

It’s cute right? Someone from France emailed me today to tell me how adorable it is.

But it was the outfit from you know where.

You see, I checked out when Mama tried her level best to teach an uninterested 12-year-old how to sew.

She made me take 2 “How to Sew” classes at Singer, but I’d rather have been pulling weeds than learning to sew.

So I couldn’t remember how when I decided to make this outfit.

I found the pattern in a thrift store, but it wasn’t my size. Can you picture me modifying a pattern to fit when I hadn’t even sewed before? It was a joke.

I lost count of the number of times I ripped it out.

Making the ruffled trim was a nightmare. The directions called for it to be twice the length of the skirt, or something like that. So I mathematically calculated what double would be. Let’s just say it didn’t turn out quite right.

I laid the trim out, and it extended from the room I was working in, down the hall to the third bedroom and in a circle within the room. I thought it was a bit long, but told myself it would work out. It didn’t.

Yes I sew.

Question 3

And as for the last, most dreaded, cringe-worthy question, I’m standing there holding a pair of egg cups, and the lady glibly asked,

What.are.you.going.to.do.with.it?

I hate this question, but the answer rolled off my tongue so smoothly, I was proud of myself.

I have an egg cup collection.

And I do.

I haven’t added to it in over 20 years.

At one time, I imagined myself a gracious hostess serving meals on pretty tablecloths with cloth napkins, and boiled eggs in cute mismatched egg cups, but that went out the window very quickly.

Because now I’m a professional picker, and you can’t even see the tablecloth, or the table for that matter.

I can’t tell her the real truth.

I’m going to sell it lady! I’m going to put it in my Etsy shop.

People are often emotional about their stuff. They don’t like to think of you selling off Great Aunt Jane’s china. They want to imagine you cherishing it like they do.

There’s no good answer, but if you’re about to give a yard sale, give your customer a break, and please don’t ask!

Do you have these too?

 

 

You may enjoy these other posts~

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Filed Under: Yard Sale Humor Tagged With: uncomfortable questions, yard sale questions, yard sales

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