What’s Selling on Etsy June 2018

July 16, 2018 by Florence 10 Comments

Time for another edition of my monthly “What’s Selling on Etsy” series! Am I getting a late start on this or what? Here it is the middle of July!

By the way, I want to welcome all my new subscribers! I’m so glad you’re here, and hope you’ll find some tips you can use here for selling online. My main avenue is Etsy for now, but I’ve sold on Ebay for many years too. In fact, I was a Top Rated Seller there, but always took the Summers off, so when monthly volume of sales fell, so did the status.

I decided to give Etsy a try, and I’ve never looked back.

So what sold for the month of June? It was slo-o-w-w, but for me it usually is in June anyway. People are going on vacations, having family parties, and graduations.

June Etsy Sales

Vintage Southern Picks Etsy Shop

2 Vintage Swing Frames. I’ve had these a good long while, and I’ve tried the larger of the two by itself for about 8-12 mos. I repainted it and added a Shabby Chic insert, which was easily removed.

Cute or what? I thought so, but it wouldn’t sell. I never even listed the smaller one. Discouraged, I started to put them in my garage sale, but decided to try them together once and listed one more time. Success!

Sold together: $25.00

Antique Shoe Stretcher, sold to a gal in Hawaii.

Sold $18.95

Brass Boho Sun Napkin Rings, bought from a Thrift Store.

Sold $18.50

Cat lovers take note! Aren’t these napkin rings adorable? I forgot I had them. They were buried in the back of a drawer.

Truth be told, I seldom use napkin rings. In fact, we hardly use napkins LOL. Napkin rings are for entertaining. Do pickers entertain? I’d be willing to bet not much. We can’t because our “stuff” is all over the house! Pickers, am I right??

Paid $4 & one had a chip on the foot.

Sold $12.00

Pair of Vintage Clock Keys…who knows how long I’ve had these? Finally started looking through my jar of old keys I’ve accumulated at estate sales over the years.

Sold $11.00

Take it from me, and don’t buy gloves. They take FOREVER to sell!

Sold $8.00

I bought this at an estate sale last November for 2 bucks, and it’s taken a while to sell.

Sold $23.00

Vintage Tupperware lids, bought for $1 at an estate sale a while back. Before I priced these, I looked on Etsy and Ebay for comps, and was surprised to find them selling for a lot more than I would have guessed.

Sold $22.00

Such a pretty mail organizer, bought at a Thrift store.

Sold $19.00

Wool yarn I’ve had forever, and I think (hope) this is the last of any yarns or crochet spools. I don’t buy these anymore because they sit. I have to practically give them away.

14 skeins sold for…

$15.00

Wooden wall shelves for knick knacks…Last Summer I bought this and 30 little brass thingies that were in it for $10.00. I’ve sold 5 of the brass knick knack thingies already at $15/5, so now the shelf is going. Now if I can only find the other brass thingies I can start selling them.

Sold $39.00

Bought from one of the last estate sales I’ve allowed myself to attend, which was in my neighborhood…a pretty sunhat, made in England…and it’s paper, believe it or not! Paid $2.50.

Sold $17.00

This was a “home find.” Actually I knew I had this funky purse, but forgot, and wasn’t sure anyone would buy it. Made of red wool, with carved wooden frame, corduroy handles, and an interior looking like it was made of men’s ties…kind of unusual.

Sold to a gal in England. I really didn’t know how to price it either. I’m sure it was too cheap, but it’s gone, and that’s the idea. I’ve got to get rid of stuff!

Sold $28.00

I have quilts from both sets of grandmothers, and this was one of the better ones. Stored in a hot attic for years, which isn’t a good place for textiles, I’ve been anxious to rescue them before ruined by heat.

I decided to sell most of them myself if I can because most estate sale people price them $25-45.

Bought by a quilt collector, and she was delighted with it.

Sold $65.00

Sales from SquareDanceNWestern Etsy Shop

Cute Western shirt for ladies in size small. Barely worn.

Anything size small takes a long time to sell, so keep that in mind if you’d like to dabble in clothes.

Sold $18.95

That’s it for June sales…only 15, and like I said, it was slow, but I haven’t worked my shop much due to being overwhelmingly busy with downsizing and getting our house ready to sell. I haven’t had much time to blog either. See my Top Tips for Getting Seen on Etsy if you’d like to try it out.

Questions and comments, I’d love to hear them, and respond to each one.

What’s Selling on Etsy May 2018

June 12, 2018 by Florence 26 Comments

Time for the latest roundup of What’s Selling on Etsy May 2018!! The month of May was very good for me at 31 sales! If one can predict, May is usually a good month, whereas June…not so much.

I especially want to say a big welcome to all my new subscribers too!

Not that many of you would notice, but this post is a bit late coming out because we have been very busy with our downsizing and decluttering process. How could we have so many books? I’ve put away 5 big boxes alone for our future estate sale. I’m going through family records, old pictures, lots of mementos, kitchenware, drawers, cabinets, bookcases, trunks…and more to come.

During the process I have to ask…why do 2 people have 5 colanders?? 3 tea strainers when we don’t drink tea? 4 pie pans? I don’t make pies either, not to mention a metal cookie sheet with holes in it…I mean please. Tell me we aren’t the only ones. (And that’s just the easy, no-brainer stuff.)

Last weekend we had our hardwood floors refinished, and for anyone who has done that, you know it’s a lot of preparation before and after. The “dustless” floor refinishing is not all it’s cracked up to be. We had to be out of the house completely for about 4 days, and I’m still cleaning and putting things back into place.

So that’s just a bit of what’s been going on with me.

Sales in Vintage Southern Picks Etsy Shop

My first attempt at selling vintage glass beakers…surprisingly they were favorited a lot, but took a while to sell.

Paid: 50¢/both

Sold: $18.00

A gorgeous bedspread/coverlet, machine embroidered with 2 shams. Surprisingly in very good shape with no pulls and only 1 stain. If it were me, I would never buy anything white, but I’m glad it wasn’t me!

Paid: $2

Sold: $80.00

70’s KJV Bible…sold very quickly. I’ve had this a long time, but not listed long.

Paid: $1.66

Sold: $25.00

Very pretty, ornate brass folding shelf, found at a thrift store. Its flaw was a missing screw…an easy fix. Sold to a collector.

Paid: 99¢

Sold: $22.00

One of the early Caboodles boxes. It was holding Y2K supplies in the basement for 20 years, and it was grimy, but it cleaned up nicely.

Sold: $32.50

A recent vintage find…”Going to Grandma’s” boys’ suitcase…in great shape, all except for the name on the front. I tried every remedy known to man to get that off, but couldn’t, so decided to try it anyway. It sold pretty quickly.

Paid: $5

Sold: $29.90

A very unusual vintage clock, mounted in a piece of a wooden log…at least I thought it was unusual, only to discover there were various versions on Etsy already…both newly made and older. I’ve had this several years, and hubby fixed it as it wasn’t working when purchased from an estate sale. I tried it on Ebay a while back, but it wouldn’t sell.

Paid: $6.00

Sold: $34.95 (probably too cheap, but I don’t like to sit on it forever.)

5 vintage metal crochet hooks, made in England. I can’t even say what I paid for these because they were dumped in the bottom of a knitting bag I bought who knows when.

Nearly 2 weeks after they were shipped, the buyer contacted me to say I shipped them to the wrong address. Whaaat?? I looked back and saw it was the address on file for her, but she had neglected to give me her new address. So I’m supposed to know it by mental telepathy??

Sold: $12.00

I was happily surprised this vintage enamelware set in the fruit pattern sold. There are a lot of them out there, but this had several pieces…3 cereal bowls, large bowl, and a mug. Not even close to pristine condition.

Paid: $10.00

Sold: $38.00

I’ve had these 2 Federal drinking glasses so long, they were already in the donation pile when they sold.

Paid: $1.32/both

Sold: $15.00

Just a simple Samsonite vintage train case, if an unexciting color.

Paid: $5

Sold: $32.00

Hexagonal mirrored tray. The finish was wearing a bit along the side rails, but I didn’t think it looked too bad. In fact, I pointed out that it had a bit of a mercury glass look to it.

Paid: $2.09

Sold: $24.00

I had 4 vintage Josef’s mouse figurines. This is #3. Sold to a gal in the Netherlands.

Paid: 50¢

Sold: $9.99

These were the coolest Over-Bed Lights with an MCM atomic look. Selling for a friend.

Sold: $40.00

Pretty little vintage wooden box I painted, stenciled, and papered inside. I renewed it twice, which means it took about 3 months to sell.

Paid: $2.50

Sold: $17.50

2 pieces from a vintage “Poor Cinderella” Madame Alexander doll. I don’t even know where I got these. They were destined for the donation pile too, when they sold.

Sold: $16.00

“Precious Moments” is out, I’ve heard, so I was surprised this finished cross stitch piece (unframed) sold. I cross stitched it myself back in the ’80’s.

Sold: $16.88

Vintage round train cases are ever popular.

Paid: $5

Sold: $34.00

Men’s vintage safety razors by Gillette that are adjustable are also insanely popular. They are very hard to find these days. This model is called a “Fat Boy,” and dates from the 60’s. It sold very quickly.

Paid $2.00

Sold: $40.00

A very pretty shower curtain ring set. Sold fairly quickly.

Paid: $1.99

Sold: $18.00

Vintage pretty gold switch plates, made in Italy. These are quite attractive painted too, but I didn’t take the time.

Paid: $2.00

Sold: $15.00 (much too cheap)

Pretty little English tea tin I found in Greensboro, Alabama when we were going to visit “The Pie Lab.” Found in a junk shop going out of business.

Paid: $1.00

Sold: $14.00

Vintage Dudley padlock, sold to a guy in England.

Paid: 25¢

Sold: $12.95

I was a little embarrassed at listing this ugly vintage toilet paper holder and towel ring because they didn’t look good at all with finish peeling and parts scratched. We were planning on painting it and putting it in our motorhome, but changed our minds because the thickness of the wall wasn’t deep enough for the recessed toilet paper thingy.

You can only hope that people read the description and look at the pictures. Some don’t though, but I haven’t heard anything back, so guess it’s OK.

Paid $2.07

Sold: $18.00

Vintage metal bookends that have been sitting around in my stash a long time but never listed. Sold quickly.

Paid: ?

Sold: $18.00

Another thing I’ve had a long time, but never listed. Hubby thought we would keep it, but now we’re downsizing, so out it goes.

Paid: ?

Sold: $22.00

I thought I was silly to buy this vintage digital clock radio, but I did it anyway.

Paid: $1.00

Sold: $18.60 (probably too cheap)

Sales in SquareDanceNWestern Etsy Shop

A black and white Square Dance skirt. Selling for a friend.

Sold: $29.00

2 Men’s Shirts sold to the same buyer

I’m sure you’re wondering why a men’s Square Dance shirt is lavender! It’s to match his lady’s dress! (And men wear pink shirts too!)

Sold: 21.00

Sold $20.00

Ladies’ Square Dance elastic belt.

Sold: $15.00

That’s it folks. Hope you found something of interest. If so, tell me what you liked.

Sharing with these link parties….

Check out these other posts too…you know you want to!

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

Heavy wool afghan, in my family for many years.

Sold $45.00

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

Sold quickly $16.00

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

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

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

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

Paid 50¢

Sold $22.77

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

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

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

Paid $2

Sold $17.00

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.

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.

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

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

Sold for $8.50

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

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

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

Sold $8.00

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

Paid $3

Sold $19.99

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

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

Sold $18.00

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

Sold $10.00

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

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

Paid $1

Sold $16.00

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

Sold $19.99

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

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

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

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

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

What Sold in SquareDanceNWestern Etsy Shop:

I found this cute red vest at an estate sale.

Paid $2

Sold $24.99

Pink Conch Belt

Sold for $17.00

Wide Navy Belt

Sold for $18.50

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

Sold $26.95

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

You may also be interested in these posts…..

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

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.

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

Paid $1.00. Sold $21.00

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

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

Bought $2.00. Sold $20.00

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!

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.

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

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

Bought $2.00. Sold $16.00

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

Free. Sold for $30.00

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

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

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

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.

4 Sales from my 2nd Etsy shop~SquareDanceNWestern

Pair white shoes. Selling for a friend.

Free. Sold $18.00

White frilly Square Dance blouse

Sold $20.00

Here’s an outfit I made and enjoyed wearing.

Sold $28.00

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

Sold $18.50

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!

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

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.

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

Bought for 50¢. Sold for $9.99

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

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

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

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

Bought for $1. Sold for $10.00

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

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

Bought $2.99. Sold for $15.00

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

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.

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

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

Bought for $2. Sold for $18.00

Yard sale find….Makeup Mirror.

Bought for $5. Sold for $28.00

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

An estate sale find…vintage rotating plastic thread caddy.

Bought $1.00. Sold for $18.99

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.

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

Sold for $13.00

Sales from SquareDanceNWestern Etsy Shop for February 2018

2 Vintage String Ties for men.

Sold for $12.00

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

Sold $30.00

Black Western Prairie Skirt. Selling for friend.

Sold $25.00

Square or Round Dance shoes. Selling for friend.

Sold $19.00

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

Sold $18.00

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

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

Sold $49.99

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.