For those of you who follow me, I decided to jump ahead to May sales on Etsy, even though I haven’t shown you March and April yet. I’m getting to them slowly. May was actually a good month for a change. 39 sales in all.
32 sales in Vintage Southern Picks Etsy shop
7 sales in SquareDanceNWestern Etsy shop
What Took Forever to Sell
Fancy Brass Overlay Trash Can
Found at an estate sale for $5, it finally sold to someone in Australia, who paid over $70 in shipping to get it there!
Sold: $35.60
Vintage Doily Dresser Set
Very pretty and in nice shape, but dresser scarves do not sell well.
Cost: $2
Sold: $14
Vintage Rooster Napkin Holder
Cute, but took a long time to sell.
Cost: 50¢
Sold: $19.79
White Tulle Fabric
I’m selling off bunches of white tulle I got from a friend of mine. It takes a long time to move, but this is the 3rd bunch I’ve sold. I have a whole lot left.
Cost: free
Sold: $15.70 with free shipping
Vintage Ginny Trunk
I paid $18 for this doll trunk because “Ginny” is so hot, and I just knew I was going to make big bucks.
WRONG!
I barely broke even.
Profit after fees: $1.42
But it was better than donating.
The inside of the trunk looked like this.
Contrast that with this vintage doll trunk I sold in 2014 for $44.99. It didn’t say “Ginny,” but it sold so quickly my head spun, so I knew it was underpriced.
All that to say, it’s best to leave vintage doll trunks alone. They don’t sell well, unless they look like above. Even old Barbie trunks don’t do so well. They’re so many of them out there.
.Vintage Josef Owl Figurine
Who can resist a darling little owl figurine like this??
Lots of people!!! Like I’ve said in a previous post, figurines do not sell well!
Cost: $1
Sold: $24 with free shipping
What Sold From Home
Vintage Quilt
Someone made this for me 20 years ago, but the fabrics it’s made with are much older. I love the quilt, but I’m downsizing. It was pretty and not stained.
Sold: $65
Backpacker’s Aluminum Coffeepot
In my younger days, I did some backpacking, but I won’t be doing that anymore.
Sold: $17.00
Bird Identification Book
This is a small handbook from my Mother’s collection.
Cost: 0
Sold: $12.50
Crate of Miniature Glass Coke Bottles
From a little collection of Coke items I’ve had 20+ years. Sold to a collector.
Cost: 0
Sold: $19.95 with free shipping
Vintage Evyan Powder Container
I’ve had this a long time on display in my bathroom. It took a long time to sell. Lots of them on Etsy already.
Cost 0
Sold: $16.78
Everything Else
Vintage Treasure Chest Jewelry Box
It’s a lot to pay, but it was the first day, and a larger box than usual. Check out this post for more info on these type chest purchases!
I always clean and polish these, especially deep in the grooves, which makes them look & sell better.
Cost: $8
Sold: $34
Vintage Hummel Joseph Figurine
This figurine did sell pretty fast, but since it was used for Christmas sets, I took a chance.
Cost: $1.25
Sold: $59
Vintage Bottle Merthiolate
People have fond memories of this vintage antiseptic, which burned like fire. I believe this is the 4th bottle I’ve sold, so I always grab these when I see them!
Cost: 55¢
Sold: $15.70 with free shipping
Vintage Corset
As I said in my last post, The Latest Fun Finds, I rarely see vintage corsets, and certainly never on the last day! I got lucky.
Cost: $2
Sold: $36
Vintage Plant Mister
Also known as “the Plant Mister from H…”
This sold very quickly, but the person who bought it didn’t read the description that it produced a single stream of water. Granted, it shouldn’t been called a “mister,” but I thought it was the right keyword to use, providing the person read the description. Sigh.
So she sent it back & I relisted it. It sold again very quickly to a gal in Hungary. I made sure she knew ahead of time it produced a single stream of water.
Still wanted it.
Cost: $2
Sold: $19.95
But it never arrived. It came back to me before it ever went overseas, because the box looked like this.
The “plant mister” was OK, but the box I used to pack it in was far too flimsy.
She still wanted it. Bummer.
So I sent it back on my nickel. Wasn’t her fault I didn’t use the right box.
Painful lesson learned.
Vintage Recipe Box with Top Lid
Cost: $4
Sold: $19.99
Potobello Tea Kettle, made in Italy
Cost: $3.82
Sold: $40
Vintage Bates List Finder
Always a good seller, but they’re hard to find.
Cost: 55¢
Sold: $18.75
4 Hoosier Cabinet Storage Jars
There were a lot of these on Etsy already.
Cost: 55¢
Sold: $32.70
4 Cloth Ivory Place Mats
Place mats usually don’t sell very well. There are so many on Etsy already.
Cost: $1
Sold: $14.70 with free shipping
4 Vintage Cross Stitch Magazines
Cost: 25¢
Sold: $10.00
Pair of Embroidered King Pillow Shams
Cost $2
Sold: $28
Cubical Tissue Box Holder
These are good sellers.
Cost: 55¢
Sold: $22
Challis Fabric Remnant
Cost: Minimal
Sold: $8.99
Green Print Fabric Remnant
Cost: Minimal
Sold: $14.95
Pinwheel Fabric Remnant
Cost: $2
Sold: $16.95
Vintage Brass Bird Cage with Bird
When I found this, I thought it was going to be so unique. Ha. A whole page of them on Etsy already. Mine was the only one with this type of bird.
Cost: $1.50
Sold: $36
Spoon Rest, made in Italy
Don’t buy these. It took a while to sell, and I’ve seen bunches of them sitting in thrift stores, which is where this came from.
Cost: $3.99
Sold: $18.00
Vintage Capelli Straw Handbag
Dates from the 80’s. Found the last day at an estate sale. Sold quickly.
Cost: $3
Sold: $28.90
Vintage Evyan Powder with Powder
Shipping an open powder container with powder in it was a big problem. The inner cap on the powder was missing, so there was no way it was going to arrive NOT in a mess. The buyer was able to salvage most of the powder, which was EVERYWHERE.
I should have put it in a zip lock bag, which would have helped contain it.
Another lesson learned. Sigh.
Cost: 55¢
Sold: $29.90
Vintage Crochet Southern Belle Linen Set…Doilies and Runners
Cost: I cannot remember what I paid for this.
Sold: $27.95
SquareDanceNWestern Sales
Men’s Red Square Dance Tie
Cost: 0
Sold: $15.70
Patriotic Square Dance Skirt
I made this myself, but without an elastic waist, skirts are slow sellers. But this sold fairly quickly.
Sold: $29.50
Another Square Dance Outfit I made.
Sold: $45
Longer Square Dance Skirt
This sold quickly even though it was a non-elastic waist, and a size small. Size small in skirts are very slow sellers.
Cost: 0
Sold: $17.50
Denim Floral Skirt
This was the “Skirt from H…”
It sold to a person in Greece.
And was a problem because of a very slow arrival.
Most of my International sales are via First Class Mail International, which is cheaper, but has no reliable form of tracking.
When a problem arises, you don’t know where the package is, and no one else does either. Not even the PO can tell you anything.
Believe me, I know. I spent an hour and a half on hold waiting to speak to a real person, and when they came on the line, they weren’t able to tell me anything I didn’t already know.
This package went to Greece via the Russian Federation. Figure that one out.
Long story short…the buyer opened a case due to the slow arrival. Having an opened case on Etsy is a big headache for the seller. I convinced her to wait 30 days because they sometimes take that long.
The package arrived in exactly 30 days & if it hadn’t, I promised a refund.
We have almost become friends through this ordeal.
All that to say, be wary of First Class Mail International.
Cost $1.65
Sold: $29.95
Black Square Dance Petticoat
Colors like black, white, or red don’t sell very well because almost everyone has those already.
Cost: 0
Sold: $29.90
Black Fringed Ankle Boots for Square Dancing
Cost: $1.65
Sold: $48
These sold to someone in Australia.
Congratulations if you made it this far reading! I appreciate it.
Leave me a comment and let me know if you made it to the end, and let me know what you think of all these mishaps, which I’m sure will be funny later.
Ha. Ha.
PLEASE PIN!
For More Juicy Sales Posts, click below:
What Sold in February 2019 on Etsy
Update on Etsy Sales and What I’ve Been Up To (August 2018 Etsy Sales)
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
Impressive number of sales! Seems there is always a lesson to learn with every sale…Thanks for sharing yours!
You’re so right Kerry & thanks. Appreciate your comment!
I always love seeing your posts Florence! You are such an inspiration to those of us who dabble in this business. Thanks for the encouragement. You are the best!
Lynn
Well hello! Thanks for commenting Lynn! I don’t see enough of you.
We need to remedy that!
Lynn
Yes we do!
You were busy!
I would have thought the Ginny trunck would have sold, too. The blue trunk looks exactly like my red Betsy McCall trunk. I don’t know if it was specific to her or generic, but it’s the same trunk.
I keep forgetting why I’m supposed to buy those boxes. I stare at every one I see, which really isn’t that many, and think I’m supposed to get it but it’d be several dollars and I wouldn’t buy it. Maybe I’ll remember that they sell well for you next time I see one. But probably not.
The selling price of the Hummel! You go girl!
LOL on the “fond” memories of the Merthiolate. I never wanted to tell Momma I had a cut or scrape ’cause she’d pull out the red stuff from He**.
I stopped selling internationally years ago. I know I’m leaving money on the table but *for me*, if anything’s going to go wrong, it will be on an international order and those problems, which would be minor if shipped within the US, are amplified so much internationally that it stopped being worth the headache. Other people don’t seem to have those problems but for some reason I do. Sorry to hear you had a run of it.
Well, International sales usually go well, but there’s always that one that comes along every now & then. I asked one time on the Etsy formum if others did International sales b/c the fees are naturally higher & I got 100% that sellers do them. So I’m keeping on. Isn’t it amazing that someone would pay such high prices for an item going to Australia?
I have those same “fond” memories of Merthiolate too. I would immediately start crying when I saw that bottle coming out of the cabinet, LOL.
I\ve said it before and will say it again: you are very inspiring! I wish I would make myself get up and go through the tons of things I could sell and list them.
Now you ought to go for it Ellen!!
Lots of fun sells Florence. My dad has a whole bunch of those coffee pots that are aluminum but sadly there are pieces missing.
Was there coke in those little coke bottles?
Mary, I’m sure you’re going to find a way to repurpose those coffee pot pieces one day, dontcha know???
No coke in the bottles, but they did look realistic, didn’t they?
I sure was fooled!
I love what sells. And what didn’t. It is all of what people want I guess
Thank you Debra! So good to hear from you! I hope you are doing well.
Lots of great finds here, Florence! And I have that green fabric…and my mom had that Evyan powder. So fun to look back.
I know what you mean Kim. It is fun!
I’m always surprised at what people buy. I would never in a million years have thought an old bottle of antiseptic would sell and those little coke bottles are adorable. I would have snatched those up and that beautiful quilt of yours too. That must have made you a little sad to see go.
Yeah, I know about the antiseptic! People still want it & you can’t buy the original formula anymore. Yes that quilt too. I priced it too cheap b/c of damage, but it’s gone, & I’m still downsizing. I have more beautiful quilts I’m slowly selling. Thanks for coming by Michelle! I always enjoy your visits!
New fan here, and i’ve enjoyed reading what sells and what doesn’t. I inherited collectibles and antiques that I need to rehome, but I have no idea of the value or what I should charge.
Thank you Joyce!! So happy to know I have a new fan! I’m glad you found some nuggets of wisdom from my post. Thanks for being one of my newest subscribers too!