Posted by The short- and long-term effects of this pandemic are scary…for all of us. Here in the U.S. (and in much of the world) we will be sheltering in place for at least another four weeks. The impact to me means (among other things) a longer time before I can go sourcing at flea markets, estate sales, thrift stores, yard sales, antique stores and rummage sales. It’s a small price to pay for staying safer during this dangerous season, but I do miss going. I miss the hunting high, the good deals, the camaraderie and just getting out and about. It was the best part of my job. Hands down.
Nowadays to keep my little vintage business a float I’ve got three sourcing options. Would love to hear if you have others!
#1 Death Piles
Almost all of us have them. Stuff we’ve bought that doesn’t get put online or dealt with immediately. Usually for me it’s because I’ve hit a research road block or it needs care (cleaning, washing, repair, etc.) or I’ve decided it’s not good enough.
Some of my favorite YouTube resellers have revealed their death piles: Walter (Antiquesarena) admits to having two garages full of items to add to his eBay store as well as his those in his brick-and-mortar store which is closed now and will not be reopening. Jocelyn (Crazy Lamp Lady) recently took us on a tour of her packed death-pile room and Dave (Blue Bus Dave) buys in such large quantities that he has a warehouse full of finds as well as storage rooms. I think he’ll be set for a while!
It’s ironic to think that our chronic overbuying is now a bonus at this time. (I rather wish I had gone to those last few estate sales which were loaded with great stuff!) My piles are fairly humble, but I am chipping away at them. Got this great 1940s embroidered barkcloth tablecloth (a November 2019 flea market find) washed, ironed and listed!
And I still have quite a stash of silver charms to list and as they are selling fairly steadily I’ll definitely focus on putting more of these in my store in the coming weeks.
#2 Online Auctions
I’ve been having some fun finding undervalued things online, mostly on eBay and shopgoodwill. So far I haven’t found any knock-your-socks-off deals, but I’ve found some interesting things that have a bit of money left in them.
The vintage German bronze icon I bought a few days ago arrived yesterday. My only niggle was that it wasn’t packaged very well, though it did arrive undamaged.
And I just won this vintage/antique bohemian garnet brooch. It’s missing one or two stones and was listed for repair or harvest. I haven’t decided what I’ll do with it at the moment, but for $29 it was a fair deal.
#3 Personal Possessions
I may also dig into drawers and cupboards. I know I have some jewelry and scarves I’m not wearing anymore and I could downsize my vintage sterling silver items more, though silver items are not as popular these days, and possibly some of my pottery.
Something to think about as the weeks drag on!
I hope you are keeping well and staying safe. Would love to hear how life is for you.
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 
I still have quite some quantity of items from my “collections” to pass on, but to be honest, the dip of sales in the recent days is not helping to motivate me to list 😉
I reduced quite a few items on my Etsy, but so far I haven’t seen a difference… I used EtsyOnSale for the sale, though I’m not sure how good that one is… have you tried it? what are you using to set up your sales on Etsy?
Have your sales recovered? I hope they did 🙂
Happy virtual hunting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Gabriella. I am struggling to list right now too. My orders are sluggish compared to last year’s and you’re right it is so demotivating.
I set up my sales through Etsy’s Marketing Sales and Coupons feature. I’ve had some success with that and supposedly it puts your items higher in the search queue.
Keep safe,
Karen
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!! I will try that feature once the current sale is over.
Understandably, people are being more cautious in their spendings, so I don’t expect to see an increase soon.
Stay safe ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi! Do you target certain items with your coupons?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Debbie H. I haven’t been doing much with coupons these days, but I do select various items each month to put on sale in my Etsy store. I’ve just been adding things for the April sale.
LikeLike