Sell or Donate??

Like most folks in the vintage reselling biz I acquire a lot items. Most I buy, but some come to me free. But not everything is worth the time/energy to list in an online store. Now I know I could sell this stuff in a yard sale or locally on Craigslist, etc., but I haven’t had great success with either and I don’t want to waste my time anymore. I’d rather just donate it and get it out of the house.

Here are some of the decisions I made yesterday…

DONATE: This pair of darkroom beakers in original boxes could have been fabulous if they had been glass and/or the boxes more graphic. Alas the beakers are plastic and definitely used. Sadly not worth much. Added these freebies to my donate pile.

DONATE: I’ve been gathering these odd bits of jewelry in this bag. Some were given to me, some inherited, some came from lots I bought. A good chunk of it is vintage. I was going to sell this as a craft lot (though some is wearable), but that just doesn’t appeal to me. I know some of you may be shaking your head, but it’s on the donate pile.

SELL: I found this Empire sterling silver salt shaker at my neighborhood thrift store months ago and realized the chances of me finding a mate for it in the next year or so are slim. Was it worth selling on its own? I thought I’d try.

DONATE: I received 20 of these 50 ml. glass ampoules in a recent free haul of lab glassware, but my research is showing me these aren’t worth much and I could envision them lingering in my store for years. I’m passing these on.

DONATE: Alas, these brass and wood salt and pepper shakers bought last year for $6 only sell for $10-$20 and given there are a ton for sale online and they aren’t on trend, I am letting them go. (I should have known better buying these!)

SELL: I bought this vintage First Aid Travelkit three years ago (!) at an estate sale for $2 and it remained at the bottom of a “to be listed” bin. This was worth listing. It had many of its original components, the best being the mercurochrome bottle, and the tin itself is in better condition that most.

Sadly I did have to empty the red mercurochrome as it is illegal in the U.S. to sell pre-1998 versions which contain mercury. Still the bottle, which is desirable on its own, is in good condition with an intact label.

SELL: These 1940s/50s male star publicity photos came from a scrapbook I inherited from my mother. I had already removed the starlet photos and sold them for $40 and decided these were worth a try too.

So there it is…a few of my decisions yesterday. Today, is a different sort of day. I said goodbye to a cracked, infected tooth and hello to broth, pudding and healing! (So thankful for access to great dental care and insurance.)

Wishing you happy hunting and great decision making,

Karen