One Day in My Online Vintage Biz

One thing that’s great about running an online side hustle is the freedom to plan your days. Like any biz some things have to be done tout suite (like getting orders out in time), but a lot of the work can be done as we chose. And we can vary our days. Or take days off. And some days are better than others…like yesterday!

Working with a pretty model

A few weeks ago I watched for eldest daughter’s dog for five days and as “payment” I told her she could do some modeling for me. So this morning she came over and we did a little photo shoot of clothes and purses. Some of the clothes are vintage, some new, some I wore a few times, others I bought to sell–and I’ve been sitting on all of them for a long, long time. Of course not everything fit her properly, but she made it all look good. And let’s face it, using a model is always in big plus when trying to sell clothes.

Here are a few of the photos…

So now I have no excuse not to list these! (Bonus, it was fun hanging out with my daughter.)

Researching the cookie mold

A few days ago I bought a fabulous antique wood cookie mold at my neighborhood thrift store. And since then I’ve been doing more research trying to find out more about its age, origin and current value. All the typical info. This is definitely part of the biz that I love. A lot of my research is done online, but I also use reference books and may reach out to an expert.

Well, during my research I found a sold listing of a similar mold on 1stDibs. And as I flipped through the photos on the listing I realized it wasn’t similar to mine, it was mine!!! The same marks, wormholes, scrapes, everything.

Here they are side by side–1stDibs photo is on the left. I was gobsmacked. This is the second time I have found something in a thrift store that had been sold before on 1stDibs. (For those who aren’t familiar it’s a posh vetted site.)

The seller had listed it for $1,195 (!!), but it likely sold for less than that. I’ve reached out to the seller to see if they will tell me what it sold for, but I’m not holding my breath for a response. (So far nada.)

Here’s the additional info on the listing.

The conundrum for me is figuring out how to price this. Sites like 1stDibs command higher prices and have the clientele who will pay those prices. Etsy is further down the food chain. Well after doing more research I settled on $498. We’ll see what happens!

Reviewing expired listings

Etsy listings expire every four months and cost 20 cents to renew. (Which is not a lot but does add up when you have hundreds of listings that linger.) I tend not to use auto relisting because I like to step back and consider each expired item before mindlessly renewing it. Here are my options: I can choose to renew it, renew it with changes, copy it to create a new listing or delete it.

Here are some expired items. The lot of 14 antique Easter postcards and four antique Valentine’s postcards have been in my store for a few years and the photos could be better. I decided to combine the lots, take new photos and create a new listing. The two slightly bashed 1800s silver plate mugs are being donated as well as 1931 yearbook so I’ll delete those listings.

Here’s my new listing for the antique postcards. I removed a few lackluster cards and added others.

In closing

This particular day did not include making any sales, going to the post office, dealing with customer questions, sourcing for new inventory or creating a lot of new listings which are all typical parts of the biz. In fact tomorrow I’ll likely spend it just listing or may be I’ll sort through more of my unlisted ephemera to figure out what I’m going to do with it!

Wishing you happy hunting,

Karen

P.S. When I’m not working in my vintage biz I’m writing for Today’s Women of Age. While geared for women over 50, many topics cross age and gender lines. Hope you’ll check it out and subscribe.