Posted by Half the year is gone which feels crazy to me. Am I right?!! Before we know it Christmas decoration displays will be popping up in stores.
On an equally crazy note, my vintage Etsy store revenue is down 50% from last year (!) so I am continuing to rethink and readjust. I’m still getting rid of languishing inventory, redoing listings, adjusting prices and digging in the last bins and closet corners for things I’ve never listed. Found this weird little cast iron cup I bought in a Tennessee antique store last fall. It’s a 1908 souvenir from “The D.M. Read Co. Fair Week.” It’s rare, but I’m not sure who it will appeal to.
Part of my adjustments also include dropping my Worthpoint subscription which is $224 annually. I’ll miss it, but I’m just not getting enough value from it. I’ve also been cutting back on buying inventory which is a good move. Notably too I am putting more items on eBay and that’s been helping a bit.
We’ll see how the next few months go. Some days it feels like I’m spinning my wheels!
I do go out sourcing every now and then just to cherry pick a few items here and there. At my neighborhood thrift store I walked past this MCM Danish teak salt shaker and pepper grinder three times before I noticed them! Once I picked them up I was “Yes, Please!” Was hoping to find a brand name or designer signature like the renown Jens Quistgaard but never did. Danish items remain popular so I was happy with this find.
On the 4th of July I went early (8:00 a.m.) to the Goodwill sale and was so disappointed. Some of the shelves were actually bare and I think if you are advertising a sale at least fill the shelves!!! (They get tons of donations at this site.) As hard as I tried I didn’t find anything to buy. This newer Art-Nouveau-style vase was lovely, just lovely, and was hoping to see a mark for Bavaria, Germany or Austria on the bottom, but alas, it had a made-in-China sticker. I was still tempted but at $18+ I left it behind for someone else.
I am letting go of more personal things which has gotten easier over time. This week it included two antique Scottish horn cups/whiskey drams. I bought these 12+ years ago from a seller who used to take annual sourcing trips to England and Scotland. I collected eight cups over the years from her, but have now whittled it down to one.
I’m also getting more offers on items these days. Some provide a story, some include a praying hands emoji, some just message a price. Occasionally I will negotiate with a buyer, but not often. Yesterday, I received an offer that was a 50% off my price on an amazing piece of antique sterling silver and I had to laugh. Why do folks bother doing that?
At the same time I’ve also had messages from folks who want to sell me their whole collection, most recently for vintage ashtrays. Frankly I don’t have the bandwidth to buy huge collections–not the storage nor the biz funds. And right now I don’t want to tie up a lot more money in my inventory period. It’s just not the time for me to be doing that.
Wishing you happy hunting,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 