Posted by Many of us who resell vintage and antique things have our big niches, our specialties, be it jewelry or mid-century modern or pottery or sterling silver. My biggest category is jewelry but I have smaller niches which have been both enjoyable to source and profitable.
Books
I love books but am not an expert on buying and selling them. I don’t know which ones are rare or not. That said, I have had modest success picking and selling them. And yes, in this age of Kindle, folks still buy real, physical books. And while it’s not a big part of my business (it’s hard competing against the “big boys”–sites like Amazon, Alibris, eBay, Abe Books, and ThriftBooks) here’s why I bother and maybe why you should too:
- Secondhand books are readily available–thrift stores, garage sales, library sales, estate sales, etc.
- Most are inexpensive–$1 to $3 or even free. So no big outlay.
- They are usually easy to research.
- Bonus, they’re easy to store and ship.
Obviously a lot of the books you find are not worth the effort to sell online. These days I’m looking for vintage books with:
- quirky subject matter
- small print runs and out of print
- religious themes
- illustrations
- regional recipes
- medical images
- art focus
- poetry
- lurid covers!
Here are a few of my more recent sales–selling from $18 to $48. (Paid $1 or $2 each)
Fabric
I never thought about selling fabric until a friend introduced to a monthly popup sale that sold fabric remnants. The remnants came in all sizes and yardage and some were quite stunning, so I took a chance and for the most part it’s worked out well. There are buyers looking for special pieces of fabric at reasonable prices for all kinds of projects.
At the popup this linen Chinoiserie print from France was my best find (paid $10 for 2.5 yards, sold for $175) but some of my vintage and unique fabrics have done well too. The six yards of African wax cloth (yellow circles) was a FB Marketplace find for $10. (Sold for $60.) The 1970s cotton daisy fabric was a garage sale find. I bought a partial bolt for $15. I sold 11 yards for $150 and have a four+ yards still for sale.
I stick to natural fabrics–cotton, linen, wool, silk–and try to have pieces that are at least two yards. Designer fabrics obviously have more cachet. I used to keep an eye out for mid-century barkcloth but every time I found some (usually at an estate sale) the prices were astronomical.
But while I have enjoyed buying and selling fabric for seven years, I am now trying to sell off the last of my pieces and will likely not buy more. No big reason. I just want to focus on other things, but it has been a profitable niche and one that’s easy to store and ship. Something to consider.
Old Picture Frames
I adore old picture frames and they have been a surprise niche for me. As many of us in the vintage biz have discovered sometimes old frames are more valuable than the art itself. And I’ve found some dandy ones over the years typically in thrift stores.
I focus on wood and plaster and look for signs of natural aging and wear, construction tells like nails vs. staples and wood backer boards. It’s usually fairly easy to spot the true older frames. And most buyers will overlook small blemishes and damage. For some it adds to the appeal.
Even small vintage (1940s/50s) gold-toned metal frames, which evoke a grandma-core vibe, sell. (Paid $4, sold for $48.)
The downside to selling frames for me is their size and packing requirements. I recently sold one of my antique birds eye maple frames (12″ by 12″) and because it still had its glass, I had to use gobs of packing material and copious amounts of time packing it.
Christmas Ornaments
What a fun niche and folks buy Christmas ornaments all year round. But it’s not always the easiest to source at least for me. Where I live the small thrift stores tend not to put out any Christmas donations until November and by mid-January they are gone again for a year. Maybe it’s the same for you. And while estate sales can yield bounties, they tend to be priced up and you really have to know your stuff to buy well.
So it remains a very small niche for me. Still over the years I have found reasonably priced Christopher Radko, Patricia Breen, folk-art pieces, Italian glass baubles and 1950s Shiny Brites that have done well for me so I always look.
If you’re more serious about buying and selling ornaments you’ll definitely want to learn about antique European ones. This 1800s German Kugel ornament is listed for $698 on Etsy from RetroReadingBooks.
And complete sets of vintage mercury glass ornaments can command big prices. This box of 1940s bells is listed for $500 from RavishingRetro on Etsy.
Like in any business, the more you know, the better. And if I wanted to turn any of these small niches into bigger ones I’d be investing time into learning tons more about them. But for now I’m content keeping them small.
Would love to hear about your small niches and do let me know if you’d like to write a guest blog!
Karen
P.S. I have lots of items 10% off in my Back-to-School sale.
Hunting for Vintage 