Posted by I dabble in selling books. That’s the best way to put it. I am not a serious book buyer. My knowledge is limited. But I have some minor success buying and selling them.
Last Saturday I was driving back from an appointment and I realized my route would take me just two blocks from a library book sale that I hadn’t been to in decades. By this point the sale had been going on for five hours. No doubt already scoured by the serious book dealers. Would I find anything? I was dubious. Still I thought it was worth a visit and I will say it was exciting roaming the sale stock set up throughout the library. I felt like a kid in a candy store.
There were plenty of shoppers, but it was manageable. All the books I looked at were $1 or $2. And glory be, I found some vintage books that captured my attention. I made the decision not to look them up in the library. At those prices I trusted my instinct and went with what has sold in my shop before.
I filled up one small bag, but honestly I should have bought more. This town’s Friends of the Library group only have three sales a year and the next one’s not till March 2026! Still there are many sources for books, including my city’s library monthly sales, thrift stores and yard sales.
So did I find any home runs in my little stack of books? Well no. Still I have no complaints. I only paid $10 for the lot. The 1973 “Discovering Chess” book will likely sell first. But I think my best find might be the 1923 “Elbert Hubbard’s Scrap Book.” I actually owned one of these years ago and thought it was enchanting. This book is out of the Roycroft Movement in East Aurora, NY, credited as the birthplace of Arts & Crafts in the U.S. Founder Elbert Hubbard (influenced by William Morris) wanted a community where artisans of all types could practice their crafts. The only downside with this book is that there seem to be quite a few for sale online and I have no idea if any are selling!
Years ago I found these two brass Roycroft pieces at Goodwill and nearly fainted. I paid less than $5 for the pair. Both pieces had wear and a bit of damage but were still worth money.
But back to books, even my local Goodwill with its small selection of books has provided a few winners this year. I bought this signed Edis Jurycs book of photographs in August for $3 and it sold the other day for $24. Not a huge profit, but worth it for me considering how easy it was to list, store and ship.
And I just found this 1978 special edition, signed, “Lee Friedlander Photographs” book. Inside the book is in pristine condition, but the blue cloth cover has, alas, suffered rather hideous sun damage and minor scuffing. There is a technique using shoe polish (Meltonian shoe cream is recommended) mixed with a dash of lighter fluid that will bring the cloth back to full beauty. But I’ve decided for now to sell it AS IS for a reduced price. Time will tell if it sells.
Odd Statue
I was really on the fence about buying this “Two Become One” metal sculpture by Louise Hederström at my neighborhood thrift store. Created in the 1990s and sold through IKEA, it is striking…but…but it’s also tall (17″), has a few small rough spots and there are a lot for sale online, ranging in price from $39 to over $2,000! And yes, that’s for the same exact sculpture! (I did find one on Etsy that sold for $145.)
Still not sure if I’ll list it or not.
USPS Shipping Snafus (Make this Make Sense!!!)
I just happened to look at my shipped orders and discovered that two items I shipped on November 10th still hadn’t arrived at their homes, coincidentally both in New York City. One is a rather lovely amber pendant that for some reason was scanned in and out of Seattle for days. Apparently today it will be delivered. Phew!
But worse the other package was sent Priority Mail at great expense. It was supposed to be delivered on November 12th a couple of days after I mailed it. It was scanned as “out for delivery.” Only it wasn’t delivered according to the tracking and is still “In Transit”. Eight days have passed and it’s been stuck in limbo. I contacted the buyer to ask it if he had actually received it and perhaps it didn’t get scanned (no reply yet) so I initiated a missing mail search.
Needless to say this is all very frustrating and sadly shipping delays are often seen by buyers as the seller’s fault. I have no idea how this will turn out. I may have to give the guy a full refund but hopefully USPS will refund me in full as well. Worse case scenario– the buyer requests a refund and I give it to him and before I can get my refund from the post office they finally deliver the package. It happens.
What’s Selling
November is continuing to have steady sales and I am grateful.
I put the reindeer fur on sale and it sold in no time. (Paid $10 at Goodwill, sold for $157.) I dreaded packing the huge globe and have sternly told myself not to buy any more big globes! I loved the mod handmade pottery salt and pepper shakers but it was not a smart buy. (I paid $16 and they sold for $40.) When I bought them I was hoping to attribute them to some famous potter or brand and wasn’t able to.
So another week is gone. Next Thursday the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving. I do have so much to be thankful for, though this year has been stressful. In the next few days I’ll try to step back and appreciate all the blessings in my life.
Wishing you happy hunting and a life full of blessings,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 