Posted by Haven’t bought much yet in 2026 for my vintage Etsy store. Well, I don’t need much. I still have unlisted bits and pieces that I need to keep working at–charms, books, vintage clothing, ephemera. And I keep unearthing other things that I haven’t dealt with. Many of us in the biz have this problem.
But having said that I have done a little thrift store shopping and I think all the things I found were interesting but will I find buyers for them?
I mean honestly so much of what I sell will not have a good sell-through rate and generally that’s fine with me. I tend to go for quirkier things. But quirky takes longer to sell. A lot longer. In 2025 some of my solds included items that had been listed for five+ years! That makes me wonder how my recent purchases will do.
Take the Royal Doulton “Pearly Boy” porcelain figurine (this one circa 1949-1959). I almost always steer clear of collectibles like this, but I was enticed by the 75% off (still paid more than I wanted) and I thought he was kinda cute. Still who is buying this kind of thing these days? Not many. And as it turns out there are quite a few for sale online and not many sold. I’m not feeling confident about him at all!!
I am pleased with this hand-beaded cocktail purse found the other day at my neighborhood thrift store. No label or info of any kind, but it’s beautifully made, quite heavy with all the beads, very clean and looks unused. Even the beaded handle is just fine. And bonus it will fit a small cell phone. I did sell some beaded purses in 2025, but most had brand labels, like the Mary Frances designer purses, or at least country of origin. This one doesn’t. I will likely add a video of this purse to the listing as that will really showcase how fabulous it is!
I bought this small vintage brass bowl with Arabic script on ebay. I was trying to use up this odd amount of money on a gift card that doesn’t let you combine it with other payment forms. I now have an even smaller weird amount to try and use up! Still this was free to me and I’m hoping I like it when it arrives. But who will buy this? I already have a couple of small interesting brass dishes that have been listed for years.
In my unlisted pile I have this sterling silver bracelet loaded with 1950s/60s field and track medals bought last October for $19. I bought it for no other reason than I thought it made for an interesting piece of jewelry and unique peek into someone’s past. But how many folks are going to want to wear this other than me?! I’ve decided to remove the medals and sell them individually, though they won’t go for much.
Today a quick thrift store visit revealed these six Mino ware Japanese bowls. This type of thing is on my no-buy list, but I have the willpower of a gnat and couldn’t resist buying them. I’m guessing these would be used for rice or broth or maybe some tempura vegetables!
But I’m realizing from my few 2026 finds that I really need to rethink what I’m buying and the amount I’m paying. It’s one thing to pay $1 or $2 for an item you may later donate for failure to sell and it’s another to spend $10 or $15+ on things that end up back at charity. And frankly I no longer want to wait years for an item to sell.
Lots to think about!
Hunting for Vintage 