Posted by On Monday I had an Ikea blue bag full of orders (seven) to drop off at the post office which felt amazing. (I never take my sales for granted.) Monday’s orders included four Waterford Voya wine glasses that were 9″ tall with skinny stems. I got them for a great price last August at my neighborhood thrift store but packing them for shipping was stressful. Lots of tissue paper. Lots of bubble wrap. Lots of packing material. Fingers crossed they all make it intact.
After the post office, I cruised to my neighborhood thrift store and nothing was good enough till I saw a stack of pretty porcelain bowls. They were no longer rubber-banded together which meant someone had already investigated them, but the more I looked at them the better they got!
First, the pattern was striking and the gilding and porcelain were in great shape. Plus they were made in France for The Bailey, Banks & Biddle Co.–a wonderful jewelry and luxury goods company founded in 1832 in the U.S. Without doing more research in the store, I scooped these up for $8.90.
Back at home I discovered the green maker’s mark D & C, France stood for Delinieres & Co, circa 1894-1900. Bingo! Another true antique find at Goodwill and a scarce one. This is why I l still love this little thrift store. I come up empty handed a lot and it can be overpriced, BUT it’s worth going when I find stuff like this! I’ll list these bowls for $125 and I don’t think they’ll take long to sell.
Rethinking my Etsy Inventory–Saying Bye Bye
Now to be honest I wasn’t going to buy any more china bits this year. My store direction is leaning in other directions. But finding something that good, well, I had to make an exception!
It’s been interesting rethinking what I want to sell in my store moving forward in 2026. To that end I’m slowly divesting myself of kitchenalia and dining room linens. No more placemats, tablecloths and such. No more sugar and creamer sets including this antique hand-painted Bavarian set. No more refurbished cutting boards.
I moved all of these to FaceBook Marketplace (for $20 each). We’ll see if there is any interest.
I’m also looking to jettison toys, including the few remaining teddy bears. It’s just such a random category for me and not one where I have expertise. I just listed this hand-made bear on FB Marketplace too.
I have had some success selling fabric in the past, but the last remnants in my store have lingered way too long and it’s not an area I want to pursue any longer. This interesting five-yard remnant of fabric from the British Museum is one of those pieces. It’s now on FB Marketplace.
At this point I’m hoping to recoup my initial investment on these items. But if they haven’t sold in two or three months, I’ll be donating them. [The Bavarian creamer and sugar bowl set just sold today as did this fabric…yeah!]
Other items are going directly to the charity pile, like this baggie of misc. vintage lace trims. Not even sure why I bothered listing this to begin with.
My Goal
I definitely want a smaller store (less than 400 items) moving forward. I’m at 500 right now (down from 700) and it’s still too much. And I want to be more focused. Sticking to the categories I know and love.
Main categories
- Vintage and antique jewelry
- Vintage sterling silver charms and bracelets
- Religious items
- Vintage books
- Artwork
- Quirky vintage decor
- Old sterling silver and silverplate items
Now if I can just stick to my goal and categories and not get distracted by all the good things that don’t fit my store!
Wishing you happy hunting,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 