Tag: Tips for the beginner

What are some do’s and don’ts when you attend an estate sale?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Estate Sales, Shopping tips, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

You have attended a local auction and even have gone to some antique shops and even thrift stores that are near you.  So what is the next thing that you want to go to?  An estate sale!

Now that you have decided to take the plunge and attend an estate sale, what are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when you attend one?

The first thing to remember is that the company holding the sale may be limited to space in the house.  If they are, the company will limit the amount of people inside the house at one time to help with overcrowding.  The sale company will let in a certain amount at by doing something like handing out numbers to help with this.

Another thing to remember is not call or email ahead of time to get the price of an item you are interested in.  I have seen this happen several times when I am at a sale, and I have never seen the company give the price out.  This takes time away from the sale company from either running the sale or setting it up.

The next thing to remember is to respect others at the sale.  Cutting in line either waiting to get into the sale or to pay is one way to anger fellow customers.  Another way is to grab things out of another person’s hands that they are interested in and walk away with it.  These are a few of the jerk things that I have seen happen at sales that shouldn’t go on.  The thing to remember is to treat people the way you want to be treated.

This is just a small handful of do’s and don’ts when it comes to attending an estate sale.  What do you do when you attend a sale?

How do you find items to sell online?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Inventory, Selling tips, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

One of the more common questions that I am asked is how I find items to sell online.  Some of the more common places to find items are estate sales, auctions and even flea markets are common, and you can even find items at local thrift stores.

So where are some other places that that I find items to sell online?

Did you know that you can even find items in junkyards?  The obvious items to be found there are car parts.  I have seen other items like enamel signs, wire baskets and even gas pumps hanging out in junkyards.

I have also found items to sell on the curb of my own neighborhood that my neighbors set out at the curb for free.

The clearance isle of a store is a good possibility of finding items as well.

These are just a few ways to find items to sell.  How have you found the items you sell?

What are some tips for people that are starting to sell online?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Inventory, Selling tips, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

You have shopped on websites like eBay and Etsy, now you have decided to take the plunge and sell some stuff on one of those sites.

What are some tips to keep in mind when you do?

The first thing to remember is sell something that you have around the house, you don’t have to make a special purchase when you dive into selling.

The next thing to remember is the selling sites will take a percentage of the sale to cover any fee that will occur when you sell an item.  I would check to see what the fee is before I listed the item.

Another thing to remember is to consider the time it takes to sell an item.  I have seen a wide variety of how long it takes to sell an item after it is listed—there have been items that sell within seconds after listing it and there have been another take two months to sell.

This is a small handful of tips when you start to sell online.  What tips help you out?

What are some tips to help generate sales?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Selling tips, Tips for the beginner1 Comment

The first thing that pops into my mind when you talk about selling items online is, well, the sale itself.  What are some tips that will help generate some sales?

All three tips deal with the online listing itself, and the first tip is to take good photos of what you are listing.  I can’t begin to count how many online listings I have walked away from because the photo is blurry, or the photo is a part of the item to where I can’t make out what is being sold.

The second tip that has helped me with sales is to have a really good description of the item.  Not only do I try to give as much information as I can about the item, I also try to use full sentences.  I do this so the potential buyer doesn’t get confused with what I am trying to say and how I am trying to describe the item.

The third tip that I do is to try and keep shipping costs low.  Not only that, I try to ship as fast as possible–I do this in hopes that the customer remembers how fast they got the item and comes back to purchase another item because of the shipping speed.

These are just a few tips that I do to help generate sales.  What kinds of tips have you heard?

What in the world is a dummy stamp?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, History, Paper, Stamps, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment
image courtesy of wikipedia.com

Many years ago, I attended an auction that sold a huge collection of both coins and stamps.  While I was watching the stamps sell, I heard many different vocabulary words that applies to the stamp collection world, and one of the words was dummy stamp.

So, what exactly is a dummy stamp?

A dummy stamp is an officially produced imitation stamp that is used to train employees.  It can also test automatic machines that dispense stamps.  This type of stamp is usually blank or carry special inscriptions or other distinguishing ornamentation.

In the United States, the Dummy Stamp term relates to test and training stamps.  You will see the term used in the United Kingdom more widely to include the promotional and even sample stamps that are produced by the printers.

Dummy stamps are not intended to be collected, but they do reach the hands of collectors by the postal employees that have access to them.

Have you ever run across a dummy stamp?

What happened in the year 1932?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn History, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Whenever I look on the internet or a reference book that I have to look for information on an item that I am about to sell, I will run across really interesting tidbits about what happened during a certain year.

It could be the debut of a product, something that aired on the radio or television or even something that was captivating and held everyone’s interest for a portion of that particular year.

So, what happened during the year of 1932?

May 25—Goofy makes his appearance in the Disney cartoon titled Mickey’s Revue.

August 8—American Gridiron football was a demonstration sport of the Summer Olympics in Los Angles.

October 1—Game 3 of the World Series saw Babe Ruth hit a home run over the center field wall in the fifth inning.  This became to be known as the famous called shot by Babe Ruth.

November 7 saw the debut of the first science fiction show on radio.  It was called Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

This is just a handful of all the things that happened during the year 1932. What are some of the things that you heard of?

Glassware terms for the beginning collector

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Glassware, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When you dive into the world of collecting, you will quickly find that there are a TON of terms that you will hear.  There could be anything from a service set to cheese dishes.

Here are some of the terms that you will run across when it comes to tableware:

Breakfast set—this set features both a sugar bowl and a creamer that match.

Frog—this is an element that has multiple holes in it that hold flowers upright.  This will be in a vase or console bowl, and they range from small to large in size.  They are also in any color from clear pieces to colorful Depression glass and even carnival glass.

Tumbler—this is an everyday drinking glass.  They have been seen both footed and unfooted, and they also run the gambit in color from clear to every color under the rainbow.

Spooner—this item can be mistaken for a sugar bowl since they are similar.  Spooners do not have lids and are taller than sugar bowls since they are designed to hold spoons.

This is a small portion of the terms that you will run across for tableware.  What terms have you heard?

What are some of the different types of pottery?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Pottery, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When you jump into the world of antiques and collectibles you will see a wide range of pottery that’s on the market.  It could be transferware, stoneware or even art pottery—you really never know what you could run across!

What are some of the different types of pottery that you will find?

Ironstone—this is a type of pottery that made its debut in the UK in the early 1800’s.  It is similar to fine stoneware and was developed by potters in Staffordshire England as a cheaper alternative for porcelain.

Agateware—this is a type of pottery that is decorated with a combination of clays that have contrasting colors.  The name of this type of pottery comes from the agate stone which has different colored layers in it.

Raku Ware—this is a type of Japanese pottery that is traditionally in Japanese tea ceremonies.  The pieces are fairly porous vesels that are a result from low firing temperatures and lead glazes.  The traditional process sees the fired piece removed from the hot kiln and allowed to cool in the open air.

This is a small portion of the different types of pottery that you will find on the market.  What types have you run across?

Tips for garage sale shopping

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Garage SalesLeave a comment

It’s that time of year for garage sales to start to pop up everywhere.  If you happen to find one that could be on the way to work (or it could even be near where you live) what are some tips to keep in mind when you go?

The first is not to block neighborhood driveways—park sensibly so that people can get in and out of the driveway.  After all, you are shopping at the seller’s home.

Greet the seller when you first get there.  A friendly attitude may lead to a lowered price on an item.  It may even lead to being able to bundle a few items together at a lower price.

Don’t plow through their merchandise.  It took hours for them to set up and price everything—don’t destroy the sellers display.  When you pick up an item that you don’t want, put it back where it was.

Lastly, thank the seller.  Wish them a good day.  Frankly, before its all over, they no doubt will be exhausted.

What other garage sale shopping tips do you know?

What are some terms that will be heard at an auction?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Auctions, Tips for the beginner, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When you dive into the world of buying and selling, you will run across some interesting terms and phrases.  It is the same way when you attend an auction.

Here are some of the terms that you will hear when you attend an auction:

Passed in—If the bids at an auction don’t meet the reserve price, the item can be withdrawn from the auction or passed in.  It the item is passed in, the last bidder will be able to negotiate a price for the item with the seller.

Fair warning—this is a warning that is given by the auctioneer that is telling the bidders that the bidding for the item is about to end.  It also gives one last chance for any potential bidders to place a bid before the item is sold.

On-site auction—this is an auction that is conducted on the premises (or property) that is being sold on the day of the sale.

These are just a few of the terms that you will hear when it comes to an auction.  What are some of the terms that you have heard?