Burnt-out By Low Margin Profit & Customers

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by MM78

I believe Sandy sells mostly Antiques...

Large portion is but I also sell lots of new and closeout liquidation skids/pallet items.

I usually have more issues with buyers with closeout items then antiques. Odd this happens but whiner buyers on the closeouts whine about the box being scratched or dinged when I make it clear, the item inside is perfect! Box show signs of some wear. I learned how to deal with them because of the large number of pictures I add to a listing showing any external box issues.

[stanislav]

Originally Posted by MM78

I believe Sandy sells mostly Antiques...

Isn't antique considered USED ?

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by stanislav

Isn't antique considered USED ?

Antiques might mean an item of high value because of its age.

Some may be used. Some may be in nearly 'new' condition but 'older' in terms of the year of manufacture.

Then you need to add 'vintage' or 'estate'.

The item itself defines how it should be described.

Bottom line of the description is to get the most money from a sale.

[stanislav]

I understand Greeny but most if not all Antiques were used at some point. I am not expert on Antiques but I am pretty sure 95% of Antiques were used at some point in time.

[yotano211]

Some people are considered antiques but they dont fetch a high price

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by stanislav

I understand Greeny but most if not all Antiques were used at some point. I am not expert on Antiques but I am pretty sure 95% of Antiques were used at some point in time.

Certainly they might be.

From my experience, their chronological age determines their definition.

I'm no great fan of wikipedia but it defines the topic.

Antique - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


What is interesting is being able to change the category of an item when looking to sell. A 'antique' without papers etc could be sold as 'vintage' or 'estate' with profit

[oompaloompa]

I do not understand why some people are selling for such low margins, it is not worth the hassle, ok they get all the sales, but I cannot see the logic personally, they are not doing themselves any favours.....particularly with fees and returns and non receipt you need more of a buffer...

I have abandoned lines for this reason, other sellers.....

what irritates me is when I place an order, after researching the margins, then someone pops up selling for less. And do not tell me not to undercut them, if you do not, the goods just sit there unsold....

[vogeltron]

If you are claiming the margins are too low, You are working too long and are going to just quit. Why not just raise the price, maybe net less profit. But make more per sale. Less customers to deal with. Wouldn't that be better than just giving up 100%?

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by stanislav

Isn't antique considered USED ?

Not all of the time.

I find many antiques that have never been touched or used ever.

For example without great details of course.

I went to a house auction a few weekends ago and as the were sitting up tables to bring the items out of the house and onto the tables I noticed a certain piece of 1950s glassware in the original box being carried out. Thinking it was just the box with something else in it I asked the auctioneer if it would be ok to look at the item. They usually dont like you doing this until they are done.

I picked he box up and it was heavy, pulled open the flap and inside were 1950s very rare items made by a certain manufacture untouched, never used and appears to have been sitting in the kitchen cabinet for all those years.

As auction day goes along I am on terapeak, ebay etc looking as I knew it was a very rare set without the box but with the box the prices goes way up for collectors.

I waited hours for this item to come up for bid, pit in my stomach as I was buying other items. It came up, opening bid, 5.00. I could not believe it never moved. Then someone yelled 25.00 from the back. I of course like to counter with a knock out punch by saying 50.00. Bidder stopped walked away and no other bidders were interested.

It sold on ebay for 972.50.

Antique yes, used no.

Many antiques have been used but a nice portion has not been used.

An item that is vintage or old or antique does not mean it has to be used, for instance, etsy wont allow you to list anything that is newer then 25 years old. For me 25 years is not much of an antique but to some if it is a sought after collectible some would call it an antique. To me 25 years is not old considering I like items from the 30-40-50-60-70s myself. Those eras sell like hotcakes for the right item.

Each group of collectors for certain eras call their items something different.

1970s stuff is hot, very hot right now. All those crazy ugly yellows, greens, daisy flowers etc from the 70s bring big bucks.

Also, 1950s diner style items are hot.

In this business I am finding many older folks who would be in their 60-70s now are no longer showing up to buy like they used to. Leaving it wide open for those who have the knowledge. Many younger kids are not interested in antiques, vintage or older items and go for the newer modern or usable items instead. Which is a good thing for me.

There is not an auction, estate sale, yard sale, thrift store, antique mall etc in American that I cannot go into and find at least one antique/vintage item to make a decent profit on. Always something there to grab.

Grabbed a Champion Spark Plug 1960s metal sign last week at a community yard sale. Not considered an antique by many but highly collectible and as GB stated "vintage". Double sided, two colors which is rare.

Been doing this since I was a kid and still today get a pit in my stomach to find a treasure. Leaving in a few to go to a large antique auction. At this one I go and leave bids on certain items and leave. They will call and let me know which items I won and go back tomorrow and pick them up.

I do this at this auction because of the amount of dealers who go and bid items up. My silent bids lands me more items then if I were there in person.

Hopefully late tonight I will get a call because looking online at the pictures there is a ton of awesome stuff.

[Sandy D]

Stan

For me antique is 1970s or older.

Vintage could be 1990s and back.

Collectible is anything that people collect and can cross over into all the above.

In this market their are collector groups all over place. Groups who specialize in collecting things.

Just a few. Most also have newletters they send out to collectors/members.

Pez dispensers for instance has a huge collector group.

Cookie Jar collectors have a meeting 2 times a year for a week.

Carnival glass has it large collector group.

Lunch box collectors meet once a year.

1950s collectors get together and take up an entire hotel and sell their items right out of their hotel rooms to each other.

Vintage stoneware collectors get together once a year to share info, stories and to sell.

Vintage toy collectors have 2-3 shows every year in various locations and this group is huge!

Several even have their own museums.

I belong to many of these groups to get the newsletters who recent finds, pictures of others collections, for sale and wanted areas etc.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

I belong to many of these groups to get the newsletters who recent finds, pictures of others collections, for sale and wanted areas etc.

Very worthwhile idea - member to a few of these myself - helps to keep on top of trends and also to cater to specific needs of other members

[last3379]

I didn't mean to poke fun because $5000 a month is awesome money to make from home.

I just couldn't imagine all the work and stress you go through trying to please pay/pal, e/bay and 5000 pain in the ass customers every month!!

[rsot]

Originally Posted by 100HRWEEK

Well I have decided to part ways with cables. It's a lot of work for small return in profit. Also one a55hole buyer's remorse return can easily eat into many order's profits since the profits are so tiny.

Agree and the competition is cutthroat. Breathe a little and find something else - am sure you will.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by last3379

I didn't mean to poke fun because $5000 a month is awesome money to make from home.

I just couldn't imagine all the work and stress you go through trying to please pay/pal, e/bay and 5000 pain in the ass customers every month!!

1.00 at a time would be a real pain. Because even those 1.00 profit per order customers can cause you nightmares.

[100HRWEEK]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

I waited hours for this item to come up for bid, pit in my stomach as I was buying other items. It came up, opening bid, 5.00. I could not believe it never moved. Then someone yelled 25.00 from the back. I of course like to counter with a knock out punch by saying 50.00. Bidder stopped walked away and no other bidders were interested.

It sold on ebay for 972.50.

Love this. This is why I'd like to move away from cables. I like to work smart, not put in heavy hours for $1/sell.

[100HRWEEK]

Originally Posted by rsot

Agree and the competition is cutthroat. Breathe a little and find something else - am sure you will.

Thanks, the store has been quite for the past a few days, but it's alright.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by 100HRWEEK

Love this. This is why I'd like to move away from cables. I like to work smart, not put in heavy hours for $1/sell.

Does not happen all of the time but many times a month I find a gem like this. If I am out looking.

Was called for the bids I left at the auction and got a fantastic large oil painting on canvas signed for 35.00. Should sell for 250-300 range.

PITA to box but the profits will be well worth making a box from scratch for it.

Hit the yard sales, pay attention to the things you know yourself. Make notes of items and use terapeak on your phone if you have to.

Many people laugh at yard sales but I am willing to bet those who know what they are doing at yard sales, estate sales, auctions, thrift stores make more money then those buying new items in a highly competitive market.

LOL

I bought a bottle of unopened very high priced perfume two weekends ago and listed it Sunday night 9.99 to run until this Sunday. Its sitting at 93.00 right now and will and should hit 150.00 or more. Paid 10.00 for it.

It is out there, you just got to be there at the right time.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

Stan

For me antique is 1970s or older.

Vintage could be 1990s and back.

Collectible is anything that people collect and can cross over into all the above.

.

I appraise differently.

Antiques based on the British market is prior 1939 ( as a rule of thumb for me).

1970's is vintage or at a pinch estate.

Case in point as it is an item you do know well,Sandy, is a piece of Lalique glass. I'll not name the pattern but it was created prior to the Great Depression. Was made in the hey day of the 'flapper', Great Gatsby etc. Such a piece is truly an antique. But a later ( yet genuine) recreation is vintage Lalique.

Glorious pieces of crystal regardless.

[Sandy D]

I actually agree, depending of course on the item itself.

We both know Lalique Glass well and the same for Murano.

Murano made 30 years ago is considered antique here and for me Murano 30 years is vintage and antique is back when they first started making it.

Lalique is one of those items that was not mass produces and certain lines are very sought after so we can get into that its and antique, or vintage or collectible which helps you market the item using any of those keywords.

Funny how British considers 1939 as antique and our market here moves around depending on the product. 1970s and before is now being used as most of the marker as an antique here.

Thinking the USA would have more markets of antiques then Britain but I could be wrong. Based on some of those flea market type shows I used to watch when the guy would take 2 people around buying items and compete which others for the best finds.

[ploughman]

Re: OP. It can be sobering to divide the profit over the number of hours worked and then factor in that you're getting zero benefits as well. OTOH, I get occasional reminders of a previous life where I had commuting and costuming costs and a company that was always threatening my job (and would have wiped it out had I stayed). Also of unreasonable workloads being dumped on people from downsizings, and most of those left having personal situations that velvet-handcuffed them to the income. The company paid above-market wages and thought that was so great, but really the difference was scant compensation for all the stress over constant downsizings or other problems.

I still haven't recovered the old salary if you add in the benefits, but if you subtract the commuting, costuming and other costs it'll be close enough if in a good year. Otherwise it can be a challenge to the living-frugal skills, as in early 2009 when I took a 50% drop, peak-to-trough, at the height of the great recession.

I've thought many times over the 13 or so years of throwing in the towel, but the intangibles and a "mend it, don't end it" approach have always won out so far. It's also nice to do things like take a 2-day trip to Florida on a deep-discount airline over a Tuesday and Wednesday, even if on a tight budget, just to remind oneself of the new possibilities.

Though admittedly it's not for everyone. It can really help to have a collector's mentality (or be able to relate to it) and have a passion for what you sell. The isolation factor can be difficult for many, especially extroverts (of which I'm not one....and I really LIKE not needing to be on the phone). You need a thick skin for the inevitable negatives including unfair ones, and to be good with organization and re-engineering processes. One thing I really hated about the corporate world, almost as much as the office politics, was the fact that you could never be rewarded for greater efficiency with a shorter workday. Long hours would still be demanded, and there was a mentality of rewarding sacrifice or the appearance of it. Working smarter just attracted more work and little or no additional pay.

[ljakers]

This is a fact that margins have gone down. What I do is find ways to reduce overheads.
I sell small items and I now recycle envelopes from junk mail. I paste the labels over the junk envelopes. Also, cut cereal boxes into pieces for the cardboard protection.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by ljakers

This is a fact that margins have gone down. What I do is find ways to reduce overheads.
I sell small items and I now recycle envelopes from junk mail. I paste the labels over the junk envelopes. Also, cut cereal boxes into pieces for the cardboard protection.

I have a deal with the local appliance seller to get his styro foam he has from shipments of floor models of items.

Also Best Buy once in a while saves me some of it from floor model TVs etc.

Anything free adds to your profits and can add up.