posted on January 13, 2001 09:57:08 PM new
YUP. A Penn #25 fishing reel. Not cute and cuddly, but since I like to fish, I decided to start collecting reels.
posted on January 13, 2001 10:02:16 PM new
Yup! A Heywood-Wakefield photographers chair .. original finish. I sure could use the money but I just CANNOT part with it .. what are the chances I would ever find another one I could afford (it's in next to perfect condition)!
Also, a 19th century clock topper called Music .. she's gorgeous!
Hubby keeps saying when are you going to list that? I have to keep reminding him that not everything I own is 'for sale'!
________
I have a memory like a steel trap .. unfortunately it's rusted shut!
[ edited by tuition44years on Jan 13, 2001 10:03 PM ]
posted on January 13, 2001 10:30:31 PM new
Yes, quite a few times! Before I started selling on eBay, I used to buy old used cars for under $500 to fix up, clean up and resell for about $1500-$2500, usually making a profit of $500-$1000.
My first car (to buy & resell) was a 1988 Plymouth Reliant I bought for $250. It had only 68,000 miles on it, but had been parked for a year and needed a good clean-up, tires (bought used ones), etc. For $500, I had it looking and running like a dream (as well as possible for a K-Car). I thought, this isn't such a bad car, maybe I should keep it. Well, I resisted the temptation and sold it, within one day, for $1650! ($1150 profit for about 12 hours work!)
I had several others, but some that stand out were a gorgeous 1987 Buick Park Avenue (as nice as a Cadillac, total luxury & power!) Drove it for 2 months, finally sold it (about $1000 profit),
DON'T BE TEMPTED TO KEEP SOMETHING YOU BOUGHT TO RESELL!!!!!!!!
Here's when it backfired on me: Bought a high mileage '87 Pontiac 6000 with air conditioning, just before the summer. Checked it mechanically, needed minimal repairs. Decided I wanted to drive an air conditoned car all summer, so I kept it. In October I had to get a mechanical check before I could sell it, and had to spend about $500 on repairs and lost a bit of money when I sold it.
I could go on & on but I know not everyone's a car nut like me, so I'll stop there.
posted on January 13, 2001 11:46:05 PM new
Just got a 2 Volume set of "Culinaria: European Specialties"...I got it for $5 and it seems to garner @ $50 or so, but I think it is just such a gorgeous and ACCURATE cooking tool that I am having trouble listing it.
Keith
I assume full responsibility for my actions, except
the ones that are someone else's fault.
posted on January 14, 2001 01:14:24 AM new
tuition44years, the only problem with that is you'll end up with a lot of money tied up in inventory, when you could be reselling and reinvesting it.
That was my problem when I bought a nice car to resell and ended up driving it. I had all my money tied up in it. The purpose in buying something to resell is to do just that.
As tempting as it may be, we need to learn to resist the temptation to keep it. It's not so bad if it's just a $10 item, but even a few of those will add up (in terms of money spent, and space it's taking up)
As it is, my living room has become my eBay room, I don't have the space to keep everything I'd like to. Besides, keeping the inventory moving keeps me motivated!
(hence my name)
[ edited by motive8 on Jan 14, 2001 01:15 AM ]
posted on January 14, 2001 01:33:54 AM new
If you have other inventory to sell, then sell that. If you ever run out of inventory then you can sell it.
I now call my personal collection "long-term inventory."
I specialize in selling Haviland. However I love to go to estate auctions and so I end up finding things for myself.
1. An 1895 walnut footed china cabinet with bowed glass doors;
2. An early 1900s mahogany corner china cabinet with bowed glass doors;
3. Five 19th century signed water colors of cats in fantastic old frames that I have hanging on my walls and I should try to figure out sometime if the artists are significant or just someone's talented grandma;
4. An incredible framed oil painting of the Oregon coast that I have hanging on the wall and need to figure out if the artist is anybody or not;
5. Mother-of-pearl handle sterling silver serving pieces;
6. Large Heisey bowl and other real nice glass pieces;
7. A complete set of high quality Japanese china I got for $25 and I've been using for everyday dishes now for two years;
8. And so on up to number 100 and higher.
One and two were good investments to store inventory, both short-term and long-term, and keeps the house looking pretty.
The other stuff I bought to resell but had a change of heart because it would cost me a lot of money to buy the equivalent on eBay or at a store. Like the china, even a set of stoneware service for 12 costs way more than $25 so why sell the china when I can use it?
posted on January 14, 2001 02:04:06 AM new
That would cost a lot to mail, good thing you kept that Victoian pump organ! "Buyer pays $700 shipping, insurance recommended"
[ edited by motive8 on Jan 14, 2001 02:22 AM ]
posted on January 14, 2001 04:20:02 AM new
Yup, too much to count! But I figure eventually I will read it or look at it long enough and then it will be recycled back to inventory!
posted on January 14, 2001 05:27:47 AM new
I think everybody has/does. I call it floating inventory. I have it all over the house, I hang things up, put them on a shelf, my husband keeps walking by it saying "I thought you were going to sell that", and I just smile and say "someday". Now, I've been selling for just about a year and some of the things I kept at the beginning are not so hard to give up now, and are replaced with some new find. It's like always redecorating for free.
posted on January 14, 2001 09:13:19 AM new
Hi Motive8
How do you get all the cars in the living room? Seriously I love buying and selling cars. Around where I live they have impound laws for certain crimes and the tow yard ends up with most that go to auction. Checking out the cars and finding the bargain is a blast. Unfortunately I have a hard time passing up a running complete car under $200. Ebay for me is more profitable but cars are my fun. State Laws limit individuals to selling under 6 cars a year so luckily I have a limit. Good luck and great to hear about your profits!
posted on January 14, 2001 09:25:45 AM new
Ayup, happens with just about every pocket watch I buy. That's the problem with being both a seller AND a collector. The worst is when I get a really great watch at a really great price. The seller part of me thinks about how much profit I could make, but the collector part thinks about how easy it would be to "justify" adding it to my collection since it didn't cost all that much...
Barry
---
The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
posted on January 14, 2001 10:19:56 AM new
1948 Frazer Sedan with overdrive has been sitting here forever. Listed on ebay, Yahoo, and Amazon, relisted, tried several different auto sites. Looks like I'm stuck with this thang.
posted on January 14, 2001 10:29:56 AM new
I found a huge cache of beautiful vintage seamed stockings last year and I haven't been able to bring myself to list them. They used to bring great money on Ebay but the price has been dropping like a rock, so that adds to my reluctance. I just like touching them---call me goofy, I don't care.
I have a chiniosierie jewelry box which I just can't part with, even though I've listed it on Ebay a few times. I get the urge to clean the house, it gets listed, and then I have a change of heart. It's just too beautiful.
There are lots of other things around here that started off as Ebay-able but have become too dear to me to give up! (And the Ebay to-be-sold stash provided me with several last minute gifts this holiday season too!
posted on January 14, 2001 10:37:00 AM new
Actually...no. I actually decide up front, when I'm negotiating to buy the item, whether it's for me or for resale, since I'll pay more as a collector than I will as a retailer. I can honestly say I've never BS'd myself into buying something for resale when I know I won't be able to part with it.
Moreover, the prospect of actually selling that $3 item for $300 (which has happened more than once), and sending it on to a collector who appreciates it, appeals to me more than keeping the item. And the "hunt" for (or, in the case of my quilts, the creation of) the item in the first place is always more thrilling to me than actually keeping it. (Of the 65+ quilts I've made in the past 2 years, I've kept none of 'em. Sold 'em all. Never looked back.) This is probably because at one point or another I've actually owned most of the things I've always wanted to possess. I've also completely liquidated two of my households.
That doesn't mean I don't enjoy my finds or creations for the week or two between the time I purchase them and the time I ship 'em out, or that I'm not sorry to see some stuff go. I realize, however, that there'll always be more...and that a good sale gives me the disposable income I need to justify buying an item for my own collection. Since Hart Cottage is really small, I have to be really selective - and often if I want to buy a new widget, I have to sell one I've got to make room. I like "stuff", but I don't get attached to it.
[ edited by HartCottageQuilts on Jan 14, 2001 10:39 AM ]
posted on January 14, 2001 11:02:39 AM new
..."To buy or Not To Buy! That is the question"...
I can usually hear that little "warning bell", as I am fondling that nice little item...thinking...thinking... But it will all ends up being sold, sooner or later.
Then, there is the other side of the coin: I buy something strictly for my own pleasure, only to find I don't like it as much once in the house. So I sell it right away...One hand washes the other...
"Don't Fall In Love With The Merchandise"...easier said than done, for most people...The key is: DO NOT FEEL GUILTY Enjoy... Gosh Shosh!
posted on January 14, 2001 09:44:11 PM new
I've been a lifelong car enthusianst. Naturally I sell car goodies on eBay, but they are mostly for specific cars, so luckily I can't get attached to any of these things since they're of no good to me if I don't have that car.
Yes, nwphotog, those cars did take up a lot of space in my living room! I figured I'd better start selling smaller things, but I still miss buying and selling cars. I think this spring I'll start doing it again. As you know, if yo do it right, there's lots of money to be made.
I know there are laws that say you can only sell 6 cars a year, but there are ways around that! Trust me, I figured out lots of ways to avoid registering them. In fact, I'm going to write a book on how to do it and sell it on eBay, muhahahahha
Yes, I know, it's hard to part with a good running car you get for next to nothing! That was my problem!
posted on January 15, 2001 05:56:29 AM new
That seems to be one of the hazards of me selling my weakness, jewelry. I pick out pieces that I, personally, would love to wear and then end up doing just that. I'm doing it right now!!! I've added three new rings to my collection in the past two months and I keep eyeballing a couple of the necklaces. I need to switch categories or start picking out what I think are ugly pieces to sell!!!
Enjoy...