posted on February 18, 2001 02:22:28 PM
I sell mainly Vintage & Estate Jewelry.
For Example I normally title the item as
Vintage Red Glass Czech Necklace or such.
Since I list the items in Vintage Jewelry Catagory Is The Word Vintage Necessary?
I figure If I delete It I can save space but am worried about if listing is seen out of category how it would be regarded.
What do y'all think should I keep it or Kill it.
Just a stupid question I'm stuck debating.
Joe B
posted on February 18, 2001 02:28:37 PM
In my opinion it has become the new "rare" in auctions! I was looking at household items recently for my new house and those categories are "vintaged" to death! Enough already!
I certainly imagine the word has much legitimate use but, on the other hand, it has sadly become massively overused.
posted on February 18, 2001 02:39:41 PM
You might loose prospects who search title only for vintage. Also, I constantly find new items in the vintage category. Makes me crazy! I guess if you put it in your discription, it would come up on a search for title & discription.
posted on February 18, 2001 02:41:59 PM
I think it is necessary for people like me who search with specific words rather than hitting a catagory like Vintage jewelry. For example if I was looking for a statue of a dancer such as Isadora Duncan (as I have, on occasion) I would search for art deco or Isadora Duncan. The vintage statue done at the time of her greatest popularity would appear,(if the seller was wise and put in that work) and catch my eye IMMEDIATELY. Just one example of how vintage might be important in your title.
posted on February 18, 2001 02:55:50 PM
[b]jrb3[/b/]: Thanks for bringing this up; I've been wondering about it myself lately , especially re: sub categories that already are in "Vintage".
I also have had my doubts about the overuse; but can't lose the tendency to use the word in order to eradicate repros, mass-produced , true antique , amatuer/ folk art , or just plain out-of-date from potential-bidders' searches.
When searching for " older" items , whether it be jewelry , clothing or kithenware , the word vintage gets my attention sooner if I'm looking for something from the years 1900 to 1970 . I'd personally rather deal with the ubiquity of the word , than go to an antique category and have to wade through yards of repros and cheap " antique style " " deco style" modern mass-produced items.
posted on February 18, 2001 03:11:20 PM
I agree the word has been done to death, but I would still use it. I frequently type in the word when I am searching for vintage linens. If I were to just put the word "linens" in, I would be overwhelmed. If I used "antique" I would be finding things much older than I want since I like the stuff from the 50's.
I hardly ever browse in categories unless I am totally bored with some time to kill. Most of the time I type words in search.
posted on February 18, 2001 07:06:09 PM
i search using the word "vintage" every single day. IMO it's the one word that brings up just about everything that I would want to buy, across a large number of categories. I never open up individual categories, I just search by title. Vintage (the word) is all over Ebay because there are simply LOTS of vintage items for sale on Ebay. Let's keep it that way!
posted on February 18, 2001 07:12:01 PM
Oh yeah! It certainly wouldn't make sense to render a viable word obsolete. I think the thrust of the issue might have been that it, like a few other words that everybody knows, is used inappropriately by sooooo many people that are just selling old broken down crap instead of actual "vintage" items that are saleable.
posted on February 18, 2001 08:34:39 PM
As you can tell by my user name, I sell a lot of textiles, 99% vintage textiles, I use the word "vintage" to distinguish real genuine old fabrics from the new mass produced stuff that is all over ebay. When I search I always look for the word vintage in the description,before I click on the item, if its not old I don't want it. I think the word helps a lot of people narrow down their searches. Maybe its overused but I don't know what I would do without it
posted on February 19, 2001 05:18:54 AM
Right now I am selling an item in one of the Disney categories. I have used the word vintage in the auction itself to distinguish this item from the mass produced plastic tat modern equivalents. However, I have not used the word in the auction title itself as I thought that was taking things a bit far. I always think VERY hard about using this word at all, it does get misused but in this instance I believe it was justified.
posted on February 19, 2001 05:26:45 AM
I am selling an item in one of the Disney categories. I have used the word vintage in the auction description to distinguish this item from the mass produced plastic tat. Most memorabilia of this type has a modern equivalent so it can be hard to tell from looking at the listings how old something really is. However, I have not used the word in the auction title because I thought that would be taking things a bit far.
I always think VERY hard about using this word at all, it does get misused but in this instance I believe it was justified.
Not fallen_madonna on Ebay
[ edited by fallen_madonna on Feb 19, 2001 05:31 AM ]
posted on February 19, 2001 08:40:31 AM
As I've come to understand it in eBay useage, "vintage" should be used with items 50+ years old, and "antique" with anything 100+ years old. Under 50 years old is "retro," not "vintage." The serious collectors are really
looking for those keywords, and really get
upset if you've misused them. I once classified a set of vintage (1940's) flatware as antique, and had a LOT of buyers writing to correct me on my terminology. I was new to eBay at the time, and really appreciated the guidelines/definitions.
As a buyer, I'd definitely be upset if I was looking for authentic vintage and antique items and kept opening listings that were modern repros.
In response to the original question, the majority of buyers search eBay from the
topmost level of search instead of from specific categories. (I even find myself doing it more and more as the categories proliferate to an unmanageable level.) I think I've seen a statistic of 60+ percent somewhere, but don't quote me, 'cause I don't remember the exact number or where. At any rate, if your potential customers are not specifically searching Vintage Jewelry, then "vintage" should definitely remain as a keyword in your title, as it helps to identify the age of the piece.
posted on February 19, 2001 12:55:20 PM
janusaries, I like the points you've made. I see many auctions that use antique to describe old. I do, however, consider retro to include the 60s, but perhaps it depends on the item. Poodle skirts would probably list differently than tea towels of the same date.
As a search AND as a list word, I find vintage valuable.
Heaven on Earth!