Second Hand Sale » Home and Garden

Manners for Dummies and Estate Sales

Mike — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:09:59 +0000

I Do Not Like Rude Behavior

I went out today visiting some local estate sales. There weren’t many sales this weekend, and the pickings were kind of slim. All that I came away with was an urge to write a short post for my website. I was “inspired” to write after watching the behavior of a few people who were also at the estate sale.

When I arrived at the sale, there were already quite a few people lined up outside, waiting to get in. This was to be expected. The weather was also a bit chillier than we’ve been experiencing lately, so some of these folks seemed to be extra grumpy. They stood in line complaining and generally made a point of letting everyone else know how miserable they were. Ugh. As if the rest of us weren’t also standing there! Besides, the listing said that the sale started at 8 a.m. and they did open the doors by 7:50.

Anyway, the listing for this particular estate sale didn’t have any company name associated with it, so I suspected that it might be a private sale, run by the family of the person who owned the house. It turned out that I was right. You could tell right away upon entering the home, just by listening to the sellers talking about items they were setting out. The sale was not professionally set up, and that annoyed some of these already agitated people. They walked around complaining, and I even heard a couple of folks talking loudly about how they had wasted their time because there wasn’t anything “good” for sale. The looks on the sellers’ faces me cringe. I couldn’t believe that some people could be so rude, selfish and heartless in another person’s home.
photo credit: eerkmans

Get a Grip and Some Perspective!

Please folks, if you go to visit estate sales, hold your tongue until after you leave. You are not browsing through WalMart. Even in a sale being run by a liquidation company, there is a very good chance that a family member of the deceased person might be hanging around. What you see as junk, was obviously part of someone’s life. An estate sale is not the same as a garage sale or a yard sale. That isn’t to say that you should be rude at any of these events, but seriously…try to muster up a bit of compassion for another human being, and keep things in perspective. YOU just spent twenty or thirty minutes looking for something and came away disappointed. THEY are selling a lifetime’s worth of stuff that belonged to someone they loved. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Vintage Harley Davidson

Mike — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:14:37 +0000

How I Ended Up Owning a Ton of Harley Davidson Merchandise

I learned about the popularity of vintage Harley Davidson items a few years ago after I found myself owning a ton of the stuff. There were no actual Harley Motorcycles involved in that particular transaction, but I think I ended up owning a little bit of almost everything else!

I'm exaggerating a little bit there, but seriously, I had a LOT of Harley Davidson gear in my house. I never realized there was so much Harley Davidson memorabilia made until I had so many samples of it scattered all over my home.

I had gone to a large neighborhood garage sale and probably visited over fifty different houses looking for things I might want for myself or that I thought might sell on eBay. One particular house caught my attention because it looked sort of like a department store. There were clotheslines full of shirts, various items spread out on tables, the works. When I walked up I saw that it was almost all vintage Harley Davidson merchandise. I didn't really know that much about Harley gear, but the shirts were from all over the United States and many of them had dates on them going back to the 80s and even 70s.

The lady who was selling the stuff came up and started talking to me. She introduced herself and explained that she and her husband were both pretty big into riding for a long time, but he had been injured pretty badly in an accident the year before, and they didn't ride anymore. She seemed pretty upset when she mentioned the accident. I think her husband had spent a good bit of time in the hospital after it happened. Anyway, she said that she was selling the stuff off. We talked for a while and I bought a few things before moving on.

Vintage Harley Davidson Motorcycles for Sale

Harley Davidson 131807540 Harley Davidson Sears Roebuck Mini Bike Motorcycle Model 1318807540 Vintage Old
US $400.00

Harley Davidson Dyna 1997 DYNA WIDE GLIDE TONS OF EXTRAS PYTHON EXHAUST BAGS TWISTED SPOKE WHEELS
US $510.00

Harley Davidson sx250 aermacchi 1978 ony 469 produced Vintage Harley Davidson Dirtbike aermacchi SX250
US $707.77

Harley Davidson HARLEY 1200 1974 HARLEY DAVIDSON SHOVELHEAD OLD SCHOOL RIGID BOBBER CHOPPER BATES BUCO
US $1,525.00

Second Hand

The Harley Davidson Gear Pays Off Big Time!

Later that afternoon I started looking on eBay to see if any of my newly acquired merchandise might be worth anything (this was how I used to shop in my clutter building years). I really should have known that it would be. Back in the 1980s and 90s, I had been in Daytona during Bike Week on two different occasions. Obviously some money was getting spent on all of that Harley gear. It turned out that the vintage Harley stuff was incredibly popular. I jumped into my van and quickly drove back over to her house. I felt a little sick when I saw that everything had been packed up and taken back into the house. I guess I was feeling pretty bold at the time because I actually knocked on her door to ask if she was still interested in selling any of the Harley stuff. I explained that I thought I might be able to re-sell it on eBay and that I was interested in buying whatever she was willing to sell. I asked her how much she would want for everything she had just dragged back inside. Unbelievably, she said I could have everything for FIFTY bucks! That was fifty dollars for well over one hundred vintage Harley T shirts, Harley Davidson Helmets, Harley Davidson jackets, Harley Davidson patches and decals, Harley floor mats and steering wheel covers...the list goes on. She just wanted to get it out and didn't want to bother with putting it all away again. I jumped all over that deal and loaded up my van with all of the Harley Davidson merchandise. As I was loading the van, I actually started to feel a little guilty. I asked her if she was sure about the price, and she confirmed that she really just wanted to get the stuff out of the house. I had seen her husband up and walking around, but I think that his accident had really put him off of the idea of riding again.

People Love Harley Davidson Collectibles

That may have been the single best purchase I ever made as en eBay seller. I was selling that stuff off for the better part of a year and I had more than made my fifty dollars back just from selling one of the jackets. I was constantly doing research about what used Harley Davidson items might sell best and I found that although there are people looking for Harley Davidson motorcycles for sale, it seemed that even more of them were looking for Harley accessories and collectible items.

This is another one of those areas where eBay shines for buyers looking to find something. The old vintage Harley stuff still looks very cool. Some people search out parts for vintage bikes, but I believe that even more are looking for those old items you can't get in a bike shop anymore. The commemorative shirts from bike week events in places like Sturgis and Daytona did very well. Vintage 3D T shirts picked up bids almost as quickly as I listed them. As I've been checking recently I've noticed a lot of interest in almost anything celebrating the Harley Davidson 100th anniversary. That anniversary was in 2003, so items from that celebration aren't quite vintage yet. But they are definitely popular and if you search on eBay, you will probably find that someone has listed some 100th anniversary stuff as vintage.

2 Vogue patterns Paris Original Givenchy American Designer Kasper
US $9.00

2 Vogue pttrns Desig Org Bellville Sassoon American Designer Oscar de la Renta
US $9.00

2 Vogue pttrns Couturier Design Valentino of Italy Paris Originl Pierre Cardin
US $9.00

VINTAGE PHOTO PICTURE WORLD WAR II HARLEY UL VL 6X8
US $9.00

Second Hand

Of course, some people are looking for Vintage Harley Davidson motorcycles. As far as used bikes go, they seem to do pretty well. I've never tried buying and selling anything that would involve me investing as much money as that would involve, but they are a nice investment and they certainly seem to hold their value well.

Cheap Makeup

Mike — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:15:53 +0000

It seems that people are looking for a way to get their hands on some cheap makeup. I'm sure this means the price, not the quality. I don't think anyone wants to break out in a rash for the sake of saving a couple of dollars. Although I've written a lot over time about products that sell on eBay, I've got to say that my research on cheap makeup led me to some really great deals on Amazon. If you are not looking to buy bulk lots of makeup, it is a very good site to check out due to the fact that they have so many different brands, good prices and tons of user reviews just waiting to be read.

Every once in a while if I mention that I sell things on eBay or start talking about eBay, somebody will chime in with a story about their experiences shopping online. The other day I was talking to someone I work with and she mentioned that she does a lot of her shopping on eBay. I asked her what specifically she likes to buy and she replied “makeup”.

Honestly, I knew that beauty and cosmetics were a pretty big seller on eBay but I never thought about it much because I personally don’t usually have that as an item to sell. My friend said that she won’t buy makeup anywhere else now because she always gets such great deals by buying “lots” of makeup products.

She got my curiosity going, so I started checking the numbers a little bit. The brand that she buys for herself is L’oreal, so that is what I did my search on. Sure enough, when you break down the per unit prices, buying bulk makeup supplies is a definite money saver.

Black Colour Makeup Powder Blush Brush New Cosmetic
US $.01

Soft Red White Colour Makeup Powder Blush Brush New
US $.01

Black Brown Waterproof Eyeliner Gel Makeup w Brush
US $.01

Butterfly Shape Feather False Eyelash Eyelashes Extension Party Makeup Y40
US $.01

Second Hand

I found that there were a lot of makeup lots that also included names like Revlon, Maybelline, Covergirl, Milani and other brands. What also caught my eye, was that when I did my check, some of the wholesale makeup lots also included those “age defying” types of creams that are normally pretty expensive by themselves.

The key here is to know the right place to look. The examples I’ve included above are from the category in makeup that includes wholesale lots. This would be listings from people who are trying to move along larger quantities of makeup. It is unlikely that you will find individual makeup units priced anywhere near what you can get when you buy in even a little bit of quantity.

Here are a few things I learned as I researched... L’Oreal celebrates its 100th birthday in 2009. They have a century of experience behind them and they are a leader in the beauty and cosmetics field. I never thought about how massive of a company L’Oreal actually is until I started looking at them little bit closer. They have many, many large name brands under their umbrella. After checking out their website, I’d say there is a good chance that a lot of people reading this have some product in their home that has some kind of ties to L’Oreal. They are that big.

So anyway, if you are interested at all in saving money and you ever purchase makeup, it is probably worth your time to check out the wholesale lots available on eBay. You might be able to find something comparable if some distributor near you decides to go out of business, but it is probably a lot easier for most people to just check out what is being offered online. Likewise, if you only want to look for small quantities, lots might not be for you, but honestly, the savings from buying larger amounts can really add up.

If you are a seller of makeup, well, it seems that there is a nice market waiting for you if you can find a cost efficient way to offer even a moderately sized "lot" for people to consider. I don't know enough about the actual wholesale costs of makeup to give any hard numbers though. I did do a little Googling and found that people looking for cheap makeup do seem to have preferences that stand out. The most related searches seem to be for cheap mineral makeup, cheap Urban Decay makeup, Cheap Dior Makeup and Cheap Revlon Makeup. If you've got a line on those, there might be an audience waiting to buy from you.

Another option for sellers is to actually buy some of the larger lots and then break them into smaller lots or individual items for sale. Just something to think about!

I don't know a whole lot about makeup to be honest with you. But I did find some really good makeup tutorials that some people may like. This one is by a lady who seems to really know here stuff. You can find her other videos here.

Second Hand Furniture

Mike — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:34:39 +0000

Finding Good Used Furniture

I came to the conclusion shortly after my wife and I got married that second hand furniture was the way to go. Now, that the economy has tightened up a bit on everyone, I am even more convinced that buying used furniture can be a great way to save some money. Many pieces of wooden furniture can be easily spruced up with a small investment of time, and I've spent most of my life using second hand sofas because I've found the savings on them too much to resist.

The great thing about buying second hand furniture, is that you can buy stuff that still looks like new or that with just a little bit of work on your part, you can make it look like new again. Second hand furniture sales are often filled with great stuff that has hardly been used. If you are the entrepreneurial type, you can even turn around and resell it at a tidy profit after cleaning it up a bit. This even applies if you found the items in second hand furniture shops or other retail outlets because they usually won't be taking the time to fix anything up before resale.

Couch Cover Sofa Cover Slipcover
US $.01

Klaussner Sylvia Microfiber Couch Great Condition
US $249.99

Handy Living Living Room Convert A Couch Microfiber Sleeper Sofa With Pillow Top
US $.99

Sofa Chair Legs Plastic 1 1 2 Tall Steel Insert Stool
US $.99

Second Hand

Honestly, I won't even think about going into a furniture store anymore. Right now, we have a second hand dining room table, second hand bunk beds, and a second hand sofa that was purchased by the original owner and then set out like a showpiece. I doubt that 20 people ever sat on it before we purchased it at an outrageous discount. My kids love the second hand beds, and we even had a choice when we were looking between getting a metal frame or a wooden frame. Both were available for under $50.00 and looked like new. If you have shopped around much for furniture, you know that that is extremely cheap furniture. Most people who are selling second hand furniture are highly motivated because they have new stuff either on the way or already taking up space in their homes. They usually just want to get the old stuff out and any money they might make is gravy for them.

I have also sold furniture for myself and others on eBay in the past. I did try using Craigslist but I quickly became frustrated by the people who said they would show up and then just disappeared. I know that a lot of people like using that site but I, personally, have given up on it after waiting for at least five or six people to get back to me who never did.

If you are looking for a way to get some decent furniture at low prices, I definitely recommend looking on eBay. Many people do not realize that you can search by location so that you see only items within a certain distance of your home. This is a very nice feature because it will allow you to arrange for pickup if that is something you want to do. The main reason you would want to do this is to save shipping costs. To find items by location, you simply sign into eBay, type in what you are searching for, and use the little tick boxes on the left hand side of the screen to designate how far away you are willing to travel. This will allow you to see and possibly buy second hand furniture in your hometown or areas close by. This same feature makes eBay a good idea if you are selling second hand furniture as well. You can put a number of photos and even a video of your furniture up for people to see if you are so inclined. Give it a shot, you might be surprised at what you find. Good Luck on your hunt for secondhand furniture.

Cutwell Engine Burs

Mike — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 08:12:13 +0000

Second Hand Sale presents...

These Cutwell Automotive Engine Burs are a fine example of what I'm surrounded by right now. I've got so much stuff that has accumulated through buying lots of estate merchandise that I can barely keep track of it. Someone could probably really use these (even though some are missing). I, on the other hand, can't even imagine when I'd use them. These will be starting at 99 cents or less, like most of my stuff that I'm clearing out.

Update: These did sell and what surprised me is the fact that people have been coming back over and over to this particular post. I guess Cutwell Burs are some high quality items! The photo directly below is the original set of burs I had listed (which sold). I'm showing a couple of live listings for Cutwell Burs beneath it (they aren't mine) in case someone stops by looking for them. Hey, with all of the stuff I'm working my way through, I wouldn't be surprised to find some more of these hidden away!

What I think is great is the way people still love the old tools that come up on eBay. A lot of people say things like "they don't make things like they used to" and as I get older, I believe that to be true more and more.

VINTAGE 6 PENCIL SHARPENER LOT CUTWELL BAVARIA TURTLE GERMANY BAKELITE METAL
US $16.00

GREEN YELLOW MARBLED BAKELITE PENCIL SHARPENER
US $24.00

CUTWELL STAINLESS REAMERS
US $29.00

Cutwell Bavaria Germany Bakelite Pencil Sharpeners Set Of 4 Manual Green Bscotch
US $40.00

Second Hand

Baby Einstein DVD Collection

Mike — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:35:31 +0000

Here is another item that seems to really do well on eBay. The Baby Einstein DVD Collection is a very popular seller. Kids love it and getting it moved along on eBay works out great for both sets of parents. It's a win/win situation. Whether you are buying or selling, second hand Baby Einstein DVDs are a great item.

If you have kids, you know that no matter what you might say before you have them, it can be nice to have them sit still and watch something once in a while. That isn't to say that you should ever use the TV as a babysitter, but it is nice to be able to actually sit down and eat a bowl of cereal without someone pulling at you or asking you to get something for five minutes.

58 Kids VHS DVD Books CDs More AWESOME Kids Lot Rugrats Teletubbies
US $.01

Baby Einstein 10 DVD Collection
US $79.99

Baby Einstein 26 DVD Collection
US $2.00

VHS Brainy Baby Mozart Einstein Beethoven Symphony Fun Gourmet Noah Colors Smart
US $2.00

Second Hand

I do have some experience with watching Baby Einsteins with my youngest child. I personally don't find them all that entertaining, but he does sometimes, and they do try to introduce a bit of education into the show. I'm all for the basic introduction to classical music too. It is a nice break from the Disney Channel stuff the other two prefer to watch!

Seriously, I think the videos are a great idea. It is important though to take the time to watch them with your kids and have some interaction with them. I'm not saying that because of the whole electronic babysitter thing. I'm saying it because kids grow up so fast, that you really shouldn't let yourself miss out on the fun of them being little.

If you are a seller, always consider picking up used dvds when you see them in collections. Usually you can get them for a decent price if you find them at a yard sale (they go VERY quickly by the way) and then put them up for sale on eBay. If you are looking to buy used dvds, well the same idea applies. Popular ones get grabbed up in a heartbeat at yardsales. You can still usually make out pretty well by getting them on eBay though. There usually is not a drop off in quality when you buy used dvds, but just to be sure, ask the seller about that and ask if they have a return policy. There are also a LOT of unopened Baby Einstein dvd collections that get listed on eBay. I'm guessing that they are duplicated gifts from birthday parties and holidays.

Antique Stanley Planes|Hand Planes

Mike — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:31:03 +0000

One of the first "uncommon" items I found when I started looking for things to sell on eBay years ago, was antique Stanley planes. I learned about them because I had gone to an estate sale that featured many vintage and antique woodworking tools.

I had a hunch that these vintage tools would be worth something because there had been a lot of interest in my Dad's tools after he passed away years earlier. I knew that my Dad had liked Stanley tools, so I bought up pretty much everything I could find that was stamped "Stanley".

STANLEY Bench Plane 4
US $.99

Nice Millers Falls Bullnose Plane Excellent Working Tool
US $.99

Stanley Bullnose Plane
US $.99

OLD USEDSMALLSTANLEYWOOD PLANE
US $1.00

Second Hand

It turns out that woodworkers are a pretty wise lot. Rather than spend their money on junk, they would rather invest in old Stanley planes that they know are the highest quality. I knew that the planes I had purchased were pretty old and I was amazed at how well kept they were. I took them apart just to make sure that there were not any old wood shavings or dirt stuck inside the works and was struck by the fact that besides a bit of worn paint on the wooden parts, the planes were in excellent condition. I think that was a combination of quality tools and a woodworker who did a great job of caring for his tools.

The Stanley planes that I had purchased were not among the most collectible ones that are sold. They all did fairly well, but I noticed that there are many specific models that seem to be quite coveted among tool collectors. If you are not a collector, you might not realize just HOW coveted these planes can be. To give you an idea, here are some recent prices paid for some of the hardest to find Stanley planes:

Stanley No. 23 wood plane: $1,625
Stanley No. 1 plane: $847
Stanley No. 212 Scraper plane: $755

As you can see, people are willing to pay for the high quality tools they are looking for when they are able to find them. Antique Stanley planes and Stanley planes in general are a great find if you like to hit estate sales, and a great investment if you are in the market for high quality tools. They certainly seem to hold their value well.

Finding Vintage Halloween Costumes and Decorations for Sale

Mike — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:07:25 +0000

Searching Out Vintage Halloween Collectibles

When I started exploring the world of collectibles, it didn't take long to realize that a lot of people form a special connection to holidays. I was a little bit surprised to find out how many folks really love Halloween collectibles. Almost anything old that has to do with Halloween will attract the attention of someone, but there are a few hard to find items that people search for relentlessly. Some of the most sought after vintage Halloween items include vintage Halloween costumes, vintage Halloween postcards and greeting cards, vintage Halloween masks and almost any vintage Halloween decorations that are in decent shape. These are very popular on eBay because not many non-collectors realize that the old Halloween decor in their attic is worth anything. These old items often end up in the trash because homeowners figure that no one would even want to buy these things at a garage sale. Now when I look for these second hand treasures, I focus on estate sales, and even there, they are pretty tough to find.

Vintage Halloween Costumes

If I had realized when I was a kid that vintage Halloween costumes were going to become collectible, I would have at least tried to keep mine in decent shape. I remember that I managed to damage just about every one of those old 70's costumes I wore. I would either fall down on someone's steps or try to escape the costume without taking my shoes off. That was usually sufficient to get my Mom upset with me. It seems that these old vintage costumes are popular again. There are tons of vintage Halloween costumes for sale now that have probably been in storage for many years now. I'm sure there have to also be tons of old deadstock costumes stashed away someplace that never sold during their original run. I'm guessing that it is people around my age who remember these classic costumes from when they were kids that are leading the charge to find them online. Just think of all those store bought costumes with the masks that did their best to cover your eyes and the elastic string that always managed to snap you on the ear a few times before finally snapping...Memories!

Not all vintage Halloween costumes are created equal. If you check out eBay, you will see many people putting their old costumes up for sale at high prices only to watch them go without a single bid. There are some brands that are much more collectible than others. One of the most collectible names in vintage Halloween costumes is Ben Cooper. Old Halloween costumes manufactured by Ben Cooper, Inc. are highly collectible. This brand gained its original popularity back around the 1940s and continued to produce those low cost costumes you used to find in cardboard boxes up through the 1980s. The eventually succumbed to bankruptcy, but the interest in the costumes is still there. A few of the current listings for these popular old costumes are shown below, but they are not the only collectible brand. Collectors should also be sure keep an eye out for vintage Collegeville Costumes. They were one of the main competitors for Ben Cooper, Inc. and some of them are also quite collectible today.

Ben Cooper Costumes for Sale

PLAYBILL Spiderman Musical TURN OFF THE DARK Bono BROADWAY Theater RARE cover
US $.99

Ben Cooper Costume Lot No Reserve
US $.99

Historic Classics 50 Movie MegaPack DVD 2005 12 Disc Set
US $.99

ACCEPTED NEW DVD
US $2.68

Second Hand

Vintage Halloween Postcards

I fully intend to do an entire post just on vintage postcards in the near future. As a collectible, vintage and antique postcards are huge. For now though, I'd like to mention one specific and very special type of collectible postcard that trumps almost every other one out there. I'm talking about vintage Halloween postcards. There was a time when sending and collecting postcards was an extremely popular hobby. Some people collected thousands of these old treasures and carefully stored them away. The artwork is often quite stunning, and it isn't uncommon to find these old postcards in very nice condition for their age. If you are very lucky in your treasure hunting, you may find boxes of these at estate sales, but they are more likely to show up in an auction format. If they are being sold in bulk, be sure to inspect the individual cards before bidding too much.

Just as with almost any collectible, there are some brands and styles of Halloween postcard that do better than others. Depending on the maker, the artist, the condition, the age, or the subject matter of the card, prices could range from a few dollars, well into the hundreds. Postcards that are signed by the artist are a big draw. Images of black cats, witches, or pumpkins will also get the attention of collectors who prize those particular subjects on their postcards. Searches and sales for vintage Halloween postcards peak as the holiday approaches, but they are usually available for sale at almost any time of the year. Here are a few of the postcards currently available on eBay.

Vintage Halloween Postcards for Sale

HARD PLASTIC HALLOWEEN WITCH SCARECROW JACK O LANTERN AND CAT CUTE DECOR
US $5.50

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN POSTCARD
US $5.50

OCCUPIED JAPAN TINY BISQUE CERAMIC SANTA HOUSE CUTE GLAZED UNDER 2 CHRISTMAS
US $5.50

ZAP COMICS R CRUMB 1967 UNDERGROUND COMIX CLASSIC REPRINT EXCELLENT COND
US $5.50

Second Hand

Vintage Halloween Masks

Some people look for vintage Halloween masks as a part of an entire costume set. Other people though, just like to collect those scary old latex masks that fit over your head. Some of the most popular vintage masks were created by Don Post or Don Post Studios. This is the original company that made these creepy masks that entirely hide not just your face, but your entire head. If you have ever gone out on Halloween, you have surely seen many of these masks, you probably just didn't realize that they are pretty darn collectible. People do search for vintage masks from other makers too, but overall, if you are looking for something collectible, Don Post masks are the way to go.

Vintage Halloween Decorations

Kids love to decorate for Halloween. Not too surprisingly, many adults do too. Some adults really go all out when their favorite holiday rolls around at the end of October. One of my neighbors starts preparing his house for Halloween weeks in advance. We usually put up some Halloween decor and a big inflatable pumpkin in the front yard. My personal favorite thing to do is to carve Jack O'Lanterns. But I digress... There are many collectors who like to display vintage Halloween decorations. These are hard core Halloween lovers who are willing to spend their money to get exactly the look they want on October 31st. There is no denying that vintage decor from the 1920s and 1930s has a totally different look to it than what you would buy at a Halloween store in your local mall today. I have to admit that I like the whole art deco look that they bring. Large plastic decorations that hang from the front door can sell for hundreds of dollars, but there are far too many vintage Halloween decorations out there to list them all individually. If you are a Halloween fan, they are certainly worth checking out. vintage Halloween decorations can give your home that special touch that will really make it stand out as people trick or treat through your neighborhood.

Happy Halloween!

As holidays go, Halloween really has a solid following. There is a lot of collecting that goes on related to the holiday. I might post a bit about a few other related topics soon. One thing I learned as I was searching for information about this topic was that we might speak "English" in the United States, but it is not necessarily the same language spoken across the Atlantic Ocean. I kept running into the phrase "fancy dress" and it was only after a bit of research and checking out completed listings on eBay that I figured out that the phrase was referring to dressing up for Halloween. I grew up in America and that expression, for me, just means putting on "good" clothes. If you are selling an old costume on eBay, and will accept international bids, you may want to consider putting the term "fancy dress" into your title to get the attention of a few more buyers!

It seems like people right now are showing a lot of interest in costumes from the 70s and 80s. Old KISS costumes are a hot seller, and anything that is still in its original box is getting attention. If you are going to look for some of these old costumes, be aware that some people listing in this category have a rather liberal interpretation of what qualifies as vintage. The generally recognized standard is 25 years with most merchandise. As I'm checking now, there are several items listed that were made since the turn of the new century and during the 90s. It isn't that there is anything wrong with them, they just are not actually all that old. With costumes though, I can see the reasoning. What was a hot costume idea one year could be completely gone the next. That means you will have to do some searching to find it.

Antique Electric Fans|Vintage Fans

Mike — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:22:03 +0000

Antique electric fans and vintage fans can be a great find if you like to hit estate sales. There are some serious collectors out there. I learned this by accident when I was searching around the basement of a house where an estate sale had been going on all day. I wasn't really expecting to find much, but in the corner, I saw an old fan sitting behind a cardboard box. The fan I found wasn't one of the really old ones, it was one of the "jet turbine" models that was popular for a while. It grabbed my attention because my parents had owned one like it when I was little.

I bought that fan for just five dollars after testing to make sure that it worked. Although I was fond of it and it brought back a lot of memories, I reminded myself that I was buying things to try to make some money, cleaned it up and listed it. I didn't know a whole lot about fans so I included a lot of photos (that's a good tip for any sellers out there) and the winning bidder bought it for about $25. What got my attention at the time was that they paid more than that to ship it across the country, but I guess they liked it and I think they did get a pretty good final price on the fan itself compared to some similar models that I saw selling.

Since I had done OK with that fan, I started looking for fans any time I went out. I quickly learned that not all old fans are created equal in the eyes of collectors. I found some old fans that worked great that I would estimate were from the 1950s or so, but I ran them through two auctions without a single bid even though I was asking less than ten dollars each! Later on, I found a really good site for learning about fans that you can check out here. It is an antique fan collector's site and it is filled with more information about fans than you could ever want to know (unless you are an antique fan collector!).

Antique Fan Video
I was doing a little bit of digging, and I found this neat little video put out by the Antique Fan Collectors Association. It shows off some beautiful old fans that still look amazing! You can find their website at fancollectors.org

I still haven't figured out all of the ins and outs of what makes one fan worth more than another even though they are from the same time period. In general, it seems that the older the fan is, the more valuable, but I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule. I was looking at the fans listed recently that sold for the most, and the best seller was one that used a lightbulb for resistance (I learned about that at the site above by the way). It doesn't even really look like a fan by today's standards because what sold was actually the original electric motor that powered the fan. It sold for close to $5000. The lesson for potential sellers is that if you find something that you know is really old, you should at least check it out for resale value. As an estate sale item, that would have been an unbelievable bargain for $500 and I doubt that most people would have even known what it was.

Back in their early days, electric fans were actually a luxury item. Not everyone owned one. As proof of what a different time it was, the metal cages were added eventually to protect the valuable brass blades of the fan, not to keep fingers out.

As you look at the old fans, you can definitely see the changes in style over the years. Keep this in mind if you go out hunting for estate sale items. Some fan collectors are not interested in just the age. There are people who might want to buy just because a fan includes bakelite in the construction. Others might be looking for art deco styles or "modern" looking styles from the fifties like the original one I found with the "jet turbine" styling. These jet turbine fans are actually quite popular. I passed on buying a large one of these mounted on a stand at a church flea market once. They want ten dollars for it, but I didn't have room to haul it that day. Checking just now, I see that the identical model recently sold for $156! Live and learn.

Antique electric fan motor 16 Westinghouse
US $17.99

Antique fan blades bakelite Westinghouse 16
US $17.99

VINTAGE AC Gilbert Polar Cub 13 Oscillating Fan
US $17.99

VINTAGE 1940S 50S MANNING BOWMAN MODEL NO 52 METAL BALDE FAN CAST IRON BOTTOM
US $17.99

Second Hand

If you are buying, ask to see the fan in action. Some eBay sellers will include video to show that items with moving parts are working properly and most sellers that you deal with in person are willing to point you to the nearest outlet. Just make sure that the cord is in good shape before you plug it in. Many of the older items that run on electricity have cords attached that have worn through over the years. Don't plug those in and don't stick your fingers in the blades either!

Crystal Door Knobs

Mike — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:28:59 +0000

The area I live in used to have a thriving Steel industry. There was a lot of money in it and many people supported their families very well. Sadly, the steel companies went away. What was left behind, besides a lot of abandoned mills, were many beautiful homes built by and lived in by the top level executives from the companies.

The interiors of many of these homes are stunningly beautiful. People have gone in to them and removed intricately hand carved wooden railings and door frames. Stained glass windows have been removed from houses that were sitting vacant. Although I've never purchased any of these, they can often be found selling on eBay for many times what the sellers paid for them. The lovely, but abandoned old homes have been picked over through the years and left to stand as a sad reminder of better times for the area.

Crystal Door Knobs

The economy has not been kind to many in the area and every day more of these old estates are being demolished. Through my estate sale contacts, I managed to meet a woman whose husband runs a demolition company. She mentioned that she had boxes filled with antique crystal door knobs that her husband had rescued from the wrecking ball and asked me if I would be interested in purchasing them. I bought them of course, because they are beautiful and very elegant. These old door knobs are also a much sought after item. I still have some, and I list them from time to time, usually with good results. My personal favorites are the ones that have a sort of lilac coloration to them.

It is a little ironic that in a town based on steel, crystal door knobs were so popular. It can be tied directly to war time demands on metals of course when the entire country had to make adjustments to get needed supplies to the military.

3 ANTIQUE CRYSTAL GLASS DOOR KNOBS BRASS BACK PLATES EXCELLENT N R LQQK
US $1.25

PAIR CRYSTAL GLASS BRASS DOOR HANDLES KNOBS ANTIQUE VINTAGE BOXED STAR SCHWARZ
US $1.56

Door Knob rosette vintage stamped brass 2 diameter
US $4.99

LOVELY SET OF 2 DIFFERENT CRYSTAL DOORKNOBS PLUS 4 CRYSTAL DRAWER PULLS PRETTY
US $5.99

Second Hand

The crystal glass knobs stayed popular until around the 1950s, when metal knobs took over again. While they were previously in fashion, the multi-faceted knobs could sometimes be found in different colors and styles. People like to add them to their homes now because these antiques still work great and can really class up the look of a house. A lot of people go further than just using crystal door knobs, they often look for sets of crystal knobs for their cabinets and crystal drawer pulls for their furniture. I occasionally find those as well, but not as often as the vintage door hardware.

Second Hand Sale » Home and Garden

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