Any antique/vintage obsessed people here?Obsessive collector

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OK...this is a long shot but I have a problem and thought maybe there was someone is the community who could help.

The problem is that I am a compulssive collector of....everything.Mostly it is stuff from thrift-stores,garage sales,estate sales(even a few dumpster items.)I always wanted to open my own store and look for things I "think" might be worth something(they are pretty to me).

Problem.....I just realized I am to low functioning to ever be able to open a store...even doing on-line sells has over-whelmed me...taking pictures,describing items,coming up with prices,trying to stay organized with items,sales,etc.This has sucked so much time from my life that I can't do the things I enjoy(like being on WP).....but I really need the money(my job pays crap).


Problem #2....our pipes froze recently and landlord had to come and fix it....we had to move about 1,000 items,just so they could get to the pipes and they were pissed.They said we have to get rid of all this "clutter"...or else.So now there is an added "time line" to declutter.This stuff isn't clutter to me...it's my "investment"...I dont want to just give it away.



So,I am asking for suggestions.....before my brain explodes.There is a "consignment place I could take the stuff to,but they sell things for about 10% of what an antique store would.

I am opening a store for my crafts on Etsy.com....I could list the items there,but I dont know what anything is worth(I have no patience to try and look everything up in a book)and am also feeling over-whelmed with the idea of trying to pack things so they dont break and figure out mailing charge(feeling amazingly ret*d lately).Maybe I could just list the ites that are wrth the most?(over $50).......

So,I am providing a link to some photos I put on Flicker.It's only about 25% of the things I eventually need t get rid of,but it's a start.If anyone likes pricing things or writing descriptions?????perhaps you can leave a comment on any items you know about?


I know this is asking a lot,just thought maybe fellow obsessed antiquers "might" enjoy the challenge.




http://www.flickr.com/photos/8076535@N06/

I think you might really like this site:

Instappraisal

It's free, and you've already done the work of photographing things, and you can make more photos if someone needs another view.

One other thing, you can get an in-home appraisal - estate appraisal. That's probably the easiest way to go, and from the looks of some of your things (dolls, especially), it would at least pay for itself and most likely make a profit.

This was a great show:

Cash in the Attic

New episodes are no longer being filmed, but there are good resources on the left side of the page.

OoOOoh. What cool things have you bought?

I like high quality stuff that works Let me see you antiques.

I will get back to this thread later tonight when I have the time to look more.


Online auction (Ebay) is still your best bet for the higher valued items.

Take a look at Ecrater.com alot like Esty but more geared towards collectibles, antiques...etc...they get a bit more traffic and it's free.

Except for things I've had since I was little, I usually opt for new, modern things.

Thanks for the suggestions...Yowling...I tried the link you provided and my computer linked...then some stuipid windows thing popped up and said that they couldn't open it????Whats that about.It had already linked but wouldnt let me stay on the page...weird(who says computers are logical?


I will check out ecrater(there goes another 3 days,lol)Maybe I will just pick the 20 things I think are actually worth something and just "re-donate" the cheaper stuff back to the goodwill I bought them from in the past 15 years...so much for "investments"(though,not much worse then the stockmarket,I guess)

I just tried them all, and they worked for me...hmmm. You using Firefox? (I am, so maybe?)
Yeah, eBay is probably your best bet.

not foxfire......IE.I am always having problems with this computer but this is the first time I have got that "Windows can't open this page""thingy".I will try again.

Great photography, which I see you can do, and full descriptions, and list on ebay.

The best deal on shipping is the Priority mail anything box, free from your post office, $9 flat rate, 8.5" x 11" x 5.5".

With bubble wrap you can float near anything in the center, and it will get there.

Pictures are better than descriptions, for people know what they want, they collect green things, or frogs.

Somethings go cheap on ebay, but we do have our moments when three people want it, then it sells for more.

Cheap is relative, considering overhead, time, people, you can list on ebay, from home, order 25 or 50 anything boxes, free at usps.com, check out the tape and stickers.

I get my styrofoam and bubble wrap from dumpsters, pet stores are cool, they get fish in a plastic bag, in a styofoam box, in a cardboard box, light, and with bubble wrap, the most fragile can be shipped. Regular Priority mail is cheap.

Get really wild, go to a real store, Office Max, or Depot, for bubble wrap and 2" tape, with the free stuff from the post office, Priority mail boxes in many sizes, you then can weigh and print postage from home, call them, and they will pick up.

I take my mail to the post office, then go for Chinese.

When you sell something you paid a dollar for, and counting the shipping, packing charge, get $3, that is 300% return. Your time is worth more, but that involves work, leaving home, people, so staying at home, taking digital pictures, sticking things in boxes, it will be gone, leaving open space, we wish, some money will show up in your Paypal.

Sometimes I think I work for ebay, but I have one little item, it pays all my fees, Internet, Phone, and the rest ride for free. Free is good.

It was not so much making money as trading junk, Knick Knacks became printers for me, I bought the big part not weorking, local, and all the repair and upgrade parts on ebay, with Paypal play money. Then the scanner/printer is turning out books that sell.

Consoladate lots of little things into a few good things. I sell paper at 1000% markup, and buy BMW parts at 50% of list. Since original parts are going up in value, and are small, I have a few boxes of rising value.

I am obsessive about tracking things down, then finding the deal, it lead to several things I buy for $0.25, and sell in lots of four for $12.50.

Most people lack the good obsessive traits, we are so lucky, and what we find, and present to them in common shopping, ebay, they buy. Things you are not making much on still add up, and get people looking at your other stuff.

Once you are set up, boxes, tape, bubble wrap, it only takes several minutes to pack something, and once it is listed, pack it, and for an address, it is gone.

I still do not have any space, but I have more useful and valueable stuff.

I started my buying to resell with $25, the rest was bought with the return on that $25. Every $10 a week coming in is $500 a year.

Start ebay account, Paypal, get the debit card, it works at the post office, and you do good photography, good pictures sell items, with full description. Order the free postal stuff on line, tape, bubble wrap locally, and you are there.

I would bid on the rocks, some prints and paintings, and send $5 if you will keep the cat.

Your collage work, custom dolls, lepard stool, are art, and should be presented as such, you be a primitive, and there are collectors.

A lot of things you would be better off selling for $0.01, and make $2 on the postage. It is about turnover, empty space, and buying more of what sells.

Things are dead, sell them, turn the money over once a week, $2 becomes, $4, $8, $16, $32, $64.

My joy in life is buying the toner cartridge I need, $175 locally, for $64 with shipping, same product, and paying for it with $7 in goods sold.

Everyone has their interests, and there are local manufacturers, they sell to jobbers, who sell to distributors, who wholesale, and retail has a high markup, get to the manufacturer, buy by the case, and sell at wholesale on ebay. Little markets have no competition, and become worldwide.

I am the only supplier for a few things.

Aspies are resistant to change, but step at a time they do, then are still resistant, but at least they have money coming in.

Learn to do a $10 selling job on a $2 item, treat it all like it was important, your buyer will.

Once it is seup, clicking on relist, can bring in $25 a week. Money comes in useful. It is only $25, but it was only 15 minutes.

Basically I'll echo what Inventor said...Ebay is still your fastest route for selling online...and where you may get the most $$ for your items.

Another site to check out is Auctiva.com free to use, you can write your descriptions up ahead of time and save them...go back and edit or add to them later, free image hosting, no added cost for multiple photos, free templates to jazz up your listings and the ability to schedule your listings to post at a certain date or time.

I order my priority supplies online, my bubble wrap in bulk from a seller on Ebay (you can even get colors...I prefer purple ). I write things up ahead of time on Auctiva...go back later and add the photos, and shipping weights or a flat rate price if I'm sure of it (I roughly box things up and add on a little bit for packing materials)...I have a small postal scale and a beat-up vintage baby scale that's actually extremely accurate for the larger packages.

Sign up with Paypal...you can print your label and pay for your postage online through them after the auction ends and then basically just drop the packages at the counter at the post office and leave...or buy a jumbo mailbox like I did and just walk it out to the mailbox ...I can fit up to a flat rate box and a few envelopes in there...anything larger and I have to go a mile down the road to the post office. Also, delivery confirmation is free for priority mail if you print your postage online, reduced fee for other methods. I add delivery confirmation on all my packages...it eliminates 98% of "you didn't ship it, I didn't get it" disputes.

There was another thread recently regarding people who spent too much money on collectible stuff ! !
Be careful ! ! I spent too much money on a rare book and when I went to sell it, lost out ! !

I am obsessed with retro computers and video game systems, especially the 8-bit stuff, from the 1970s and 1980s and would like to start collecting them, but such things were never available behind the iron curtain where I live. I wonder if there is anyone who has an old Commodore or Atari or Nintendo that they don't really want, I could have it. Specifically I am looking for

a Commodore 64
an Apple II (original)
an Atari 8-bit micro (400 or 800)
an Amiga 500.

Long

If your deadline with your landlord is soon, get the estate appraisal and have an estate/yard sale.

Thanks for the replies...I think I am going to do a "comprimise" and keep the most valuable items to sell on-line and turn the other stuff over to a "moderator service" that will sell the items for me and keep 25%.They sell cheap but the stuff is just taking up to much of my time and energy and the clutter has become over whelming...some money is better then no money.

Inventor...I wrote you an email before I saw you post here.I appriciate your advice but the few bucks I might make on a few things isn't worth the time it takes away from the things I can make and sell for more money(plus,I actually enjoy making that stuff,so it's a win/win)

Thanks again for the suggestions...it did help me feel less over whelmed.