Apron Thrift Girl

Flea Market Selling Tip - Removable Price Tags

Scotch Removable Magic Tape

I thrift for tape every chance that I get. When I'm at an estate sale, I'll make sure to hit the office in search of packing tape, scotch tape and even duck tape. There really isn't a tape that I don't love.

Well this cheeky tape played a small trick on me and it was not love at first stick. I had not read the package because typically tape is tape. Right? I loaded it into my vintage tape dispenser and was really disappointed to discover that it wasn't very sticky. Here I was preparing orders and I had to deal with inadequate tape. I went in search of the box and sure enough it's basically Post-It tape.

I didn't even know such a product existed. I took it off the dispenser and stuck it back in the drawer until a few months later. It was at that point that I realized that this tape was perfect for pricing inventory that I didn't want to damage with regular tape or price stickers.

It was perfect for this crepe paper. Part of the fabulousness of this item is actually the vintage graphics. I don't want to chance ruining it with sticky labels and tags.

Don't you adore how many different typefaces were used for this single product?

The price tags used in these photos are from my Free -Garage Sale Pack. I have been using them to price my flea market items as well as my Case at the Antique Society. More details about that to come soon.

These items are going to be for sale at Little Shop Trunk Shows and at Flea Markets this summer.

I can't recommend this tape enough. Scotch is not paying me to write about their tape but if you appreciate this article you can click through to Amazon through my affiliate link.

How to Create Online Garage Sale Venues

Card Display - To Sell Locally

There seems to be a venue for selling nearly anything that you own. Whether it's on eBay, Etsy, Artfire, at an Auction House or even locally such as Krrb. When I lived on Bainbridge Island I wanted to sell items but to people that I sort of knew rather than on Craigslist to strangers.

So I went into Yahoo and I created an email group called Bainbridge Online Yard Sale. It's a simple email group that allows people to write emails to one centralized address (similar to ReSellers Guild). You can also post photos. I posted about the Yahoo group to another email list that included many island moms. The group started to grow and grow and items started to sell.

When you visit the group you'll find this information:

"This group is designed for those residing on Bainbridge Island.
Bainbridge Island On-Line Yard Sale is for all those items that you would normally sell at a Yard Sale. These are items that you can't afford to just give away, but would like to try and get a little something in return. It is an alternative to having an actual sale in your yard/garage, selling it on Craigslist or putting it in the BI Review. Please feel free to list items that you would normally find at a yard sale.
You may also send out a notice of an actual yard/garage sale that you are having. Enjoy this virtual yard sale group and welcome."

I've since left the group and handed ownership to my friend Katie but currently there are over 850 members on the list. Every day you'll find emails with people listing items for sale or details about their upcoming yard sale.

Recently Katie started a Facebook group page as an extension of the yahoo group. I loved the idea and copied it to create a Sonoma County Online Yard Sale group. 

Another option is to create a twitter feed. This may be harder to use but I've seen it work for something similar to freecycle in San Francisco. You could use the hashtag such as #sonomaYS and list your item for sale. For example "#sonomaYS Card Display, 4 ft tall, good condition, $40". Again this would be the trickiest of the options but it could work.

Another option is using a blog format to sell items. Each person that joins could become a dedicated author. You simply post your photos, post title with price and information about your item. Like Little Shop used to work, you simply edit the post to SOLD once you've been paid for your item.

Feeling simply inspired by writing this post I went and also created a Sonoma County Online Yard Sale yahoo group. I've even listed my first item. If you are local, I'd love you join the list and spread the word.

With the internet it gives us so many options for selling our unwanted items. We are so lucky.

Do you have an online venue that you sell on locally that wasn't listed here?

ReSelling Tip Post - Enamel Signs

Every week at Apron Thrift Girl I'm going to share with you an item which might be worth picking up as you are thrifting. The items that I suggest may have a good ReSelling value to them. Like stocks and bonds or gold and silver, the market always fluctuates. Something that might be a good seller now may drop in price drastically over the next few months. Also as any experienced eBay seller knows, there are certain seasons where some items do better than others. Before you buy any items that I suggest, please do your own research to understand the market of the item that I mention here at ATG.

This week I'm going to discuss the topic of: Enamel Signs

Before I chat about Signs I wanted to mention how to become a ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor:

Apron Thrift Girl features a weekly post about a second hand item that her readers can look for while thrifting to ReSell. If you are interested in sponsoring a single post the cost is $5.00. This will include a small banner/small button on the post and a link to your service, store or item. This post will be placed on the ATG facebook fan page, on twitter and will be Stumbled. This would be ideal if you want to drive more traffic to your Etsy store, eBay store, ReSelling Product or Service. If you wish for more information on demographics and monthly pageviews, please fill out the Contact Form from the navigational bar with your request.

This sign example is sort of sad looking but it is indeed a vintage enamel sign and it is the first sign that I have found while thrifting. Dave actually spotted it at a sale last Sunday. I have two of them and they were a dollar each. I doubt that they would sell with the amount of wear so we are planning to put them on our garage or barn when we move to our next home.

I learned about the value of enamel signs from watching American Pickers. In nearly every episode Mike and Frank are "popping" on signs. What I love about the show is that they have opened my eyes to an area I never considered. I doubt I would even had considered asking about rusty old signs. I even look at tools with a sly calculating look where previously I would have passed quickly by them to look for vintage craft supplies. Now I'm digging through the tools with the men (typically) seeing if anything jumps out at me to buy.

Smashing Magazine has photos of 60 rare and unusual vintage signs. It gives you a great visual on what to look for. I don't think that I had seen enamel signs before mostly because I wasn't looking. Well Dave might say I'm still not looking since he spotted them. But maybe now after this purchase I will start to see them better.

A similar sign from the 1930's with reflectors sold for $180.

A 1950's Time Premium Gasoline Gas Pump sold for $1250.

A little Shell Sign sold for $455.

This link should take you to some completed eBay auctions for Enamel Signs with the high prices first. I try to not link to individual auctions since the links have a short lived life. If the link the list of completed auctions doesn't work, simply type in Vintage Enamel Sign into eBay and click Completed Listings.

Now, when you all are out scrounging through basements and garages you can keep your eye out for some vintage enamel signs. Have you ever found and sold any?

Have a fabulous thrifting weekend. xoxo Selena

ReSelling Tip Post - Everyday Things

Every week at Apron Thrift Girl I'm going to share with you an item which might be worth picking up as you are thrifting. The items that I suggest may have a good ReSelling value to them. Like stocks and bonds or gold and silver, the market always fluctuates. Something that might be a good seller now may drop in price drastically over the next few months. Also as any experienced eBay seller knows, there are certain seasons where some items do better than others. Before you buy any items that I suggest, please do your own research to understand the market of the item that I mention here at ATG.

This week I'm going to discuss the topic of Everyday Things: Ink Cartridges, VHS Tapes, Cassettes.

Before I delve into the world of Tapes & Ink Cartridges, I wanted to introduce this weeks ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor:

If you adore vintage and especially ephemera then Grandmother's Attic is the shop to visit. My wish list includes these lovely vintage store price tags and of course her vintage Strawberry Shortcake LP. Elizabeth also has a fabulous blog full of thrifting photos and finds. She currently has a post on the 127 Yard Sale otherwise known as the The 600 Mile Yard Sale complete with a slide-show of photos.

If you are interested in becoming the next ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor, please take a look here.

There is certainly a romantic notion of being a ReSeller or an Antique Dealer. At the end of the day though I don't always sell what is beautiful and/or vintage. I buy and sell practical everyday things, items that I would consider a bit dull and boring.

One of the keys to being a successful ReSeller is stopping at a sale and buying what you can ReSell for a profit. Each of us have different needs in our profitability. If I pay $5 for something, I'd prefer to get at least $20 for it. American Pickers has a completely different math system to me where sometimes they might pay $100 for something and it is valued at $125 or $150. Other ReSellers are pleased to double their money.

The more that you can increase your awareness of what sells the better opportunity you will have to stop at a garage sale late in the day and still find money on the table.  This printer cartridge in the photo above actually came from a Thrift Store for $3 and still had the original price tag for $29.99 on the bottom of the box.

I have found that NEW printer cartridges, Laserjet cartridges, VHS tapes and audiotapes can sell well. I do check on my iphone though since some printers are so obsolete that no one is buying the cartridges. 11 TDK MA 110 sealed blank audio cassette tapes sold for $59.99 on August 7th at eBay. I bought 8 blank audio cassette tapes last Saturday for 25¢. Many people that sell them at yard sales feel that there isn't much value in them any more. If this link works, it should take you to a completed page of sales at eBay for blank tapes.

I sold 3 LaserJet Cartridges for $150 a couple years ago, paid $10. They were for an industrial type printer. I sold some Pitney Bowes Meter Tape for $15.50, paid $2. The printer ink in the photo above currently has a bid for $9.99.

What I look for at sales are items that are still new in their box or original package. If it has been opened I generally leave it since I'm unsure of the condition. I do discretely check most items on my iphone at the sale. If the price is low enough I'll buy it and take the risk. If I have gambled incorrectly, I'll place it in my own Garage Sale box. With audio cassette and VHS tapes, I go for the best brands and the highest quality. Maxell and TDK are pretty good sellers.

Do you buy and sell any Everyday Things? What's the most dull item that you have sold but did well with?

This weekend is a very exciting one for any thrifter in the US. To celebrate this fabulous day I'm going to be giving every reader a gift tomorrow morning. Make sure and check back.

ReSelling Tip Post - Everyday Food Magazine

Every week at Apron Thrift Girl I'm going to share with you an item which might be worth picking up as you are thrifting. The items that I suggest may have a good ReSelling value to them. Like stocks and bonds or gold and silver, the market always fluctuates. Something that might be a good seller now may drop in price drastically over the next few months. Also as any experienced eBay seller knows, there are certain seasons where some items do better than others. Before you buy any items that I suggest, please do your own research to understand the market of the item that I mention here at ATG.

This week I'm going to discuss the topic of Magazines: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Before I chat about magazines I wanted to mention how to become a ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor:

Apron Thrift Girl features a weekly post about a second hand item that her readers can look for while thrifting to ReSell. If you are interested in sponsoring a single post the cost is $5.00. This will include a small banner/small button on the post and a link to your service, store or item. This would be ideal if you wish to drive more traffic to your Etsy store, eBay store, ReSelling Product or Service. If you wish more information on demographics and monthly pageviews, please fill out the Contact Form from the navigational bar with your request.

Magazines are a very interesting item to research. Some back issues do extremely well while some you can't give away.

What I do with magazines that I know sell pretty well in lots is to slowly collect them. I store them either on a shelf or in a box until I have a large number of them. Everyday Food is a great magazine to collect. I try to buy them for 25¢ each or I pick them up in the free pile.

47 copies that included Issue #1 sold in May for $92. At the same time though 54 issues with #1 sold for $47. Another lot of just 6 from 2008 sold for $13.02. There are some lots though that never sold. Before you start buying do your own research to make sure you feel comfortable investing in this magazine to ReSell.

Selling on eBay is never really predictable which is why I wouldn't invest a lot of money in these, but every lot that I have ever sold gave me a little profit. A couple years ago I sold #1 by itself for around $27.00.

Here's a shipping tip. Magazines with advertising cannot go Media Mail. Many ReSellers say that they will go Media Mail but they are not allowed to be shipped this way. I try to send them in a Flat Rate Priority Box or offer them Parcel Post. Media Mail can be inspected at any time.

BONUS TIP: Does anyone remember Sassy Magazine? I have maybe 40 back issues of this magazine that I bought as a teenager. If you do a search on it you'll be surprised at the prices this 1980's magazine can fetch.

I apologize for the two day delay with announcing the winner of my 500th post giveaway. We are leaving town this morning to go visit my mother and I've had to do so much preparation including close down ReSelling Venues. I think we're nearly ready to go. The car is packed, our house sitter is here and my thrift map of California, Oregon and Washington is ready. 

Here's the winner.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 47

#47 is Dogsmom. You can see her blog here. I'll be in touch as soon as we return from our journey north.

ReSelling Tip Post - Dansko Clogs

This tip is a bit late today. I was at an estate sale at 6:30 a.m. in order to be first in the door. I was 14th in line but made it into the house with the first batch of shoppers. I spent 2 1/2 hours there and $860 on books. Thankfully they took credit cards and thankfully my business account has been building up with all the ReSelling that I have been doing lately. One book alone might sell for $150 so I think I did quite well. I'm completely exhausted but wanted to leave you with a ReSelling Tip for the weekend ahead. 

Every week at Apron Thrift Girl I'm going to share with you an item which might be worth picking up as you are thrifting. The items that I suggest may have a good ReSelling value to them. Like stocks and bonds or gold and silver, the market always fluctuates. Something that might be a good seller now may drop in price drastically over the next few months. Also as any experienced eBay seller knows, there are certain seasons where some items do better than others. Before you buy any items that I suggest, please do your own research to understand the market of the item that I mention here at ATG.

This week I'm going to discuss shoes: The Dansko Clog.

Before I delve into shoes I wanted to introduce this weeks ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor:

Pardon My Past is a shop full of sweet vintage items. My favorite section is definitely the vintage books. You can also follow Pardon My Past on Facebook and get updates when new items are in the shop.

If you are interested in becoming the next ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor, please take a look here.

 

I love Dansko Clogs. I consider them my bread and butter finds for ReSelling on eBay. Once you have an eye for them you should be able to spot them a mile away. Lots of other brands are copying this style so make sure the shoes say Dansko on them.

The average sale for a pair of Dansko clogs for the last 90 days on eBay is $38. Dansko Professional Clogs are used by many professions but especially nurses and people that work in the food industry. I try to buy them for $10 and under. If they are a relatively new style and have something special like felt or embroidery such as the pair above, I may pay up to $20. I do usually try to check before I buy if they are priced that high. I prefer to quadruple my money. If I pay $10 for an item I'd love to get $40 for it. Each person will have their own math though for ReSelling.

I can find Dansko Clogs at yard sales, moving sales, thrift stores and even sometimes at consignment stores. I probably find around 5-7 pair a year. Be cautious about condition, I look for clogs that haven't had much use. The more an item is worn, the more I have to describe the flaws and I personally don't enjoy that side of listing.

Have a great thrifting weekend.

xoxo

Selena

ReSelling Tip Post - Cast Iron Pans

Every week at Apron Thrift Girl I'm going to share with you an item which might be worth picking up as you are thrifting. The items that I suggest may have a good ReSelling value to them. Like stocks and bonds or gold and silver, the market always fluctuates. Something that might be a good seller now may drop in price drastically over the next few months. Also as any experienced eBay seller knows, there are certain seasons where some items do better than others. Before you buy any items that I suggest, please do your own research to understand the market of the item that I mention here at ATG.

This week I'm going to discuss a time honored item: The Cast Iron Pan.

Before I delve into the wonderful world of selling these cast iron pans I wanted to introduce this weeks ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor:

I'm so happy to share with you that our first ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor is from the person that changed me from a hobby seller to a professional seller. I consider Julia Anna as a true mentor and a trusted friend. I met her online over 4 years ago and she taught me that I could actually sell a 1970's children's book for $30. At that point I was selling some $9.99 items and was pleased at that. The idea of a $30 book was unheard of for me. I highly recommend taking a look at her website Sell Children's Books. She changed my life, she may change yours. When she says you could make a $1000 on eBay & Amazon, she's being completely honest. This is what happened to me.

If you are interested in becoming the next ReSelling Tip Post Sponsor, please take a look here.

Here is your tradition Cast Iron Pan. Some of you may be more familiar with them than others. We do 80% of our cooking on Cast Iron pans. We made the switch when we moved to an eco-friendly household. I wanted to avoid teflon as well as try to get extra iron in my body since I was anemic. Some feel that cast iron pans will give you some added iron, others disagree that your body can't absorb it. Either way, we  have become accustomed to cooking on cast iron and are pretty familiar with this style of cookware.

This pan is a 10 inch Griswold Deep Skillet. You can read about the history of the Cast Iron pan here.

This was quite worn when I bought it at a yard sale for $2.00. I bought it for us to use but Dave gave it the thumbs down expressing that the 4 cast iron skillets that we already had were enough for our small kitchen. You can barely make out the plus symbol in a double circle. If it wasn't worn it would read Griswold clearly. The other brand to search for is Wagner. A brand that sells in the stores today that you may see a lot at garage sales is Lodge. There are not many people that collect Lodge because it is readily available. If you find a New In Box you might possibly be able to ReSell it. I suggest researching this brand before you buy.

Personally I prefer to cook with the older cast iron pans. I find that they season exceptionally well or they already come seasoned. I have attempted to season a new cast iron pan and it was utter failure. I think I practically ruined it.

The best ReSelling Cast Iron Pans are the larger size. This above pan is a #8. Because of the condition and wear it only sold for $21. A very good condition #8 pan with lid sold for $184.00 Buy It Now. The average selling price from Terapeak is $37.88 with a 72% sell through rate.

The Cast Iron pan to really keep your eyes open for is #13. Terapeak (which is a membership research site gives you 90 days of completed auctions for eBay) has the average sale price for #13 is $602 with the average sell through rate of 63%. Here is a link to current auctions on #13. Some are actually selling #12 but mention 13 because the size of the #12 pan is 13 inches in diameter. The number is usually at the spot where the handle meets the main part of the pan.

Other pans to search for:

• Griswold Loaf Pan with lid - Sold for $886
• Griswold Dutch Oven with Trivet sold for $492
• Griswold (early Griswold) Lamb Mold sold for $434
• Griswold #10 Dutch Oven sold for $399
• Wagner Ware #8 Foot Dutch Oven with Lid $373 (highest Wagner item on Terapeak)

This is an example of some of the better sales listed on Terapeak. Condition, age of the pan, # of pan etc are all things that will add or take away value. The Griswold and Wagner website is full of resources, photos and information for both collectors and ReSellers.

ReSelling Tip Post

Would you be interested in ReSelling Tip posts here at ATG? I thought I would try to post a weekly item that you could look for while you are out thrifting.I would share items that ideally sell high and with a healthy sell-through rate.

Here's a sample:

 

A German Serving Spoon that I sold for $98 on June 22nd. I look at every piece of flatware that I come across while thrifting. I find that Scandinavian and Germany flatware sell very well. Not only does it sell for a fabulous price, flatware is relatively easy to ship. This spoon is heading over to France.

If you are interested in ReSelling Tip Posts, let me know. Also if you are interested in a certain ReSelling venue such as ebay or Craigslist mention which one. And finally if you want to learn about a certain area of items to ReSell such as vintage crafts, mid century modern, pottery and so on, share with me what you would like to learn more about. How does that sound?

xoxo

Selena

The Polaroid SX-70

The SX-70 Polaroid Camera is the camera of my youth. It is the only camera that I remember in the family from an early age. I considered it my grandfather's camera although I don't recall who really owned it. We lived a mere 1/4 mile from my grandparents on a property of 40 acres in the north valley of California. It was present at every birthday, holiday, 4th of July celebration and family gathering. The first camera of this design was sold in 1972, the year of my birth.

I remember even as a child how I loved the design of this camera. How you could take a picture and watch it develop before your very eyes in the sunlight. It was like magic. I can still recall my brothers and me gathering around a photo as it developed. First day of school photos were taken on a camera like this. Although the family photos are all with my parents in Washington, I can still see my first day of Kindergarten polaroid photo in my mind. Like it was yesterday.

I found this camera in Sacramento on the last day of an estate sale. It was in surprisingly good shape, almost as if it was hardly used. It even came with the original case. It was priced at $18 but by Sunday everything was half off. I walked away paying only $9.00. The resale value of these cameras are very good. I'm keeping this one though. I'll get more pleasure from just seeing it on a shelf in my home than the money in my bank account.

At this point I can't really play with the camera since Polaroid ceased making the film needed for it. A company in Europe appears to have successfully made film that would work in this camera. It is rather complicated, not to mention expensive so I am going to be satisfied enough to look at my camera as an art piece for now.

This is a fabulous commercial staring Charles and Ray Eames.