I've added a page to this blog with practical advice from one of the most respected booksellers on the ebay booksellers boards. It's for selfish reasons actually since I'm not kidding myself that anyone is actually reading this blog and I don't want the information to disappear the way things sometimes do on the internet, submerging soundlessly when no one is looking. Another place the hints can be found is here:
http://bibliomania.net/satnrosehints.html
I don't know anything about Satnrose except his name may or may not be Joel, he is an active seller of books with thousands of feedbacks, is the author of the mega thread "a book that looks like nothing" and is very generous with his advice and knowledge. Oh, and I seem to remember reading something about being a rare book buyer at the Strand. That just may be a fantasy as I think that would be the best job ever. Satnrose took a leave of absence from the board a while ago. I guess those political threads I never read get pretty stabby.
Showing posts with label Ebay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ebay. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I am thwarted in my goal
Honestly, I am never going to realize my goal of finding the next equivalent of Tammerlane in a box of old papers if you people don't stop selling abject crap at your yard and garage sales. Seriously, lets step it up out there. Alright, all joking but not really joking aside, if I'm going to drive 20 minutes to the literal middle of nowhere based on an ad that promises antiques, books, ephemera and other interesting items, I expect some of that to actually be present. Deerfield, I'm looking at you. What I don't want to see is your kids lemonade stand and a rat infested barn filled with used Tupperware, ripped up Simplicity dress patterns and a single pile of contemporary, chewed on kids board books. That's just cruel.
It took an immediate trip back to the Creekside diner for a short stack of pancakes to regain some enthusiasm. However the post pancake hunt was not roaringly sucessful either. I went to two garage sales in quick succession where the prices were pants on head retarded. At BOTH houses I heard mention that they were going to sell their items on Ebay after the sale. Why go to all the trouble to pay to advertise a sale, set it up, price everything, spend several days in your garage/driveway and then have to pack it all up again if you are not going to price things competitively? You are not an antique dealer/retailer and I'm not going to pay those prices if I'm standing in your carport. Frankly, with the amount of stuff both places had left over on a Sunday afternoon I don't think the strategy worked out.
The one place that did seem to get it was the tail end of an estate sale in its second weekend. I had been before but it was a hoarder's house and packed pretty tightly so in the hopes that new stuff had been churned up, I stopped by again. Everything was at least 50% off and deals were being made. Got a bag of books for $1.50. All interesting and I have hopes for a very old street guide to Venice.
It took an immediate trip back to the Creekside diner for a short stack of pancakes to regain some enthusiasm. However the post pancake hunt was not roaringly sucessful either. I went to two garage sales in quick succession where the prices were pants on head retarded. At BOTH houses I heard mention that they were going to sell their items on Ebay after the sale. Why go to all the trouble to pay to advertise a sale, set it up, price everything, spend several days in your garage/driveway and then have to pack it all up again if you are not going to price things competitively? You are not an antique dealer/retailer and I'm not going to pay those prices if I'm standing in your carport. Frankly, with the amount of stuff both places had left over on a Sunday afternoon I don't think the strategy worked out.
The one place that did seem to get it was the tail end of an estate sale in its second weekend. I had been before but it was a hoarder's house and packed pretty tightly so in the hopes that new stuff had been churned up, I stopped by again. Everything was at least 50% off and deals were being made. Got a bag of books for $1.50. All interesting and I have hopes for a very old street guide to Venice.
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