What I've Learned as a Seller

Three years -- that's how long I've been selling vintage!  It's hard to believe it's been that long, because the time has flown by.  I opened my Etsy shop in October, 2010 and began selling in the antique mall in February, 2011.

I knew there would be a big learning curve, but I don't think I was prepared for what I didn't know.  Selling vintage is so much different from collecting vintage.  Today I'd like to lay out some of the things I've learned in the last three years and maybe they'll be helpful to new sellers (and to collectors, as well!)

1.  Sell what you know and what you love...
This seems so obvious, but it isn't really.  When I was working as a floor walker at the antique mall, I'd see all the interesting things people were buying -- often things that were completely not 'my thing' (for example, depression glass, vintage designer clothing and primitives).  I tried picking up similar items at sales to add to my booth or shop and it just didn't work.  I didn't know how to price them, didn't know what was worth buying and didn't feel 'invested' in them.  I think we're all much better off staying in our own passion areas.

2.  Just because it's old it doesn't mean it's worth buying...
I picked up lots of old stuff at the beginning that will never sell.  I haven't been able to sell it in the booth, on Etsy or even at my garage sale.  You know something is a loser when you take it to the resale shop and they turn it down!  Now I stick to things that I know are sell-able (though I still make mistakes sometimes).

3.  Don't buy it just because it's cheap...
This one goes with number 2.  Sometimes things aren't cheap because they're a bargain, they're cheap because they aren't worth more than that.  Those little goodies are losers, too -- if you spend 50 cents on something you really don't want just because it's 50 cents, you've just thrown that money away.

4.  Don't buy junk...
I keep a list of things not to buy.  Sometimes it's items I have lots of (like breadboxes), sometimes it's things that don't sell in my booth (hankies), but this is written at the top of my list in capital letters:  DON'T BUY JUNK!  If an item is broken or needs repair, I'll usually pass it up now (I didn't used to).  I don't have time to fix everything and will never get enough money for the little thing to reimburse my time spent.  I'll still buy lamps that need rewiring and linens with stains (but not usually holes), and the very dirty doesn't stop me, but ceramic or mechanical items that are broken just aren't worth it.  Exceptions are ceramics that are really special -- those are worth restoring.

5.  Don't be wishy-washy...
There have been times I've put something in my 'buy' pile at a sale and then spend the rest of the sale trying to decide if it's a smart purchase or not.  Most of the time, it's not (for me, anyway).  I've learned that, if I go back and forth on whether something is worth buying, I should leave it for someone else.

6.  If it's right, jump on it...
The flip-side of number 4 is the fact that I KNOW the instant I see something that is just great!  When that happens, I've learned to grab it.  I've really regretted the times I've lost something cool because I've decided to 'think about it and come back' or I haven't picked it up and held on to it.  

7. Trust your instincts...
If you feel that an item is a winner, you're probably right (and don't let someone else talk you out of it).  Mr. KV doesn't go shopping with me much, but I laugh because usually when he does there will be one moment in the outing when he'll ask 'Will someone really want that?'  I've learned to be pretty confident about what I know.

8.  Don't beat yourself up over mistakes...
I've learned that I'll make mistakes -- that's a given!  I don't know a single dealer who doesn't have a 'what was I thinking' story' or who can't tell me about the ones that got away.  It's really hard for me not to dwell on the money I've wasted or the things I didn't buy that I should have, but I think I've gotten (almost) to the point where I can just move on.

9.  Keep it fresh...
I've learned to make lots of trips to the booth to rearrange and 'fluff'.  Even if I don't take lots of new items in, little changes can make it look more interesting and catch someone's eye.  Often it's as easy as moving things from one side of the booth to the other, because people tend to always walk a mall in the same pattern.  (If you don't believe me, try walking your favorite mall in the opposite direction and see how different the booths look to you).
On Etsy, I try to change the titles and make revisions on items that I renew and often will take new pictures, too.  It's good practice to review the keywords, as well -- maybe just a tweak is all it needs to sell.

10.  Have fun...
When this starts to not be fun any more, I'm done!  Ive learned that it takes LOTS of time and energy to run my own business -- even a small one like this. If it starts to be a chore or something I dread, I'm going to phase it out.  Life's too short to hate what you do every day.

Those are my words of wisdom (wisdom being a relative term...)  It's not often that I have an entire post with no pictures.  The next one will be back to the fun stuff, I promise!