Antiques Buy Sell or Both

 

It all started at a misguided freight auction, I came home with 15 blood monitors brand new in the box.  From that moment on, I was a seller not just a buyer, the antiques came later.

We were going to sell brand name, brand new product at wholesale or below wholesale prices.  I remember going to auction after auction stalking product, it had to sell, right.

Long story short, 6 months down the road it was a miserable failure, miserable.

Quitting could have been the simple thing to do I guess, but I wasn’t going to let my first go round at selling burn and crash just that easy, I had a plan.

Get rid of the old and fill with new, it turned out the old was all new and the new was all old, just worked out that way, funny.  It worked; at least we were selling more than we were.

Old barn stuff was a great sell for us, old washers, tubs, pulleys, ladders, just about anything that could be used for outdoor décor we wanted it.  This is where the antiques started taking hold, anything old and rusty I was looking at buying it, at the right price of course.

Then it was an old bird cage, someone gave me some old pop bottles, cast iron lanterns couldn’t get enough of them.  Started getting some cool vintage items, 50-70’s stuff, along with some gas and oil items from the 60”s, I made another change.

I can’t just sit still at what I am doing I  have to try and move it forward any way I can, I see a new seller on my tables, vintage. (Is vintage antique…article for another day…lol)  Combining this with the outdoor décor, emm me think, I have something here.

I didn’t even see the rock that fell and ran me over, it came from nowhere, how could I have known, how I ask?  Wasn’t having a problem selling stuff, I couldn’t get stuff at least the stuff I deemed sellable.  If I did have a chance at getting some cool stuff, it was at a price that was not economical for me to make a profit.  Trust me I learned the hard way on buying and pricing things, who knew just because you paid x you can’t charge y, lesson learned over and over.

By now I am in my fourth year I think I have somewhat of a formula and I get stalled.  I had no fix for this, I was starting to feel helpless, frustrated, well let’s say just a bit (ask my wife…lol)  Hour’s of driving around cold calling or garage sales I’m coming home with one to two items that might make me 20 dollars.

Ok it happens even to the best for sure, but every time out, it was always the same coming home with just about nothing, at least nothing for the time and miles put on.  The auctions that once were so fruitful for us dried up, prices are just crazy, the garage sale not what they once were, they are getting pricy. The selling stops, brick wall in my future, that’s it I quit.

One of my many times quitting, but it keeps me coming back, I can’t stop, I’m hooked.

Another change coming I have been planning this one or thinking of it for a while now, a bit of a change in stock and where I sell.

Trials and tribulations, wow I sure come across them, but I guess it’s like golf it can drive you crazy until that one good game or drive, it keeps you coming back.  I have made some real good deals in my short time selling antiques and trust me I have made some real bad ones; I call it paying for my education.

It might not have turned out exactly the way I was expecting but I am for ever changing and try to keep moving forward even when I get crushed I move on.

Buy, sell I couldn’t stop if I wanted to…

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Tim Bashista

 

I live in Ontario, Canada,  I have been a carpenter worked in a factory for a bit, done many things in my life so far, nothing as interesting as buying and selling antiques (stuff…lol)  I call my little business Wow Good Stuff…Meeting great folk along the way, might not get rich in dollars but rich other ways…

I’m Hooked…lol