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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Spring has sprung and yard sale season has begun!


My mother and I always said yard sale season officially kicked off on the first weekend of April. I mean if football, deer, and Christmas can have a season why can’t yard sales? Although we would and I still go to sales year round. It seems so busy when the weather gets pretty. Come the middle of summer there are close to 100 sales every weekend in my area.

As long as I can remember my mother would drag me to flea markets, yard sales, etc. My first husband’s grandmother loved to go to sales as much as my mother. They use to drive around to all of the sale on Friday’s and Saturday’s., I would tag along on Saturday’s. We were wild in a good way and we always had the best time. Sometimes we would laugh till we cried. We drove to some very interesting areas, places we never dreamed existed. We really would have been dangerous if we would had a GPS. Instead we drove around with laminated maps of all of the local towns and still managed to get lost sometimes.

But my favorite part of our yard sale adventures was “the deal of the day!” After we were done, if it was 2, 3, or 4 people in the car we would all get out and dig through our items and each pull our favorite find for that day. We would decide out of these items which was the best deal but for each person we would tell why the item we chose was our deal of the day. So in honor of my mother and all of my wonderful memories I want to carry on this tradition. I’m asking you my readers to send me photos with descriptions of your “find of the week”. Every Monday I will post a blog of the previous weekends finds. You don’t have to post what you paid if you don’t want to but I do want to know why it was your pick for the weekend. You can either e-mail your finds to reggiesattic@live.com  or post a comment of your find on each weeks comment section.

So get out there and hit those yard sales, flea markets, swap meets, garage sales, moving sales, consignment stores, antique shops, antique shows, auctions etc. And start sharing great memories with someone. JB and I have picked up where my mom and I left off. I hope to see you out there. Bargains await!!!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Nothing says Chanel like Chanel...

I don't usually mention items I am selling on eBay but today I had a client walk in with a wonderful consignment for eBay that has to be shared.  It just doesn't happen everyday!


Nothing in this world can stop me dead in my tracks like the word "Chanel" and that's exactly what it happened.  Alot of times it would be something "CC" but not today.  A very classic style Cocco Chanel Belt or necklace walked in.  In simple terms "F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S" is all that I can say about it.  I have found where similar ones have sold for over $2200. 


Also a very non-traditional pair of Chanel Earrings are being sold.  They are stunning on and will be perfect for any occassion.  Something worth taking the time to take a look. 

Yes, the items are for sale on eBay with a buy it now and best offer option.  They are on consignment so please be patient I have to consult my client.  *s*

Probably my most favorite consigned items in a long time. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?viewItem&item=280651198061&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280651204368

Monday, March 21, 2011

So you think you want to have an estate sale?

         



With spring in the air, some people begins to consider liquidation of estates or households.  Here are some key tips to keep in mind when considering someone to liquidate for you or your family.


1. Do NOT box and/or drag everything out. First, you are creating entirely to much work for yourself and the company that you are hiring would prefer that you leave things as closely to the condition in which they were left as possible. Also, in boxing it up you can chip/damage glassware, tear collectible paper, or damage electronics. PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DOING THIS!

2. If a house has not been a smokers,  please don’t smoke in it.  If it has been smoked in, crack windows etc to help air the home out. Upholstered items in a smokers house are much harder to sell.

3. Get rid of all opened food and food with bad dates. Do not throw away the containers because often you will throw away the sugar bowl that matched grandma’s china.

4. Throw away all prescription medicine.

5. Properly dispose paint cans.

6. Do NOT throw out the linens. Towels, bed linens, etc are very sellable and even with holes.  Rag bags can be made for people who wash cars.

7. Do NOT throw anything away other than the items listed above. Leave the throwing out to the professionals. Remember one man’s junk is another mans treasure. You will probably throw out the item that would have sold first.

8. Do NOT get rid of clothing items. The professionals will know what will sell.  After the sale, whatever is left can be donated but remember every penny adds up.

9. This is not your granny’s yard sale nor is this a retail store. Just because granny paid $1,000 for an item doesn’t mean it will sell for that and it doesn’t mean it will only bring a few dollars. Items are priced according to extensive research and experience. This is why you hire a professional to maximize your profits and make every possible item sell. Remember it is in the best interest of the liquidator you hire to get you as much money as possible from of each item because their commission is banking on it. Don’t be offended if they tell you there isn’t enough to conduct a sale.  They are just saving you time and trouble.  However they may be able to offer you other sources.

10. Also take into consideration the preparation time your sale may take. Your liquidator may be working on several sales at one time. So please consider that they may need to set a sale up several weeks before the actual sale.

11. Utilities should be left on if possible. Trash has to be proper disposed and that isn’t the responsibility of the liquidator however if you require them to dispose of the trash, expect their commisson to be more. Water is a must so that items are clean, and restrooms are always needed for your liquidator (not for public use). Electric is nice, people don’t like shopping in the dark.

12. Perhaps the most important of all is to take into consideration of what will happen with what is left. Remember no matter how fabulous the sale, you will always have something left. Many liquidators leave this headache to you or will give you a list of potential people that "might" help you take care of it.   My personal opinion on this subject is that is what you hired a liquidator to do, “LIQUIDATE”;  meaning they are responsible for seeing that this is done and  is not your problem. That should be included in their commission and contract. They should also have to do a sweep clean of the house. These means that counters are wiped down, and the house is mopped or vacuumed before the turning the key back over.

I do understand some people don’t want it cleaned out and that is fine but discuss it upfront before the sale is conducted. Start with the end in mind!

13.  You don't have to have antiques to have an estate sale.  People like to buy everything a household has to offer.  In this economy,  I have a lot of customers just looking for a variety of items from everyday things including groceries to nice used furniture. 

If you will follow these simple steps you will have a great sale with little if any headaches.


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Local Antique Show...



Do you have a local antique show in your area that takes place once or twice a year? Most of the time these smaller shows are fundraisers for schools or not for profit organizations. They are usually held in schools or community centers. Because they are not promoted by large companies they are sometimes the best kept secret in finding quality antiques at affordable prices. They have minimal admission prices, usually $2 to $4. They have a variety of antiques from primitives to fine silver, the prices also vary. In the smaller shows you have dealers that they may only do that one show a year. Or hobbiest who are trying to make room in their collection by selling duplicates. These type of dealers usually have small expectations and are more willing to work with you on pricing. You will also have a local antique dealers.

You should make a point to shop your local antique show. They are small shows, aprox 35 to 50 dealers, which gives you more time to spend searching through each individual booth. In these types of shows have a better chance of finding sleepers or hard to find collectibles. Over the years I have found many wonderful bargains on items for resale, as well as some pieces for my own personal collection because the price was right.

Most of these shows sell some type of concessions some concessions are great but they are very affordable for both the vendors and shoppers.

This weekend we will be found at the Scott County High School Show in Georgetown, KY. Next weekend we will be at the Pot of Gold Antique Show in Grayson KY that show is held at the East Carter Middle School. Next month we will also be doing the El Hasa Shiners Show in Ashland, KY. These shows have a variety of quality dealers and most of these show showcase different dealers. These are usually not flea market or craft type vendors although you may have one or two scattered through out. These are genuine antique shows NOT flea market so go with that in mind,
We only do the smaller antique shows a few times a year but we want to help support our community and local economy. So come out, enjoy the digging and help do the same. You never know what you may find.