ISSUE 38: Nov. 16, 2007
Yard Salers: Issue 38! Make Money Selling Catalogs and Starting a Vintage Clothing Business - Nov. 16, 2007
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Hello, all!
Life in the 21st Century
Sometimes the nitty-gritty of life rears up and sucks all your energy into a time-space continuum. This is what happened to me last Sunday evening as I was attempting to crank out the most recent newsletter.
My husband decided we had put off long enough installing a good "netnanny" program on our computer, although we've tried various things with browsers and also have parental controls set up on AOL.
So, being the good little consumer I try to be, I go onto amazon.com, read reader reviews of the different available software programs, and google around to find more info. I settle on a program that is highly rated by a computer magazine, and looks to have all the features I want.
Great, right? (Cue the "wah-wah" disappointment sound effect). Wrong. I download the free trial, install it, and then try to run the thing. It begins by giving me a tip, and then before I can get to the meat of it, the computer freezes up. The mouse pointer is suspended in time, like the old Lisa with the graphic burned into the screen in the Smithsonian museum.
I reboot, try again, reboot, retry, reboot. Etc.
OK, so then I call the software maker; we try a few things that don't work.
Then, the uninstall. OK, well, that's gotta work, right?
Wah-wah.
Same thing. Frozen screen. Now, it's time for the ::cue the dramatic music::...SYSTEM RESTORE.
Yes, most of you probably know about it, but for those who don't, it's the magic little feature that resets your computer's system to whatever configuration it had at that date you specify. So if I set it to the day before, before I installed the offending cybernannything, the computer would forget any of that ever happened.
Worked like a charm.
Oh sure, later I had to contact Dell to find out why my sound died, and get it back up and running, but still.
Only, at that point, Sunday night was gone, like a marble that had rolled down into a funnel.
So, I plugged away at the Catalogs special report/ebook, and only now do I feel it's finally ready to unveil. I'll share some nuggets from it in today's newsletter. I think you'll like reading about how you can make money from things you get for free in the mail (and others, you can find some creative ways).
Also we talk about vintage clothing on eBay in Reader Mail. It's a short issue, so we can save time to get back into the continuum next time.
So let's get to it!
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Buy Low. Sell High. What Sells on eBay for What 2007 is here. Over 300 pages high and median prices for key categories. Plus Top Searches and Most Watched Items for EVERY eBay category. Get it at half price only here in this newsletter.
Click here to order.
Or cut and paste this url into your browser:
www.yardsalers.net/WhSlls_upd_subsc.asp
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Dirty Bits of Paper Fetch $1600? Making Money with Post Cards. 40-year veteran of the trade Avril Harper says she's overspilled the beans by giving all the information you'll need to begin making $200 - $100 or so every day on eBay, and PROMISES no one else in the eBay universe will tell you about this remarkable profit-spinner.
Find out more here .
Or cut and paste this url into your browser: http://juliawilk.boadiegirl.hop.clickbank.net/
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Do you like this newsletter? Please forward it (in its entirety) to a friend! Just go to http://www.yardsalers.net and see the "Subscribe" box on top.
**Don't have five minutes to read the newsletter now? Print it out and read later.**
[For more writing and photos throughout the month, check out Julia's bidbits blog at http://juliawww.typepad.com/bidbits/.]
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In This Issue:
1) What Sells: Catalogs that Sell for Big Bucks
2) Reader Mail: Starting an Online Vintage Business
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1) What Sells: Catalogs that Sell for Big Bucks
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The "Make Big Bucks Selling Catalogs on eBay" updated special report is finally done! Here, I am going to give a sampling of the higher prices obtained for catalogs sold in recent weeks on eBay, in the categories of:
Clothing, Fashion
Auction
Art and Exhibitions
Department Stores
Agriculture
I've been talking a lot about the commercial catalogs like the ones we all get spammed with every holiday season. And those are in the ebook too. But in this article I wanted to focus a little more in some of the more upscale and artsy catalogs -- Auction, and Art and Exhibitions -- that boast some of the loftiest prices in the special report. They may not be as easy to find as the Victoria's Secrets and the Neiman Marcuses -- they may not come right through your mail slot, for free..but they can be obtained fairly easily in some cases.
But let's look at some prices:
Art Catalogs
BURNING WATERS VISUAL & POETIC IMAGES BY VICTOR PASMORE 1 $350.00
HUNDERTWASSER Catalogue Raisonne LIMITED 6273 of 10.000 3 $308.33
MATISSE - Catalogue raisonn des ouvrages Illustres- 1 $359.00
SYLVIE GUILLEM nudes catalogue NEW and STILL SEALED 13 $204.26
PICASSO 347 - FIRST EDITION CATALOG -1971-TWO FINE VOL 1 $195.00
That's a sampling of some of the highest prices for art. Let's look at some a little further down:
More Art Catalogs
MESSENGERS OF MODERNISM AMERICAN STUDIO JEWELRY 1940-60 Buy It Now $70.00
1974 Arts Of The Eskimo Book Colour Prints - NO RESERVE 8 $66.00
Rare book Josef Hoffmann Designs Wiener Werkstatte MAK 6 $52.01
KAWS - THE KIMPSONS - C10 RARE LIMITED EDITION BOOKBuy It Now $69.99
MESSENGERS OF MODERNISM AMERICAN STUDIO JEWELRY 1940-60 2 $61.50
Sotheby's ROSTROPOVICH-VISHNEVSKAYA COLLEC RUSSIAN ART Buy It Now $60.00
Frida Kahlo (1907. 2007) - National Homage Book 1 $60.00
How do you find these little gems? See the ebook. :)
Now let's look at Department store catalogs, since we are, after all, in the holiday season:
Department Store Catalogs
Antique Very Rare Book/Catalog 1866 Shelf & Hardware 1 $200.00
Sears 1958 CHRISTMAS catalog - ROY ROGERS galore! Toys! 19 $132.50
1967 Sears Christmas Catalog Wish Book NR Great Cond. 16 $130.50
1968 Sears Christmas Catalog Wish Book NR Great Cond. 13 $130.50
1932 Sears Roebuck Electrical Power Tools Catalog RARE 7 $127.05
1941 Sears Christmas Catalog, Marx Trains, Dolls, Toys 4 $123.50
624 Page SEARS 1964 Christmas Catalog 16 $113.50
1966 Vintage Sears Christmas Catalog Before "Wish Book" 12 $105.07
Vintage Marshall Field Holiday Catalog 1911 4 $103.48
Sears Roebuck Christmas Catalog, 1946: Margaret O'Brien 14 $101.00
1953 SEARS AND ROEBUCK Christmas Catalog B909 16 $88.87
vfp MARSHALL FIELDS Deco catalog Dupas Lepape benigni 5 $87.00
1964 Sears Christmas Catalog Wish Book NR Good Cond. 13 $86.01
1963 SEARS CHRISTMAS CATALOG / BOOK 19 $84.50
1963 SEARS TOY BOOK CATALOG 214 PGS OF TOYS Christmas 16 $78.00
1963 Sears Christmas Catalog Toys Barbies 571 pages 18 $77.01
1959 WARDS CHRISTMAS GIFTS CATALOG 7 $77.00
1950 -1951 Canadian Tire Fall Winter Catalog w/Mailer ' 14 $76.00
1959 Sears Christmas Catalog Toy Cars Guns Trains Dolls 4 $76.00
1930 Sears Catalog Original 6 $69.50
VINTAGE SEARS,ROEBUCK AND CO.,CHICAGO CATALOG 1919 14 $68.54
1975 Sears Wish Book/Catalog for Christmas Season 14 $68.54
I think you get the idea. There are a lot of Sears catalogs here, yes, but there are also other department stores as you get further down the list. And a catalog as recent as 1986 in this sample sold for $26.00. I'll talk about which modern department store catalogs are worth selling, and where older catalogs can be found, in the report.
You can get your copy for $12.49, as always, 1/2 off the retail price of $24.98 by going here
...or cut and paste:
http://www.yardsalers.net/cats_sub.asp/
into your browser.
Questions? Email me at juliawilk@aol.com.
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The Silent Sales Machine Hiding On eBay(R). 2007 Version! Approaching 100,000 Copies Sold. The Most Creative eBay(R) eBook Ever Written. Click Here!
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Last year a 14 year old made $1,400 in her first two weeks on eBay using Jenni's guide. Find out how you can get in on Holiday Toy Selling Madness before the season is over: Click here for the 2007 Holiday Toy Guide - Gold Level Membership.
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Julia's Make Money Selling Kids' Clothes on eBay ebook has been updated for 2007! Now 42 pages, it's jam-packed with brand analyses; high, median and low prices; and tips about where to find the best children's clothes to resell. Buy it!.
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2) Reader Mail: Starting an Online Vintage Business
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A lady in the UK, we'll call her Gwynn, asked me about starting an online vintage business, and if I had any advice. Here is my reply:
Hi Gwynn!
I think an online vintage business can be fun and lucrative if you pick the right things, stay on top of the trends (especially those things that "come around again"), and are savvy about marketing. Easier said than done, right?
An example of a trend that boomeranged back is the Pucci print. (If only I had known, I would have asked my mom to hang on to some stuff back in the 60s!). Also the tunic..my gosh, these things were all over in the 60s and early 70s.
One thing you can do is "spy" on the successful vintage sellers who are already there. Poke around on eBay for a while and see what some of the most consistent and best-presented auctions are.
For example. right now I went on eBay and did a search on "vintage coat" in the clothing category. (Right now I am looking for a Fall coat). :)
Select "completed listings" on the left and click "show listings." then at the "Sort by" menu on the upper right, select "highest price + shipping" (eBay recently added the "+ shipping" in there to equalize out sellers who pad shipping rates and then put an artificially low sales price).
Let's see what we find. Wow..the top selling item here is a "Womens 1960's Vintage Shearling Coat Boho, Hippie," tipping the scales at a healthy $1,009.00. What makes this so attractive is its *real shearling*, beautiful funky styling, with turquoise and white embroidery, and that it's in such great shape for its age.
OK, so now let's see what else this seller has to offer. Does she have a store? She does. "The Dragonfly." Only it seems to have more new than vintage items.
At $744.44, which was a Best Offer made on an original BIN of $795, we find our old friend Emilio Pucci (speaking of the devil) -- a vintage "dress top blouse shirt" (how's that for versatile?). Another thing about Pucci before I forget..Marilyn Monroe, in her later years, such as they were, used to love him, and there's a lot of Pucci in her Christie's estate catalog.
OK, enough about that. You can keep looking for successful sellers that way, but I'm trying to find you a Store seller, so I changed tack and went directly to the eBay Stores page. Doing a search there, I clicked on an intriguing listing for an Olga dress and found Teresa's Reborn Treasures. She's got it set up with a simple clothing graphic, and it looks to me like you could set up a store like this quickly. She has an eclectic mix, from Chico's, to vintage 40s, 60s, etc and designers like Escada, but it's all presented cleanly and simply.
So I say, start with the clothing or stuff you know and like best, put up some auctions and an eBay store, and take it from there. Study the successful sellers and their practices. Oh, and hang out on the eBay "Vintage Clothing and Accessories" board -- my experience is there is a wealth of information (and camaraderie) on these boards.
But wait..you did ask about a web site. A standalone web site is great, too, and I'm all for them -- esp. as a hedge to eBay, so you don't have all your eggs in one basket. There are many ways to go about that; I can tell you one way, which is mine: I use godaddy.com as the domain name provider and web hosting; I hired a local graphic designer to do a simple layout for the top and sub-pages (you can also find many via Craigslist or other sites), and I do the simple updating myself, tho I have a go-to guy for the more complicated html etc., again thanks to CL.
Another word about market research..you also asked about targeting that 21 - 34 age group. What I would do is first read the trend and fashion mags to stay on top of the trends (not just Lucky or InStyle but the Wall Street Journal, which has some excellent clothing and fashion industry coverage). Then...ask some women in that age group what they like! That's right, woman-on-the-street coverage. They say these groups have style icons they look up to, eg I've heard Kate Moss is one, tho I don't know as much about her.
Who knows, maybe you'll find a glaring need, like...say, someone would love to be able to buy a nice, quality Fall vintage suede coat and pay between $75-$200! (hint, hint..)
Hope that helps..please write back if you can and let us all know how it goes! Oh, and may I use your letter in my next issue, first name only? :)
Take care,
Julia
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Want a free copy of one of Julia's ebooks, of your choice? Simply forward this issue to a friend who you think may be interested, and if they subscribe, email me (juliawilk@aol.com) their subscribed email address and let me know which ebook you want. (They can then get a free ebook by doing the same thing!).
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In our last issue, Chris asked about an inexpensive program where he could learn about selling on eBay. Since then I have come across a resource that he can try out for only $0.99. (That's 99 cents). Read more here:
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Derek is banking on the fact that you'll be up and running and
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If not, no big deal...Just send it back and it won't have cost you
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Sound interesting? You can take part by going to:
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or click here to order.
Best of luck!
Julia
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That's it for this issue. Until next time! - Julia
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Questions about My eBooks Ordering
You can certainly purchase from me directly, as can anyone. Most of my ebooks are now available via the website's bookstore at www.yardsalers.net/bookstore. Any others you have questions about, all you have to do is email me and let me know which ebook(s) you want, if you are a subscriber and thus eligible for the discount, and then PayPal me to my PayPal id at juliawilk@aol.com. I'll be tweaking and updating the ebooks page on my web site soon.
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YOUR FEEDBACK WANTED: What Else Do You Want to See in Yardsalers?
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I am always open to reader articles, so if you want to write about something relating to yard sale-ing and eBaying, just flag me down! I will of course give you credit, using your eBay ID, web site, or any other contact
info.
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eBooks by Julia L. Wilkinson:
[All my ebooks are offered at 1/2 price from their regular prices to the subscribers of this newsletter. If interested in any of them, please email me at juliawilk@aol.com.]
- How to Spot Fakes: email me!
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Blogs, Blogs, and More Blogs
Check out My amazon.com Author Blog
Those of you who just can't get enough of my writing (are there any of you?) will be happy to know I now have a new blog on amazon.com. Amazon.com has created an "author blog" tool for authors to...well, blog. You'll see it if you bring up either of my books on the amazon site, but for good measure, it's at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593270550. (Scroll down to "amazonConnect").
My TypePad Blog, "Bidbits"
You can also check out my typepad blog, "bidbits": bidbits
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Do you have your copy of Julia's book, eBay Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks?
It's available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. If you do want to order the book, I'd appreciate if you'd support Yard Salers and
eBayers by using my affiliate link below.
ebay top
100
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Copyright 2007 Julia L. Wilkinson
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Yard Salers, www.yardsalers.net
Publisher, Julia Wilkinson, author of the award-winning "eBay Price Guide." and "What Sells on eBay for What"
No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Yard Salers makes diligent efforts to obtain accurate and timely information. However, Yard Salers disclaims any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in Yard Salers, whether or not such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.
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