Ten Killer Tips for Attending a Sheriff's Auction

So you want to attend a Sheriff's auction. I'm talking about a personal property auction not a real estate auctions held on the courthouse steps. Sound intriguing? Not only does it sound interesting but  I have it on good authority that items go for cheap—dirt-cheap.  Pickers of vintage goods need to buy low and sell high. I’m going.

I often bring my mom along with me for some quality mom and daughter time. She is as enthusiastic about searching for treasures as I am. We make a good team when we aren’t shouting at each other about directions and my propensity for ‘curb hopping.’ Without further jabbering, I’ll let you in on the secrets to a sheriff’s auction.

1.     Get there early. It may or may not be crowded but regardless there are very few chairs. Auction attendees mostly mill about or prop against a wall. You will also need to get a bid number. I did notice people arriving late but they were still able to get a bid number.

2.     Wear comfortable clothing. Especially shoes. You will have an opportunity to dig through items.

3.     Stand or sit next to people who know what they are doing. We formed an immediate camaraderie with our little contingent of auction attendees. Five total strangers rooting for  each other, the ‘regulars’ whisper tips to mom and I, such as: “stop bidding, the person you are bidding against will not quit.” Or “Bid on the table, its very good.” Our helpful neighbors are not storeowners but what I’d call, ‘auction zealots.’ They love a good auction but not dealers from out of town. Luckily, I have a home in Blaine County or I’d be kicked to the curb.

4.     A regular (usually a dealer) will always start the bid. It’s not a rule but it worked that way at this auction. Anyway, don’t worry about starting the bid.

5.     Bids start between $1.00 and $10.00!!!! I’m not kidding, however I’m sure its different at all auctions depending on the inventory and the county.

6.     The auction will most likely go all day long. Not joking, but don’t worry, you can cash out at one-hour break intervals. Cashing out is quick because the auction clerk records a finished bid  as soon as it’s made. I checked out at the end of the day in five minutes.

7.     This is not a professional setting like an auction house; there isn't an official auctioneer. The sheriff assistant will hold up an item like a hatchet and ask, “how much for this hatchet?” That’s it. As a side note, my mother became so excited about the low prices that she bid on — well she bid on the hatchet. I hissed at her. “Mom, stop this instant, what do you need a hatchet for?” I’m still mulling over her response. “I need a hatchet for the back of my motorcycle.” No my mother is not crazy and she USED to own a variety of motorcycles but she is long past rides in the backcountry and camping in the woods. Apparently, it's a very fond memory because she wants another hatchet for her long gone motorcycle. It's fortunate that no motorcycles are up for auction. My mom simply succumbed to a sort of ‘auction frenzy.’ It can happen.

8.     Be prepared to pay with cash or check. No credit card. There is no auction fee.

9.     Personal property auctions happen because someone has not paid their debt. The property is seized and auctioned by the sheriff. The debt is made whole to the person owed the money within days. This is the system in Blaine County, and I would imagine elsewhere. The auction stops when the total cash amounts to debt owed, in this case, $14,350. Done.

10. And finally, I asked three people in charge about the remainder of goods not auctioned. I have no answer as of yet.

Have you been to a sheriff's auction? I'd love an answer to tip number ten. Auctions are loads of fun with all sorts of interesting attendees. I purchased ALL of the pictures below for $40.00. The frames alone are worth the price I paid.

 Feel free to post YOUR auction finds and a link to your store in the comment section.

Tips That Work

How do you reach out to your potential customers? Or do you reach at all? Do you wait, hoping you'll wake up to a slew of sales the next morning? 

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We all wait, hoping. But there is a lot more we can do to ensure sales. With the economy going up and down faster than a roller coaster, it's vital we find creative ways to market our shops and items. Here I'll provide a few ideas that I've seen work well. 

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Network!! Join local email groups: Yahoo freecycle, Mothers/Parents clubs, Civic groups and more. I'm very active in my local groups. I post things on Freecycle and I also get things off Freecycle. When I pick up or give away the items this allows for face to face interaction. This always results in a friendly conversation that inevitably leads to what I do for a living. My two BIGGEST clients came from a word of mouth referral from Freecycle. 

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Talk!! Tell every person you meet what you do. Tell the checker at the Super Market. Find a way to incorporate it into everyday conversation. Promote yourself. Yes, it'll feel awkward at first, but you'll soon find you can just seamlessly integrate into the flow of talk. And people will want to hear about it. Why? Because what we do is FASCINATING. People love to hear about it. And in addition to that, everyone will want to know you at some point because when estates come up, you'll be the one who can help. 

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Advertise!! There are so many ways to reach the public. Don't just discount advertising as too expensive. I just placed an ad with the company that does those advertising placemats in restaurants. I've already received 6 calls, one of which is an Estate of the head lawyer to Disney & Bob Hope in the 1950's & 60's. The ad didn't cost much and the company distributes 22,000 placements a month. A good value for my money-it pays to think outside the box. 

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Expand!! While I'm all for selling on Etsy, there may be times when it pays to expand out into other venues. I know many of us are selling on eBay as well. But what about Craigslist? How about taking your listing and putting it on Craigslist when you list it on Etsy or eBay? I know an antique store in my town that lists every single item on Craigslist when it comes in the door. She's now getting 45% of her sales from online. 

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It's not good enough for us to depend on Etsy to help us. We need to think out of the box and figure out how to drive traffic to our items and shops. At the end of the day, only we are responsible for our success. Let's make sure we are!! 

Business Building Blocks

Have you ever day dreamed about expanding your business? Have you dreamed of quitting your day job and doing vintage full time? Have you looked at other businesses and thought to yourself, I think I could do that!?

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I have. A lot. So I've been spending a lot of time studying successful businesses and learning how they got there. I've learned a few simple things that have given me the confidence to take my own business to the next level.

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1. Everyone started small. I found that the businesses I most admired were rooted in the hard work of one or two people. Some had savings to help them, but many got an idea and began with no source of funds. They came up with creative ways to handle challenges, didn't give up and put in the hours.

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2. All had a business plan. I found this fascinating, since many new business owners I've spoken to lately haven't bothered with writing a plan. Having a plan helps you map out the route you want your business to take. Without a map, you can get lost really quickly. The plan maps out your goals for the business, helps you outline the structure to meet those goals and brings order to a lot of data.

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3. Each business had a strong vision. They didn't all necessarily know how to execute it, but they knew they loved antiques and wanted to establish a certain level of business. Having this kind of passion is a cornerstone in every successful company.

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4. All the businesses took longer to be successful than they anticipated. Most thought it would be profitable in 6 months. Most learned that it takes at least a year and often two before a profit can be realized. During that time they were learning, making mistakes, making improvements and learning how to handle crises. Great use of that time of growth.

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I've been researching, studying, planning and writing out my business plan for months. I'm now taking the leap! I'm opening a premium auction house in my California Sierra foothills area.

My new company logo

Am I waking up in a cold sweat at night dreaming of an auction house filled with 3 customers (all of them my children)? Yep. Am I determined to not let that little kernel of fear blossom into a paralyzing terror? Yep. I can do this. After learning about all these other successful businesses began, I realized I don't need to master it all the first go around. I can learn.

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Whether you want to reach thousands of customers via an expanded website, open a brick & mortar vintage bookshop or reach more customers abroad, using the time and tried methods used by successful businesses is always a wise idea. Follow your dreams and see where they lead you!

Packaging Up the Impossible: How To Do it Right

Two days ago a large, fragile, expensive, antique medical item sold in my shop-providing the perfect opportunity to illustrate what I preach to you about shipping. (I included a photo of his flattering side. His other side is rather graphic)

How you ship and how your shipping is perceived by the customer is critial to your shops success.

Two things are important to keep in mind with every package, especially large ones. 

1. They will be dropped from a substantial height. 

2. They will be bumped, jostled, possibly kicked and will have heavy items piled on top of them.

With these two points in mind, we began our packaging. Our item was 28 1/2 inches high, made of antique plaster, was around 90 years old and sold for $750. The pressure was on. Fortunately, we had had the foresight to charge the customer enough for shipping. Mr Anatomy was wrapped several times with bubble wrap which gave him a thick padding. Even his wood base was wrapped in order to allieviate any vibrations. 

The first step was to find a box. After several minutes of try outs, we realized a box would have to be made. Kelly is my amazing assistant and tackled this task admirably. She got a little goofy while doing this since the entire packing job took over an hour. Well worth it though. (and to be honest, what we love about her is that she's generally always on the verge of goofy) 

  

She found a box that was just 1 inch short of the statues height. We knew we wanted at least 6-8 inches of padding on all sides so she built the box up by 7 inches. This much space is critcal in packaging fragile items-peanuts should be firmly packed in to absorb any shock caused by dropping. 

The peanuts that went under the statue needed to be secured. Every time I've received a heavy item, the weight of the item has pushed all the peanuts up the sides, leaving the item against a bare box bottom (and often shattered as a result). Not too good for absorbing shock. We handled this problem by cutting a piece of cardboard the same size as the box bottom and taping it over the peanuts. Problem solved. 

The peanuts were packed around and around and around. Pressed down over and over, firmer and firmer. Why? 

Imagine your item packaged with lots of peanuts, but rather loosely. Now imagine a bag of potato chips. Those start out full. By the time they reach us, they've settled due to being jostled and thrown about in trucks. 

You need to compensate for all that jostling. The postal employees probably do not think about what's inside the box when they're lifting it. They want to get home to their families. It's our responsiblity to make sure the package gets there safe, not theirs. While we can't control the trucks, we can control the quality of the item riding around in them. 

Peanuts were put between the double box layers. Extra insurance and well worth the effort.

The box was built. It wasn't pretty so Kelly put another box over the bottom one to hide the imperfections. It will also help the package escape any damage from machines that might catch on loose cardboard pieces.

Finally it was taped up and ready to go! Kelly did an amazing job and our customer is sure to be happy. He said he'd already ordered one of these and it had arrived shattered. He specifically requested an excellent packaging job. Here's to success! 

The Nuts & Bolts of Owning a Business

Is selling on Etsy just a hobby or is it your business? Do you do it for enjoyment with little regard to year end profits or are you concerned about boosting revenue? Are you keeping records that will help out in case of an audit? 

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These questions matter, especially at tax time. Unless you're trying to keep your business under the table and operate on a cash only basis (Which I highly discourage), you'll need to keep records. Keep in mind that Paypal will report their records if you're audited. 

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The first question is hobby or business? It's an important distinction. If you are planning on calling your Etsy shop a hobby, read up on the restrictions. Let's assume for the sake of this discussion that you're a business. 

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Are you keeping track of your expenses? Are you keeping records? Here's a few of things I keep track of: 


A. Receipts from thrift stores, estate sales, etc. 
B. Mileage to estates, thrift stores, etc. 
C. Excel Spreadsheets of what it is, what it cost, where I got it, what it sold for, and any shipping losses. 
D. Excel Spreadsheets of all my consignment sales.
E. Costs of business insurance.


That's all I worry about. I could get into deducting costs associated with my home office, but I've heard those kind of gray area deductions can trigger further investigations. 

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Some ways in which I practice sound business management: 


I keep a separate bank account for my business. It's a business account, not a personal one. 


I keep records about each consignment client and keep them up to date on their sales for their own tax records.


I keep detailed inventory lists to stay organized, to know who owns what and in order to find things quickly once they've sold. 


I keep track of all my in state customers for sales tax. Check with your state and see what your requirements are. 


I keep track of the rules surrounding Self Employment tax & Social Security and pay accordingly. 

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While I'd prefer to just focus on finding the next cool item, I've found that taking a little time each day to maintain records saves me a lot of wailing and gnashing later on. Now while this is what I do, please know I'm not a tax expert, I don't claim to be and I'm just sharing my personal experience. 

Promotions, Free Advertising & Building Your Brand

What is your brand? Knowing that is the jumping off point for all future advertising and promotion.

As I've said before, a consistent logo is key to identifying with customers. Something clear to see that somehow ties in with your store or name is ideal. I chose a turquoise teapot because it was one color (easy to view), a color that has strong vintage associations, and photographed cleanly. I don't offer that teapot-but it's similar to what I do offer and customers remember it.

Vintage Mechanical Valentine by Wonderdiva

An unforgettable avatar: she looks like her username!

I consider that teapot my logo. It is THE identity of Nachokitty. In order for it to work as my branding, I need to keep the same across Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, my business cards and the cards I include in every package.

Once you have a clear identity established, be consistent. I don't recommend using one name for your user id and different shop name on your banner. Customers can't search for you under that banner ad name, but it is the largest text on the page in most cases, calling out, Look at Me! Remember Me!

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Her avatar is a small piece of this banner-excellent tie in

Okay, so you know who you are and how you want to be remembered. How will you get your name out there-not just once, but over and over again?  Marketers have studied human behavior for eons and one thing is sure-viral marketing works best. Meaning, word of mouth.

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Great logo. Ties into username & matches banner

This is where your single most effective FREE tool comes in. Treasuries. You find things you like, you post them and notify the sellers. What could be easier? Yet it's a free tool most of us aren't paying enough attention to. If people like the treasury, they'll likely check out your store. Now that we have activity feed, I am able to watch activity spike after certain treasuries are created. My New Years business resolution was to make 1-2 a day.

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Excellent avatar-ties right in with the product line & it's very eye catching

Other forms of free or low cost promotion: Facebook and Twitter. To boost my numbers on Facebook, I paid for an ad. It was cheap. It brought in hundreds of people. Now I have a core audience I can advertise directly to, involve by asking questions, and use as my word of mouth advertisers. You certainly don't need to pay for an ad-I see plenty of Etsy sellers with strong Facebook pages who didn't. It was just a quick way to get where I wanted to be.

There are other ways to promote that we'll discuss another time. Brand your store, use the tools that are free, and promote yourself. You have nothing to lose and much to gain.

Is It Time to Grow?

"If only I could turn this hobby into a business, this would be my dream job."

Retro Business Sign by VintageGoodness

I've heard this several times recently. What sort of vintage seller are you? Are you new to it? Been at it for years? Just think of it as a hobby? Consider it necessary to pay the bills? Whichever level you're at, are you content with your sales?

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Selling largely is a balance of consistency, numbers and content. Listing often keeps your shop fresh, puts you at the top of the vintage category, and indexes your item on Google. Making sure you have a variety of items, a wide range of prices and a healthy number of items listed keeps your shop interesting and worth returning to.

Perhaps it's time to expand your business. Ask yourself what kind of sales you'd like to do. What kind of dollar volume you'd like to make annually. It's easy to get intimidated by big numbers and to aim lower because it's more comfortable. Don't. I was told years ago that it's just as easy to think big as it is to think small.

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I find doing numbers in reverse to be very enlightening. For example, say I want to sell $200,000k of product in a year. Yipes!! That's a ton of money! But my handy calculator helps me wrap my brain around it. Take 200,000. divided by 365. (the number of days in a year) That roughly equals $548 dollars a day. Also a lot of money to expect daily.

But here's the interesting part-knowing your ASP. Your ASP, or Average Selling Price is critical. If your ASP is $35 (meaning 1/2 of your items are priced lower and 1/2 are priced higher) then you only need to sell 16 items a day at that price.

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That seems doable. Perhaps not by yourself, but with a helper you could manage it. Someone to handle shipping, or perhaps someone to post alongside you. Maybe a picker to find products and bring them to your door. Maybe a family member to help take photographs for you. Figure out what would be the most effective form of help for your business. The same formula doesn't apply to all of us. We all have very different needs.

I'm in the middle of this process myself and it's very enlightening. By breaking it down in terms of what has to to be accomplished daily and finding the resources to help, I know I'll be able to grow my business.

One of the keys of any well run business is an owner that focuses on their core strengths and surrounds themselves with others that they can delegate to. This might start by asking favors of family or friends and morph into hiring employees. My 7 year old loves filling boxes with peanuts for shipping!