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.

Cool things I found to help run my Etsy shop

As an Etsy shopkeeper;  I am a big supporter of teams and making treasuries. I know a lot of people see treasuries or try to make one and it takes hours and hours.  Searching for the right items, copying and pasting the links, saving it and then sending a convo to everyone that is your beautiful new treasury.  UGH, it can be overwhelming!

My little secret, which isn't that big of secret anymore is  ENHANTSY.  Enhantsy had a few hiccups in the beginning and it works great now. I joined it and pay the $2.00 a month to use all the features, because I use it all the time.

It was free but as of January 27, it will be free for one week and then the charge will apply.  Personally I think it is the best $2.49 to spend my money on.  I think of it as advertising and promotion money. (I do not do the ads on Etsy - ever!)  Since every time I make a treasury - and I mean every time, my views go up, my likes, and followers go up.  I believe and my experience backs it up that treasuries improve the traffic to my store and in turn my sales improve.  Also by making at least 3 or 4 treasuries a week, and that is a very very low estimate I am in turn featured in on the low side about 15-20 treasuries a DAY!

Treasury featuring EVT members made with Enhantsy

This application works directly inside Etsy, Enhantsy works by tightly integrating with etsy.com making enhancements and features requested by the Etsy community but not implemented by Etsy. Some enhancements are re-introducing functionality once present at etsy.com and since removed. Others are new ideas not (yet) implemented on etsy.com.  Enhantsy sits at the top of your etsy.com pages and quietly rewrites them with new functionality. Once installed an Enhantsy link is displayed in the links across the top of the page. Clicking this opens a menu allowing you to toggle which enhancements are enabled and gives links to specific Enhantsy pages.

Here are some of the things you can do with Enhantsy - There are more!

• Treasurease - what you use to make the Treasuries
• Treasurease Clone - use an old treasury you made and CLONE it into a new treasury
• Treasurease Convos - instantly send Convos to everyone in the treasury you just made!
• First dibs - have all new stores and new items show up on your home page -
• Canned Convos - have several Convos preset to send when you create a Treasury
  

Want to know if an item from your shop or a treasury you made has been featured on the Front Page?
check out Statsy - Featurator   this will send you an email anytime an item or a treasury you made is on the Front Page - Statsy has some other cool features but I only use Featurator.

Another one is Craftcult.com  CraftCult   With this you can add treasuries to Blogs, webpages etc, use the widget. Also checkout the VAULT on CraftCult- you can look up treasuries your items have been featured in or all the treasuries you have made, you can do this in search in Etsy from the main treasury page too

Some other features but these are the ones I have personal experience with.

 ShopValueCalculator.com
Here you can see top shops on Etsy, the estimated value of YOUR OWN STORE!, views and all sorts of great into.  Don't get sidelined at the top stores, they may have lots of sales, but quite a few are very low value items.  I don't know about you but I want to make sure I am making a decent profit on the sales as I have them and not selling tons of little stuff for $2.00 I see that as a time suck.

Then I just found Etsy Gadget  This one is by donation, so if you love it you can donate to the author.  I think the shop status is the best use of this site. With shop status it will sort your items by view and admirers, AND the best use is it will let you know if you are missing keywords.  It doesn't tell you what keywords to use, but if you are like me you will have a bunch of items you renew over and over and they may have less than the 13 keywords.
 You can also see where your products fall in search, and where your store falls when searched by keyword combinations.

Last one for now is Etsy Fee Calculator  from Ecommercebytes.com

It will help price your items, this works for both vintage and handmade!

Just fill in the shaded fields.   Review the breakdown of fees based on the data you entered.

 If you accept PayPal or Etsy Direct Checkout, check the appropriate box.

  Use Profit Calculator to help you price your goods.

You can also check ratings of online marketplaces, all kinds of them - and find some new ones.

Ratings 

Another great thing is the Collector Corners Resources

Ecommerce Bytes has a ton of good info, and links to all sorts of great things - I haven't even scratched the surface.


 Have Fun!

Living A Vintage Life: Through Abuse, Drought and Overload

Submitted by Three Chicks Vintage
I have found the most delightful blogs - a 'set' of blogs actually: Pyrex Collective, Pyrex Collective II and Pyrex Collective III. Given that the objects of their passion can come in sets it seems appropriate that they blog about them in a set. The writers of these collectives discuss the weighty issues of collecting that many of us can relate to no matter what our pursuit, while sharing the colorful delights of the Pyrex spectrum.

1960 Holiday Casserole, Heather of Lark & Lola.

On Pyrex Collective II: "I've been in the worst Pyrex drought here, lately!" exclaimed Heather.
Similar emotion was shared by Rachael on Pyrex Collective III when a friend found a piece marked by a previous owner with nail polish: 
"She gasped in horror when she saw this! . . . This is a definite case of Pyrex abuse! Shame on them!".
Thrifter Sisters moaned in consternation when faced with a pile of duplicates, the result of sending hubby to an estate sale in her stead:
"Evidently my husband is a member of the 'Leave No Pyrex Behind' club."
(To his credit he scored every single piece available at the estate sale for a mere $35!)

Six Balloons' favored little workhorse, a yellow Fridgie.

What did these avid collectors of the multi-hued, durable glass do to ease the discomfort of these travails? Well, bake brownies of course! Triple Chocolate treats, baked in a humble but useful Yellow Fridgie, were shared by Six Balloons and a pretty pink Pyrex pan with posies of positively wicked treats made by Jessica: Vegan S'mores Brownies.

From Lesley of Froog and Doog on PCIII.

The collective mindset of PC, PCII and PCIII was succinctly stated by Lesley on Pyrex Collective III: "Happiness Is Stacks Of Pyrex"!
Take the time to enjoy the Pyrex Collectives - pages of fun, colorful anecdotes, advice and experience offered by fun, colorful and passionate collectors!

Living A Vintage Life: Sweet Dreams

'Diary Of A Quilter' Gives Old Sheets New Life

Submitted by Three Chicks Vintage
I remember a lot about the sheets and pillowcases I slept upon as a child. My dear Grandma Alice's white sheets were pressed and starched and her pillowcases were lovingly embroidered with flowers and fancy ladies. Even now as I close my eyes I can smell the starch and feel the gentle scratchiness of grandma's freshly made beds. When my Dad remarried, my stepmother had a closet of striped sheets - it was the 1970s and the sheets were white with stripes in fashionable color combinations - yellow and orange, pink and gold, blue and purple. I was especially jealous of my little stepsister's sheets - wild, mod arrays of flowers in bright pink. How I longed to choose my own sheets! When I finally got my chance, sometime in junior high, I picked lime green sheets scattered with yellow-eyed white daisies. Green, no matter the shade, is a calming color to me, and at that time in my life I longed for the calm and the freedom to choose that those sheets represented.

Another vintage sheet project from Amy.

Nowadays it is rare for me to purchase new sheets, (unless I find good, Egyptian cotton on sale) instead I pick up beautiful, high thread-count, vintage percale at second-hand stores. For a couple of dollars I find a sheet that will outlive almost any sheet I could buy new AND I get to pick colors and patterns that remind me of childhood. But I don't just pick up vintage sheets out of a sense of nostalgia or thrift, I pick them up because they are simply beautiful fabric. Holding them at arm's length I can imagine them as quilt squares, little sundresses, hair bandannas, valances ... Of course my imagination is much more active than my needle, so I've a healthy stash of vintage sheets and pillowcases awaiting a resurrection or a sleepy head!

Fortunately, there are folks who actually put their stashes to good use. Amy Smart is one such person - the smiling face on her 'About Me' page suggests that she is a colorful, creative person and the pages of her blog, 'Diary of a Quilter' confirms it. The project I discovered in her blog post 'Vintage Baby Sheets Quilt' looks like my own sheet stash come-to-life. In her quilt I can see both sheets I have and sheets I have slept upon.
Her vintage sheet projects include hangable art and sundresses too!
So ... you have a stash, you have the inspiration, now you have pictures and the instructions to guide you through a vintage sheet project!
Do you need to start your own vintage sheet stash? Or build on one you already have? Search etsyvintageteam bed sheet or etsyvintageteam pillowcase to get started!

Living A Vintage Life: Vintage Valentine's Clipart

Life is the flower for which love is the honey.

  ~Victor Hugo 
We *vintageophiles are often creative people, looking for ways to incorporate our passion into our everyday lives whether it be a snuggly vintage afghan, funky 1970s blouse or in the gifts we offer to the ones we love. Valentine's Day is no exception as we seek vintage heart jewelry, trinkets and timeless sentiments on aged greeting cards. Even if we were willing to part with our long searched for greetings, we would probably be hard-pressed to acquire enough to give to all the loved ones on our list. Fortunately there is another way to send vintage sentiments: we can create our own Valentine's cards using vintage graphics.

There are many sources of free vintage Valentine's graphics on the internet, you just have to make sure you are truly accessing free clipart. To make that task a little easier, I've swam through some websites for you and came up with a few links.
The Graphics Fairy has a wonderful selection of vintage images and craft ideas. 
Hub Pages has dreamy graphics too!
Vintage Holiday Crafts has gorgeous images for Valentine's and other holidays.
The Stock Solution has free graphics as well as images for sale.
Want to fore go the fuss of printing, pasting and glitter? Fun and free vintage style e-cards can be found at Hipster Cards.

From my vintage heart to yours - Happy Valentines Day!

*vintageophile - a person whose every waking moment is consumed with the thought, pursuit and possession of vintage goods!

Upcycle Vintage for the Best Gifts

Upcycled Folding Rule Photo Holder offered by birdie1

Upcycling is a great way to bring Vintage into the lives of those who only want New. Think of those people on your Holiday list that think the Mall is the only place to buy. They would turn their nose up at a Vintage item from the flea market, but put that same item in Pottery Barn with some polka dots on it and they have to have it. 


I think we all should include upcycled gifts into our Holiday plans this year. How else is the upcycled movement going to continue to grow? It's green, it's the best for the planet, it's creative, it's one of a kind, it supports artists & it's just plain cool. You'll look like a genius. You'll be labeled as an imaginative gift giver who gives the BEST presents. 


Here's a few fantastic items I found being offered by members of the Etsy Vintage Team:

Vinyl Record Bookends offered by nerdnest

Upcycled Pitcher Wind Chimes offered by transienttreasures

Vintage Button Brooch offered by calloohcallay

Upcycled Jewelry Stand offered by MellowMermaid

Upcycled Potting Shed Bookcase offered by judygovintage

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? 

Arabia Finland Coffee Mug offered by VioletQVintage

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. 

Mod 1970s Throw Pillow offered by Kultur

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. 

Upcycled Carved Coral Jewelry Rack offered by MellowMermaid

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. 

Vintage See No Evil Bar Set offered by EmeliasCupboard

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. 

Enamel Flower Brooch offered by reconstitutions

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. 

Mid Century Enamel Box offered by mascarajones

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!! 

Choose Your Words Carefully

Wyandotte Pressed Steel Toy Truck offered by queenofsienna

One of the oft overlooked and unsexy parts of selling vintage on Etsy is keywords. Almost everyone lets out a inward grown when it comes time to fill them in. What to choose? What will draw eyeballs? What is the magic formula? 

Vintage Red Hat with Fruit offered by alexsandras

The trick is crawling into that searchers head. Once you've figured out what the item is and who made it, you can start to put together a tag. A McCoy bowl from the 1930s would have tags such as: McCoy, bowl, mixing, kitchen, baking, etc. Now if the bowl is blue, don't use blue as a tag. It's far too general and clogs up the search. Instead put blue in the title where it will also be picked up. Using blue bowl in the tag would be a good compromise. 

Wood Fruit Crate offered by CheekyChicVintage

Study your own behavior: how do you try to find items? When you're making treasuries, how do you search for specifics? For example, when I need to find items for a farm based treasury, I often search under: country, farm, farmhouse, kitchen, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, baking, etc. 

Vintage Toy Telephone offered by ArtfulVintage

Be thorough in your titles & keywords. Be sure to include information in both, to increase your odds in the Relevancy search. For example, if I'm selling a 1940s Dennison Halloween decoration, I'll be sure to put Dennison, Halloween, 1940's, pumpkin, etc in both places. Then in the tags I'd continue on furthur including: vintage, holiday, denison (spelled the wrong way to grab those searchers!), etc. 

1970s GlasSnap Tumblers offered byVioletQVintage

Don't forget the Materials tags. Is your item made of pottery? Then in the Materials tag put in: pottery, clay, ceramic, etc. Try to include different names for those basic materials. Brass=metal, Book=paper, cardboard, cloth, Silk=fabric, etc. etc. 

Angel Christmas Tree Decoration offered by EmeliasCupboard

Try and see if your item is a cross collectible. For example, if your book is a ratty falling apart copy of Alice in Wonderland consider marketing it as a book, prints, baby nursery decoration, etc. That would produce a very different set of tags than just a book would. 

Wood Buddha Statue offered by kricketts17

Capturing the eyes of the searching public is no small task. We want our items to be found via Google, Etsy, and any other search they might be using. By narrowing down your search to the essentials, you'll be found by the right audience who is looking just for what you have. 

Set Your Shop Above The Rest

As the Holiday buying season approaches, we need to be sure we're doing all we can to reassure our potential customers. Today we're inundated with stories of fraud, poor packaging that led to broken items, sellers that refuse to offer refunds for wrong items, and more. We can combat this and set our stores apart with a few basic words & practices. Some sellers hide behind their descriptions, leaving out information so the item will sell faster. You are building long term customer relationships-treat your clients as you wish to be treated. 

Vintage Ceramic Rooster offered by VintageInBloom

First of all, congrats! Being a member of the Etsy Vintage Team is a great seal of approval to have. The high standards set by this team mean that buyers can relax, knowing that they're dealing with a reputable seller. 

Antique Treenware Kitchen Set offered by birdie1

But it's going to take more than just a badge to get an insecure buyer to click the Add to Cart button. The first impression of your shop is vital, just as it is with people. Is it well laid out? Are colors & textures balanced-not too much of one color on a side, silver items spread evenly throughout the page, clothing balanced out with jewelry? If you're unsure, try this: back away from your computer screen a little ways and squint your eyes. You'll quickly assess what needs to go where.

Vintage Tole Metal Tray offered by tparty

Are your descriptions thorough? Be sure you're eliminating all guesswork for the potential buyer. Provide what the item is made of, what its measurements are and all elements of condition. Avoid the dreaded: "in good condition for its age"-it's far too subjective. Be specific: There is a 1/4 inch long crack along the side, the binding is tight & the pages all present, the leather is supple, there is consistent crazing, etc. 

Silver Kangaroo Ring offered by evalena

Are you providing extra information that other sellers neglect to provide? One such example is black light testing. It brings out the hidden flaws and repairs your naked eye may have missed, thus providing another level of security for your customer. Do you mention if the item smells fresh and is free from smoke? I consider this a vital piece of information when I'm buying, since I'm seriously allergic to tobacco smoke. 

1970s Maxi Dress offered by JojosRetroandVintage

Being willing to offer fast exact shipping is good idea for last minute shoppers. Providing tracking numbers and insurance is another way to give reassurance to a wary buyer. As I've mentioned before, it's always better to provide a variety of shipping rates so your buyer feels confident. 

Antique Lusterware Open Salts offered by vintageatchirp

Layaway is a popular option now; just 2 or 3 payments can make a world of difference. I've had 3 sales for over $400 lately done this way and they've all paid on time. If you do offer it, advertise it. 

Modernist Sterling Brooch Offered by darlingblu

In these uncertain times this extra level of service reassures the buyer and shows them you're sensitive to their needs. Since most of our shops are going to do the bulk of their business during the holidays, now is the time to be sure we're providing a top level of customer service. 

The Biggest Distinction Between Shops

Fabulous photography: lighting & cropping are excellent. By tippleandsnack

There is nothing more important regarding your shop than photography. Forget worrying about the economy: If your photos are good, they will be featured endlessly in treasuries, showcased in blogs, your shop will be favorited often, you'll be added to circles daily and best yet, your items will sell. 

Clear lighting, lots of detail & clear white space cropping by beppiebags

I know, because my old photos weren't great. Things sold when I began my shop last year, but slowly. I adjusted my prices, made treasuries, joined teams, offered killer items, and still just did okay. Then I ran across tippleandsnacks shop and was blown away. I saw her items featured on the home page often. I saw her items selling. I adored her shop because of the clean contemporary appearance-it felt like a Pottery Barn catalog. 

Flawless photo: balanced cropping, strong light & visual interest. By birdie1

It took me a while to get off my tail. But I finally ordered Ott lights, set up a photography space and began rephotographing my items. Keep in mind, my photos weren't terrible on their own. But when they were paired next to bitofbutter or mascarajones items it was really noticeable. To be honest, I didn't really realize how poor my photos were until I saw them in treasuries. 

It's an ongoing process and I'm still not done. Every time an item expires I rephotograph it. All new items are of course photographed with the new system. 

Let's look at the difference between the two photos above. The first photo shows detail, has a white surround and is clear. But the lighting is off. I see lighting as the problem in many listings on Etsy. While buyers can still view the item, it won't sell them on it like clear spectrum lighting would. (Tip: Buy Ott lights today) The first photo certainly doesn't say: Magazine photo shoot! 

Great cropping, clear lighting, detailed shot by TPBVintage

The other thing that's vital is cropping. My photos were all big on detail-I was so close you couldn't help but see it!! Most of the shops in the vintage categories really suffer from too closeitis. Crop your photo for the thumbnail and leave whitespace around it. The thumbnail is critical because it the #1 view most buyers see. Much of the time I can't even tell what the item is without reading the title-which is NOT good. Customers should never have to work to see your item. If they can't see what the item is in a glance, you risk losing them. 

Well cropped, ready for it's thumbnail closeup

Poorly cropped, too close. Horrid thumbnail

That first photo is your biggest pull. If it's a good photo buyers may click through to view it. If it's not, many will pass it up. That photo should provide all the necessary info: true color and what it is. 

Look at the photos that get featured on the front page-for the most part they have white space around them. If you're not sure how big they'll be, switch your shop from gallery view to list view. This is how many people see your shop-especially if they're viewing it on a phone. 

Well cropped, natural lighting, great photo by thecreekhouse

Cropping & lighting are the single two biggest factors that influence the success of your shop. These factors are even more important that what you sell. I have seen the most average everyday run of the mill items sell fast when photographed well, and likewise have watched under priced gorgeous items languish for months due to poor photography. Don't put it off. You'll be so glad you did after you have a booming holiday season.