Booth Redo!

When I got to work on tuesday morning, the last thing I thought I'd be doing all night was repainting my booth at The Forest Park Emporium. The owner called me to tell me that a new pegboard wall was installed, and it was currently....baby poop brown. I knew immediately this was my chance to finally get it together and paint my space this bold teal that I have on an accent wall in my house!

Before:

After:

(6 Hours Later)

The pegboard is a HUGE help to having a booth and I love that I can hang a variety of different items on the wall. It really opens up what you can have in your space if you have the versatility of pegboard. I chose a bold color because as you can see, it really makes my stuff stand out! I couldn't have been more thrilled with the result.

Update: I've gotten so many compliments on my new space! I was a little worried how bright it was (most other booths are white) but it's been perfect and people love it!

Where Can I Sell My Stuff!?

So you've done the fun part and sourced a lot of treasures. Now what do you do with it?

These are some of the outlets I use and some additional ones that others enjoy!

1. Ebay

Ebay is the catch-all of the secondhand sales world. As long as it's legal to own, you can sell it on eBay! This is a great place to start if you're just beginning because they aren't curated like the other websites out there.

Pros: They accept almost anything

Cons: People tend to low ball

Fees: figure in about 10%. Some are more or less than 10% (Like musical instruments are 3.5%). If you figure in a 10% final value fee after your item sells, it can help you figure out what price you need to list it at to maximize your profits.

Click here for ebay's current fees and rates.

See Also: How To Check Ebay Sold Listings

2. Etsy

Etsy is my favorite place to sell right now. The customers are usually nicer than ebay, and Etsy has great tools for sellers. They only accept handmade or vintage over 20 years old. This isn't the place for Dad's old gym shoes or new items. But if your focus is vintage, I would start here.

Pros: They have a large customer base for vintage

Cons: They started pushing free shipping, and vintage can't compete.

Fees: 20c listing fee per item. 5% transaction fee, and 3.5%+25c for payment processing

If you use my link to sign up, we both get 40 free listings! Click here to get started!

3. Facebook Marketplace

Marketplace is a great place to start, especially if you don't like shipping or you have larger items. I also find some of my best stuff on there! Just be careful when meeting people in person, so try to stick to public places instead of inviting people into your home!

Pros: No shipping

Cons: Limited Market

Fees: None

4. Chairish

I'm relatively new to the Chairish game, but I've done well with it so far. Chairish is great when you have something designer, in style, or updated. Chairish lets you put new or old items online, but the catch is that they are very particular at what they accept. It has to be in style or in amazing condition for them to accept it. They also photoshop your first photo!

Pros: Great for high end designer items.

Cons: They take a large chunk of your sale, and don't just accept anything.

Fees: 30% of your total sale if you have under 10 items, 20% if you have over 10 items. They help you see how much you'd make at different price points. My advice is to start high, because people will make offers.

In addition to these three, there are also apps like Poshmark, depop, thredup,and Vinted. Although I do not have much experience with these, I find they work the best with someone selling all types of clothing. I would download a few of them and see what fits best for your style! These customers sometimes expect a higher experience on ebay, so my advice would be to get some nice packaging options to really wow your customers and get great reviews!

Lastly, There are other free places to sell like Mercari, OfferUp, and LetGo. These are great for local selling especially if you're getting rid of something big and bulky. Take care anytime you meet someone in person, and if possibly meet in a public place with cameras. You can check your local police departments as well for safe meetup places. Just as a general rule, I don't sell any new tv's or phones in person like that, because those have a higher risk of scams associated with them.

Good Luck!

See Also: 5 Mistakes I Made Thrifting

Etsy Store: bellsandwhistlesetc.etsy.com

Tuesday Thrifts

I stopped by a thrift store on my lunch break and I got some amazing finds! I didn't have much time so I only checked the jewelry and housewares sections, but I think you'll see I did fabulous!

Here's a breakdown of what I got and what I think I can retail it for!

Glazed Clay Head: Retail $75

Newer Jukebox Tin: Retail $20

Zuni Sterling Butterfly: Retail $48

Native American Bird Pin: Retail $35

Calvin Bengay Earrings: Retail $110

Artisan Pin: Retail $22

Total potential profit: $310

I get my values from a variety of different resources- what they sold for over the years, Worthpoint archives, and what they are currently listed for today. Some of it is based off just my knowledge from over the years- but once you learn more about a subject, you'll be able to pick out the real sellers versus the duds!

I'm most excited about the Calvin Bengay earrings! They're beautiful.

Now since I didn't have much time all I checked for was something on the back of the pieces. I knew that the earrings were signed and marked sterling, and I could see an etched signature on the other two native american pieces. The pin I just bought because it looked artisan and 3D. When In doubt, a signature is always a good thing to fall back on!

I can't wait to list some of these in my shop or feature them in my booth!

Check my Etsy page bellsandwhistlesetc.etsy.com for updates!