Thursday 18 November 2010

Accumulation and Speculation

I wish I wasn't a putter-off of things.
Sometimes I put off emailing a friend because I think I must spend some time on a 'proper' reply, and then I end up not sending any kind of reply for days or even weeks. Sometimes the housework piles up until it seems to be this daunting, enormous task that I can hardly contemplate. And sometimes I stop blogging for a while, and it gets harder and harder to start again.

But here I am, deciding to just get on with things, for a change. One task I have been tackling in a fairly undaunted manner is the attempt to reduce the amount of vintage 'stuff', piling up in the house. It was getting hard to move in the place, but just over a month ago, I did A Bad Thing. I went to an auction at a props company that was closing down, and I went a bit crazy, and bought even more stuff. Far too much stuff.  I have to admit that, in places, our house now looks (and smells!) like a seedy old charity shop...
But there's some really great stuff in there, and I just need to get selling! So the creative side of my work has been taking second place, and I've been focussing on selling vintage. It's been nice to concentrate on the one thing for a few weeks, but I'm not sure that vintage selling is really my forte.

I'd never call myself an entrepreneur, but I now have an even lower opinion of my business acumen after my experience selling at a local flea market last weekend. I thought it would be okay, as it's a monthly event that has been going on for years, with regular traders who seem to do okay. Surely I could sell a bit there? Well, I sold a bit. By the end of the day we had taken a grand total of £20. By a lucky coincidence, the cost of the table was ... £20. My profits were nil, nada, zilch. A big fat zero. I could have speeded up the whole process by just throwing twenty pounds worth of stock into the bin. Oh well. Oddly enough, I didn't mind that much - I was happy just to consider it 'a learning experience'. You never know unless you try, do you?
That experience also made me even more appreciative of the great events organised by other bloggers. A few weeks ago, I went to the Vintage Bazaar at Frome, which was a super event, with lots of fantastic stalls, and lots of visitors. (If you didn't get a chance to visit, I recommend going to the next one in April.) And in just 10 days time on Sunday 28th November, there is the Vintage & Handmade Fair in Chipping Sodbury. I have been saving lots of great stuff for that one!
However, even with these great events, the mountain of vintage stock is so large, that I am also selling stuff on Ebay at the moment. (I also have my Etsy shop, but buyers in the UK don't seem to use it, so I'm selling some stuff on Ebay.) I currently have some very kitsch Christmas ornaments for sale, and some vintage toys and dolls, so please take a look if you're interested. If you mention this blog when you buy anything, I'll include a small free gift with your purchase!

7 comments:

BusyLizzie said...

LOVE the fridge magnet words at the top. Please may I copy it as my son's name is Tim (so it has a double meaning in this household!!) I also have a house of clobber at the moment, but luckily the van is packed and we are off selling (hopefully) this weekend. Have also got 70 lots on ebay, but will have a look at yours too. Thank you for your kind words re the VB. See you at Chippers next weekend. xx

BusyLizzie said...

if I win the little houses on ebay, can you bring them next week to save them getting squashed in the post? Lizzie x (what on earth am I doing bidding on things at this time of the day..)

KC'sCourt! said...

You sound just like me.......
Sale £20 - Table £20 Mmmmmmmmm........ I'm not much better on ebay either!
Julie xxxxxx

Sue Brown said...

Good to have you back, I have missed your posts. I indulge my vintage habit vicariously through you, enjoying your collection to stop myself filling my house up...I have to say, I do fill my house up so that dosent work then!! I will look out for you at Chippers. XX

Jane Housham said...

Hello! Glad you're still posting. I've been on an Ebay binge of late and am wondering what came over me -- packages keep arriving for me at work and I've absolutely no idea what's going to be in them. I've also persuaded my family to make our Christmas visit to my in-laws next weekend so that I can come to the Vintage Fair. So possibly I'll say hello if not overcome by shyness?

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

This could so easily have been one of my blog posts Elaine.. I think procrastination is my middle name and I totally identify with the malaise.
I heard about that prop sale yesterday from a lass who went and said I would have loved it... yes.. indeed I would had I known about it!
My house resembles a rag and bone yard these days and one room has become a complete disaster area.. I plan to empty it after Christmas.. if I don't think about it for too long!
Look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Michele x

Happy Homebird said...

Laughed out loud at this. I got a Lot of vintage teddy bears at auction and when I got them home I realised in the morning that my house stunk of eau de mothballs. Gross.

For all my efforts selling, at most I've only ever broke even.