Any other Store Owners/Sellers in this Group

[JCMach1]

Last edited Sun Jun 16, 2013, 06:32 PM - Edit history (2)

I own an Antique/Vintage/Thrift store in Florida...

Anyway, would love to hear from anyone and about your experiences in the business. I am in both a good and bad situation... I have a historic building (1904) which I own (saves on overhead), but which is located in a small town which lowers the foot-traffic (always a trade-off it seems).

[democraticinsurgent]

1. Store owner and online seller here

We own a vintage store in Indianapolis, just celebrating our first anniversary in business.

Tough business environment so far, we are barely up against last year which seems stunning considering we have much better stock now than when we opened, and are much better known. We're just "off the main drag" so we lack foot traffic as well, but the bigger problem seems to be lack of disposable income. Some days are nice, others are deadsville. So many people admiring things that they can't afford--and most everything in the shop is $50 or less.

We get in a lot of decent stuff and need to sell more online to make ends meet. Because we buy through the door, we get a ton of people trying to pawn crap off so they can eat. Really sad situation to see.

By the way I've been warned by others on here not to link to your actual business as there have been reprisals by lurking righties. For what it's worth.

[JCMach1]

3. Thanks, good point... I removed my link

The last month has been feast, or famine as opposed to the steady of the last 9 months or so... But, as you probably know it is a peculiar business... I have tried to carve a niche for myself by only selling non-clothes items. There are so many clothing places, it takes-up mega-space and the profit margins are pretty small.

[democraticinsurgent]

4. Online is the key I think

Unless you have a high traffic spot in an area where folks have plenty of dough (where is this anyway?!) I am convinced that the way to make it is to break even or a little better in the brick and mortar, use the storefront to acquire good collections and pieces, and sell the better stuff online to get actual dollars you can live off of.

We have accounts on Amazon (books, CD's, DVD's), eBay (high end stuff), Discogs (records) and Etsy (quality vintage stuff that doesn't need an auction to determine value). We don't do nearly enough of this yet but it works pretty well when we do. Stuff that would sit for six months is gone in days.

Having a niche or two is also a good plan. It's impossible to be good at very many areas. For example when we opened I tossed my comic collection into the mix and sold some. But fairly quickly it became apparent that it was one guy that was buying most of them and he was a dealer. So I ended up selling them all to him and getting out of that.

Our big niche is vinyl records which works well because I previously owned a record store. It's working fairly well. I'm getting quality collections and able to flip the better titles online.

[grasswire]

5. can you recommend a guide to learning to sell vinyl?

I realize that you have a lot of experience in this niche, but it is something I have been thinking about because I have a thrift shop nearby that has tons of vinyl that appears to be worth something, and all LPs are 99 cents and sometimes half that.

How much do you charge for shipping vinyl?

[democraticinsurgent]

7. Great question

I don't think there's a book that teaches how to sell vinyl. There probably should be.

For now, you could pick up one of the Goldmine price guides to get an idea of the subject. There are lots of tips in there on grading, etc. at least. The values shown in the guides are reasonable starting points, though many records that look like they are valuable are near impossible to sell at any price, while the books are fast eclipsed by market changes. Plus it's hard to get book value for nearly anything these days.

To get the best idea of what something goes for, look at completed items on eBay. There are two sites that track eBay sales over time and you can search there as well.

- www.popsike.com
-www.collectorsfrenzy.com

The biggest change of late is that condition is king. Used to not be true, but now, everyone wants pristine and that's where the money is. Not that you can't sell playable but lesser condition records, but the prices just aren't there. The best money is in privately released records from the 70's, usually made in very small quantities and if the record is now judged to be good, lots of people want it. Of course, these are crazy hard to find and everyone who's clued in is looking for them.

One of the tricky things about records is the difference in pressings. For example a Miles Davis record could have been pressed several times, with the first version being the only truly valuable one. The Beatles are probably the most extreme example of this. I'm still learning and I've handled hundreds of thousands of records over time.

Shipping is mostly by media mail, which is cheap. I charge $4 for an LP and that leaves a little bit of room for the mailer. Priority for an LP is $7-10 depending on distance. Overseas, the prices just nearly doubled. An LP is nearly $20 now.

If you do get into vinyl mail order, you'll need to get custom mailers and pack very carefully.

Good luck and feel free to hit me up with questions!

[grasswire]

8. I spose the best categories (aside from self-published)...

....are early rock and some jazz. Yes?

And do you sell 78s too?

[democraticinsurgent]

9. Rock, soul and jazz are where the demand is

Early rock is not in much demand, except for bonafide rarities these days. Much more demand for punk and metal. Early jazz--original Blue Notes, especially, can be very expensive.

Soul from 60's and early 70's is hot, especially more obscure titles.

45's are good with 50's rockabilly, 60's garage rock and soul, and some 70's rock and soul.

78's are difficult as 99% are near unsaleable. Best 78's are blues/soul/early rock.

[JCMach1]

6. I do EBay as well mainly for smallish, expensive items that I know will be a tough sell

in my shop. It adds a bit of extra income to the mix. I usually try to stick to those things that I know that I can ship easily.

Right now, I am dithering on how I am going to get rid of about 10K baseball cards I picked-up from an estate.

Our shop also has a nice spot on a Rail to Trail, so we have also added water, drinks, and are adding pre-packaged ice cream to the mix.

As we are in rural, N. Florida we really have to diversify the revenue stream.

[libodem]

2. I'm a shopper

And l bet I'd be a great customer! I love second hand shopping. I'm very good friends with a gal who sells on eBay. Maybe some day I'll have to part with some of the crap I've collected and start selling on eBay.

[dem in texas]

10. Owned Brick and Mortar Antique shops for over 30 years, now sell on ebay

I did well with an antique shop, antique furniture was my bread and butter. I always sold a lot of beds. I had an old mattress and some old springs, so I could keep a bed set all the time. I'd put a nice quilt or crocheted bead spread on it and it usually sold within a few days. I'd go to the Canton flea market and load up on furniture and beds. I had a man who would weld and repair the fittings on old beds, both wood and iron. You need to advertise in an antique newspaper and your local paper and develop a mailing list (or emailing list). I tried an antique mall, but didn't like it, the good things would go immediately, but the things that needed a little talking up would sit there forever. I had my last shop in an old building and it was finally sold and was to be torn down. So I sent all my stuff to an auction and closed it down. But once you have antiquing in your blood, it won't go away. I started selling small items on Ebay and have been there for almost 15 years and I do very well. I also have a web site that does well. It takes as much work to sell online as it does to stock and maintain a regular store.

[grasswire]

11. what kind of things are you selling on eBay?

I am always interested in hearing about success stories there.

[Alameda]

12. Me too...

I wish this thread would continue, rather than starting another one on the same subject.