How to survive the SALES SLUMP!!

Okay, let's get real. All small businesses and anyone in retail sales hits a slump now and then. It feels like a brick wall that is unmovable. We try some of our best known tactics and still sales are slow. UGH! Unfortunately, the monthly obligations, like utilities still roll around. How can we stay motivated and not just give up?? Here are a few thoughts.
* Take a look at your past sales. We have a couple online sales venues and can go back and see items we have sold over the past. Scrolling back through this reminds us we have sold some pretty awesome stuff. Recall the exhilaration and joy you felt when the sale was made. Maybe remember the effort you put into that sale and how it paid off.
* Look at some of your bookmarked competitors. See what is selling for them or if they are in a rather slow period also. Even chat with them if you have that kind of relationship. It can be encouraging for both parties.
* See if this period of time last year or years before was slow and when it picked up again. Start beefing up you inventory to prepare for the next wave of sales.
* Maybe just take a break during a slow time. A little breather from the routine pace. Spend some time with family or close friends. Then you will be ready when the sales pick up again. Sometimes when we are not pushing hard at work and allow our mind to rest a bit we get  new motivation, insight or creative ideas.
* Consider adding some new lines of products. Take some time to do some research on what is selling well. I would suggest staying with items you enjoy or like. It is hard to market or get excited about something you really are not interested in.
* I like to take this time to really pray and ask God for his creativity in our business. After all HE makes things out of nothing and is the master creator. He says if we ask He will give us wisdom.

Diana

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WHAT A FIND

We were at an estate auction this week and towards the very end they brought this rocking chair out. It was hidden in a remote corner and we had not seen it before it hit the auction floor. We thought it was so unique and interesting we decided we wanted to bid on it. We did and won the bid. As my hubby was taking it to the car a lady approached him. She said that chair has been in my family for a very long time and belonged to my mother. She estimated it is from the late 1800s or early 1900s. She said it was a Green Man chair. 

We did some research on Green Man and found this information. The Green Man motif has many variations. Found in many cultures from many ages around the world, the Green man is often related to natural vegetative deities. It is primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of growth each spring. Some speculate that the mythology of the Green Man developed independently in the traditions of separate ancient cultures and evolved into the wide variety of examples found throughout history. Well, needless to say this is our best find for this week. 

Check back and see what we come up with next week. Happy treasure hunting!! 

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How to Find the Best Treasures at an Estate Sale

We attend many estate sales and have picked up a few tips over the years. Some of what we have learned comes from not so good experiences. We like to arrive at the sale about 1 hour before start. My hubby goes and gets our auction number. If there is going to be more than one ring or auctioneer at the same time we ask for a duplicate card. When they split into two or three rings we can separate and bid on more items. I find us seats where we can see the ringman and what is up for auction. We really would prefer not to sit by our auction friends or see them because that sometimes makes bidding uncomfortable because we do not like to bid on the same items they are. We both go through and find things we are interested in. Check for chips, damage, repairs, if it is a reproduction or real antique, etc. We carry our smartphones and have an eBay app. We look up the items we are thinking of bidding on in the completed auctions to determine our limit. That is important to do because it is easy to get caught in a bidding war if you do not know where to stop. Our bidding limit is usually half of what we think we could possibly resell the item for. Well, I have many miles to go before I sleep so I will stop now but continue this discussion in another blog post. Happy estate sailing.  Diana

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Gotta Luv Estate Sales!

We are privileged to have a number of auction houses in our area. In fact, we could attend an auction nearly every day of the week. This past Saturday we went to an estate sale that had to be by far one of the largest we had attended recently. They had 2 very large buildings full of treasures. Sure we were competing with resellers and antique buyers but came away with some outstanding picks! Just to mention a few: Chalkware, vintage silverplate, McCoy Cookie jars, set of Limoge fish plates, antique picture, etc. We wanted to share a few favorite finds of the day which we have pictured for you. Well, I guess that is it for now because we have much to do before we attend another estate sale today. Check back if you want to see some treasures we find.

Anchor 1896 Folding Bench Washer

Antique c1900 Limoges Fish Plate Set

Vintage Student Lamp with Red French Shades

Share Your Treasure Hunting Stories

Vintage Barbie similar to the one in the story

One of our favorite treasure hunting stories is about a Barbie Doll. We were at an estate auction. We arrived early, as is our practice, to examine the items up for auction. We like to check for any damage, condition of the items, maker's marks, etc. We spotted a vintage Barbie. She was in good condition and had on an original Barbie dress (it had the tag inside). We decided we might bid up to $20. I know that seems low but we try to keep our bids low so there is some sort of profit margin for us. We had seen other buyers there (we knew they were buyers because they frequent many of the auction houses we do) looking at the Barbie. When the bidding started they put her with another doll (I think it was Skipper). We started at $5. The bidding went up. It got to $20 and I looked at my hubby. He said to keep going. We got the dolls for $22.50. We came home and listed Barbie after checking her out carefully. We took lots of pictures. Barbie buyers are a particular bunch and want lots of details. We answered a lot of questions about her. In the end she sold for over $600. We were thrilled with this purchase. Just one of our picking stories.

We thought it would be fun to have you share your treasure hunting stories with us and our readers. Maybe about your favorite pick. Just put the stories in the comments below. Happy Hunting!!

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Thoughts For A Snowy January Morning

As I sit here enjoying the snowy view from our window (notice I said from our window) my mind goes to my To Do Today List. Since we do attend estate sales fairly frequently I have some treasures to get listed so our buyers can have a look. Here a few of our finds.                              

Vintage Brass Perfume bottle decanter.

 We are always on the lookout for vintage Perfume Bottles. This one is brass with a floral design and a pearlized inner shell. The dobber is intact as is the perfume holder. This beautiful vintage perfume bottle is very functional. Happy to find this.

Handcarved Wood Ducks

Hubby is always on the look out for wood ducks or decoys. These ducks are handcarved and superbly painted. If I can talk him into letting these go we will get these listed for our buyers. Right now they are part of our decor.

Vintage Pyrex Carafe

                                                                      I really like vintage kitchenware so when I spotted this Pyrex carafe with a metal warmer stand I just had to have it! It is in wonderful condition. Sometimes if you are the only one at an estate sale looking for kitchenware you can come up with some nice finds at fairly reasonable prices. We have a very good friend that also attends sales that we like so we try not to sit by him because he also likes many of the same type of items as we do. We prefer not to bid against him out of courtesy but if he sits somewhere we cannot see him then we bid more comfortably and come up with some very special finds.

Well, that is about it for now. If I do not get started soon this day will be gone. Seems the older I get the faster time flies. Enjoy every minute and learn from every mistake. Until later . . . . .


Blessings,
Diana

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Rare Estate Find

1890s Victorian Fenton Staffordshire Large Pitcher

Recently our son's friend asked if we would be interested in some glass and pottery. Silly question, right? She had inherited a collection from her mother. It was cumbersome for her and she wanted us to have it. Among this collection of Fenton, Westmoreland, Milk Glass, Hobnail, Kanawha, etc., were 3 beautiful handpainted pieces that we were pretty certain were antique. That lead us down a path of researching the pitcher we have pictured here. We tried looking up the mark on the bottom of the pitcher and did not seem to get very far. We checked out Google images and found some pitchers but not this one. We then went to a couple of our favorite antique forums and posted a picture of this large pitcher. We were delighted when it was confirmed this pitcher dated April 18, 1894 and haled from Fenton Staffordshire England. We have yet to find the name of this pattern though. What is amazing is the condition of this pitcher and to think it is approximately 119 years old. We are indebted to the antique and vintage friends we have met in our travels and cyber community for their willingness to help identify these treasures. Thanks for stopping in and we will return to our blog with more estate finds and info. 

Gotta run now and think about what THANKSGIVING meal is going to look like since it is tomorrow and we will have 11 hungry people here. We are so thankful to God for our health, each other (DH and I), kids, grandkids, church family, comfortable home, living in the country, and so much more! Pray each of you are blessed abundantly this Holiday Season. 

Keep in touch. We enjoy hearing from you and stories of your treasure hunting.