Right that is it, I am over ebay. They don't care for casual sellers.

[grannytakesatrip17]

I am seriously peed off. I have been a collector for over 50 years of antique and vintage items. It was all started when I was just 12 when my Nana took me to jumble sales and I started to appreciate the quality and workmanship of old items,

This led to me inheriting heaps of things and building up crazy collections of everything.

Many things I display and enjoy in my home, but heaps have been stored away. I think I srarted selling things occasionally on ebay about 7 years ago. I always enjoy the research and making people happy.

It is a ot of work, to take good photos and write honest descriptions, but I didnt mind as it was a nice hobby.

This week I decided to kick it off again, I spent over $250.00 pn pre paid satchels, spent 6 days doing the photos and descriptions and hey ho, I sold one tea towel tonight for $5.50.

I notice there is hardly any decent vintage/antique stuff sold now on ebay. I believe this is because they are greedy b******s who have even taken a cut from Australia Post which is outrageous.

So now I will look for somewhere else to sell my hoard, I am considering etsy or FB pages, which seems to be where most are heading. I am bitterly dissapointed as I have top seller status, but thing for me and other similar people ebay is now a dead duck, so sad. If anyone has any suggestions, they would me most welcome. 

[grannytakesatrip17]

Yes that was a thought which I had, but there is only one or two Auction houses here in W.A. Shoulda moved over East:)

[rocket2retro]

As a seller of vintage/retro items for over 13 years I can say eBay has changed. Auctions rarely do well now, particularly with a high starting price.

The 'new way' it seems is set your price at a 'buy it now' & be prepared to wait for it to eventually sell (think weeks/months).

Vintage items do not sell for as much as they used to, nor are they as easy to sell

.
There is a lot more competition & many more people selling both on eBay and otther platforms.

Most buyers do not even know we sellers have to pay 10% fee on  postage so that reason can be reasonably eliminate (it might account for less sellers but I doubt it).

[wan303win]

I find it depends on what you sell nowadays. I has several dozen genuine PNG artifacts I purchased when working there in the 1960's, some bought from the actual carver in the village.

All of the items I sold in the last couple of decades on ebay, were sold for less than what I paid in the 60's, so I've kept the rest, or sold on other sites. People now buy fake PNG carvings from Indonesia, same with fake aboriginal items. It's a big business in Indonesia. 

On the plus side, military memorabilia I'd collected on overseas postings in the 60's - 00's sold for fantastic profits, sometimes for more than 6 times the original purchase price.

There are many items you have to go to specialist websites to get decent prices, as those buyers aren't dealing on ebay.

[collect247]

Perhaps 50-60 years lol.

And it's hard to get your head around it as too why stuff is worth less lol.

[imastawka]

My guess would be a flooded market, and not enough collectors.

If the older collectors are dying off, and their stuff is being sold, then the market

will drop in value.

Maybe we have to wait for more, younger collectors to find the market.

But high quality items will always retain, and increase, their value.

[grannytakesatrip17]

I have just being looking at your store. It is a credit to you. 

i can see I have a lot to learn.

However, for me there are problems.

I do not wished to be classed as a business seller, because so many items have been inherited or purchased over decades.

I wouldn't have a clue remembering how much I paid for most of my things.

We are always flitting between our home and our farm so I cant be carting all my stock backwards and forwards. Maybe once we get rid of our farm and are more settled, I could try tthis BIN method.

What do you do if you open a store, have all these listings up and have to go away, for a time. I have to go to the UK sometimes for a few months to help my family.

I guess this is really why I can only sell intermittently, when I know I will be in one place for a couple of months.

But you are obviously a very succesful seller. I find it hard to understand how you can keep your postage so low?

I would be interested in your views as I am always ready to learn from someone like you who has stuck it out 🙂

[collect247]

The problem is granny that once you sell $10K you are classed as a business seller.

[grannytakesatrip17]

Is that $10k per annum?

[redders_60]

Hi; It can be disheartening to try & sell quality glass & porcelain collectables on ebay these days. I once was looking to ebay for my retirement income; But ebay says no! They prefer the new & shiny big mall sellers that you can go to @ any Westfield or similar shopping centre. I avoid shopping centres for personal reasons & because the stores are all the same large franchises; No matter where you are.

I can't fathom why ebay have embraced Target & such that already have their own websites over the small sellers of individual type or  handcrafted items.

I'm a lover of Caithness glass & have a perfume atomiser the close twin of your listing. Sowerby is another of my favourites. Your pics are great BTW; As are your prices!

I understand you are wanting to downsize your treasures. In better days I've sold about 48 large boxes of my glassware here on ebay & on QS. Mostly English glass. But I don't see the rest of mine as being saleable on here anytime soon! (My 3 adult daughters don't share my love of vintage glassware) I've a ton still on QS that is slowly moving.

As you've said you travel to England regularly for family reasons; May I make a suggestion? Go to cheapie car boot sales there & send yourself a parcel home of well wrapped Caithness & similar items, if you can buy them for only a few pounds or less each.

My eldest daughter (A travel agent) has done this for me many times. Even got some lovely uranium glass in an Oxfam shop in Sheffield for 20p per item! Caithness paperweights used to sell well here. Extra brand names may make a difference in search results in these uncertain ebay times.  I have "Caithness Duck"  on my search list; As there's one specific item I want.

If you were in Melb I would suggest a good antique consignment house in Geelong Vic. They do well with Limoges & similar porcelains; So I've consigned better quality items there to good result.

[grannytakesatrip17]

Hi, you sound quite like me, I will do anything to avoid these plastic shopping centres. I hate new items and nearly everything in our home is vintage/second hand.

Thanks for the compliments on the photos. I guess that is why I get a bit frustrated as I spend so long researching and listing things.

I have picked up a few things at car boot sales in England as you suggested.

Some of these bargains make up for the losses on quality items.

Where did you say you were selling now? QS?

I will just plod along selling when I can. Every now and then (well last year anyway) I achieved some amazing prices.

Thank you for your friendly input 🙂

A funny story, last year I found a set of 6 beautiful green bowls, a very unusual at a charity shop. I thought they were probably uranium and sure they were when I checked.

Anyhow as I stepped outside, my husband called me, I tripped up and dropped the lot, thankfully one survived.

I also broke an amazing deco glass wall light about 1/2 an hour ago lol. I have had it for years and was going to sell it, oh well this is very very rare for me. You can't win them all.