Monday, May 25, 2009

A Never Ending Learning Experience

One of the things I love the most about selling online is the fact that you can dip into so many different subjects! The problem is...learning all about each and every one of those before you make a serious gaffe and sell off a million dollar find for ten bucks!

A friend recently asked me to help her start a Bonanzle store to sell some of her vintage items. We have not yet begun to fill her booth as we are in the "organizing" phase. It is fascinating! On the other hand...it can be a bit of a scary and humbling experience because I know so little, so we have been doing a lot of online research.

Do you like old coins? There is sooooo much to know! I was reading where certain 1995 pennies are worth $25!!! Yipes! How many of those may have passed through my hands over the past 14 years??? (That is a side-trail, because my friend does not have any of those either, but it was interesting to learn!)

How about old hats? And then there are the books from 1908 that may be worth nothing, but are fascinating in their leather binding. Old violins? How about vintage jewelry? And the German steins were a lot of fun to research. The list goes on and I think what we are going to do is start out with something from each of the categories in order to get her booth rolling.

And if any of my Bonanzle buddies who hang out at estate sales or resell old items have suggestions on how to do this, please let me know! I have suggested she take some of her items to get them assessed because I am afraid I might miss something online and give bad advice. On the other hand...we are having a lot of fun together!