The Box

Sometimes things just happen in the right order. Late December 2015 I spotted a huge shiny box with colourful pan pictures on it across the street. Usually such new product containers just hold plastic and other packaging. I was actually hoping for bubble wrap but found the complete old set of pans of the buyers.

They looked quite used but in good enough condition for a quick sale. I liked the belly shape but not the gold plating, but I thought that might appeal to the North Africans. The set was picked up a week later by a young couple of that origin.

In the meantime my co-picker had produced a wooden trunk. Lined in purple it made me think of a thing for a magician’s act. It could be also great for toys. I listed it with all such keywords in and it also sold very quickly, but had to be shipped. Then I was so glad I still had that big pan set box. The trunk just fit in!

Timing

I found this sled last year January at a fair distance from the house, so it was a bit of a hassle getting it home on my bike, but I managed and I thought it was a pretty good pick. But then the thing just didn’t sell. It wasn’t snowing or freezing here, but wasn’t anybody planning on a skiing holiday abroad anymore? I looked for my competition and found lots of sleds for sale, but all in rural areas, not around Amsterdam.

I waited for October to relist it and then it went quickly. Not the head prize of course but I was glad it was out. And I think it was for a skiing holiday. Right now Holland is slowly freezing over for the first time in years and shallow waters have thick enough ice already. I wonder if I should have postponed my relisting even longer to get more out of it, but I don’t regret my sale; the weather is unpredictable after all. Now if we can get some snow I like the thought that the child it was bought for can play with the sled at home too.

I’m just looking through my old photo’s now and shortly after the sled this comes up. I’m only showing this simple crude basket because there’s something time related to say about it as well. Found across the street it was an easy pick and though not worth a lot I couldn’t leave it.

It was previously used as a planter, sewing thread that held the plastic lining in place was still visible on top. Listing at only EUR 2 I thought it would sell soon enough. There's always somebody who needs a basket. But I had to relist it over and over again. I had at least seven inquiries about it, but none came to a sale.

Finally when December neared I threw in the keyword ‘St. Nicholas gift basket’. When celebrated in the traditional way, on our national gift-giving day December 5 the family sits in a circle around the packets presented in a large container and a basket is perfect for that. I guess it worked as I sold it a week later, just days before the party.

All The IKEA Stuff Goes!

At getting about a quarter to over a third of retail prices, I’m always happy to handle any IKEA product. It's more than I can say about a lot of other things. The only problem is that they are cheap brand new already, so I don’t get rich from them. At the other hand they make sure sales and I don’t feel too good for it yet.

This Moppe chest of drawers was one of the better items from an attic clean up early August in my street. The big pile of stuff was across the street and I happily hauled it all in, only to wake up to a mountain of not so interesting stuff. Brought a lot of it to free pick up center where I exchanged it for better things.

Again - I learnt the hard way how important it is when I never sold that kid's table - I didn’t know it was IKEA as the sticker was off, until a viewer was so kind to inform me by email. So I could adapt my listing and look up what IKEA sells it for. Now that was disappointingly little, but the bid I got soon after was not. Best part is the lady lived one block down around the corner, so the chest moved maybe less than a 100 meters.

Another good one was this Ektorp pillow. Out of production, so I hoped for someone especially looking for it and set the price to a third of the average of pillows more or less the same type. It took until last week to sell, but I now know I shouldn’t worry when items like this take time. In the end they always go.

I also picked this simple armchair from across the street, but kept it for a year or two as an extra in case of. Early September decided it was taking place I needed. Also not for sale anymore, but in style among the very lowest priced on the IKEA site. As I found no product name on its label I listed it with the nearest lookalike name in my title. On free bidding nothing happened for four weeks. A few days ago I just set it to a quarter of retail and that worked I think. It went this morning and I was happy with the little amount for a chair that had a stain from its previous owners and an additional one from my cat puking on it.

The vintage red wire chairs were in fact my first ever trash sale at the local auction site, July 2012.

In May 2013 followed by the super sized Bladet vase and the first set of kitchen chairs.

And a week later even these simple cd racks. But they don't have them in the shop anymore, although I didn't check at the time.

I have an idea why I find so much cheap IKEA stuff in my street and neighbourhood, but I must muse about that another time.

Still waiting for buyers now, more pillows, a vase and even more kitchen chairs...

My Favourite Spot

Though I still don’t go out far to look for stuff since a couple of months I don’t fail to pass by whenever I can a special spot across from the end of my street. 

In the past it has produced my easy chair that I still love.

This is a very old photo and now there is a large plastic collection bin next to the tree which somehow invites people to dump bulk trash next to it any day of the week as the items will be kind of hidden between it and the underground kitchen waste bins.

More recently I spotted this bicycle rack that is now in my back yard serving its purpose. Very handy, especially since my bike does not have a kick stand.

But next to it I saw a strangely shaped wooden box. At closer look it turned out to be a primitive handmade shoe shiner’s bench. Most likely from North Africa, as the people often travel by road and boat to bring goods back and forth.

Lucky I was on foot and it was easy to carry the two things home at once.

I was pretty excited about the thing but it has failed to sell yet. I’m not surprised nobody is looking for a shoe shiner’s bench, but it would make a great decorative storage chest in a shabby chic interior. Therefore I listed it in such a category and also put that in the description hoping someone may just get the idea hitting on it by accident. Or does anyone have a better suggestion?

More success with this hand carved table top from about a month ago. Passing by with my bike loaded with groceries I managed to lay it flat on the back carrier and walked the last meters home. I had a buyer within a week and got a very nice amount for it.

Another Ugly Lamp And A Bit Of SEO

The Man seems to have a way with bringing me ghastly lamps and when he came home with this huge shade I really thought how will I ever get rid of THAT?

Though it’s vintage, possibly Fifties and very well handmade I didn’t think anybody would still want this in their interior.

But he proved me wrong in a way. When I finally listed the shade a few weeks ago I thought it might make some kind of stage requisite. So I just described it as old-fashioned, not vintage or anything like that. I think it worked because yesterday a lady came for it who needed it as a prop for a singer song writers festival and said she would keep it for future other festivals as well.  And I got more cash for it than I had hoped for!