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As resellers on eBay, we're constantly on the prowl for cool and collectible things. We're motivated to bring recognition to neglected items that deserve to be preserved, whether for their quality, history, functionality, beauty or quirkiness. A two-person team, we share a passion for relics of the past while each have expertise and interest in particular types of collectibles.
My bent is more toward the arts and crafts, literally and figuratively. I love to sift through old linens and rescue runners, doilies, tablecloths and napkins that still have life in them. Many will come home with me and be treated to a nice soak to return them as closely as possible to their original state. Lace is a particular interest, though I must rely on the expertise of my friend Sharon of The Rook and the Raven (also an eBay seller, check out her store here) to identify what I've found. I'm also keen to find antique and vintage clothing (I believe I lived a previous life in the late 1800s, how else can I explain my connection to the Victorian era?) to share with collectors and style mavens. Though I have no gift for needlework, I appreciate the skill reflected in many of the pieces I come across. I'm also inclined to rescue dolls and stuffed plush animals and love anything miniature. Jewelry from all eras captures my fancy, as do photographs or other snippets of personal history, such as ledgers or journals. You can find more of what's up my alley in my curated CoolVintageFindsShop on etsy .
There are some categories of collectibles that both Brad and I consistently gravitate toward. Antique and vintage Christmas decor, art posters and pottery of all kinds fall under that heading. Since many of our customers are crafty themselves, we'll pick up kits and needlepoint projects to pass along. Our merch is listed across dozens of categories to help shoppers browse and buy.
It's definitely easier to shop than to list, so we rely on a storage space to store finds awaiting their turn on eBay or etsy. Brad likes to say they're "fermenting" (as in, getting more desirable), but with our recent re-org, we're both amped to step up our listing game.
We're finally winning our personal "storage war" by getting our finds in order and queued up for listing.
Not everything from our shopping expeditions makes it into our store! I'm a fan of miniature cabins and was thrilled to make a discovery recently to add to my collection. Someday I'll put it up for sale, but for the moment it's one of my own treasures.
Let us know what you like to find on your shopping forays, either at estate sales or online in our eBay store. Thanks for reading!
Copyright © 2024 Cool Vintage Finds
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 It's an urban myth that eBay started as a Pez container exchange for the founder's girlfriend, but the online marketplace still serves collectors. This group of Pez containers is part of a set that recently sold for over $600 on eBay. In 2018, shopping on eBay is a whole different animal than when the online marketplace first opened its doors in 1995. Pierre Omidyar started eBay in his living room on a whim, as a way to enable person-to-person trading arrangements. (The tall tale that Omidyar did it to sell his girlfriend's Pez containers has since been dismissed as marketing fiction.) The site grew quickly but took a few years to become the magnificent beast it is today.  With millions of merchants vying for customers, even the very best eBayer stores can get lost among the masses. Fast forward to 2018 and there are more than 25 million sellers on eBay and 175 million shoppers at any given time. In recent years, eBay has modified its search algorithms in mysterious ways that affect search results and seem to limit how often a seller's items are viewed (presumably to keep more sellers alive).  The sky's the limit on eBay, making it hard to choose where to shop. (Img source: Pixabay.com) As owners of an eBay store, we're often challenged to get eyeballs on our merchandise, and we know shoppers on eBay can be similarly frustrated when trying to find what they want, particularly in collectibles, where availability is often limited. That's the reason behind The Best eBay Stores directory: we want to help quality eBay stores get in front of more customers AND help eBay customers find these sellers so they will have the very best experience possible and return again and again!  All of the eBays stores listed in The Best eBay Stores directory meet criteria to ensure you're dealing with trusted, proven sellers offering a phenomenal variety of merchandise. (Image source: rawpixel.com) To create the directory (which is an independent entity, not endorsed by eBay or its affiliates, by the way), we've established criteria that help ensure a good shopping experience. That means limiting the list to sellers who've been around for at least 5 years, own an eBay store and have had at least 500 transactions. We also look at feedback ratings and require that it be 98% or higher. Lastly, we've decided to focus this directory on sellers who specialize in vintage and antique collectibles and clothing (new merchandise merchants are left to their own devices).  Browse and shop with confidence on eBay, with guidance from our directory of trusted eBay stores. So that's the scoop! Go ahead and check out our directory now. Share it on your social platforms if you feel inspired. Contact us to recommend yourself or a qualified eBay store owner. We hope our directory will prove useful to everyone involved. Thanks for reading! |
SCOUTING BLOG
Learn about our recent discoveries and what captures our imagination in this blog, then peruse the treasures in our Cool Vintage Finds Store on eBay. Brought to you by...
... Susan Buie, writer by day, vintage curator and co-proprietor of the Cool Vintage Finds Store on eBay in all the moments in between. Archives
July 2024
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