Pages

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Customer Relations

51°f/10.5°C, cloudy after a rainy day yesterday.

We are back to cool weather again! A low of 36° is predicted for Saturday night, which means about 40 at my house. Some places just north of us may see frost, though. 

We went out to buy more plants yesterday, mostly annual flowers, tomatoes, and peppers. I was thrilled that Annette at Blooming Blessings greenhouse remembered that I wanted Black Krim tomatoes, and raised some! Talk about service! She promised that next year she will try to have the no-heat jalapeƱos I like too. She knows how to have a steady customer.

Speaking of customers: I sold a set of 12 little cake plates on ebay, but when I went to pack them up, there were only 4 of the pattern  sold and the other 8 were a different pattern. Oh. Dear. I was mortified and let the buyer know. She said to send them anyway! What a nice lady.

And speaking of ebay: here are some of the things we have sold lately. It is always interesting to see what people want.

First, and oddest, I think, is this:


It was an empty box! I sold the monkey in my booth but the buyer didn’t take the box, so I listed it on ebay, figuring someone would want it for their monkey. It sold in less than a week.

Then this, a Fenton lamp globe, bought at auction for $16 and sold on ebay for $150.


R here were 3 of these artist series canisters at Goodwill for $5.99. I have sold 2, one for $35  and one for $45.


I have had this dish a while, a square Anchor Hocking fridge dish, and finally decided to sell it. 


Another auction find, bought for $16, and sold for $70. It's going to Ireland!


These are chandelier parts. We broke part of this chandelier, so took it apart and sold it that way. Made a little profit,  at least.


This is the clapper from a big cast iron bell. I bought the bell but it was cracked. So I sold the yoke that held it on ebay, use the bell as a planter, and finally got around to selling this piece.  My $50 returned about $150.


A bunch of women's vintage hats, gicmven to me by a friend. I sold the lot for $25, and the buyer was quite happy!


Another Goodwill find was this nice vintage handbag. $5.99, sold for $25.


And last, this book, which I showed here before. Paid $11 for the lot, sold this one for $35. The others ranged in value from $2 to $11.


We have been going to flea markets today, and auction pickup, so I will have more sorting and pricing to do. 

I'll end with these two videos I saw on Facebook. The first is about the raising of the Sistersville, WV ferry, which sadly and unexpectedly sunk last week. Is it repairable? If so how much will it cost? And where will little Sistersville get the funds? I have ridden this ferry many times, and it has a special place in my heart, as two friends have been ferry board members and kept me up-to-date on ferry news. 


The second is from the Australian The Voice, and i find it just mesmerizing.  Enjoy!


29 comments:

  1. The vastness of EBay amazes me. However, I think it takes a real eye to make a profit there. Some things don’t sell, but other things seem to sell for ridiculous amounts from my perspective.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think one can find just about anything on ebay, which is why I listed the chandelier parts and the bell clapper---figured someone was looking for them!

      Delete
  2. That's great that you can buy at a modest price and sell for a great markup! The green dish is lovely. I am very happy for you! I love Goodwill, there are so many treasures that can be found there. I look forward to seeing what else you sell. Thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Linda. It is a nice little side income!

      Delete
  3. The things people will buy never ceases to amaze me!!
    Incidentally. are no-heat jalapenos actually a thing? It sounds like an oxymoron.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, there really are no-heat jalapeƱos. I have grown them several times. I just add what heat i want with hot sauce. Neither of usblike really spicy food, but enjoy the taste of jalapenos.

      Delete
  4. It never ceases to amaze me how much money people will pay for some things on ebay. Good for you there are lots of people like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think some people just don't have access to the things they want other than online. Collectors, People who create art from found objects, people who restore things or just need to repair them, etc, are thankful for eBay and other online platforms. I know I have found missing parts and repair parts quite often myself, that I would have to drive hours to find.

      Delete
  5. Good things that have passed through your fingers out to others to be enjoyed! So glad that you are successful at that. And that's wonderful to have a gardener in your pocket, so to speak!

    ReplyDelete
  6. ...you certainly find neat stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  7. People gather what they gather and live in a different world than I.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, most older people in particular do not buy much, unless they are a collector or need a specific item for a repair or restoration project.

      Delete
  8. Yay for caring for customers and wee to the stuff you sold, amazing! Huge gear with the "boat"!

    ReplyDelete
  9. You certainly have a talent for resale! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been doing this since about 2009, so I have learned a little about what sells. Still, there are always surprises!

      Delete
  10. Nice to see you making a profit on your sales. You do provide a service to collectors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's fun, and not hard work, just takes time.

      Delete
  11. Forgot to add that I was looking to add another blue plate to my collection from a Turkish pottery shop we visited, but the prices were outrageous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that's a shame! Would have been nice to have one from there, I know.

      Delete
  12. You've had some great success with your sales. I wish I could find an ebay broker. I would post and they would package and mail. I'd split the sale with them, probably 50/50 or 60/40. I admire how you do this.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You did very well on your finds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sandra! It amuses me when i look back through the list of solds. So eclectic!

      Delete
  14. I love ebay and it seems like you can find most anything on there. Kudos to you for making the most of it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Michelle. For us rural dwellers, it can be a godsend for those things just not available locally.

      Delete
  15. I love these posts! There is so much potential out there, it is amazing what people will buy and what you can make if you can just recognize the potential.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is, Jim! I often think about people who are so broke, yet if they could scrape up a few bucks, go find stuff at a thrift, and learn how to sell online, they could really improve their situation.

      Delete

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Comments are moderated so may not appear immediately, but be assured that I read and enjoy each and every word you write, and will post them as quickly as possible.