What eBay looked like June 1997
On March 7, 1998 I started selling antiques on eBay. Back in those days you had to know html to write your description and if you wanted to add a photo it was a big pain in the b...! My late husband was into collecting black glass, Dali prints and coins. He loved to go to antique malls, garage sales and flea markets to find anything old he thought was cool and a deal. When we dated we went to the local auction houses and by the time we were married we had a garage full of antiques.In 1997, we got a booth at an antique mall and began the adventure of selling our stuff, but we were buying more then selling and we felt the location of the booth wasn't up to our standards. In 1998, we found two other antique malls closer to home. One was more upscale and we had chosen a locked booth for our more expensive items. By this time we were traveling to Ohio to go to auctions that had Roseville, Weller, Shawnee and McCoy pottery, their factories are originally from the area. These more expensive items were kept behind lock and key. The other location was for items of lesser value and for people looking for a bargain and not a quality item.
Also in 1998 we acquired our first computer. I don't recall how we found out about eBay...it might of been a fluke. I research all my pottery to find the value and priced it accordingly. I probably researched an item and like today eBay was on the first page in the search engine. No Google in those days. If I recall I might have bought some Weller pieces that I thought I could resell at the antique mall at a higher price.
Since it takes a unique buyer to want a higher priced item...to stroll into a small town and buy, the odds were pretty small. I did sell a few McCoy pieces now and then. McCoy was the least expensive, because it's more prevalent. So it hit me....eBay sells to people all over the world dah! I took out a few pieces and tried my luck selling them on eBay. And the rest is history.
In 1999, I was well known in a few of the antique circles in town and when someone would buy an entire estate they would call me to purchase all the jewelry. I love antique jewelry and it is one of the easiest items I have sold on eBay, because it doesn't take much to pack it up and ship it. Once all the good pottery pieces were sold I didn't want to worry about breakage any longer and switched over to jewelry. TIP: if you are going to sell on eBay remember that you are the one that has to pack up and ship the item. Breakables require extra packing material, so be sure to add it into your handling and shipping charges.
When my husband past away late 1999, I closed up the other antique mall booth the following summer. I sold what I could on eBay and gave the rest to Goodwill. Except for some choice items, I still have his black glass collection, his Salvador Dali's hang on my walls and his coin collection is still somewhat intact. Unfortunately, I sold the gold pieces before the price sky rocketed.:(
Now all I do is buy on eBay and with all my experience I hope I can help you find what you want or need for less. How to bid on an item, without getting outbid. Or sell an item, without giving it away. Any questions, please email me at: katmando5139@yahoo.com
