Getting Items Ready to Sell

Processing Items to Sell

Processing is an important aspect of being a vintage seller. What is processing? It is the word I use to get an old, not in perfect condition item, ready to sell.

The first rule in this is to buy items that are in good condition. I learned my lesson early on from not closely inspecting items I bought, only to discover when I got home, that the crystal vase had a chip in it.

This cannot be processed and I would not sell it.

People don’t want broken things. Make sure what you are buying is not flawed or broken. Dirty or needing polishing is fine. Even re-staining a beautiful wooden bowl is fine depending on how far you want to go into refurbishing.

A wooden bowl with a crack is not okay.

For example, I had previously mentioned that I just listed a vintage copper fondue pot. It needed polishing because the visual difference between polished copper and unpolished copper is huge.

You exponentially increase your chance of selling your item over the same other listing if yours looks better.

Pretty obvious, right? Not for everyone.

I have seen listings for pans with caked on dirt. Why not just clean it?

Vintage fabric and clothing are in their own category. I had quite a learning curve! Let’s talk about linens first.

I have always had an affinity for vintage linens, like tablecloths, doilies, napkins, and the like. My first massive estate sale haul, which I mentioned at the beginning as the pivotal moment, included a lot of linens. They were practically free.

I just grabbed so many and loaded them into bags. Then it came time to turn them into a sellable product. This is the processing side.

They have to be washed and ironed. Vintage linens often have stains if they have been used or stored improperly. Many of these had stains that did not come out with a simple soak and wash and, on further inspection, I realized there were holes.

Anyway, I bought Oxy-clean, which is a special detergent for fighting stains. I learned, through research, that you can boil these items and simmer them on low heat to get stains out.

I went through this process on batches of the items. Then I hung them to dry. After that, there was the ironing. Some stains did not come out. These became the unsellable pile that mounted.

Here is what I learned in this process:

1. Nobody buys doilies.

2. Don’t buy linens with stains or holes.

3. The only linens worth buying are in excellent condition and simply need a simple wash, dry, and iron, and will fetch a good deal of money for the effort.

Vintage clothing can be profitable. Let’s start with the basics.

Again, don’t buy anything with stains or holes. A little dusty dirty is fine.

Know what the trends are. I have had a great deal of success with vintage nightgowns, slips, and robes, especially those that are 1970’s and earlier. Silk scarves, Levi’s, ski bibs, fisherman style cable knit sweaters, alpaca wool, cashmere or angora sweaters are all a solid bet.

Through trial and error I learned you must have a mannequin. If it is a dry clean only item, have it dry cleaned and show it still in the bag as one of the photos. You can charge more if you do this.