Hesitations when buying lately.

[clovis97]

Clovis, with Tools I would have to agree that prices have fallen. I had a close friend that used to deal in them in his shop. He even had original Indian Motorcycle sets, and he would be low balled all day. He finally had to sell them at a discount just to open up space and clear his overhead. THIS is what is killing markets. The flippers buying from flippers and collectors not ever seeing these items that they may want in their collections.

The majority of tools that I sell are common user grade tools.

What killed better mechanics tools like Snap-0n, Mac, S-K? In my opinion, it was the closing of all the car dealerships in '09. There were tons of car dealerships that closed in my area.

There was a major drop off with machinist's tools too. Since we don't manufacture anything in the US anymore...there have been hoards of machinist's tools dumped onto the market. We had a local manufacturer close in our town that employed 1,000 people. There were literally full yard sales here of nothing but machinist's tools. And sadly, I've been to plenty of "we've-closed-shop-and-moved-production-to-China" auctions. I've watched expensive and nice presses sold for scrap, and the tools in the plant were almost given away.

And the last time I saw a new house being built here...I wanted to stop and take a picture. They were actually stick framing it, and not setting wall units made in a factory 300 miles from here.

Don't forget about all the cheap imported tools, either. Those have flooded the markets, and destroyed the values of a bunch of tools.

 

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[AndyE89]

I agree that Ebay is the "lazy" market, but I hate to say it is the primary market. Online shopping has basically taken over and made Flea market shopping much less popular. It is arbitrary to buy a tool or really anything at an "ebay discount" when you can get off the computer, drive 5 miles to the nearest shop or market and snag it up for 50% the price of Ebay. THIS however is what the market and consumers want now, in all categories.

Clovis, that is a shame for a company to lose out on so much of what they saw as critical parts of their company for pennies on the dollar. This however is another reason why we are a dying breed as "sellers in the usa" It is much more difficult to keep up with costs that are coming from china and other parts of the world.

It is like in construction: You bid out a job, and some other company that has less overhead comes in and bids even lower, getting the job. Even if their work is of lesser quality, all the consumer sees is the price. You and your crew are out of a job now.

 

[inspectorgadget]

It is like in construction: You bid out a job, and some other company that has less overhead comes in and bids even lower, getting the job. Even if their work is of lesser quality, all the consumer sees is the price. You and your crew are out of a job now.

There is a flip side to that one tho as there is with everything.. My dads best friend was a fireman & a self employed carpenter & at about 60 he wanted to retire from his carpentry business (he had long since retired from the fire department). Anyway they way he tried to retire was to just bid jobs too high & just not get the jobs but his reputation & quality of work was so good he still got the jobs. After another couple years & while making a killing he finally did retire & just quit bidding jobs. Don't sell short what some people are capable of & there are always people willing to pay a premium for quality & knowledge! Most businesses that fail are directly related to bad management & or unnecessary overhead & if you're self employed there is no one else to point a finger at. Do a lot of good smart diligent work & you will be rewarded in whatever you do!

 

[AndyE89]

"Do a lot of good smart diligent work & you will be rewarded in whatever you do!" This is a logical ideal but unfortunately not always the case in the real world. I used to own a construction business. 3 crews, 2 foreman and me and my partner. We had very great workers most skilled laborers, and seasoned in what they do. We just could not compete with the bids some of the larger companies that pay their employees less money. We refused to pay our workers less just to land a job that would last a week or two. We did give great estimates, but unfortunately we could not stay a float with the small percentage that really cared more about quality and less about their wallet.

The world is not a utopia, and you dont always get back what you put in. The areas of collectibles I do deal in and do know my way around have left me with many ups and downs, which basically started within the past few months. It just seems that once I became hesitant of those areas as well as the unknown areas I realized maybe it is the market and not just me. I have put a lot of work into the "reselling" business and I love it, but it is not a good feeling to question myself when I never have before.

 

[clovis97]

Andy,

It is the marketplace, and not just you, which I tried to share in some of my other posts.

The marketplace is tough, especially when there isn't a ton of fresh money coming into any area, especially not like the old days.

It is especially unnerving when you have almost every last cent of your cash flow tied up in stuff/junk, and the foot traffic in your #1 selling arena...the one that pays the bills...has totally fallen off of a cliff.

I have often thought "This is exactly what it must have felt like in October, 1929."

In January of this year, there simply were no shoppers, browsers or buyers walking the aisles. What very few buyers that were present were buying very little, and they wanted a steal.

While there will be 3 more pages of criticism of how I am lazy, unwilling to work into new categories, and how I cling to unrealistic buying and selling practices of the past, it is unnerving to be in the position that we were in for the first 6 months of this year. There simply were no buyers for the items that I have made the core of our livelihood for the past 10 years, and no decent profit margins on what we did sell.

Honestly, when we pick, we can only go on our gut, our iPhones, and what we carry in our heads. And truthfully, the iPhone app for completed sales is as worthless as a screen door on a submarine. You get to an auction/store/sale, and you see a Delta mortising attachment. I've sold those for $80 to $100 many times, so I pop $35 on one at an auction...and when I get home, back in June, the ebay market says it is worth $20 to $45, with most of them in the $25 range.

How many times can a seller do that, and stay in business? And they've spent $300 to $500 at an auction, based on knowledge and past experience.

Oh, yeah, wait. That seller is supposed to expand into new things in a weekend's time, and quit being lazy, and learn new tricks overnight, and find out what people are buying, all while trying to raise a family and keep a roof over their heads....and having every last dime of cash flow tied up in stuff that isn't selling, all while THERE ARE NO BUYERS.

I'm not the only one saying this either. The best ebayer I know, has really been struggling too. And another seller I know, perhaps the best I've ever met in the dolls/sewing/girl collectible stuff is having a time of it too. In other words, the part timers and outsiders can criticize all they want, but us full time sellers know about the new economy, and it is a difficult marketplace to say the least.

Stepping down from my soap box now...

 

[AndyE89]

Clovis, Perfectly put my friend.

I do not mind the "rainy day" type people. But, when you do it full time it is a different story. Years ago when I first started construction there was a HUGE overhead, but in this business the overhead just moves everyday, and everyday an item that should of sold doesnt sell, I still have to pay its overhead. I just need to balance things out more.

VERY well put though. I completely agree with it being hard to expand our thoughts and what we have learned as marketers, sellers, and buyers within this business. It has always been an easy idea: buy low, sell high. Now, it is buy low, wait for prices to go up in a week.

 

[clovis97]

Thank you for the kind words.

Back when the economy was booming, I could buy anything and flip it for a profit. In the new economy, I feel like it is now "buy low, and pray that the market hasn't bottomed out before you get it flipped".

I think it is very, very hard to drop what you know, and immediately and completely transform your entire business reselling strategy as others suggest.

It might be easy for the part time reseller who is drawing a $1,000 a week paycheck from his FT job, but when you do this business entirely as a sole source of income, it is a different story.

What I have done, which has helped immensely is to expand in areas that I already know, and have tried new things in those genres. One example is that I've been buying a tool on ebay, and then flipping it as a BIN.

Another example is toy trains, which is an area that I know well. I've sold tons of trains in the past, but now I am buying HO scale, for the sole purpose of flipping at the flea market. I used to pick up trains at sales on occasion, but I am now attending swap meets and buying large lots.

Both have been successful, so far.

Maybe you can delve into something deeper too? If you are into Third Reich stamps, maybe try listing those in new categories? Or spitting up sheets into plate blocks/blocks/singles? Or try to play the same game that Iron Patch does, buying bargains today, and flipping later for a higher price? The bottom line is that you know the market better than anyone here...and if you ever thought in the past "I could make some money in the stamp market doing that", it might be time to try it. It has worked well with my tool flipping!!!

 

[inspectorgadget]

Andy,

It is the marketplace, and not just you, which I tried to share in some of my other posts.

The marketplace is tough, especially when there isn't a ton of fresh money coming into any area, especially not like the old days.

It is especially unnerving when you have almost every last cent of your cash flow tied up in stuff/junk, and the foot traffic in your #1 selling arena...the one that pays the bills...has totally fallen off of a cliff.

I have often thought "This is exactly what it must have felt like in October, 1929."

In January of this year, there simply were no shoppers, browsers or buyers walking the aisles. What very few buyers that were present were buying very little, and they wanted a steal.

While there will be 3 more pages of criticism of how I am lazy, unwilling to work into new categories, and how I cling to unrealistic buying and selling practices of the past, it is unnerving to be in the position that we were in for the first 6 months of this year. There simply were no buyers for the items that I have made the core of our livelihood for the past 10 years, and no decent profit margins on what we did sell.

Honestly, when we pick, we can only go on our gut, our iPhones, and what we carry in our heads. And truthfully, the iPhone app for completed sales is as worthless as a screen door on a submarine. You get to an auction/store/sale, and you see a Delta mortising attachment. I've sold those for $80 to $100 many times, so I pop $35 on one at an auction...and when I get home, back in June, the ebay market says it is worth $20 to $45, with most of them in the $25 range.

How many times can a seller do that, and stay in business? And they've spent $300 to $500 at an auction, based on knowledge and past experience.

Oh, yeah, wait. That seller is supposed to expand into new things in a weekend's time, and quit being lazy, and learn new tricks overnight, and find out what people are buying, all while trying to raise a family and keep a roof over their heads....and having every last dime of cash flow tied up in stuff that isn't selling, all while THERE ARE NO BUYERS.

I'm not the only one saying this either. The best ebayer I know, has really been struggling too. And another seller I know, perhaps the best I've ever met in the dolls/sewing/girl collectible stuff is having a time of it too. In other words, the part timers and outsiders can criticize all they want, but us full time sellers know about the new economy, and it is a difficult marketplace to say the least.

Stepping down from my soap box now...

I must say as with anything changing or rolling with the times is a must for success. This is true with police, sports coaches, teachers, & so on but especially self employed people. There is no doubt that staying "on top" of the market is the key to long term reselling success! Many auctions now days are filled with people not making crap off what they buy. Once all costs are figured in they make very little if any money from auction buying & then selling at flea market booths or antique mall booths.

But those over payers are always either some people who just watched one of the TV shows & thought they were buying treasure for a can't go wrong price. How wrong they were & when they look this stuff up they will be very disappointed to find out they paid 2 X eBay price! You usually never see these people again either! Then there are the regulars or the "old timers" the 10 to 25 years in the business people. The younger of these people seem to have so much more success (the late 40's people who've been reselling for 10 years or so or less).

The people who are older than that (the 55+ crowd that have been at it for up to 25 years) seem stuck in their ways, they are very specific buyers targeting only a couple things like just glass & certain antique furniture pieces. Or just copper / brass items & paintings, or just Victorian & art deco items, or just Asian / oriental items or just cast iron & old trains or just old toys & dolls & so on. They bought & sold these same type items for years & years with plenty of success till the market crashed & all these new picking shows came out. Now its a new & very different ever changing market place more so than ever before! The reason the old timers are having trouble is they can't see or understand the change in what's hot & what's not! What they know (& usually about all they know) has changed, those same glass pieces or antique trunks are not worth what they were years ago or even a year ago in some cases.

My point is the younger crowd seems to adapt to the market much better than the old timers do maybe out of sheer necessity. The younger crowd here where I am is more diverse in their buying & have no problem making a nice $1000 a week net living off just 1 big auction every week & selling on eBay & in antique malls. Where as the old timers here think they are doing well when only doing $1000 in sales per month minus 7%, minus the initial cost of the items they sold & minus the booth rent per month.. What they cleared $300 that month maybe $400 at most? Now don't get me wrong most of these old timers do it as much for hobby as for the money so I'm sure not judging them & how they do it but none the less they are stuck in their ways big time. Can't teach an old dog new tricks is a saying for a reason.

I'm not calling anyone lazy or knocking anything they do or how they do it (not here or anywhere) I'm just stating what I see where I am at & who does what & maybe why they do it!

 

[Iron Patch]

Thank you for the kind words.

Back when the economy was booming, I could buy anything and flip it for a profit. In the new economy, I feel like it is now "buy low, and pray that the market hasn't bottomed out before you get it flipped".

I think it is very, very hard to drop what you know, and immediately and completely transform your entire business reselling strategy as others suggest.

It might be easy for the part time reseller who is drawing a $1,000 a week paycheck from his FT job, but when you do this business entirely as a sole source of income, it is a different story.

What I have done, which has helped immensely is to expand in areas that I already know, and have tried new things in those genres. One example is that I've been buying a tool on ebay, and then flipping it as a BIN.

Another example is toy trains, which is an area that I know well. I've sold tons of trains in the past, but now I am buying HO scale, for the sole purpose of flipping at the flea market. I used to pick up trains at sales on occasion, but I am now attending swap meets and buying large lots.

Both have been successful, so far.

Maybe you can delve into something deeper too? If you are into Third Reich stamps, maybe try listing those in new categories? Or spitting up sheets into plate blocks/blocks/singles? Or try to play the same game that Iron Patch does, buying bargains today, and flipping later for a higher price? The bottom line is that you know the market better than anyone here...and if you ever thought in the past "I could make some money in the stamp market doing that", it might be time to try it. It has worked well with my tool flipping!!!

The market is no doubt down across the board for everything, but the big factor is how large it is. I am very thankful that what I'm involved in has a lot happening so it's pretty easily to grab my little slice of the pie.

 

[clovis97]

The market is no doubt down across the board for everything, but the big factor is how large it is. I am very thankful that what I'm involved in has a lot happening so it's pretty easily to grab my little slice of the pie.

And I should thank you for sharing some of the basics about what you do...it has inspired me to flip both tools and trains, and so far, it has put some decent profits in my pocket!

ETA: Since the first of the month, I've sold $122 in tool parts alone. I've thought for years that some money could be made in this category, and your helpful posts encouraged me to try it.

The $122 isn't all profit, but it is a nice boost to my sales. I'm not getting rich at it, but it is super easy to hit the 'relist' button, add a few pics, and post the item. I am also honing my skills and getting better at knowing what to buy, and how much it will resell for.

Thanks!!!!

 

[Iron Patch]

And I should thank you for sharing some of the basics about what you do...it has inspired me to flip both tools and trains, and so far, it has put some decent profits in my pocket!

ETA: Since the first of the month, I've sold $122 in tool parts alone. I've thought for years that some money could be made in this category, and your helpful posts encouraged me to try it.

The $122 isn't all profit, but it is a nice boost to my sales. I'm not getting rich at it, but it is super easy to hit the 'relist' button, add a few pics, and post the item. I am also honing my skills and getting better at knowing what to buy, and how much it will resell for.

Thanks!!!!

Well it's good that it's working out for you, and I have been reminded many times over the years how it feels because when I would take a long break I would totally lose confidence. This has happened even recently when I get myself back in I really question if I can make it work again, and the same thing usually happens.... the first week or two sucks bad and totally scares me, then a short time later it starts to change and I'm rolling again. These days I'm much more serious about it and with things going well I do not plan anymore extended vacations. There's such a big difference between being a serious player and just sticking your nose in,and I don't plan to drop my rank again.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

This is my first day on here and I've learned a lot. I just recently got back on ebay after about a 7 year break. Looked up some stuff I had held onto over that time. Disney toy train that was $200 now $17. Some items just trend up and down though.

But I wanted to post because I saw the pieces you bought. I like them. But I don't buy any clear pressed glass anymore. The other day I bought a totally hand cut crystal sugar dish. Not pressed this was cut and polished. Look it up at home. Sells for $10. Nobody can make a hand cut crystal sugar dish for that price anymore. Not even the Chinese. I guess some things just fall out of fashion. I saw an Indiana carnival glass dish. Picked it up for a couple of bucks.. I actually do know the patterns and the brands most of the time. Get home look it up on ebay. Thought this was a sure bet. One is listed for $2 already. Well I guess I'm keeping some carnival glass I don't even like. Saw a hand cut ice bucket today for a couple dollars. Just left it. But I can remember a time when vaseline depression glass was pretty cheap. now it goes pretty high. If its a category you like sometimes its harder to pass on something. I have to force myself to pass on highend glass with minor chips. because the chips always make the value plummet.

 

[clovis97]

This is my first day on here and I've learned a lot. I just recently got back on ebay after about a 7 year break. Looked up some stuff I had held onto over that time. Disney toy train that was $200 now $17. Some items just trend up and down though.

Which car is it? Lionel?

 

[dumpsterdiver]

No I mostly remembered how much it was because it was one of those I'm going to throw the plastic Disney battery powered clover track Disney train away better look it up. Look it up sells a little over $200 pretty steady for the whole set. Thought well I don't understand that but I sell it after I move. Well you know how that goes. Should have sold it back then. Just a plastic train kids set. Probably rare that I have all the parts though. I do have all my dads marxs trains and always surprised they dont go for more considering how old they are.

 

[vwayne1]

Clovis, this is a little late but here is your response. No I wasn't referring to you or anyone specifically. I was giving my opinion on a general negative feeling I was getting after reading many posts. Of course reading your post to me made me look back at your posts in this thread. You seem to be very interested in helping others. That's admirable. But there must be a reason you thought I was referring to you. Maybe you should read back through your own posts and the reason will come to light. I stand by my statements. eBay like everything is cyclic. It goes in waves up and down. Complaining about one wave and not catching the next one seems counter-productive. I mean no ill will towards you. You seem like a good person.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

that is off the wall. im sure if you list it someone will buy it. Im just getting back into selling on ebay and the learning curve for me is that sometimes a trendy piece of junk will make more money than a quality, collectible brand.

Here is a little response that is a little off the wall...My Father wants me to mention this one little thing...I wonder if my little signet/seal, that I found laying upon the ground one day when I was out on a walk, might ever make its way onto eBay...Or better yet...I wonder how much someone actually paid for the darn thingAs if owning it will do them any good...JK

Didn't I tell you that it was a little off the wall LOL

Ed T

 

[AndyE89]

The glass is something I am learning to stay away from. I do enjoy it, I think old crystal is beautiful and I love having it around personally, but for resale no. The more I research it the more I realize that there is a slim chance of finding any great examples.

I deal mostly in smalls, stamps, cards, coins, comics. I just really want to branch out. I am learning the fall of Goebel very quickly as well. I at one point in my life bought an entire collection, about 5 years ago that sold for almost triple the price I bought it at. Now, however, I would not be able to sell at that price or even at the price I paid. I would have lost about 20% on that sale.

Markets change very frequently. All it takes is for one item to be sold in a public venue for more money than expected and BAM the market place becomes flooded, and people begin buying to flip.

Comics, I have watched their decline since the 2nd selling of the famed ACTION COMICS:SUPERMAN. FIRST APPEARANCE. From then so many fakes and "doctored" versions have hit the market making most collectors wary of almost ANY key issue of any age comic. It took me about 5 months to finally sell a Daredevil First appearance of Bullseye in 9.6 Grade. This comic should have sold within one to two weeks, but I had so many collectors asking so many questions that I thought my brain was going to explode. I finally did sell it, but I sold it at the price of a going grade 8, only because the market just wasnt there.

This is all just points being proven, that we cannot move the market, we cannot "turn" the market. We are simply the best channels for collectors to find what they want. I love the hunt, and I love a deal to someone who really wants an item I have found for their private collection. This is why I am buying things that catch my eye from now on. It is the best way to do this, and ironically it seems to be the most lucrative way to look at resales and ebay selling. If you see something you like, grab it.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

Andy,
I've collected glass most of my life just because I like it. Some of my selling goes towards upgrading my collection. I can tell you as a general rule if its clear and you don't know who made it. Your going to have a hard time selling it. Crystal has some exceptions if its obviously Stuben, Waterford, etc. There is too many patterns to learn them all. ANd Ive never found a general book on the numerous makers. Only specific brands. I sometimes will buy a magnificent piece of crystal figure out who made it when I get home and if its not a big name collectors market the money is seldom there. Its the only area I really have a good depth of knowledge in. I will say very few companies are currently making quality lead crystal glass these days. Im not sure if there are any American ones at all. so if its nice I put it in a box and hope some day...

After a fairly obvious suggestion I found on here I spent several hours yesterday combing through stuff I have no interest in just to keep an eye out for different things. But if really slows down your shopping trip.

This is all great info.

The glass is something I am learning to stay away from. I do enjoy it, I think old crystal is beautiful and I love having it around personally, but for resale no. The more I research it the more I realize that there is a slim chance of finding any great examples.

I deal mostly in smalls, stamps, cards, coins, comics. I just really want to branch out. I am learning the fall of Goebel very quickly as well. I at one point in my life bought an entire collection, about 5 years ago that sold for almost triple the price I bought it at. Now, however, I would not be able to sell at that price or even at the price I paid. I would have lost about 20% on that sale.

Markets change very frequently. All it takes is for one item to be sold in a public venue for more money than expected and BAM the market place becomes flooded, and people begin buying to flip.

Comics, I have watched their decline since the 2nd selling of the famed ACTION COMICS:SUPERMAN. FIRST APPEARANCE. From then so many fakes and "doctored" versions have hit the market making most collectors wary of almost ANY key issue of any age comic. It took me about 5 months to finally sell a Daredevil First appearance of Bullseye in 9.6 Grade. This comic should have sold within one to two weeks, but I had so many collectors asking so many questions that I thought my brain was going to explode. I finally did sell it, but I sold it at the price of a going grade 8, only because the market just wasnt there.

This is all just points being proven, that we cannot move the market, we cannot "turn" the market. We are simply the best channels for collectors to find what they want. I love the hunt, and I love a deal to someone who really wants an item I have found for their private collection. This is why I am buying things that catch my eye from now on. It is the best way to do this, and ironically it seems to be the most lucrative way to look at resales and ebay selling. If you see something you like, grab it.

 

[inspectorgadget]

Andy,
I've collected glass most of my life just because I like it. Some of my selling goes towards upgrading my collection. I can tell you as a general rule if its clear and you don't know who made it. Your going to have a hard time selling it. Crystal has some exceptions if its obviously Stuben, Waterford, etc. There is too many patterns to learn them all.

Ya unless you collect & have that super keen eye for glass then you probably shouldn't try to buy & resell it! I do have a keen eye for quality glass & after time you can be right on the mark with "guessing" who probably made the piece (that is if your not familiar with that exact piece). I find a lot of glass that I am completely unaware of who made it but I know for sure it is a hit & is unusual, high quality & a round about age of the piece.

I pass on a lot of good glass because I don't personally like it & if I can't resell it I am not getting stuck with a piece that I do not like! Clear glass is a big NO NO for me because it is so hard to sell (with many exceptions of course) but as a rule of thumb on a whole clear does the worst & I don't want much clear glass except for a few crystal pieces here & there! I prefer to buy cased/overlaid Bohemian cut to clear crystal & I have several nice mid century pieces of it & most of it sells well too!

You mentioned vaseline & green depression glass in a previous post & while some of it does bring a pretty penny a lot of the pink & green depression is not worth much! I hear stories how they couldn't give it away at auctions in the mid 70's. Now the Parrot pattern, Tea Room pattern, Cameo, Ballerina pattern & many others are very good to collect or resell in any color if you can get them cheap. All the block optic & twisted optic stuff is a dime a dozen where I am & isn't worth my time. Vaseline is a good market if you know enough about it. I target late 1800's pieces but I also collect mid century thru the early 70's pieces too. I have a nice collection! I have lots of pre war formula jadeite as well! If it has uranium in it then I will collect it including custard glass!

Carnival glass is OK if it is old but not the late 60's early 70's Indiana glass stuff! Most of the good Northwood patterns do well such as anything to do with Peacocks or the Good luck bowl & several others but a lot of it from that same time isn't worth that much. The base glass color & the iridescence color combo can be the difference between a $30 piece & a $300 piece. Some of these color combinations are extremely rare & are worth in the thousands!

I believe the market for any glass containing uranium will not die anytime soon & if anything is on the rise with the younger generation. I don't know any 40 year old's & under people who don't like the extremely cool effect of UV-A light or better yet blacklight on uranium glass pieces! I call it blacklight posters for adults! Anytime I see a guy at a swap meet type thing with a properly set up booth with this glass displayed with lots of UV-A lighting he always has a crowd in front of his booth! Amberina glows under UV-A light in a very strange way as well but not from uranium & not near as cool looking! Old light blue pieces often glow mildly from I presume a slight bit of uranium used to make the color. Even most 1800's clear glass usually glows a mild yellow color. Anyway all that said I personally have done fine with selling glass just gotta know what your doing just the same as any corner of the buy & resell market. And damaged glass is basically worthless glass so always remember that!

 

[dumpsterdiver]

I recently got stuck with some Indiana Carnival glass. I don't even like carnival glass. But it was a nice pond lily pattern. I can tell the difference on the base colors but I rarely pay attention. I guess I had better start.

I have this vision that Jimmy Buffet fans are driving the demand for the Parrot pattern. A few days ago I picked up the green depression hazel atlas candy dish at the thrift store. I could feel this ladies eyes on me hoping I would put it down. I thought this is missing the lid. I put it down and you would have thought I put down a hundred dollar bill. Which I guess is getting back to what this topic is about. Same thing happened again when I put down a green depression plate with a chip on the edge. When it happened the second time I thought maybe I was the one missing something. But competition is pretty fierce at the thrift store here. I like some of the depression glass but I have to admit I never bother putting the black light on it. Hardly ever see the jadite here. The custard I have seen was never in a nice piece. more on the trinket end. I like the cobalt blue depression stuff but doesn't command much respect on ebay. I keep some nice Blenko in my collection just because I like it. I have only ever stumbled on one piece of cased bohemian and cut around here. I felt a little light headed when I saw it. I kept it because its my only one. I agree with the vaseline glass theory entirely. My theory actually includes the cut crystal as well because the quality stuff is not in current production anymore. And if you really appreciate glass it does have a different shine to it. Thanks for the tips I did learn a few good points there.

You mentioned vaseline & green depression glass in a previous post & while some of it does bring a pretty penny a lot of the pink & green depression is not worth much! I hear stories how they couldn't give it away at auctions in the mid 70's. Now the Parrot pattern, Tea Room pattern, Cameo, Ballerina pattern & many others are very good to collect or resell in any color if you can get them cheap. All the block optic & twisted optic stuff is a dime a dozen where I am & isn't worth my time. Vaseline is a good market if you know enough about it. I target late 1800's pieces but I also collect mid century thru the early 70's pieces too. I have a nice collection! I have lots of pre war formula jadeite as well! If it has uranium in it then I will collect it including custard glass!


I believe the market for any glass containing uranium will not die anytime soon & if anything is on the rise with the younger generation. I don't know any 40 year old's & under people who don't like the extremely cool effect of UV-A light or better yet blacklight on uranium glass pieces! I call it blacklight posters for adults! Anytime I see a guy at a swap meet type thing with a properly set up booth with this glass displayed with lots of UV-A lighting he always has a crowd in front of his booth! Amberina glows under UV-A light in a very strange way as well but not from uranium & not near as cool looking! Old light blue pieces often glow mildly from I presume a slight bit of uranium used to make the color. Even most 1800's clear glass usually glows a mild yellow color. Anyway all that said I personally have done fine with selling glass just gotta know what your doing just the same as any corner of the buy & resell market. And damaged glass is basically worthless glass so always remember that!