After having so many smalls and collectibles and and and (yall know the drill) My wife and I decided to take an interim step between nothing and a store. We rented a booth at a local antique and gift mall. It runs 190 a month for a 10x10. Nice thing is they let you do basically what you want within the booth and the best part is I'm not there as the stuff sells. The buyers browse, load the carts take it to the front and it gets sold. Ive now sold antique and vintage furniture, jewelry, glassware, collectibles old newspapers all that stuff that wouldn't sell on CL and wasn't quite enough caliber to go on ebay etc. It's working fine for us. I've covered the first two months rent in the first ten days open and i'm into making profit now!!! A side benefit is my wife is now involved and loves setting up and keeping up with "the shop" as she puts it. Lotsa benefits there when Mama's happy the world is at peace..hahahaha...just another avenue for getting rid of a lot of stuff. Actually, Young Gun on here told me his dad had a booth and was working it so that's how I got interested. Yall should check it out in your area (I'm north of Atlanta). It's not surprising in a down economy that people are looking for bargains especially on some of those semi luxury items they still want to buy. It's a way to go......

Maybe it's just me but over the last two weeks about half the auctions I attend seem to have half the newbies and lookey loos as there were even a month ago. Only one auction I went to this week had any new and totally out of the way bidders. 3 older retired guys must have pooled their money to bid and got a 5x10 for 700 that had busted dining table, no chairs, two black painted end tables and a bunch of mixed boxes. The old timer pros either didnt bid or stopped around 300 like I did. Maybe the shows, crowds, and tax money are running out. BTW, the three elderly gents were all wearing plaid Burmuda shorts, socks, sandals and button up short sleeve collared shirts and dark sunglasses. Only thing missing were golf hats...ROTFLMAO.

Went to a large independant privately owned facility yesterday that has over 500 units and had 26 up for sale. Auction starts, normal auctioneer (owner) instructions he asked if there were any questions. Lady asked if they were going to cut locks, guy says the already did. Lady asked if they went into units, guy says at first no then says we just raised the doors and took pictures, lady asks if they took anything out of units, guy says no just took pictures. OK so suspicion is high among the crowd of over 200 people. Auctioneer (owner Guy) asks how many people were there for their first auction, two thirds of the crowd raise their hands. OK auction starts, first two units and they are full of broken crap furniture. Overhear an asisstant talking about the first three units being compiled. Well what that means here is that it's compiled of crap people left behind when they moved out. Guy never said that to anyone before we started. Of course he's not obligated to do so but I believe in being honest, guess others don't and no I'm not looking thru rosey glasses. So thats bad enough, get to third unit and it is so neat and plastic boxes stacked so you could see thru each plastic box lined up in a horseshoe configuraion down the left side across the back and up the right side of the locker. Only plastic see thru containers in it about 20 and it went for 400 bucks! Hackles are now up. Well I'll cut to the chase, the units IN MY OPINION and other regulars were STAGED. In nearly every locker 3 or 4 "attractive" items were 'placed' up front in plain view. An unopened jewelry box (leather and gold studded) sitting on the floor in the front of the locker as soon as you open the door.  In another unit a tool box set in the middle of the foor with half dozen power tools laid out on it in a row for display. An XBOX taken out of the box and sitting on it right in front, a organ elecronic keyboard leaning against the front wall. Boxes opened and the 'good stuff sitting up front in plain sight. The final straw was the two boxes up front side by side with noritake china in them. Not too odd until you consider that the plate on top of each box was unwrapped, turned upside down in  the box with the Noritake label facing up and forward at the front of the locker so it could easly be read. Newbies saw this **** and took it hook line and sinker and were bidding their asses off. Units that should have gone for 100 to 300 bucks went for 500 to 700 and up. I personally think staging like that is unethical at best and should be illegal as the property is not yet sold and shoudn't be touched even by the owner/auctioneer/guy especially to set the stage for the sale.........ok I'm thru venting and sorry for the long post. Just spent 6 hours of my life as an almost total waste...........

Willing to pay two tens or a single twenty for a fifty. Anyone interested?

The trunk measures about 3 feet wide, 2.5 deep and high and has an inside top removable drawer. The leather straps are gone with the wind and sands of time (LOL) and it is in a hard used condition. I did some research on the net and similar ones in good condition are going for 700. Whats your best guess on this one?

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Sheesh, I normally don't go to auctions on weekends but decided to go to one today. 11 units mostly trash bid on two and didn't win, which was ok. Problem is that the normal 10 or 12 people on the circuit had grown to over a hundred looky loos. Only 3 or 4 of us were bidding and all the rest were just crowding around taking up space and time like it was some sort of athletic event. People who must have been watching the tv shows and were curious or nosy. Women with babies in strollers, whole families of mom dad and 3 or 4 kids from age 2 to 15 or so. What should have taken an hour took three and a half.  Then on top of that when the single decent unit came up, a couple of the Looky Loo Daddies decide to show their bidding prowess and run the bids up to three times what the unit showed as worth...........The normals on the circuit (me too) just quit and walked away. Guess we'll have to put up with it until they get their taste and fill of the show..........Sorry everyone just felt like venting............

Ok so we all know about CL and Ebay and Donation ceters and Thirt and consignment stores. The question is what other selling sources can be developed?

For myself, I have been dabling in selling colletibles for years and have used all those sources. My next step as I get more involved is to start contacting any and all collectibles dealers in my area (Atlanta), going to their shops, meeting, glad handing just to build a face to face relationship so I have other outlets that are industry specific. I've already started with:

Gun Shops, Card Collectors, Art Galleries, Antique Galleries, Consignment stores, etc.

Now, I know all the "old timers / Pros" probably won't want to give out "trade secrets" (LOL) so anyone have any other thoughts?