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Messages - ryante

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1
The Treasure Chest / Re: Old Book and Gold Coins
« on: December 08, 2011, 07:10:48 PM »
I frequently buy antique books from Europe and I used a site that I normally use to find them to check on your book.

This site is kind of like the google of book buying. It compiles a large majority of new, used, and antique/collectible books so you can find them all in one place.

There is only one on the site right now for about $2400, located in Germany. It isn't mint condition either but yours sounds a bit roughed up.

Here is a link to the listing. If you cant read German, you can translate it with www.translate.google.com

http://used.addall.com/SuperRare/submitRare.cgi?author=&title=das+deutsche+corpsleben&keyword=&isbn=&order=PRICE&ordering=ASC&binding=Any+Binding&min=&max=&exclude=&match=Y&dispCurr=USD&timeout=20&store=ABAA&store=Alibris&store=Abebooks&store=AbebooksAU&store=AbebooksDE&store=AbebooksFR&store=AbebooksUK&store=Amazon&store=AmazonCA&store=AmazonUK&store=AmazonDE&store=AmazonFR&store=Antiqbook&store=Biblio&store=BiblioUK&store=Bibliophile&store=Bibliopoly&store=Booksandcollectibles&store=ILAB&store=Half&store=LivreRareBook&store=Powells&store=Wbm&store=ZVAB

If you're an ebayer, I would put the item up on a "Good Til Cancelled" buy it now listing at $1000 with a "Best Offer" option. Let it go for 30 days and see what offers you get. That is, if you're not in a hurry. Works well for me.

2
Austrian WWII era inkwell and stamp holder: Bought for $0.25. Sold for $150

1936 Texas Bicentennial Exposition rouge makeup compact: Bought for $3.00 sold for $150

1920's - 1930's Japanese export pottery: $0.05. Sold for $60

3
Stories about Storage Auctions / My second unit.
« on: November 23, 2011, 01:04:30 AM »
Hi guys. For those that didn't read my first post, I'm new in the auctions but well versed in picking. I'm just now getting this and having a blast. Loving the forum too.

My first unit was a $120 10x40 20% full hoarder unit that we pulled $2500 out of so far with the rest going to the flea market for a few weeks.

Today I got out with intentions to buy a small unit. I found the unit I wanted, a 5x7.5. I paid $140 for it on a gamble. I saw lots of camo gear, BDUs and the like off in the back. In the front was a black tool box latched down.

I was hoping for some good tools or possibly guns.

Turns out that it was just more BDU pants and miscellaneous clothes.

Most of the unit was junk household goods. Flea market material and I was pretty bummed.

However, after my mother an I started going through it we found about 15 Ralph Lauren shirts that we can sell for $25 - $30 a piece.

All in all, I wasn't happy just because my gamble didn't really pay off the way I was hoping, but I guess we made out alright.

The more I go to the auctions, the more I realize how lucky we got getting that first unit for $120 and turning a good profit.

I'm gonna burn some of this stuff off at the flea market and hopefully go out for another one next week! Loving it so far.

4
General Storage Auction Talk / Re: Seed money
« on: November 23, 2011, 12:58:28 AM »
I got lucky and got my first unit for $120.

A 10x40 hoarder unit 20% full.

We've been through most of the good stuff and pulled out about $2500.

The rest going to the flea market for a few weeks then I'm giving it away.

5
The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 23, 2011, 12:54:21 AM »
Yep. Pretty much any Anchor Hocking is worth taking a look at but there are others.

For instance, I've got the Neiman Marcus mugs. About 20 of them. I've sold 3 of them at $15 a piece in the past two days.

While, not a coffee mug, it was in the same box. I have about 10 Otagiri creamers in the shape of a fat farmer. $12 a pop and they're selling.

The Simpsons mug. $20.

Just keep your eyes out for anything unique or nostalgic. That type of stuff sells.

While $15 isn't a lot. It adds up with 20 of them and I only have to have one listing to post them in multiple quantities on buy it now.

For those of you that don't do ebay, keep chunking them I guess.

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The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 21, 2011, 11:12:30 PM »

7
The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 20, 2011, 08:33:18 PM »
The chance of finding them are the same chance you have at finding just about anything in a locker.

The mugs I listed, except the Pizza Hut and the Whataburger mugs are all from this unit.

It might be worth it to look at them for the extra money. It all depends on what your time is worth to you.

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The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 20, 2011, 08:21:06 PM »
Well, I'm new to the lockers.

I get most of the mugs from garage sale picking. Thats how I know about them. It also isn't a matter of looking for $100 mugs as much as it is that I have found numerous, good selling $5 - $10 mugs in one place.

One of the easiest ones to find are these old brown Whataburger mugs. I frequently find them for .25 or .50 and sell them for $15 - $20.

Anchor Hocking mugs sell for $10 a pop. I've found about 20 of them in this lot.

This lot also has 14 Neiman Marcus mugs that sell for $7 a piece.

8 Japanese Otagiri mug/creamers $12 a piece

And the milk glass Pizza Hut mug that I got from a free garage sale leftover lot. $150

There's a few more I need to look at, so I'm not sure. Everyone's time is worth different amounts to them but I'm glad I looked through the mugs to find out what I had.

This also isnt just about coffee mugs. Another example of not throwing stuff out: My mother was going through a box of old makeup. The box and the stuff in it looked ****ty and I was like "I'll let you have fun with that". It wasn't long before she pulled out a ziploc bag with 14 bottles of perfumed dusting powder that is out of production. They sell quick for $50 each.

9
The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 20, 2011, 06:39:35 PM »
No, "You never know" is the motto of storage units.

You never know if you're getting a bum unit or a good unit. Especially one with trashed out boxes.

I've uncovered hundreds of dollars in hard to find coffee mugs instead of giving them away.

We just uncovered a ziploc bag full of Saint Yves Opium perfumed dusting powder too. Good thing we didn't throw those out just because they're "smalls" either. They're $25 a pop.

10
The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 20, 2011, 01:39:12 PM »
This is not always true. Some things are worth a good researching over. This is including some toys. Some toys that alot of people look at and say, oh, its only worth 50 cents to maybe $5. Then turn out it be worth some real money.

For example I was talking with RN yesterday about a doll I have, and he said he learned about them at the same time he learned of "Little Miss No Name Dolls". These I never heard of, so I decided to google them. Alot of those dolls go for about $55 and up. Some are as high as $375. Well looking at the pictures of different No Name Dolls, I realized something. I saw three of these dolls at an estate sale a few months back. They were selling them for $5 each. I past on them cause I figured I would not make any money off of them, damn was I wrong. So sometimes the research on what you have can make or break you.

However Ryante, I did a little research on this item as well as the company. Sorry to have to tell you, but you did not strike gold with this toy. Toss it in the $1 pile at your next sale.

Its a bummer that its a cheapy. I might just list it to see what happens. Just like you said, someone might have had one of these as a kid and go.. "Oh my god! I had one of these!" and buy it.

Its so true about things are as valuable as people are willing to pay for them. My mother picked up a set of Bolero (sp) vintage cups at a garage sale for free, seven of them. These types of things that people would just throw out. We listed them at .99 and they sold for $26.

You never know.

11
The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 20, 2011, 01:35:32 PM »
Well, maybe it's just me, but if you spend this much time (taking the photos of the "guitar" and I think even making and posting the youtube of it (your measuring tape?), then I think you may be overthinking the sales process.

It is part enthusiasm. I enjoy stuff like this and I'm sure the process will be come more streamlined as I go along.

But if I were to have thrown away instead of looking through them, I would be missing out on some of the mugs in there that go for a nice penny. I recently found a pizza hut mug that sells for nearly $150.

I also am a history buff. I love to learn about new things, especially when I am holding something unique. That is the main reason for posting the guitar, not to find the value.

My staying up isn't something of me being in a hurry. I have insomnia fairly frequently. I'm not big on pills and when I have something to do like go through this storage unit, I kinda welcome it. I was up for 43 hours, I think, before I was able to sleep.

Don't get me wrong. I'm getting stuff done. I'm still new at this but my ebay auctions have jumped from 120 to over 500 this weekend. lol. I'm also exploring other avenues to getting rid of the stuff. I it gone and turned into green stuff asap.

Thanks for the criticism though. You are right. But for now I'm just enjoying it, I'm not hard up to move it fast to pay bills or anything, but as soon as I get bored of it, I'll see it more as a businesses like most I guess :D


12
The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 20, 2011, 03:08:35 AM »
Well. I'm still up. TONS of coffee mug boxes to go through.

But I wanted to go back to something I found earlier today. Here is a video of it for reference:
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So, its a little toy musical guitar. Sounds like a music box when you move the lever to "play" the guitar.

Made by "Funny Toy" company and made in Macau.

I've researched Macau and I know a little bit about that, but I am curious about the history and background of the company that made it, as well as the date of manufacture.

If anyone has any answers, feel free to let me know. Here's a few pics too. Sorry, its nearly impossible to get good pics of the marks.







13
The Treasure Chest / Re: My first unit(s)
« on: November 19, 2011, 06:21:22 PM »
Thanks for all of the great responses guys. I feel even luckier knowing that you guys are reacting that way. We got a good first buy!

To be honest, I have been so excited, I have been up for 35 hours straight going through boxes and listing stuff on ebay. (I'm fairly young and a medic by trade so I'm a bit used to it).

I've been through endless boxes and found a lot of stuff but I wanted to share this one today.



I pulled this mantle clock out of the box unopened. Most of the stuff in this unit is from the late 70's to early 80's so I'm thinking this is the same, especially considering the type of font used in the manual. I cant identify it to save my life. Only thing it has is K & A on the face and everything I find on them are only wall pendulum clocks. Ah well.

I put it together and it works like a charm. I love the chime!

Not sure how much I can get out of it, but for now I am enjoying it with my mother.

I'll put up some other stuff later. We're rummaging through boxes right now :D


14
The Treasure Chest / My first unit(s)
« on: November 19, 2011, 05:43:02 AM »
Hi guys. Loving the forum.

I just started doing this after reselling via garage sale picking. I decided to get into something to get more bulk items and to fill in the slow days of the week when I dont have any garage sales to pick or items to get sold.

This was my second time attending an auction. The first one was kinda crummy except for one unit and I didn't feel up to blowing $1000 on a tool unit for my first time.

Long story short, I got a 7.5x10 full of furniture for $150 that is pretty much going to triple itself. (leather couch, stone coffee table, two piece old style dresser, matching night stand, metal tv stand with mounting kit and glass surfaces, and the ever lovely mattress set). I've gotta say I got lucky with the mattresses though. The queen mattress set has a memory foam pillow top and my mom is going to take that one for herself.

The second unit looked kinda like this :D (10x40 hoarder unit)



^^^ My mother going bonkers sifting through the treasures.

This facility had 7 auctions. Two were normal. The other five belonged to the same owner, a hoarder. After dealing with the other units, this was the last one and 80% of the people left when they saw it. I took it as a chance to get my feet wet and see what hard work is all about when it comes to this type of work.

I paid $120 for this unit. Luckily there are TONS of Christmas items. Ornaments, vintage wrapping paper, collectibles (cabbage patch kids, Lucy & Me Teddy Bears to name a few). A lot of glassware, good selling coffee mugs and pretty much anything 1950's to 1980's collectible type things with most of them in unopened condition or at least in the original box.

All in all, I think it worked out well. I'm estimating about $3000 out of the unit considering what we have found so far and what we've sold so quickly.

Now we have to get into getting it sold. Sorting through the boxes is fun, but high volume selling, especially ebay type things are not fun except for when they sell!

I got lucky. Now I'm dreading going out and doing it again and wondering when it is going to be "my time" to bomb out on a crappy unit :|

Take it easy!
Ryan

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