Category Archives: Tag Sell It

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A word on recent events

My heart goes out to everyone affected by the recent tragedy in Boston.

It is absolutely unacceptable when children and adults are at risk of injury or worse when they’re simply out enjoying a public activity. And to add insult to injury, there are now people out there trying to make money off of these types of horrific events. If you check eBay, and probably many other sites as well, there are people trying to sell items and memorabilia from the marathon for no reason other than to make some fast cash off of the misery of others.

A screen shot of the various items for sale on eBay after the 2013 Boston Marathon.

This is by no means a new practice. The selling of events tied to notorious individuals and tragic events has been around for as long as these tragedies have existed. The first time I encountered this type of behavior was when was filming a show for PBS that featured murder memorabilia. I wasn’t particularly excited to feature this type of item, but after researching the topic, I felt it was necessary to really show the public all the details of people profiting from the downfall of others. During the show, we displayed items from John Wayne Gacy, who at the time was one of the most notorious serial killers the country had seen. Before conviction, he was known to dress up as a clown for various fundraising events, and after his sentencing, he created and sold various clown paintings. These pieces were collected by well-known, prominent people as well as your every day citizen. People spent up to tens of thousands of dollars to buy these pieces, simply because he was such a notorious figure.

One of the more well-known paintings from John Wayne Gacy.

I once had someone offer to sell me a yearbook signed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two students responsible for the Columbine High School shooting of 1999. The seller offered me the book for $1,000, but I would never even consider buying an item that represented such a terrible occurrence. The value of an item like this has increased only because of the memory of a horrific incident in which people lost their lives. It’s this point that makes selling these items such a terrible act.While I do not condone the sale of items whose value is tied to horrific and tragic events, I do think it’s important to discuss them so that buyers become aware that these kinds of listings exist; and they will continue to exist so long as there are buyers willing to consider purchasing such items. After the events of the Boston Marathon, these sellers have come forward, one again trying to profit off of someone’s misfortune. Please do not partake in the buying or selling of a collectible that has been given a value based on the loss of someone’s life. People will continue to exploit tragedies so long as we give them the opportunity to do so. Because of this, it’s our responsibility to turn the other way and choose not to buy such items.

Once again, to the people of Boston, my thoughts are with you.

Good luck, and happy hunting.

Aaron

To learn more about Aaron LaPedis, visit www.thegaragesalemillionaire.com or contact him at thegaragesalemillionaire@gmail.com.

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Solving Mysteries as Furniture Detectives

Riddle:
What has 6 sides, 28 joints and is red all over?
Answer:
My latest antique purchase!

19th Century Red Six Board Chest

Mr. Upscale and I enjoy a good mystery whether it’s a movie plot or an antique so we purchased this six board chest at the auction house on Sunday. I loved it for its milky red paint and he for its dovetailed joints. We hauled it home and started to clean it and discover some of its mysteries.
Case in point: Notice the different types of woods between the chest and the trim.
The trim is oak and the chest is pine. This means that the trim was probably added at a later date. Sometimes the maker did use different types of wood on the same piece but these two just don’t look like they go together at all. Different types of woods would be used because people used what they had on hand and also because they planned on painting the piece. Most likely it was someone’s effort to restore it. We believe it had trim originally and here’s how we know for sure. We removed the nasty oak trim and found this underneath.

Red Six Board Chest with Trim Removed

Notice the nail holes. There are small ones where the oak was nailed in and there are larger ones which means there was another type of trim on the chest. It was most likely made of pine like the rest of the piece. Now that the trim has been removed another question has to be asked…Is that red paint that I love original? What do you think? Are you a furniture detective, too? I don’t believe that the red paint is original because of the gray look of the boards underneath. It could have been painted red with the trim on and then this top piece would still have a gray border but this picture of the back leads me to believe it was originally gray.
The back of the chest has no red paint on it at all but can you see the traces of gray in the picture above? I do believe the red paint is quite old just because of it’s lovely worn and milky patina.
Even though this six board chest is missing some of its original elements, like it’s original trim, paint and hinges it’s a lovely example of 19th century handmade furniture. It’s called a six board chest because it is made of six individual boards and there was no joining of wood to make wider pieces. Think about how big those trees had to be to harvest wood that wide.
Now it sits in my living room as my coffee table and I will thoroughly enjoy it in all its handmade glory. If you’d like to see more examples of antique chests, I found this Pinterest Board called Trunks, Chests. It’s definitely eye candy for the antique chest lover! I also found this example of a blue six board chest that is earlier than this one but with all its original parts.

Uncertainty and mystery are the energies of life. Don’t let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity.

R. I. Fitzhenry

Do you love a good mystery?

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Who wants to throw the garage sale of a lifetime?

If you answered “me,” and you happen to be in the New York City area, I’ve got a great opportunity for you! May 17th and 18th I will in working with Yahoo! Finance, helping one lucky family throw the garage sale of a lifetime! If you’re within 1 hour of Manhattan and you are looking to throw a garage sale, send us an email (garagesale518@yahoo.com). Not only will you get personalized assistance with your garage sale, but you’ll get to appear on Yahoo.com (and who doesn’t want their fifteen minutes of fame?!?) I’ve worked with the Yahoo! Finance team before and can attest to the fact that they are fantastic, and between their assistance and my expertise, the selected family will be sure to throw a fantastic – and profitable – garage sale. If you’re interested, send us an email (garagesale518@yahoo.com) with your location, a family photo, description of family dynamic, why you want to throw a garage sale, list of items you hope to clear out, how much money you’d like to make, what you’d like to spend the money on. I would love the chance to meet you and your family and help you throw a successful garage sale! If you aren’t in the New York area but know someone who is, help us spread the word!

If you’re on the fence, check out my last feature with Yahoo!

Secrets from the Garage Sale Millionaire

I hope to see you in New York!

-Aaron

To learn more about Aaron LaPedis, visit www.thegaragesalemillionaire.com or contact him at thegaragesalemillionaire@gmail.com.

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Earth Day 2013

“Climate change can seem like a remote problem for our leaders, but the fact is that it’s already impacting real people, animals, and beloved places. These Faces of Climate Change are multiplying every day. Fortunately, other Faces of Climate Change are multiplying too: those stepping up to do something about it. Help us personalize the massive challenge climate change presents by taking a photo and telling your story.” – earthday.org/2013/

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

- Margaret Mead

Earth Day has become an international celebration of all things environmental. All around the world, individuals and communities are gearing up for the Earth Day 2013 celebration on April 22 — and often, the weekend before and after.

For people who take a more hands-on approach to environmental issues, Earth Day is the ideal chance to get involved in green living and sustainability issues. Write your congressman, volunteer to clean-up a park or river, or start a protest: It’s the most patriotic way to celebrate Earth Day!

How has climate change impacted you?

What are you doing to be part of the solution?

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eBay is about to get more expensive

One of the bigger venues for selling your garage sale finds is about to get a lot more costly.

Starting May 1^st, eBay has decided to change their fee structure, effectively raising prices for a good chunk of their sellers. My response to eBay, “What are you thinking?”

Believe it or not, sales on eBay have actually been going down recently, in part because eBay keeps getting more expensive. Sellers are now searching out other more affordable or

even free venues in which to sell their products (ie Tag Sell It!). As affordable as these other options may be, what if you just aren’t yet ready to give up your eBay store? What is a seller to do?

First, you need to understand where you fall in the new fee structure. The number of items in your store is going to play a big part in this distinction. Essentially there are a few different types of “stores” you can join that will cost you a monthly fee and allow you to list “x” number of items in your store per month for free. You’ll be paying for each listing beyond that “x” number, so if you have a large number of items in your store – around 500 or more, you’re going to need to get smart about selling. Each month you will be charged for the number of active listings you have, so you want to move your items as quickly as possible while still getting maximum profit from the sale. So how do you do this?

Make sure you’re basing your pricing off of the real market value of your items. If you’re pulling a price out of the sky, you could be way too high. If this is the case, your item won’t sell quickly, or possibly at all. You should take the time to check the completed sales section of ebay and find a good average sale price. If the item sold for $100, and you have the exact same thing, you will probably only be able to sell it for around $100. You may think that your item is worth more, but unless it’s in better condition or has more features, it most likely will not. Even if the value really is a lot higher, the market is going to dictate how much buyers will pay. If it’s available for less, no one is going to opt to pay more. If you need to get the full value for the item, you might want to consider waiting to list it until the market settles down. You don’t want to be paying a fee every month to maintain a listing that will most likely not sell for your asking price.

You can find the Completed Listings section at the top of a search page next to the Sold Listings section.

My next point is one that I stress all the time: to make sure you take good pictures, and not just one; you need lots of pictures. Depending on what store you have, you should be able to list up to 12 pictures per item. If that’s not the case for your store, try to limit yourself to two or three high quality photos. Buyers will feel more comfortable purchasing when they have a better sense of what they’ll be getting.

This listing is using the maximum allowed photos. It has a shot of each individual item in the listing so the buyer knows exactly what they’re looking at.

Third, when calculating how much it will cost to ship your item to a buyer, know that if you charge too much money, you’ll wind up in trouble. If someone buys the item, they will have the option to rate your shipping fees, and you can bet their rating won’t be positive. Worse yet, buyers could choose to avoid your listing all together. USPS has pretty affordable rates, and you can easily get a quote from their website if you have the weight and dimensions of your item. Stick to this cost, maybe adding a few extra dollars to cover packaging materials and the time involved in boxing the item.

Last but not least, buyers will more than likely have questions regarding your listings. You need to be sure you’re answering them in a timely manner. Online shoppers are savvy and will most likely be able to find the same item elsewhere if they don’t hear back from you. Try setting up your account to send messages directly to your cell phone so you can easily respond back as soon as the question is asked. The faster you respond, the faster you sell.

Finally, I would like to say to the executives at eBay, “You’re charging sellers too much.” If you keep it up, you will continue to lose more and more business to other venues that are either free or less expensive. Sellers are savvy and will find a way to sell without the help of your site if you don’t remain competitive. Venues like Tag Sell It are completely free and are quickly gaining users as buyers become fed up with higher costs from eBay.

If you’re a seller and you haven’t started shopping around yet, you might consider perusing your options before May 1^st arrives.

Good luck, and happy hunting!

Aaron

To learn more about Aaron LaPedis, visit www.thegaragesalemillionaire.com or contact him at thegaragesalemillionaire@gmail.com.

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Can you be just like me?

This is a photo of me when I was 21, and just starting to strive toward a successful career.

I was recently interviewed on a local radio station, and the host asked me a question that often makes me uncomfortable. He asked if I really am a millionaire. Every time I’m asked that question I hesitate to give a real response, and I’ll tell you a story that explains why.When I was in my mid twenties, I had a friend/mentor that I was in complete awe of. To me, his success was simply astounding. Over the years, he taught me a good deal about business, and I always valued his advice. One day I asked him “Do you think there’s a chance I will ever be as successful as you?” His response was simple, “I don’t think so.” I’ll never forget that moment. He said it so matter of fact, as if he was on such a high level that I would never even be able to touch the same success in my own life.By the time I turned 30, I had lost touch with my mentor. I had moved on from his comment and was quickly moving toward my goals. Fast forward to a few years later, I actually bumped into him at a social event. He looked quite surprised to see me, and even appeard a bit nervous. I asked how he was doing, and he didn’t have much to say. He did, however, acknowledged that he had been following my success through the media. He knew all about my accomplishments and was quite impressed. I guess he too remembered his comment from so many years back, because after our conversation, he made one last comment as he was walking away: “I suppose I spoke to quickly. You have become more successful than I am.”

The reason I’m sharing this is to illustrate my point of someone else’s status and wealth not being all that important. There are a lot of people that are held back by nothing more than the comments of a friend or acquaintance. What that gentleman said to me caught me off guard. At the time, I began to think that being super successful was an unattainable gaol. Luckily, I was able to move beyond those thoughts and reach my goals, but not everyone is so fortunate. It’s up to you whether or not you overcome these kinds of comments and become successful.

So I’ll say to you what I always think when I’m asked if I’m a millionaire; it doesn’t matter how successful I am, it matters how successful you want to be, and how hard you’re willing to work to get there. Forget about my status or anyone else’s status, and focus on your own. There are definitely people out there reading this post that will become a lot more successful than I am. I’m sure of it. You just have to be patient and focus on what is important to you, and you too can achieve the success of your dreams.

Good luck, and happy hunting.

Aaron

To learn more about Aaron LaPedis, visit www.thegaragesalemillionaire.com or contact him at thegaragesalemillionaire@gmail.com.

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What’s New at the Online Pawn Shop?

Recently, a client came to us for a personal asset loan using her late husband’s vintage Rolex watch as collateral. The watch has a very unusual dial compared to modern era watches. During our investigation, we uncovered a very colorful history of watches of this type.

Our research led us to a blog by HODINKEE, one of the most widely read wristwatch publications in the world. Rolex is the most famous watch brand but their reputation for quality and exclusivity sometimes turns people off. There is a heartwarming story of trust that took place in a WWII German POW camp that I would like to share with you.

During the war, Swiss watch sales dropped way off, especially after Germany invaded Vichy France in November 1942 and neutral Switzerland found itself completely encircled by Axis powers. Swiss watch companies were isolated from their best customer- the British and Americans. Rolex, however, discovered that there were plenty of British and Americans nearby in German prisoner-of-war camps. Stalag Luft III, for example, housed 10,000 Allied airmen, shot down in operations over occupied Europe. Thousand more Allied officers were captive in the various Oflag (officer’s POW camps) scattered throughout the German Reich.

Hans Wilsdorf, founding director of Rolex and a German himself, made the extraordinary offer to POW’s. They could order any Rolex model they wanted “but you must not even think of settlement during the war.” The news that Rolex was offering watches on a buy-now-pay-whenever basis must have spread through the camps like wildfire.

British officers in the OflagVII POW camp in Bavaria reportedly ordered more than 3,000 Rolex watches alone.

It meant that Wilsdorf was betting on an Allied victory. By early 1943, this was a risk worth taking. The tide of war had turned against the Germans and Italians. But this offer of such trust must have been a wonderful morale booster for the POW’s. Besides being a comfort in a POW camp, watches were part of an airman’s kit, and many had lost theirs on capture or in trying to avoid it. For prisoners who were considering escape, getting to the borders could only be done by public transportation. A watch was as essential as a train timetable.

Wilsdorf hedged his bet further by making it available to British officers only, in the belief that their word was their bond. He had started his watch business in England, but moved to Switzerland after World War I for tax reasons. The Rolex watches had already become popular among British Royal Air Force pilots.

Most POW’s ordered the Speed King model, popular for its small size (30mm diameter).

The watch that our client brought to us has a very interesting dial. It has an odd combination of Arabic and Roman numerals, and plain markers. The dial was originally designed for Allied forces during World War II and the mix of roman numerals and Arabic numbers was meant to act as a ‘geographic shield’ for troops who might be captured by the enemy. The mixture of styles on the dial gave the captive a degree of anonymity, as a purely Arabic style was considered likely to indicate the wearer to be from the United States where the style was more prominent. The dial is reported to have been patented by Rolex in 1941 and was known as the “High visibility” dial, as it used quite large luminous numbers.

The dials became very popular during the Vintage Rolex “bubbleback” craze of the 80’s. An L.A. based dial refinisher, Kirk Rich, did some dials with this design. They became popular and many vintage watch stores in California sent their dials to him. So dealers in the rest of the US and the rest of the world began to call them the “California” dial.

More recently, the Bamford Watch Department introduced a military-style watch, road tested on tour in Afghanistan. Utilizing Bamford’s unique PVD coating, the watch has the California Dial on the latest Submariner non date (14060M).

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Antiques as Souvenirs

The summer travel season will be here before we know it and with the cabin fever that most of America has experienced this winter, I’m sure it will be a busy one. Tourists have collected travel kitsch since the Crusaders plundered their way through the Holy Land. Postcards, pennants, shot glasses, spoons, as well as, a plethora of other items have topped the list of must haves from exotic and pastoral locales. These items are readily available at estate sales as they lose their meaning once their purchaser has passed. I have a different take on souvenir purchases; I try to find an antique or vintage piece that I can use and enjoy in my home decor. For example, two summers ago we did an old-fashioned road trip, packed our mini van and headed to Maine and all points of interest along the way. One of our favorite stops was in the Hudson Valley of New York where we did some antiquing. We picked up this unique sign made of cast iron for a jewelry shop. Originally it would have hung on flange outside the store. This purchase carried special meaning for us because we also visited the American Clock and Watch Museum in Connecticut. This wonderful souvenir now hangs in our living room and is a daily reminder of our special trip out East. So forget those shot glasses and t-shirts and purchase an antique as your souvenir of your next trip. It definitely won’t wind up in your estate sale.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page.”—Augustine of Hippo

Antique Sign from Jewelry Store

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Finders Keepers?

Earlier this month a Tag Sell It Facebook fan posted a question on our page about a recent Estate / Tag Sale experience where they purchased an item and shortly after found some jewelry inside that item that was clearly missed by the party conducting the sale. Here’s the question…

“Hi… I have a question. I attended an estate/tag sale and purchased several items. I paid and then was removing one, which was a standing mahogany jewelry armoire. I was removing drawers to take it out of the house and there was some costume jewelry in the sides. I took it home with me but have to return to pick up a desk and the rest of the armoire. The estate sale company called and said that the jewelry was not supposed to be in the armoire and asked me to return it. I asked the owner of my favorite auction house and some other seasoned buyers and they said that jewelry belongs to me now. Your thoughts?”

Feel free to post your comments and thoughts below. Also, you can check out the thread on our Facebook Page to see what others have recommended.

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Planning ahead

Hello from snowy, Denver, CO!

Today is a good day to be thinking about your next garage sale. You might be thinking to yourself, “What can I do on a snowy day that would help with an upcoming garage sale?” Well that’s a great question that I’d like to take a minute to answer.

I’ve been stuck inside for most of the weekend, hiding out from the snowy weather and slippery roads. While most people see days like these as a time to laze around watching movies and catching up on your favorite television show, I see these days as the perfect time to begin preparing for a garage sale. I’m not going anywhere, so why not spend my time sorting through my things, combining a bit of early spring cleaning with garage sale preparations.

I spent most of Saturday afternoon going through my office and bedroom, and next on the list is the basement. As I go from room to room, I’m pulling everything out, making sure I actually touch everything – nothing is spared from the once over. If I haven’t used it in over six months or a year, it’s getting the boot. But I’m not going to actually throw out anything. No matter what condition it’s in or how bizarre it might seem, one person’s trash is often another person’s treasure.

The small Chinese pottery bowl that started as a $3 tag sale only to turn into a massive $2.2 million windfall at auction. Source: AFP/Getty Images

To give you a prime (if not extreme) example of this adage, while taking a break from my cleaning and sorting this weekend, I came across a New York Post article professing “NY family buys bowl for $3 – it sells for $2 million.” Can you believe that?! This family saw a seemingly ordinary bowl at a garage sale and purchased it back in 2007 for $3. After admiring it for many years, one of the family members decided to do some research (a true treasure hunter!). They soon found out that their ordinary bowl wasn’t so ordinary after all. Turns out, the bowl dates back to the 10th or 11th century and only one other piece exists today, and it’s in the British Museum collection. Sotheby’s estimated the piece would sell for between $200,000 and $300,000, but it wound up fetching a startling $2.2 million! (if you’d like to read the entire article, head here http://tinyurl.com/blokw4n)

I’m certainly not saying that everyone is going to find some hidden gem in their home, but you never know! Maybe something you’ve been sitting on is worth a pretty penny. And even if it isn’t, it might be worth something to someone else. The art dealer who purchased this bowl clearly wanted it since he was willing to pay way beyond the estimated value. On a smaller, more relatable scale, that trinket that’s been sitting in your closet might not appear to worth anything, but it might be worth something to someone out there. So don’t throw it out; sell it.

Go through every desk, closet, cupboard, basement corner and garage shelf and keep everything. And to add to that, if you’ve got something that seems unique, maybe take a minute to do a quick Internet search to see if it’s worth anything significant. You never know what you may find!

On another note, I just received an email from a follower who recently finished reading my book (thanks, Bob!). He had some really great garage sale tips to add to my repertoire, and I’d like to share a few of the pre-planning tips that you could start thinking about now:

Before throwing your garage sale, check with your town to see if you need a permit. If you do, see how far in advance you need to apply.
You should also check to be sure your town allows you to post signs throughout the neighborhood.
A few weeks or months before your sale (think now!!!) you should start saving paper and plastic shopping bags to use for your big buyers. They’ll appreciate the bag and it’s a great way to recycle!
Try to coordinate your sale with another local event. If there’s a festival or art fair in your town, try coordinating with that time frame. You’ll get a lot of out of towners that might notice your sign and swing by after they finish up at the festival.

Good luck, and happy hunting!

Aaron

To learn more about Aaron LaPedis, visit www.thegaragesalemillionaire.com or contact him at thegaragesalemillionaire@gmail.com.