Struggling with Resale

Apron Thrift Girl and I've chatted many times about how I need to open an online resale shop. I've sat on this idea for over one year. So I'm taking ATG's October Resale Challenge. Today I FINALLY started. As a brand spankin' new resaler, I think ATG will give me some wiggle room. I hope.

I've been taking inventory on merchandise and attempted to get started on EBay this afternoon. I struggled. Made faces at my monitor. Said a few words I wouldn't say in front of my children. I even cried. Yup, I cried about this. Silly, right? Enter Mr. Golightly to save the day. He'll manage the crazy sign-uppy stuff that crosses my eyes. Sometimes I just don't like the Internet. (Notice that The Thrifty Chicks header's been messed up for a while. I've tried to fix it more times than I've fingers. It's a miracle I'm able to post.)

With Mr. Golightly managing the EBay stuff, I picked up the camera and started taking photos. That I can manage. To keep me going and to force me to follow through with this effort, I'm posting some of the photos of items that will soon be available for sale.

I've felt all shades of pricing anxieties and have finally decided to let the market decide. Yeah, that's a big duh for most people but I don't want to price gouge. At first I thought a 100%, then 200% mark up. (Some may recall I even asked readers for advice.) But that didn't take into account how often some of these items circulate the thrift market. Say, I see one of these items once every two years. Well, that's a lot of time as opposed to something that pops up every three months. So if it took me months to decide to take the market price, you can imagine, well, I think you get the point that I'm nervous. Really nervous.

I picked my favorite photo shots of the items. Of course there will be more to show off the item once listed. Here we go so there's no turning back.

For the retro office...

This is really cool. It's a Discounted Cash Flow Slide Rule.
The instructions were typed with a typewriter.

Vintage tape dispenser with hysterical decal. This item is so heavy it could also be a weapon.

Vintage stapler with extra hip button to hit with your fist for those "I mean it!" staple jobs.
My daughters were first taught that exclamation marks were "I mean it marks."

Vintage expandable magazine rack. Has 17 slots.

For the kitchen:

Major score on this Granitware pot. It's gorgeous,  no?

Dessert cups from Japan. Could you serve dessert in anything that could be more cheerful?

Very old Graniteware muffin tin. This is haunted bakekware.
Imagine the muffins and the cakes this piece has cradled?

This slow drip coffee make is a rare find. It's hard to have all the pieces.

Coffee pot from Poland. This piece has a place in someone's Halloween decor.
I've several coffee pots, assorted styles, colors. I love enamel cookware.
Every kitchen needs enamelware in it to cheer it up.

In a former post on children's thrifted party favors, I thought I nice to offer tea cups as favors for birthday parties serving High Tea:

Mix and match tea cups, Meakin ironstone saucers with bone china cups.

Dainty cups and saucers hand-painted in Japan.

So here's a sampling of my finds. Any thoughts? I'm on the fence about clothing because it requires a load of inspection. It's one thing if I miss a stain, it's another if a customer purchases that missed stain.

I've a lot of inventory to price and list. My mantra? List an item. Breathe. List. Breathe. List. Consider a glass of something red. List. Consider a glass of something chilled and white.

I'll keep chipping away at this. I guess participating in product reuse on both sides of the fence, buying and selling, will broaden my understanding of the reuse market and help me help get more shoppers in it.