Vintage Swimwear ~ Retro Swimsuits

I cannot wait to go to the beach this summer! To help get me in the mood I did a little vintage swim wear shopping this morning and here are some gloriously beach worthy suits that are currently available from some of my favorite Vintage shops on Etsy. 

Vampy Red and Black Paisley Bombshell Bathing Suit

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1950s Catalina Yellow Chevron Bombshell Bathing Suit

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50s Jantzen Cotton SWIMSUIT 

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Vintage 1960s Tie Front Bikini

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Cary Grant - Whatta Guy! Weekend Movie Recommendation "The Philadelphia Story"

Happy Friday my vintage loving friends! We just got dumped on here on the East Coast, so what better way to spend the weekend than watching old movies. My recommendation of an oldie but goodie for this weekend "The Philadelphia Story". This movie will forever hold a special place in my heart since it's one of the first movies my honey wanted to watch with me when we started dating. Yes ladies, a smart and handsome guy that wanted to watch a classic black and white movie. I knew after watching the movie it would forever be one of my favorites, but I also knew I needed to marry that man, so of course I did. 

So go rent or even better stream this amazingly witty classic film! I like to think me and my husband banter like Hepburn and Grant... They definitely don't make romantic comedies like this anymore. 

For vintage suits click here!

An ode to Barbara Stanwyck

I want everything she is wearing...

On this Friday morning I want to give props to this amazing and elegant lady. If you have never seen her in Mad Miss Manton I highly recommend you getting your hands on the film. It's the first movie I remember watching as a young lass and being completely enamored by the vintage luxe style. Plus she's a feisty speed talking phenom. Who wouldn't want to be Barbara Stanwyck? 

Want to dress like her? Click here.

2014... Time to bring back the Glove

 

Amazing Pair of Vintage Opera Gloves

Vintage style, it's so elegant. It's so pretty. They put time and effort into the way they dressed. Probably because they had less distractions. And people actually looked at each other and interacted. Today we tend to look at our electronic devices and walk around like zombies in pajamas and flip flops.

But I urge change. Bring out the gloves! I recently came across an exciting treasure trove of new old stock vintage ladies gloves. As I was admiring my finds, I wondered to myself why did ladies wear gloves all the time? And why don't we do it today?

Gloves were and still are a sign of affluence and elegance. The history of the glove goes back thousands of years. Gloves are, and were, so much associated with elegance and high class that they were worn on all possible occasions, from weddings to funerals. They were worn as protection, as a sign of a person's standing, for modesty, and when someone hated the look of their hands (Vivien Leigh) . The length of gloves originally had to do with the sleeve of the dress worn. In the above picture we see over the elbow extra long opera gloves paired with a sleeveless gown. If you had a long sleeve dress you would wear a wrist length glove. But women in time adopted glove styles according to their own preference, Audrey Hepburn loved the "three-quarter" length glove that she is wearing in the Poster for "Breakfast at Tiffany's". 

So enough history of the glove, let's set a goal to wear gloves more often this next year!

Vintage Sale!

1960s Modern Sterling Moonstone Cabochon Ring

Hello electronic friends and lovers of vintage...

I just wanted to let you know that now through January 1st we are having a 30% off sale on our Etsy shop. The sale includes every item in the shop, even my newest listings. I must make room for some exciting new inventory, so please check it out. If you buy multiple items and my shipping estimate is high I will refund the overages. Also this is a good opportunity to sign up for our free newsletter -> see the right column ->

We appreciate you reading our blog! Please click the link below to check out the sale :)

spurloo vintage

New Items and New Newsletter

Hello friends!

I have been busy busy busy buying new items, and I am getting ready to list them ASAP. I just wanted to let you know that I am starting a newsletter which will alert you to new items and discounts! Please sign up if you are interested! My first newsletter will have a coupon code to use in my Etsy store www.etsy.com/shop/spurloovintage . So keep a lookout for it! You can sign up to the right of this post!

Thank you!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/170631078/1960s-vintage-gold-multi-chain-necklace?ref=shop_home_feat

How to do a Black Friday Sale on Etsy

Running sales in your Etsy shop can be a major pain if you don't have some kind of program that automates the discount. You can manually adjust all of your prices, but once the sale is over than you spend a lot of time changing the listing back. There are also coupon codes, but the customer cannot easily see the price change in the search displays and your items can get passed up.

I just thought I would do a quick update on an easy and inexpensive way to do a Black Friday Sale in your Etsy shop. A few months ago I heard about Fotofuze.com. It's a free photo editor that uploads all of your Etsy listings, and with a little highlighter magic helps brighten and clarify your photos. I personally love it since I cannot afford a new camera at this time, and it's hard for me to get the white balance just right in my photos. I highly recommend anybody that uses white backgrounds to check it out.

Well, I noticed that if you are willing to donate any amount of your choice to Fotofuze on a monthly basis through Paypal, they will give you a Pro account. The major bonus of this feature is that you can very easily put your Etsy shop on sale! I tried it a few months ago, and it worked like a charm. I know there are other programs out there that do the same thing, but I liked the ease of setting up the sale, and the fact that I can donate as little as I want to and still get the same benefits!

So if you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to put your shop on sale in the coming crazy weeks try giving Fotofuze a shot!

Etsy Vs Ebay - New thoughts after a few months

                                


So I've been trying both venues now for the past few months, and I feel like I am leaning towards Ebay. Here is why I feel that way at this moment in time... mind you this could change this afternoon!

I feel like Ebay gets way more hits than Etsy for collectibles and antiques, even (prepare to be shocked...) Vintage clothes. Etsy makes you feel that it's less expensive up front than Ebay to sell something, it's .20 cents for a listing, and it'll stay live for 4 months. If it does sell, they currently charge a 3% sellers fee, and if you use their checkout it's a fee similar to Paypal. Seems cheaper than Ebays almost 10% fee when your item sells. But when I list an item on Ebay, in about a day I find that it has gotten more views than an item on Etsy gets in weeks.

My theory for this is Etsy has ads that you can purchase for a certain amount per day that will push your items to the top of the search engine. I have never opted to do the ad just because I prefer using good search words and I never really have gigantic stock on my Etsy store. I also think the aforementioned lack of items in my store has hurt my chances on Etsy as well. I haven't and probably will never completely list every single item I sell on Etsy. It's a lot of work, for not that many views. You really need a large inventory and almost daily listings to get views on Etsy.

Ebay on the other hand doesn't gank your items chances of being found if you use common search words for that item. I like to peruse other similar items, and I look at the Sold Items category. I look for a highly successful item, basically it sold for a lot of $$$. Then I somewhat plagiarize their listing if it's a similar item. This has worked well for me and I feel like it's a lot less effort in the long run.

Pure and simple for me, and the type of selling that I do, I really like Ebay. I will continue on Etsy. But I kind of like the gamble that Ebay presents. I will keep you up to date with any new thoughts or feelings on the subject! Hope this helps you in your online antique sales journey!

Feel free to comment below on any thoughts you have on the matter.

Antique Turkey and Wishbone Pin Thanksgiving World War One

Here is an item I came across recently that when I looked it up online, I couldn't find anything like it. 

This button has an image of a Turkey inside a wishbone. It also has what looks to be part of the American Flag running behind the image. The back of it has the name of a city, Madison, N.J. with Nov. 28, 1918 printed out. 

I did a little research on the emblem, and it was used in politics around this time period as a sign of bounty and good times ahead. I also looked up Madison, NJ and the history of the town to see if there was something important about that particular Holiday. I couldn't find anything. So the pin remains an enigma... But I did list it on Ebay. I started the bidding at $9.99. It did sell... All things said and done it sold on Ebay for $61.00. I was happy it sold for that amount! But I would like to hear any information you might have on this piece! I am sure I won't find another like it, but I love hearing the story of things. 

Do you need help finding pricing for unique Vintage and Antique items?

Do you need help finding pricing for unique Vintage and Antique items? I know this is something that I myself run across semi-regularly. Usually I look to Ebay for help when I am looking to see what things are going for. I search for an item in the search bar, then once it's popped up you can click the box on the left for completed items. There are usually similar items listed to what I have, and this gives me a big clue towards how to price an item for resale.

But every now and again you come across a very unique piece. This happened to me recently. I looked up the item on Ebay, and there was nothing even close to it. The next step I took was looking it up on Google. I usually search the Images tab first, and sometimes I can find a similar object with pricing info this way. I'd say maybe 50% of the time this works. But still with this recent item I couldn't find anything. So with items that are like that - with no Google search attached to them, I had an idea. How about a blog that talks specifically about the item so that others with the same issue can have some kind of an idea if there's nothing on Ebay. And Ebay seems to only keep records for a limited time period.

So please keep following my blog as I update with these rare items. I would love to hear your feedback on the items as well!

Slow Sales?

To stay inspired with working from home and have good sales, you must find items that speak to you. Don't just buy because you know you can make a buck on something. Wait for the items that you are excited about, the items you almost want to keep for yourself, but you'd rather share them with someone else and stay profitable. Plus selling things helps you from becoming a hoarder.

We all go through times when things are a bit slow, but keeping your eye focused on your niche items will help. Especially when you are just starting out selling. If you know what items do well, and sell for a lot online keep researching those items and make yourself an expert. Keeping track of the current sale prices on Ebay does help as well. You can click on the completed listings box after you have searched for an item and it will list all the completed auctions on similar items. This is my go to somewhat accurate price guide. Every item will have highs and lows throughout the year. If you learn the trends you can make adjustments accordingly.

I need to listen to my own advice here. My sales have been slowing because I have made the mistake of impulse buys on things I think are a great deal. Then come to find out they were a great deal because the market isn't hot for that particular item. So I am trying to liquidate some of my less inspired buys. Local Antique Dealers that buy items from pickers, and Estate Auction Houses might be able to help out in this regard as well. I haven't tried either as of yet, but when I do I will let you know how it goes. For now, my advice is buy what you know and love!

Etsy Vs Ebay Continued

So I've been trying out my Etsy Vs Ebay scenario - posting vintage clothing and accessories mainly to Etsy and other various collectibles to Ebay. It seems to me that Ebay gets more hits in a shorter period of time, which is good if you are trying to liquidate fast and you don't have a set price you need to get for an item to be profitable. Ebay seems to be a more popular site for antique and vintage collectors so there will be more competition with other similar items bringing your sales price down. That's usually what the buyer expects from an auction - they want a great price! So even though you might be getting more hits, if someone happens upon your item on Etsy and it's described well with good pictures it is more of a storefront than Ebay. You can charge retail, or close to retail taking into consideration shipping costs for the buyer and ask a higher price. It does require patience and the ability to sit on an item for some time until it sells. So for me if I need a set price for an item and I am willing to sit on it until it sells, I list it on Etsy. If it's a larger piece that I don't have much room for or I need to get my money back fast I list it on Ebay. My biggest issue is space, I live in a small home and my office is located in my dining room. So if I am running low on storage, or I went on a shopping spree, this has some bearing on where I list items as well. 

One thing I might try in the future is list things to start on Etsy, see if they sell for my asking price at the lower 3% transaction fee. If they don't sell in the allotted time then list them on Ebay to see what I can get. This might help my inventory to stay liquid. I keep all of my photos uploaded in Dropbox until the item ships to it's new owner. So even though I would need to take the time to relist the item on a new site, the hardest part for me is always taking pretty pictures. If that is all ready done, you can just copy your description from your Etsy listing into the Ebay listing, upload the existing pictures and waa laa you have a new Ebay listing! 

Etsy vs Ebay - My thoughts

A lovely Blenko Vase I currently have listed on the Ebay

Is it better to list vintage or antique items on Etsy or Ebay?

 I've been posting vintage items mainly to Etsy since they have a much lower fee of 3% for sold items. But I have noticed that some things don't get the hits on Etsy that they do on Ebay. And since an item needs to be seen by the right buyer to sell I am giving Ebay another chance. I am starting to see a trend. Here's what I have found and what I will probably do from here on out...

Etsy is really good for vintage clothing and accessories. If it's cool, unique, and artsy and you don't mind keeping it around for awhile until it sells Etsy is a great place to list. 

Ebay on the other hand gets way more hits for collectibles and other vintage and antique odds and ends. Housewares and dishes seem to have a much higher following on Ebay. I think there are many more age groups on Ebay since it's been around longer than other sites - my parents both in their mid sixties buy things on Ebay. 

Another thing I love about Ebay is the ability to see what is selling and for how much by just clicking on the sold or completed item search. Makes listing things and doing research on items a lot easier. I wish Etsy had something similar. If you run across a link on Etsy that shows an item that sold you cannot see how much it sold for which can be a bit irritating.

So for now I am listing vintage clothing and accessories on Etsy and almost everything else on Ebay. I am still figuring this business out, but it's been a lot of fun!

Kind of a boring post, but food for thought. If you have any tips or tricks on where you list your items please post a comment!

Thank you!

Taking the leap

My shop name is eclectica. Basically meaning I'll sell anything that I find that I think is cool or can bring a smile to someone's face. But I'm beginning to think I need to train my eye to look for eclectic things that follow a certain flow. Right now when I look at my spot in the antiques center it's a little too eclectic. Almost pre-hoarder. So the last few weeks I decided to try something new. It's time for me to go up a level in the quality of items I'm purchasing- which means I need to be willing to lay more money down.

Yesterday was a marathon auction day. We went to 2- which is 1 too many for my blood. I love them but a person can only sit in a folding chair for so many hours before said person is no longer in the best of moods.

Needless to say I was invested and knew we were staying til the bitter end. The first lots I bid on were quite popular and even though I really knew I needed to up the ante I shied away letting others buy the item. Finally after this was the trend for the first hour or two a lot of antique stoneware jugs came up. I bid and kept bidding until I was the winner (the $ wasn't crazy high- just high for my blood). I knew I could make money on it and yet I was still worried since I spent more than normal. Why was I worrying? I had a quick realization that I'm cheap! Plus I'm new at this so I tend to second guess myself. But I know that to be a success this is something I needed to do. I don't want to deal just in junktiques. I want eye candy that will draw people to my shop! If I can buy higher end items that sell for more its less inventory that I need to process to make a buck as well. At least that's my logic this week.

I'm learning the ropes and the way of the auction is still new to me. But I'm having a blast doing this and I'm learning so much. I'll keep posting my thoughts, opinions, and mess ups here.

Setting up shop

So as I mentioned a few weeks back I was tiring of my retail job, and I needed to take this vintage and antique business up a notch. My house was quickly overfilling with unique items that I loved, but didn't have room for. I decided to look into the antique mall situation around me. I wasn't sure quite what I wanted to do- consign, sell to a dealer, keep everything online- or set up a little corner in an antiques mall. As of right now I decided to do some things online (etsy & ebay), and set up shop in an antiques mall for other items.

After googling my different options I found a quaint little town somewhat near me that is known to be an antiquing hot spot. I took a little day trip to the town and looked at the multitude of galleries on the Main strip. Since I'm just getting started I didn't want to go with a super fancy almost snobby type of store. Most that I went in to were extremely cluttered and the staff were mediocre to snooty. But then I went into an eclectic and laid back little shop that held my interest for over an hour. I bought a lot of vintage clothing and costume jewelry, and the elderly gentleman that was at the cashier looked like a modern Mark Twain. I felt super comfortable asking him questions. And he was quirky and funny and very nice. I took one of their business cards, as I did from a few other shops. I contacted the owners of a few of the shops in the town, and the only one that had an immediate opening was the shop I liked best!

This was the point I had to decide if setting up shop was for me. I did a lot of on-line research and I talked to a few fellow dealers at the shop. It didn't sound like a cake walk, but it sounded like a good learning experience. So I jumped on in. Most shops charge a monthly stall rent, along with a commission on top of everything that you sell. The shop I went with charged the monthly rent, plus 10% commission, and they charge 3% for any sales made by credit card. But they handle all the sales tax mumbo jumbo. You want to make sure that you take this all into consideration when you are pricing your items. Plus keep in mind most places will give a cash discount to customers.

After putting a deposit down, I rented a cargo van and enlisted the help of my brother to help me move my stuff into the shop. It went pretty smoothly. I would like to get some better shelving, and a locking cabinet for higher end items. But I'm sure that will all come with time. Up top is a photo of my spot right after we set it up. I will try my best to keep posting what I learn from my shop and any helpful tips for other new dealers out there!

WORK

So I've been not the happiest at my real job the last few months. Just a lot of stress for no good reason. I really want to get back to volunteering on a full-time basis and my hubby is telling me to go for it. Plus if I don't work that would give me my Sundays off to go to flea markets!!! I never get to go to them since they are always on Sundays and I always work on Sundays. Flea markets can have amazing finds. Plus if you collect too many items you can set up your own stall and sell it off again. I might need to try this myself soon. If I do I'll let you know how it all works. If only I could retire at 32 :)

Estate sales

A valuable life lesson learned...

Recently my hubby and I were out and about searching for lovelies at yard sales. We came across a sign for an estate sale down a windy cliff lined road. We of course decided to check it out. As we passed the house not knowing where to park I took a long look at what seemed to me a somewhat scary situation. The house was ancient and looked as if it might slide down the cliff it was built upon at any moment. Also there was trash strewn all over the place. The 3 ladies standing on the porch were also staring me down. One was sitting cross legged and pounding a drum. Needless to say my first instinct was to keep driving. This place is probably full of mice and bedbugs. But then I told myself buck up lady, and I told my hubby the same.

We parked and went in. There was no electricity so thank goodness we have iPhones with flashlight apps. We slowly perused the items that were for sale, mind you this house looked like it hadn't been touched since 1965. They said everything was for sale, and nothing was priced. At first glance I was a little overwhelmed because there was piles upon piles of items. Some things had been set out. I first looked through all the glass and porcelain, picking out a few milk glass items. I then spotted a few other collectibles that I wanted to add to my stash. I asked their prices and they seemed reasonable, so I kept searching. As I walked up the rickety stair case praying that I wouldn't be the catalyst to make the house crash to it's foundation, the lady searching through the upstairs screamed because she found a dead mouse in a dresser drawer. That's when I knew this was a treasure trove.

I went through the bedrooms looking at the many items of costume jewelry that were lying about. I picked up a few pieces, and one ring had another ring that was entangled with it. I got them apart and that's how I found the beautiful piece you see above. It's a 14k white gold art deco style ring, with real diamonds and a giant beautifully cut synthetic ruby. My heart started pounding. I added it to my costume jewelry finds and went to ask the lady for prices. She had no idea what she had so I bought everything as it was priced. Needless to say I walked outta there with excitement boiling over. I had to get the ring appraised!

I went to my local jeweler in town and he said he thinks it's from the 1940s to 1950s and that besides the ruby everything is real. I almost jumped for joy.

So the lesson to be learned is that the best treasures can come from the least likely places. An average person with normal tendencies to run away from the strange house on the cliff with no electricity and the eccentric ladies out front would have missed out on this amazing find. Plus the lady playing the drum said we could come back anytime and hang.

Getting Old

This is my hubby and I. We are goofs. We have done a lot of things together in the past 12 years... but our new favorite is to go treasure hunting. I never thought I would be the type of person (old) that enjoys sitting at an estate auction for 7 hours straight bidding on ancient items. But I guess I am.

It amazes me how many people have never been to an auction. At first I was intimidated, but then I realized fake it til you make it baby. I told myself "I watch Auction Kings, I can figure this out." I have to admit before we went I did a google search on what not to do at an auction, mainly because I didn't have a million dollars to buy stuff every time I sneezed. But it really was not hard at all.

Our auction began at 5:30pm but there was a showing of all the items beforehand. So we went early and took notes on the items we liked. Most things I adored went for lots of money, but I noticed as the night went on the auctioneer just wanted to finish. So the prices definitely started dropping. A lot of people leave after a few hours too, so we really like the later hours of an auction. Our first auction we purchased an original oil painting for $45- the artist is not famous- and a bright red modern console table for $10. They easily could be sold for way more. Being patient paid off.

The last auction we went to I bought a vintage butcher block for $15 and a gothic cast iron light fixture for $25. Most auction houses add a hammer fee on the items along with sales tax. So keep that in mind before you bid, especially on higher priced items. Our favorite place adds 18% on top plus the 8% sales tax. If you pay cash they lower the hammer fee to 15%. So find a local auction and try it out. It might be your new favorite past time.