How To Sell Your Vintage Stuff For Free

We often get asked if we buy things from the public?  Yes, we do, but, not at the moment as we have loads and loads of stuff to put on our website - over 20,000 items - (yes really).
Anyway, I hate leaving people hanging, so here is what I suggest you do if you want to sell and you are fairly sure that you nothing massively valuable or collectable, but, vintage (over 20 years old) and perfectly saleable :

You could put them on ebay, there a lots of guides on the web on how to ebay and it will cost you money.
Alternatively, just follow the process that we would ask you to follow if we were interested in buying - it is really this simple.

1. Get your vintage stuff togeather - group like sized and similar objects and depending on how much you have, take a a pic or two with a digital camera or phone. Try to take a pic when the light is good and try to make your items as visable as possible - dark items on a light background and visa-versa.

2.  Make a list of your items. If there are loads then put down the amounts of types of items, such as 10 vintage necklaces, etc. If any of the items have significant flaws or damage make a note, as not doing so is dishonest and you could well lose a good deal.

3. Do a little research, using the internet, look up brand names on items, as this will tell you what you have and could even give an idea of value or desirability. You can also search for items and check out collectors sites and forums for more information and don't forget to check ebay to see if any thing similar is selling and at what price. Do be realistic though, just because someone has listed an item for a price, does not neccesarily mean it will sell for that or that a dealer will pay that - they have to earn a living too.

4. Go on the internet and do a Google search for Vintage Shops, and Vintage Dealers, try to get local ones from the Google places listing, as you can drop off the items or they could collect.  Get their contact details (email is quickest) and send them your list and photo and wait to see if you get any offers. You should aim to email at least 10 or more dealers to increase your chances of getting a good offer, if several come back with offers, see if any will better the best offer*.

*A cautionary note: if you find that one or more dealers seem very keen to buy (they keep increasing their offer), it may be that you have something that has a little more value or collectability than you thought and in which case you should also send the email to reputable auctioneers or other experts and ask them what it is likely to fetch at auction or for an idea of value. Be careful of selling at auctions as they will charge fees and VAT.

5. Once you have a deal you are happy with, check how the dealer wants to get the items from you, I usually ask for items to be sent through the post, well wrapped, by a recorded service (which we pay for). We usually recommend payment by Paypal as this offers protection to both parties. If you are going to deliver the items or ask the dealer to call to collect, then arrange an appointment and tell the dealer you will want paying in cash (they may need to go to the bank), for your personal safety have someone else with you.

6. Enjoy your well earned cash!


Please Note: This information has been obtained from a verity of sources and Steptoes Dog cannot be held responsible for its accuracy or for any adverse occurances, damage or injury resulting from its use.

Come and visit us at Steptoes Dog Vintage Wares

Thanks for reading, good luck with the selling!
Sarah

Afloat on a Sea of Vintage Jewllery....

Vintage is really eco-friendly, it is recycling or even precycling at its very best, so I think it's a great business to work in. However, i have decided that we can do better and I have done a Carbon emission analysis for the business and found that we produce very low carbon emissions (v good!) and then I decided that it would be good to off-set the ones we do produce. And a couple of cups of tea and a the odd jammy dodger later and I decided that it would be even better if we off-set the carbon emission for all our products too, so we have off-set them too! So

I went to see Marie-Ann, this week (again). Marie-Ann is the lovely lady who searches the length and breadth of the UK for the beautiful vintage and antique jewellery and accessories that find their way to Steptoes Dog Vintage Wares. She has perfect taste and a good eye for a bargain and usually is the source of the very best of our vintage jewellery and accessories and she now fancies a trip to France, so we may well head over there togeather next year - hurrah! I LOVE French vintage (I lived in France for 4 years and couldn't afford anything other than vintage, so have a close personal relationship with it)! Anyway I digress. The upshot of my several lovely meetings with Marie-Ann other than trip planning is a huge range of truely delectable antique and vintage jewellery and accessories, which I've been lovingly slaving over and are now coming in store - so don't say you haven't been warned. Christmas is coming and the lovely pretty vintage things are starting to fly, so don't miss out! A breif rundown includes:
Antique amber necklaces
Antique Victorian Whitby Jet brooches & bracelets
Vintage Art Deco glass necklaces
Vintage Art Deco brooches
Vintage sterling silver bracelets and brooches
Vintage 1950s Norwegian enamel and Sterling Silver brooches
Antique Victorian glass and mother of pearl cufflinks
Vintage theatrical diamante rhinestone necklaces
and loads loads more......

New Stock For Christmas & A New Website Too!

We've been really busy adding new stock ready for the christmas gift buying season, so there's loads of sparkling vintage jewellery, handbags, evening bags, toys, games and homewares coming online and our departments are just groaning with stock.

NEWS FLASH: The new vintage inspired and recycled gift & homewares shop is up & running. There are loads of lovely gift ideas and cute things for your home. The business is socially responsible, we send 10% of the proceeds to social and humanitarian charities and projects and it is carbon neutral too - so the feel good factor is guaranteed! Come & check us out at www.ninetyninegifts.co.uk

Busy Busy Busy!

Apparently there's no peace for the wicked... which makes me a very very wicked girl indeed! I'm not quite sure where the summer went really! Anyway, we've been putting lots of new dresses, jewellery and accessories into the online shop, so those departments are looking really full of wonderful vintage treasures! We've made a start on putting so more of the vintage homewares on to the site too, so they'll be coming online over the next month, along with more vintage jewellery and accessories.

The Amercians do have some amazing vintage clothing and accessories labels, such as Enid Collins and Whiting & Davis (the bag in the picture is a 1930's Whiting & Davis alu-mesh handbag, with Cream Bakelite frame and handle) and I do try and stock these, so this week I'm going to New York to source some more fantastic vintage handbags and evening bags, and whetever other vintage treasures I find! So watch this space!

Vintage dresses, jewellery and accessories as far as the eye can see ....

Well, what a busy (and expensive) few days i've had. On Thursday we went to check out a new vintage dress supplyer and came away with bag loads of beautiful vintage dresses. Lots of fantastic vintage Seventies maxi dresses, some proper retro Eighties 'power' dresses, some darling vintage Fifties full-skirted dresses and even a few retro 1980s cat-suits, and vintage jackets ... oh... and some very cool vintage 1960s and 1980s leather jackets too!
Then on Saturday, I met up with a lady who supplies me with vintage jewellery, and bought some fabulous vintage 1930s Art Deco diamante rhinestone necklaces and bracelets. She had some other wonderful stuff too ..... so I wound up buying that too! So we got vintage powder compacts, accessories, brooches, jewellery sets, evening bags and more!
I'm, writting descriptions and taking pictures of these things this week, so they'll be coming in store within the next month.

This week I've added more new stock to the website. We do this on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, and the items go into the New Arrivals department for about 1 week before going into their proper department, you can click the link on the right of this page, marked New Arrivals to go straight there, so now you know!

This week we have more antique mother of pearl shell handled butter knives and pickle forks - these are divine and look beautiful with antique or vintage mis-matched china and linen! More very pretty vintage 1930s hankys, in linen, silk and cotton. Come and see the Three beautiful antique Victorian evening purses, the bird one nearly didn't make, I almost kept it, I love it some much! We also added more vintage dresses - lots of different styles and eras. Finally, we're adding some homewares too - vintage glasses, dressing table items, kitchenalia and loads of other things too!
I think that's all for now ...