eBay

jazznut2 · ‎06-18-2004

Okay - I see eBay/Liveworld has been cutting the valuable threads here - ones that have helped us as buyers and sellers. That information is long gone but hopefully we can re-create some of those threads for the benefit of everyone interested.

I'm not an expert in this subject but I have specialized in selling vintage needlework patterns and items since I began on eBay 4 years ago. So here are just a few tips that may be helpful to some.

SEWING
Collectible and saleable sewing patterns need not be very old to be sought after by the collector and profitable to the seller. But the condition is important and if you feel you don't have the time to check over each pattern envelope, don't expect to reap the rewards of high bids as some have.

When looking - check garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets - I usually prefer to pay 10 to 25 cents per pattern or maybe a dollar or two for a box of them, which usually yields one or more good finds, but leaf through them first....nothing but current patterns that have been used are generally a waste of time and money.

Envelopes needn't be in great condition BUT if mousey chewed or piddled on, avoid...ripped and/or taped is fine as long as all the pieces are inside, but if it's old (1940's or earlier) it's worth the risk and I'll buy it. I've sold many patterns which were missing a piece or two because the experienced seamstress can usually duplicate the pieces if the pattern is one she wants.

Factory folded is great - meaning the pattern is still folded neatly inside the envelope, flat and untrimmed and all there. If the pieces have been trimmed you can tell if they are all there by looking at the paper instruction sheet inside and matching the pattern pieces to the letters or numbers (12 pieces 1-12 or A-L etc.)

Some of the best sellers are for doll clothes especially from the 1960's and earlier. Doll collectors want clothes from the era their dolls were made and collect these patterns even if a few pieces are missing as most patterns offer several outfits per envelope.

Look for a date either on the instruction sheet at the bottom, front or back...or on the envelope, usually at the top of the back or along the side. The price can be an indication too as most of these will be 25 cents to 50 cents originally whereas today's patterns are several dollars each.

Barbie doll fashions are very saleable as are women's fashions from the 40's (halter tops, swing coats, purses and hats etc.), some children's fashions are but mainly those for babies. I've rarely found men's fashions to be worth the effort to sell. Costume patterns are iffy as profit makers unless sold in lots of several to make the shipping worthwhile to the buyer.

Transfer patterns (those with tissue sheets inside with patterns you iron onto fabric or linens and then embroider) are very collectible especially if they are ones for days of the week (7 patterns one for each day and usually of an animal or child doing a daily chore), Mexican scenes, Dutch scenes, animorphic (sp? -fruits/vegetables with faces)etc.....never found much enthusiastic interest in the alphabets/monograms ones so I usually avoid them unless very old.

Handle any tissue pattern very carefully as they may be fragile if stored in hot or damp areas in the past.

When listing give a good close scan of the envelope and if possible the inside pieces (stacked together, not individually) - mention the date and any information from the back of the envelope about contents (name of the doll the pattern is for, date if available, if counted to make sure all pieces are there etc.) - do a search for similar patterns on eBay and see if others are having any success listing the same or similar ones and whether they are getting counter hits and/or bids.

Be realistic in your starting price - I've seen so many sellers starting a single pattern at $4.95US and higher "because it's old" - lots of things are "old" but that doesn't make them worth anything if the buyers are looking for a more reasonable starting bid, especially if condition isn't factory folded and extremely good. And if you can sell 2 or more patterns in one lot it will be more attractive to bidders than just one.

Okay these are just a few things to look for in the sewing area. Next time I'll try and cover the Knitting/Crocheting area of pattern collecting. Any questions or personal observations of your own?? Add them here.

Lyd

weaversofspeech · ‎10-18-2007

snipe

ohwhisht · ‎10-30-2007

weavers, you baddie!

Good to read this through again.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

vintagemodo · ‎03-16-2008

Time for a

nanamarnie · ‎03-17-2008

Hello everyone.....boy is it ever quiet in here! What gives? Is everyone ok out there?

I have a question & need some helpful advice if anyone is out there....please??????

Here is the issue:

I have been selling replacement "pleater needles" for over a year now, pretty well since day one.

There is a new seller who is selling nothing but "pleater needles" & selling them hand over fist.

When I compared our listings, I have the same words in the title line that she has, but in a different order & when you do a search for the "pleater needles" all of hers show up & none of mine show at all.

So, I rearranged the words in the title to match hers a little closer to see if it would show up & make a difference......guess what......it didn't.

My "pleater needles" still don't show up in the listing search.

If you want to check it out yourself, I'm searching on the .ca site & the .com site. Maybe some of you can check out what happens when you do this search & let me know if you can find me at all. Then let me know what happens to you. If you don't mind that is?

I'm so frustrated at this & my next step is to contact ebay about this, but wanted to get some opinions from everyone first. i just don't understand this. It makes no sense to me at all.

PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS?????!!!!!!

I'm losing out on too many sales here for a reason I don't know.

Thanks everyone.

Marnie

vintagemodo · ‎03-17-2008

Hi Marnie,

I did a quick search for "pleater needles" on dot ca, at the top of the search page were 4 listings from other sellers; 1 was auction format, the other 3 were "buy it not". However when I scrolled down the page, I found your listing under Stores http://search.ebay.ca/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=pleater+needles&category0=

Hope this helps

vintagemodo · ‎03-17-2008

Ooooops "buy it not" should read "Buy it Now". How much of a Freudian slip was that ?...LOL ;-):^O.

nanamarnie · ‎03-17-2008

Hi Marueen,

Thanks so much for checking into this for me.

I've been doing everything to try to get these to show up because ebay says that if there isn't something listed in auctions, they will take up to 20 of your store items to put them into the mix for search items.

Obviously my pleater needles don't qualify for the list at the top, so perhaps I will need to keep them listed as "but it now" instead of just sitting in the store.

Hopefully that will make a difference. I'm going to list one set in the buy it now format and see where it turns up. If it still isn't showing up then I'll have to completely rethink this whole listing thing.

I really appreciate any hints that anyone has to get these to show up much more because I am obviously missing out on an awful lot of sales this way.

thanks again.

Marnie

reallynicestamps · ‎04-09-2008

I searched "pleater needles" and saw one auction by you and I think four BIN / Store listings.

So you are being listed.

In fact, in my search you seemed to dominate.

I didn't notice-- do you have links within every one of your listings to your Store and /or to the aisles in your Store? It's a useful tip I got from katick

Maybe you are not seeing your listings because you are searching with too many words ?

nanamarnie · ‎04-09-2008

Thanks lafemme1946,

I did do some rewriting of my listings and have managed to get them to show up now. It took some playing with the words, but it finally started to show them.

I definately have some items linking to some of my other listings, as well as linking to my store, but I'm not sure if there are some other ways that I am missing.

I'm sure there are some great ways to have our listings show up in searches, not only in ebay but in searches from Google and many of the other search engines as well. I jus tdon't know how to do that or where to go to find the information either.

If anyone has some information on that, I'd love to hear from you. I would really like to get my stuff out there where others can find it as well.

I did buy a domain name and linked my ebay store to the domain name and it works great.

My son is in the process of writing me a complete website as well, so I'm pretty excited abou that one too.

I'm always looking for good ideas & a way to utilize what we already have, but really need some help & guidance with getting things like this up and running.

I'd truly apperecaite any help you may have that you can give me so I can get to put my products advertised for others to find them. thanks to everyone who has already been helpful and anyone else that may want to help me understand how to do some of these things.

Thank to anyone for any help to understand how to advertise my site or how to link to it.

NanaMarnie

jazznut2 · ‎04-18-2008

shaved - just testing something 🐵

msmaggie060 · ‎02-04-2009

Well, here we are in 2009! I really think this thread is due for a good bumpity!

How is everyone doing selling patterns and craft books these days? I seem to be doing okay, my problem has been finding time to list lately! Been packing up and selling my MIL's home; as soon as the sale goes through in March I will have more time to list items. At least until the snow disappears and I can get out into my garden!

Can't wait for garage sale time again! Need some more of those $100 patterns!

nammaladybug · ‎02-28-2009

Well I had a few questions but lost my posting before it was up, so for now I'll just say

Bumpity Bump

Where is everyone...

I could use some moral support here ~~~ :_|

Soon we'll be singing~~

Spring has sprung
The grass is riz
Around the town
The garage sales iz.

msmaggie060 · ‎03-02-2009

Go ahead and post any questions, Mamaladybug. I'm sure some of us will be by and try to answer them. Or, you can always start a new thread with your questions.

reallynicestamps · ‎03-11-2009

I've been listing patterns on Betsy-- I figure that since the crafters are there, I should be too.

RE:Barbie patterns- Are these a possible exception to the "no cut patterns " rule?

msmaggie060 · ‎03-18-2009

Hi lafemme, I'm not sure I understand your question. Is this a rule on that other site where you list?

pukmis · ‎05-22-2009

Little wave atcha Lydia as I bump ya up...

I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
- Augusten Burroughs

femmefan1946 · ‎05-27-2009

Most sewers and collectors are not interested in used or cut patterns because of missing pieces and because of variations introduced by earlier seamstresses.

lindasstuff1 · ‎06-01-2012

I AM SORRY TO USE YOUR FORUM FOR MY QUESTION, BUT I AM COMPLETELY LOST. I ASKED A QUESTION LAST NIGHT REGARDING A VINTAGE DOLL I OWN, AND NOW I CAN'T FIND THE QUESTION. I FORGOT TO CLICK THE CHECK BOX AT THE BOTTOM. IF SOME ONE COULD SEND ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, I'D BE SO VERY THANKFUL.

LINDA. 🙂