Summer is typically a slow period for eBay sales but the past four weeks have been surprisingly productive. I’m moving at the end of the month, so I’m especially happy that I won’t have to move this stuff to my new place. Some of these items had sat unsold for a long time as well; needless to say I’m glad they finally flew the coop.
Just to clarify for any new readers: these realized prices account for shipping costs, but not Paypal / eBay fees which amount to around 10%.
1. Lot of seven medium format negatives featuring the Kaman experimental helicopter: On eBay for 70$. These sat around for years before I finally got around to listing them. They ended up selling for more than expected, though they might have gone for even more if I had gone with a set price listing instead. Regardless, I’m just happy to have them out of the house – that’s why I went the auction route in the first place. These photos would have been taken in the late 1940s. Found November 2013 on Rue Laval in the Plateau.
2. Links of London sterling bracelet: On eBay for 30$. I found this on McGill move-out day. The string was a bit frayed so I sold it as a project piece. Someone (the eventual buyer) actually messaged me to say that Links would repair it for free, but I didn’t really care enough to go through the hassle. It was honest of them to mention it though.
3. Vintage Montreal Canadiens photos (from Quaker Oats promotion): On Kijiji for 60$. There were 17 in all, part of a sports scrapbook that dated back to the 1950s. Found in NDG around this time last year.
4. Lawn bowling ball set with carrying case: On Kijiji for 50$. These finally sold after being on Kijiji for over a year. I may have overpriced them at first, and lawn bowling balls are definitely more a summer purchase. Found last May in TMR.
5. Yard sale: 230$. Another successful sale. In all likelihood it was the last one at my current place.
6. Vintage Mattel Hot Wheels track connectors: On eBay for 30$. These aren’t too exciting, but they’re still money on the bank. Found with a vintage toy car set in Montreal West.
7. Old Chinese postcards: On eBay for 40$. These are the first postcards to sell from the big collection I found recently in TMR. I plan on listing more, but might wait until the fall / Christmas season to do so.
8. Through the looking glass, published in 1895 by Altemus: On eBay for 150$. This ended up being worth a lot more than I first expected! Found last fall in Verdun.
9. Anime DVDs (Steam Detectives and Broken Blade): On eBay for 70$. The money continues to roll in from that anime DVD collection I found last fall in the Plateau. Without looking at the math now, I’d guess that it has now earned me around 700-800$, with about 500$ worth left to sell. Not bad!
10. Merkur safety razor: On eBay for 25$. Found in the Mile End.
11. Vintage Las Vegas casino chips: On eBay for 17$. I come across vintage casino chips semi-regularly, so in the future I may hold out on listing them until I have a bigger lot. I found these ones in Rosemont last summer.
12. Royal Albert tea cup and saucer: On eBay for 23$. The last of the tea cups (at least the ones I had listed on eBay) from the great collection I found in Ville St Laurent in October of 2014. It’s the pixelicious looking one in the middle of the second row. All in all I made around 1500$ from the teacups, and maybe another 1500$ from other stuff I found that night. That makes it my most profitable run ever.
13. Two post-war Polish language books by Arthur Conan Doyle: On eBay for 20$. These were pretty neat, as they were printed cheaply after the end of WWII. Found last June in TMR. The same spot produced an early Polish edition of Animal Farm that I ended up selling for 150$.
14. Lot of 1976 Olympics publications: On eBay for 60$. I have a few more like the ones on the left and right that I’ll list once I settle into my new place. Found last September in NDG.
15. Vintage taxi meter: On eBay for 105$. I wondered if this would ever sell! It sat on eBay for nearly two years. I don’t use the “best offer” option often, but I turned it on a while back in hopes that this thing would finally move. I recently got an offer for 100 US$ (with free shipping) and jumped on it. The taxi meter ended up going to a buyer in BC. It was pretty heavy, so I’m glad it’s not taking the trip to my new place. Found in TMR just after the 2014 moving day.
16. Staedtler Masterbow drafting set: On eBay for 20$. Found in the Mile End.
17. 14k gold pendant: On Etsy for 46$. One piece from a great haul of jewelry I found in the Plateau a few years ago.
18. Macbook laptops, for parts / repair: On eBay for 85$. More stuff I’d glad I won’t have to move! One Macbook I found a couple years ago and used for a while. It developed some software issues though and became expendable when I found a better computer. I found the other recently in a recycling bin, and I decided that together they’d make a good lot. Once listed they sold very quickly. I found both in Mount Royal, in front of two different houses nearly two years apart.
18. Henri Bourassa pinback button – 1908 Quebec Election: On eBay for 350$. This pin is one of my favourite finds of the year. It tells an interesting story, which I addressed briefly here, and is likely very rare if not one of a kind – I could find nothing else like it on Google. The payday ain’t bad either! Found around two months ago in Ahunstic.
Total: 1481$, 12970$ since the new year. I’m on pace to earn around 26k$ this year, which would surpass my goal of 24k by a healthy margin.
I love that you recover all of these THINGS and that other people want to buy them form you. The tea cups, the political buttons, the out-of-date lap top computers… hurrah for you and your buyers! i hope your move (and new set up) go well.
Reading and finding out ALL the little details and info in your blog , feels like a kid opening Christmas’s gifts! Thanks for the time you take to do give us so much fun!
Ebay does seem to be holding steady this summer, instead of dropping like it usually does. Maybe they have improved the search or something. Congratulations on your sales! ( I am always looking for old buttons/broken jewelry).
Sales via ebay, kijiji, Etsy and a yard sale are all represented in this issue. Great going. I’m hoping your projected $26k turns into $28k or even $30k! đŸ™‚
We’ll see, though I don’t see any of the latter two happening this year barring a truly great find.
So happy for your continued success this year!
Congratulations on your sales! About how long does it usually take between listing and selling?
Would you know a collector or anyone who might be interested in an 8-track player? I have one in a custom cabinet that my father made. I believe the player still works.
No idea. The 8-track market isn’t particularly hot though from my understanding. I’d list on Kijiji.
Some truly awesome stuff. So glad you saved these items and saw the beauty in (some of) these items.
I was cutting the grass on my lawn and doing gardening work when a 12 or 11 year-old child and adult approach the door and ask for donations of cans and bottles to raise money for sport camps for children.It is a great cause and I support the cause.But I only had 6 beer bottles and was not in a good mood after spending a night suffering from sinus headaches.I said no and asked the two people to look for bottles and cans in trash cans,recycling bins and in parks and alleyways.I pointed them to an old man,who only 20 feet away,was picking out soft drink cans from a public trash bin.Why is it Ok for old or middle-aged men and women to look for soft drink cans in garbage bins,but not people under 25?Young people and children should also look through the trash for cans and bottles to raise cash for summer programs and after-school activities and help the environment..Tired of the double standard.I have a car and I pick soft drink cans from public parks once in a while.End the snobbery of young people.Young people can and should pick cans and bottles from trash bins.I am only 33.
More than 6 weeks ago you mentioned briefly in a post on your blog that you had made great finds in the trash of the student ghetto at the end of the last semester in April.You still have not talked about or described those finds.Just wondering.
That’s coming up next actually!
Do you ever save vintage hand embroidered linens from the trash? I know there are tons of crafters/ sewists who are always willing to spend good money on vintage hand made goodness đŸ™‚ Even ones with stains can be cut up and used for projects.
Great blog, and super interesting finds!! Also, great research and anecdotes!!
I do. I didn’t know there was much of a market for them though. Usually they end up in my yard sale stuff. I’ll consider listing them on eBay in the future… thanks!
that pic of the tea cups makes me drool!
No doubt that Through the Looking Glass sold well because the movie came out the end of May . .great timing!
I love Montréal and find scavenging fun.Two of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Montréal for living in are Ahuntsic East (Recollet)and Pointe Claire Village.Both are underrated places to live in but gorgeous.Please scavenge more in both these areas.Lots of historic finds possible.Happy move!Happy Canada Day.