It was logical to launch an online vintage shop following a few small pop-ups that I had on my site for ceramics were hugely popular. I love vintage design. I took classes in Art History in college-and even more than ceramics! I’m a bit design obsessed. Beautiful objects that work well Sigh can you think of any more satisfying? Making ceramics is my way to show my love for exquisite, functional items. Vintage collecting is a different aspect of this same passion.
One of my favourite weekends is a walk through local antique stores and consignment stores in search of treasures I’m not able to keep. There’s only the amount of things I’m able to justify keeping within my residence… this is where my vintage store on Chairish is in!
I’m often asked questions about the operation of my Chairish shop. I’m often asked about how I gather vintage items, how I rate my vintage items as well as how I organize and transport everything and most important of all is: does Chairish really make me revenue? I’m only a year into running my chairish shop, and I’m giving all the details to you in this blog post, including the amount of money I earned selling vintage last year , and how difficult it is to manage an online shop selling vintage.
How I CollectWhat is brought back to me at home, and what do I discard
I’ve developed I have an unofficial set of guidelines to help me decide what I’ll purchase when I’m looking to sell. The most important things I think about include: condition, price and if it’s by an acclaimed artist, or is it a a time-period particular design or color, and finally, adding it all together and determining how these things compare with current trends in home decor?
I generally only purchase things that are in pristine or barely used in pristine condition. An item from a renowned designer or a luxury brand is usually going to me, if they’re priced just right (more on this later). Mid-Century furniture is a favorite on the site Chairish, and I pay close attention to the latest trends in colors in interior design , too. These details are my mental checklist when I’m shopping for vintage.
I only keep things I can actually be able to live with. This is the only way to get rid of garbage because I’m quite particular. I think about what if I purchase this item , and it isn’t sold, does it still have a place to me? Do I feel satisfied with the cost I paid for the function should I decide to live with this item? The light for instance currently is hanging in my dining area in my kitchen and I am in love!
Price for Profit and Sales • Making money while making sure that inventory is moving
I will always check the equivalents on the internet when I am considering buying a vintage item to gauge the value of the item and the popularity of the product. My primary sources to compare prices are The Chairish Pink Book, Etsy, Ruby Lane, 1st dibs, Replacements, and Ebay. My aim is to earn at least four or five times the initial cost , and to price it in a fair way for the product’s worth.
Chairish makes it incredibly easy to mark things down when they’re not selling. I usually mark them down each month at 10%, until the item is sold. If the profit potential of an item gets too small, I generally decide to either save the product (remember I’ve already made a decision that it has a place within my own life) or give it away to someone who I believe is going to really be delighted by it.
Limit Setting What is the amount can I am able to collect at one time
This is an extremely important factor! It’s something I can’t emphasize enough. It’s not difficult for a tiny collection to turn into a useless collection. I don’t want to live in this way, and I’ve found that clutter is the primary reason for anxiety in my daily life. To make sense of the unending accumulation I have established limits for my collection in two primary ways: a dollar limit and an limitation on space.
One of the reasons why I began selling on Chairish initially was the fact that I owned an excessive amount of vintage props from my collection that I used for photography shoots for my ceramics company. I was managing the entire operation from my house. There was a lot of stuff all over the place and it created stress for me. I’ve sold the majority of the stock I had initially and don’t want to be in the same spot. My answer isn’t stopping collecting altogether because I truly love it, but rather to reduce my collection, and to collect more mindfully.
I now have designated places for my antiques and antiques: 2 in the Ikea cabinets and a small pile of bigger items in the studio, which I organize in a way that they won’t fit in the cabinets. That’s it! If the objects don’t meet the requirements for those spaces, I will not purchase the items. At one time, I had three sets of dining table which I believed could be perfect for taking photos of my tableware, but instead they became a major source of clutter for me.
To meet the limit on money I would restrict my spending to 50% of the amount I’d earned the previous month on Chairish. However, my sales started increasing (yay!) which made me realize how was enjoying having less stuff in my home. Therefore, I cut my budget a lot. In the three times I’ve been thrifting, I’ve had a budget of just $30 and ended up with amazing bargains!
Let’s talk about Money /Do you really make money from selling vintage items on the internet?
I’ve sold 96 items on Chairish with total sales of $7,995.92 since I started my business there in November of 2017. Based on the total sales I made my average sales price was $83.29. A majority of my items were bought for less than $20, which means I’m expecting a reasonable return on my purchase. In many cases, I’m reaching the 5x target with a couple of lower and higher returns added into. I’ve learned a lot about the best selling items during my final year of selling vintage, and I’ll be striving to achieve even higher returns in 2019 , armed with this knowledge.
Okay But how difficult is it to manage an office shop in Chairish and make money?
The process of buying vintage and turning an income requires specific understanding of how to ensure you’re stretching your money as much as you can to earn the most profit. As an example, I’m aware Mid-Century style is a major popular with those who are a Chairish buyer. I’ve found these styles easy to spot when I’m shopping for thrift, so I’ve been able to make numerous great deals using this kind of item at my Chairish store. Chairish provides a informative guide, highlighting the trends of previous seasons as well as detailing what they’d like get more of on Chairish. This guide is very beneficial and definitely helps me plan my purchase.
One of my favourite aspects of Chairish is the consistency with which the listings appear on their website because the team of photographers edits the background for all lead images. I am awestruck by this feature! I don’t have to put in any time or effort to create my photos that I list, apart from using natural light and an appropriate tripod to get a sharp image. Just a few minor adjustments using photoshop and their background editing team makes sure I have a fantastic image that I can post to social media each time!
Do I suggest Chairish?
100%. I don’t have one negative review to share about the experience I had working with Chairish. As a business owner , I have numerous other things on my list every day, I am grateful the fact that Chairish handles the lead image editing as well as all customer service available on the website. Two of these features have had huge differences in my ability to manage running my own ceramic business and creating a brand-new business, The Studio Source as well as selling vintage items online!
Selling vintage takes patience, effort and effort, however, if you’re willing dedicate yourself to it I’ve discovered Chairish as the ideal partner to bring another stream of revenue to my design and art business.
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