Vintage & Antiques: How much is it worth?
Value is dependent on the buyer for 90% of the pricing, and 10% is the market to which it is being sold.
There are several different markets to sell this item and this is the approximate going price for this item. You cannot ask for Etsy pricing when you’re selling at a garage sale and expect the same results.
Garage Sale
The people coming to garage sales are bargain hunters, they will not pay more than 20% of the value of an item, it is rare that people will.
Work that goes into this method: an add for a garage sale and stickers.
Singular Ad on Facebook Marketplace
You can receive up to 30% of an item on marketplace, you are more than welcome to price it higher, however it will sit longer.
Work that goes into this method: photo and time for a meet up
Vintage Pop Up
Vendors generally charge up to 70% of the value of an item that they could list online and make more. There is a larger audience at markets/pop ups but not as much as online.
Work that goes into this method: similar to a vintage mall, but items are hauled in and out, hunted for, washed, prepped, and the vendor pays for a booth fee but not a commission.
Vintage Mall
For an item to sell in a vintage mall, the item must be priced appropriately, and displayed nicely.
Work that goes into this method: They pay taxes, pay for gas, pay a booth and % fee, clean & restore items, and put time and effort into displays.
Etsy & Ebay
As they market for Etsy and Ebay is in the millions if not billions, you can charge significantly more online due to the audience. Please note that anyone can make up a price and a shipping price and post it. I could cut my hair and put it on ebay and say it’s worth $1M but that doesn’t mean it will sell for that price. Do not use non sold postings as a guide for value you will only waste your time.
Work that goes into this method: They pay taxes, pay for gas, pay a listing fee and commission fee, clean & restore items, and put time and effort into photography and listing, Organization of items, shipping time and costs.
Cherished & 1st Dibs
The most unrealistic prices come from these websites, your item is more than likely worth less than 50% of what it is on these websites.
Work that goes into this method: They pay taxes, pay for gas, pay a listing fee and commission fee, clean & restore items, and put time and effort into photography and listing, Organization of items, shipping time and costs.
In the end it all depends on how long you’d like to hold out for the right amount on an item. If you only have one item and are firm on your price you may be holding onto it for years. Trends are also part of a volatile market and what is popular one day is dead the next. Vintage and Antique vendors watch the trends and put a lot of work into their booths and displays. They hold onto product for years for the right time to sell (much like a stock market).