kbobam Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Hey Steve This might be worthless, but I read a story this morning which talked about how there are all these 'mods' in England. One thing it said was that all of them are nuts about 50's and 60's stuff. Since you just said you have a ton of it, that seemed like enough of a coincidence that I figured I'd say something. So maybe if a British guy wants to buy all your stuff you should hold out for a better price. He'll probably go home and make a poop-load on it! Bob Can't find the story I saw. But here's something like it. I think my story also had older people who probably have more money. http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/11/08/carlotta_cardana_mod_couples_examines_the_new_generation_of_modernist_couples.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadely1212 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 very nice hansel... you got a great score on chinas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manylittle Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Those colors on those chinas are outa site!!! You hardly ever see them so bright !!! They must have been in that bag and away from the fading properties of sunlight for absolutely decades !!!! What a find!!! and the designs are neat, also. By the way, I'm an optimist...and I think that as long as we, the people who care about marbles, do what we can to educate the public and to keep marble collecting in the public eye, chances are that we can attract new collectors. Every time someone finds something special like these last marbles in someone's attic, take advantage of that and write up a little press release with some educational stuff about marble collecting in general and submit it with pics to your local newspaper. I think if we all did similar things, it would help the industry. What do you guys think? I'm always trying to come up with ways to get another free article in my local paper that can .....unintentionally, of course, lol......lead people to my shop. We can use the same techniques to bring attention to marbles and marble collecting !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 thanks kbob!!....I don't buy much furniture...or clothes, except blue jeans and old concert t-shirts and Harley-davidson stuff....I like kitchen tools ....glassware and costume jewelery ,bottles and fishin poles..those graphite and bamboo...I do pick up brass lamps...if theyre cheap and recycle them...hard to find good furniture in them old barns....doors and widows sell easy,too....ive gotta clean out my garage....its full...Im expecting my first retirement ck next week.....yahoo!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTAndrea Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 You sell widows, Duffy??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 yes....and other old junk.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manylittle Posted February 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 I know this is off topic, but I want to share my senior moment with you. I packaged some marbles that sold yesterday and took off the 18 miles to mail the packages and take care of some other stuff. I got all the way to the Post Office to realize that I had left the bag with my packages in them, on the table, next to the door in my house !!! I had to go all the way back home and all the way back to the Post Office and managed to get there the last time with 5 minutes to spare before they closed !!!! With the price of gas these days I was not happy with myself !!! lol Anyway, the buyers will get their marbles and I really hope that they enjoy them as much as I did !!! They all went for money that was higher Gthan what I had expected except for the package of 80 mixed peltier rainbos. I had hoped that they would go for a bit more....well, a lot more,.....but I really had my hopes up. One of my bricks, that I had recently offered to sell to someone for $25 because it was not in good condition, went for $71. That made my day !!! gonnq go list a popeye hybrid now...I wonder how much the economy and all the other influences will effect its selling price.....any guesses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbobam Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 I have a buddy who's wanted to clean out his garage for years. He says there's about a 6 inch space where you can get from one end to the other if you're a small guy like me and you walk sideways. The check sounds good, but please continue to do the business things you do, and also feel free to drink, smoke, eat fried food, and do any other thing you damn well feel like. Retirement can kill you! ( : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manylittle Posted February 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 I can't afford to retire !!!! and I'm starting to date a guy who loves to 'cook healthy' it scares me to death !!!!! lol don't smoke, though...never learned how to inhale...to the disgust of my maryjane loving cousin !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manylittle Posted February 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 There's that new tv show where the people clean out the garage for free as long as they can keep what is in it. Maybe he should call them? They even remodel the space after they empty it. All for free !!! lol It would be fun to do something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 you haint far off there kbob,...my retirement playbook , modeled after Sanford and son...includes all those things....as tom jones said "its not unusual" to find smokers huddling on the porch while lookin at the thermometer.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstmmrbls Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 You are very lucky with Ebay. I similar brick could have been picked up at the show in Canton yesterday for around 20 bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manylittle Posted February 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 I think that the way I listed it, helped. I did not try to paint it as better than it was, in fact I said that it was not in good condition at all, even got remarks about how good that made some potential buyers feel. Making your potential buyers feel good is way over half the battle. I often try to use humor in my listings...not this one....I try to make my readers laugh, if I can fit the humor with the description so that it does not look out of place...and it helps...people relax, become enthusiastic about the listing and bid more. I also try to give as much information as I can. I learned that in selling the famous Lone Wolf framed prints. I figured this out, and to prove that I was on the right track, I put two practically identical Long Wolf framed prints in my store in two different locations. One, I priced low, with no information, just the price tag. The other, I priced high, but I added a 3 by 5 card with an explanation about how this picture was in every grandma's home and that it was about the depression. The bleak winter landscape represented the spirit of the masses as there was record unemployment and people had no hope...there spirits were as bleak as that landscape...the wolf represented the wolf being at one's door...families were so close to loosing their homes etc...mothers did not have food for their children....the wolf WAS at the door !!! The first time, I sold the most expensive picture first, I thought that it was just a fluke...but I repeated it, again, and again...and the picture, even if it was over $30 or more, more than the other one, would still sell first, and the other one would stay hung on the wall. Now, of course, that 3 by 5 card gets put on each one that I get in. The same goes for other things...if I can give the story behind the piece, it gets attached to the price tag in my walk in store. Information sells, whether it is on general antiques, or on a marble. In selling this marble, for example, I could have just been lazy, like so many of us are, and just put the basic information out there....not much more than what is in a usual title....but I talked about it being a special marble because of the different colors and the cleanness of the lines...or something like that..I'm not looking at my description right now, but I'm sure you get what I mean. If you saw another one like mine at the show for $20, I hope you picked it up....you might just make a pretty profit. lol I just hope you found one in better shape. I wish I could have been at the show. I have never been to one...always say that I'll get to the Madison show some day. I have no excuse as I have a brother in town, so it would only cost my gas. lol So, how was your day there...any highlights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catfish Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 What has effected the decline in the price of marbles from what they were even 5 - 10 years ago? # 1. The internet # 2. Obama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstmmrbls Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Sometimes Ebay makes no sense. Look at the killer mint Green Brick someone got for less than the beater you sold? http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MACHINE-MADE-MARBLE-M-F-CHRISTENSEN-BRICK-9-TAIL-MINT-BRICK-OXBLOOD-/141184578002?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=4SAUBXMYQbh9TQPenYbqqXgqg1M%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTAndrea Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Crap, how did I miss that?! I love the green and blue bricks. Need to have one....or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manylittle Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Catfish, I understand why you say that the Internet has effected the decline in the price of marbles. I don't understand what you mean by Obama. Can you be specific? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockgardenplants Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 "modeled after Sanford and son" .. lol... Loved that show! Especially the opening music... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacyw Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Galen, do you think that the green brick looked so good that potential bidders were frightened that it was polished? I don't mean to imply that it was, only that folks might have thought it was "too good to be true?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstmmrbls Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 I have no idea why so few bids. I will let you know if its polished . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacyw Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Congrats - it's a beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfrost Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I really enjoyed this topic because it was so informative. I rarely comment, but I felt this was one of those times I just had to express my appreciation of this site. It helps those of us who live in areas where there seem to be very few good marbles available and even fewer collectors to keep up our excitement in the hobby. Thanks. Laura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manylittle Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Thank you Hillfrost, for that nice and positive comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I submit that what is happened to cause the decline in marble prices is just a matter of perspective and brand or product bought or sold. Not too many years ago, a vast majority of folks had problems paying .02 at retail for a Jabo 5/8 inch Classic. Now they sometimes bring a dime or more depending. Best Buy would kill for that sort of mark-up and margin. Fairly recently, people talked about the proliferation of special/investor run marbles and how worthless they are to some. I believe the market for these has improved and will only get better now that Mr. Dave is no longer with Jabo. Can I get an Amen from any visionaries out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manylittle Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 What you are saying may have more to do with Jabos than with the more vintage marbles. As far as investor run marlbles....remember Beanie Babies ?...they were marketed to 'investors' also and look where they are now. What do the rest of you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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