End of Year Revised Picking

Wow fall is definitely in the air here and it is the time that a lot of picking starts slowing down as many garage and yard sales are coming to the end for the year. A good picker knows that he or she has to make some changes to their routine in order to survive the coming winter.

All is not lost as many venues such as estate auctions, church and community sales will go on year round. Other auctions for vintage and collectible merchandise are held year round as well. Many good items can be gleaned at these places. You just have to do your homework to see where you can get good merchandise for prices that you can live with.

Here is an example of a piece that I got at the last auction I attended.  There was a huge variety of stuff as it was labeled an estate auction. It was more of a moving sale for the family.  There were great items there for very low prices and then there were things that were better left alone. Any time you hit a place like this you are going to see a lot of different  items.

This is true of many of the sales that I attend. One thing that really helps me is to get there early and investigate the things to be auctioned. I handle a lot of the items to get a feel for them. Glass and pottery needs to be examined before the auction.  Other items need to be looked over to see if parts are missing or damage is present.

I got a whole truck load of stuff for a bit over $100. I was a very happy camper! A lot of the items were more run of the mill items but there were some good finds.  One was a nice huge vintage cast iron skillet for $1.00. I also got a vintage Schwinn Searcher bike for $15.

Here is one of the items that I got at that auction that was a sleeper. I thought it was iron until I got up close and personal. Turned out it was a very nice figoral bronze sculpture.  It just sold for a very nice price! Here is the listing for it in my store at Kim's Kreations & Rare Finds   Here is a picture of the sculpture below.

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These sold very quickly and they will be shipped out on Monday! I have many more items from that auction I am still in the process of listing. I got some great box lots there that I am going through now. I found a lot of vintage fabric, linens and some vintage Sci Fi books that I think I may put on Amazon for sale.

You just never know what you are going to find unless you actually go there and take a look! It is definitely treasure hunting as you are digging through boxes and bags and other things. What fun!

So what are your plans for picking for the fall and winter months??? I would love to hear from you and see what you are doing to keep your inventory levels up there.  Christmas is coming and it is usually my busiest selling time. I want to make sure I have more than enough stock for my buyers.