One Man's Junk Is Another Man's Treasure!

I recently posted about the famous collectible Hummel figurines and their interesting past, but what about their present? Where do you find such collectibles? Many people who are either not collectors or just beginning to collect find themselves wondering and searching where the best places for great finds are. As I stated in my introduction post, I have grown up learning about what’s collectible, where you can find it, the best price, and of course how to haggle with a seller.  

Garage sales, estate sales, and thrift stores are a great place to hunt for buried treasure, sure you may come upon a bunch of junk but there’s always the chance that someone will be selling a unique collectible item at a much reduced price. If you are buying to resale that is of course more profit in your pocket, but even if you are simply buying for the enjoyment of the piece, you can take great joy in the economical price! You can usually find advertisements for these types of sales in your local newspaper or online.     

The local “Green Acres” newspaper serves Northeast Kansas and Missouri with a complete listing of auctions, antique stores, and flea markets. At the peak of the auction season there can sometimes be up to 70 auctions listed for you to choose from. These three venues are all great places to find desired items, however you have to be careful when buying or bidding not to over pay! When purchasing items you must use good judgment and know when it’s time to back down from a high bid or price tag. Though there are many rare and unique items worth purchasing at a higher price if financially feasible, usually patience is a virtue and you can eventually find what you want at a price you like.   

When shopping at any antique store or flea market it’s always a good idea to ask if the price marked is their best/lowest, unless the item is marked “firm.” The worst that can happen, is they tell you “no,” otherwise you might get an item for much less than originally priced! When bidding on items at an auction it always best to pick out the pieces you are interested in and set an approximate price of what you would be willing to pay. Auctioneers move very quickly working to hike the sale price up fast, if you set a price prior to the auction, you have more control over what your paying than everyone else who is panicking trying to decide if they should fold or bid higher.  

My last tip for bidding at an auction pertains to when an auctioneer groups several items together for the sale of one price. If you choose to withdraw your bid and loose to another individual it’s never a bad idea to ask the winning individual if they would be willing to sell you one of the pieces they may not want. For example I attended a sale this past June where I seriously wanted to purchase a figurine, however the auctioneer grouped several figurines together and I decided to back out of the bid which was currently up to $35. After the bid was closed I kindly asked the woman who beat me if she would be willing to sell me the figurine I wanted, in return she replied that she was not interested in that particular item and would gladly sell me it for $5. An example of why it doesn’t hurt to ask, she could have said no, but instead I got what I wanted and at a great price!     

I hope you once again enjoyed my post and even if you do not collect antiques, maybe you could apply some of these tactics when making other purchases in your life. And if you are a “newbie” to the auction world remember to bring your driver’s license. As you will have to provide that pertinent information to receive your valid bidding number!