Pick for Profit

We’ve had a ton of interest in opening and maintaining an antique booth, so John and I decided to share some common shenanigans that take place when you have a booth. We cover what to do when items go missing, how to tell if your prospective mall is analog or digital (and why it matters for tracking sales), how to think about stocking inventory, and even why kindness toward the people who work your antique mall can pay off in the long run.

In this latest Q&A session, John hits some best practices for listing online, and we both dive into some techniques we've used for identifying art pieces. John also relates a cool experience he had with one vintage enthusiast, walking him through successfully listing (and selling!) his first item online. 

As antiques and collectibles dealers, we're constantly bombarded with articles and tips on what's hot in the collecting world. Problem is, by the time you see that article, generally everyone else has too. When you go shopping for inventory, those hot items are either nowhere to be found or priced at top dollar. So how do you fill those shelves? John shares his tips here on how to buy items that are sort of popular-adjacent to keep your inventory fresh and your sales strong. 

In this episode, John shares what's selling quickly out of his eBay and Etsy shops right now. He also offers some pretty priceless (pun intended) advice on why those lower-priced items can absolutely be a godsend for your business.

As collectors and dealers, we've all faced the same dilemma: to clean or not to clean those new antique or collectible finds. John shares a few thoughts on why he almost always never does. (It all comes back to his specific selling niche!)

Great customer service doesn’t start at checkout. It starts long before a buyer ever clicks “purchase.” In this episode, John shares his top tips for delivering standout service in a digital storefront, from first impressions to follow-up. Whether you sell antique books or collectible figurines, these practices will build trust, ensure buyer satisfaction (and good reviews!), and, most importantly, keep customers coming back. 

This week, John shares practical tips for shipping the large, the heavy, the oddly sized and the oh-so-breakable. Whether you're mailing vintage glassware or brittle celluloid, these shipping strategies will help you protect your items (and your profits)!

It’s time for another Q&A! We got some great questions that ran the gamut across all the topics we’ve covered so far on the podcast. John shares some excellent additional tips this time around. Whether you’re new to the antiques and collectibles world or a seasoned seller, there’s something here for you.

John opens up about the antique and collectible finds he let get away (and still haunt him), as well as the items he did bring home only to find out they maybe should have stayed behind. Lessons learned in the treasure hunt.

From Beanie Babies to Pyrex, John's seen some crazy trends come and go in his past four decades in the antiques and collectibles biz. Hear all about some of the wilder trends that came and went, as well as some of those timeless items that always seem to sell.