Speaking of frustration, I'm about to scream.

[Paper Roses]

I was brought up with the idea that a statement was a commitment. You will probably remember the folks telling you that if you said you would do something, you'd better darn well do it.
I am very frustrated. People who say they will call, come, whatever and that is the last you hear from them.
I know times are tight, I am not trying to make money. I am trying to move along some of the things my husband and I collected through the years. I have no "collections of", just items that pleased us over the years. There is no junk. It is antique quality or at least of a value for a consignment shop to make some money.

Weeks ago, I started calling a few antique shops. Not interested--OK.
I spoke to my first consignment shop, the owner said she'd love to look but then told me she marked low and marked the goods half price after 30 days. Nuts on that.
Then I called a few other consignment shops, one at a time. The first one, lovely lady, came to see what I had to offer. Said she'd be back to me the next day. I had to call her several days later. She finally came and took a few items-paid, not consigned, her choice.
Called a another shop. She came right away and make a list of what she would take on consignment. I was told she had to research a few items...fine. Was to receive a call this AM
No call. I need to move forward with this process but can't seem to find anyone interested in some of the goods. OR, that will call me back as they said they would.
I've got some good stuff here but they seem to be looking at the low-end goods. I have some great colored cut to clear glass lamps, some clear glass finger lamps, great selection of Waterford, opalescent glass sugar shakers, a piece of what I think is Pairpoint/Mt. Washington...on and on.

Since there are very few shops in the area, I don't even know what to do. The goods are of good quality but not enough to call in an auctioneer.

I guess the most frustrating thing about this process is the lack of follow through by these shop owners. They are not being asked to put good money up front.
I can't explain the frustration of waiting for a call all day. It holds you up from the next choice.

Geeze, I'm getting to be an intolerant old biddy but when I say I will come or call, I do it.

[Vinca]

1. You really ought to take a booth at a high traffic shop like the one

just over the Maine border. I think you can ship things to them and they'll put them in the display for you. You wouldn't have to do it forever and it would give you total control over things.

http://www.antiquesusamaine.com/

[Paper Roses]

2. Hi Vinca, I just checked out their site and I think I will call them.

Wish we had some big co-op's like that around here. The few we had that I used to visit are gone.
Thanks so much for the tip.

[Vinca]

3. Good luck. Summer is probably a better time for sales there,

but it is pretty close to the York area factory stores and, of course, the Freeport mecca for shoppers.

[april]

4. Sell on Ebay...

or on Etsy That may work as long as the items are not to heavy or large/Please note Ebays fees are high but if you dont want them it is a good place to start . Also look at similar item on ebay to give you a idea as to want they are selling for .

[grasswire]

5. what about a "living estate sale"?

I see those all the time here.

"Lifetime collector living estate sale."

A service comes in and displays and sells the stuff you are letting go of, for a percentage. The stuff you don't want to sell is in rooms that are shut off from the sale. Or it can be held in a hall of some kind, but that requires more work.

I'd give my eye teeth to attend your sale.

Hey, here's an idea -- maybe you ought to hold it in the summer and get a couple of trusted posters from this forum to help you hold it, in exchange for a few nights stay where you live.

[Paper Roses]

6. I'd do that in a flash, want to come? I'd have to put all this stuff

back in the attic but it would be worth it. I have extra bedrooms...and the house is clean. Would give me more time to clean out more stuff.

[Sadie5]

7. Just an idea

I don't sell on ebay but have a reseller who comes to my home, picks up my items which usually fill her van, we discuss price and I wait for my check. She runs them for 7 days and relists if I want her to. She does take around 30% but she also does all the work such as listing, taking pictures, mailing out items after the sale etc. You might think about this. She lives 30 miles away from me and never has complained about her gas. This is a great arrangement for me.

[Paper Roses]

8. Good Morning, I just spent about 30 minutes fishing around eBay.

I found the Trading Assistant category, which I didn't even know about. In the research, I fount 12 resellers in my immediate area. I wish the category selection was a little more specific but I reviewed their profiles and there are 2 that list antiques. If I expand the radius a little, there are about 25 who seem to fit the bill.

I will start contacting them, one at a time tomorrow. The two locals have a 98 or 99% rating and charge a 30% fee AND(yea) will pick up the merchandise.
Thank you so much for this suggestion. I hope this works and someone is interested.
I'll keep you posted.

[Sadie5]

9. Ebay has cleared these resellers

through paypal so there is little worry for you. My reseller makes an inventory list and we both sign it. She also emails me with any offers and news of my items. Her check arrives promptly after 7 days or so. She has a 7 day pay policy for buyers, I think others have a 3 day policy. Good luck.

[grasswire]

10. PR, when you look at the ebay feedback rating...

...you might want to go into that and look at recent comments. If there are some recent negatives, that might be something to be careful about. 98 percent means there are some negatives at some point.

[Sadie5]

11. Good idea

I just saw that my reseller had a negative comment so I clicked to the buyers feedback of others and it would seem that this particular buyer makes a habit of sarcasm. The feedback was downright nasty to other sellers. With only 8 purchases I expect that he/she was banned and set up a new account. But I agree, it does pay to check on the resellers feedback.