Informed shoppers

Hi Tag Poppers

Today is the first day of January and there aren't any sales going on.  That is often the way it is during this time of year.

So, this is a good day to think about your sales journey for the new year.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, if you are just getting started in shopping resale (estate sales, garage and yard sales) it is a good idea to go in to this arena armed with some information.

Take the down time of this season to read up on the sales items you will be focusing on. Talk to people who like to second hand shop and learn, learn, learn.

The reason I say to speak with people about your items of interest is because you will often be the beneficiary of some little known, but valuable, information.

Not too long ago I was at a goodwill store and noticed some jewelry that looked like bakelite.   Bakelite jewelry is colorful and plastic and very fun. It is also very collectable and comes in different colors and shapes and this past summer was a season of color for me, so it definitely caught my eye.  My knowledge base for this product was rather limited, but it looked like bakelite and I considered buying them.  There were about four pieces, (wristlets) and they were about five dollars a piece.  I passed them up, however and on future trips continued to see the pieces. . . and then one day, they were gone.  But, my curiosity had already been peaked and I began to investigate this line of jewelry.

Armed with a little internet knowledge, I found myself at an estate sale where there was some jewelry that looked similar to the pieces I had seen, but these looked cheap.  A woman who was seated in the room (to answer questions (and watch for thieves)) made a comment about a piece that I was looking at.  Her comments encouraged conversation and she told me more about bakelite than I had already researched.  She told me a jeweler's trick to figuring out if a piece of bakelite is real.  Apparently you can rub some type of oil on the bakelite and if it is real, it will grow dull for a moment and then recapture its shine.  You would have to bring some of this oil with you while you are shopping and I am not sure the sellers would appreciate you rubbing anything on their wares, however, if someone is trying to sell you bakelite, and they know it is real, they probably won't care if you do the oil experiment, because it would only prove what they already know.  Good information!!

So go into your sales armed with information and an idea of what you want to buy, so you can make informed purchases.  Happy New Year Tag Poppers!!!