What Sold from My Antique Booth in March
Hi everyone! March failed to bring in big returns for me at my antique booth, I’m afraid, but I suspect you all will stick with me through the good months and the bad months. As a dealer, I’ve come to expect certain times of the yearย to perform more poorly than others.
February, for example, with only 28 days to sell, tends to have slow sales, but this year I had an unexpectedly excellent February (see here). However, in March, I sold just $237.70 worth of merchandise (well below my target of $400.00). My cost of goods sold, $26.00, amounted to 11.2%, just slightly over my target of 10%.
If you ever find yourself in the same boat, keep in mind that [thankfully] the good and bad months tend to balance each other out(!). Why don’t weย take a look at what actually soldย in March.
When I have them in stock, I often sell old clothespins in sets of five, tied with a scrap of country fabric (sold: $3.50).
A nice, large wicker basket (cost: $1.00, sold: $24.00).
The whisk broom in the rear sold (cost: $1.00, sold $10.00).
A Kraft cheese box (cost: $1.00, sold: $6.00)
A pair of leather work gloves (cost: $1.00, sold: $10.00).
An antique grater (cost: $3.00, sold: $18.00). The beater sold several months ago (cost: $3.00, sold: $22.00).
A Better Homes & Garden Cook Book, in rough shape (cost: $1.00, sold: $8.00).
A vintage firkin, which I recently painted, sold almost immediately (cost: $4.00, sold: $35.00).
A pink, milk glass dish (cost: $1.00, sold: $5.00).
Of course, I sold many other items in March, but I’m discovering that I don’t take pictures of every single thingย I buy. For example, I sold a small bench that I recently painted (taupe, my go to color) for $28.00 and a copy of the coffee table book, The Hudson River and It’s Painters, for $20.00. But I think you get theย idea of the sorts of vintage merchandise that’s selling in my area and at what price. What’s selling in your neck of the woods?
Thanks so much for stopping by today–
If you enjoyed this post, sign up via email
and receive every post directly in your inbox.
Let’s connect!
Facebook
Pinterest
Blog Instagram
Vintage Shop Instagram
Twitter
Bye for now,
Use the code EASTERย 20 to get 20% off your order in April.
Our party opens Thursdayย at 8 am.
Thanks Diana – it’s always nice to see what items actually sell for. It is also nice to know that some months are typically slower than others and I was interested to hear what your target sales vs. real sales are.
I just opened my first booth last weekend! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time and an open booth space sort of fell into my lap, so I just jumped in feet first. It’s going to be a work in progress for awhile, but I’m very excited.
I have a VERY small booth in the burbs of Dallas and this month I sold a lot of vintage Easter, some flower frogs and flower pots, along with a few granitewear and enamel bowls. For February I sold about $300, which I guess is not bad for a 3 ft x 5 ft booth. What sells around here is ironstone, white chippy anything and primitive. I try to change out or completely update once a month to look fresh – but it’s hard to pack away stuff since you never know what will sell!
Oh yeah, there are definitely terrible months, for sure… especially if March was unseasonably cold there. If April is much warmer/nicer than March, you should see an immediate uptick in your sales! I wrote several economics papers for my MBA about trends in antiques sales, because they wanted us to write about something we enjoy.
I had that same pink milk glass bowl that sold awhile back. I did pretty good for March too… linens, vintage greeting cards, vintage patterns and my hall tree and 1970s credenza that I painted both sold :o)
Tania
Hi, I find it so interesting when you do this post as I am considering a booth space myself. I do wonder though about the gas and time that you spend. Is this also deducted?
The things that sold in your booth would have sold here too. Sometimes I miss having a booth but not sure I will get another one any time soon.
It is interesting to see what sells in different areas of the state. I sold a lot of wooden stools in my booth in March and baskets. It is hit or miss each month and I just keep putting things in the booth that I like! The owner of the store where my booth is gave me the best tip ever. The shop is in a rural, low-mid income area. He said things like rusty tool caddys and tools (for example) don’t sell well because everyone has them in their garage or barn. I try to keep that idea in mind for the things I bring to my booth. Rusty stuff sells out of state all the time in my Etsy shop!
I also find it interesting to know that not every booth ‘dealer’ has all amazing months (or is that booth envy.. …) I have garden ‘art’ such as plate flowers and silverware windchimes that definiitely are more seasonal and often pay my monthly booth rent entirely ($162.00 for 10X10 booth plus 10% commission) so the vintage and antique items and glassware and furniture repurposing adds to the fun but are more the staples in the winter months when Montana is freezing and no one is outside enjoying their ‘yarden’. Your honesty with pricing is very helpful and it certainly (in my case anyway) is the ‘littles’ that add up.
I really enjoy these posts so much; I find that you are able to get higher prices than we get in Maine. Yankee thrift (or scrooginess)? Being Scotch-Irish-Polish raised by a mother who grew up during the Depression, I know I myself would hold out for cheaper basket prices at yard sales, GW, etc., but then, my baskets aren’t old. It took me 25 years to wear out her flour bag pillowcases! That woman was WAY ahead of her time upcycling. We had colored linens in the 50’s; you could get a gathered skirt at a rummage sale for .10 and get 2 pillowcases out of it! It wasn’t style, it was needful.
My fave was the pink milk glass bowl as I hoard milk glass! Have stayed away from colored as if I collected it too, the earth WOULD tilt on its axis! My boyfriend bought me 4 Westmoreland grape panel tumblers cheaply; I put tealights in them; what a beautfiul glow! I have found Jan.–Feb. slow as people are recovering from Christmas and oil bills. March-Apr. sometimes picks up as people are ready for a sick-of-winter splurge and their income tax returns have arrived! Thanks for all the hard work you do for us.
I so enjoyed reading about your March sales. I have a small booth in an antique/vintage and gift mall in Morro Bay, California, which I have been struggling with during the January-February dole drums. It’s great to see pictures of the merchandise you’ve sold, and prices. So true that you never really know for sure what’s going to sell!
I truly only like to sell vintage and antique things I’ve found. Many in the mall now sell new clothing and jewelry, which is popular with customers.
January and February can be tough months for those of us in the antique booth biz, can’t they Lillian? Here’s to a magnificent March!!