Money to get started(by selling my stuff)

10 replies
Hey,

I realize that in order to start an online business i will need as much money as i can get, for a long time i struggled with this and recently my cousin passed away and left me his apartment along with alot of antiques made of gold, silver, furnitures. It is located in new york, queens and im currenty living in it untill i can sell everything and start my true passion, which is online buisness.

Since it dropped on me like a bomb i have no clue how to get the real price for those items since most of them are 50-100 years old or more.

I know this might not be the right place to ask such question but this is one of the only forum ive known and worked with, and ppl here seems to be very helpful and understanding, so if anyone has any idea i would be very greatful.

Items im talking about are mostly old pocket watches made of gold, plates, forks, knifes made of silver(spacial design and symbols on them), antique statues and so on..
#money #selling #startedby #stuff
  • Profile picture of the author Benjamin Ehinger
    Use a completed listing search on ebay for similar items. This can help you get an idea of what they sold for. Another good way to find out is to just take them to an area antique dealer and see what they offer, then double it. This will give you a retail value give or take 20%.

    Benjamin
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  • Profile picture of the author BigRog
    You can check prices using eBay for older items. Clean them up take lots of photos and start listing them. The market will pay what there worth. Just make sure you research and describe each item in detail. Don't skip mentioning any flaws on antiques. Details are important. You can also find someone in your area who will do all that for you for a fee. Look for an eBay drop off store in the phone book.

    Good Luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author Daniel22
      Originally Posted by BigRog View Post

      You can check prices using eBay for older items. Clean them up take lots of photos and start listing them. The market will pay what there worth. Just make sure you research and describe each item in detail. Don't skip mentioning any flaws on antiques. Details are important. You can also find someone in your area who will do all that for you for a fee. Look for an eBay drop off store in the phone book.

      Good Luck!
      Ai, i started cleaning them and searching for similar items but its so hard to find an exect match becoz i dunno how to describe most of them exacly since all the written stuff is now impossible to read.
      I have called some dealers to come by and give me a price but im afraid ill lose alot of money cause they will always pay alot less then its real value(cause they most luckly to know i dont know the value either), and i can find myself selling 10k$ worth of item for 20 bucks..
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      • Profile picture of the author Prideoflion
        I think I'll be the first one to say this man.

        Take a little bit of time and step back. I know you want to fund your business, but is more important that you put things in the proper order than it is to convert it into cash. I think since you honestly have a fairly large amount of items that are made from gold and silver, it justifies you going out and getting a private appraiser.

        There are more than a few sharks and scammers out there that would love nothing more than take what you have. Much more, the things you're selling are in a way a representation of the man who left them to you. I think the first decision that you should make in this situation is to decide what you want to keep in order to remember him.

        After you sorted that out then go out and get a private appraiser to determine the actual value of the watches etc. pick one that is not interested in buying your stuff, as that removes the intrinsic bias that the appraiser would have otherwise.

        Other than that, a quick way to determine whether silver is legit or not is to use a relatively strong magnet. Silver has close to zero magnetic pull, so if it sticks if not legit.

        Hope this helped my friend.


        Originally Posted by Daniel22 View Post

        Ai, i started cleaning them and searching for similar items but its so hard to find an exect match becoz i dunno how to describe most of them exacly since all the written stuff is now impossible to read.
        I have called some dealers to come by and give me a price but im afraid ill lose alot of money cause they will always pay alot less then its real value(cause they most luckly to know i dont know the value either), and i can find myself selling 10k$ worth of item for 20 bucks..
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        • Profile picture of the author Daniel22
          Originally Posted by Prideoflion View Post

          I think I'll be the first one to say this man.

          Take a little bit of time and step back. I know you want to fund your business, but is more important that you put things in the proper order than it is to convert it into cash. I think since you honestly have a fairly large amount of items that are made from gold and silver, it justifies you going out and getting a private appraiser.

          There are more than a few sharks and scammers out there that would love nothing more than take what you have. Much more, the things you're selling are in a way a representation of the man who left them to you. I think the first decision that you should make in this situation is to decide what you want to keep in order to remember him.

          After you sorted that out then go out and get a private appraiser to determine the actual value of the watches etc. pick one that is not interested in buying your stuff, as that removes the intrinsic bias that the appraiser would have otherwise.

          Other than that, a quick way to determine whether silver is legit or not is to use a relatively strong magnet. Silver has close to zero magnetic pull, so if it sticks if not legit.

          Hope this helped my friend.
          You have helped me a lot my friend, thank you all!
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  • Profile picture of the author Dragonfire Wealth
    If you want the money quick you could always go to antique/jewelery stores, and pawn shops as a last resort. Most you'll get is good money for a valuable antique, least you'll get is whatever the weight of gold is worth.
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  • Profile picture of the author jakecoop79
    Do an internet search for antique appraisal. Always get 2 or 3 opinions. Another good place to go is an auction house, they will help you find the real value, because the more you make, the more they make.
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    • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
      Originally Posted by jakecoop79 View Post

      Do an internet search for antique appraisal. Always get 2 or 3 opinions. Another good place to go is an auction house, they will help you find the real value, because the more you make, the more they make.
      This ^^^

      eBay is NOT the place to sell nice antique stuff. Do a NY search for estate buyers, antiques, gold and silver buyers. And jake is right, get at least 3 opinions before making any deal. Good luck.
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      • Profile picture of the author Prideoflion
        I agree, Ebay is the place where you can get rid of your items as quickly as possible for a "reasonable" (the customers reasonable not yours) amount of money. I'm sure you could succeed at selling those items on eBay, but I'll tell you right now you will never get the full value or even really even close on such a site. .

        So really get a private appraiser, preferably more than one, and get an accurate picture of what your items are worth.

        Another thing, appraising is an opinion not fact. If you think something's worth much more than the appraiser is telling you, find another one. Just like art, beauty or in this instance worth, is in the eyes of the beholder.

        I wish you the best my friend.
        Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

        This ^^^

        eBay is NOT the place to sell nice antique stuff. Do a NY search for estate buyers, antiques, gold and silver buyers. And jake is right, get at least 3 opinions before making any deal. Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheArticlePros
    Originally Posted by Daniel22 View Post

    I realize that in order to start an online business i will need as much money as i can get
    There have already been a couple of helpful posts telling you how to maximize the value of your belongings, but I'm going to address this instead.

    Why do you need money to start an online business?

    It costs exactly $0.00 to start an online business as long as you're not picky about what you're doing. Go to Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail and get a free email account, then go to vWorker.com, iWriter.com, or where ever else you like and sign up for free worker accounts. (I did vWorker when I got started.)

    Bid on article writing jobs. The first week I tried this almost a year ago, I made around $100. I seriously underbid my value, but I got extra money.

    Now you have a little seed money to invest in buying your own domain and a hosting package. There's a code right now in the main forum in this post where you can get a domain for 99 cents, and you can get a HostGator account for like $4 or so.

    Keep writing articles while you build a site, do the kw research, write your own articles, and start making sales. You will actually get paid to learn how to make money online and do Internet Marketing instead of hocking your antiques for way below their value.

    -- j
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    http://www.jarycu.com

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