An Most Enjoyable Learning Curve

I have to say, starting to sell on eBay again has been quite a learning curve, mainly because this time round I am need to go out to find pretty inexpensive things in the hoping to flip for a small profit. 

It seems I have a bit of an eye, however some things that I didn’t think had any real value but would be perfect to put a smile on everyone’s face for my famous festive tut sacks, after some research had a bit more about them ……..

…….. like this beaded doll that cost me for £1.50 ……..

……. which apparently is a South African handmade and hand beaded Rasta Ndebele doll who “among the Nguni people is a diviner, who claims to be able to contact ancestral spirits. It is said that she receives the will of the spirits and is a protector of the society. Her opinion and judgments are very important, she is seen as an important figure in their culture" Each doll is unique as the patterns from one doll to anther are different in style, pattern and colour.  She is exquisitely made but who knew?

From another shop on another day, for just £1.60, came this figure.  I just loved her, but she fits nowhere in my flat, otherwise I would have kept her. She turns out to be a hand carved, beaded African tribal stick doll with accented brass (?)jewellery.  I can only find one shop in the US to reference her by, where very similar dolls sell for £125, how she got in Evesham goodness only knows. I think she might be a slow burner, but hopefully one day someone will stumble upon her and know exactly what she is. She is really beautiful.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, there’s these Miller Goodman ShapeMaker Cubes, found in a 3 for 99p box, but for which I paid 50p because there wasn’t anything else in the box that I wanted.  To be honest, I didn’t look inside, I just thought Iris and Bertie could play with them for a while and then I would make Christmas tree decorations with them!  Again I got it totally wrong, these currently retail for £39.99 new from the original company who made them, or bizarrely, for as much as £127 in some other shops?  I don’t think these have ever been played with.

Of course I have to sell the things I list first, I think they have the potential, but who knows?

My set of vintage Cherry B glasses that cost me £2.50 have gone …………

…… as has as the Hannah Turner “Birdy” teapot, that cost me £2.50. I just need to be patient, but it’s making me go out more and with an aim (now that we can) looking at all sorts of things with new eyes, all the research is always very interesting as well as useful for descriptions …….. plus my adventures/discoveries help fill the odd blog post in fallow times when I am not inspired to craft, like today!