Saturday, February 6, 2016

Kurt Russell smashes an antique Martin Guitar

How do you suppose the museum 
could have avoided such a loss?
Read On!


When I still resided and ran a business in Los Angeles, at one point or another I rented out equipment and such, 
but when running my resale boutique I also rented costumes, high end clothing and other accessories that were both 
one of a kind vintage/antiques, or high dollar designer labels such as Valentino.... 

Point here, I rented much of the lot I had (costumes from my movie studio connections, and wealthy clients) 
for X amount according to the item, BUT, the trick always was, I held a deposit, no matter who the customer was, 
for the FULL VALUE of the item. 

Gfycat gif

My rule of thumb was in simple terms, 20% of the tag price, with a minimum of 25 dollars a day, keeping in mind that some items 
I had in my store were actually priceless or valued at more than any tag price. These actually hung above the racks 
in my store like art. So, having said that, if a beaded dress from the 20's was valued at $1000, the rental price was $200 a day, 
(I worked better deals with studios, as I had them as constant clients) and the deposit was, YEP, You guessed it, $1000!
Held either in cash, but most frequently by a credit card that had been validated for the amount.

You might think, how the heck, but the studios had no problems with this polocy and neither did any non studio customers 
who just wanted to rent a flapper dress at $50 a day, or the weekend...

Lesson learned here, is don't under value either your products/goods, nor your value as a service for providing them, and
this sort of nightmare will not happen, at least not without being prepared for it. I realize the case for this Martin Guitar
is not about the money, but the sting of what happened to it, would 
have at least been less. 

I hope this little bit of experience and advice will be valuable to one or more of you! 


VISIT TREASURED SCRAPS FOR OLD & NEW GIFTS. FLEA MARKET, AUCTION, GARAGE & YARD SALES, VINTAGE, ANTIQUE, ARTISAN, CRAFTS, & MORE!


Saturday, June 14, 2014

USPS Shipping Chart

Here's a simple breakdown forthe most cost effecient way to ship items through the USPS.
It gives info on shipping MEDIA MAIL, which is books & albums, as opposed to PRIORITY MAIL.

If you have an item under 13 oz, there is FIRST CLASS MAIL, great for small items, such as nic-naks, some jewelry, etc...
These services are great ways to ship, except it will take up to 5-7 days, sometimes more.

You can't use a priority mail box for these services, you will have to use your own box.
Stores such as Walmart, Target, etc., are great places to find boxes when they are stocking
shelves, and are more than happy to let you have them.

Another added benefit to using USPS, you will be helping to preserve an Icon, as using their
service will help keep them alive into the distant future :)

https://www.usps.com/ship/service-chart.htm

Also another resource that may help
USPS SHIPPING CALCULATOR

http://postcalc.usps.com/

SHIPPING LARGE ITEMS/FURNITURE

One that ships internationally
http://www.cratersandfreighters.com/

This one takes bids for your business with various movers, so you can get the best price.
http://www.uship.com/



VISIT TREASURED SCRAPS FOR OLD & NEW GIFTS. FLEA MARKET, AUCTION, GARAGE & YARD SALES, VINTAGE, ANTIQUE, ARTISAN, CRAFTS, & MORE!

VINTAGE AND ANTIQUE IDENTIFICATION GUIDES

If your a collector like me, you may have need for some resource guides for pricing,
dating, authenticating, and more.

Here is a quick list of some good resources to get you started.
Please leave a comment if you find this useful, or have a resource link
you would like to share. I will eventually add a list like this to the side bar.


IDENTIFICATION GUIDES

Antique & Collectibles Price Guide
http://www.kovels.com

Costume Jewelry Identification Marks
http://www.illusionjewels.com/costumejewelrymarksb.html

Vintage Games, Toys, etc.....
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/games/overview

Great Britain pottery and porcelain marks
http://www.oldandsold.com/pottery/greatbritain1.shtml

China, glassware, crystal, porcelain, stainless, sterling...
NOTE: their prices are very steep so you may not want to use this as a value reference,
but more of an identification one.
http://www.replacements.com/index.htm

Porcelain, Pottery Marks
http://www.figurines-sculpture.com/

American pottery/porcelain marks
http://www.oldandsold.com/pottery/usa1.shtml

West Germany Pottery Makers/Marks
http://www.ginforsodditiques.com/wgermanmarks.html

Japan Porcelain Marks
http://gotheborg.com/marks/index_jap_marks.htm

Depression Glass:
http://www.kejabatreasures.com/kejaba-depressionglass.php

Carnival Glass:
http://www.ddoty.com/makermarks.html

Pottery & Porcelain Marks, Great guide for marks & history:
http://www.mygrannysatticantiques.com/html/porcelain_pottery_china_marks_.htm

Patent Dates Site:
http://patft.uspto.gov

Silver Marks, Hallmarks, & Makers' Marks
http://www.925-1000.com/index.html

Militaria
http://www.militaryitems.com/

Fireking
http://fire-king-mug.com/faqs-for-fire-king-collectors/



VISIT TREASURED SCRAPS FOR OLD & NEW GIFTS. FLEA MARKET, AUCTION, GARAGE & YARD SALES, VINTAGE, ANTIQUE, ARTISAN, CRAFTS, & MORE!