I am in the process of putting together an alternative way for sellers of “Rare” and “One-of-a-Kind” items to auction their merchandise online in a more exclusive venue. One specifically devoted to truly “Rare” and “One-of-a-Kind” items. I would greatly appreciate your feedback on our venture as we are rapidly putting the finishing touches on our website as I type this.

Any thoughts you would be willing to share with us on how to create a better experience for both buyers and sellers of “Rare” and “One-of-a-Kind” items would be greatly appreciated. My web address is http://TreasureHunt.com, and our tagline is “Online Auctions of Rare and One-of-a-Kind Items.”

Selling antiques remains one of the few professions where you can hit the ground running – no subject matter expertise or communication skills are required, not even the basic ability to piece together words into a sentence which describes what you are selling.

Oh, and don’t get me started on the many flea market “professionals” who consider personal hygiene to be completely optional …

The worst use of “antique” I’ve recently run across was an eBay auction for “2 rare spools of thread.” I collect (and sell) vintage and antique sewing notions, so clicked to see what was being offered.

What I found were 2 small spools of polyester thread dating from the 1980s. They were offered at $65, plus shipping!

I sent a note to the seller, gently telling her that these were barely (if at all) vintage, and could not be called antique. (I told her the definitions of both terms, as they are commonly used by dealers and collectors.) I also pointed out that the this type of thread can still be bought today, for very little.

She replied that the thread had belonged to her grandmother and certainly were antique – they were “at least 25 years old!”

She absolutely insisted that items from the 1980s are commonly called antiques and these spools of thread were “very rare.”

I noticed shortly after that she lowered her price a bit – to $50!

THANK YOU for bringing up this topic. I am able to gloss over the “rare,” “OOAK,” and so on, now, but when I was a newbie on eBay, it was tantalizing. I actually believed people knew what they were talking about. I feel sorry for those people who still believe those terms.

To add to the list of pet peeves (which actually border on outright lies, and therefore, there has to be some illegality involved), I add, calling something by a popular name, not because it is (it isn’t), but because seeing the name triggers a salivating response. Copies of roses are COPIES, not roses (my apologies, Bill).

I found some items labeled “Talavera”, but the seller told me they weren’t marked, just that she had “sold some other items like it that were Talavera.” If she knew her stuff, then she would know that that did not make her item Talavera! I think I will label myself an expert in Mexican pottery, since I toured a Talavera factory in Puebla and wrote an article about it. In 1980. That’s current, isn’t it? Hey, everybody, look at me! I’m an expert!

“Catty or hateful”?! How about “realistic” and “alert” and “responsible”? Those adverbs are far more appropriate for your article.

Thanks, Michelle. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re refreshing, and you give me hope.

Lisa
Lisa’s Bits & Collectibles

I do appreciate that WorthPoint readers keeping us honest, so if you spot more mistakes, please let us know.

– Editor

As for the grammatical errors yes I do send my articles to an editor at WorthPoint and he makes corrections, I am an antique dealer not a journalist, this sometimes includes rewording my sentence structure so that it flows better and makes it more enjoyable for you to read.

It appears that some of my sentences were restructured and something went wrong along the way. I have contacted him to go back over the article and re-edit it.

Thank you all for your comments and I always welcome suggestions for future articles.

We had a new auctioneer in our area who was big on advertising “once in a lifetime chance to own this or that one of a kind” items. He sure didn’t last long. Hard to stay in business when every customer you ever have swears they will never come back.

I also agree that anyone that publishes on a blog or submits for a stand up publication like Worth-Point should have items edited. This CAN be corrected unlike the misuse of terms in the article above.

I know a very good editor that was so put out by all the mistakes found on the web and started a sideline business from it. http://www.smewritingservices.com and others like her are out there. Spell check will not cut it for grammar, punctuation and all the other things that make reading and writing an important communication tool.

Nick