The time to sell your antiques and collectibles might be NOW.

[quadcitypickers]

A lot of people under 35 don't have a lot of money. It's mainly the economy.

In fact, right now over 70% of people are living paycheck to paycheck.

I go to a lot of estate sales, garage sales, auctions, etc.

A lot of younger people don't have much stuff.

I think it's a mix of interest and not having the money.

Walk through the house of someone 70, and then 35, the sheer lack of stuff is astounding.

Go to a high end auction, people buying pottery, china, old toys, etc are usually older people, and if they are younger, they usually buy it to resell it, to older people.

I notice a lot of the values on this stuff is way down.

I think to be frank, a lot of these buyers are dying off, going into nursing homes, etc.

Antique stores keep closing around here too.

The people that bought that stuff were eldery and didn't use eBay, and now they are passing, and not leaving many of these places with buyers.

My town had 7 antique stores 15 years ago, now just 2.

I might be way off with this, but it's just my own observations. I live in the midwest, maybe old toys are "booming" with millenials in California, or hipsters in New York, who knows. But around here, most of these buyers are over 70 years old.

[dilo-8873]

I agree with you about the part about collectibles and older people, but around where I live there are nothing but tons of shopping malls filled with younger people buying cosmetics, electronics (which aren’t cheap), whatever the soup du jour in fashion happens to be, nails and pedis, hair blown out everyday, and driving the best cars. Money is coming from somewhere. Just not interested in what ebay has to offer.

[quadcitypickers]

I've always wondered why a lot of people don't make much money but live a lavish lifestyle, usually because they are $50,000 or more in debt.

[dilo-8873]

Yes, probably have tons in student loans, don’t even use cash anymore, just cards. Scary!

[d-k_treasures]

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@quadcitypickers wrote:

A lot of people under 35 don't have a lot of money. It's mainly the economy.

In fact, right now over 70% of people are living paycheck to paycheck.

I go to a lot of estate sales, garage sales, auctions, etc.

A lot of younger people don't have much stuff.

I think it's a mix of interest and not having the money.

Walk through the house of someone 70, and then 35, the sheer lack of stuff is astounding.

Go to a high end auction, people buying pottery, china, old toys, etc are usually older people, and if they are younger, they usually buy it to resell it, to older people.

I notice a lot of the values on this stuff is way down.

I think to be frank, a lot of these buyers are dying off, going into nursing homes, etc.

Antique stores keep closing around here too.

The people that bought that stuff were eldery and didn't use eBay, and now they are passing, and not leaving many of these places with buyers.

My town had 7 antique stores 15 years ago, now just 2.

I might be way off with this, but it's just my own observations. I live in the midwest, maybe old toys are "booming" with millenials in California, or hipsters in New York, who knows. But around here, most of these buyers are over 70 years old.

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If they are selling cheap at local auctions where you are, buy them and resell them(unless they are repops). You'll learn that good old toys will always bring money.

[hockeyhillbilly]

Part of collecting antiques is nostalgia,so you are probably right about older folks being into it a lot more than millenials,But all I hear these days is how fantastic the economy is and That unemployment is basically zero.How come I can't seem to run into some of those folks with cushy jobs and money to burn?.The whole country seems to be in a "live now-Pay later" mode.Call me a caveman,but I am kind of glad that I won't be around to dodge driveless cards,or live in a completely cashless society.

[retrose1]

The younger generation owns stuff and makes and spends money, you just don't recognize it.

They have to upgrade their electronics evey year, and the plans attached to them.  They keep up with trends in all aspects of their life and spend more on their appearance than their possessions.  The money they spend on what is considered invisible necessities today is about the same as what was spent on stuff 50 years ago.

Thanks to the younger generations attitude about old stuff, there is going to be a purge of large heavy items, and common collectables that have cheap disposable versions available at the store.  The main point today is not to collect, it is to shop for trendy.

[hockeyhillbilly]

Maybe it skips a generation - I know of quite a few kids who are into coins and baseball cards-even old time players.

[ednkarens]

Your post reminds me of this article I  remember.  Just read the first two paragraphs: https://memorializeme.com/estate-planning/passing-heirlooms-important-keep-treasures-family/

[michael_atw]

As someone under 35, I have absolutely no desire to fill my house with China, clay, and other mass-produced  c r/a p.  

There are certain things that millennials absolutely enjoy buying.  But so much of "antique" stuff is junk that is from the last half of the 20th century.  I.e. flea market, not antique.  Beanie babies is a perfect example of "collectible" that is worthless.   Old furniture?  I like it, but I only like stuff that my hometown created.  Otherwise, most old furniture is obsolete or looks dated.  

Old toys?  That's a waste of money - for the most part.  I've never met a person who collected old toys.  


"Collectibles" are only as collectible as the demand curve.  From what I've seen of older generations, they seem to have a preoccupation with lots of junk. 

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Completely depends on what the item is, and how rare. I get what you are saying, but it's a sweeping generalization as if we should all have fire sales. I'm still selling plenty of collectibles, but I am a lot more discerning in what I buy now for resale. I didn't collect in my 20's either. I wanted to upgrade my house, and did, moving to a much better house in a desirable location. The costs of raising children and having the best stuff for them, whether clothing or toys or recreational activities. Upgrading cars. Having a decent wardrobe because appearances are so much more important when in your 20's. Those were my priorities with money too--just as they are with the current 20's generation--and I'm in my 50's. 

I see no reason to fear or panic about selling collectibles. The RIGHT collectibles are selling just fine. 

[d-k_treasures]

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@michael_atw wrote:

As someone under 35, I have absolutely no desire to fill my house with China, clay, and other mass-produced  c r/a p.  

There are certain things that millennials absolutely enjoy buying.  But so much of "antique" stuff is junk that is from the last half of the 20th century.  I.e. flea market, not antique.  Beanie babies is a perfect example of "collectible" that is worthless.   Old furniture?  I like it, but I only like stuff that my hometown created.  Otherwise, most old furniture is obsolete or looks dated.  

Old toys?  That's a waste of money - for the most part.  I've never met a person who collected old toys.  


"Collectibles" are only as collectible as the demand curve.  From what I've seen of older generations, they seem to have a preoccupation with lots of junk. 

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I've been collecting antique toys and banks since my early 20's, which was a looong time ago. 95% of my collection is 1930 and earlier - with the bulk in the 1800's.

Waste of money? Not hardly ................ Even what I consider 'new' toys, like original star wars, etc., bring unreal prices in the original box or card(but they may not have the sustainability of real antique cast iron/early painted tin toys).

[michael_atw]

You're buying things that 98% of other people aren't. 

If I did a survey of 500 people under-34, I bet I'd find a hands-worth of people buying old toys.  

[ed8108]

The time to sell is likely now

For your consideration

Will the number of potential buyers for your antiques likely increase or decrease with the passage of time ?

Will demand likely increase or decrease in the near future causing prices to soar ?

Will potential changes on ebay likely be more or less favorable in future for the sale of antiques and collectibles ?

[orangehound]

From everything I've been seeing, the time to sell antiques and collectibles was 2 years ago ... and no one is expecting the market to get better any time soon.