FIXING UP STUFF FOR RESALE

Fixing up stuff for resale is a time honored way of gaining more profit on the items you have purchased.

A classic example is buying a used car and doing not much more than washing the exterior, vacuuming and cleaning the interior and then reselling it for a few hundred dollars more than you paid for it.

I buy vintage quilts. Often there is a small split seam or ravel. I take the time to repair these. I generally mention in the auction that the item has been repaired. In this way the buyer knows that I have gone over the item thoroughly to fix it up for them.

On used books, I use a great product called Undoo. It cleans tape residue off books without discoloring the covers.

I have also been known to use hairspray, sprayed lightly on a tissue, and rubbed gently on a book cover to remove magic marker price marks.

I have an art eraser that I use to remove pencilled price tags inside books and postcards. There is not much I find that I can do about ball point ink on a book or card. It just never goes completely away so I usually avoid items with this kind of marking on it.

Sellers of vintage tablecloths will wash and iron their wares to make them more presentable. Oft times, a food based stain will come out with some gentle cleaning which means a higher price for the seller if they can mention that the item is in great condition.

When I have sold second hand dolls, I will repair loose lace trims, neaten hairdos, wipe off grimy faces and hand launder their little outfits if necessary.

Wedding dresses - dry cleaning is the way to handle these dresses. Often certain details need to be taken off and then sewn back on before cleaning, hence the expense in having a dress drycleaned. If possible do not dry clean the dress until it has been sold. But if it has a spot on it and you aren't sure if it will come out, you need to check with the drycleaner before listing the dress. This is something that the buyer would need to know.

So how do you know what to fix up and what doesn't matter? Look at the item as if you were the buyer. Decide if you would pay more if the item had this fixed or that fixed on it. If you would, then if you can fix it without a great expense to you, then I would highly recommend it.

My pet treats & people treats . Also quilts and clothing and doilies and ...

Happy eBaying!!