I have been collecting, investigating and selling unique vintage items for twenty years both as a flea marketer and most recently as an eBayer.  I have lots of experience in marketing as I was a Real Estate Broker for over ten years here in Colorado.  I follow some general guidelines in trying to get the best prices for my items.  Most of what I have learned is from the school of hard knocks as I certainly have lost money as I was learning some of these techniques.  And I am assuming you have an eBay store. Of course as with anything, my experience may be different from yours, and different from the guy down the street.  It all depends on who is telling and who is asking.

First general guideline is I try to sell odd items in batches of three.  Meaning that if I find an antique lamp I generally will wait until I have three or more lamps to all list at the same time.  I usually will try to find out if the catagory has lots of bids for the individual items.  Then I will look at what has the MOST bids in that catagory and which of MY items is most like what sold with the best number of bids and with the most action.  Not always will the most expensive be the one with the most bids.

I then try to get an idea of what my items will sell for.  If I have four sales of a lamp that is just like one I have then I will be putting that lamp at the middle price range as a Buy It Now and in my store as inventory.  The item that should get the most action I will list as a ten day auction with a start price of 99 cents and will urge people to go to my store and see other lamps I have listed.  The odd lamp out I will usually put in my store at a in the higher range price but will take offers.

No matter what the item I generally can get good prices when I follow this strategy.  I've done well with inkwells and drums and lamps and obscure art posters, old postcards, sheet music, old books just about anything that you can generalize.  Don't be afraid to group things that might fit in different catagories, like old west.  I've listed Western ceramics and vintage Westerns and vintage Western shirts along with vintage childrens Western novels, all sold at the higher range of prices and I was able to sell most as store inventory which is a MUCH better listing cost, just pay attention to those catagories and items that get the most number of unique bidders.