Anyone sell bottles at antique shops?

[Bottleman]

Hi everyone. I am looking into getting a space at a local antique store to get rid of some of my common stuff and doubles. It’s $43 a month which is a little more than I thought it would be but it's not too bad. Does anyone else sell common/doubles in antique stores? How do you guys usually make out?

~Tom

 

[cyberdigger]

Just make sure you sell at least $44 worth of bottles per month there.. if not, you need to market them elsewhere.

 

[Dean]

Hi Tom; I'm new at this forum but hardly new collecting and dealing with bottles. I have sold at antique malls and have owned one. The cost that you stated is very reasonable; it's usually about $120 around here. The common purple and cobalts sell good when priced reasonable and the better bottles need to be in a locked case,well lighted and with an easy to read price for the genuine collectors. I hope this gives you a litttle insight into your project. It's work, but Best Wishes, Dean

 

[div2roty]

I actually own an antique mall and do quite well with bottles. Local bottles sell good. Lots of people like to decorate with bottles and they'll buy cheap local bottles and other cheap colorful bottles that bottle collectors either don't want or already have. Bromo seltzers are easy sells in my shop. Good bottles will sell too as local collectors learn that you have good bottles for sale. Space in my area rents for between $1 and $1.50 a square foot plus 10% commission.

 

[danboone]

I'm not a store seller, but have been trolling for bottles in antique malls for 30 years. Lots of factors play into this. Are you going to set up in a heavily travelled store? Will your display case be near a heavily travelled area in the store? Is it well lighted, and high enough up for folks to easily see without having to crawl around on their hands and knees (I say that because I've had to do it...we all have!) Will you have to put rock star prices on lower value bottles to make ends meet? $43/mo. doesn't sound too bad, but some places charge so much to rent booths, you have to have seriously overprice the merchandise to have any chance of a profit, and of course most of the time it doesn't sell. Personally, I would do the flea market thing or sell pairs, threes, etc. of bottles on eBay.

 

[Bottleman]

Thanks for the info. Dean and Matt. I use to set up at a local flea market once a year and I remember Milk of Magnesia’s and Bromo’s were always the first to go because people like to put them in their windows. I usually sell my bottles I don’t want on ebay but you can’t get rid of common stuff on there anymore and with there new fees/paypal rule it isn’t worth selling anything under $10. I will probably end up getting a spot there for at least a couple months and see how stuff sells. The pre 1900 valuable bottles are going to stay in my collection but the newer ones are going up for sale besides the local milks which I collect. What do you guys usually sell the screw top milk of magnesia’s for? I just counted and I have 23 of them in storage. I use to sell them for $1 but is $2 too much?

 

[div2roty]

I think $2 is fine. The bakery in town sells cans of soda for $1.50, so $2 for something with a little age on it doesn't seem like a bad deal at all.

 

[Bottleman]

I posted my last post before I read yours Dan. This store is quite large and a few people are pulling out of the store because the holiday season is over so I have a few options for spaces. I have been collecting/digging for 12 years and I have wayyyyyyyyy too many bottles and I need the space. Between eBay and the once a year flea market I have got rid of a lot but more keep coming in as I keep digging. Lol.

 

[Bottleman]

I didn’t think $2 was all that bad because some people put $10 price tags on them but of course they have been sitting on that shelf for the last 5 years. I am going to price my stuff to sell but I am not going to give it away.

 

[tigue710]

Make sure there is a lot of traffic in the store, and a lot of bottle people in your area!

I've had a booth for a few years now in my local mall. Most of the collectors around here go for the good stuff, and we do not have many new collectors interested in the commons... I pay as I sell so it does not cost me money but the biggest check I've had in 4 months was for 15 bucks... The bottles trickle away very slowly and they are well priced! I've had a mint condition Iron bitters sitting in there for 20 bucks since I opened the booth. For a while I made a good chunk of change with tools and primitives but now that I let it dwindle down to bottles I dont sell a thing! I have a lot of good bottles in there too... cheap!