Interesting Article on Storytelling and Sales

I just read this

http://www.antiquetrader.com/featured/want-your-antiques-inventory-...

I agree that stories can be so interesting about how someone started their love of AVC, and how they started their business, and the history of items they sell or collect.........

but

how many have read those "stories" that just make you go "yeah right... that came from your grandma's undiscovered till now hidden crawl space" ;) especially when one recognizes the piece as a not so antique or even vintage one........

As buyers, do you want just the info on the piece, or do you like a story (hopefully true one :) , background info on the manufacture/history of the item etc

And how much personal info do you really want to read about a seller, or do you as a seller, share about yourself and your business?

Let's hear some stories :)

Tags: Antique Trader, The Vintage Village, Wayne Jordan, antiques, article, collectibles, sell, storytelling

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Permalink Reply by ElsiesAttic ~ CEO on December 9, 2011 at 1:02pm

You beat me to it! I was just about to post this! GMTA... :)

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Permalink Reply by Suzy's Timeless Treasures on December 9, 2011 at 7:51pm

As a buyer, I like to know the origin of the piece, designer/maker history, where it came from if another country, approximate age if possible. I like the facts but a true story can help make a sale sometimes. I purchased a moonstone and amethyst bracelet from a RL shop and in the description, the owner noted that the moonstones were not uniform in size. She explained that she purchased it from the artist in the Southwest who told her the moonstones were not chosen for size but for vibration. Then the shop owner added, "Hey, it was Sedona in the eighties." And that clinched it for me, I had to have that bracelet partly because it was beautiful but also because I loved that little story about it! But for the most part, I buy things because they appeal to me, not because of the story behind them.

This is so timely for me as I just sold a belt/necklace, bracelet and earrings set and one of the pieces was from my grandmother's collection. It's just not something I will ever wear and I found the other pieces to match. I thought, I should mention to the buyer that it's from my grandmother's estate, but then I thought, will she really care? I accurately identified it and even found the ad from 1960 online so that's enough I think.

I have a short bio on my shop's home page under 'About Us'. I actually updated it based on some input I found on TVV on another thread about SEO I think. Feel free to take a look for me and see if you think it's 'TMI'!

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Permalink Reply by COBAYLEY on December 30, 2011 at 11:36pm

I sell quite a few items from my Ruby Lane COBAYLEY shop. I would love to be able to share a "story" about each and every item I sell because I think that each buyer, unless they are a shop owner buying for resale, would truly like to know the history behind the piece. When I shop at estate sales, my husband Tom, does try to get a feel for the family and what their history was. By looking at the books that the family had, some of the mementos, kitchen gadgets, liquor shelf, you can get a pretty good feel for who lived there. When it comes down to actually sharing where a certain item came from, unless there is a personal note tucked inside the box the item is stored in, it's impossible to determine where, why, how and when. I would estimate that about 1 in every 25 sales, I get a request from the buyer "can you tell me anything about this item and where it came from?"...I'm very careful not to fabricate a tale or fable...it's not fair to the buyer...

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Staley on January 5, 2012 at 9:11pm

This is my first time on this site and it looks promising but I have to say that all of the acronyms make no sense to me. TVV, RL, TMI, GMTA, AVC... help!

You mentioned SEO, which I do understand, and using the above is not good SEO... search engine optimization.

Thanks

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Permalink Reply by CheriShops - Admin on January 5, 2012 at 9:30pm

welcome Michelle :)

you'll pick it up the longer you hang out here ;-)

TVV= The Vintage Village for starters

RL= Ruby Lane.com

TMI = too much information

GMTA = great minds think alike

AVC = antiques and vintage collectibles

some threads need good SEO and others are just convos between us AVC fanatics lol = laugh out loud

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Permalink Reply by ClassicMemories on January 11, 2012 at 1:18pm

Just dropping in to add my 2 cents worth.

I think that there can be a healthy balance in a listing for a story about the item especially if it is something that adds information. Sometimes you will see it mentioned in a listing that a long time collector is downsizing and that will peak my interest as many collectors tend to take care of their treasures till they let them go.

I have sold just a few things that were from my family (I wished I could keep it all but there is just so much room) and I did not put into the listing that it was from my grandmother or mother just as that was my preference

Awhile back I sold a headvase that was mine that was given to me as a gift with flowers in it during the 1970's. Head vases were never really my thing ever so I felt I was making the right choice.

I listed it on ebay auction style (years ago) and the lady who won it asked me where I got it and seemed pleased to find out I was the original owner and I had had it all those years.

Interesting though the different takes on this.