Introduction

Welcome to my Community Travel Project!

My name is Tina and I sell vintage items through a website called Etsy. I have my own shop, find, clean, repair, photograph and list my goods. I am responsible for all day-to-day operations, research, pricing, photography/styling, data entry (describing), customer service, shipping, bookkeeping, marketing and promotion of my business.

There are thousands of people selling vintage items on the Internet, in flea markets, swap meets, trunk shows, open air markets and in brick and mortar shops across America and around the globe. These people are entrepreneurs, small business owners, treasure hunters, history buffs, lovers of quality, fashion enthusiasts and design aficionados. We love what we do and we like to share with others. We feel a responsibility to protect, preserve, upcycle, recycle, hand down, pass on and to educate others through our ventures in antique archeology.

The vintage community is large and extremely diverse, and yet we all have things in common that make us enjoy the business of hunting vintage, reselling items, as well as collecting vintage items for personal use and enjoyment. With such a large community, I contacted a small cross section of sellers on Etsy, and the information and interviews that follow are just a peek into their lives and businesses, and provide examples of the many ways in which we are a community based on what we have in common.

Image: vintage illustration - Rainy Day Dream Company

Overview & History

1970s Owl Salt & Pepper Shakers - forrestina vintage

An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features. Personal emotional connection is a strong factor in the collecting process. Vintage items (also known as collectibles) are the antiques of the future and are generally less than 100 years old. A vintage object represents a previous era or time period in human society. The most common definition of an antique, according to the US Customs Office is that the item be at least 100 years old.

Mid-Century Room Divider Cabinet - The Modern Historic

Vintage objects show some degree of craftsmanship and a certain attention to design such as a desk, a designer dress or an early automobile. They can be found at antique shops, or passed down as an estate. Some valuable antiques can be bought from antique dealers and auction services or purchased online through websites and online auctions.

1950s Palissy Atomic 3-Tier Cupcake Stand - Keepsies

Antique dealers are often members of national trade associations, many of which belong to CINOA, a confederation of art and antique associations across 21 countries, representing 5000 dealers.

1960s Ponytail Barbie Doll Case - Scout and Rescue

“Antiquing” or “Vintaging” is the act of shopping, identifying, negotiating, or bargaining for antiques. Items can be bought for personal use, gifts, and in the case of brokers and dealers, profit. Antiquing is performed at garage sales, estate sales, resort towns, antiques districts, collectives, and international auction houses.

Instant Library of Decorative Books - sorrythankyou79

Novice collectors either purchase items that appeal to them, and then slowly work at acquiring knowledge about how to build a collection or more cautious or studious types develop some background in the field before starting to buy items. Many collectors enjoy making a plan for their collections, combining education, stimulation and experimentation to develop a personal collecting style. Others reject the notion of planned collecting and refine their selection skills with some background information on the methods of collecting.

Welby Teak and Metal Mid Century Wall Clock - Club Moderne

Vintage resellers approach their trade from both points-of-view, and often combine and even invent methods for collecting, researching and presentation of their personal collections and the goods they offer up for sale.

Member Stats: Who we are, what we sell

• Etsy has over 12 million members (this figure includes both buyers and sellers)
• There are 800,000 active shops on Etsy (this figure includes handmade sellers)
• Etsy receives over 1 billion page views per month
• There are more than 2,167,414 vintage items for sale on Etsy
• The average sale on Etsy is around $15.00-20.00 USD

• 97% of Etsy sellers are college-educated women.
• 67% of Etsy shoppers are female, 33% of shoppers are male.
• 88% of users are Caucasion.
• 69% of users have no children (or no children living at home).
• 48% of users make less than $60,000 USD per year.
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What do we sell?

These figures represent the items currently for sale in the vintage section of Etsy:

· Clothing (378,750)

· Jewelry (356,858)

· Supplies (287,291)

· Home Décor (267,030)

· Collectibles (240,112)

· Antiques (207,800)

· Accessories (183,250)

· Housewares (163,689)

· Paper Ephemera (143,931)

· Serving Items (91,881)

· Books (81,861)

· Bags/Purses/Luggage (59,187)

· Toys/Games (46,130)

· Furniture (12,298)

· Electronics (11,234)

Member Stats: Age Averages

Age 25-34 is the most common age range for Etsy users. The next most populous age bracket for shoppers is 19-24, for sellers it is 45-54, and for both it is 35-44.

The Social Network Connection

Etsy vintage sellers take full advantage of social networking sites to market their shops and to network with other buyers and sellers.

This video is a simple slideshow created by a shop owner for her YouTube channel.



Facebook

Many sellers create a business page on Facebook in order to interact with and market to current and potential customers. Posts include shop updates, photos of new items for sale, news of sales or specials, coupon codes, shop policy changes, sharing finds from vintage buying trips and other vintage shops, and personal updates.


Facebook business page for my shop - forrestina vintage

Some sellers join teams on Etsy (see below) and most teams create a Facebook Group. Team members can share items they have for sale on Etsy, items they find for personal use, vintage community news, ask questions and get advice from other sellers, and socialize with other members through private messages and group chat sessions. Meetings are scheduled and attended by utilizing the events feature.


Facebook group page for the Etsy Vintage Team

Etsy Teams

Teams is a community feature on Etsy where community members can connect with other members. With Teams, individuals can gather at the crossroads of the marketplace and community, meet people with common interests, and collaborate. The Teams feature makes it easy to join an existing team or to create, maintain, and promote a new team. It is also a way for shoppers to browse by theme or location and find shops that might interest them.

Members can self-organize in many ways including:

• Shop owners can create local street teams to organize craft fairs
• Shoppers can gather together to share their passion for a style or type of item
• Shop owners around the world who make the same type of items can network and promote their teams
• Members living nearby one another can meet and hold regular meetings
• Bloggers and boutique owners can team together shops they've featured along with their readers and patrons
• Members can rally for a charity or other cause
• Mentors can volunteer to help others
• Shop owners can run an online sale or promotion together
• Members can come up with ways to use Teams that we haven't even imagined yet!

Teams are an important part of the history of Etsy. In the early days of the site, sellers formed local "street teams". Members gathered together to spread the word about their shops as a collective effort. Sellers who made similar types of items but did not live near one another formed teams on the Internet with members from around the globe. There are teams based on cancer survivor support, military family networking, stay-at-home-mom's, women entrepreneurship, and a wide variety of charitable causes.

The Teams feature is flexible so that members can use it to self-organize in ways that suit their needs.

• Shop owners can create local street teams to organize selling fairs
• Shoppers can gather together to share their passion for a style or type of item
• Shop owners around the world who sell the same type of items can network and promote their teams
• Members living nearby one another can meet and hold regular meetings
• Bloggers and boutique owners can team together shops they have featured along with their readers and patrons
• Members can rally for a charity or other cause
• Mentors can volunteer to help others
• Shop owners can run an online sale or promotion together
• Members can come up with ways to use Teams that have yet to be imagined!

Etsy vintage community members can also be found connecting, sharing and marketing on Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, Kaboodle, Stumble Upon, Google Plus and many of the other social networking sites.

Jen of Zwzzy Vintage

How long have you been collecting vintage?

I've been picking up random things from thrift stores since I was in my teens. I don't really consider myself a collector though. More of an admirer and lover. I appreciate it all.

What got you into collecting and selling vintage?

I think it was myself! My grandmother lived in San Francisco, and you can't help but admire the history of that city. Old photos and footage of her growing up with her 2 sisters and 2 brothers make my heart flutter. Then of course all the classic movies and such. I just found myself saying "wow, I love that outfit" 9,347,584,353 times. I then realized that I needed to have bright and loud mini dolly dresses! STAT!

What are your favorite eras for vintage?

Dude, that's SO hard to say! I do find myself going nuts over the late 60s-early 70s time period the most though. Oh, and disco of course. I'm like a fly to a light when it comes to sequins....MUST. HAVE. SEQUINS.

What do you look for when you shop for vintage?

Stains, ha ha. For my store, I always pick stuff that I would buy myself. My friend Amy (Shrinkle) always laughs when she sees what I pick out. Puke brown, tangerine orange, gold anything. I love it!

When you buy for your shop are you influenced by your personal taste?

Oh, I think I just answered that, hee-hee! Yeah, my store is a HUGE reflection of my taste. I can't tell you how many times I've had to rethink selling certain items!

What would be your ultimate vintage find?

Ferragamo platforms from the 40s. Like those rainbow ones Judy Garland sported. Wow!

Where do you do the majority of your vintage shopping?

Shhhh, that's a secret ;) I have inherited a lot of items as well.

Is vintage popular in the city/town where you live?

You know, I never leave the house so I'm not sure, ha ha. I live in super suburbia. Trapped between the city and the beach.

What do you find most challenging and most rewarding about running your vintage business?

The most challenging is finding time! I work 32 hours, and also volunteer at a local radio station that requires 8 hours of work a week. Plus, squeeze in a boyfriend and a kitty, I need 50 hour days! The most rewarding is making a sale and the buyer writes a super excited note! I love when someone finds a treasure that I've supplied for them!

What kind of things are in your personal vintage collections?

I'm mostly a dress whore. I have so many! I do love all things duck related too.

Where can we find your goods and connect with you online?

My main venue is my Etsy shop, Zwzzy. I've also just joined Market Publique, where it's all vintage clothing only! Amazing! And you can follow me on Twitter , Facebook and Pinterest.

Photos in this post © Zwzzy, 2012

Julie Gury of Joules Vintage Chic Spa Boutique

How long have you been collecting vintage?

I suppose I'd have to say, since I was a child, as I always gravitated towards older items. I like to tell the story of when, on my sixteenth birthday, after obtaining my driver's license, I drove directly to the Goodwill store.

What got you into collecting and selling vintage?

As is true for many collectors, the selling began as a way of continuing the collecting, and controlling the excess accumulation.

What are your favorite eras for vintage?

I have quite a few, and at the same time, no set favorite era. Naturally, I adore the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's. Well, you see where I'm going...

What do you look for when you shop for vintage?

I look for quality! That is the most compelling feature, and can be evident in the integrity of materials, design of textiles, method of construction, and so forth. I really don't have interest in things that I would not personally care to add to my own collections. I like quirky and unusual articles too!

When you buy for your shop are you influenced by your personal taste?

Yes, totally so.

What would be your ultimate vintage find?

Oh, a Vionnet, a Fortuny, a Schiaparelli garment (I do own scarves, a purse, a perfume bottle, and lingerie cases), a Chanel couture item, another Claire McCardell dress, before I die. You know, the normal Holy Grail for a vintage fashion junkie. I'm a proud member of The Vintage Fashion Guild, so networking with the members is a really fabulous thing.

Where do you do the majority of your vintage shopping?

I'm afraid that cannot be revealed. Top secret information.

Is vintage popular in the city/town where you live?

Massively.

What do you find most challenging and most rewarding about running your vintage business?

It's hard to break away, and I tend to work around the clock at times. I'm positively obsessed! I am happiest when new owners love their Joules vintage, and are totally pleased.

What kind of things are in your personal vintage collections?

Many scarves. I have a lifelong love affair with textiles, so scarves are a lot of fun for me. House dresses, humble garments. Swirl wrap dresses. Slips and nightgowns, lovely lingerie. Fire King jadeite, Pyrex, vintage linens. And shoes, lots and lots of shoes, which truly fascinate me.

Where can we find your goods and connect with you?

Online at Joules ~ Vintage Chic Spa Boutique on Etsy, Flickr, Pinterest and Twitter.

Photos in this post © Joules Gury, 2012