Lynn’s eBay E-zine Volume III, Issue Number 5

‘A Life Lesson from Cheryl Leaf!‘

by Lynn A. Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions’

So, my mom and I were out garage saling this past Saturday and after a few really wacky sales, I turned to her and said, “I really need a reality TV show.” Isn’t that the truth?

(I have always wanted a reality TV show that shows my garage sale adventures and the results. If anyone has some ideas or contacts, I would love to hear about it.)

But back to the feature article. The first sale we went to was an Assistance League sale that started at 7 am. We were there early and waited in line for it to open. The doors swung open and everyone rushed in….there was nothing there. Too bad, we had chosen the wrong sale to start with. Sometimes that happens.

But while we were there picking through the piles, I heard, “Hi Lynn.” I turned around and there was Mo!! Maureen (Mo) my former assistant was actually up at the crack of dawn and out garage saling. If I am not a morning person, then she is seriously not a morning person. It was great to see her! So that made the Assistance League Sale a very fine first choice.

My mom and I continued our garage sale rounds and headed over to a sale in the State Streets that had started on Friday. The newspaper had stated, “Large collection of Beer Glasses, Steins and Mugs.” Since it had started on Friday, I didn’t think that there would be much left.

Well, we pulled up and the driveway was covered with items. Nothing looked even remotely promising. I walked to the back and saw inside the garage that there was a huge shelf full of Beer Mugs.

The older gentleman that was running the sale was quite a character. He said to me, “How did it get so cold? It was warmer this morning.” I told him that he was absolutely right and we got to chatting. His name was Ray and he had been stationed in Germany in the 1950s and 1960s. It was during this time that he had collected all these mugs.

He had them priced at from $1 to $5 each. I said, “Hey Ray, How much for all of them?” And then I looked at my mom and wondered if she thought I was crazy (she did–kind of). Crazy like a Fox, my grandmother would have said!

“All of them,” Ray said, “I don’t know. But it sounds like a very good idea. I like the way you think.”

The way I figure it, Ray had already tried piecing them out that Friday for the most money. He still had a ton left so he was motivated. Remember, get them when they are desperate (or at least motivated.)

Well, Ray hemmed and hawed and would not name a price. This is where my grandmother’s number one business lesson comes in. “Whoever names the first price loses.” I walked around and tried to wait him out. While I was waiting patiently, I went ahead and counted all the mugs/steins. There were 150 of them and they were primo from the Eames era (1950s).

It so reminded me of all those days in the shop when people would come in to sell things to my grandmother and she would say, “Well, how much do you want for it?” Most people would not name a price immediately and my grandmother would wait them out. She was a pro because as she told me, “Most people know exactly what they want for something or think they know what it is worth. Get them to name that first price.”

Here is my grandmother and me in her antique store circa 1993.

My mom and I were laughing about it because my grandmother would tell story after story until the poor seller would just name a price to escape. Some of the time their price was so exorbitant and off base that my grandma would say “Oh I could never pay that much.”

And other times the price named was very fair. Even when it was very fair, she would still take her time and think about it. She never rushed into any business decision outwardly. On the inside, she may have made up her mind instantaneously but she never wanted anyone to feel bad about their decision.

So, as I told Ray that there were about 150 steins and that he really knew better what he needed to get out of them, I held my tongue. He asked me so many times to name a price that I told my mom, “I almost offered him $100 but I didn’t want to offend him.”

Finally, he looked at me and said, “How about $50?” I took my time thinking about it (even though internally my decision was made instantaneously) and finally said, “That sounds fair. I’ll take them.”

Some of the beer mugs and steins I bought.