Ray has been teaching me how to post antique items on eBay for sale. This is something he’s been doing for a while and something that I have not been doing at all. It is ironic in a way since I’m the one who sits at a computer all the time and is writing or editing; so you would think that I’d be the logical candidate for this type of work. However, Ray is the inveterate collector between the two of us of a wide range of items, while I am more the admirer of all those odd and interesting objects he collects. For a long time, eBay for Ray was more of a place to buy than to sell, but, alas, the recession or, as he likes to call it, “the troubles” have shifted our priorities at this point, and it’s time to let go of some of the myriad objets d’art that fill our lives. Or, at least, the lesser of the objets…
Which brings me back to the eBay postings.
Tonight, we have discovered much to our delight, we have sold a few items. Hurray! This is good news because during the height of the recession, eBay, along with the rest of commerce, was dead. When money was tight, people were not out looking at antiques or collectibles. They were doing what the rest of us were doing in those times, waiting to see how things were going to turn out.
So, tonight we’re both like little kids who have just served our first customers at our lemonade stand. Having started our married life as antique dealers, this feels reminiscent of that earlier time. Ray has a few precious pieces that he will never want to part with (and so do I), but, because we’ve operated more with the “dealer” mentality, we have always bought with re-sale in mind. So, this feels as if we have re-opened our business and customers are showing back up.
We are now at a transition time in our lives when we are re-thinking what we’re doing and how we want to spend out time. We have agreed that one aspect of our life together we both love is shopping for antiques and collectibles. Ray is very knowledgeable in the antique market and I, by virtue of years of exposure, am more knowledgeable than the Average Joe. So, with the hope we might brighten these empty nest years with a bit of fun, we are hatching this plan that includes buying, selling and getting a little exercise while we do it.
So, tomorrow, I will be packing up the items we’ve sold and heading to the post office to mail them off. As usual with a small business (which is how we’ve made our money all these years), not only are we responsible for buying and selling, but also shipping, receiving and maintenance. It just goes with the territory.
On that note, I’ll close. I think I’ll check our eBay page. Who knows? We may have sold something else. If so, I think you know what we’ll be doing this next week…
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