I Scored Big!! Moral: Never sell anything until you ID it!!!

[dragonmum]

I just wanted somewhere to brag about my biggest find!
I collect Asian textiles (from west to east).
Last year (before all we smart rats left ) I was trolling eBay for bargains, i.e. people selling things they knew nothing about.
A couple were selling an old rug from an estate sale. 
They thought it was Mexican or faded Navajo and were selling it at a "get it out of my house" type of price!
 Well, I took one look at the photo and thought
 'That's not Mexican!  Wrong continent!  That Kilim was made before you were born somewhere in Anatolia!'
 I bought that rug in a heart beat (something PayPal is good for...) for $50 including shipping.
 I spent the week before it arrived diving through my references.  I found it the day before it arrived!!!
 In a 10 yo ref. book, there was its exact twin.  Central Anatolia, 1885, $5000+.
 That one had multiple repairs; mine is in perfect condition.
 Score!!!  It's since been appraised at $6K+.
 I'd have paid a lot more for that rug;
antique kilims in perfect shape are very hard to find!!!


The moral of this story is:
 Always Always know what you're selling!!!
(to the best of your ability, of course)
Take the time to do your research; get the top dollar for what you sell!!
There's always someone out there who knows what it is!
 
P.S. For those of you who didn't know, there will be a mass walk-out (not boycott, leaving for good) of sellers from eBay May 1st.  Many of us have already left.  We're asking buyers to support our walk-out, and minimize (or stop ) your buying on eBay.  Thank You for any support you can give!  PM me if you want more details!!!

[Michelle Staley]

Yipee for you.... it does pay to do your research.

I walked out on ebay long ago......

[pvsdetailing]

To me E-Bay is a money making machine for the owners of E-bay that is,I understand the overhead,but they seem alittle to gready on the amount to list items not including Pay-Pal