Hey there guys! It's been tough bidding on transfers on Ebay lately, although I must say I only have myself to blame. This blog has inspired many to do what I do, which is great! But not so great when bidding for transfers on Ebay. :(
I thought I'd give you a few tips about buying transfers on Ebay:
- Don't believe descriptions that say "rare" or assume that if a transfer has a high price it must be worth that much - embroidery transfers were mass-produced, so if you're looking for a specific transfer, just keep checking back instead of paying tons of money.
- Some vendors sell photocopies or downloadable PDFs, not the originals, so read their descriptions very carefully.
About Erin's Embroidery Transfers
Since my collecting has slowed down, I'll be sharing bits from Erin's collection (or rectangel, on Flickr and Craftster).
Not only is she a super-rad embroiderer, she's scanned and added some real gems in the Hoop Love Vintage Transfers group, and has agreed to let me feature them here! Thanks Erin!
5 comments:
What do you think is too much for a transfer? It's so fun to have the original right in front of you!
That's a good question! I think to myself how much I would pay for a brand new iron-on transfer, and add a buck or two to that. I rarely, if ever, will pay more than 5 dollars for a vintage transfer (and it better be complete and uncut!)
When bidding on a group of transfers I just multiply the amount I'd be willing to spend on them individually by the number in the group.
I do this type of math to keep myself from overbidding because I feel like I HAVE to have it. :) Also, I remember they were mass-produced so the pattern that's too expensive for me this week will pop up again next week, it's ok.
I recently saw a single vintage transfer go for over 20 dollars! I would never, ever pay that much - I have a feeling they got caught up in the bidding fever... :)
I use rather the same method myself (got to figure in that shipping), and when they get too high, I get bummed, but figure I just wasn't meant to have it!
You're so right, they do come round again and again. I haven't used e-bay for a few months now, as like you said, some prices are ridiculous, and it's way too tempting for me to buy all sorts of stuff in general! hahahah
Don't forget other sites like ecrater, etsy, ioffer, etc. There may not be scads on, but there also aren't scads of people out bidding you. Some are not auction sites, but for the most part, it seems as though the sellers offer a fair price (MOST of the time) and don't jack up the shipping like eBay. I think that has to do with them being free sites, but that's just my humble opinion.
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