eBay’s changes and new rules make it a bit harder for ecommerce Indiepreneurs dealing in vintage and antiques to make a sale. Etsy, while a nice venue for handmade items, seems to put vintage items in second-class status.

If you’re a frustration dealer in the vintage and antique, here are a few online selling venues you may want to try.

Ruby Lane

Ruby Lane is NOT an auction site, and it is NOT for the cheap stuff. Sellers there stock high quality collectibles and antiques. Vintage is allowed, but please be sure to read all the rules before beginning. There are a number of fees (including advertising fees) that you’ll want to make a note of as well.

While Ruby Lane may seem a bit pricey to sellers, buyers know that Ruby Lane is a great venue for finding the hard-to-find items they love. However, do a thorough investigation before committing yourself to the site as a seller.

TIAS

Tias offers a greater range of items and categories. For frustrated vintage sellers and collectors eager to find a meeting place, Tias is well worth the investigation.  The site has interesting integration with other venues such as froogle and even eBay, as well.

The fee structure for sellers is either a minimum monthly fee ranging from $34.95 to $39.95 (signing up for a longer commitment reduces the rate) OR a flat 10% commission – which ever is higher.

Even if you don’t sell on Tias, I urge you to visit and poke around as the conglomeration of sites that makes up TIAS has a wealth of information regarding vintage and antique items and market. Here’s a search tool to look for your specialties.

For auction sales rather than fixed-price, please take a look at our article about eBid.

If you know of legitimate vintage and antique selling venues, please let us know via a comment here, or an email, or much better still, consider contributing an article about your favorite online market place.

Selling online — Ecommerce – presents a unique issue in that customers can’t pick up, touch and examine your product.

High quality, unique products need high quality photography to sell well.

Here are a few tips.

1. Use a large, clear plastic tub as a lightbox–bend a piece of poster board inside it, upon which to place your items.

Use two or three lights right outside the box (like a bedside lamp). The plastic isn’t usually crystal clear, which acts as the light filter.

2. Use the “macro” setting on your camera, to get great detail shots for close-ups.

3. If you don’t have a light box, you can still take pictures on poster board. Prop it up on a chair. Put the chair right under an overhead light, and use a flash. Zoom in so you can’t see the chair, or crop it out afterward.

Experiment with different angles and props to showcase your wares. Your efforts will result in better photos and, hopefully, more sales.

Contributed by: Amy Kalinchuk
Author, Making Soap In Your Own Kitchen and Best Soap Recipes
Olde Crone’s Bewitching Bath Soap