I'm fasting. That's it.
I'm fasting from buying myself vintage patterns and booklets for a while. Not that I don't see some that I want, trust me, I do, but more so than that, I'm tired of the outrageous pricing/gouging and the insane mis-categorizing I see all over the web!
NO! A 30s-40s pattern isn't from the 50s! Nor can a pattern span 3 decades and still be relevant! People listing 30s patterns as 20s, 40s patterns as 30s, 50s patterns as 40s and even 60s patterns as 50s! Last I checked, mini-skirts were not big in 1956. I've actually contacted a few sellers on eBay about that and most of them have changed it. If it flusters you as much as me, then please, let them know.
Its driving me crazy.
Remember when I posted about pattern booklets?
Remember when I said that they were the next big thing? I shit you not, a week after that post a slew of booklets were all over the web at $12, $15, and $20+ each! I'm not a trend setter, nor do I believe people actually listen to what I say, but that was a shocker. I'm sorry to all you collectors out there, and I take full blame for it. That post has even bitten my collecting in the ass.
I'm just tired of overpaying. So, I won't be for a while. No protest of any kind, I'm just going through my stuff as I'm packing and I'm quite content with my collection as it stands. I need to revel in that. I need to know I can't get everything all the time. Not that I think I can, but I'm just tired of thinking that *this* one is the only one I'll ever see, ever, when it's never been the case, ever.
I could go off on a tangent and bitch about people listing patterns on eBay for $70 when they are barely worth $15. I *could* talk about how lazy people are in listing patterns that they never even checked for pieces but want $100 for an 'old' pattern. I *could* say that if you don't know the era, then SAY SO and save us real collectors a lot of heart ache sifting through your intentional mis-listings in order to get more traffic to a pattern no one wants...
I could say that, but I won't.
I have five full boxes of goodies and I will happily be sharing those via catalog Sundays and the like, so don't think this 'fast' will affect this blog! I got y'all covered. I'm just deciding if this is what I want to spend on right now even thought I have the income to do so. I'll peep out some of my secret places and stay away from eBay for a while. It's, making me angry. So many things are popping up. It just seems that vintage is getting more plentiful, but the prices are getting higher.
What's up with that?
It's a problem, isn't it? People tend to think that old=valuable, when it's not necessarily true--especially in patterns. I've seen it in children's patterns, too--I own a pattern that I paid $5 for that other people are trying to sell for $65. I think it's a lack of research for everything. I've seen the mislabeling, too. Something that to my eye is obviously 50s being listed as 30s! I'm something of an accidental collector. I have a large collection, but it's made up of things I'd like to make!
ReplyDeleteOh man, tell me about it! Luckily I have flea-market shopping friends that love to send me goodies when they find them. I also have a few go-to pattern dealers that I follow regularly. Lately though its just not been worth it.
ReplyDeleteI get very annoyed by sellers who can't be bothered to check whether all the pattern pieces are present yet charge full price and won't accept returns. I simply refuse to bid on those and feel they're taking their buyers for a ride. Misdating I don't mind so much. It's allowed me to come across things I wouldn't have otherwise.
ReplyDeletePeople selling vintage fabrics who don't know their stuff REALLY get my goat however. Recently I bought a piece sold as cotton that was in fact a stiff polyester that drapes horribly. Buying from the US and living in the UK, it's annoying because I'm not going to go to the trouble of sending it back (my carbon footprint is bad enough as it is!) and so now I'm stuck with it. Then again, I've found some real treasures at a steal, so I guess it all balances out in the end.
I feel you on that. That's why I won't buy patterns from venues like that. I refuse to pay for an old pattern what I wouldn't pay for a new one. Flea markets and thrift shops feed my jones
ReplyDeleteI see price gouging all the time in doll collecting. People find one "old" thing, even in terrible condition charge an insaine price for it. Sometimes people are charging prices that these things couldn't go for when in mint condition.
ReplyDeleteI just look at them and think, "Well someone thinks they found a treasure".
I sell patterns for a living and I spend a LOT of time trying to get it right. I count every one and believe me, it's not always fun. (Here's a tip, don't count tiny doll clothes patterns with the air conditioning on. ;-) )
ReplyDeleteDating correctly takes a lot of time also, I use several resources and always am on the prowl for more (any suggestions?). But after all that I find folks selling patterns for way more than I do and you are right, the work hasn't been done. And it makes me a little crazy too.
As my Mom says, "They like their stuff too much".
I sell patterns online too, and I always check the pieces. I also state the condition of the pattern/envelope/instructions. How else am I going to know that unless I look through it? It's just part of the job of selling to me. I sell and list the way *I* want to be sold to. Yeah, it requires extra work on my end, but I have a happy customer as a result.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I'm not looking for a date to the month (because often pattern styles were recycled season after season) on listings. A decade-ish date is good enough and if you can get more specific, early/mid/late decade is good as well. But to list A "30s 40s 50s" pattern clearly says 1) you don't know what you are doing and 2) you only want the extra traffic that those key words gives.
I really think blogging has a lot to do with the prices raising. Lots of sewing blogs do vintage these days, and since there's an exhaustible market out there, the prices get higher. I used to buy a lot of patterns but these days I only do every once in a while. Luckily I got into collecting when it wasn't quite as popular. There's still some places where patterns are quite reasonable, but some of the prices I see pattern end for on Ebay just boggle my mind. I've also started to notice that a lot of the really GOOD patterns from the 30's and earlier don't pop up as often anymore. Maybe a lot of them have already found homes with collectors and the ones that are left fetch the high prices.
ReplyDeleteMis dating also ticks me off, I don't do patterns, but often when I am browsing clothing I come across some thing like '1920s' that has a zip! I assume some of the time these people simply do not know. or simply cannot be bothered to find out.
ReplyDeleteI totally get ya. I haven't purchased patterns yet as I haven't gotten the hang of sewing but I won't pay more than maybe 10 for a pattern..unless it's really something special. But I see it and just scoff! I HATE it when people put in bogus keywords and I end up finding my way to their product and then it's nothing like what I wanted..irks me!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! I'm not as sewing and vintage savvy as you, but I just will not pay those prices. They are way overpriced. And I see the lack of knowledge on categories is dreadfully lacking.
ReplyDelete