• 05Nov

    Make extra cash for this holiday season with Auction Bay Online!

    Need some extra cash for the holidays?  Bring your items into Auction Bay Online, and we’ll help you sell them on eBay!

    Now is the time to cash out your stash!  Shopping for this holiday season is gearing up, and this is the perfect time to make money by selling your items on eBay!  All through the month of November and in early December, the savvy eBay buyers are placing bids on gifts for family, friends, or for themselves!  Whether you have tools or toys, collectibles or antiques, now is a great time to sell them!

    Auction Bay is ready to handle your items with speedy listings.  Our professional-grade item photography ensures your item catches the attention of eBay shoppers.  Our market research gives us the best search terms to use for maximized visibility for your item.  Our safe and prompt shipping puts each item into its new owner’s hands with plenty of time left for wrapping.  Our high feedback and professional presentation give our buyers the confidence they need to bid high!  Our team is ready to make you money, and there has never been a better time!

    Do you have old toys you are ready to sell?  Classic toys in particular experience a bump this time of year, and whether you have Legos or G.I. Joe figures, Barbies, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Auction Bay is ready to help you sell.

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  • 07Feb

    This antique Parpoint jar sold for $276.00 thanks to Auction Bay!

    Yet another lovely antique captures our appreciation at Auction Bay!

    This antique PARPOINT Biscuit Jar (or Cracker Jar, depending on where and when you may be from) was a delightful collectible item, in great condition.  It had a rich coloration with gradient change from peach to orange, enhanced with its original hand-painted floral design.  The silver lid and decorative element above the bail were in great shape, and the maker’s marks were nice and clear on the white glass.  Even though the silver and the glass were separated, this antique vessel brought 15 bids for a $276.00 sale!

    Here’s an eBay Hint for all our home eBayers out there!  Identification is key with a piece like this!  The name PARPOINT was not spelled out, and the maker’s mark was subtly stamped in the lid and easy to miss.  There are numerous websites that catalog silver marks, and finding that letter P in the Diamond hallmark takes good research.  The name Parpoint meant the difference between a 27 dollar sale and a 276 dollar sale!

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  • 25Sep

    This Powell flute sold for $6,000 at Auction Bay!

    Musical instruments are always a big hit at Auction Bay.  It’s true with all grades of instruments, from a student model to a fine professional piece like this one!

    A new consignor arrived on our scene with a collection of wind instruments, including various simple flutes, a fife, and this masterpiece!  Her flute was a top-notch model, and its sale price shows it!  It sold for $6,000.00 to another talented musician!

    Here’s an eBay Hint for all you home sellers out there.  One thing that helps sell any instrument is to include a video of that instrument being played.  If you can take a video that showcases your instrument in action, it will give an extra amount of confidence to your buyers that it is ready to play.  You can embed any video into an eBay auction through the html tab on the description field.  (If you have no idea what that means, then consider selling your instruments at Auction Bay!)

    Even in rough economic times, there are always people looking to buy instruments.  Whether you’re a flautist or a pianist, the online marketplace is your best bet.

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  • 24May
    US Airmail Graf Zeppelin Stamps

    We sold this set of US Airmail Graf Zeppelin Stamps for over $1400 on eBay!

    At Auction Bay, we occasionally see stamp collections come into the store, but this is the first time we have encountered some truly rare stamps.  Our consignor brought in a set of the Graf Zeppelin US Air Mail stamps - some of the most famous stamps in history, worth hundreds apiece.

    We took all the necessary steps to help these stamps sell for as high as the market would bear for them.  Plenty of stamp collectors peruse eBay to find the pieces they want most in their collection, but when it comes to a set as popular as this one, the bidders really gather around and get competitive!  15 different bidders and dozens of watchers hounded this set of stamps, and in the last few moments of the auction, a $1,486.00 bid took it home!  Our consignors said that high bid was twice the value estimated by a stamp specialist over 10 years ago, so they are quite pleased with the sale.

    If you’ve got a large lot of stamps or a few valuable ones to sell, Auction Bay can take care of the task, but here are some eBay tips for those listing individual pieces at home.  Make sure to use the macro setting on your camera and get up-close photographs of the front as well as the back (collectors are concerned with the condition of the glue as well as the ink).  Take a moment to learn some philatelic terms, because if a stamp is Mint-Never-Hinged or MNH, you’ll want your bidders to know.  Showing the stamps in comparison with a tape measure can let them judge the edges of the stamp, or you can give your own measurements from the edge of the printing to the perforations (there are grading terms for the centering of the stamp image, and they can make a big difference in your sale).  Many collectors search for their stamps by the Scott’s Catalog Number, so if you can identify the stamp with that catalog and include the number in the auction title and description, that is another major key to a strong sale.

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  • 05May
    A Gold Coin made into a ring brought a big sale!

    This Gold Coin Ring brought $322.05 at auction, over 2 times what the Jewelry Store offered!

    Here’s another Auction Bay success story, with a very satisfied consignor!

    Our consignor brought in this ring to see if we could manage a better sale price than she was offered by a jeweler.  When she took it to a jewelry store for an estimate, she was offered a mere $150 for her item, and we were confident we could best that.

    The Ring was a curious piece, made of a 2 ½ Dollar Gold Coin built into a custom round setting.  The coin itself was in good condition, showing plenty of detail, and the ring did a great job of framing the coin, so it had the benefits of three kinds of value: numismatic (a collectible coin), intrinsic (a handsome piece of jewelry), and actual gold value.  We listed it to show off all three of those, and our methods led to a sale of $322.05!  That’s over two times what the jewelry store offered our consignor!

    We encounter this pattern often.  A jeweler will offer you an amount for your gold which still allows them room to make a profit when they re-sell an item.  This is understandable, as they have expenses to cover, but it still leaves you wanting for the rest of your gold value!  In the case of scrap gold, they have to take that gold, melt it, fashion it into new jewelry, and then turn a profit on top of that.  But when we at Auction Bay sell gold for you on eBay, your item will always sell for its gram weight value or higher!  We take specific measures to ensure that your gold gets sold for the greatest possible value that the market will bear, because the only way that we make money is if you make money.  If you want to learn more about our process, check out our Coins & Gold page for more information.

    Auction Bay offers you the best and safest method to convert your gold into cash.

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  • 02Feb

    At Auction Bay, we’ve sold everything from dolls to classic cars, and have brought smiles and big paychecks to our consignors.  But among our list of items that sell well, it’s our Gold auctions that have brought the highest consistent range of sale.

    GOLD is on everybody’s mind these days!  In harsh economic times, the price of Gold has gone up, and people are rushing to sell it.  It’s a good idea, too!  Gold is in high demand and its price-per-ounce is the highest its been in years!  There are lots of ways to sell your gold, and every company out there wants to do it for you.  Local pawn shops and jewelers offer the convenience of a quick sale, but at the cost of a significant percentage of your gold’s value.  A jeweler has to take your gold, melt it, fashion new jewelry, and then re-sell it to make a profit.  The same is true for pawn shops, which will give you a value based upon what they feel they can get by re-selling.  And then there are the websites advertising ‘gold kits’, asking you to send in your gold.

    Do you have hesitations about using a mail-in service for your gold?  You should… just take a look at this article and video from Good Morning Americahttp://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7125707&page=1

    Those mail-in companies offered a fraction of actual gold value! If you want Top-Dollar for your valuables, then you should consider selling your gold at Auction Bay!
    Here’s why:

    Auction Bay can sell your GOLD!When selling Gold  on eBay, you can rest assured that it will sell for actual spot value or higher!  From new jewelry to Gold Coins to old Class Rings and even broken, mangled jewelry, if it’s gold, it’ll sell.   We take steps to make sure your gold auction offers potential bidders the highest confidence.  We test gold items to accurately identify Karat weight.  We show the actual weight in grams of a gold item in pictures as well as the auction title.  We use keywords that make sure our gold auctions are seen by both gold collectors and scrappers (we’ll even include different spellings of gold designations, like 14K and 14 KT, so that your auction is seen, no matter what people are searching for).    We take high-quality photos to show every facet in a piece of jewelry, as well as the luster of the gold color.  And we show you every step of the process before you commit, so you can be certain of our methods.

    The final thing to consider is that at Auction Bay Online, we make money based on a percentage on your item’s sale price.  That means that we take steps to ensure that every item gets high visibility, and high bidder confidence, so that it has the best chance to sell for top dollar.  And if your gold jewelry has sentimental value, then it’s got a great chance to sell to someone that actually wants to purchase it for its intrinsic value, to wear as jewelry instead of melt for scrap.

    We look forward to seeing your Gold items at Auction Bay.  Give us a try with one or two items, and see how you like the process.

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  • 05Jun
    This set of Sword Reference books sold for $650.00 on eBay!

    This set of Sword Reference books sold for $650.00 on eBay!

    There are plenty of sword collectors and enthusiasts in the world, as proven by our recent sword sales!  But how do those experts find the value of an antique?  Certainly, they can tell by the mei or signature on the tang, but to confirm a sword maker’s identity, they look at books with pages upon pages of signatures.  Just like these which we just sold. 

    Nihon To Koza or Japanese Sword Lectures combines a valuable reference with the rarity of its low production from the first printing, and this set even boasted the signature of the author.  That’s three elements which are just what you want when selling a book. 

    Here’s an eBay Hint for all you home eBayers out there: 

    A rule of thumb regarding general reference books:  The key is to find books which contain what we call ‘timeless information’.  Anything with patterns or schematics which can be used to make or repair items has a good chance to sell.  Instructional books or ones which can be used to identify artworks or collectibles can sometimes sell, depending on the subject matter.  You can sell sets of encyclopedias dating to within the last 3 or 4 years, but beyond this point the material is so outdated that it loses its value as a citable reference.  A set of World Book Encyclopedias from the year 2005 can fetch $150-300 (a fraction of their original price), but a set from 2003 will only garner $70-120.  Beyond this point, it’s a crap shoot, but decades-old sets will hardly sell at all.  It’s timeless data which can bring greater values.  Informative books about collectible items or works of art like this set, wherein the information won’t change (the great swordsmiths’ names are forever). 
    Books which provide valuable information about items, especially hard-to-find ones, can reach great prices like this.

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  • 01Jun
    This Zippo marks the Moon Landing 40 years ago, and sold for $203.50!

    This Zippo marks the Moon Landing 40 years ago, and sold for $203.50!

    So everyone knows the Zippo brand lighter.  They’ve been around for decades, boasting reliability and function even in adverse environments, and they’ve got that satisfying *ca-chink* sound when you flip them open and closed!  Zippo is legendary, but the market is a glut with them!  Everyone has one, and most have extras to sell.  Still, there are a few individual pieces which can bring some BIG sales.  Here’s one…

    We recently sold this Zippo Lighter, which is a special commemorative piece.  It is emblazoned with the image of a Lunar Lander, marked with the date July 20, 1969.  This collectible lighter is like new in its original box, and brought a great sale of $203.50!

    Here’s another eBay Hint for you home ebayers: This is a great item, but its timing is even greater.  Just take a look at the date… July 1969, and it’s now June of 2009!  Very soon the 40 year anniversary of the Moon Landing will start getting attention, and so for a piece like this, it can bring in LOTS of interest.  Any time a movie comes out or an event or historical date relevant to an item occurs, it drives up the interest for items related to it.  So if you’ve got an item dating to the moon landing, then it may be time to put it up for auction!

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  • 24May

    We at Auction Bay would like to wish all our customers and consignors a happy Memorial Day!  We salute the men and women fighting under the Stars and Stripes, and honor our veterans and those who have died for this great nation.

    This US Civil War saber is currently running on eBay!

    This US Civil War saber sold for $455.00 on eBay!

    As we enjoy the weekend off, we’d like to share an item we currently have up for auction which relates to the holiday.  We just listed this US Civil War era cavalry Saber, and it has already seen some significant interest!  Dating to 1864, this sword is a great piece of United States military history, and we are happy to see it selling so well.  In fact, it had three bids within 12 hours of it being listed!  In the end, it brought a winning bid of $455.00!!

    Here’s another eBay Hint for all you home eBayers out there:

    It’s no secret that militaria, especially items dating to the two World Wars and the US Civil War can bring some significant sales.  Between the collectors and re-enactors seeking to complete their kits, genuine historic military gear can sell well.  But this sword is experiencing some great success thanks to a number of factors including: The occasion of the holiday (between parades and programs on TV and whatnot, interest in period items is driven way up), as well as the time of year (more Civil War re-enactments and events are scheduled for the summer than the winter, and some enthusiasts may be looking to outfit themselves with a new sword early in the season).  So not only is this a splendid item, in impressive condition, professionally presented in the auction and given great photos and description, but it also benefits from impeccable timing!

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  • 25Mar
    Figurines by Hummel / Goebel can sell well on eBay!

    Figurines by Hummel / Goebel can sell well on eBay!

    At Auction Bay, we often have little decorative figurines brought in by consignors for consideration.  If those figurines are made by the Goebel company of Germany, then they almost always sell!  Goebel figurines, most commonly created by the artist M.J. Hummel, or others of that family, are collectible and fairly well sought-after.  Their collectors often buy up and swap out these figures in large numbers… but we’ve got at least one consignor selling them one by one.  For instance, check out these figures we’ve recently sold:

    Grandpa’s Boy & Grandma’s Girl Figurines – $122.50

    The Artist Figurine Hummel # 304 – 1955 – $78.05

    The older the Hummel figure, the better the sale!  But watch out for all the imitations out there.   


    Here’s an eBay hint for all you home eBay enthusiasts!  When selling a Hummel figurine, make sure to get a good photo of the underside of the base of the figure, which is where you can find information about its date of manufacture or production run.  Make sure to put these numbers in the title, too!  After all, some collectors might search by the figure name, while others will be searching for its catalog number!  If you’re not sure of its name or number, having one will help you find the other.  And check out similar figures on eBay – you can accurately identify yours by another seller’s item!

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