What is that antique worth? Antique Pricing can be tricky. Consider investing in an antique pricing guide
Beware as you begin your search for antique values that you have to take into account the condition of your item and the market you will be dealing with in your endeavor. I've seen many people with big dreams selling what is basically old junk at their yard sales for the same prices they saw on eBay for a mint condition specimen. They fail to realize that along with poor condition, the traffic at their curb during a three hour span is just slightly less than eBay pulls in during a week long auction. If you have a valuable piece of ephemera or some other collectible, you would do well to do a bit of research and contact some reputable dealers. I've added a few links to well known guides available at Amazon right now (over on the right). If you just want to get something moved along quickly though, and make a few bucks, eBay might serve you well.
To get an idea of the eBay market for your item, you will need to be a member (it's free to sign up). This is due to the fact that you cannot search on completed (finished) auctions unless you are signed in to your account. Guests can only see auctions that are currently running. To see what similar items sold for, you should search on various descriptions of what you want to sell and click on the "completed items" box found at the left of the eBay screen. Once you've done that you can use the handy drop down menu at the top of the screen to sort by categories. I usually like to list by "highest first" so I can see what the best selling item ended up selling for at auction. Looking at only live auctions can be VERY misleading. Often, there will be no bids at all until the final minutes of an auction. For a hot item, prices can really start jumping in the last minute as people who have been watching finally make their move.
Some other things to consider when selling things like vintage ephemera and antiques on eBay are the time of day/week your item will end and the category it should be listed in to get the highest price. Once again, these things can be found by checking out how the best selling similar items sold. There are differing points of view, but I've found that Sunday evening, around 9:00 p.m. Eastern is a good time to end a listing.
If you are looking to buy some collectibles, and you aren't the sort to dig through basements at estate sales, eBay can be a great option as well. Be patient in your searches and consider checking the box to look for your words in the body of the auction as well as the title. Sometimes people (usually new sellers) actually forget to list important specifics in their titles. You should also be sure to search on common mispellings of what you are looking for in your search. These items won't show up in searches for the correct term and might just be sitting there, at low prices, waiting for someone to find them. Whether you are buying or selling, I wish you luck!
