What we are building, and what we are learning

Describing the condition of toys and collectibles

Grade the item and the box separately, and say what is missing before anyone asks.

Packing and posting toys and boxed collectibles

Never post a boxed collectible in its own box. That sentence is the whole guide.

Describing handmade work honestly

Variation is not a flaw and a chip is not variation. The description is where you separate them.

Pricing toys and collectibles for a live auction

Sealed, boxed, complete and loose are four prices for one object. Pick the right one.

Packing and posting handicrafts

Edges, points and rims. Everything fired, carved or lacquered breaks where it sticks out.

Buying toys and collectibles in a live auction

Ask for the back of the box and the contents laid out. Both are usually missing from the photos.

Pricing handicrafts for a live auction

Your hours are the floor. Do not let a race to the bottom set a price you cannot work at.

How to sell toys and collectibles on Metzee

For a boxed collectible, the box is not packaging. It is most of what you are selling.

Buying handicrafts in a live auction

Ask who made it and where. Then ask whether the piece you are bidding on is the piece you get.

Describing the condition of electronics

Working, untested or for parts — then the screen, the battery, the ports and what has been replaced.

How to sell handicrafts on Metzee

Name the technique, name the region, name yourself. The work is the story and the story is the price.

Packing and posting electronics

Batteries are a delivery question, not a packing question. Settle it before you promise a price.

Describing the condition of antiques

Original, repaired, restored, married. Four words that decide what the object actually is.

Pricing electronics for a live auction

Tested, untested and for parts are three markets. Age does the rest of the work.

Packing and posting antiques

Some of this should not be posted at all, and saying so is the professional answer.

Buying electronics in a live auction

Ask them to boot it, and ask whether it has been signed out. The second question saves more sales.

Pricing antiques for a live auction

Price what you can say, not what you hope. The certainty is part of the item.

How to sell electronics on Metzee

Power it on, show what is included, and sign out of every account before it leaves the house.

Buying antiques in a live auction

Ask for the underside and the back. The front was made to be looked at; the back tells the truth.

How to sell antiques and vintage decor on Metzee

Say what you know, say how you know it, and say what has been done to the piece since.

How sports cards are graded

Four areas, a ten-point scale, and the difference between a grade and a guess.

Packing and posting sports cards

Sleeve, holder, tape, bag, board, rigid mailer. Six steps and a card arrives as it left.

Pricing sports cards for a live auction

The gap between raw and graded is the whole game. Decide which side you are selling on.

Buying sports cards in a live auction

Ask for the back, the corners and the card held still under side light. Then decide.