Garage Sales, Thrift Stores, Antique Malls. THEY NOW KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE! - Collecting Tiki

T TabooDan Tiki Socialite Coast of BC now in Crowsnest, AB., Canada Joined: Jul 18, 2004 Posts: 691	T TabooDan Posted posted on Sun, Jul 30, 2006 6:22 PM I agree with what you all are saying! I hate antique shops that have something you want and are asking a huge price. But, they are in business to make money not suppliment collectors who really dont want to pay too much for anything. The pickers are horrible as they dont care about the items or the history, they just want them all to flip. There is nothing better than walking into a thrift store or value village and seeing that cool, rare or not, tiki mug on the shelf. I just found a OMC skull mug at value village for only $6.00! The deals are out there to be had you just have to keep hunting. That is the whole deal anyway. You just never know what you could find out there. When I first started collecting I would buy everything Hawaiian or Tiki that I saw. I would buy everything! I then started looking at my collection and really started to choose to collect specifics within the culture. I learned the history of the items I was searching for and considered my purchases before I just jump on anything that I thought I wanted. About 4 years ago I started to sell off all the stuff that I didn't connect with and all my doubles and just picked up what I specifically wanted. Now I leave everything behind (unless I don't have it)hoping to turn on new collectors to Tiki and Hawaiian items. I have even found myself walking around the store with something that I have found and then putting it back after thinking about it. Of course, alot of stuff can make good trades if it is not too common an item or maybe a sale if you can get it cheap enough. I'll tell you one thing, the last time I walked by an Orchids of Hawaii Bikini Girl and a Coco Joe ashtray, one of the usual pickers quickly grabbed them up and literally threw them in her cart. Now whats better, someone like her getting it who doesn't give a damn or me who appreciates finding something in the wild, picking it up and offering it on ebay for a fare price or trading it with someone else who also appreciates it? I guess it all boils down to the thrill of the hunt! Get out there and go to your usual hunting grounds and keep looking. It seems kind of pointless to sit around and complain about the prices. If you really want it, you will get it one day. Isn't it better that the prices of the items we all collect go up anyway? Makes for better stories when you talk about that very rare bowl that sells for about $300.00 and you paid two bucks for!! Happy hunting all!!

I agree with what you all are saying! I hate antique shops that have something you want and are asking a huge price. But, they are in business to make money not suppliment collectors who really dont want to pay too much for anything.
The pickers are horrible as they dont care about the items or the history, they just want them all to flip. There is nothing better than walking into a thrift store or value village and seeing that cool, rare or not, tiki mug on the shelf. I just found a OMC skull mug at value village for only $6.00! The deals are out there to be had you just have to keep hunting. That is the whole deal anyway. You just never know what you could find out there.

When I first started collecting I would buy everything Hawaiian or Tiki that I saw. I would buy everything! I then started looking at my collection and really started to choose to collect specifics within the culture. I learned the history of the items I was searching for and considered my purchases before I just jump on anything that I thought I wanted. About 4 years ago I started to sell off all the stuff that I didn't connect with and all my doubles and just picked up what I specifically wanted.
Now I leave everything behind (unless I don't have it)hoping to turn on new collectors to Tiki and Hawaiian items. I have even found myself walking around the store with something that I have found and then putting it back after thinking about it. Of course, alot of stuff can make good trades if it is not too common an item or maybe a sale if you can get it cheap enough.
I'll tell you one thing, the last time I walked by an Orchids of Hawaii Bikini Girl and a Coco Joe ashtray, one of the usual pickers quickly grabbed them up and literally threw them in her cart. Now whats better, someone like her getting it who doesn't give a damn or me who appreciates finding something in the wild, picking it up and offering it on ebay for a fare price or trading it with someone else who also appreciates it? I guess it all boils down to the thrill of the hunt!
Get out there and go to your usual hunting grounds and keep looking. It seems kind of pointless to sit around and complain about the prices. If you really want it, you will get it one day. Isn't it better that the prices of the items we all collect go up anyway? Makes for better stories when you talk about that very rare bowl that sells for about $300.00 and you paid two bucks for!!
Happy hunting all!!

Post #245803 by TabooDan on Sun, Jul 30, 2006 6:22 PM