Huge Witco Sale in Oakland

I guess we were just a little late...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/clt/1135386769.html

Someone got there and now it is all for sale in Oakland.

Hope someone else can make it down there for this stuff!

PTD

Just received an email from the owner. They are not selling the pieces individually, this is being sold as a "set"

They are asking $1,800.00 as a starting offer price for everything. In the grand scheme of things, that sounds reasonable to me. Lots of pieces.

PTD

Glad to know the original ad wasnt a hoax but damn! I am mad I didnt see the ad first :wink:

Well f*#k a duck! That is the amazing TAHITI BAR in there, worth twice that money by itself!:

Until now I had only seen ONE example of this Witco masterpiece in the wild --and I bought it:

Supposedly only 15 of these were ever made! Then there are the Tiki armchairs, TWO of those backlit shields, the lamps and tables, the exotic fountain...amazing.

That's the deal of a century, god bless the bad economy! Hope someone here snags it and can report.

if anyone here picks this stuff up....i'd love the chance to make you an offer for the chinese style mirror.....if you are not going to keep it for yourself...i might even consider a witco trade for some of the pieces i picked up a few weeks back...

I spoke to the guy in the store, It was all owned by a collector who passed away, the brother who cleaned out the house, thinking it was all garbage, gave to this resale store, a low end resale store. They are now looking to sell it complete.

They have been getting many calls and now they have estate people at the store giving them the real values, so whoever does buy it will not get too much of a bargin. They said they are even considering ebay. I asked that if they break up the set, I am interested in the fountain for a friend.

Amy

[ Edited by: Queen Kamehameha 2009-04-23 12:25 ]

So the above quote of 1800.- for the WHOLE set was a misunderstanding?

On 2009-04-23 10:41, Queen Kamehameha wrote:
They have been getting many calls and now they have estate people at the store giving them the real values...

I'd like to see if and how estate liquidators can come up with a "real" value for Witco furniture, what would they go by?

On 2009-04-23 14:19, bigbrotiki wrote:
So the above quote of 1800.- for the WHOLE set was a misunderstanding?

On 2009-04-23 10:41, Queen Kamehameha wrote:
They have been getting many calls and now they have estate people at the store giving them the real values...

I'd like to see if and how estate liquidators can come up with a "real" value for Witco furniture, what would they go by?

and further more...why would you get quoted a rather cheap price..then tell the person you are underselling it????????????????

I wouldnt say crap...get the great deal...then reap the rewards of reselling at a higher price.

Not too smart to be spilling the beans about what all this polynesian furniture really is if you ask me!

for the record, I didn't say anything. By the time I called, someone had told them it was collected, it is the same furniture that is in Elvis' house, and they have friends who are estate sellers, they were checking with them and they were told about the witco on ebay. They had over 20 calls by the time I called. I just relayed here what was told to me, All I asked was if they were selling the fountain separately I was interested.

Sven, their idea of real value is certainly not what is it worth, but it is certanily not 1800.00 for the lot either. I think they quoted 1800.00 before they started to get all the calls.

Amy

[ Edited by: Queen Kamehameha 2009-04-23 15:05 ]

Since I am at home and don't have access to my work email, I will post the response I received from the seller tomorrow. The seller did say they were selling this furniture as a complete set and were starting the asking price at $1,800.00; perhaps hoping to get more, although not clearly stated. The seller also asked if I was interested in more pictures and I replied by asking for more pictures and also inquired how long before they decided on the final price.

I have not heard back as of yet. Not at all surprised about people blabbing to the seller, this always seems to happen whenever someone sees something they can't get and then it is spoiled for everyone. Just hope it isn't anyone here, because it almost makes posting these posts pointless.

PTD

What do you know, I was able to access my work email from home. Here is the response I received from the sellers this morning:

Subject: Re: Complete PolynesianTiki Furniture Set

Hi Duane,

Thank you so much for your interest in the Polynesian furniture. Since it is such a great set we are not going to sell any items individually at this point. We are taking offers starting at $1,800.for the complete set. This furntiure is in really great shape!

Let us know is you are interested or would like to see more pictures.

Thanks so much,

Wendy

Poor Honey's

510-261-4500

I think one can safely assume that there are a number of non-TC Tiki collectors in the bay area that scan Craigs list for such deals. Why they or anybody would talk themselves out of such a deal is beyond me, though. The only thing to do in such a case is to drive straight there and take the seller by his word. But if the whole thing gets spoiled in the early morning hours, it must be some blabbermouth's fault.

Ultimately, it is really all my fault, because I made the name Witco and its connection to Elvis' Jungle Room common knowledge in the Book of Tiki. But if I wouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have written about all that other stuff, either, and where would we be then today!? :)

Sven-We all enjoy your books and your vast knowledge in tiki pop culture .
I find my self viewing the books on a daily basis for reference .You are
definitely one of the main contributing factors to a rise in the popularity
of Witco as well as the value increases ...but I guess in a good way if you
know what I mean.I just miss being able to go to the flea markets and finding
it dirt cheap!

[ Edited by: 1961surf 2009-04-23 20:43 ]

Thank you. But what I was trying to say was that not posting about these kind of deals or finds is not the solution. Not sharing is unproductive. Without my books this whole community would be much smaller, and a large percentage of Tiki discoveries would never reach the light of day, much of it would have been thrown away. This way, new treasures are unearthed every day and published to the enjoyment of all who care.

I just need the top of the bar to complete my Witco Tahiti Bar, ha ha!
Seriously, what a great set! I love those wall shields!

I want those shields damn it!!

On 2009-04-25 00:46, 1961surf wrote:
I want those shields damn it!!

..no problem...just contact ken pleasant...he can duplicate any witco piece you want..even the fabled tahitian bar...which would put it at #16 in existence according to sven....

is it pricey ? sometimes, but you gotta figure that if ken carves you something not only is it identical to an actual witco piece...it's like new in terms of finish and materials....

if i'm gonna pay big money for witco, it sure as hell ain't gonna be for some flea market find that someone wants to cash in on....i'm just not that big a purist about that stuff...i don't care if it's original or one carved by ken....i actuall prefer the latter....

She is selling it piece by piece now due to the HUGE interest in the furniture AND she has now written it up as Witco in her new ad. Good job to whoever told her what it was.Not saying it was someone on here but to whoever spilled the beans has influenced her pricing-not too smart if it was a dealer. And if it was a dealer good luck flippin it again.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/clt/1139543588.html

[ Edited by: leleliz 2009-04-25 11:50 ]

i don't think any one individual is responsible..let's face it...these poor people were barraged with phone call after phone call..one offer larger than the next....if you were them, wouldn't you be the least bit curious as to why there was such an overwhelming response??? c'mon people...you can't blame them....after all the interest it's no wonder they probably started doing some research and making a few calls to friends in the biz to find out what they really had on their hands...

good for them....hope they make a bundle off this stuff.....

..and P.S......they are the dealer!!

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-04-25 14:27 ]

On 2009-04-25 14:13, Tipsy McStagger wrote:

i don't think any one individual is responsible..let's face it...these poor people were barraged with phone call after phone call..one offer larger than the next....if you were them, wouldn't you be the least bit curious as to why there was such an overwhelming response??? c'mon people...you can't blame them....after all the interest it's no wonder they probably started doing some research and making a few calls to friends in the biz to find out what they really had on their hands...

good for them....hope they make a bundle off this stuff.....
..and P.S......they are the dealer!!

I agree, When I spoke to them a few days ago they had already known what it was and with all the phone calls they received and all the huge offers for the bar alone, made then suspious.

Just my .02

Amy

The internet giveth, and the internet taketh... :)

What sucks is that alot of people called with probably NO intent to buy, or knowing that they probably couldnt afford it to begin with. I would have simply asked to see it in person, and brought my checkbook, OR taken a loan out on my car to have the cash ready.

[ Edited by: Tom Slick 2009-04-25 22:45 ]

did anyone actually get any of this? I never got a call back on the fountain, weird

Amy

so what's the latest??...did anyone get anything outta this sale or did you all get skunked??? what happened?

This people that own the store don't return phone calls.I put in respectable offers
on the two Witco masks/ shields and followed up with four phone calls with no replys.
Thats as of two days ago.

[ Edited by: 1961surf 2009-05-15 13:43 ]

[ Edited by: 1961surf 2009-05-15 14:12 ]

Update.....Just got off the phone with the owner Wendy and they still have all the
furniture.She has been sick and has been diagnosed with a debilitating muscle disease
and has not been in the office the last week and a half, which explains why my calls
did not get returned .My offer is still pending with her .

Uh oh! Could this be a case of BAD LUCK WITCO !!!? (That's the accelerated form of Bad Taste Witco)

On 2009-05-15 13:51, 1961surf wrote:
Update.....Just got off the phone with the owner Wendy and they still have all the
furniture.She has been sick and has been diagnosed with a debilitating muscle disease
and has not been in the office the last week and a half, which explains why my calls
did not get returned .My offer is still pending with her .

wow, I thought it was weird, no call back, It's a shame, whether you know them or not, hope she is ultimately ok

Someone out in El cajn wants $200 for this:

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/clt/1180751458.html

Maybe someone should call the number and tell him to sell it for $600.

Any you guys ever see Coco Joe's on Craigslist?
Buzzy Out!

[ Edited by: tikimyniki 2009-05-20 21:17 ]

I was going to post the other day but wanted to get more info. Oh and I've been lurkin for a while but this topic got my motor running.(niki is my wife)

This is what I gathered: The person I phoned at the shop said that it WAS TCers that inflated the prices. But not necessarily by the feeding frenzy. They said they were surprised at one person trying to undercut the other! And at one point even telling them they should charge more! Wow! Some community. So they finally sold EVERYTHING to someone(I think from Canada)who showed them cash.

I remember the Trader Vic's warehouse thread where after the sale, and everyone's happy pics, we learned that there was a sale. IMHO, that was questionable/shady too.

So I applaud the TCer who posted the original ad, because I thought thats what this community was all about, but what happened after, was pure_____. (You can ad your own word, I have several 4 letter ones)

Yes I am a bit bitter too. :wink:

Pretty much the only reason why I was bummed that Psycho Tiki D and I didn’t get all this set for free from the original post is because big scores of Witco don’t come along that often—well unless you are Tiki David :wink:

I also HIGHLY doubt that the people I know who called this store (and I KNOW there were at least 10 from here) regarding the sale ad posted by the thrift store said:“Hi, I am LeLeLiz from a tiki forum called Tiki Central. Your Polynesian furniture is actually Witco and I really want to buy it for cheap”.

Please. The “Tcers inflated the prices” seems like bs to me.

Regarding the Trader Vics warehouse sale..if YOU want to buy tiki items then it is up to YOU to find where to do so. NO ONE on here owes anyone else anything. Why is that “questionable/shady”???I really think its lame come on this forum and give people a hard time about knowing about something you did not. Its not their job to inform you..or anyone else for that matter of events/sales. If you want to know…then learn where to look. I suggest keeping the “Oh that was shady” comments to yourself. Really? Shady?? Are you kidding me??

Also why be a lurker if not to scour these forums for places to swoop down and take advantage of others being nice when they post an ad for something like a TV Sale? If I wanted something that was going to be at a little known about sale the LAST thing I would do is tell anyone about it until after the fact. WHY should I ?? So someone else can swoop in and buy the one thing that I want? That is dumb.

I am the person who originally posted the “Witco for free” ad and Psycho Tiki D was the person who originally posted the “Witco for sale” ad. We did it because we wanted to ..not because we owed it to anyone. If we would of gotten all that Witco for free we would of kept it all and then posted on here our massive score and I personally wouldn’t feel bad about it.

I have also been in the know about quite a few amazing Estate sales recently and I have scored some awesome stuff at and guess what--I didn't tell anyone. Sorry about your luck. If you want to know where to buy something then YOU do the research.

I am pretty over this "You owe me to tell me where you got (fill in the blank)" and the "Its not fair that you find so much stuff. You have to tell me where you look so I can find it too".

If anyone wants to share information its their personal choice--not their duty to.

Lurking on a forum to take advantage of other's postings regarding sales/events is what seems shady to ME.

And that is all I am going to say about that and I am also never looking at this thread again. I got more important things to get to doing.

leleliz. nice to meet you. We all lurked at some point. :wink:

I expected a few people to take exception to my comments but was trying to inform everyone from what i gathered and add my own opinion. I was certainly amused that some in the community showed less community spirit in this case.

And YES, it is what I was told: some people from this site had conversations with the shop, told them they were members here at some point. The people from the shop even read the comments posted on this site!, so they were in the know, which is fine by me.

The sad truth and irony is the people who tried to undercut the others actually ruined it for themselves too. Getting pissy at me for questioning situations only illustrates my point about "community?". There is no crime against sprited debate.

If you would have looked at my post more carefully you would have read that I applauded the person who actually posted the ad, and still do. :)

My understanding (form Wendy) was that a TCer who "wished to remain anonymous" offered her more than she was asking for, for the lot. Apparently he was from Nevada, not Canada, but she may have misheard.

On 2009-05-24 11:45, tikimyniki wrote:
Oh and I've been lurkin for a while ...

... I remember the Trader Vic's warehouse thread where after the sale, and everyone's happy pics, we learned that there was a sale. IMHO, that was questionable/shady too.

Not a very good lurker then, are you? This was posted three whole weeks before the TV Warehouse Sale. Check your facts before you go getting all insulting.

I guess I will come forward as the guilty party for posting the craigslist ad here.

Not only have I posted this ad, but several others in the past, because some of the tiki I have seen is either too far away, too expensive or not something I want or have room for. I do this so others in the area this stuff is found have a chance of getting it for themselves.

Unfortunatley, I can't be everywhere at once. I received an PM from leleliz when she saw it andI contacted the original owner but was too late to score on this one. leleliz is right, this would have been and still is one of the most amazing free scores I have ever seen posted anywhere and I tip my hat to the people who got it. Not sure if I would have had room to keep it all (or half, the other going to leleliz), but just to have the bragging rights would have been amazing.

This is not the first time I have encountered "tattletales" on TC. Last year, when I purchased the Witco headboard, the seller, who unbeknownst to me, knew my wife (which was the only reason I was able to buy it at the asking price), was bombarded with phone calls and when the seller told the callers there was a sale pending, she was told by several people responding to the ad the headboard was worth way more than she was asking. Why would someone do that? Jealousy or anger?? I think anyone who goes to the lengths of trying to undermind a deal on a sale with a posted amount is a dick!

The Witco in question here had no set price. The owners did not know what they had and started the sale at a price they felt was worth their time and effort to pick-up. Remember, this Witco was free and they only had there time in for picking it up and posting it.

If a little more networking was done behind the scence with interested parties, maybe a few people could have walked away happy with something, instead of one person buying it all. I get contacted all the time by great Tiki Central people about trades or being asked if I want to sell items and am given information of things for sale. Post what you collect and they will come.

Maybe a thread should be started (or maybe one already exists) for items wanted by TCer's. I see things all the time I don't want, don't have space for, already have or can't afford, but if the thread existed with collector's wants and how much they are willing to pay (or trade) some of the collector's in "tiki poor" areas would be to add more to their collections.

Just a thought.

PTD

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30714&forum=12&40

Yeah these store owners have not so much as called me back and gave me a heads up
on the offer I put in on the two shields.Oh well consider the source on the caliber
of the store I guess .

Maybe a thread should be started (or maybe one already exists) for items wanted by TCer's. I see things all the time I don't want, don't have space for, already have or can't afford, but if the thread existed with collector's wants and how much they are willing to pay (or trade) some of the collector's in "tiki poor" areas would be to add more to their collections.

Just a thought.

PTD

..i have a thread here specifically for folks to post and locate vintage glassware they may need to complete a set they have or offer ones they don't want to folks that may need one or 2 to complete theirs....i have yet to post pics of what i'm lookin for or what i have to trade/sell..but i will very soon. I think yours is a good idea but it may be better to start separate threads catagorized according to what folks are looking for so that they don't haveto weed through a bunch of stuff they don't want but can zero in on the items they do want........i already have vintage glassware covered....