You know you’re in the right career for you when you can’t stand going to sleep at night because all you want to do is keep working. That is how I feel every single day at the store. Funny, the whole reason why I was a Hollywood creature was because I wanted to use my success to create a product line, have a store and sell merchandise to the world. Funny how the universe gives you your dreams in such unforeseen ways! I’m so happy to be here and I’m having such a wonderful time with the store. Every night I go to bed exhausted and I can barely put a sentence together because I work so hard, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m very lucky to be in your community and I’m so thankful that you are willing to sell me your precious things. I love them and cherish them as much as if they came from my own family.
Regarding vintage furs…many people have old fur coat sitting in their basements or in cedar lined closets. Those are the worst two places you can store fur and I will tell you why. Cedar pulls moisture out of the fur coat and makes the leather hide fragile. When you store a fur coat wrong (because you don’t know any better) the hide begins to deteriorate very quickly, even within two summers time. A fur can look absolutely perfect and in mint condition until someone puts it on and then the hide rips as easily as a piece of tissue paper. If you’re not going to wear fur give it to someone who will wear it or sell it to someone like me. Here’s a video from my first visit on Mass Appeal to help you learn how to care for your furs:
One person’s trash is another one’s treasure. I find New England to be a treasure trove of mass proportions. I buy old things to make them new again and give them new life! I love buying from my community! I love hearing the stories of how glamorous your Mothers were in the “olden days”. Most women sell their mothers coats because they don’t wear fur and I understand that. I don’t wear NEW fur but I love saving the fur we already have. I’m very thankful for your generosity in basically giving me a $10,000 for coat for the amount you’d spend on dinner! It saddens me greatly that fur does not sell for very much money anymore. But I want you to know I am NOT making hundreds and hundreds of dollars off of the fur coats you give me. Long full length mink fur coats in mint condition sell for about 100 sometimes 200 dollars. Fox fur coats sell for 50 to $200 if they are in absolute perfect condition with beautiful designs. Rabbit fur coats sell for about 10 to $20. Mouton doesn’t sell nor does Persian lamb, with few exceptions although I do still buy them. It takes me about 4-6 hours per coat between photographing, cleaning and repairing the fur in order to sell it. That is why I wanted to let you know the time it takes to sell one, and the challenges that go with selling from eBay. eBay gives everyone a 14-30 day return policy even if the seller says “no returns”. That means someone can wear a fur coat and return it after 30 days for a full refund, even if they have damaged it AND I have to pay for return shipping. You CAN sell your fur yourself, but I wanted to let you know what to expect. I love selling online, but you just have to be realistic about what you will get monetarily and the time it will take. There is a lot of gambling involved because many sellers start auctions at .99 cents! I often have to too in order to sell. Because of this fact, I often lose money. Remember if you are selling your fur yourself, eBay and paypal take about 20%.
Here is my ebay store where you can see what things sell for. I am very transparent! Let me know if you want MORE information on anything. I make about 25% profit on average when I sell fur. I continue to sell fur coats because I love them, not because I make money on them. If they are torn and worn out, I use them for crafts. I always feel guilty when I see the disappointment on your faces when you find out how much furs sell for these days. I wrote this blog because wanted to explain WHY we pay so little for such gorgeous coats. It isn’t because we are cheap and want to rob you! ;(
You all have such lovely things. Thank you for trusting me with them. We feel very blessed to be here. Feel free to call the store and ask me any questions you have. When you see the silver car in front of the store that means I’m there and I’d love to see you. I’m an open book and I’m here to help you. There is never any pressure for you to buy OR sell anything.
