“I know you’re not really looking at my collection of toys for sale, right?” A tall African American man called out to me while comfortably sitting on a portable lounge chair behind a table of vintage toys. Ah yes, even at the Alameda Antique Faire can we be judged based on our appearances.
“I was actually. I’m a collector and an ebayer.” I reply with a smile. He chuckles giving the best well I’ll be damned expression he can muster and calls me over to look at what he has listed on his ebay site where he has some vintage Star Wars figures going for $1200. And there we have it, another secret handshake of the ebay club.
Definition:
ebay club – The secret society where you share your trials, tribulations and joys from making money on ebay. You DO NOT talk about ebay CLUB. But when you do end up revealing you’re a member, you end up giggling like school girls in the corner, sharing your biggest and best conquests.
I pour over the boxes but all have some sort of dent on them, and I would only pay for something in better condition. His pricing and they are on par with what I would sell them for. We chat briefly as I peruse the rest of his toys, and I find out that he gets all his goods at blind auctions. With that information stored on file, I bid him adieu and am on my way to look at other things.
A couple weeks ago Patricia, Tina and myself made an early morning trek to Alameda to see if we could pick up rare and beautiful housewares. Oh Alameda my hometown, I never realized that it was also home to one of the biggest and best Antique Faires since long after I moved away. On the first Sunday of every month they host this event at the old Naval Base. I had learned about this event in a 1:1 with one of my managers back in 2006, as he had an affinity for teak furniture, and now that I’m in my 30s I also find I have similar affinities. I didn’t end up leaving with anything tangible for my home, but I loved strolling around and taking the photos below.
Pro-tips:
- Wear comfortable walking shoes
- Wear warm/cool layers and a hat (the mornings are cold and the afternoons are scorchers)
- Bring a bottle of water
- Lather in sunblock
- Cash! Some places take credit, but some do not.
- Camera! This place is a feast for the eyes, so even if you don’t end up buying something I loved taking photos there.
- The food trucks show up here, so you can get your noms on while checking everything out.
