Excuse me. Where's the fork?

I'm a minimalist at heart.  I hate "stuff."  Stuff just makes me shudder. 


Shocking, isn't it?  Truth be told, if I weren't running an eBay business, I'd be living  in an Airstream - nice and simple.  


That's probably why I don't like silverware.  I just don't get why people have drawers full of it.   What's the point?  12 spoons.  12 knives. 12 forks.  Why not have one per person and hide the rest until company comes?  No arguing about who dirtied what.  It's simple: If your fork isn't washed, you're not eating.


About 10 years ago I lived in a household that only had one fork.  We were too lazy to go out and buy another one, so we made do.  "Where's the fork?" was the ongoing joke.  We had one fork, two spoons, a couple of knives, and a few plates -- just enough to fill half the sink.  I loved it.  There was no yelling.  I mean......what could we say?


"I'm sick and tired of coming home and having to wash other people's dish." 


Or maybe... 


"Who used the spoon and didn't wash it?" 


Because we only had one fork, we could sit together but we couldn't actually eat together. We had to eat on a rotating schedule.  LOL.  Life was easy.


A few months ago, Niko's sister moved in.  She's never home (and I mean never), yet she owns an entire drawer full of flatware. I'm in shock every time I reach for a spoon.  "What is THIS!?" I think to myself.  Why does a single 20-something who's on the road 90% of the week need 10 forks?  The answer to that question is simple:  she doesn't. 


Which brings me to today's topic: flatware and kitchen knives.  It's easy to capitalize on society's obsession with these products.  They are everywhere.  Estate sales are goldmines when it comes to this stuff, and the more you educate yourself, the more you'll  make.  When listing a piece of flatware, it's important to include the name of the pattern in the title.  A great place to research silverware is replacements.com.  I'm not an expert on flatware yet, but I've already made some money selling knives.


What brands of knives are popular on eBay?  Let's see.....  A few weeks ago I bought a Gerber bread knife.  Gerber knives are made in the USA.  I found this particular knife at the bottom of a box.  It only cost a quarter.  I listed it at auction and it sold for ............


                                                $26.99

In addition, Niko recently purchased a vintage J.A. Henckels knife.  These are hot.  (Look for the ones made in Solingen, Germany.)  He purchased it for a dime and sold it for ..........


                                                $28.50

The great thing about knives is that everyone seems to pass them up.  The average yard sale has at least one rat-chewed box full of knives sitting in a corner being ignored.  


Last week a knife salesman had a yard sale.  He was liquidating excess inventory.  He definitely wasn't giving knives away, but the ones he had were quality and in great condition.  Some of the knives he was selling were made by Wuesthof (usually spelled Wusthof with an umlaut).  These knives are used by famous chefs around the world.  They are also made in Solingen.  (I used to live near Solingen!)  We looked them up and....cha ching!  We haven't listed them yet, but stay tuned!


OK.  I've gotta go now.  Gotta eat some breakfast with one of the many, many spoons we now have in the house.  That's right.  I'm being pulled, kicking and screaming, into adulthood by a 28-year-old.  Before you know it, I'll be buying guest towels.



For the best eBay selling tips around, follow The eBay Life. (See the "follow" button to the right of this post.) Each week I will give you eBay selling ideas that you won't find anywhere else! If you need footwear, don't forget to check out my store, Blue Frog Shoes, where I sell name brand shoes and shoes in hard-to-find sizes.