Buy Tchotchkes At Yard Sale, Make Up A Story About 'Em, Sell Both On eBay
Have you ever picked up something at a yard sale and wondered where the heck it came from? Like a disturbing clown painting that the owner has a hard time parting with, or a queer Hummel knockoff. The bloggers at Significant Objects seem to have.
A pack of creative writers get paired with a cheap chotskhe bought at a thrift store or yard sale, and then they make up a story about it. The stories get posted on the blog, and on eBay where they're sold along with the actual items. The writer gets the money, and the winner gets the object and a copy of the story.
The project is a sort of rumination on what it means to own a thing. An object can be bought and sold, and imbued with significance by its owner. Even though that exists mainly in their mind and memories, a story about an objects provenance can get passed from owner to owner, and from the story holders to the object tourists. What if the story is completely made up? The legend because less, and yet, something more. Frivolous, sure, but also fun, and a little bit magical.
Significant Objects [Blog]
shop.ebay.com/merchant/significantobjects [eBay store]
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Comments:
Fun idea.
Kind of reminds me of hilarious Amazon reviews.
"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend"
I'm sorry but to me this seems borderline fraudulent. As a buyer, I think I have a right to an accurate history of the object rather than being fed some line of bull the seller made up.
The cat plate story is priceless. And by priceless I mean, I copied it into a file on my hard drive and didn't pay a cent for it. It's also a kick to read.
@dragonfire81: I don't see it as fraudulent unless they're trying to sell it for a higher price that's based solely on whatever they're claiming (like if it's supposed to be an authentic, one-of-a-kind geegaw or something). If you're buying an item, and they just happen to tell an interesting story behind it, where's the harm? Also, is it their fault that people might be more likely to buy an item if it has a interesting story associated with it?
If you want proof that stories multiply the price of an item many times over, just ask Dawn Meehan.
@dragonfire81: It's clearly stated in the auction that the story is fictional, though (and it's pretty clear from the stories as well, frankly). So no deception--the buyers know the tale is an invention.
Note: The significance of this object has been invented by the author; see SignificantObjects.com for details. (Winning bidder also receives a copy of James Parker's story about this object. Opening price represents the free-market value of the object prior to its invented significance. Some items ship from Boston, MA, not Savannah, GA.)
@dragonfire81: You totally missed the point. This isn't them trying to pull the wool over people's eyes and get them to buy junk. They've set up an eBay store and a blog; they are totally up front about where the stories come from. The bidder is purchasing a piece of art (ie, the idea is the tchotchke plus the story = art).
@Princess Leela: Well that makes a little more sense. I was under the impression someone was buying old china at a yard sale and trying to resell them claiming it was "Hitler's dinner plate" or something crazy like that.
But that's what I get for not reading the article.
@dragonfire81: "But that's what I get for not reading the article."
Thanks for letting your laziness touch all of our lives! (wipes away single tear)
@macaddct1984: I always browse Amazon with my three wolf moon shirt while drinking Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon, 128 fl oz
Now I can sell my Urban Sombrero!
I've spun a few stories on ebay myself to help my items sell, however every story I wrote on there has been truthful. Some people don't want to read a very long description and will just skip your auction and go to someone else's with a more concise description so you have to be very careful when you use stories. Don't use stories if you have a lot of competition for what you are selling, if its a one of a kind thing, tell the story.
I definitely wrote an enormously long description for how I broke a laptop I was selling.
It sold, in completely NONworking condition, for most working laptops of the same model.
I highly encourage entertaining ebay stories.
The very first item I ever sold on eBay, was a piece of artwork owned by my Dad. He needed the money to move, and coincidentally he had just survived a bout with cancer.
So I threw in a little bio about my Dad, and why he needed the money. The artwork sold for $10,000! (Easily twice what it was worth.) $10k to a seller (me) with a ZERO feedback rating!
The buyer said the story moved him. It was a good story - my Dad's had an interesting life.
Good writing and good stories sell!
If the story is truthful, then you haven't "spun" it. You've simply related the story, written it down, or what have you. "Spun a yarn" is an implication that you've taken something (wool) and turned it into something else (yarn) which, while it contains the *substance* of the original, cannot be mistaken for the same thing.
So, do you think Woot! will get jealous? Maybe start paying their writers based on how well something sells? Maybe start paying their writers?
You often find "haunted" things like dolls on Ebay. Personally, I would like to b slap these people.
I shall confess that as a now occasional eBay seller that I have spun a few stories. It's really not hard to figure what most people would like the history of an item to be. I'd never fake provenance or what an item actually is...butttttt, if somebody wants to buy a story along with an item, I'll throw one in free of charge.