Frequently Asked Questions

First, I want to say thank you for reading this blog and for all of your comments. It's been nearly a year ago that I started blogging and I feel it's grown leaps and bounds since then. I can't even tell you how many posts I did before I got a single comment. It's been wonderful and most unexpected to "meet" so many people that I consider my friends even though we've never met face to face. I thought I'd take a moment to answer some of your questions that have come up lately in the comments. Maybe from time to time I can include a FAQ section in the blog so if you have any other questions, please let me know. Thanks again! Love ya! - SJ

What kind of camera do you use?

I use a simple digital snapshot camera, a Canon Powershot SD1000. It’s small and light and fits in my pocket or purse with no problem. I do love vintage cameras and between my boyfriend and me, we have collected quite a few: a Holga, a Polaroid Land camera, another Polaroid instant camera as well as several others. But, for everyday shots, the digital is my best friend.

How do you get your photos to look like that?

While I love the look that you achieve with these vintage cameras, I find the cost of film and developing to be prohibitive. Plus, with most of these (besides Polaroids) it takes too long to get the photos back; especially for the purpose of using them on the blog. Look, here’s what I wore two weeks ago before I sent my film to be developed! ;) Also, there’s the added consideration that the chemicals used for developing film, even Polaroids, are highly toxic and terrible for the environment.

So the short answer is I’ve learned to use Photoshop to achieve the look of a vintage photograph without all the cost – to me and the environment.

Who takes your photos?

Most of the photos on the blog are taken by me, myself and I using my digital snapshot camera and a tripod. Sometimes, my lovely boyfriend lends his eye and snaps a few shots for me. Anytime he helps, I credit him under the photos. You can see more of his photos here and here. If you don’t see him credited it’s safe to assume that I took the photos. It would be nice to have your own personal photographer follow you around at all times but it turns out that all you really need is a camera, a tripod and no sense of embarrassment. Trust me. Set that tripod up in public and start taking photos of yourself and you’ll get some seriously strange looks.

How do I start my own Ebay store?

I’m sure everyone that has started an Ebay store has taken a different path. My path started nearly a year ago when I posted twelve items. I had no idea if anyone would even see my auctions or if any of the pieces would sell. Luckily people did indeed discover the auctions, the pieces did sell and I’ve been going ever since.

I did a lot of online research, learned some basic HTML, asked my graphic designer boyfriend for help and dove in head first.

Is it a lot of work?

Yes. But it’s also a lot of fun. I mean, I vintage shop for a living. I feel lucky everyday for that fact alone. But it’s not all about the shopping. There’s also taking photos of each piece, writing the descriptions and taking measurements (for some reason this is my least favorite part), keeping up with all the correspondence from your buyers, preparing packages for mailing including all customs forms for overseas shipments and trips to the post office. It can become quite time consuming. These are just a few things to consider if you want to start your own store. If you do, good luck!