New Year Sales

In England, the Christmas and New Year sales are legend.  Sun-starved folk rush from Debs to Harrys to Marks and Sparks, picking up bargains from overstretched retailers and spending like drunken sailors on shore leave.

Our New Year Sales were a bit different - we ended up selling three major pieces right when we were least expecting to do so

First to go was Mareta, the Mangere sofa.  She left us in January to a new home in Newmarket, Auckland.   Her new owners seem to be putting together a very coordinated 60's look  picking out really nice pieces from wallpaper to major furnishings.  We think that Mareta will look great and they appear to be pretty enthusiastic too!

Next, Wellington struck again.  Heidi the hardback has been a labour of love for Jos - a learning curve that has given her new skills and confidence.  Heidi's new owners are also forming up a pretty comprehensive 60's style and seem to be moving a number of great pieces south.  Auckland's loss and proof of where the seat of power lies.

Finally, today we arrived home from a weekend away to find the Morgan boys are no longer ours.  An Auckland buyer hit the Buy Now and will (as soon as we have arranged it) have two new 'laxing options in their home.

Whew.  So now we have to do some more work.  Tomorrow finally looks to be a clearish day with goodish light, so its time to take some pictures, show you all what's coming up, and then get our butts into gear.

THe Black Sheep - Part III

We have finished all three frames!  Its cause for celebration, because we have been experimenting with finish on these three (had nothing to lose really - they were already fugly), and we have had a breakthrough.

Every time we complete a job, we congratulate ourselves on how well it has turned out - and we truly believe it. But we have moved from 100% sanded finishes to chemically stripped and sanded.  From urethaned, to stained and varnished, to oiled, and various types of finishing oil.

With these guys, we think we have arrived.  This is the best we have acheived so far with a glass-smooth and softly lusterous finish.

We'll have some images up in a couple of days, and we are happy to discuss fabrics with anyone who is serious about purchasing but wants a particular design or look.

If we get no takers we will do a  set of squabs we like and put it on out there.

FYI, if you want a bigger suite we have a second three seater in this style that we have yet to attack.  It will finish identically to these ie BEAUTIFUL.  Possible combinations then are 3+3+1+1 or 3+3 or 2 x 3+1...

Why auction upwards?

An auction should ensure that an item realises its maximum value in the market at the time.  But all Trade Me auctions are set up as increasing bid auctions.  Why do we do this?

It doesn't make sense from a seller's point of view, unless you are in a commodity market.  Sure for milk, oil, timber, used cars and the like, the idea of an auction that starts at a low figure and works upward to one bid beyond what the second-to-last bidder is prepared to pay is a great way of meeting the market.

But for one-off items its dumb.  Must be why real estate agents love it. For a singular item (say a Paratai Drive property, a Ferrari, a Van Gogh, or a Lounge Lizards furniture piece!) the best way to achieve maximum value is by reverse auction, sometimes called a dutch auction.

In a reverse auction, the starting point is set at the highest price the seller thinks is possible in the market.  This offer is slowly lowered over the duration of the auction until a buyer bids in and the item sells.

There is no competitive bidding - the first bidder is the winner.  How is this an advantage to everyone?

Well, the seller is more likely to get the best price for the item because the potential buyers are encouraged to bid at the highest price point they see value - otherwise, someone else may bid and the item is lost to them.

Buyers have a complete certainty when they place a bid - if they bid, thats the final price.  No emotional blackmail as another bidder tops them a dollar at a time, no over-excited bidding regretted later.

This system does rely on the market having information - as many potential buyers as possible need to know an item is for sale, and the seller needs to have a reasonable idea what the value proposition is in the market.

So, we are giving it a go.

Its a little messy on Trade Me because they are not set up for it, but it can be done. If you see one of our pieces on Trade Me and its a reverse auction all you need to remember is that you use the Buy Now button at the earliest price you think the item has value for you.  Because otherwise, someone else may get it either at that price or at the next offer down and you will miss out...

the black sheep - part II

A looooong while back we posted about a vile looking black acrylic-painted suite we had bought.

In our head-long rush of recent days, I started looking at this suite and stripped the first chair.  Originally we thought that we would stay with a black frame, but having stripped and oiled the pieces its obvious that we have to stay with the natural colour.

When they are dismantled these pieces look so, well, insignificant.  Just a pile of firewood really.











Check out the before and after pictures - makes all the work worth it eh!