Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to you, the potential buyer

Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to you, the potential buyer for considering bringing one or more of these items that were so carefully curated by their previous owners into your lives.   And to the consignors or estate executors that have entrusted me and given me the opportunity to appreciate these items if even for a short time.

Hello, my name is Ian, and I stand behind everything I sell.  I've been at this basically forever, since age 10.  I've handled every different type of merchandise there is in every different way.  I've had about 10 different names for my business because really back in the days the only time a business name was really necessary was if you were opening up a "Brick and Mortar", and for the majority of my time in the business being tied down like that sounded very distateful.  But here I am with my "forever name" Estate Fresh Austin, I think.   And I feel within the next year we should start with our first shop here in Austin.

So I just want to say that the items I deal in I understand enough to be confident there are no major discrepancies in what I'm calling it and what it is.  If I call it antique, it's antique...If I call it gold or silver I'm not referring to the color, I'm referring to the metal content. This is me, while I've went through multi-faceted phases in life.  Right now the focus in my business and my family, that's all that matters.  So in turn, making customers happy is #1, especially through this website which to me is 10,000 times more important than any platform like Etsy, eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, etc.  Yes I am currently on most of them, going forward, the plan is offer my items here first then spread them out to other platforms.  So I am putting my not so beautiful face on my business front and center, and showing off my beautiful family that I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to make thousands of customers a year happy for.  That is Thanh's beautiful wrist in 99% of the bracelet photos, she meticulously packs with a level of patience I will never have.  Where with me the meter is always ticking, with her, if she has to spend an hour packing one item she doesn't even notice it or worry about what else could have been done in that hour.  Lots of care goes into getting these things to you, and little Jayden oversees everything.

OK, so in another blog or whatever you want to call it, I gave a brief but long summary of me in this business.  But I figured I would sum up my online presence here in this day of age where people have fake websites..or real websites full of pictures of products they don't own.  I know some of my pictures are floating around out there, I've been informed of it so many times over the years.  I actually have given people permission to "borrow" my listings in the past.  I had a guy from Algeria that approached me as wanting to sell my items in his country, I assumed it was from his own established website and maybe part of it was.   But I also saw my items on Ebay for 3x on average of my current prices.   I never complained though as he would sell a few items for me a month, sometimes more.  He was basically a "low maintenance" customer.  He always paid paypal, shipping to a different address, but never tried to scam or chargeback.   What more could you ask?  I prefer to deal with the same customers over and over, but of course welcome new ones.   I just hope to make it a win/win so they keep coming back.  But more recently I've seen my pics on "foreign" websites with some of my products at extreme discounts that don't make sense in the real world.  While I absolutely love everything "foreign", one can easily tell by a large percentage of my inventory, friends, etc...they just can't get away with that here in this country.  I'm not sure where they get away with it.  I know I personally have to jump through more hoops to keep Google happy then I ever did Etsy, Ebay, etc.  But I feel it's much more important in the long run.  Every picture on this website was taken by either me or my wife Thanh, every single description written by me.  If there's an arm in the pic with a bracelet on it, 99% of the time it's Thanh's arm.  Many of the descriptions have notes on the end denoting inventory location or consignor.  Every single item on this website was either purchased by me typically as part of a large collection or estate, or consigned directly to me.  Every single item is guaranteed 100% to be what I say it is, my reputation is impeccable everywhere I've ever been.

We are trying to focus on my onlines sales/presence here, so lets go back to say 1998ish.  I remember I had this guy in Sweetwater, TX, he kept bragging about selling on Ebay.  Back then few people in that area at least even knew the internet existed, and ever fewer had heard of Ebay, and ever fewer weren't scared of it.  I started noticing a few people showing up at the auctions, instant competition, what I called "instant antique dealers", it was frustrating as I had worked extremely hard to achieve my position.  Back then you just had to figure out how to buy stuff, it sold itself if you were in the least bit resourceful.  So in 1998ish I bought a state of the art Sony FD-92 Digital camera that took a 3.5" floppy disk.  I could pull it out after taking a set of pics, stick it in my 486 IBM compatible pc with 5600 baud dialup modem.  Dial up to ebay and go to town.  I sold some great items back then everything starting at $1 on ebay with NO RESERVE!!! in capital letters at the end of each listing. :)  I would only sell once a month on ebay, I'd sell 30-40k of stuff that I felt was extra tricky and just wouldn't or didn't get noticed well at shows, auctions, or antique malls.  Back then I was doing every aspect of the business on a very high level, it was my way of life.  Back then ebay commissions ranged from 1.5%-2.5%.  I just never really got professional about it back then.  I mean I sold a lot but it's not like now where I spend 1k a month on packing material, often using three layers of three different types of cushion around each item, at least 50 different sized boxes for everything from jewelry to paintings already on hand.  That is why as of now 1/29/2024 I'm trying out "Free International Shipping" on my website.  We have an efficient/foolproof shipping process and a proven track record.  Of course I'm praying that someone doesn't buy a $200 painting from another country, my website is rather new and I'm doing everything possible to rank well with Google.  Google knows everything, they know how fast I'm fulfilling orders, I want them to know.  If they know I'm doing well, making everyone happy then they put me on top...times for me are crucial right now.  I'm trying my best to write something that might actually get read, so lets hop to more recent times. 

In 2014-15ish after a break from the  business I started selling on Ebay again, in 2016 I opened an "Etsy Store", I directed all of my energy towards this task.  I liked the type of thoughtful clientele that Etsy seemed to attract.   At the end of 2023 I had 8400 listings, 2.6 million dollar inventory.  I had so many customers that would check in at different intervals.   Some once a week, some once a year.  Some would send me checks and I'd send the item before I even got the check.  I put all my energy in that direction for 7 years. 

The thing about Etsy is they have automated almost everything as far as support goes, especially seller support.  There is nobody you can speak to on the phone or chat with directly if you have an important issue.  My average sale on Etsy was around $400 but customer service treated my issues like they were making a decision on a $5 "print on demand" mug.  They refunded 5 times in 2023 for items that were still in transit, each item over $500, one was $1400, each item was delivered a few days later and I just had to hope I was lucky enough to have an honest customer.  While I agree most people are inherently good/honest, it's stressful to have to count on this.  Because my business is not the type of business where any money goes into the bank.  It's all constantly reinvested not really allowing for error or anything unexpected to be honest.  My margins are small, I grew my business back very quickly by reinvesting every dime and basically working all the time. 

Over a 7 year time with a diverse collection like mine which was of course constantly changing I ran into so many issues with Etsy's "Trust and Safety", they suspended me a few times.  They would rarely explain anything.  They would deactivate these listings and ask me to explain the country of origin, etc.  So rather than critically thinking when a robot flagged a listing, or multiple they would never even try to use their brains, not a single time.  I think it was the same people over and over if they even were people.  I think maybe two people work for Etsy in that department and nobody oversees them.  I think they are "working" from home but don't really work.  I would use words like Persia, Cuba, Egyptian, etc when describing either very old antiques, or in a bio describing where a person was born, or "Egyptian Revival" as a style on something obviously not Egyptian.   And they would tell me these listings violated policies.  They would make no attempt to check the context of the words I used.  They suspended me for over a week two weeks before xmas, the most important shopping week of the year, I basically work all year for that week.  I was not in the position to be able to miss a single sale as we have a growing baby and need a warehouse last month.  I invested everything into what I was sure would be a strong 4th quarter then we would rent the warehouse after that.   They suspended me for some listing where as described above I was using a bio where an artisan was born in Cuba, moved at a young age to the US...because of that keyword these genius' assumed that I was selling embargoed items.  They would not answer me that week, finally after deleting so many listings I finally got an answer telling me I still needed to delete a 1940's German Porcelain cup and saucer with a sphinx on it that I was referring to as "Egyptian revival".  I deleted it anyways rather than telling them to use their brain, and immediately told them but still didn't hear back for 3-4 days when my account was reinstated just in time for it to be too late to ship something to arrive for xmas. 

I took this time off from packing and listing to build this website.  My Dad is a web developer, but evidently he's a procrastinator first.  We had been talking about a website for 5 years and so many times I honestly thought he had been working on one.  Well regardless I finally realized that there's no way anyone could sort/organize this stuff without understanding the products.   I mean I've been at it 6 weeks now and I work hours most couldn't imagine, so were talking 300-400 hours so far.  It was a mess.  I had such a big following on Etsy that I didn't need to be organised or have tags that made sense.  I've spent the past 6 weeks spending days doing a task only to find a way I could have done it in a few hours right after I'm done.  Right now I'm paying for being in a hurry for 7 years, thinking I need to list 50 items a day or whatever.  I know my products, did 7 years ago, do now.. But filling in all those tags, item specifics, all that nonsense.  I hate it and didn't take the time to do it.  I counted on people finding my store and taking the time to dig, and I'm so grateful for the many that did.  But when I submit my Google feed so many things came up as violations.   They really dig into your listing and again it's robots.  So if you see gaps in my listings that don't make sense I was forced to censor my listings in a very extreme way.  I had so many long bio's that many customers seemed to love and appreciate.   But somewhere in that bio it might have mentioned someone's ex husband suffering from a brutal murder and to google it looked like I'm promoting sex and violence.  I do not want to fight with google, I didn't want to fight with Etsy.  At least now I understand things.  I do understand that they can't spend 100 man/woman hours on my feed anymore than I want to.  

So, I had a big Etsy inventory, all "one of a kind", fairly unique, estate fresh items.  Most of the jewelry I deal in is one of a kind artisan jewelry, more Native American made than any as you can see.  But I have a little bit of everything.  So in the middle of all my other Etsy troubles I received a few "Intellectual Property" notices from David Yurman through Etsy.  Each one explaining absolutely nothing other than I received a notice and a listing had been taken down and links to the policy.  But never what I actually did to violate this policy.  I'm looking online and there is probably a million pieces of used David Yurman for sale online.  All of mine came from several hundred thousand dollar jewelry collections, some with receipts.  I know it was all real, purchased from legitimate sources.   I'd stake my life on it.  Still, I deleted all my David Yurman.  I had already learned that it was impossible to communicate with Etsy "Support" as they don't understand their job and don't seem to want to learn it.  I'm not sure how they got hired but the people that hired these people should be fired and the people who hired them should be fired.  There is no online platform I know of where you cannot expect to actually communicate about serious life changing issues, especially when you are in the top 1% in the world of sellers on that platform.  I paid over 60k in fees to Etsy in 2023, and Etsy has reasonable fees.  Etsy stockholders need to know how their top producers are being treated.  I never expected special treatment, but I am still not 100% sure I ever violated an Etsy policy.  As stated, I would put my life on my David Yurman being authentic, so is Yurman telling their customers that if you buy their jewelry you have to die with it or throw it away?  Oh, I skipped the part about having my Etsy account back for a few weeks, starting to see the potential of catching up from the lost sales only for Etsy to "Permanently Suspend" me over David Yurman Intellectual Property after I had deleted all the Yurman from my Etsy store.  I mean I let them bully me, I understand they are afraid of big companies with lawyers just like I was afraid of their "team" that had the ability to turn my store on and off by pushing a button.  So back to Yurman, I have contacted their legal department several times.  Explaining that I could potentially lose millions of dollars and more as a result of this.  Of course they won't communicate much since they are lawyers they know better.  They give me canned responses about looking into it.  I told them I have all of the jewelry in question and then some and the consignors really need an explanation as to why they cannot sell their jewelry.  I've actually threatened legal action, I mean I just want my Etsy account back.  I really just need both my Etsy account and the website going together for about a year.  I need my "bread and butter" that I worked for 7 years establishing trust to keep me going while I establish trust on the website and get it out there.  Yurman has to withdraw the complaint for me to get my account back.

Here and now!!! I was smart enough to back up my Etsy inventory.  I have a little on Poshmark, maybe 4500 listings, but their fees make no sense for my business model and you can't turn off the lowball offers, so now I'm likely ignoring real customers because there's just so many scammers and lowballers I cannot spend all day checking on every message from there.  They won't tell you the message without clicking on it.  Mercari seems ok, but you have to deliver one item before you can list 100 more apparently.  So not set up for quick growth, that's for sure.  I was approved by 1stDibs about 18 months ago but never proceeded, I personally am happier giving the customer a better deal than paying a platform 20% or more. In my world 20% is a lot.  I'll never be the type to put twice what I can sell an item for on it, I consider it unethical.  Ebay I had put on the back burner for years because I just don't like it so I could only list a fraction of my inventory and honestly my listings are not optimized.  My SEO was/is terrible.  It's getting better, but Ebay is so competitive, people are so eager to work really hard to race to the bottom.  Plus it's 90+% sellers who don't understand the products they are selling which creates distrust from potential customers I feel. I feel totally desperate myself selling on there, and basically when it's all said and done I'm throwing my stuff away just to make them and the post office money.  That being said, I got my Ebay limits increased and it's likely to be a necessary evil for the time being.  I'm working really hard on this website.  I'm real, it's me, this is my stuff.  If you want me to get the item you are interested in and take it outside, maybe if it's a necklace take a picture of my chicken wearing it...then a video of me jumping through three hoops on the way back...well I might not have time for that honestly.  I've sold millions of dollars online within the past few years, I sold over a million last year.  My break even point is very high, I don't live a luxurious lifestyle, don't have a big house, fancy vehicles.  Everything goes back into the business, it's all for my kid.  If you really are a potential serious customer though, like I mean there's a 99% chance you're going to buy it but for some reason need to see a picture of my baby wearing it or holding it before you pull the trigger.  I really need that sale, so please reach out, but also please explain you are serious but just paranoid or whatever.  Because with my inventory for it to come out of safety/somewhat organization back into my hands for more pictures.  It often won't go back where it belongs.   So really I don't need to pull it out of my inventory unless it's sold.

More about the website.  We personally packed and shipped over a million dollars worth of stuff last year.  Rare, super fragile stuff all over the world.  about 1/3 of my business was international.  Nothing gets broken ever.  It cannot, you could throw it off a house. I'm responsible for every item before it reaches your hands. My feedback is impeccable.  We finance and accept most payment methods.  For years I've been operating online receiving Zelle's, Checks, Venmo's, and worldwide wires.  Nobody has had any issues with me.  If you click on the link at the bottom of the screen you can see my reviews, the top ones that say "Verified" are from this website, the thousands below it are ones that I imported from Etsy.  I had many more but it does not import reviews that were just stars with no content.  The service I use "Judge Me" is a legitimate review service.  I really appreciate your consideration and taking the time to look.  All my payment methods are secure, right now I do not meet the thresholds to collect sales tax outside of the state of TX.  I think it's 50k for most states, lets hope I start meeting them but I have a feeling I'll have to put a lot of money into advertising.  I have tons of great stuff that I have been stockpiling for years that isn't listed.  I have to generate some income to get over this hump.  I don't have room to photograph big items here, I'm paying $1500/month storage.  So thank you for considering giving some of this stuff a better home.  If you see something here but for some reason do not realize you have paypal protection buying it here and want it on ebay, I can do that but It will be 10% more there to help absorb the fees.   If you took the time to read this, thank you so much.

Ian

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and I stand behind everything I sell. Hello my name is Ian

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