Post From The Past~Academic Regalia

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I discovered the market for Masters and Doctorate gowns quite by accident. I had a couple for sale on the costume rack in my children’s consignment store.

They didn’t sell, so I listed them on eBay…wow! They each sold in the vicinity of $50.

A friend of mine is a university professor and she said that professors often look for used academic regalia because they have to wear it every graduation. I never thought of that but I’m glad I found out.

Now, every time I see a Masters or Doctorate gown, I grab them. I don’t find them all the time, but I do on occasion. I usually find them in the costumes but sometimes they are in the uniform section.

I typically pay $3 or less, although I would probably be willing to pay more for a doctorate gown.

They may or may not come with a mortar board, but they will sell without one.

Here’s a completed search of Master’s gowns

And a completed search of Doctorate gowns

How to tell which is which:

Doctorate gowns are easy. They have velvet bars on the sleeves. This photo on Wikipedia shows a group of doctoral graduates. The black gowns on the right side are the only ones I’ve seen. I think if you found any color doctorate gown it would be a good buy.

(Doctorate gown–my husband’s being a good sport and modeling for me)

Masters gowns are also easy to spot. They have long sleeves that extend far below the hand. It’s squared off and extends forward.

(Master’s Sleeves)

This page on academic regalia provides some good information. This site sells gowns--check out their photos to learn what to look for.

Considerations:

1. Check both the uniform and costume section.

2. Don’t invest in high school graduation gowns.

3. Look for velvet on the sleeves or long sleeves. It’s usually obvious when you look at the rack which gowns are Masters gowns by the long sleeves.

4. Typically, you will find black academic regalia, so skip over all the bright colored gowns and check the black gowns.

5. Timing is important. The selling price is typically higher in the early spring awhile before graduations begin.

6. They often have a label inside telling the company and size. If they don’t just measure the chest (from armpit to armpit and then double) and measure from the shoulder to the hem. Use this information in the keywords and description.

Key Words:

Master, Masters, Master’s, academic regalia, gown, Doctorate, graduation,

You’ll hear “Pomp & Circumstance” every time you sell one!

Poll~How Many Hours A Week Do You Shop For Inventory?

How Many Hours A Week Do You Shop For Inventory (On Average)
	1
	2
	3
	4
	5
	6
	7
	8
	9
	10+
pollcode.com free polls

My Thrifting Finds

I’ve been so busy listing and shipping that I haven’t taken time out lately to post my thrifting finds for you, so I thought I’d take a minute to do that today.

Here’s a picture of some of my finds from one thrifting trip last week.  I try to be disciplined and list my finds before I go shopping again, and I’m trying to be a little bit more selective when it comes to choosing inventory.

On this trip I found:

*Vintage Rubix Cube
*Junie B. Jones Doll
*CAbi Sweater Vest
*Aflac Ducks
* Misook top
*Pumpkin Patch hoodie sweatshirt
*Kids Garnet Hill top
*Women’s Boden top
* Trendy jean skirt
*SAS Shoes
*2 Chicos Skirts
*Chicos Top
*The North Face pants
*One World top
*Hanna Andersson top
*Girl’s Spring coat

All for $58

This Week on eBay

It’s been a lot of fun selling on eBay this week  We’re getting close to Christmas and I’m loving it when I’m busy listing and things are sold and paid for.  That’s always tons of fun.

Right now, I don’t have a lot of toys listed and my store isn’t stocked up for Christmas like it usually is this time of year, but I’m pleasantly surprised that my sales seem to be doing well in spite of my rebuilding phase.

I found an amazing thrift store in my new location.  It’s a local thrift that supports Veterans, they only have the one location and I scored BIG time.  I had been wondering where all of the really good plush were hiding around here and I found them.  It’s definitely on my list of places to visit again.  One of the things I found there was a super cute pink cashmere hooded sweater coat, and I decided that it’s time for me to keep something for myself, so I’m keeping it.

Also, at one of my local thrifts, I found several brand new in the package toys that had been donated by a retail store, that was a good score!

As always, I’m toying with new ideas to improve and expand my business in the new year and am excited about the possibilities.  They’re still in the research phase right now, and never fear, if they turn into anything, I’ll be sure to share the details with you.

Thriftstore Item to Look For: Boden

Here’s a brand that I’ve had on my list for some time and just squeal with delight when I find in thrift stores:  Boden and Mini Boden (the children’s version of Boden.)

Not only are their items super cute  (I’m always tempted to keep them for our own closets), but they tend to sell fairly quickly and for a nice price too.

The first items I ever found that were Boden were a couple of skirts.  They were super cute and I priced them at $49.99 each.  Both were sold within the first week that I listed them.  I’ve found this brand in tops, sweaters, skirts, jackets, dresses, kids clothes (including tights.)  I don’t usually find a lot of this brand at one time, but I find it pretty frequently, and whenever I find it, I always toss it in my cart.

This is a brand that sells well, so when you find it, don’t under price yourself.  I’ve never had a Boden in my inventory for longer than a month.

Happy Treasure Hunting

Next Page »