Everything I know about Etsy I know from my wife! She started her fabulous shop in November 2010 after we started putting things on Ebay to sell.
You know a lot about shipping- could you give us some tips?
Wow! Thanks for the compliment. :) Sure.
Don’t be afraid of international shipping. I find the United States Postal Service the most reasonable. The online tools are really helpful to knowing how much something will cost to ship. Customs forms are not hard to fill out and it really expands your customer base.
Also, learning how to make your own boxes really saves on shipping, especially for medium-sized and larger items. It's a process to learn, but it is totally worth it. It saves on shipping costs (dimensional weight can be a killer for shipping!) and it saves on not having to use extra packing material to make up the space inside the box. All that being said, if you have a perfectly sized box from something else already, you probably should use it!
What's the story behind the Mantiquities Shop name?
Well, my wife and I first toyed with the idea of opening my own shop because whenever we go treasure hunting I tend to find more unusual and more man appealing stuff (you know like an old antique razor kinda beats out a lovely Monet Brooch in my book). We thought of the name Mantiques at first, but alas that was taken. Every name we came up with seemed lame. Somehow "Mantiquities" came into mind maybe because I was ruing that our original idea was taken. I felt like it still had that essence of Man who enjoys Vintage and Antique things.
You have a ton of vintage comic books- who is your favorite superhero?
I have always loved Spider-Man. I like that he is not perfect and that he has a life outside of his daily crime fighting adventures. But... Batman is a real close second. He has no super powers and he rocks.
You have an incredibly amazing wife- how did manage that?
I am very fortunate and blessed. I thank God for her everyday!
(So sorry everyone...I Had to ask that, and he gave such a sweet response, I thought--well That's going in for sure!!)
What has been your favorite find?
Hmm. That's a tough one! I would have to say that my favorite find was the "Bunco Card Game" that we had in the Beteabon Shop. It just had that classic early 1900's look, and the fact that it was authentic made me love it even more.
When did your love affair with vintage begin?
My whole life I've been a collector I guess- even when I was young. I remember playing outside when I was in 2nd grade and finding a Mercury Dime in some dirt I was playing in the front yard. It was so cool to be holding a piece of history- like I just traveled to the past. I think that is the thing that I love about vintage items.
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
Definitely Animal. I love dogs.
Someone hands you the title to your classic dream vehicle- what is it?
I would say the "1931 Ford 'Model A' Tudor".
Any advice to the rest of us about what a guy might be drawn to on Etsy?
Not every guy likes the same thing, but I think you have two kinds of shopping interest for guys. For himself and for his lady.
For himself - the stereotypical things work! Cars, Sports, Mechanical things, or Geeky Stuff (video games, comic books, and old school sci-fi) for the brainy guy... which I must admit is probab- er... definitely where I fall!)
For his lady, most guys are clueless!
If he saw in the description "for the lady who loves __________" that would be awesome!
Thanks Jonathan, for 'pinch hitting' and for the wonderful interview!!
