This is Bridgett’s first Blog and she writes about her secret shopping obsession. Guess it’s not a secret anymore!
I have an obsession that I almost treat as a job. I yield to this obsession daily, and if for some reason I’m unable to fulfill it, I feel like the day is off kilter, like I’m missing something that I can’t put my finger on. That obsession is checking in EVERY morning on Everything But the House, or EBTH for short.
EBTH is an online estate auction-type website. I was introduced to this wonderful world by my sister Janie in 2014. She found some adorable ice-cream parlor style stools for the house she was renovating, and I was quickly hooked! Items from various sales are posted on the site for typically four days, where you can bid against others to buy or “win” the item. You can also follow an item that piques your interest, then swoop in to out-bid another person.
I was preparing my move to the Nashville, TN area and was on the hunt for items for my new house, and boy did EBTH have them! EBTH does ship items, but you will pay a hefty sum for furniture shipping, BUT, and this is a big BUT, the furniture items typically sell at such a good discount, that you would have trouble finding the same item for less, including the total cost the item and shipping. For example, I purchased a long (over 100 inches) solid cherry wood dining table for $35.00! Now the shipping was $200.00, but similar tables where I live were well over $500, so I got a great table, (with protector pads included) for $235.00!!! Yes, it is used, but it is beautiful, fits in my house perfectly and I love it!
If you happen to live in the area where the auction is taking place, you don’t even have to worry about shipping. In fact, I now own a pair of Tanya Tucker’s former patio chairs thanks to an auction she had on EBTH.
You can get just about anything. They sell cars, jewelry, toys, clothes and on and on.
I’ve purchased a nice amount of jewelry from EBTH at a tremendous discount.
I have also accumulated quite a bit of sterling silver collectibles. My sister Janie has been collecting sterling silver baby cups for a while and uses the site to find items to add to her collection. I started doing the same which led to a bidding war. You bid by a number given to you, not a name, so neither of us knew the other was bidding on this item. I out-bid her, and then she shamed me for doing so. She mournfully announced that she was going to give the cup to her granddaughter, and I don’t even have grandchildren. I felt so guilty that I gave her the cup for her birthday.
Another bidding war occurred when an Eames plywood chair came up for auction. Growing up, our family had a similar chair. I’m from a family of 12 kids, me being number 11, so this chair was long gone before I made my appearance, thanks to my destructive older siblings. My sisters were posting photos of it on our Group-Me chat, and I was bidding to win! I bid against my sister Gretchen and won! She is NOT going to get that chair from me for her birthday! I’m over feeling guilty about winning, so sisters, no more guilt gifts from me!
I also have accumulated many toys exactly like the ones I had growing-up that also disappeared, probably buried in the yard where I lived as a child, again, thanks to destructive siblings. I am now the proud owner of many Fischer-Price little people, a Cher Doll, a Dolly Parton Doll & even a Super-Toe for my husband (although he never gets it out to play with it!). I even found a Tiffany Taylor doll to replace the one that my younger sister buried. (No, she is not a serial killer, she is a well-adjusted adult), but she is still not allowed to play with my Tiffany Taylor doll when she visits.
Now a cautionary tale if you choose to bid on items in EBTH auctions. Like I wrote earlier, I love sterling silver collectibles. I was working on a collection of sterling goblets when I spied 6, yes 6 sterling goblets up for auction. I placed my first bid, low-balling in at $40.00, checking daily to see if I’d be outbid. No one, nobody, absolutely no one at all out bid me! How lucky I felt! People must not be paying attention I thought. I won this awesome deal! I anxiously awaited the arrival of my treasured goblets. Imagine my surprise when the doorbell rang with the delivery of said goblets and the delivery person handed me one small box. I stretched my neck around the delivery person, surely another delivery person was coming with more boxes, but no, that was it. It turns out I failed to read the measurements of these 6 goblets. The goblets measured 1.5” w x 3” h x 1.5” d. These goblets will hold only the tiniest sip of wine. I decided they were the perfect goblets for American Girl Dolls. My sister Jennifer and I have a running joke for things that turn out to be much too small for their intended use, thus becoming perfect for American Girl Dolls.
I was somewhat reluctant to share my obsession of Everything But the House, because I want to be the winner of all the things, but alas, I feel compelled to divulge my obsession. It could be I’m embarrassed of doing a complete 180 from the decluttering craze that is sweeping the nation, but really, I find it great fun for people who like thrift shopping but doing so in your pajamas. It’s also great for the environment, because you’re reusing items that could have ended-up in a landfill!
The photos show just a few of my fabulous finds on
Everything But the House.
The link to the website is www.EBTH.com
