What we are building, and what we are learning

Buying rocks, crystals and minerals in a live auction

Ask for the species, the locality and the treatment. Then ask for it on a scale.

How to sell rocks, crystals and minerals on Metzee

Name the species, name the locality, declare the treatment — and make no claims about health.

Describing the condition of outdoor gear

Working, complete and how it was stored. The third one is the fact nobody thinks to give.

Buying outdoor gear in a live auction

Ask for it pitched, ask how it was stored, and count the pieces before you bid.

How to sell outdoor gear on Metzee

Camping, fishing, hiking, survival gear and binoculars. Weapons are not sellable here.

Describing the condition of sports memorabilia

Condition and provenance are two statements. Mixing them is where this goes wrong.

Describing the condition of anime and manga

Sealed, complete, reading condition — then the spines, the edges and the volume numbers.

Buying sports memorabilia in a live auction

Ask how they know. The answer, not the object, is what sets the price you should pay.

How to sell sports memorabilia on Metzee

Worn, issued or replica, and how you know. The same three words across every sport.

Buying anime and manga in a live auction

Ask for the publication page and the exact volume numbers. Everything else is detail.

Describing the condition of sporting goods

Match condition, practice condition, worn — and then the specific part that does the work.

How to sell anime and manga on Metzee

Say which edition, which publisher, and which volumes. Those three answer most questions.

Describing the condition of womenswear

The lining, the underarms and the beadwork. Three places that carry most of the faults.

Buying sporting goods in a live auction

Ask the specification, then ask what has been repaired. Those two cover most of the risk.

How to sell sporting goods on Metzee

Show the part that does the work. For a bat it is the face, for a racket the frame, for weights the coating.

Buying womenswear in a live auction

Ask for flat measurements and the lining. Both decide whether you will wear it.

How to sell womenswear on Metzee

Measure every piece flat, describe the fabric, and say what has been altered.

Describing the condition of menswear

New with tags, new without tags, excellent, good, worn — and the measurements that make them mean something.

Buying menswear in a live auction

Ask for measurements, not a size. Then compare them to something you already own.

How to sell menswear on Metzee

Measure it flat and write the numbers. A stated size is not a measurement.

Describing the condition of toys and collectibles

Grade the item and the box separately, and say what is missing before anyone asks.

Describing handmade work honestly

Variation is not a flaw and a chip is not variation. The description is where you separate them.

Buying toys and collectibles in a live auction

Ask for the back of the box and the contents laid out. Both are usually missing from the photos.

How to sell toys and collectibles on Metzee

For a boxed collectible, the box is not packaging. It is most of what you are selling.