Weddingbee Blog

We have hit the double-digit mark! That means packages have been coming in all week. Sometimes I don’t even know what is in the boxes that are piling up on our porch. Mr. Cucumber Sammie has given up asking me what I have ordered because often I can’t remember until I open it. He just doesn’t understand all the things I need for the wedding!

Recently some of the packages have been trickling in from eBay! Like many brides before me, I am collecting hankies for “tears of joy.”

Image via Elizabeth Ann Designs / Photo by Kristyn Hogan

I have been stalking vintage-hankie lots on eBay over the last couple of weeks and have managed to collect about 50 hankies. Not all of them are usable, so if I have 125 guests I probably need about 20 more. I doubt our male guests will be climbing over themselves to get a vintage hankie.

Loves it.

I already have some favorites that I would hold for myself…but Mama CS is fantastic and brought me back a lace hankie from their recent trip to Puerto Rico. Papa CS grew up in Puerto Rico, and I am so excited to have something from there for my wedding day.

I am still trying to figure out how to display them. I could go for a loose knot.

Or maybe fold it in a square and tie it in a bow.

Or I could use twine and tie the hankies like a delicious pastry box. I think that might be the winner. I could put them all in a basket with an adorable sign!

Since I have been purchasing all these hankies on eBay, I wanted to share a couple of tips I have learned from Papa CS who is a master eBay-er. I thought I would have no problem scooping up some vintage hankies, but apparently they are a hot little item on eBay. I have no idea who is buying them besides brides, but I guess you learn something new every day. I am by no means an eBay expert, but here is what I have picked up along the way.

1. Make sure it is worth it. The hankies I usually looked at came in lots of 20 or more. The maximum I wanted to spend was a dollar a hankie, so I bid on large amounts of hankies at a lower price.

2. Sometimes you can get a deal on “cutter” or “crafter” hankies. I guess they are hankies with imperfections. Since the hankies are only going to be used for one day and might not even get selected, I am sure cutter hankies are completely fine.

3. Don’t forget shipping and handling! I almost purchased an amazing deal for hankies, but then I saw the shipping was over $10. That deal no longer looked as sweet, so I let it go.

4. Think reasonably about what your maximum bid is before you start bidding. It is sooo easy to get caught up in the moment and just keep bidding. It is such a thrill to win that sometimes I had to stop myself from increasing my maximum just to “win.”

5. Wait until the last minute to bid! I add items to my watch list and then with only about 45 seconds left in the auction, I bid. I guess it is called auction sniping, but I call it genius. Waiting until the last possible moment gives you an advantage because unless the other person is staring at the auction too it doesn’t give them enough time to re-bid. Sometimes it sucks because the auctions end at midnight or later, but winning is always worth it!

Any eBay tips? How should I fold the hankies?

*For about a day, Papa CS and the Sammie Sisters were going to start an eBay company to sell other people’s things. They were going to call it “eBay, WeBay.” I have no idea what it means either. Sammie sister wanted me to include that the name is trademark pending.