Posted by Greg on June 15, 2005 at 15:43:51:
Ebay is still your best bet. I’d offer the 10,000 tiles in lots of say 2500, for 3.00 to 4.00 a piece. Not the 5.00 they are currently getting. This way you price out your competition. Say you even get just 3.00 a peice. Thats 2500 X 3.00 = 7500.00, now times four lots thats 30K, not bad! Good Luck
Need creative way to sell ceiling tile! - Posted by bo
Posted by bo on June 15, 2005 at 15:34:11:
I’m getting ready to gut the building I just bought. Crew starts next week. I have to opportunity to make 40k$, but I don’t know how. HELP!
The building has 10,000 plus antique tin ceiling tiles…I see these sell on ebay for 5-10$ a piece!!! Holy Cr*p, I figure I am sitting on a gold mine…hell, this will pay for the cost of the building!
I call wholesalers around the country…they will offer 2$ a piece if I get it “to them.” 1$ a piece if they have to remove it. If they have to come get it, it will take months, and quite frankly, I don’t want to put the development off that far.
I tried taking these tiles off my self…not so easy. 6 nails hold each overlapping tile. Tough to take off without significant damage…
Anyone have any idea how to make money off this asset in the next week (or less)? If anyone comes up with a brilliant idea, I’m willing to share the profits, etc.
Anyone want slavage rights?
Anyone know anyone who might want these?
I feel like I own a Picasso painted on toilet paper and glued to a wall…how do I realize a profit here??? There is 100,000$ potential, but I’m stumped… I can hire folks to take it down, cost may run to 10k$, no guarantee that they will be damage free…sigh. Plus, If I have to wholesale, I will just break even.
Help? Worth it?
Building is in wisconsin, 2 hours from chicago - if that helps!
Re: Need creative way to sell ceiling tile! - Posted by michaela-ATL
Posted by michaela-ATL on July 08, 2005 at 05:18:43:
Bo,
what did you end up doing about the tin ceiling tiles?
I’m going to our antique market this morning. If you need some more dealers, that buy them, please let me know shortly. Since most dealers come from all over the U.S., instead of being local, there will be a lot of them from the midwest.
Michaela
Re: Need creative way to sell ceiling tile! - Posted by Bob
Posted by Bob on June 16, 2005 at 10:03:11:
I’m going to assume (and hope) that you didn’t consider the profit from these tiles in your real estate deal??
So, assuming that, any $ you can make from these is just icing on the cake, right? I understand you probably want to get renovations started ASAP. So, in my opinion, your only hurdle right now is time. I think what you need to do is consider the sale of the tiles a secondary issue. Your primary concern right now should be getting those tiles off the ceiling.
You mentioned that removing them is a problem. I would speculate that it’s not so much difficult to remove them as it is tedious. So what you need to do is find some workers and pay them an hourly rate. If you pay them hourly they won’t be in any rush to “rip” them off, hence having fewer damaged tiles. Surely, you know some people who can help you do this? Heck, pay them $20 an hour…you’ll still make a profit. Also, and this may sound bad, but, be careful who you get to do this job. My advice is you look for people that are…well…idiots. Seriously! People who aren’t “smart” tend to work slower and take their time thinking about things. Your project ain’t rocket science but it will take patience.
Then…once they’re down…store them and hold out til you can get top dollar.
Good Luck!..Keep us posted!
Re: Need creative way to sell ceiling tile! - Posted by Mr. Big
Posted by Mr. Big on June 15, 2005 at 16:25:01:
You don’t leave yourself much time. The bestI can come up with is to hire a few extra handymen or students, offer them 50 cents a tile to remove them and pack them on skids. That lets you move them off site and into storage.
Meanwhile go ahead and sell them on Ebay or to a dealer or whatever you chose. No doubt you could make a haul at a flea market but I doubt you have time for that.
Re: Need creative way to sell ceiling tile! - Posted by michaela-ATL
Posted by michaela-ATL on June 15, 2005 at 16:05:47:
i just rememberd another dealer, that just moved from Georgia to Ohio or Chicago. He makes furniture and stuff from ceiling tin. The phone number I have is still from Georgia, bt I bet he kept his email address: royfink@aol.com . He also knows me from our Lakewood Antique Market
good luck
Michaela
ps: And if any of thes people work our for you, then you owe me some of those tiles, if they’re unique patterns 
Re: Need creative way to sell ceiling tile! - Posted by michaela-ATL
Posted by michaela-ATL on June 15, 2005 at 16:00:52:
I just typed you an answer, but it disappeared.
Contact Jeff Headley at www.vitnage-antiques.com
740-678-0831. he’s in Marietta Ohio, but he travels
quite a bit. He might even drive over and help harvesting them, saving you labor.
taking off those tiles is very labor intensive and it might cost you more than $ 1 per piece in labor. Also, you can cut yourself like crazy on that tin. Also, it’s lead-based paint, so make sure your crew wears masks.
If you contact Jeff, tell him, that Michaela from Atlanta sent you. He comes to Atlanta once a month and sets up at our antique market.
In fact, if you want to make some money and have the time, you might consider packing them into a truck and coming to our antiquemarket, which happens on the 2nd weekend every month. +1000 dealers. Ceiling tins here sell for $ 10(for some very basic patterns) -+ 20 (for some nicer ones) per piece. Whatever you don’t sell to people, you will have dealers buy from you in lots.
Michaela
Re: Need creative way to sell ceiling tile! - Posted by michaela-ATL
Posted by michaela-ATL on June 15, 2005 at 15:48:14:
Bo,
why not keep them? I would love to have that kind of
character in one of my houses. Also, be aware, that they’re lead based paint, so make sure, that your crew
wears masks.
Michaela