All Things Nostalgic

So Where The Hell Did You Go????

2009-01-23T09:55:00.001-08:00

Well,

hopefully people will understand once I get it all out.

Last time I wrote it was in May when I pulled the tendon in my butt. Since you know about that, I will backtrack...

We had a WONDERFUL time in Tucson. I enjoyed Tucson more than I expected, it has a lot more greenery than I ever thought, and the dry heat was much better..have to admit it. We seriously started thinking about making a move to AZ in the summer of 2008.....

Which means, I was in limbo when I came back. Do I build up stores? Do I liquidate? Do I buy more?? I had no idea how to handle it. Self motivation at this point was very cloudy.

We came back, and all hell broke loose.

The butt tendon thing, which took forever to heal.

We had 3 deaths in the family at different times. Maybe I will elaborate later, but it is just too draining.

I was bit by a cat and for weeks I was so sick we honestly thought I was going to die of rabies. It took three months, many doctor's visits, days and days of being in bed sicker than ever, and three courses of very strong antibiotics to finally get over it. By the time we were done, the better half and I were so scared out of our minds about impending death, that all our efforts went into "real life" and spending as much time as possible getting odds and ends done, spending time with family, yada yada.

Then over the course of the past 9 months, it just continued.

I am having constant troubles with my sons' school. As some may know, I have three on the Autistic spectrum. Three boys attend one school and I am sick and tired of teachers who have a God complex. This has been a daily drain for me. So much so that we have decided to go back to homeschooling next year. I home schooled my kids up until my daughter was in 5th grade. I never thought I would do it again, but here we are.

This constant thorn in my shoe kept me focused on one thing, keeping track of teachers and problems.

We have also had a severe urinary tract infection in the house, two bouts of bad cold rounds and one bout of sever flu. With a son in an after school program for special needs kids and six people in one house, you can imagine all the germs we come in contact with.

Let's not forget the computer virus, the repair, the setting up a new computer.

Let's not forget the car troubles and buying a new car. Well, a 66 Ford station wagon, and a REALLY cool one, but still.

Then..

My better half had a heart attack scare. That's right. We were now in the same boat all over again. Doctors, not feeling well, medications, not knowing, etc.

This past year has been one thing after another. Each one harsh, each one extremely draining.

So people, this year has been very difficult for us.

The good news?

We have decided to move to Arizona and we plan to by July of this summer. So, at this time I won't be building up anything. I will be liquidating like a mad man. It just isn't worth the cost of moving it, nor the work involved.

We hit so many sales, we always find more. So hopefully by fall, we will somewhat be up and running again.

For now, what remains in the stores will stay there until June. At that time I will pull it all out.

I sincerely hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings by disappearing. I just had too much on my plate.

Love.

Pulled a Stupid Tendon

2008-05-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

I have gotten some emails wondering where I was so I figured I should post something...

We got back form AZ and had a GREAT trip..more later..then we took the next week to heal from the trip...then I pulled a tendon in my butt. You heard me right..sigh...it started getting better after a week so I dove in and got things done...only to wake up the next day in severe pain..this has happened twice. So, I am not at the computer much due to not being able to sit too long. And I can't roam around taking pictures, listing, etc until it is healed.

We are also battling some weird summer flu..all in all, all fine..just healing. THANK YOU for the kind words folks!

I Have Been Tagged

2008-03-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I am supposed to be packing..but I haven't slept in a week and I am avoiding all I need to do...so, I figured I would blab. Blabbing is always fun.

I was tagged by my new dear friend Christina from her blog My Tangerine Dreams

I am supposed to talk about 5 things about myself, quirks or oddities I guess, that I possess. I think the quirks are more interesting reading material....but I actually found this to be quite difficult to do. I live with four children, three on the Autistic spectrum, and their father's whole family, my ex husband, had a very "quirky" yet demanding way about them. I was raised around very laid back type of people who just went with the flow and were quite spontaneous...

So, I really try not to be quirky where it gets in other peoples' way. You know, kind of like when you are at a party and everyone decides to go to Taco Bell and that one person says "No, I won't eat Taco Bell. I heard they have problems with cleanliness" .............. So it ruins it for the whole group while billions of people eat at Taco Bell just fine every day type of thing??

So, I spent two nights lying awake thinking about this....and I think I know mine now....and I can see where they could become a problem at times.

#1 You will always...and I mean ALWAYS see me in a tie dye t-shirt and jeans.
No, I am not kidding. I HATE to dress up....AT ALL. I guess that should be number two, but it fits with the reason I am doing number one, so let's combine them. The tie dyes put me in a relaxed frame of mind..and a mental vacation at all times...I need this with my life. I get a lot of compliments on them. I usually cannot go anywhere without someone saying something, and them wishing they could wear them to work to..ah, the joys of being self employed and I get to say "neener neener." This is such an issue my better half and I will be marrying barefoot, in some type of hippie garb to avoid dressing up. It is all about avoiding dressing up.

Which, doesn't make a lot of sense. Look at me in 1987.

How hysterical is this? I had no problem then, what is my problem now? I was heading to church, BTW.

So now it is all about comfort and abstract colors of the hippie people.

I usually by tie dyes from: psychedeliccircus.com

I have been buying from them for years...like this one...

......Or this one

Or this one...

#2 I have an eyebrow fetish. You read that right.
An eyebrow fetish. I am obsessed with eyebrows. Probably because I hate my own. But I noticed that it is always the first thing I look at when I look at magazines, or people in general. Very weird. I only came to this conclusion about 3 months ago. Luckily I was in the office of my Autistic son's therapist, who I adore, flipping thru magazines I don't allow at home, like Cosmo, so I blurted outloud "Anne, I think I have a severe eyebrow fetish I can't control. Can you help me?" She just laughed and walked away. I should probably ask her what that meant.

#3 I cannot stand the sound that Pillsbury dough cans make when opened. It scares the crap out of me and it makes no sense whatsoever, but I hate it with a passion.

#4 My two favorite sandwiches are: Bologna and banana with mayo and a tad mustard / Toasted bread, peanut butter and bacon. YUM.

#5 Number 5....hmmm..this is your last chance to hear whacky stuff about me...and seriously, for the life of me..I can't get this out of my head.

I want to be the Argentina Gnome. I really do. From the first moment I saw this little guy's picture..then scooting like a fiddler crab..it became one of my life dreams. The ability to dress like that and put mass amounts of people into fits of hysteria........what a feeling. Who wouldn't want this??

So that I think is enough to digest for awhile...maybe, just maybe...I will be tagged again and be required to do part two....

Ok...so I am tagging: Kristin

Robin

Eternity Forever

OH Arizona...HERE WE COME!

2008-03-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

That's right....Saturday is the day we embark on a 16 hour straight shot drive with a 16 year old teen girl who has no patience for her three siblings...., a 14 year old Autistic son who loves to sing songs from the 70's.... out loud, a 10 year old severely ADHD son who HATES doing anything but playing on his DS and sees no benefit from human contact or nature, and a 9 year old very sweet but sensitive son who has a carb addiction and severe motion sickness.

Ah.......the joys of road travel...

Wish me luck.... My fellow parental units...
I am destined to teach my kids all about the joys of road trips, coolers filled with smashed turkey and cheese, endless sing alongs..and family involvement. If I do not come back.............pray.

Stuff White People Like 11-20

2008-03-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

This is a continuation of my completely useless series on:

Stuff White People Like

...A Blog that happens to ring too true....at times....

and yes, I am white..lily white..

Here is....

Part One

Now on with the show..

#11 Asian Girls

"95% of white males have at one point in their lives, experienced yellow fever."

Well this is just odd. I... don't know what to even say to this. I think I will leave it up to the men.

#12 Non-Profit Organizations

"It is a known fact that white people make up 95% of non-profit organizations. They can’t get enough of them.
They like working there for a number of reasons, the most important of which is that it gives them a sense of self importance. This is important so that they can tell their friends and parents that they are “helping” society, and not just working to make money.

But the sweet side of non profits is that you are paid a competitive salary for your field. So you can be working at a non-profit and still make six figures, and you don’t have accountability or pressure. Again, like most things with white people - you can’t lose!"

I copied the entire post. ...and..quite frankly I find this to be extremely sad. I honestly do not offend easily.. I am from the school that says people who are easily offended are looking for things to be offended about......but this.....slightly offends me. Are they saying the millions of people who work under the top hoohas also get paid? There are millions upon millions of people who work for FREE.... I have never met anyone who got paid for doing their Org work, yet I have met hundreds who never got paid and used their own resources to continue the efforts out of the goodness of their hearts.. To the Girl Scouts, Blood Drives, SPCAs, Clothing Drive People and more...I salute you for doing the work because it was in your white heart to do the work..or whatever color you may have been.......

#13 Tea

"And now people are into Green Tea, Chamomile, Chai, White Tea, Red Tea, Jasmine Tea, Oolong Tea, Black Tea, Orange Pekoe, and other specialty blends. They are even opening stores and websites devoted to sending white people all sorts of tea"

Asian people don't drink tea? Should I go on?

#14 Having Black Friends

"The number of black friends white people possess also illustrates their comfort with black culture. Here’s a handy guide to the number system:
1—The white novice. This black friend is the gateway to helping white people understand gang signs and Vietnamese beauty supply stores. This black friend is probably the only black friend for many white people and when they all hang out (because white people hang out) they bring their “mutual” black friend with them.

2—The white black club-goer. Two black friends serve as bodyguards when white people go to black clubs to see how exactly one “pops, drops and locks” it.

3 -4—The white BET-er. See Justin Timberlake/ Robin Thicke/ Jon B for more information. For old school reference, see Michael McDonald.

5 and up—Impossible."

I am finding this whole 11-20 thing to be quite boring. My first 3 best friends as a child were black, 3 of my children also had first best friends, plural, that were black..obviously there are no issues about having black friends, although I did not tell my kids to go out and make them their friends either..I don't have any black friends now to speak of that I see often....and I would find it sad that anyone would want violent friends...what's my point? I don't have one. I find #14 goofy.

#15 Yoga

"Yoga is also an expensive activity. It gives white people the chance to showcase their $80 pants. The cost of four yoga classes is equal to the amount of money it would take to pay for uniforms and travel costs of an AAU Basketball team in the inner city. Lastly like other stuff that white people like, yoga feels exotic and foreign (ties into post #2 about eastern religions) and deep down in some way, white people feel that participation makes up for years of colonial rule in India."

I would love to take yoga...unfortunately, I can't afford to.

#16 “Gifted” Children

"White people love “gifted” children, do you know why? Because an astounding 100% of their kids are gifted! Isn’t that amazing?

I’m pretty sure the last non-gifted white child was born in 1962 in Reseda, CA. Since then, it’s been a pretty sweet run.

The way it works is that white kids that are actually smart are quickly identified as “gifted” and take special classes and eventually end up in college and then law school or med school.

But wait, aren’t there white people who aren’t doctors or lawyers, or even all that smart?

Well, here is another one of those awesome white person win-win situations.

Because if a white kid gets crappy grades and can’t seem to ever do anything right in school, they are still gifted! How you ask? They are just TOO smart for school. They are too creative, too advanced to care about the trivial minutiae of the day to day operations of school."

Mmm..sorry, I see plenty of white trash that isn't gifted and I call it like I see it....drugs, lack of family unit, parental guidance and inbred breeding...does not a gifted child make..

I have four "gifted" children thank you very much and I will show the test scores to anyone to prove it. Oh, and guess what? They are also required to be well behaved and assets to the community. I know..a novel idea.

#17 Hating their parents

"But take note that this hatred can be used for gain. White people love to talk about how much they hate their parents, so if you are in a situation where you need to gain a white person’s trust, ask them about their parents. But under no circumstances should you try to one up them, regardless of whether or not you were an orphan, abused, or watched your parents get shot. If you bring this up, the white person will never talk to you about their problems again, and you will be unable to gain their trust."

So, do I dare say what I am really thinking? ....

#18 Awareness

"An interesting fact about white people is that they firmly believe that all of the world’s problems can be solved through “awareness.” Meaning the process of making other people aware of problems, and then magically someone else like the government will fix it. This belief allows them to feel that sweet self-satisfaction without actually having to solve anything or face any difficult challenges."

Well, sad to say I agree here. Too much talk and not enough walk...but is this a white thing? Dunno. I'm not exactly seeing other races fixing the problems before white people are making others aware of them...

#19 Traveling

"White person travelling can be broken into two categories - First World and Third World.
First world is Europe and Japan, and man, this travel is not only beloved but absolutely essential in their development as white people.
The second type of white person travel is Third World. This is when they venture to Thailand, Africa or South America. Some do it so that they can one up the white people who only go to Europe."

Well this is odd. I love to travel...but I don't particularly want to go to any of these places. Gawd..I hate questioning my race. What do you call it when you are an American white person who feels they should see all there is to see in America first?

#20 Being an expert on YOUR culture

"White people are pretty conflicted about their culture. On one hand, they are proud of the art, literature, and film produced by white culture. But at the same time, they are very ashamed of all the bad things in white culture: the KKK, colonialism, slavery, Jim Crow laws, feudalism, and the treatment of native americans."

No. No. ....No...I am not. I am completely proud of what America stands for and do not feel an ounce of guilt over anything I did not do nor the color of my skin. I was born white, I did not choose it but I do choose what I do and how I behave...I feel sorry for any race that does not hold themselves accountable their own thoughts, judgments, and blame while not being able to let go and move on. I really wish there was a way of going back and undoing all the *horrific* things white people have done..with the ability to see what would have happened over time instead.....oh yes. I am sure everything would be perfect for everyone.

Soo..What AM I Listing Today?

2008-03-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Great stuff...from Etsy to Ecrater.

Getting a few things done a day. Having a blast with the people on flickr and Etsy..they are all a bunch of very neat vintage lovin huhahs..I seriously cannot believe how much better I feel being away from eBay. It is like breaking away from a toxic relationship...you know the kind...we all do. The kind where we think we should stay for one reason or another and don't even realize the serious damage it is doing to our souls...the kind that we make excuse after excuse over insisting that we cannot leave or change..that we need it for one lousy reason or another...that is eBay for you...and you won't get it until the wounds start to heal...

I sold 9 things my first week of Etsy. The people and attitude are amazing. The creativity, positivity, helpfulness...sigh...the old eBay....9 years ago...I will keep pulling you people away...one by one. To make you see that emotional abuse..is still abuse...don't let the bay fool you into staying. I am not missing eBay shopping either..OH MY..I cannot believe the stuff to spend money on at Etsy. I have all my special occasion gifts perty much selected..and I will be buying from people who love what they are doing, small hands, big gift..loverly.

Now on with the hoopla.

Amazing Rose White Queen Chenille

Yes, you see them right...Nash Cruiser skates from early 1980s..

Beautiful Costume Jewelry Earrings from eras past...

Kitsch Bowling....

The Nugget Has Been Featured on Vintage Indie.......

2008-03-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

Check out the Vintage Indie Blog to see the vintage trim we are selling in our shop!

This item has been featured twice now within the past couple of days by different people..nice compliments...thank you!

Things You Can Find Added To Our Stores This Week!

2008-02-25T18:41:00.000-08:00

Amazing 1920s Lipstick Tube Travel Toothbrush...coming soon...

New Old Stock Vintage Rare 1940s Westinghouse Electric Chrome Deco Mid Century Coffee Pot Percolator

Brand new again, never used, original paper on the strainer....
why buy new when you can have this??

Vintage 70 10 Cup Unused Old Stock NOS Corning Corningware Cornflower Electric Coffee Pot Percolator

Brand new, never used, with trivet.....

A few more things we are digging out and adding to our inventory. This is just a small sampling of what was dug out this week.

1950s 50s Seaside Souvenir Shop Abalone Abolone Jointed Fish Necklace Pendant Costume Jewelry

Vintage Girls Dress Lace Trim Pleated White Gold Yellow 1940s 1950s 1960s Whole Bolts Yards

Vintage Girly Girls Frilly Dress Lace Trim Pleated Poly Pink Edges 1940s 1950s 1960s

Vintage Lucite Bolo Tie California Gold Rush Panning Pan 1950s Aqua Gold Leaf

POT LUCK Spooner Oldham LP Jazz Soul Fusion HTF VGC Vinyl Record

1983 Vintage Ben Cooper Star Wars Return Of The Jedi Halloween Costume NIB

Vintage Pink Blue Floral Clip On 1940s 1950s Costume Jewelry Earrings Lot Beads Beaded

Amazing Vintage Silk Iridescent Sequin Micro Beaded Purse Handbag Evening Clutch Cream

Vintage National Hosiery Stocking new in package. You can find these at our ecrater and BISI locations. Click here to see them at ecrater.

We are digging out some great vintage goodies this week. Here are a few!

Amazing condition 1958 PINK electric Treasure Chest blanket by Montgomery Ward...you can find this in our Etsy store

1945 Swinging Guide To Sin In San Francisco..how cool is this??

You can find this in our BISI store!

Stuff White People Like 1-10

2008-02-23T12:13:00.001-08:00

I was wasting time this morning over coffee and found this blog mentioned on another site. It looked too good to pass so I clicked. I think I peed my pants. No. Seriously. If you don't possess a sense of humor nor the ability to laugh at your own race, this site is not for you.

My better half; who is from Connecticut, said this blog is all about the mass amounts of democrats living in parts of Fairfield and Litchfield Counties. He should know, he spent over 30 years in CT. The rest well, gotta love it...

Stuff White People Like

While reading through the posts, I found one about vintage. I think this may have been the start of the trickle. SoI thought I would share my views on where I differ from the list...and it started with vintage...see..I am on topic.

#1 COFFEE

"They are also fond of saying “you do NOT want to see me before I get my morning coffee.” White guys will also call it anything but coffee: “rocket fuel,” “java,” “joe,” “black gold,” and so forth. It’s pretty garbage all around.

If you want to go for extra points - white people really love FAIR TRADE coffee, because paying the extra $2 means they are making a difference."

Now now...I am very serious when I say you don't want to see me before my coffee. It is very true. But the affects last well into my third cup, so technically you don't want to see me until after my third cup. However; my male better half hates coffee and quite frankly, I will drink yesterday's coffee reheated in a dirty mug, thank you.

#2 Religions that their parents don’t belong to

"White people will often say they are “spiritual” but not religious. Which usually means that they will believe any religion that doesn’t involve Jesus.

Mostly they are into religion that fits really well into their homes or wardrobe and doesn’t require them to do very much."

Well, no, I am the same religion as my mother and I work very hard at being the good person God wants while trying to understand his tools for a clean and healthy life. But otherwise, I frankly agree 100%...and again, I am a white person.

#3 Film Festivals

"White people can’t enough of Film Festivals. Especially Sundance, Toronto, and Cannes. The reason why they love them so much can be due to a number of factors."

Too many factors to list...but I think they have something here...although, I have never been to a film festival and never plan on going. Yes, I have taken a film class. Ahem..ok..I have taken two film classes. Why? Because as point #2 points out..it was the easiest choice...

#4 Assists

"One explanation is that white people still feel guilty over slavery, colonialism, and the crusades so passing is a way to make up for it. But more importantly, it makes them feel good to help others."

I think this has something to do with basketball...which being white, I know little about. However, I don't have any guilt about slavery, colonialism or the crusades and quite frankly, the media cannot make me start. I wasn't there and had nothing to do with it..remember that. Although, I do like helping others...but I do that just out of liking to help others.

#5 Farmers Markets

"White people like Farmers Markets for a number of reasons. The first is their undying need to support local economies (see future post), and the idea of buying direct from the farmer helps them assuage the fears instilled in them from reading Fast Food Nation (and yes, every white person has read this book)."

Well, I would like to think I love Farmer's Markets...and I do see a lot of people in overalls and they do drive tractors, but to be honest, I always leave disappointed. The prices are always high, the fruit and veggies are usually bruised, sometimes things smell like poop. And no, I have never read Fast Food Nation..but I have been meaning to.

#6 Organic Food

"Never mind the fact that if the world were to switch to 100% organic food tomorow, half the earth would die of starvation.

But white people don’t care, just so long as they aren’t eating pesticides they are pretty sure they can live forever.

It’s almost guaranteed that if some Columbian drug lord can start offering “organic” cocaine, he’ll be the richest guy ever"

Well. I do choose to buy organic in some situations...but otherwise...gotta agree with this one too. 100% organic crack sounds really good.

#7 Diversity

"White people love ethnic diversity, but only as it relates to restaurants.

Many white people from cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York will spend hours talking about how great it is that they can get Sushi and Tacos on the same street. But then they send their kids to private school with other rich white kids, and live in neighborhoods like Santa Monica or Pacific Palisades.

But it’s important to note that white people to do not like to be called out on this fact. If you run an ethnic restaurant you can be guaranteed repeat business and huge tips if you act like your white customers are adventurous and cultured for eating food that it isn’t sandwiches or pasta."

Well, I actually copied the whole paragraph on this one. I honestly believe there is a lot of truth here. But for me....frankly, I LOVE my Chinese and Mexican dives around the corner. But I also have a lot of respect for the people who run them....because they are good people. You can be black white purple or green..if you are a drain on society, you are a drain, if you are an asset, you are an asset. I need a fajita plate special.

#8 Barack Obama

"Because white people are afraid that if they don’t like him that they will be called racist."

I don't like him.

#9 Making you feel bad about not going outside

"And much like most things with white people - they win both ways. If you decide to go with them, they feel good about getting someone off the couch and “into the fresh air,” and if you don’t decide to go, they can spend their entire time outdoors saying “boy, this is great, X doesn’t know what he/she is missing!” and running on a mix of self-satisfaction, Odwalla juice and muesli."

Is it wrong that I agree with this one too?

I belong to a social group for my Autistic son and I swear, the waiting room is filled with nature loving democrats with no TVs and truly, moms talking about food choices while thumbing through organic gluten free catalogs discussing what hike they are going on the next weekend.

Don't get me wrong, I love the outdoors. I am a mountain girl. But I am just not willing to fight three hours of traffic filled SUVs with two people inside to get to a mountain or spend my time in the city with 1000 other people on a two foot wide nature trail.

#10 Wes Anderson movies

"White people love Wes Anderson movies more than they love their kids.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) “I know a lot of people said they didn’t like this film, but I thought it was fantastic.”

I would have never even known who Wes Anderson was if I had not seen the above title listed. I am a huge Bill Murry fan..a junky, many Bill movies are in my top 10 favs..but this move put me nightynight. Maybe I am not white after all.

I never did get to the vintage part, did I? More to follow...

What's vintage without a lil Tom?

2008-02-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

The New Customer Service

2008-02-21T11:47:00.000-08:00



Found on the eBay Seller Central Board...sad but unfortunately true... Sure wish I could take credit for this. Found it on another "spanish" auction site: Once upon a time....I called the office of the feeBay Mall to see about opening a store there. Here's the transcript of my side of the conversation "Good Morning, I'd like to open a store at your Mall" "Yes, I understand you are just a venue, that'll be great" "You want my credit card number first so that I can register...well OK, here it is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. OK, so I'm all set?" "You want an up front fee for everything I bring into the store?" "Ok, and then you want a cut of everything I sell, I thought you were a venue" "Oh, you are just a venue, but then you want me to use your bank that's not a bank to process my customers' payments?" "What? Sometimes I'll have to let the customer leave the store with the merchandise and afterwards you'll notify me that your bank that's not a bank is holding my funds for 21 days or until the customer calls in to say they like it. Is there anything else I should know?" "As customers leave my store YOU will poll them to see what their reactions were - something called DSRs - and then you'll charge me more to sell my merchandise if they rate me me as merely good - 4 out of 5 DSR stars, anything else?" "Oh, and you get to hang a RED BANNER warning my customers that I have problems outside my store if my DSR scores are only 4 out of 5, in other words merely what you call good? My goodness, is there anything else?" "AND you'll place other merchant's merchandise in front of my store so that my customers see it first, and then my RED BANNER?" "What else could your venue possibly do for me?" "Oh, from time to time you'll let a deadbeat shoplifter come back in to slap me around in front of my other customers, and all I can do is say how much I liked it" "I see. Let me get this straight, you are just a venue but YOU collect a fee everytime I offer something for sale, YOU collect a fee everytime I sell something, YOU REQUIRE that I process payments through your bank-thats-not-a-bank, YOU ask my customers how I did on your scale that they don't understand, YOU get to hang a RED BANNER in front of my store if my DSRs are merely GOOD, YOU get to place other merchant's wares in front of my store, and YOU will bring in shoplifters and deadbeats to slap me around with no recourse. Do I have this right so far?" "OK, can you tell me what's in it for me?" "Hello" "Hello" "Helloooooo" "Anybody there?" "What?, I can barely hear you, what? I have to supply my own Vaseline and smile too?" click

Boycott Update Feb 21 My take

2008-02-21T09:21:00.001-08:00

Well,

After the eBay announcement; I received my email January 29, listings did in fact stay stagnant in the 12.5 million range for half the month of February due to everyone freaking out, including me. The length of time the listings stayed in the same realm is a true indicter of how upset many people were. If you look at any other month, the market fluctuates weekly..up and down 12 mil to 16.5 mil on average.

The mid January range listings were fluctuating like this which is normal based on many factors. Holidays, the news, the perceived economy, eBay messing with things on the site, all play factors in the listing range...but they usually float between 12-16 million listings.

Now mind you, I feel the need to point out; in nine years, I have never freaked out over a change in fees or announcement in different paths eBay decided to take for the sake of eBay as a business.....this is quite different and I sincerely urge everyone to do as much reading as possible on all the aspects of all the issues to plan accordingly.

The sell through rate dropped into the 30% range during parts of early February as well...lower than the normal fluctuation of 40% or so. Percentage wise, that is a large drop.

When eBay snuck in their 20¢ listing fee; I believe it was Feb 14th; listings jumped by four million. They did not raise until this day and then the continued to nose dive everyday after that. Many people took advantage of that day trying to make as much money as they could to still feed their family and show support by boycotting. -More on my take on how horrible listings days can be on your success rate later.-

Those auctions kept the list rate around 14.5 to 16 million....until the boycott started on the 18th.......and then the numbers kept dropping with no upward curves until today. Today's numbers are under the 12 million mark. Many people used seven day listings so a true boycott success rate indicator cannot be told within the first seven days.

Fact is though, the start of the new lower fees yesterday, February 20th, made no impact on the amount of listings in a positive way. Listings kept dropping back down, leveling into the mid 12 million range. This morning, after all of those seven day auctions need relisting; they are slightly going up, but not enough to match the amount of listings that went up on the secret 20¢ day last week...no where near it...... and certainly not adding up as fast as that day..which is indicator people are seriously boycotting.

Will the boycott work?

Let's face it, if you look at any eBay email or announcement page; eBay public relations does a fine job of purposely hiding the true details and ramifications of their latest changes. Go ahead, look at the pages. Don't take my word for it. This in no doubt leaves millions thinking the fees are the worst of it..when frankly, if you are selling the right things, the fees should be the least of your worries. But the fact is, only a small percentage of people truly know what is going on. It is just like the eBay boards. I believe it is said on average only 1% of eBay members even go to the boards, much less even know they exist and only sniff them out when faced with a serious eBay related situation or looking for things to sell. So we cannot expect eBay to completely die in a week and we cannot expect the listings to drop beyond a certain point. People simply do not know.

My answer to will a simple one week boycott work....no. I one week boycott which ends up with everyone going back listing as normal will do absolutely nothing but show eBay we are all a bunch of needy sheep. All of us need to think ...longterm....

It will take weeks of stagnant listings and sales to show eBay who the true worker bees are and that they mean business.

However;

I am supporting the boycott in full to show my respect and support to the millions of hard working Americans that eBay drew in with their advertising. eBay used the blood sweat and tears of hard working people to make eBay what it is and now eBay is kicking those same people in the teeth. The boycott time needs to be used in a constructive way and if used properly, can have a very large effect on the pompous minds who think up these "improvements" for eBay.

Plant other seeds, search out other venues. Help build up other venues. We want eBay to no longer be the monopoly? Then shop and sell elsewhere! It really isn't that hard...eBay just wants you to believe it is. Meet new people who have been there, done that. Rethink our own business models and resources. Learn new marketing tips. We all need to ween ourselves into independence.

To rely solely on eBay is flat out foolish. It was foolish for us to do it, it is foolish to do it period. To rely on anyone's services that have to have their own personal agenda and stockholders to please..is bad business.

I have decided for me, to not wait around for eBay to change their mind, cause by golly, eBay is a good guy.....even though they have proven over the last nine years, they are not the good guy....

I have decided for me, that I cannot any longer support a company who cannot think clearly through their plans before scaring the pants off millions of people.

Will it take a lot of work? Yes. Will it be scary? Yes. Will I possibly take a loss in income? Possibly...most likely yes.

Can I afford the losses? No. I have 11 mouths to feed...well 5 are cat mouths, but still.

Can I make adjustments for the greater good, I will have to. I believe in this.

Do I like how eBay treats good sellers? No.

Do I have confidence in eBay's ability to be honest or not have hidden agendas? No.

Do I think I get what I pay for in fees on eBay, no.

Do I feel safe selling on eBay? No.

Do I worry daily what kind of nutbar eBay will throw into my lap each day? Yes.

Do I find I enjoy eBay less and less with each year and horrible buyer experience? Yes

Do I long to be more in control of what happens to my fate? Yes.

have I seen a dramatic increase of problem buyers over the last years? Definitely yes.

Do I want to enjoy passing on fab widgets again, that we work hard to find, clean, test and pack so the buyer will love it as much as we do?? Yes.

Which is why we are weening off eBay. There are too many arrows pointing to that being the smart business and sanity move.

So, boycotters, I certainly hope you are honest with yourselves and you have though about your long term goals. One week will not work...you need to do more..for you.

Work Smarter Not Harder - Don't Shoot The Messenger

2008-02-21T08:57:00.000-08:00

This was my third installment on making online transactions - mainly eBay successful. Parts one and two are right below. I should have done this first..but it is early and I was stupid.

Ebay Is A Two Way Street - Some Really Ugly Facts - Don't Shoot The Messenger

There is no question that sellers are obligated to try and be the best seller they can for the buyer and the ebay community. There are ebay, federal, state, and Paypal laws/regulations to follow as well as ethics. Every seller is obligated to follow them, no doubt. It is in the best interest of the seller to always try go above and beyond the call of duty when able.

Likewise, there are ebay rules for the buyer. The world does not revolve around the buyer alone and all things apply to both sides.

Fact is -

Buyers are on ebay for a reason. That reason may be to find the widget they simply cannot find anywhere else, the much greater ease of using ebay and having things delivered to their door rather than using their own time and gas going to the mall, wanting that great deal they cannot get locally, or can simply be addicted to ebay. .......................................................See how this works?

It is very easy to say ebay sellers would not be here if it weren't for the buyers, but the other side of the coin is that the buyers would not be here if it weren't for all the sellers doing the footwork for the buyers. Appreciation is a two way street and both sides share the responsibility of making ebay a great community for all.

Fact is-

A seller will have to pay fees to list whether the item sells or not. It is the seller that keeps ebay flowing, not the buyer. I know this will not sit right with many people who want to believe the buyer is the reason the earth moves. But in the ebay world; there are thousands upon thousands of sellers giving millions of dollars to ebay who never see a profit or barely sell anything at all. Only ebay, the product wholeseller and Paypal see any profit. The buyer had very little to do with that part of the process. And if buyers dropped off the face of the earth tomorrow eBay would still reap the benefit of millions in listing fees before drying up.

.........Is this who you want to be?

Yes, you can say that if all the buyers leave, ebay will tank. Yea, you can say that, but that will never happen. Fact remains, there will always be new buyers and new sellers........................

And good sellers have to get paid to remain on ebay.

A buyer cannot expect good sellers to consistently take losses so the buyer gets the long end of the stick. And if the buyer does have this mentality or does not understand this, then they are frankly not an asset to the ebay community. There are thousands of buyers on ebay looking for that penny deal with free shipping who will scream bloody murder to you and the world if they win their $50 item for .01¢ and have to pay a $10 shipping fee. don't believe me? Spend a couple of days on the ebay chat boards.....................

......................Are these the customers you want to deal with?

How many times have you heard 'The customer is always right?'

Well, back in the day when a much larger portion of society was raised on ethics, they were usually right. Let's face it; our society and all the societies we can work with on the wide world of ebay, don't exactly run on the same moral and ethical structure and this greatly needed structure is quickly deteriorating more everyday.. Add in the fact we do not have to deal with people face to face and can secretly be a pain in the butt = a recipe for disaster.

Contrary to popular belief; Paypal and Ebay buyer fraud is MUCH higher than seller fraud. The ratio of sellers actually here to defraud a large amount of people compared to the number of buyers who will do a charge back when the seller did not add on delivery confirmation, switch your item with a broken one they already have and try to get a full refund while keeping your item, claim tiny flaws to get a partial refund, buy a size without checking the measurements needed and demand a refund at a loss to the seller when the buyer did not do their homework, do a credit card charge back months down the line, etc. is MUCH higher.

Fact is -

Many large shopping chains have just about eliminated the ability to return things. Target will no longer allow returns at all without a receipt. Walmart will swipe the driver's license when returning anything over $10 without a receipt. Walmart also implemented much stiffer rules for items like electronics. Kmart and Walmart have both eliminated lay-away plans due to to many flaking customers. Credit card companies keep raising interest rates due to the amount of defaulting users and credit fraud. Stores are supposed to check signatures and picture ID when accepting checks and credit cards. Paypal Seller protection requires sellers to use a proof of delivery on their items to cover themselves. And guess what?? 99.99% of ALL auction houses have an AS IS YOU BID YOU BOUGHT IT NO MATTER WHAT POLICY. All of this has been mainly put in place due to fraud on a buyer's part.

Do not misquote me by saying there is no seller fraud, there is. But buyers have a much better ability to pick their sellers carefully by choosing sellers who accept safer payment methods, buying from safer categories rather than picking the first IPOD they see, buyers are able to check feedback scores, etc, When the truth remains; just about anyone can click on a seller's auction or Buy It Now button and mess with the seller without seller recourse. A seller has no protection compared to a buyer's protection.

Yes, some of that buyer protection comes from common sense. Common sense is a needed component when using ebay. But sellers have no ability to block bad ebay users until it is usually too late. By that time, the seller is open for a fat undeserved neg due to the buyer's unethical or unfair demands.

What is my point?

You cannot run your business with the main goal of trying to please everyone all the time. You cannot and will not be able to, ever. For most of you reading this; you are here to learn how to sell on ebay to make some money. This means your bottom line comes first and foremost WHILE adhering to the rules and laws of the land and protecting yourself the best you can.

No matter what you hear from anyone; all businesses run on costs, total costs.

Your business will either run bad and fail or run well and succeed due to money. This includes everything it takes to keep a business running. This is why the tax man allows you to deduct a portion of you taxes for things like a home office, business meals, travel expenses and everything you use for your business, including gas and tape. It does not matter how much anyone whines about you *charging for a trip to the PO and a tiny bit of tape* those things will still impact your bottom line. Fact is, if they want to whine about you being paid for your time to package their $100 item they got for $35 delivered to their door while they stayed in their pajamas, so be it. Those are not customers who have everyone's best interest in mind, they have THEIR best interest in mind and no one else's.

YOU do not need those types of customers and neither does ebay.

Example: American Airlines removed one olive from each plate after realizing doing so would save $100,000 a year. Who can claim that olive was free to American Airlines?

If you do not run your business with your bottom line in mind, you will most likely fail. If you run your business and think taking losses over and over again to make people happy will guarantee your success, you will most likely fail. If you run your business with a hidden need to please everyone, you are on a very wrong path that can never be fully paved. If you run your business thinking you are fulfilling a need but not getting paid to do so; you are working for everyone else and not for yourself....................................

......................................................................Is this what you want?

Picking items to sell means keeping all of this in mind. This means what you buy, how you package, what you can sell it for, how much time is involved, what it costs to package, what the market can handle, and who your customers will be for that type of item and what they will expect from you..

Something to think about...

Part 4 will include; Ebay Misconceptions & Time Stealers

I hope this Part 3 made you think and you learned something new.

Work Smarter Not Harder Part One...& Two

2008-02-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

With all the changes taking place, many people are not sure what to do with themselves. In any event, no matter where you go, there are ways to give you more free time, less stress, higher profits and better sell rates.

This is a guide I wrote on eBay awhile back. I have updated it and changed some things to stay current with some eBay changes.

I am willing to share our metamorphosis on eBay over the past years so others can learn from the ever changing venue.

Learn from other's mistakes without making them yourself....

This part one includes:

An introduction to us and our success, what success means for you, how we got started, and the hard questions everyone needs to ask themselves to be on the right ebay track.

First; let me tell you a little about us. My better half and I are 8+ year full time sellers. We have been Silver Level Powersellers for a few years now. We started on ebay as buyers and sellers before we even knew each other, so our experience goes way back. This is my personal buying ID. We have a different ID for selling. Why am I not using our seller ID for this review? Well, we love ebay, but ebay has its kooks.

Now, unfortunately I can't answer all questions or provide a full on fool proof tutorial for everyone. imply do not have all the answers for everyone since what works for one does not or cannot work for another. I can't tell you what to sell or where to buy it. Different people have different things available to them, etc. But I can pass along some very important tidbits that are 100% vital to being all you can be on ebay.

If you are already well versed or practicing the below tips, wonderful, you are definitely on the right track! If by chance you are not doing what is mentioned below, please, definitely take the advice to heart. They are key actions that helped make us as successful as we are. We could not have gotten this far without these actions.

YOU GET TO DECIDE ON WHAT SUCCESS MEANS...

Success mean different things to different people. For us; we have basically acquired what we hoped we would get out of ebay when we started years ago. However; we always try to improve, expand our knowledge and other selling venues as well. But we are at a level we are happy about and gives us a large amount of freedom. I know many of you would like this too, and this is why I am going to share secrets that many people simply do not know or practice but could change the ebay experience forever.

I know it isn't hard to hear tales of how people can make lots of money fast and easy on ebay. There are tons of guides, books, etc that tell you that if you just pick an item you love to sell, pick a wholeseller, you are on your way to quiting your day job being rich! That is a lie. I don't want to burst any body's bubble, but I hate seeing people start up cute IDs and list the same stuff that ebay is already saturated with and end up losing on inventory and ebay fees. Just because you work hard, just because you ship the same day, just because you have cute bumble bees on your auction, just because you sit at the computer 24-7 to email every customer right back, just because you wrap everything in lilac scented tissue paper, gift card and bow, DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL PROFIT FROM EBAY. All the good intentions in the world will NOT make you money. It comes down to what you list, what you paid for it and what the ebay buyer / seller ratio can handle. PERIOD......

So.... Let's be honest for a few minutes, ........................................ebay = work + knowledge.

How did I start, where do you start?

I personally started selling things from my house, things from the Dollar Store, 99¢ Store, TJMax, thrift stores, you name it. I started at a time I could truly put up anything and make some money at it. I have always been a savvy shopper. I knew good brands, etc. I could buy 10 things at a dollar store and make $60 off of it...not bad for a part time hobby.

Within a couple of years; that market become over saturated with sellers due to new stores opening up all over the country, wholesalers popping up and more stay at home parents, etc. listing the same things I was listing. I rarely list items I buy at a store now and I am constantly amazed at the amount of sellers who keep trying the old business model but are clearly working for ebay, paypal and shipping companies and not for themselves. Bottom line; any wholesale items being offered on ebay are always in danger of running their course, already being offered by 30 different sellers or they simply will not have enough of a buying market on ebay for a long term hall. It is not as easy as picking a wholeseller of something you like and selling it. Ebay means research.

After this shift in the ebay market; I had to ask myself........................What did I want out of ebay?

I wanted to be able to sell things that would make me a good profit. I wanted to be able to list at my convenience and stay at home so I could care for my 4 kids, 3 on the Autism spectrum. I wanted the freedom to be open for doctors apt, school events, or a nap. I wanted to shop and make money at it. I wanted to pretty much do as I wanted with most of my time and have the money rolling in while giving people things they have a hard time finding or at a price they are thrilled to get the item at....and I wanted to ENJOY what I did.

The hard questions I asked myself were;

What is my time worth? What kind of profit was I looking for my time? How much would I have to make to cover my bills and some wants? How much would I have to make in profit to truly rely on this one source of income for the future? Am I sure I want to put all my eggs in one basket? What were all my costs involved in hunting down, picking up, safely storing, having a good camera for pics, taking the pictures, uploading editing pictures, picture storage, having a good and easy listing program I could count on, creating a listing, doing research on the ebay market on what the item would go for, handling emails, accepting payment, supplies to pack, labor and time involved with packaging the item and then shipping the item. ....TIME IS MONEY.

Do I have access to one thing that I can sell for a long period at a high profit margin that I can easily ship or do I have to diversify? Where can I go to hunt down things to sell? How will I know what will sell and won't? What about selling items that don't fit in flat rate free boxes? Where am I going to get packaging supplies at a low cost so my shipping stays low? When will I go and hunt down these things? Do I want to be one of those low Buy It Now people and charge more for shipping to save on fees or not? Do I know how to properly pack something I am not used to packing? Will I have to buy in bulk and store it, but not too much in bulk because I want to make sure the buying market doesn't dry up or have it take over my house? Am I going to have to borrow money for start up to get things at a lower cost to even make a profit? What do I have knowledge about? ......................................................................What is my competition on ebay?

I quickly realized there was a lot more to ebay than people said! I also realized I would have to change my business model in order for ebay to give me what I wanted out of it. I was not looking to spend hours and earn $5.00 per hour. I was not looking to list 20 items and have 5 sell under the price I paid by following ebay's recommendation of starting everything at 99% and letting it ride ...to encourage bidders of course.....Are you?

Has anyone taken the time to punch in a key word of a normal wholesale item like Gameboy and seen how many things don't sell or sell at 99¢?? Go searching through the collectible categories and you will see the same things. And guess what? We have changed parts of our business model many times through the years to consistently stay successful on ebay.

And that is what you will have to do for you. Every set of answers will be different for every person. That is the beauty of ebay....you do have the power of deciding what you want out of it. So ask yourself these questions and then go from there. You might find ebay is not right for you or you might find you have been sitting on a goldmine and never even realized it. But with good advice, and facing the hard facts; you can find out if ebay is right or wrong for you without losing tons of money in the process.

The answer to my questions for me? Well, I have a better half who loves treasure hunting more than I do. Together we hit apx 100 private and public sales a week. We list a few items a day and the rest of our time is spent running the house, kids, life, etc. Let's not forget, we still have cleaning the items, pictures, packaging, etc. WE DO WORK. But this is also our hobby and we enjoy it and each other. This is what works for us. Your answers may be very different.

This is the biggest & most important tip that will always apply to ebay no matter what you want out of ebay..........

Research, research, research and research. ...............................................Did I say RESEARCH????

In case you do not know; ebay only has an apx 40% sell rate. That means out of all the millions of items that get listed on ebay daily, only about 40% sell....and that does not include non paying bidders. Every time anyone lists an item without doing research on the sell rate and what it will sell for, they are working for ebay and Paypal. ...................................................Is that what you want?

In early 1999, when I first got started with ebay, ebay had around 700,000 registered users. **Keep in mind, this means IDs and it is perfectly ok with ebay if people have more than one ID. So the term registered user is NOT in any way a good indication of actual people using ebay on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis** The ebay market was adding apx 70,000 auctions a day. At that time ebay said there was about a 75% sell rate....not anymore. There are now over 1 million items listed daily on ebay and about ........

60% DOES NOT SELL............................................................How will you be different and succeed?

If you do a google or ebay board search of past or present *about ready to quit because ebay has died* ebay sellers; you can quickly find many stories of people who quit their day job and were successful on ebay once upon a time but drowned in the ever changing market...constant planning can mean the difference between ebay life or ebay death. These stories have many dates on them through the years and the one thing in common is that they all blame ebay and the changing market. Stories from the years 2000, 2002, 2005, etc. Well, how can all these stories from different years be from the same ebay reason?? Easy, ebay is a consistently changing market and you have to change with it or you will lose.

Now at this point and time this change can also mean seeking out other venues. Do you really want to have all your eggs in one basket? Do you really want to be subject to a very bad business plan that you have no control over?

There are selling options. All business take work...let's just work smart.

Some categories are worse then others:

Many categories like handbags, makeup, clothing, shoes, DVDs, electronics, CDs, etc have about a 10% sell rate. That means for every 100 items listed, 10 will sell..but do they sell at a decent profit to the seller? Usually, no. Why would anyone list without doing research? Why would anyone think they could succeed when the market clearly shows they will fail or be working for ebay and not themselves? How do people trick themselves into thinking they should continue?

If a certain item is not for you due to what you can get an item for and what the ebay market can handle, no matter how much you love it, move on and keep searching. The bottom line for most people is profit. If you blindly list items in hopes that they will sell at a price to make you money, you are being foolish, yes, foolish. Day upon day I see people listing things that clearly never sell...yet they keep listing away. WHY????

If the item is not worth listing......................................................................................................... WHY LIST IT??

Down to basics.

Ebay has an amazing check box feature, called "completed auctions". You will find it on the left hand side of a search page.

Ebay also has Marketplace Research for $9.99 per month and up that allow you to go back farther than a two week period. There are other online venues to research what the market is doing as well. .......................................................................................USE ONE!

More About Marketplace Research

How do you use past research?

Well, 99% of the time you will not be able to get a true ebay sell rate picture by looking at current auctions. I cannot tell you how many times we have met someone who says they set the price for their item by looking at ebay and seeing it for a certain dollar amount. What they did not do was look at what the item actually sold for in completed auctions, what the percentage is of sold items compared to non selling, and what the highs and lows are. Just because something sold once for a certain amount does not mean it will sell for that again. Just because someone is asking a certain dollar amount for an item, does not mean it will sell. We have walked away from hundreds of sales due to people doing this. They just did not really know what their item would sell at, either locally or online. You have to look at the entire picture to determine what a good selling price will be. Was the high selling item a f look of frenzied newbies? Did you miss the boat of the handful of people wanting that rare widget right before Christmas, etc.

So the best thing to do is use an ended auction program and look over the past two weeks, month, etc. High to low, low to high and percentage sold. You gather that by eyeballing the info compared with the timing, condition, what is included in the auction, etc and possibly how many people already got that widget and then you can begin to understand if your item will sell at the price you want.

Are you a risk taker by letting items ride, starting at 99¢ hoping for a grand slam?? Well, those are rare and far between...but if you love the excitement and do not care what you will get for your widget, go for it. Otherwise a very good option is to pick fair Buy It Now price, and go forward.

Careful Listing

We are careful with what we buy and we won't list anything without a 90% chance of selling first time out with a profit margin built in. Our profit margin is made at the time of purchasing. If we do have an item with a lower sell rate, say 50% but at an amount that is worth selling, say $30 and I paid $5 for it, we just make sure it is marked at a price that still makes us money to move it and put more working funds back in our pocket, say $23.00. You have to ask yourself if it is WORTH YOUR TIME TO LIST.

Let's say I go to an auction house and I buy 3 widgits. I buy two widgets at $10 each that I know sell on ebay at $150 minimum every time. *** YES, this does happen *** This gives me some freedom to buy an item I don't know much about since I know I have already made a profit on my other two. I see an interesting widgit for $5.00. $5.00 is an amount I will never miss. So if I have to throw the item out, I chalk it up to $5 worth of ebay knowledge. I get home, use google, ebay, etc and realize my widget is only worth $10.00. Do I list it? The answer is no. After paying ebay fees, paypal fees, the time to list, etc. I won't be making any money. I chuck it or donate it. This is how we keep our profit margin high and time uncluttered allowing me to use my time to make a profit, not break even. If you sell 10 items on ebay, you have hopefully profited off all 10. If you list 10 and sell 5, the other 5 listing fees cut into the profit margin of the 5 you sold. Simple math but very important math.

Research again; I see sellers all the time list something with a buy it now in an amount that is truly pennies for what they could have gotten for it. They *guessed* what they thought it was worth and they shot themselves in the foot. A little research would have put a lot more money in their pocket. Research keeps you from losing. It also keeps the ebay market healthy. Undercutting other sellers by large amounts just hurts the ebay market and other good sellers in the long run.

Research again; On the same note. I frequently see items that are way overpriced for the ebay market. I can think of a few brand names that get listed and the sellers think that if there item was $200 at Macy's, surely they can get $100 on ebay....umm...no..many times it would be luck to get $25.00. Wishing something would sell will not make it sell. Being new, will not make an item sell. Needing money will not make an item sell. Research will make your item sell or free you from the money and time wasted in listing a useless item.

When we go to a sale; seriously, out of 2000 items, we may walk away with nothing, or one, two or three things that we would want to list. It comes down to collectability, condition, want and cost to us. Due to careful consideration; our sell rate stays right around 90% if nothing whacky has been announced by ebay. Our total ebay and paypal fees usually stay under 15%.

Example:

Powerseller One sells in decent volume, so it seems, and many want to be just like him. He sells items in the $10 range that are also saturated on ebay. These could be jewelry, make up, accessories, children's popular clothes like Gymboree, Gameboy accessories, etc. This seller lists 1000 different widgets a month, basically 250 a week and sells 400 of them per month...impressive. 400 x $10 = $4000, sounds great!

Let's break this down under the new and old structure.

1000 widgets x 35¢ listing fee = $350 in listing fees. Old structure would have been $600 if gallery was used. Savings of $250.00

However, seller one did not sell 600 of those widgets and each auction still cost 35¢ to list. This estimate is based on ebay's normal - average 40% sale rate. However; I am being very generous in giving the 40% rate because many categories fall way below that.

600 x 35¢ = $210.00 lost in listing fees. = Would have been $360 under the old structure. Savings of $150.00

The listing fees for the 400 that sold = $140.00 = Old structure $240. Savings of $100.00

Ending value fee is now 8.75%, used to be 5.25%. 400 sold items at $10 = $4000 x 8.75% = $350. Old Structure = $210. Increase of $140.

Listing fees for the 1000 = $350

Final Value for the 400 = $350

Grand total of $700 in listing and final value fees for only selling 40% of stock.

Under the new structure; those that sell $10 items can come out ahead, much better than before; however, one still has to ask themselves how much time and money is involved in a $10 item....and...with new final value fee which went up 66%...

Out of the $4000, you know have a minus of $700.00, when before it was $800 in ebay fees. So this volume seller is saving $100 overall with the new system in this scenario.

$4000 - $700 = $3300 after eBay fees for those 1000 listings.

Let's not forget Paypal charges ...

Receive payments funded by Credit Card, Debit Card or Buyer Credit 4.9% + $0.30 USD (limit of 5 transactions per 12 month period)** for domestic or U.S. transactions.

400 widgets x .30= $120, 400 widgets x $10 ...let's say NO shipping = $4000 x 4.9% = $196. $120 + $196 = $316.00 in Paypal fees.

$3300 is the amount after ebay fees- $316 in Paypal fees =$2984.

$4000 total turns into $2984 in sales. Plus he offered free shipping. Lets be super generous and say this seller can ship for $1.00. 400 items x $1 each is another $400. $2984 in sales - $400 in shipping fees =$2584.

We now have an estimate of basic ebay / Paypal costs for listing 1000 $10 widgets with free shipping, with ebay's average sell rate.

Let's not forget the seller paid $3 per widget. Many people would be thrilled to have a this markup ability. $3 per widget x 1000 = $3000 in inventory. Which means, at this point, the seller took a loss.

Now, in our heads we want to justify this and say this can be the cost of starting a new business...and you are right..however, as a little guy...can you do this and not have another job over the long haul?

Let's not forget the seller puts in 8 hours a day to inventory, pictures, auctions, emails, invoices, packaging and shipping.

What started out as a $4000 in sales Silver Level sales volume quickly dropped into a loss for this set of sales. The seller will have to sell the 0ther 600 next time around to profit..and each time, fighting against that 40% sell rate and fees.

This is a REAL business model folks and happens daily on ebay.

This does not take into account the time he has spent picking out his items, research, etc...all the other little time stealers ebay is known for.

IS THIS what you want?

Powerseller Two focuses on a wide variety of collectibles in an area he has gained knowledge on over the years while selling on ebay. He spent 6 hours over the weekend picking them out at different places. He carefully lists 59 items he has found to be sure things on ebay in a profit margin that pays him for his time over two weeks, half the time as Powerseller One.

Sell rate = 59 listed 43 sold in two weeks. Basically 73% sell rate for the period.

All the items sold were between $25 and $150.00 each = $2500.00 for the period.

Listing / ending value fees vary depending on the item but this seller's total ebay fees always stay under $400 per month due to careful listing- 1/2 the month = apx $200.00. Paypal is the 30¢ plus 4.9% per payment. Usually this averages about $2.50 per item =$107.50.

Let's do the math

$2500 - $200 in ebay fees for the two weeks = $2300 - $107.50 in Paypal fees $2192.50.

The other part I haven't mentioned? This seller only spent $145 for all this stuff. $2264 -$145= $2047.50.

Seller also spends an average of working 4 hours per day.

This seller is making 3 TIMES the money in half the time.

This is also a very real business model on ebay folks..............Who would you rather be?

It isn't about listing and selling on ebay. It is about listing and selling SMART.

Now certainly my goal here is not to pick on anyone. However. this is about business. And in business emotional feel good thoughts need to be put aside and the bottom lines need to be looked at. You cannot tell me the first business model is a well thought out and planned goal for the smaller seller.

Which Brings Us To Another Important Factor =Fees:

Know ebay's fee structure! It costs 55¢ to list an auction item at $10.00 but it only costs 35¢ to list an item at $9.99. Be careful and list smart! ** Media itms slightly lower.

Ebay Fee Structure Page

Another reason why fee structure knowledge is important? The higher the item sells for, the less money you pay out.

Research shows an item has to sell at $10 or higher to even make a slight profit and this depends on what you paid for it.

Ebay's percentage drops 5.25% on items over $25.00. This means that if you list items that sell in this higher range, you keep more of the money.

Example:

Seller One lists / sells everything at $10, pays 55¢ per item for a listing fee and 8.75% ending value. He lists 10 items to make a total of $100 in sales. Total of $5.50 in listing fees + $8.75 ending value= $14.25. This does not include Paypal fees on ten items. Even if the seller knew to list at 35¢ by starting at $9.99, he would still be paying $12.25 in fees.

Seller Two lists / sells two things at $49.99 for a total of $99.98. Two listing fees of $1.00 = 2. + two ending value = 1st $25.00 at 8.75% and the rest at 3.50% = $6.12. This does not include Paypal fees on two items.

Now, this guide is certainly not an attempt at putting anyone down. If the business model works for you and you are getting paid well for your time, wonderful. This guide is about knowledge and making the right choices for you, whatever those are and to avoid being sucked in the addictive pitfall ebay can become and has become for thousands of people.

Last but certainly not least;

Your customers want to hear from you. They quickly want to know how much their total cost is, if you got their pay ok, when the item they have paid for will go out, when it has gone out, with a tracking number and a thank you.

Your customers want to see what they are interested in with clear pictures of the item, not stock photos.

Your customers want an easy way to pay.

Your customers want the item in the condition you are advertising the item is in.

Your customers want fair shipping and nice / clean / safe packaging.

Your customers want a quick turn around.

Treat your customers like you would want to be treated and you will go far.

I hope this has helped with your ebay or other venue journey.:)

If you are serious and do your homework wisely, you to can accomplish what you want out of ebay. But it is not easy and it is not fast. DO NOT quit your day job. Building a business from scratch takes time.

Who wants swamp soup?

2008-02-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Yes...this was my soup...

The GOOD eBay Buyer Perspective...

2008-02-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

This is the post a wrote a few weeks back and stuck on blogs. eBay is only going to listen to the buyers. So I honestly believe every good seller out there who is also a buyer, needs to be yelling at eBay.......as a buyer. How many of you that sell, buy where you sell? I would easily buy 20-100 things per month on eBay for my friends and family...whatever the occasion...no more.

************

Buyers are not comprehending how this will severely effect us as well. There are many indicators showing this will be disastrous for the buying community. I have been buying weekly for over 7 years on eBay. The clues are very clear. What negatively effects the good sellers will also negatively effect the good buyers. eBay is in fact throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

******Good buyers will no longer stand out among the bad. This means every seller will be leery of every buyer, going into every sale, and rightfully so. The greens we have worked so hard for will mean absolutely nothing since the greens will have to be given to anyone no matter how little they deserved it.

*Who is wearing a good guy dot?? As a buyer, I will no longer be able to see the true indicators and decide for myself who is telling the truth and who is just retaliating in spite with no warrant. The new system will make it impossible to see both sides of the story. IT IS NOT HARD to read through both sides, red & green, and come up with a clear view of the whole picture. In 7 years I have had very few truly bad experiences as a buyer but while shopping and checking fb, I see retaliatory feedback from BUYERS daily over things that give no reason to neg the seller.

How are we supposed to weed through the number of neutrals and negs every good seller will get due to overly demanding buyers who want things at yard sale prices with Saks customer service? It is already happening. Sellers are already posting on the eBay boards about buyers who are leaving undue neutrals and negs. In return, OF COURSE the seller is negging them, the buyer deserves it but the buyers are in shock the seller was able to leave the TRUTH.

Just because a seller leaved fb second does not mean it is in retaliation. A large percentage of the time it means the seller was negged first for something they could not control or blamed for the buyer’s stupidity and now there is reason to warn the rest of the eBay community. It always was the only seller recourse. This whole system will make it quite hard to see the truth. eBay is trying to say this will promote honesty , it will produce anything but. Buyers will not truly be able to see who is in fact *bad.*….. Why????…..

As a buyer, when I go in to leave feedback and use eBay’s “Detailed Seller Rating Stars=DSR; which was implemented recently, not only does that system not tell the seller what they could have possibly done wrong, so they can fix their behavior or show if there is merit to the claim, it allows buyers to ding anyone they want no matter what.

Independent studies taken over the years have shown that people will take advantage of a situation if they can….and now they can. Now, if a seller does not give a buyer their little green dot as fast as the buyer wants it, whether they deserved it or not, there is no reason to hold back by the buyer. Every buyer can easily neg a seller just for that without seller recourse. This is not only unfair, the new ratings eBay has sellers meet are totally unrealistic. Sellers are now calculated on DSR, feedback, including neutrals, any paypal claims, no matter how unwarranted and percentage of sales in a 30 day period. Sellers have to uphold a 95% satisfaction rate calculated over 30 days. WHAT business in the world succeeds at this?? Small, good sellers, we want to buy from will now be very easy targets for scamming buyers and we, the buyer lose out.

****Ebay is telling the buyers one thing and the seller another; When I click my choices out of 5 stars, if I give a seller ratings that equals = good communication, as advertised, reasonable shipping / handling charges and quick shipping = this equals 4 stars. This sounds to me like a very good seller. This should sound like a very good seller in any market. This seller delivered everything as advertised, emailed great, did not scam me on shipping, and packed my widget just fine, PERFECT……..not so according to eBay…

**** The new ratings set good sellers up for failure. eBay is telling buyers while making the selection that a 4.0 is very good, but then telling the buyer to view that rating as bad while telling sellers that a 4 star rating is .5 lower than the minimum requirements to be on eBay.. eBay is making sellers adhere to a 4.5 rating at the least or their account can be flagged and power sellers will not qualify for discounts on fees unless they keep 4.6 or 4.8 and higher. How is this at all realistic? Any business model, having a 90% customer satisfaction rate is actually quite good. Amazon only has an 86% satisfaction rating, yet eBay wants to be the next Amazon?? Do you see the confusion and hypocrisy here? eBay has set sellers up to an unattainable goal while being the target for buyer mood, which will give a totally false view on the seller's intentions and performance making it very difficult to truly find the good sellers.

****Items will be impossible to find if seller ratings drop. Ebay has said that if seller’s ratings drop, they will make their items harder to find in the searches. So your favorite sellers can be targeted, lose ratings and then buyers will have a harder time finding their items in search. Which means your favorite seller can be harder to find for others and end up leaving eBay. Is this fair??

Not only that; to show you how ebay's standards for sellers to uphold are impossible and insane, it shows ebay's total dissatisfaction rate is no worse than J.C Penney. The HIGHEST rating by Netflix falls short by a whole 5%, for ebay standards.

Based on Neilson ratings, eBay is already in the TOP 10 marketplace list of customer satisfaction sites…but that isn’t good enough for eBay…..yet their ratings system does not match the actual numbers…again, hypocrisy.

Here are customer satisfaction ratings for popular shopping sites:

http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=24861

"iNielsen Online, a unit of The Nielsen Company, reported that 82% of online shoppers surveyed were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with customer support available during their online shopping experience. The data were gathered Dec. 13 – 17 from an online survey of nearly 900 shoppers. But in Foresee Results’ ongoing customer satisfaction index satisfaction with the Top 40 online retailers, as ranked by Internet Retailer on sales volume, scored an aggregate 74 on a 100-point scale, down 1.3 points from last year. The Nielsen Online survey found that 46% of those surveyed had done the majority of their holiday shopping online. 46% also was the percentage of respondents who said they planned to post, or had already posted, reviews about their online shopping experience. Most, 88%, said that their reviews were or would be positive.

The 10 top-ranked online retailers in Nielsen’s report all earned "very satisfied" ratings from more than 80% of respondents. They are Netflix.com, which garnered "very satisfied" ratings from 90.3% of those surveyed; NexTag.com, 87%; Amazon.com, 86.6%; Shopping.Yahoo.com, 84.3%; Kohls.com, 84.1%; BarnesandNoble.com, 82.8%; HomeDepot.com, 82.5%; CircuitCity.com, 82%; eBay.com, 80.5%; and JCPenney.com, 80.3%."

***** Good Mom & Pops will be gone taking their service and goods with them. Do you like buying from mom & pops? Low volume sellers are an easy target. A bad mood buyer can see one neg and use that against the seller knowing two can possibly freeze the seller's account The new rules have also set small time good sellers up to fail so severely many good sellers we buy from will not be able to compete and stay, making the discounts we currently rely on gone, which will effect our wallets and quality of life.

I frequently buy high quality goods on eBay at 65% off or more for my family and friends. Those days can easily be numbered and it will effect my entire family community. I find it interesting that the majority of sellers people claim about most are high volume power sellers, but these are exactly the type of sellers who will be able to stay, pushing all the good, small sellers out quickly. Yes, there are many high volume power sellers that will be forced to leave…but along with them are the low volume, one of a kind sellers we have grown to love.

***** Prices will go up to cover losses. Many sellers will also be forced to raise their prices to make up for the fee increases. While high dollar figure sales many not be effected much, this has crippled the $25 and under items which add up to millions of sales each day. Millions of buyers come to eBay to find that great deal or hard to find widget. These new rules will squeeze those out. Buyers will be forced to find their widgets in town or other venues they are not familiar using.

***** Hard to find collectibles will be expensive and even more hard to find. With all the above in place; hard to find widgets will go up in price. If many sellers leave, that means the items are going with them, which means there will be fewer to choose from, which means the prices to us will increase. Start planning on paying $250 at an Antique Mall again for that Bauer bowl you could buy for $40 on eBay over the past two years. This will effect many collectible markets and buyer pockets.

***** Forget about ever selling. Are you buyers thinking of selling? It will be too expensive, too risky, to stressful to even consider selling for buyers. New sellers will automatically go into the new stricter rules, with all sellers under 100 feedback automatically having to take Paypal or CC merchant with your account on aware status. Paypal is also raising their fees as well. You are automatically looked at as a fraud. This has not only maybe put a damper on bad new sellers, this has put a damper on all good low volume, new sellers as well.

***** The convenience of paying easily will be gone. Many good sellers who will fear the arbitrary Paypal rules will go back to money orders only again due to eBay's new Paypal freezes and open season on fraud charge backs which is very high in the credit card world. If a seller account is flagged / Paypal account fund frozen, even for an undue reason, sellers will be required to take Paypal or other cc venue, but then they are open to more charge backs and more account freezing. This will be their only way to accept pay. It is a no win situation. Sellers will have no recourse for this. While big business can figure in loss, most of the sellers I buy from are family run side things and they offer great stuff.……. which means less easy buying for us buyers.

I have emailed many of my good sellers letting them know I can no longer do business on eBay and the majority had NO CLUE to what eBay was really doing! Everyone needs to complain, post blog, you tube, etc to get the word out about what this is truly doing. ebay is no more. eBay is a totally different , horrible, selfish venue. I for one cannot justify giving my business to a company that is destroying the very people that made eBay what it is today.

This new systems put the BAD buyers at a very clear advantage over ALL OF US, buyers included. This is a horrible system and if eBay does not retract, I will take my business for my family of 6 elsewhere.

Here are VERY GOOD you tube videos explaining the issues & giving us back our power!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FOXbSJ82aA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23TomS5--nQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6rKIZv9lP4&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jzc1V_1gC0

Please pass this along and post anywhere you can with my permission!

Etsy Review Handmade & Vintage items

2008-02-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

WWW.ETSY.COM

Well, you learn something new everyday. I have been under the impression for a long time that Etsy.com was for handmade items only. I have never heard anyone speak about selling vintage items there...until today.

Sure enough, Etsy does allow vintage items in their vintage categories. Since we do vintage, I signed up and tested by putting up a more feminine item for sale. By the look of things over there, the site is filled with the female persuasion. I am not too sure that a Coleman lantern would do well on Etsy.

I took time to view the site, test load times, checked out some sellers, even bought a few things to test out the shopping cart. I signed up as a seller, made a banner, set some rules up, yada yada...so here is what I like about Etsy:

WHAT I LIKE:

Just as with what I love about ecrater and BISI, Etsy is a VENUE of individual sellers and will not get into buyer / seller issues. This again is what eBay intended to be, and severely failed at due to greed. On Etsy, sellers make their own terms and have to follow the laws of the common land we all share.

Etsy charges something. That's right, you read that right......they charge something. What does this do? It eliminates the free mentality of "let's list everything I find in the bottom of my trash can in hopes that someone will buy it." There is a vast amount of people who do not realize that if the item has a horrible sell rate on eBay, it will have a horrible sell rate anywhere. No online venue needs 1000 copies of the same John Grisham book.

The fees at Etsy are 20¢ per item for a four month listing. If an item sells they take a small 3.5% of the selling price. Very fair.

Etsy is very keen to the responsibility that buyers should be held accountable for their own actions.

A buyer has three days to pay by Paypal or let the seller know if they will be sending another form of pay the seller has stated they will accept. If the seller does not hear from the buyer, the seller CAN CANCEL THE SALE AND LEAVE APPROPRIATE FEEDBACK. Gee, what a novel idea. Non paying members can get booted....eBay ...are you listening???

Etsy software was no more difficult or confusing than ecrater or BISI. All places have a learning curve, even eBay. The software basically worked in the same way and I give them kudos for their easy meta tag input fields that are similiar to BISI.

Etsy allows you to set up a storefront with your name at the beginning of the URL.

This is the same as ecrater and BISI. Etsy got it right like BISI has done by providing a direct link to the seller's store when using the search feature. I found shopping to be fairly easy. Again, all places have learning curves and we cannot expect a site not to. Old dogs just have to learn new tricks..me included.

I was very impressed with the speed and quality of the site. The users take this place seriously and I saw a lot of really neat handmade goodies and vintage nostalgia.

Besides being able to drive customers right to your Etsy store, Etsy does have a common search function to search all Etsy stores. This is vital to for new sellers and buyers..if you want to know more about my mall analogy concept, scroll farther down for my BISI ans ecrater reviews. Fact is, it works. This search feature is very important to sales.

Etsy has a lot of listings. I was quite surprised when typing in random items in the search box..they do get a lot of use.

The Etsy community seems very friendly...crafty people usually are.

Etsy has the RSS feed ability as well as ecrater and BISI.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

Honestly...I haven't found a thing. While Etsy is for girly things and will not fit everyone's stuff, I think it is definitely a great place to buy or set up shop.

As I find out more, I will add more. If anyone has info to share, please email me or post to the comments!

Another Power Seller's Concerns...Where To Go? My Opinion..Lets All Work Smarter, Not Harder

2008-02-19T14:23:00.002-08:00

A very nice fellow ebayer read my blog and asked some questions regarding where to go. what to do, etc for vintage type items. I did my best to answer based on our experience and they gave me permission to post it here so others can hopefully get something out of it as well.

If anyone has any questions, concerns, opinions, data to share, etc..please let us know..we truly believe if you are already successful on eBay, you have a great shot at being successful on other venues as well.

Here is my take...

"Hi Amber, thanks for getting back to me! And thanks for the encouraging comment - your enthusiasm is contagious and gives me hope!"

You are so welcome. The encouragement is genuine..I believe you can do this.:)

"I'm really enjoying your blog too, I think the information you are providing is really needed by the antiques and collectibles community right now. Not only are you giving sellers other options, but buyers too!"

Thanks again...and the more I looked into options, the more I too realized there WERE options..and eBay is not as big of an option as we think it is. I too was very mislead, because eBay wants us to believe they are the best...but the data proves otherwise. There are already hundreds of very good sellers who left between the last changes in I believe 2004 and now, who do a great business...we are smart ..I think we can succeed too..we just have to make the right moves and not fall into the false sense of *if I try, all will work out* ...No, we still have to make the right moves to succeed...the right choices, and not move blindly. The data and proof is out there, we just have to read it, and act upon it.

"I just wanted to talk to you a little about my situation and plans, and see what you think. You seem to have a good handle on both the situation on eBay and the alternatives, and I really value your thoughts. Especially when you said you quit selling items under $30 on eBay two years ago! I am really thinking of the $25 and up price point for my eBay store."

I think if you decide to list at all on ebay this is a very smart move. It is also a very smart move to research everything before you list it. If something is listed on ebay 100 times in 30 days and it sells 10 times at an amount that isn't worth it...chuck it. However, I don't believe an eBay store is viable for most people anymore, especially for vintage saturated items. I think you will be better off building stores elsewhere that are free, no fees and better exposure.

"I am going to try moving some of my lower priced inventory over to my new store on Etsy. I really like the community vibe over there, and it is free to have a store, 20 cents to list an item for 4 months, and the FVF is only 3.5%. I think more vintage sellers are starting up on Etsy these days."

I think this is a very smart move. I think this is where your whole store/ or at least one of your stores should be. And if you are going to use eBay, only list items that have a 75% sale rate or higher on items you can easily get $25 or higher for. You might even want to consider only using Buy It Nows with best offers. We started doing this a long time ago. When we decide on buying an item to offer, we research very well to see what the sell thru rate is and what we can get for it. We then offer it at a fair Bay price but allow best offers. The best offer ability has actually brought back the true intent of the auction format. People have to offer the MOST they are willing to spend under the asking price, not the least by nickeling and diming with a proxy bid. We then get to check their feedback and decide if we want to do business with them. This has protected us many times from bad buyers and gives us a good amount on our item. 90% of the time our items do sell at or very close to the BIN price.

Use some good name items to draw people to your name and other stores. But again, you don't want to waste your time on things you can't make a profit on. I know you have a number in your head regarding the amount per month you would like to bring in, correct? Most people do. We all need to add up what we have to make to cover the bills, what we would like to make, what the costs of doing business are, and use that to figure what our time is worth. We no longer even bother with $10 items, it just is not worth it, for the most part...especially with storage concerns. ...not even in our stores unless it is a a good name dropper and small to keep in storage.

We do it this way; what is the sell rate, how much can I get for it and how much room does it take to store? Obviously there will be times we come across a super uber cool item we have no knowledge about and we HAVE to offer it... but for the most part..We use a lot of bins, my rule is; I have to fit at least $300 worth of stuff in each bin, or it is not worth it. We chuck the rest, no matter if I paid money for it or not, we chalk it up to a learning experience. Cheaper than a college education:)

"I currently have a backlog of books, magazines, magazine ads, and other paper/ephemera items in my inventory. I was thinking of "niching down" and opening a 2nd eBay store focusing on those types of items, since my main store has a bazillion categories as it is. Now I am considering using eCrater/BISI instead. They are mostly low dollar items that could take a while to find the right buyer, and they are also hopefully items that people might Google to find. I figured it would be a good place to start, and if it went well I could consider moving other inventory to another off eBay store."'

I agree, no ebay. Too expensive. I think ecrater has more exposure than BISI right now, but stores NEED to stand on their own. If you have a good following and customer base, you have a strong advantage..but again, keep in mind the work each item will require and decide if it is worth it or not. Sell the rest at a flea market etc and use it for advertising dollars. But again remember, all the work put into selling things on ebay, has to be re-evaluated. eBay needs to stay for sure bets..not wasted time and fees. You could use the money saved on non selling item ebay fees, as well as the time you would list, to put your things at more than one venue. You also want to get as many well search brands in your new places as fast as possible. You want to draw people in from google who are looking for brands that people also look for on ebay, and you want your items to be bargains. The fees you save not listing on ebay, can mean a cheaper price in your store..which will encourage off ebay shopping.

"I found from your side bar two sites I hadn't seen before, Popula and CyberAttic. They are interesting because they are specifically geared toward antiques and collectibles, maybe they would get more targeted traffic? That is what I like about Tias and Ruby Lane too, but they seem a bit too expensive for me right now. I saw that you are considering Ruby Lane too."

I am really liking the Cyber Attic idea and I do think in the future we will use them. Maybe Ruby...but for right now, I am with you, kind of expensive. I honestly do think Etsy, ecrater/ BISI...I have heard Ruby Lanes sell thru isn't that great..and unless you have a lot of *antiques* I am just not too sure yet.

"My biggest problem right now is time, I am so busy with eBay work trying to pay my bills that finding time for Etsy or anything else is turning out to be really difficult. I simply can't afford to spend a lot of time on a project that isn't showing results yet. It's tricky to say the least! It's just one more way that eBay has its claws in me."

I know..believe me, I know. my better half and I have these discussions frequently. eBay can be a very vicious cycle.

However, all the energy and money that is spent without getting anything in return on ebay anyway, simply needs to be re-shifted into a different venue or focus. Researching sell thru rates and what items sell for on ebay BEFORE listing is a necessity. If they are not a guaranteed high item sale...then it won't be for ebay..That energy saved can be for putting the somewhere else....and so can your money...into advertising instead of ebay's pocket when your item did not sell.

"Anyway, any ideas or thoughts you have are most appreciated. "

Those are my initial thoughts. I do want to go more into this..but I am hoping this is enough to get you thinking and re-shifting.

I do believe you have the power to make this happen. I do believe you won't be using MORE energy, you will just be re-shifting the energy already used....and in return, be more successful to reach your goals.

Thoughts? Questions?

USPS To Start Adding Bar Codes For Better Tracking...

2008-02-19T11:52:00.000-08:00

READ ARTICLE HERE

"As for the general public, Day said he is uncertain as to whether individuals see any need for real-time tracking of first-class letters, noting that the Postal Service already provides delivery confirmation for packages and that most bill payments and birthday cards arrive on time."

"The question is, do we need to build an intelligent mail, unique solution for individual customers?" he said. "We can. I don't yet see the reason to do it. But if the demand is there, we'll build it.""....

Now, I am not sure where the line is drawn between individual item mail / small parcel...and businesses but it is a step in the right direction.

I know Paypal has been terribly confusing for years since their terms state *online viewable tracking* yet DC is the only thing most seller's use, which only shows delivery, not tracking. eBay and Paypal are horrible when it comes to being clear about their terms..to buyers and sellers. Having a better tracking ability without the cost will greatly reduce the chance of fraudulent charge backs due to non delivery.

Thoughts?

Mitzi's Vintage Goodness Blog Radio Interview!

2008-02-19T11:30:00.001-08:00

From one vintage geek to another, CONGRATS MITZI!

Don't forget the radio interview tomorrow night on Blog Talk Radio / Auction Wally with Mitzi from "Vintage Goodness".

RADIO LINK

You can find Mitzi's great blog

HERE

THANK YOU MITZI! Auction Byte Finds eBay Search Test Page

2008-02-19T11:04:00.001-08:00

Auction Bytes has this addition to their blog:

Mitzi from

VINTAGE GOODNESS

Just emailed me this:

eBay New Search

Well, it clearly shows that even if someone has a 4.0 DSR, which ebay tells buyers when clicking on DSR that a 4 means, GOOD Communication, AS Described, FAIR shipping an QUICK shipping time...eBay will WARN the potential buyer about doing business with that seller....how flippin sweet.

Seriously...what will it take for all of us to wake up?

I WOULD LOVE for anyone to come in and tell me WHY we consider eBay to be a viable, and the only place in town.

Cmon people...give me something.

USPS to slightly raise prices effecting stamps and 1st class what's next?

2008-02-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

USPS TO RAISE PRICES IN MAY

Click the link above to go to the USPS page.

They won't be giving us the rest of the bad news until March.

This won't effect us really, because we don't ship a lot of tiny stuff..... but seriously...can't they just have the sack to tell us all at once? We don't need the wondering of USPS priority or flat rate prices hanging over our head. I heard they will be announcing the other increases in March.

We all have enough to worry about and to figure out right now......seriously.

We use Fedex for large or heavy items...always cheaper, always safer.

I will post more about that later.

Review - Buy It Sell It BISI Flat Priced Storefront Compared To Ecrater

2008-02-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

We started using inkfrog auction submit / control software a few years back. After trying many companies like andale, vendio, ebay's different attempts and probably five others I can't remember the name of, we tried inkfrog. Flat 9.95 a month, never go up, they offer more services than you can imagine and they have always been very reliable.

So when inkfrog bought and opened up Buy It Sell It storefront software, I figured I had to try it.

It is very much like ecrater. I have been told by an inside source that this is due to BISI being modeled after ecrater. My review on ecrater is farther down the blog.

But, there are things about BISI I like more than ecrater, and there are things about ecrater I like more than BISI. I will try and compare them for you.

Let's remember, all places have their learning curve. People who use eBay for the first time easily get lost. Learning new things can be a pain. So we cannot expect every site to feel like an old hat. Once again, ecrater and BISI are for people who have items that can pop out in a google search, want flat prices , and or who have a good following of return customer shoppers. These are not the venues to clean out your old junk. The bar continues, if it has a poor sell rate on eBay, you will probably have a poor sell rate anywhere.

What I Like About BISI:

Just like ecrater; BISI is a venue. Just like eBay was intended to be.

BISI will NOT get in the middle of seller and buyer issues.

Think of a mall. A mall location is a venue. Each store gets their own space. You deal 100% with the store, not the mall land owner.

BISI is for people who have flat priced store items. No auctions. BISI and ecrater are for people who have things that have a search factor or marketability. Do you have a scrapbook / Pokemon / Makeup , insert your widget here, store on ebay with lots of return customers? Then BISI /ecrater may be right for you. Do you have rare items that always sell at a profit you are happy with that can come up on the top page of google? Then BISI / ecrater may be right for you. Do you sell in categories with a high sell rate? Then BISI / ecrater may be right for you. Are you willing to learn new things and implement those new things to be the best store you can be? Then BISI /ecrater may be right for you.

Again, this is something I am mixed on, but as ecrater, BISI is 100% FREE flat priced storefront software.

BISI also offers a higher tiers for person domain support and digital storage and more custom pages. Ecrater does not offer this. BISI's highest priced package does not go over $20 per month and there is no contract.

BISI software is very easy to use, as is ecrater, just a little differently designed. Yes, there is a learning curve, but it overall very simple compared to many programs and sites I have tried. I am enjoying not worrying about too many templates. I spend more time on the item, which if you have a nice item, fair market price and good pics, you don't need bright colors and bows.

BISI also gives you free TERMS, ABOUT and CONTACT pages.

BISI has an easier method of inputting meta tags than ecrater. They do the work for you. ecrater has you input each in your ad, in a special format. BISI simply gives you lots of boxes to type your info in. Meta tag knowledge is one of the worst learning curves for people who are used to eBay. But it is also one of those things that can be easily learned over the net and once you know it, you know it.

BISI inputs your items into google for you. Our items were coming up at the top of google by the next day. Now, why do I both places? Exposure. I find it interesting that we list the same items in both places but sometimes one store will pop up at the top of google and sometimes the other. Good to be at both. Just copy and paste info from one place to another. Easy.

BISI offers a calculated and flat priced shipping matrix. They also have a great flat priced combined item SH area that lets you show buyers how much the item will be when combined with another item. Ecrater does not offer this and quite frankly, that is one of the few annoying Ecrater issues.

BISI has free storage for upload of 10 pictures per item. Customers can click the pictures to view a larger image. Ecrater has this as well.

BISI has a common search feature, like ecrater, like eBay.

Which means; when buyers and possible sellers come to BISI, they can easily search from all the sellers who use BISI software. It is a fact people are drawn to and feel safer in a mall like atmosphere..use it to your advantage.

Which means; let's use the store analogy again.

A new mall has 50 spots. Only 10 are filled and this mall gets traffic for these 10 spots alone. Many people drive by with barely a glance because overall it looks so empty.

Now let's fill all 50 spaces. Now the entire mall is filled which brings in lots more traffic. Store A is getting sales because of people who originally came for store C, etc.

Take the whole Starbucks situation. ...Briefly;

Starbucks tried to buy out small moms and pops coffee shops in the venues Starbucks was building in. Many of those moms and pops that stayed had a major boom in their own business due to the traffic Starbucks brought into the mall complex. Read below.

Don't Fear Starbucks

Another article

BISI offers no feedback. Ecrater does and it is not set up in a way that makes any sense.

I have no trouble with a feedback feature. Just make sure it is designed semi ok. But both places require no buyer sign up since each store is independent. As we all know, fb can be a double edged sword.

BISI has RSS feed right on your main page with no configuring. Ecrater has the ability, but it takes set up. BISI has made this and meta tags SO easy.

Things I am not keen on:

There is no feature on the ad page that shows the shipping prices. Ecrater does offer this and it is much easier for the shopper to know what prices are before having to click pages. This is my main pet peeve with BISI.

There is no transfer of listings in bulk. One by one..ecrater is the same...but it is worth it.

I know many of you like this, but with any free venue, comes the free mentality.

I wish BISI would charge SOMETHING for their basic service. With free sites comes bottom barrel mentality. People will list things that should be thrown out. A lot of people will make stores because they have no money to lose, at any free venue. If BISI started charging $19.99 a month, I would pay it in a heart beat and I have no doubt many sellers clearing out there kmart closet would close...which would be good for the overall look of any venue. If a dedicated and serious store cannot afford $19.99, something is wrong with that business model. If people just want to clear out their stuff, an auction venue might be a better way to go.

The forums are not nearly as good as ecrater. Maybe because of it being a new site. But if you set up shop at both, you have double the info.

My last issue; BISI needs a lot of good people to come in and set up shop to give a serious feel to the site...your store will have to stand alone. Do not expect the BISI to give you a shopping experience through their search feature just yet. However, for an independent, store that can stand alone, BISI is another wonderful option.

Overall, I really like both places. I prefer ecrater more due to a couple of things, but they are both a great place to set up your independent store.

On a better note..it's my birthday, it's my birthday...

2008-02-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Yep, I am 19. I will forever be 19.

After the stress of putting the below ebay article I feel everyone needs to read...I need to find my happy place. My birthdays remind me of my wonderful step grandmother; Reoma, who died two years ago. She named me you see...and we had a very special bond. She never had any children of her own. I lucked out.

I miss her dearly. I am not quite sure if this is the happier note I was going for..but I have the need to ramble about her and share..and since this is my place and no one can shut me up...yea for me. She was born and raised in Louisiana. She spoke with a very heavy Cajun accent. I LOVED hearing her talk. She was a very sassy independent woman...just wonderful.

They grew up dirt poor with their coon hounds getting fed better than the kids.. I remember a few years ago we were watching something on TV around Christmas time. She blurted out. " I remember one year each of us kids got an orange and a walnut. We felt like the richest kids on earth."

Here we are again.

I know 100% my love for things of
the past stem from my two sets of
grandparents. Unfortunately I don't
have many pictures of my other set..
I wish I had. Both sets were so
different from each other. It really sucks when people die. Especially when you grow up and you don't have a lot of tangible things to remember them by. My kids will never get to grow up with them...knowing them how I knew them. They were my happy place as a child. When I heard she was passing, we quickly left and made the 150 mile journey. I got there just in time to hold her hand..and my face was the last thing she saw. You can't get better closure then that.

This is about the age she used to send me new knee high patent leather boots every spring. I was hot in those boots.

As you can see, I was quite happy to be there with them...and my cousins...

On another sad note, the first girl laying down on the left is Christina. We were like best friends and sisters rolled into one. She died suddenly, without warning in her sleep 3 years ago at the age of 36. Maybe I will talk about her later.

Their homestead was the center of my universe on vacations and such...you see that Spartan bullet trailer in the back? I stripped that puppy clean when we moved them off the land a few years ago...which was the second most painful thing I have ever had to do. I took as much I could if they did not want it. So much of it had been there as long as I could remember. The dishes, the silverware, the sheets, are all used in my home. There was no way I was leaving my nostalgia for the new owners to throw away.

This is my grandparents together in the late 60's when they met.

LOVE the glasses...

This is my grandfather Walt now.

This was taken last summer. He is showing off the tomato plants I sent him. We took the kids up there for a few days to get to know him more before anything happens. Being in his 80's...well..

This is my tribute to my grandmother.

It is a 1973 International Travelall. A towing monster. I bought it for a family vehicle. Her name is Reoma and I love her.

"What about the gas??" You ask

Gee, my registration is $80 per year, my insurance is $60 per month, I have no payments, parts are cheap, we can repair things ourselves, it is made of steal and I will head up against any other car on the planet in a crash test any day, I can easily sell it at anytime doubling my money, it will always keep its resell value and I get only 3 miles less per gallon then a new SUV in comparison. Do the math. Who is the smart guy now?

Well believe it or not I am now back in my happy spot...wow this is therapeutic.

eBay Is Setting Us Up To Fail....

2008-02-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

This program will only show the pics so big; Click on the picture to view the larger image of the quote, hit your back button to return:

I am really not an I told you so person. I want these eBay changes to mean nothing for all of us more than anything. But that is not what the data shows.

I have been saying for weeks that eBay has set every good seller up for failure and now the very top person who could give us the facts is saying the same exact thing.

These quote images are copied from the February 6, 2008, PDF file of an interview by Jeetil Patel; an Analyst for Deutsche Bank Securities who is interviewing Steve Grossberg who is President of the IMA, Internet Merchant Association.

You can read the PDF file below. I also have it in the links on the right side. Please forward this page to anyone you think the eBay changes will effect. The word has to get out about how disastrous this truly is. Below that is a blog written by Steve Grossberg again that clearly shows there is no winning.

IMA President Interview

How The New DSR Ratings Help Seal Or Fate

I have really tried over the last few weeks to get passed my initial furry and move on. I have tried using this anger for the good and I do honestly believe this is THE BEST thing eBay has done to good sellers..why? Because good sellers have the ability to build up their own reputation without eBay and now this is the time to do it.

So, I am simply going to copy some of the main snipits and I expect each and every wonderful seller to open the links and do the best thing you can do for yourselves...start working to move inland.

Changes will not be successful....and eBay misinterprets their own data...

eBay has not changed fees to help anyone, they simply shuffled the deck:

Not even the best of the best qualify for any discounts.

eBay is compared to "big brother"

The biggest complaint on eBay is NOT SH Fees or FB Retaliation. It is something most sellers have no control over...delivery time:

Sellers who give FREE shipping only get 4.7s

No one will qualify for the discounts...

The New DSR will be disastrous..

More About the DSR & Unchecked Feedback System

Even Kohl's has only an 80% satisfaction rate, but eBay wants us to have a 95%

eBay is in fact misinterpreting data to justify their changes.

eBay only has a 30% sale rate..

eBay made the feedback changes due to less than 1% of buyer complaints

I am now going to stop because I think there is enough info here to see this interviewer is a must read. These are just small parts of a lot more information.

I think everyone that relies on eBay for anything needs to take their power back. I whole heartedly believe that the high majority of good sellers can build else where and I whole heartedly believe that there are tons of other shopping choices. eBay has consistently shown that they are not good with either side of the story, for sellers or buyers..so why do we stay?

It is not the only alternative, and don't let people fool you into thinking it is.

A lot of what eBay has ever said, or done, is a veil of smoke and mirrors...and the people who know eBay best tend to agree.

My MIL is SO adorable....

2008-02-16T12:07:00.001-08:00

How cute is this????

I just got a box delivered by Fedex and...by the name on the box I saw it was from my MIL who is an absolute angel and so talented.... anywho, my birthday is tomorrow.......and being the very bad girl that I am who cannot wait to open a package..well, TADA!

She is so creative and her pillows are always so huggable. As most female vintage junkies, I love old quilts and her things always go so well in my house! Of course, her house is a lot of the lines as my house..but you know what I mean. She said she had gone to an estate sale in Arizona and this woman was clearing out a bunch of vintage quilt scraps. So she grabbed all she could and this is an example of her creativity. I am hoping to get her to join etsy or ecrater..I think she would do well.

It is so wonderful to have supportive inlaws. I have two sets and they are both remarkable.

Truly a blessing.

THANK YOU FAY!!

No, the chair and TV trays are not for sale. :)

The chair and the trays fall into the cannot. Will not. EVER. Let go category. The chair was $15, the trays $15. They are used everyday and are some of my favorite vintage finds. The chair sits low and is extremely comfortable and sturdy. The fiberglass butterfly tv trays are strong and not too big....all mine. :)

My Ecrater Review, eBay alternative

2008-02-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

With all the eBay changes announced late January, it finally got me moving into the direction I have been meaning to go for years. While we do use other local venues such as Craig'slist, antique flea markets, dealer contacts, etc....I just never took the time to truly develop another online presence. So, thank you eBay, for kicking good sellers and buyers in the teeth and getting me motivated.

Everyone looking to relocate or open up another shop has to take into account what they sell and if they prefer an auction or flat priced format. We sell vintage collectibles and neat old stuff. We try to stay above the $30 profit margin mark on eBay to get paid for our time and really prefer a store venue. I would love to pass on every cool vintage item, but if I did that, I would need a house four times as big as I have now. And, quite frankly, call me crazy, I like to get paid for the work I put in when listing an item. Due to researching the snot out of things before we list; what we do list has a search ability factor...which is good for google which means exposure. Those are some of my main factors...yours may be different. What works for one, does not work for all.

I looked at Overstock..no..20,000 listings? No thank you. I looked at ubid..no..looked at Ruby Lane, maybe soon, Cyber Attic, maybe soon...iOffer, tried it, slow servers, software glitches....didn't have the feel I was going for, as a main business site, does have 2 million listings and does have potential...... I might list some personal doohickies there, but not our business. Bluejay...no....I started building a store at buyitsell it due to the company being owned by inkfrog. I have used inkfrog auction tools for years and love them. I think this is a great new venue to use like ecrater..more on BISI later.

Then I truly took some time to investigate ecrater more..... I have to say ecrater has by far exceeded my expectations.

It is a no brainer that started over is a pain, it is a no brainer all will have to learn new tricks, it is a no brainer ecrater is not ebay and will require a lot of work to build, but frankly, ebay took a lot of work and has become a royal pain...so what do I have to lose??..... overall, ecrater is a very cool site. There numbers are drastically climbing fast.

Powersellers Unit Auction Count Watch

What I like the most about Ecrater:

Well, I am mixed on this, but I know many will love it...ecrater is 100% FREE

Ecrater is a venue only. It will NOT get in the middle of seller and buyer issues. While it does actively shut down bad sellers or fake storefronts, it is a a VENUE..what ebay started out as is what ecrater is.

Think of a mall. A mall location is a venue. Each store gets their own space. You deal 100% with the store, not the mall land owner.

Ecrater is for people who have flat priced store items. No auctions. Ecrater is for people who have things that have a search factor or marketability. Do you have a scrapbook / Pokemon / Makeup , insert your widget here, store on ebay with lots of return customers? Then ecrater may be right for you. Do you have rare items that always sell at a profit you are happy with that can come up on the top page of google? Then ecrater may be right for you. Do you sell in categories with a high sell rate? Then ecrater may be right for you. Are you willing to learn new things and implement those new things to be the best store you can be? Then ecrater may be right for you.

There is a wealth of information in the community threads for those who will take the time to learn new tricks. Meta tag structure, RSS feeds, Squidoo, free advertising sites, promotional ideas, google analytics, and more. Due to ecrater being only three years old; people are used to having to promote their own store by any advertising idea they can grasp. They share a lot of knowledge in their forums.

Now, I have no doubt with the recent eBay shift.....my next favorite will definitely come more into play.

Ecrater has a common search feature, like eBay. While many long time ecraters seem to downplay this feature because they are used to having to promote their own individual stores; we cannot deny the new shift will greatly increase ecrater exposure and searches through this search function.

Which means; when buyers and possible sellers come to ecrater, they can easily search from all the sellers who use ecrater software. It is a fact people are drawn to and feel safer in a mall like atmosphere..use it to your advantage.

Which means; let's use the store analogy again.

A new mall has 50 spots. Only 10 are filled and this mall gets traffic for these 10 spots alone. Many people drive by with barely a glance because overall it looks so empty.

Now let's fill all 50 spaces. Now the entire mall is filled which brings in lots more traffic. Store A is getting sales because of people who originally came for store C, etc.

Take the whole Starbucks situation. ...Briefly;

Starbucks tried to buy out small moms and pops coffee shops in the venues Starbucks was building in. Many of those moms and pops that stayed had a major boom in their own business due to the traffic Starbucks brought into the mall complex.

Read articles here:

Starbucks good for small businesses

Another Article

What does all this mean for everyone? The more good stores that open, there more that will buy. The more good stores open, the more good stores will attract other good stores. We all need exposure. People = traffic = exposure. Let's not forget sellers are buyers too. I bought 6 things within my first few days of being at ecrater..I refuse to even shop at eBay any longer. It also means you have a much smaller chance of getting lost in google when people can shop through the ecrater search feature.

Ecrater streamlined software is my next love. They have a very decent program. May not have all the cutsy features some Gymboree Boutiques may want, it is very functional...and FREE.Yes, many will feel it is limited. But you know what? If you have good items /good pictures / fair prices, they sell themselves. I have saved so much time by not worrying about font colors and templates. I really enjoy the simplicity and my store looks good....just click..ok...95% of our inventory has not been moved, one by one yet...but it will be soon, I promise..but overall, I really like the look.

The Nostalgic Nugget

They have a great category features, places for terms, about us, etc...and everyone gets to do what is right for them within the laws of the land...wonderful.

The ability to meta tag into google and other spots. Our items were coming up at the top of google within one day..and I am a brand new baby when it comes to any of this technical stuff.

Ecrater allows 100 spaces, yes, 100 spaces in the title bar. THIS IS A LOT!

Ecrater allows meta tag structure in your pages that REALLY help with searches. Yes, they also give fairly simple tutorials to learn about meta tags as well.

Ecrater allows uploads of more than one photo. I believe the amount is 10, but don't quote me.

Ecrater has RSS feed ability.

Ecrater does have a bulk upload system from an excel sheet in your computer. I do not use it though.

Things I am not keen on:

There shopping cart feature needs work. If someone comes through the ecrater search function, selects an item to search, say Fenton, then finds an item they like, clicks on it, adds the item to the cart, if they click the back button, it removes the item from the cart. If they click continue shopping, it takes them to the ecrater home page. When you add this item to your cart and then you go into the seller's store and add more, the first item will be gone from the cart.

Now, I know it does not have to work this way at all. Other venues have the same search feature and when someone clicks on an item, a new page with the store URL opens up and all is good.

I know ecrater is aware of this and I truly believe they are working on getting this fixed.

Ecrater software does not support flat priced shipping combined items. They do have a good calculated shipping matrix, but for flat rate items, if a buyer has picked out more than one item, they have to complete checkout up to the payment page and what for an invoice from the seller.

BISI has a wonderful program I am hoping ecrater takes on.... It allows sellers to mark items with a *when combined to another item the price will be* feature. I am sincerely hoping ecrater takes this cue.

Ecrater's feedback program makes little sense. Evidently they added the feature a couple of years ago at the urge of people who had the eBay mentality. This has caused some...contention in the matter.

How it works:

Since this is a store venue, and buyers do not have to have an ecrater account to purchase, only buyers can leave feedback. Fine.

However, only buyers who use Paypal or google checkout, the only two services Ecrater uses right now, can leave feedback. This is good and bad. While is eliminates the ability for people to click and buy and then leave false negs or pos fb, true purchases paid by mail do not count.

Fb count is for the past 12 months. Fine.

There is only one FB comment per entire order, not per item. Fine.

The main issue: the matrix shows a count *unrated items*.

Well, not only does this lead buyers to believe this number reflects total sales, which can easily look like people have nothing good to say since you can see the number of people who have not left feedback. The number also only represents online pay items. So what is the point?

I dunno, I know as a buyer when I was looking for things to buy, before I knew how the system worked; I saw the FB. I saw the number left and the items *sold* and I wondered why so many people bought but did not leave fb...which made me rethink about doing business with that seller.

This is not good and I am hoping ecrater will change this. It makes absolutely no sense.

Ecrater does not have a bulk import feature for your listings from other places. You do have to list one by one to get your store inventory back up. *Now you know my excuse for not having everything up.*

My last issue. I wish ecrater would charge SOMETHING. With free sites comes bottom barrel mentality. A lot of people will make stores because they have no money to lose, at any free venue. If ecrater started charging $19.99 a month, I would pay it in a heart beat and I have no doubt many sellers clearing out there kmart closet would close...which would be good for the overall look of any venue. If a dedicated and serious store cannot afford $19.99, something is wrong with that business model.

Now, none of these are deal breakers and I fully, 100% feel Ecrater is a wonderful program. I believe in ecrater, I believe in many of the people who have used their program for a long time and I think it is by far the best choice for systems like it. I think ecrater will definitely be a great choice for many hard working ebayers and support it 100%. You can find the link at the top.

eBay Story, Part 2

2008-02-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

Well,

it's Saturday morning and the better half left an hour ago to start saling. Yes, as in estate sales, not with a boat. I figured since the coffee has kicked in I should make good use of it. But you know, I got to thinking, I could take this story about eBay a thousands different ways. Especially with all the new horrifying changes that many people simply do not understand. But I don't know if I feel like rehashing all that frustration and anger. I am trying to use the rest of my energy, angst I have left after posting to every blog about this story, for the good...and so far I have.

I am hard at work building up two new store fronts. I have a third in mind but so far I am not enjoying the process. But I can say I am enjoying building at ecrater and buyitsellit. Our items were coming up quickly near the top of google and right now that is all I can ask for. I really do encourage people to get free storefronts there and build. The venues are not right for everyone, but they are right for rare and wanted, high return customers, flat priced items...get my drift?

So at this point, I think I need to direct myself....

Technically, to be honest....it isn't really a story at all. This is just where I get to ramble on about eBay experiences, good and bad and hope that someone out there enjoys reading as much I as I enjoy slamming my fingers into the keys.

So first, I am going to start out with a good eBay story. I owe it to the guy because frankly, it is very rare to come across a buyer this nice anymore.

We had a vintage typewrite up on eBay at a fair Buy It Now price. It sold very quickly to a semi new ID, which unfortunately, always worries us due to many bad experiences.

This guy quickly emailed and asked us very nicely and very respectfully about his packaging concerns. He made note that we had excellent feedback, especially about packing, but he also noted as we state; we were not typewrite experts...so he very sweetly informed us how he really needed this item packed and that he was more than willing to pay more to have it done so.

Now, since we sell many breakable items, like Coleman lanterns with glass globes that go to Japan, etc. We are very used to collectors being for picky about packaging. But nine times out of 10 these buyers don't offer to pay for the extra costs or time, and they are frankly quite rude about it. We just stay polite and tell them they have no worries, because for lack of a better term, we are very anal about our packing..ok, that sounded bad. Anyway, we are very careful. We have no reason to hand pick, carefully clean, carefully take pics, advertise the heck out of it and then ship it bad. We want people to love what we find. We did not feel the need to charge this buyer more. We already figured that we had to pack the item well, and we planned on packing it exactly as the buyer hoped we would.

This buyer was very understanding, responsible and just wonderful to work with. He received his item and I got this in an email yesterday:

"Thank you very much for an excellent transaction, and taking such care shipping this machine. I wish all ebay sellers were as professional, and honest at you are. I have left positive feedback.

Thanks again."

This is what eBay used to be like most of the time.....and this is what I truly miss the most. It comes down to the mutual respect and knowledge that the buyer has nothing and the seller has nothing, without each other.

P.S. Wow..I am impressed. My ramblings actually did bring on nostalgia and kept me on topic. Not too shabby.

For Sale; Northern California Gold Country; Time To Get Nostalgic

2008-02-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

I know...I know...I said I would do part two of our eBay nightmare, but I am not in that frame of mind..this is more fun.

When I was a little kid, I would take long drives with my mom and my great grandmother. We would go into El Dorado Hills, Placerville, Auburn, Calaveras County, up and down Highway 49 to see what we could find. I never knew where we would end or get home.

I was a slightly spoiled only child and usually got what I wanted in the trinket shops as long as it was under $3.00. To walk into those old west themed stores filled with barrels of penny candy, milk bark, gold foiled chocolate coins and nuggets, pretend bank notes and cowboy hats was always such a treat. I loved the smells, the sounds, everything they had to offer.

So when we recently found this Gold Rush store rack; it really brought back a lot of great memories and I just had to offer it.

It is a Mini - Miners store display that held figures of the old west. They were little figurines of gold minors, cowboys, shop keepers, etc. Mini Miners are extremely rare. You can find Mini Miner Decanters on eBay, but they do not fit this and I don't even know if they were made by the same company.

I love the avocado green and burnt orange burlap in the back. Obviously this was from the early 1970's. I figured there has to be someone who wants it more than me...but for right now it is hanging in my 1950's home, near the old fireplace, above the cold stone floor holding vintage stone fruit. You can find this awesome item in our store. :)

A Little eBay Story....

2008-02-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

With all the eBay news lately.... I thought I would reminisce..

We started selling on ebay in 1999. We started off selling anything around the house since at that time everything sold at a decent profit. We then migrated into Dollar Store, TJMax, Marshalls, Ross clearance and more. By 2001 we were Power Sellers but knew these goods were becoming saturated and we not right for us. We loved garage sale hopping so we started doing it more often looking for treasures to pass along. We grew..and grew...easily hitting 50-100 sales on a weekend, no joke. We built up an eBay store with over 350 vintage one of a kind items and overall were quite happy with what ebay was allowing us to do for our family. We were easily able to keep our PS status with never a lapse. We were having fun.

2004 we listed a Vintage Corning Ware Cornflower pattern electric peculator coffee pot on eBay. This coffee pot was posted on ebay by at least 15 other sellers so we had no reason to assume this item was not allowed. Within one hour, our listing was canceled *thank the competition* and we were informed this was an against policy item and we would be getting another email explaining why. We never got that email...however, we did some snooping and found out this highly desirable pot was recalled; thus, rendering it against listing standards on the eBay site.

After numerous emails back and forth to ebay, we were finally told how we could fix the problem. We could list the parts, just not the pot.

So we did.

An hour later, the auction again was pulled. Our store was gone, and we were suspended for 30 days. Every item was canceled, leaving us no copy..........see what I am saying?

All we got was an email telling us we would be getting another email explaining why. We never did. We were left to worry and stew.

How eBay works:

No one at ebay bothered to actually look at the auction. Their *bot* found the word *Corning* and pulled it down started a horrifying chain reaction. Our ID is still on *bot* mode to this day. We recently had another rediculous experience...again, turning out for the good but damn annoying. More about that later.

Now, we spent hours searching for the right contact info / emailing / phoning ebay and the people we actually got through to even said it did not sound right, but no one could help us. Come to find out, once you have been suspended, any emails you send are on hold for 30 days. So you don't even have a way of having eBay view your concerns.

In one way; it turned out for the good. At that same time I found out my grandparents had sold their 50 year, 4 acre, 3 home estate and had no one else to move them. They sold the house a month prior, and now had to be out in four short weeks. God works in mysterious ways. Being the only able bodied grandchild in the state; we took 6 trips 200 miles away to get their place moved. I cherish those painful memories, especially now since my grandmother past away last year, but it was still a horrible ebay experience to go through. Not knowing; as we are moving my grandparents off the land every good childhood memory I own came from, that we had no idea what was going to happen to our eBay income, was very draining.

Needless to say, now that my trust in eBay was totally demolished. I never relisted those 350 items. We used the store for arranging and added other stuff, but I just did not have the heart or energy to do it all over again knowing with a click of the insanity button, all my work would be gone.

Over the next 3 years on eBay, the eBay experience kept getting worse...and worse. What started out as a tremendous idea...to have a venue where individual sellers could share their cool stuff with others; become a micromanaged worry pit. We found we no longer loved what we were doing. We had buyers who bought vintage because vintage was in, but did not realize, vintage means OLD....really OLD. If you buy a WildCat Phonograph record player, learning how to operate one is a prerequisite...duh.

We have seen am lot of control and manipulation tactics over the years with eBay. Maybe I will write more about that later..but recently we noticed; eBay started ad campaigns saying that people can find happiness on ebay through widgets.

Umm..no...no they can't:

"At that point, cost isn't usually a factor," said Kalyn Johnson, of New York City-based Style by Kalyn Johnson. "They say, 'If I can have these wonderful shoes, I'll look better, and feel better.'

"But on the back end, I've seen buyer's remorse. This kicks in after they realize that new pair of shoes, or iPod, or whatever, didn't make them feel better, and then there's that sense of, 'Oh my God, why did I spend money on this?"'

Read CNN's article on why Sadness can blow your budget...

I dunno about you...but I sell old stuff. Really cool old stuff...but still...old stuff. I don't think it's truly possible to sell happiness to people who think a widget will provide enough happiness to make up for all the unhappiness in their lives................ Make sense?

Part 2 will come after my 3rd cup of coffee..thanks for reading!