Help!

Ok friends—it’s your turn to help ME!

I love books (that’s no secret!)…and yesterday I had an extra hour (how’d that happen??) so I found myself at my favorite used book store.  I found some interesting (read: I hope they sell well on eBay!) ones:  a cookbook with recipes for meatloaf, history of the Shriners, a Mary Engelbreit (she always sells well) Christmas book, and a book about the history of shady ladies in the early 1900s. 

But, there’s one that really has me stumped—published in 1931, it is titled simply Nebraska. The title page tells me nothing either—it says it’s a Special Limited Supplement and it was printed by The Lewis Publishing Company (based in Chicago and New York). 

The book is full of biographies of prominent men in Nebraska, along with their official photograph and a copy of their signature. The men were from the middle 1800s through the early 1900s.  Most of the men were lawyers, judges, and legislators. Most of the men came to Nebraska from another part of the United States in the early days of the state. Most of the men had affiliations with social groups of the time.  Some were affiliated with the University of Nebraska in some way. The men represented different political views and a variety of religious groups. 

Each photo is protected with a ricepaper insert (which I folded back for this shot)

You probably noticed that I said “most” in my description—I was looking through the biographies for a common thread—but found none.  There is even a couple of women listed, and one church listed.  (Why a church is included is beyond me!)

The biographies are not in alphabetical order, nor are they in chronological order. The index lists the 77 entries in alphabetical order.  Another interesting note: there is one item in the index that is a reference to the Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company (they made & sold windmills in the southeast area of Nebraska). The Dempster Milling Company does not have its own page, it is merely mentioned in D. B. Dampster’s biography.

I was showing the book to a couple of history-buff friends last night and one jokingly commented that the only common thread she could see was that none were members of the KKK (which was big in the 20s and ‘30s).

So, help me out here!  What do you think this book might be?  Do you think it might be one of a series of books on prominent men in the individual states?   

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas?  Oh, really?  I can just hear you saying, “but, Halloween isn’t even here!” 

That’s right—but Christmas items on eBay have been appearing since September.  Just today I listed a couple of men’s ties with Santa on them.  I picked them up at one of my favorite thrift shops yesterday and listed them right away this morning.  Somewhere out there a businessman will be needing a cute holiday tie and I want mine to be already out there when he (or his wife) starts looking! 

Men’s ties are easy to send (if you recall, I don’t like to spend a lot of time on elaborate packing) because they are lightweight and will fit into a small manila envelope that can be sent by 1^st Class mail. 

I also like ties because they are easy to photograph.  Actually, I put most of my ties in the scanner!  This Santa Golfing tie had to be photographed because the main design was longer than my scanner’s screen.  So, I just put a cloth over the back of my sofa, and took a quick shot of the tie that way. 

Whenever you find a unique tie (at a reasonable price—approximately $1 or less is my personal rule) grab it up and list it.  One of the more outstanding ones I ever sold was a Beatle tie.  There was a whole series of ties produced that pictured some of the songs by the Beatles.  The one I had was “Fool on the Hill” and in my opinion kind of ugly, but being a Beatle tie, it sold well! 

So, go ahead and check out how I sell ties. (Here’s the page in my store) Look through the various listings and get an idea of how to do it yourself!  Now I’m off to list more Christmas items….I have a Christmas tree platter, a baby’s “First Christmas” pajamas, and a glass Nativity.  I’m sure there’s more things tucked away, too…gotta get busy!

Another Question from Gwen

Gwen liked my answer yesterday so much that she wrote back again today! 

She asks: I was wondering what the best way is to ship books and movies, DVDs, etc? I know the post office has the flat rate envelopes and boxes for priority mail, but I've seen so many send theirs media mail and I didn't see any boxes for that on the USPS site.

Well, Gwen, it just so happens that I sell more books than anything else—and yes, Media Mail is the best way to ship those.  The post office does not supply packaging for Media Mail, so you have to be creative here (go green!).

 My usual choice for wrapping books is the good old brown grocery bag (turned inside out and cut to size, of course).  I also re-use the plastic grocery bags by wrapping the book in that first to protect it from the elements (you never know what kind of weather your package might go through) and then wrap it in the brown paper.  Media mail is ideal because it is less expensive to send your books.  I can mail a 2 pound book across the country for $2.77—standard parcel post would cost over $7, and Priority would cost between $5 and $8 depending on the size of the package.

But, keep 1^st Class in mind anytime your book weighs under 13 ounces (craft booklet or small soft cover publications that might fit in a manila envelope) because it might be more cost effective to use that rate.  And, with 1^st Class your item will get to your customer faster—Media Mail is estimated to take 5-10 days for delivery.  But, I’ve found that to be true only in the busy Christmas season—still it’s something to keep in mind. 

But, keep in mind that the book rate (that’s an old term, but lots of us still use it) has some restrictions:  magazines (because of the advertising inside), combining a 1^st Class item (letter) with your book, etc.  The Post Office also reserves the right to open any Media Mail item for inspection.  I think I was once told our local office randomly opens two packages a day for inspection. 

Thanks for your questions, Gwen!  I really appreciate my readers interaction!

Question of the Day

Gwen sent me a question yesterday:

Hey, Rae. How are you today? I just had a quick question:

Well, first a scenario. I ordered a pizza peel from a guy on eBay. I know a lot of folks use drop-ship resources and he does say he's a "distributor" but when I tried using a drop-shipper years ago, I used one that would send my customer an invoice in my name only, not using the dropship company's name. This guy uses Sam's Club as his drop-shipper (at least for this kind of item).


When I got my peel, it had a packing slip in there for the guy that sold it to me. I figured I could have ordered it through Sam's club if I'd looked to see that they had these. Granted, I probably got it cheaper through him, because of his reseller ability. But I wanted to get your thoughts on this. Do you think it's ok what he's doing or should I privately contact him and tell him that this turned me off?  I left good feedback already--it did arrive in a good time, it's in new condition, etc. but I thought about private messaging him, or something.

A Pizza Peel (I always used to call it a paddle, but I guess I'll use the right term from now on!)

And, I wrote back to her:

How odd!  I always look at the seller's feedback numbers to determine how long (approximately) he's been selling on eBay.  If he's a newbie (anything under 200 in my estimation), I'd just chalk it up to inexperience on his part.   Still, it seems to me that perhaps he ordered it direct and neglected to remove the invoice... You're right--it is tacky, but I probably wouldn't mention it; just keep it in mind whenever you sell something :).

Show your flaws!

I sell a few “old” things….I even call some of them antique.  People looking for antiques want to see every side of your item, especially the underside and often look for little flaws.  So often I post multiple pictures showing all sides, and even pointing out the small chips.  A good example is my listing for this older Sascha Brasthoff dish.

Antiques are used items: their history is part of their charm. Customers love it when you mention a small fault, because you are not likely to be disguising a big one.  Honesty will deliver you from angry emails, returned items, negative feedback and having to cope with eBay's dispute procedures ... maybe all four.

But, don't try too hard to minimize faults: it can make them seem worse! Here's a real example: " There is one area along the top where on very close examination the glaze appears to be interrupted and there's a very slight color change there toward the inner bowl of the cup, so I suspect there might have been a very professional repair at one time, but I can't say for sure -- it really looks so great and you have to try hard to spot it. So pretty!  The advertiser could have simply have said: Slight color change near the rim may be a professional repair. That statement is shorter, and less alarming.

600 items in my store!

I did it! I now have 600 items in my eBay store! Item number 600 is a Pillsbury Dough Boy stuffed toy. Isn't he cute?

So how did I get that many items listed...slow but sure!  Actually, I've found it's easier if I list similar things together--like a bunch of mugs, or a box of cookbooks.  Once I've got the format for the first one I can select "sell similar" and just change the details information.  Usually the shipping costs will remain the same and often the title will be similar with just a few words to change.  That makes the listing faster! 

Totally Off-Topic

One of my pet peeves is how many people write...There are two Latin abbreviations that many people seem to get wrong.

i.e. is short for “id est” and should be used for “that is.”

• I strongly recommend the driver of the automobile cease their forward movement at this time, i.e, STOP!
• This weekend, I played with my kids, ran errands, baked bread, cleaned the house, washed the dog, updated my blog, balanced my checkbook, and painted the garage; i.e, I’m tired.
• My child is a natural at sports (i.e, baseball, football, and tennis).
• When the little hand and the big hand are both pointing to 12 (i.e., straight up), it will be noon.

e.g. is short for “exempli gratia” and should be used for “for example.”

• I carry a lot of things in my purse, e.g., my cell phone, wallet, MP3 player, and my glasses.
• A prime number is one that can only be evenly divided by itself and the number one, e.g., one, two, three, five, seven…

The trick is that they often seem interchangeable, as in the following sentences.

• I love vegetables, i.e., things like carrots and celery.
• I love vegetables, e.g., carrots, celery, corn, and so on.

The difference is that the first one (with the “i.e.”) is clarifying exactly what is meant by “vegetables,” whereas the second one is giving actual examples of the loved vegetables.
Another way to remember the difference between i.e. and e.g. is by imagining that i.e. means “in essence,” and e.g. could also stand for example given.

Packing Glassware for Shippping

How do you pack glassware when shipping to a customer?  Here’s a basic checklist for you:

1.  Pack all glass with padding which will hold up on its own against breakage even BEFORE it is boxed.

2. Use plenty of TAPE to keep the padding material from slipping off the glass; use tape to hold multiple items together, so that they don't shift.

3. Often I pack a box inside of another box—it gives added stability Pack the boxes SNUGLY, with at least 3 inches of shock absorbing material around the inner packet. Corners are especially vulnerable to crushing, so pay particular attention to them.

One historic note: EAPG, Early American Pattern Glass, was originally packed by the manufacturer in straw in wooden barrels for shipment. So keep a mental picture of glass in straw in wooden barrels whenever you pack.

Buy it Now - Make an Offer

I am continually amazed (but at the same time, pleased…) that people will buy an item on eBay for my full asking price when it also has a link where they can make an offer and possibly get it for less than the listed price. 

It happened again today….I had a book on tying fishing flies listed at $17.59.  I also added a “make an offer” link.  When you list an item that way eBay gives you the option of stipulating a bottom line for offers.  In this case, my bottom line was $10.  The buyer didn’t even make me an offer…I’m not complaining—just commenting! 

So, if you are shopping on eBay and see that “make an offer” option, go ahead and try!  You will probably get a good deal….Although once I was buying some electronic equipment for hubby and the seller had his bottom line at just one penny under the asking price—I think he was just using the make an offer to attract more viewers. And, while we’re talking about it, keep in mind that you can only make 3 offers for an item per day (if your offer is less than the seller’s bottom line, and you keep raising your offer, but never make it to his cut-off point, eBay will stop you after 3 tries).

It Sold!

Lately I’ve been doing well with mugs….Do you remember the Starbucks mug I talked about earlier this month?  It sold last night!  Woo Hoo!  A gentleman in Colorado bought it—and he paid my full asking price for it!  (another Woo Hoo!) 

It was such a pretty piece—I just have to show it again….

And, on top of it all, I only paid 50¢ for it at Goodwill!  Look around your local thrift stores for unique mugs--they're usually quite inexpensive, and the best ones will bring you extra bucks!

Get it done before dinner!

Today’s To-Dos

Get packages ready for postman

Take pictures for eBay

List 10 items

Call Jim

Groceries

Organize bookshelves

Ok, six items ought to be enough…and that last one is a long-term project.  I’m able to sit at the computer all day today (as long as nothing else comes up!) so I ought to be able to get some pictures taken and some items listed.  I always say I’m going to list 10 items—it’s like a goal to reach and when I consistently list 10 items a day, I’ll raise the number to 15. 

It Sold The Same Day I Listed It!

I was given a Mrs. Santa outfit to sell….so I thought it would be OK to list right now at a Buy It Now (with a best offer option).  It’s 3 months until Christmas, right?  My theory is that something ought to sit in the store for a while to gather some attention before selling. 

So much for theories—the dress sold the same day I listed it!  It makes me wonder if I priced it too low?  I can’t complain—the outfit was “given” to me, so anything I made is gravy…but still, that little nagging voice in my head keeps telling me I should have started it at $25 instead of $20….or may-be I should have put it into auction format to see how high it would have gone. 

I had daughter Chelsea model the dress—it looks so much better on a real person than just laid out flat.  Chelsea insisted that I not put her head in the picture (I wasn’t going to anyway….).  Pictures of clothing always look better on a person or a mannequin so the customer can get a good idea of how it fits.   

So, may-be I’d better get more Christmas items out….Thanksgiving is not even here yet!  But, if people are looking for Christmas items, I’d better get them out so they can be seen!  Are you getting your Christmas items listed?

No Postal Service Tomorrow

I have a couple of packages to set out for the postman in the morning.  Then I remembered tomorrow is Columbus Day (Monday observance) and couldn’t remember if the Post Office worked it or not. 

I finally found a list of holidays that the Post Office gets off!  Previously I’d looked and didn’t find it.  I have it book marked now so I can find it next year!  You can find the list here. 

Friday, January 1 - New Year's Day

Monday, January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday

Monday, February 15 - Washington's Birthday (President's Day)

Monday, May 31 - Memorial Day

Monday, July 5 - Independence Day

Monday, September 6 - Labor Day

Monday, October 11 - Columbus Day

Thursday, November 11 - Veterans Day

Thursday, November 25 - Thanksgiving Day

Saturday, December 25 - Christmas Day

Saturday, January 1, 2011 - New Year's Day

Best Moments in Teaching

I heard my favorite words from students again yesterday. 

I was teaching basic Facebook and was giving an example of how to wish a friend Happy Birthday.  I always like to add a few well-placed music notes as if I’m singing (believe me, you don’t want to actually hear me sing!). 

As the students watched me key in the notes, they all asked, “How’d you do that?”  So we had a quick lesson on ASCII code and what it could do.  After showing them how to make notes, a heart, a cent sign, and more, a couple of them said, “Wow! That by itself is worth the price of admission!”  The others all agreed and I momentarily basked in the warm glow of admiration…..then it was back to reality…

Funny, that was the exact same thing some students in a basic word processing class said last year when I taught them how to make a new folder on their desktop…I love teaching; sure wish I’d started it long ago!

Frustrations

Today has not been the best...the modem to my desktop computer is not working right.  I have had to work on my little mini laptop, using the hotspot function on my Palm Pre...I suppose it could be worse--I might have no internet connection at all and have to go work at the library...


And, to top it off--eBay is having a 3-day listing sale!  I could have gotten a lot of work done if I had the larger computer available.  I did get three items listed: a Christmas sweatshirt with a McDonald's theme (the arches are peppermint sticks and the Hamburgler is peeking out from behind one arch), a glass mug dated 1979 with Ziggy on it, and an antique cloisonne vase from either China or Japan.  In the description  I asked for help identifying it--sometimes that helps.


Anyone else out there taking advantage of the listing sale on eBay?  Remember: all auction style listings cost just ten cents no matter what yoyr asking price is!  That offer is good for three days--today, Wednesday, and Thursday. 

What's New? Mugs!

What’s new?

I’m listing mugs today. This two handled mug has pink elephants walking around it…after listing it I decided to tweet about it and get some new lookers….so I did and when I checked back to see how many people had looked at it I noticed I still had the description from another mug on the pink elephant listing—OOPS! I hurried back to fix it, and then had to go back to twitter and explain myself. That could be a good thing, though—I might get even more lookers by explaining my goof up.

Are you old enough to remember Davy Crockett on TV? Sing along with me: Dav-ey, Dav-ey Crockett—King of the wild Frontier….. Well, enough of the singing; anyway, here’s a great find! A FireKing mug with Davy Crockett on it. It’s a double-good seller: anything with FireKing is always collectible, and old TV show memorabilia is good, too!

I also have a Starbucks mug—it’s a 35th anniversary one, with a mermaid and tropical flowers. If you don’t know by now, Starbucks mugs are very collectible, especially ones that are from a particular city. I think they got the idea from Hard Rock Café, but hey, it works!

Do you sell mugs? You can find some interesting ones at yard sales, thrift shops, or even in your own cupboard! They are easy to pack: one will fit into a #4 USPS Priority box. Just protect it well with bubble wrap and stryofoam peanuts. I charge $8.50 for postage, which I figure will get it anywhere in the US.

Double-Check your Spelling!

When a seller describes an item's condition as "exallent,” it totally blows his credibility! Poor grammar and spelling makes you look like a lazy seller.

EBay has a spell checker: always use it. It's always difficult to see your own spelling errors, awkward sentences or faulty grammar. Ask someone else -- spouse, friend or work colleague -- to check your listing and see if it reads well. They'll be flattered you asked them.

Rules for Strong Passwords

I hate having to make a complex password I can't remember. So here's a little information on what it takes to hack an eBay password and how you can create highly un-hackable password you can remember.

Rule #1 - Create a password longer than 4 characters
The more characters in a password, the harder it is to crack. You probably knew this already, but did you know that a password of 4 characters or less can be hacked instantly using any number of commercial programs?

Rule #2 - Use upper and lower case letters in your password plus digits
Lowercase letters are the easiest to break. Adding upper case letters increases the level of difficulty, but is still not the best solution. Adding a digit is also a good idea. See Rule #3 below.

Rule #3 - Incorporate the full set of ASCII characters in your password
What's an ASCII character? Anything on your keyboard is an ASCII character, but the characters above the numbers (!,@,#,$,%,^,&,*,(,)) are particularly useful in creating a powerful password. Here's an example. If my password is "ebay" a password-breaking program would crack this instantly. If my password is "ebay3" it would take 2 minutes to get into my account. If I added an uppercase letter and made my password "eBay3" it would now take 12 minutes to gain access. But if I added an ASCII character, "eBy!3" it will now take 4 hours to get into my account.

Rule #4 - Choose an uncommon or non-existent word
Common English words are subject to Dictionary attacks. This is where a password cracking program runs through every word in the dictionary to find your password. Even if you put two common words together to create one that is not an actual word, for example "sidebook," a dictionary attack can still find it.

Now, here's a simple way to create a secure password you can remember that complies with all the rules above. Think of a sentence that describes something you can remember. For example, "I live at 45 Maple Street in Ohio" or "My 3rd grade teacher was Mrs. Smith at Franklin. Then, create your password by taking the first letter or number from each word in the sentence. So, our first example would become "Il@45MSiO" and the second would be M3gtwMS@F.

Want to know how long it would take a program to crack those passwords? 44,530 years. Yes, it would take a program that long. If you remove the @ sign and replace it with the letter "a" it drops to 178 years, but still a very powerful password.

Now, make a resolution to keep your eBay account secure and change that flimsy password to something powerful!