Look in your junk drawer!

Don’t discount some of those junk-drawer items as being just “junk.” I have been going through my folks’ house and selling some of their items that my brother and I don’t want to keep. I found this old beer opener and thought it might have some value.

And it did! Even I was surprised! It turns out that the advertising on it was from an old California brewery that no longer exists. I started the auction on eBay at just 99¢ and I was thrilled when it went up to $8, and then a few days later it was at $20. It sold at even higher! 

Check out the completed auction HERE--You will hardly believe the final selling price! Do you have any old beer bottle openers to sell?

There's That LIKE Button Again!

I’ve noticed something new on eBay--there’s a Facebook LIKE button on some of my listings. When I click on it, that listing is posted on my Facebook page!

These Facebook Like buttons appear at the top of the page, directly under the listing title. The buttons do not appear in all categories yet, but are starting to show up on a few of my own listings--mostly those with free shipping.

I had heard a little bit about it at the eBay convention in Las Vegas last week--eBay told us that "We're actively working on putting more "Like" buttons on the site."

I, for one, "Like" it.

eBay + Facebook + twitter

I really like the way I can import specific listings from eBay to my Facebook page. Do you use that function? Just click on the little Facebook icon on the lower right of your item’s description and it will let you put it on your Facebook page for everyone to see. It also puts your item picture with the listing.

But eBay tends to constantly fiddle with its settings. A couple of months ago I found that when I tried to send one listing to Facebook, the picture didn’t appear with the description. After two weeks, it straightened up and the picture was back. And, just this morning, it started doing that again! I certainly hope it doesn’t take another two weeks to get back to normal.

There’s also a twitter icon you can use (right next to the FB icon). When you choose that one your title goes to twitter along with a shortened URL to your listing. I often joke that twitter users will click on anything--if you have a lot of twitter followers, your viewer stats will go up immediately!

4 Silly Questions

Here are 4 questions--you may have seen this test before, but do you remember the answers?

1.  How do you put a giraffe into a  refrigerator? 
Stop  and think about it and decide on your answer. 
 
The  correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in  the giraffe, and close the door. This question  tests whether you tend to do simple things in an  overly complicated  way.


2.  How do you put an elephant into a  refrigerator? 
Did you say, "Open the refrigerator, put in the  elephant, and close the  refrigerator"?

Wrong  Answer.

Correct Answer: Open  the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in  the elephant and close the door. This tests your  ability to think through the repercussions of  your previous actions..

 
3.  The Lion King is hosting an animal conference.  All the animals attend.... Except one.   Which animal does not  attend? 
Correct  Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there.   This tests your memory...
Okay, even if you  did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to  show your true  abilities.
 

 
4.  There is a river you must cross but it is used  by crocodiles, and 
you do not have a boat. How do you manage it? 

Correct  Answer:? You jump into the river and swim  across. Have you not been listening? All the  crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting.  
Sad to say, I missed them all...I wonder what the psychologists would say about that? 

EBAY ON LOCATION

Planet Hollywood Las Vegas

I'm  about to leave for the opening of this year's eBay convention: eBay On Location.  It's being held in the convention center at Planet Hollywood on the Vegas strip. It's just a short walk from where I'm staying (Imperial Palace). 

Postcards on eBay

These are very basic hints for selling postcards on eBay--they are just some ideas that will help you form general framework to build on as you start selling in this niche.)


Buy postcards in large lots, so you can get them cheaply.


List them individually with a scan of both front and back. That way most questions a collector will ask you will be in the listing. Like "is the card postmarked? How old is the card? Who sent it?" and etc. They will be able to see for themselves.


Start with a relatively high opening bid and then reduce the price of those postcards that don’t get any bids on the first try. I usually go with $9.99 then cut the price to six or seven dollars when I relist them.


Rather than relist them as auctions, use the eBay store format to save money on listing fees, and offer a "best offer" option. This way the collectors can decide for themselves what to pay.
Set a time limit on your relists, so you don’t pay over and over again for cards that are slow sellers. I sometimes move cards off eBay to a free or inexpensive alternative site after a few months have gone by. And of course I reduce the price to $5 or less.


I mail the cards in clear plastic sleeves that give them protection, and are less expensive (lighter weight) to mail than the cardboard mailers many dealers use. The savings in postage is almost enough to pay for the holders, so it’s not expensive. Collectors like them too, to store or display the cards in.


For more information on how to figure out the dates on some postcards, check back to my September 2010 posting  Selling Postcards.


Are you a postcard seller? 

Blogging

The first blogs were all about sharing. In fact, many were simply lists of cool links. Sharing links and ideas is one of my favorite reasons to blog.  Most bloggers share in one way or another anyway, whether it’s their blog’s intended purpose or not. We share content, tools, job opportunities, tips, tricks and, even, friends.

Bloggers teach others how to blog, go green, cook, identify good products, make money, and more. Some people just like to write or share photos or comics. Many bloggers simply want a place to show off their artistry. Blogging is perfect because it’s a free platform that can reach so many people.

Do you teach or share using your blog?