Wilton Items Sell Well

I just sold a Wilton Cake Decorating Yearbook (1976).  The nice thing about it is that I have a second one and can just relist it using the same information! 

Wilton items are usually good sellers, so be on the look-out for them!  They publish a yearly magazine-style yearbook that many people collect. They go back as far as 1969, and the older ones sell well because they’re hard to find anymore.  

Wilton also publishes some hard cover books, and some specialty books (I currently have listed ones on Christmas, tier cakes, and using the special frosting tips).  I have sold cake pans (they are known for their unique character cake pans), a box of ruffles to go around a cake, cake stands, and more. 

Mind Your Manners!

25 important email etiquette tips:

1. Be concise and to the point

2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions

3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation

4. Make it personal

5. Answer swiftly

6. Do not attach unnecessary files

7. Use proper structure & layout

8. Do not overuse the high priority option

9. Do not write in CAPITALS

10. Add disclaimers to your emails

11. Read the email before you send it

12. Do not overuse Reply to All

13. Mailings > use the bcc: field or do a mail merge

14. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons

15. Do not forward chain letters

16. Do not request delivery and read receipts

17. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission

18. Do not use email to discuss confidential information

19. Use a meaningful subject line

20. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT

21. Avoid long sentences

22. Don't forward emails that are libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene.

23 Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters

24. Don't reply to spam

25. Use cc: field sparingly

Shopping for Inventory

I had so much fun yesterday—The new Goodwill in town opened so I had to go there to check out their shelves.  And, one of the larger churches here started their annual 3-day rummage sale.  I would have been hard put to decide which to attend first, but that decision was made for me—the rummage sale didn’t start until 4.  So I went to Goodwill first! It was very crowded since it was opening day!

The new store was larger than I was led to believe (good rule: don’t listen to gossip LOL).  I came home with books (of course!), a cute blue cat statue (later I was told it’s probably by Laurel Birch), a metal Roadrunner (I thought it was a pheasant until John told me otherwise…), a bunch of 1993 Civil War magazines, a fantastic retro candy dish/ash tray by Sasha Brastoff, a Mermaid Starbucks mug (forgot to include that in the picture…), and still more books! 

I got the books all scanned yesterday evening while watching TV and am now in the process of listing all this good stuff!  Of course, if you see anything you like, check for it in my eBay store!

Recommended: DropBox

This is a little off-topic, but if you need to save, share, or otherwise store files & photos--try the new DropBox.  It's a free online site (upgrades will cost you, but the free part is great!) that is so helpful! 

Here's an explanation right from their site:

File Sync
Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.

• 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.
• Sync files of any size or type.
• Sync Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
• Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.
• Work on files in your Dropbox even if you're offline. Your changes sync once your computer has an Internet connection again.
• Dropbox transfers will correctly resume where they left off if the connection drops.
• Efficient sync - only the pieces of a file that changed (not the whole file) are synced. This saves you time.
• Doesn't hog your Internet connection. You can manually set bandwidth limits.

File Sharing
Sharing files is simple and can be done with only a few clicks.

• Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on a set of files.
• You can see other people's changes instantly.
• A "Public" folder that lets you link directly to files in your Dropbox.
• Control who is able to access shared folders (including ability to kick people out and remove the shared files from their computers).
• Automatically create shareable online photo galleries from folders of photos in your Dropbox.

Online Backup
Dropbox backs up your files online without you having to think about it.

• Automatic backup of your files.
• Undelete files and folders.
• Restore previous versions of your files.
• 30 days of undo history, with unlimited undo available as a paid option.

Web Access
A copy of your files are stored on Dropbox's secure servers. This lets you access them from any computer or mobile device.

• Manipulate files as you would on your desktop - add, edit, delete, rename etc.
• Search your entire Dropbox for files.
• A "Recent Events" feed that shows you a summary of activity in your Dropbox.
• Create shared folders and invite people to them.
• Recover previous versions of any file or undelete deleted files.
• View photo galleries created automatically from photos in your Dropbox.

Security & Privacy
Dropbox takes the security and privacy of your files very seriously.

• Shared folders are viewable only by people you invite.
• All transmission of file data and metadata occurs over an encrypted channel (SSL).
• All files stored on Dropbox servers are encrypted (AES-256) and are inaccessible without your account password.
• Dropbox website and client software have been hardened against attacks from hackers.
• Dropbox employees are not able to view any user's files.
• Online access to your files requires your username and password.
• Public files are only viewable by people who have a link to the file(s). Public folders are not browsable or searchable.

Check it out at http://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTEwOTk3OTI5OQ

How Sales Work

Paid!

Well, wouldn’t you know!  Yes, the buyer paid me yesterday after receiving the note from eBay!  He sent an apology explaining that he was out of town on an emergency….which could very well be true, but I would think he could find a computer sometime in the last 2+ weeks to send me a quick note. 

But, then may-be he’s not like me:  when I go out of town, I take a bag for me, a bag for John, and a bag of electronics (2 mini computers, camera, phones, and cords for everything)!    

Unpaid Item Dispute?

Today I had to file an Unpaid Item (known as a UPI) grievance with eBay. It’s not hard to do…you just have to tell eBay that you haven’t received your payment and they will send a note out to the buyer on your behalf. 

In this case, a book sold on August 27 and of course I sent an invoice right away.  I always tell my students that I try to be patient with customers—you just never know what’s going on in their lives (maybe something terrible happened and they haven’t had time to get on their computer), so I try to give them benefit of the doubt.  I sent another invoice on September 7 with a gentle reminder attached:  Second Invoice.

 

So here we are one more week later and I still haven’t seen the money.  So I am having eBay deal with him.  Now that I’ve filed a UPI, every time he opens up eBay he will see a pop-up note asking about payment. In 4 days it will automatically end the dispute, and depending on if he pays or not, a record could be put on his file.

   

When I went into the UPI section of eBay, it offered to do this automatically for me.  I just chose the number of days I am willing to wait for payment (I chose 16; other options are 4, 8, 24, and 32 days).  So if eBay sees that my item has not been paid for, it will automatically start sending notes to the buyer.  That’s a time-saver for me…and I won’t have to figure backwards to see if it’s been two weeks yet….

Previous experience has shown that sometimes all it takes for payment to be made is a little nudge from eBay.  So, I wonder if I’ll be seeing my $13.98 soon….