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!