A Preview of 2016 at View from the Birdhouse

Thanks for visiting View from the Birdhouse!  I'm looking forward to a fun year of blogging here, and hope you'll visit often.

I will be having daily themes through the year:

Music Monday - little mini histories behind songs (lots of retro music!).
Did You Know Tuesday - retro topics and nostalgia, as well as interesting facts about children's literature.
Wordless Wednesday - vintage ephemera from my shops at eBay, Etsy, and Bonanza.
Throwback Thursday - nostalgic fun with pictures!
Dear Abby - my little dog Abby blogs on Fridays.  :-)
Weekend Window Shopping at Birdhouse Books - new arrivals at my online shops.

This year I will take a break from the scheduled topics some days and just post about something fun for a change of pace.  This could be a visit to an antique show, a vintage treasure hunting experience, or unique historical places around town.  It could also be a fun seasonal topic!  I'm looking forward to these change of pace days.

I will continue posting book reviews, author interviews, and spotlights (with giveaways when possible!).  I am going to limit these book posts to 2 - 3 a week.  The books featured here will include cozy mysteries, historical fiction, women's fiction, and children's books.   A few upcoming books you'll see featured this month:

Murder Most Malicious by Alyssa Maxwell (a historical Upstairs-Downstairs type mystery)

Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble (romantic suspense)

The Lady's Command by Stephanie Laurens (historical romance - regency)

The Restaurant Critic's Wife by Elizabeth LeBan (women's fiction with a culinary theme)

I would love to connect with you this year!  I love social media.  You will find me online:

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

You also can subscribe to this blog by email with the "follow by email" option in the right column. (It is near the top of the column, as you'll see in the photo below.  The subscription option is just beneath the Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest buttons in the right column.)

Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!

Trish

Weekend Window Shopping at Birdhouse Books

Hi all, and happy weekend!

I'm running a 20% off storewide sale this weekend at eBay:   Birdhouse Books.  I recently redesigned my store, and wanted to have a sale in celebration.

I just added lots of great boutique style Halloween cards to my shop.  You'll find some fun cards newly listed.

Jack O' Lanterns:

Ghost and haunted house:

Witch hats:

A monster at the door:

Eek!  (all about trick or treat candy)

A tuxedo black cat and Jack O' Lantern:

An orange spider:

Nostalgic Halloween images against a background that looks like a child's Halloween story:

A little boy with a Jack O' Lantern pumpkin:

A haunted house - fun card:

Hope you found some goodies here, and hope you'll stop by my store this weekend - Birdhouse Books on eBay.  Have a great weekend!

Summer Changes at My Blog and Shops

Hi all!

It already feels like Summer here, with temps this week in the high 80's.  I like to change things up during the Summer months, and I'm excited about the changes Summer is bringing to my blog and shops.

I have some new daily blog themes (and some that remain the same):

Music Monday
Did You Know Tuesday
Wordless Wednesday
Throwback Thursday
Dear Abby (yes, my little dog finally gets her own day!)
Weekend Window Shopping With Birdhouse Books

I will also be pinning these new posts daily on Pinterest.  I am excited about some new days, and hope you'll join and comment.  Your comments make blogging even more fun!

I will still be doing some book related blog posts (especially with giveaways!) but am moving toward 2 - 3 days a week with those.

I'm also planning to spend more time this summer putting down vintage roots at some other sales venues.  In addition to listing a few eBay things at my shop daily, I will be listing new items daily at Etsy and Amazon.  I also will be refreshing my stores weekly at Bonanza and eCrater.

You can find my Birdhouse Books shops online:

eBay
Etsy
Amazon
Bonanza
eCrater

As always, I will be listing vintage children's books, holiday cards, and a few other vintage treasures as well.  

Let's stay in touch this Summer!   Would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

What are eBay Collections, and How Do I Use Them?

eBay now has a collections feature.  This is a fun feature with curated photos from eBay items, on a theme.   You can browse collections that other buyers and sellers have made, or you can make a collection yourself. 

It is easy to make a collection based on a theme.  You can make a collection of items you are selling, or just put one together of items you like.  For instance, you can search for astronaut Valentines.  Then click on an individual listing, as seen below.    You will see the option to "Add to Collection."  (I circled this in red, below.)

After you click on the "Add to Collection" option, the following will pop up.  You can create a new collection by choosing a name here.

It's easy and fun, and a nice way to save items that interest you.  You can find all my collections here:  eBay collections by Birdhouse Books.   If you'd like to explore what an individual collection looks like, here is an example:  vintage coloring books collection.

I hope you enjoy the collections posted here.  It's a fun way to visually enjoy some unique vintage items.

It's a Very Vintage Black Friday

Hi all!

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, usually starts my Christmas shopping.  I always envy those smart people who shop early and are finished shopping months in advance.  I am not one of them, though!

I do a lot of shopping online, especially at eBay, Etsy, and Amazon.  I value gifts that are unique and special.  If you're doing some vintage Black Friday shopping, I hope you'll stop by my store:  Birdhouse Books on eBay.    I'm running a 25% off sale through midnight on Cyber Monday, December 1.

I love, love, love vintage Christmas items. You'll find hundreds of beautiful vintage Christmas cards in my shop.  These are great to frame, and also make sweet small gifts, tucked into a greeting card with a personal note from you.  Just click here if you'd like to browse:  vintage Christmas cards at Birdhouse Books.

Ornaments!  I have a few unique ornaments, like this Georgia ornament, in my store.  I have MANY more ornaments to list the next couple of weeks, so please keep checking my ornament department.

Vintage children's books are the very heart of my store.  If you're looking for a special gift for a child, please pop by: vintage children's books at Birdhouse Books.   I love finds like I Like Trains by Catherine Woolley, pictured here.

There's a lot more - vintage sewing, crafts and needlework kits, vintage cookbooks.  I hope you'll stop by if you're in the mood to shop from the comfort of home:  Birdhouse Books on eBay.

Clearing the Shelves 25% Off Sale at Birdhouse Books

Hi, vintage friends!

Just a short and sweet post to let you know I am running a big 25% off Clear the Shelves sale through Sunday, November 2, at midnight.  I'm in the happy position of having too much vintage inventory to list ... and I really need to make some room here.   You'll find over 2000 vintage items on sale, including:

Children's books

Cookbooks

Christmas ornaments

Sewing patterns

Holiday cards (Christmas, Valentines, Easter, and more)

Postcards (including holidays, like the Halloween witch pictured, and Roadside Americana travel cards from amusement parks, motels, restaurants)

I hope you'll stop by and browse!  Click here to visit Birdhouse Books on eBay.

Changes at my eBay Store

Hi vintage friends!

I've been hard at work on my eBay store, making some changes for fall and the upcoming holiday season.

When you visit, you'll see that my store now focuses on children's books, pretty vintage cards (holidays, cats, dogs), Christmas ornaments, and a small selection of vintage puzzles for children that tie in to children's books.

I have moved my cookbooks, vintage sewing patterns, and Roadside Americana items offline.   These items will be featured periodically as shorter listings (auctions and fixed price listings).

Children's books have always been the heart of my store (and they are my favorite thing to find, research, and list as well), so I am really excited about this change.

Pretty vintage cards - especially Christmas cards and Valentines - have become an exciting secondary market for me, and I will be adding more of those leading up to the holidays as well.

I hope you'll visit Birdhouse Books and check out the changes there.  

A Day in the Life of an eBay Seller

The alarm goes off at 7:00 AM.  It feels much too early!   I get up, walk the dogs, and sit down to breakfast.  Over breakfast I check in at work-related social media sites:  my business page on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.   Then I come here to blog.  (This is one of my favorite parts of the day!)

I pack anything that sold and drop it off, usually in the neighborhood "blue box."  (Most of my packages are small, and I always print postage on eBay, so they can be mailed in any USPS mailbox.)   If I have any bigger packages, they need to go to the Post Office, which is thankfully only 2 miles away.

Then it is time to list items in my eBay store.  Over summer I'm listing just a few new items a day (5 most days).   I look into one of my "treasure boxes" of unlisted inventory.  (You'll find a peek into one of the boxes above.)  These are items I found at local yard sales, estate sales, or thrift stores.  I try to list similar items on any given day in order to expedite listings.  It is much faster to list 5 motel postcards, 5 cookbooks, or 5 children's books at the same time.

At this point the pups will want to walk again.   This is a nice break!

By now it is probably lunch time, so I make something fast -- usually a sandwich with fruit or yogurt.

Then I settle in for the long afternoon.  This is tedious, so I make sure to have something fun to listen to (usually XM Radio - oh how I love XM!).  Each afternoon I open up Turbolister, my listing program, and pull out my inventory cards.  I am going through items A - Z and checking titles and item specifics.  I am pulling some lower value items to donate.  I am also saving photos to my computer if the listing was created before 2013.   In early 2013 I had a major hard drive crash and lost all my photos.   I had backed up most of my personal pictures but have very few of the eBay pics here.  (I know - not smart!  I learned!)  My goal is to complete this process by Labor Day.  This work fills the afternoon, broken only by a late afternoon dog walk. 

By the time dinner rolls around (6:00 PM) I am delighted to turn the computer off and take a break.  I find I am spending much less time on the computer outside of work hours these days.  I do enjoy my personal Facebook page, and I usually pop in there most often (via iPad or phone).  

This schedule will change in September.  I am excited about Fall, and look forward to spending time on Etsy.  I am trying to freshen up my eBay listings and save photos this Summer, so I can put some real energy into Etsy this Fall.  I will have to post another day in the life then.

Wednesday Goals and the Best Laid Plans

Hi all!

Yesterday my plans went awry due to something out of my control.  Don't you hate it when that happens?   I had planned to have a listing marathon, and my eBay listing program (Turbolister) crashed.  I had to reinstall it and get it personalized again ... and there went the day!   Although I love Turbolister, it seems to crash on me a few times a year.  I don't know if it has a problem with a larger database of items?  I am grateful to have it going again.

Today I plan to make up some time by photographing 70 books to list!   I want to get all these books up by the end of the eBay's free listing promo on 3/31.   After photographing, I will research (for price) and then start listing.  

I also have some packing to do today.

Wishing you a wonderful day!!

Monday Plans - a Week of Vintage Children's Books

Good morning all!

Happy Monday -- a new week on eBay ahead here!  

This is the last week of eBay's free auction promotion for store owners, so I plan to list some especially nice vintage children's books.   I went yard saling this weekend and found one sale with exceptional baby boomer vintage books.  I bought almost every book at that sale.  There are a number that I have never seen or heard of, so I am especially looking forward to researching them.   I also have a few really special books I've put aside to list, including an early edition C.S. Lewis.

I also am grateful for weekend sales, and have books, cards, a Dachshund figurine, and a big box of new Easter cards to pack and ship.

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Thursday To-Do & Free Listing Promos on eBay

Good morning, eBay friends!

Do you ever have a day where you feel like you could take a nap, and it is 8:36 a.m.?  Today is one of those days here.  Guess I need more coffee.  :-)

Today's plans:
* Listings - some really nice 1950's - 1960's chrome tourist postcards (some motels, some tourist attractions)

I'm trying to take advantage of eBay's free auctions promotion, which is running through the end of the month.  I don't know why, but these listing promotions usually do not boost my sales the way I hope they would;  I'm not sure why.  Maybe many more items appear in my categories at this time?  But - I appreciate the opportunity to list for free (thank you, eBay!) and I still  certainly try to list as much as possible.

If any of you has a great tip about maximizing sales during the free listing promos, please let me know!

Friday Projects

Hi, eBay friends!

Sorry to be out of touch the past month.  I've missed chatting with you here!   I'm going to try to start posting little updates here, even if it's short and sweet, or a note about a day in the life of an eBay seller.

Today I'm working on eBay listings.  I have a big lot of new gift store / boutique Easter cards, a vintage Donkey Party board game, and a stack of vintage craft booklets.

I purchased these Easter cards a couple of years ago at a yard sale.  I thought they would be good to sell individually, like my vintage cards.  That turned out not to work for me.  This is a huge lot (50 or 60 cards?? -- I need to count) and they are too cute not to pass along to someone who will enjoy them.   So ... I'm boxing them up and listing them as a big lot.

Hope your day is great!

Never Discard a Vintage Christmas Card!

I absolutely adore vintage greeting cards, and love listing them on eBay -- especially vintage Christmas cards and Valentines.  This charming Molly Brett greeting card (1940's to 1950's) just sold in my store for $41.00 - link to sold Molly Brett greeting card.   It's a charmer!   Molly Brett was a British artist and illustrator (1902 - 1990) who was most famous for her anthropomorphic animal illustrations.  Her work has always reminded me of Beatrix Potter!  This little card is especially sweet, with a family of mice hanging Christmas stockings and getting ready for the holidays.

eBay's Best Offer: A Great Way to Increase Sales

I taught preschool for years, and I really loved the children but sometimes joked that teaching preschool was a great way to learn patience.  The same could be set of Best Offer on eBay.  It is a great way to improve sales, although it may at times also teach a seller the value of patience!

I have used Best Offer for years and I am a real believer in it.  I think it is an even more useful sales tool in our "down" economy.  It works a bit like an auction in reverse.  You list your item at the price you really want to sell at and buyers will make an offer for what they think the item is worth.  You then decide whether to accept their offer or not.

Going in to Best Offer, you need to realize you will get some occasional silly offers -- i.e. an offer of $1 for an item that is worth $100.  I have learned over time to handle these by countering with a reasonable offer and a little note that says something like:  "Thanks for your offer!  I can usually discount __% with Best Offer" or "Thanks for your offer!  $___ is the lowest I can take for this item."

I have Best Offer on everything but ephemera (vintage Valentines, Christmas cards, postcards, etc.).  Since I already offer free shipping on my vintage paper items, I don't want to negotiate lower;  however, I periodically have Markdown Manager sales on all my ephemera.  (I am running one right now for $1 off each card.)

I have not inflated my prices before adding Best Offer, as I want to stay competitive in eBay's Best Match search.  I would recommend against inflating prices to add Best Offer for this reason. 

For the items with Best Offer, I always accept offers of 10% - 15% off.  If someone offers less, I may accept or may counteroffer with a polite note.  I am a huge believer in the counteroffer with a polite note, as I feel this generates regular sales for my store.

Occasionally buyers will repeatedly send ridiculously low offers, or send offers with a rude note like "$1 is all this is worth."   I just decline with no note, and block those buyers. 

I hope you find Best Offer beneficial too!  I make Best Offer sales most days, and think it is a great eBay tool.

Two Great Blogs for Sellers

Hi all!

I want to recommend two great blogs for sellers;  I think you will enjoy them both.

Suzanne Wells has a wonderful blog called eBay Selling Coach.  I have been a reader for a while now, and I love the tips she gives.  She always has great pointers about what is selling NOW and tips on great things to look for.  I have learned a lot from reading her articles!   I enjoyed writing a guest blog for her site:  Selling Vintage Children's Books on eBay.  In the article I talk about vintage children's books to look for.  It was fun to write.

Susan of My52cents has a great auction blog.  She is one of the most positive, upbeat people I know, and this is captured in her writing.   I think you will enjoy reading what she has to say!   Susan is the queen of Squidoo, and has so much knowledge.  I have learned a lot from her tips!  I enjoyed writing a guest blog for Susan on Vintage Little Golden Books.  It includes information you may enjoy, like how to spot a true "A" (First) edition.

Again, I cannot recommend these two wonderful blogs highly enough.  I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do!

Selling on eBay: How Do You Keep It Organized?

When I first started selling online, I just listed my books, put them into clean liquor boxes, and waited for sales.  When the sales rolled in, I then had a scavenger hunt to find the book.  By the time my stock had grown to about 20 boxes, things were getting out of hand, and I knew I had to find a better way to organize my inventory.

Thankfully, I found it!

Now when I write a listing, I make a 3" x 5" card for each item.  On the card I write:

Name of item
Digital photo names (numbers)
File where photos are located
Box # where item is

I keep these cards filed in colorful plastic shoeboxes that I bought inexpensively at Target.   They are filed alphabetically by item name.

All of my books are in numbered boxes.   If I sell the book Betty Crocker's Cooking Calendar, I can pull the index card, see it is in box #31, pull the book, and voila, I'm ready to pack!

It is also easy to delete photos, as you know exactly where they are on your computer.

I've used this method for years and I swear by it as a simple way to organize books that have been listed online.

Mailing Books Safely with Recycled Products

I am always looking for great ways to ship using recycled products.  I have a good way to ship books safely while using recycled materials.  I have had good success with this shipping method, as I have never had a package damaged in the mail.

First, I wrap the book in a clean plastic bag.  I feel this is important, especially as some areas (like the South, where I live) are much more humid.  This helps protect your book.

Then I tape the wrapped book to a piece of corrugated cardboard that is just a little bigger than the book size.  I get free, clean corrugated boxes at the liquor store in my neighborhood and cut them up, so I keep a stock of cardboard in the house.

If the book is more delicate, like a Wonder Book or Little Golden Book, I tape a layer of Bubble wrap over the unprotected wrapped book.

I then put the wrapped book in a manila envelope, tape with clear wide packing tape, and I am ready to print postage.

I love the printed postage from Paypal.  I print labels on regular computer paper and affix it to the package with clear wide tape.

I hope these book packaging suggestions are helpful!  If you have other green-wise packing suggestions, I would love to hear them as well.

eBay: How do you find out what it's worth?

Now that you're ready to sell on eBay, you pull out the items you want to sell and look at them. How do you price them? I want to share a few tips.

THINK TWICE ABOUT STARTING AT 99¢

A long time ago, sellers could start items at 99¢ and generate a bidding war. Over the years, eBay has changed. Yes, starting at 99¢ may work great for in demand items, like a popular electronics gadget. But for vintage and one of a kind items, or media of almost any type, I have found that items started at 99¢ usually end at exactly that -- 99¢. Your time is more valuable than that -- and shipping supplies may end up costing you almost as much as you make! I never recommend starting that low.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH

The easiest way to see what your item is worth is to do a search on eBay. After you search, you will want to sort by price, and then look at the difference in Auctions Only items (tab at top of screen) and Buy It Now Only items (tab at top of screen). You may also want to look at the left-hand side of the screen and click on Completed Listings.

With books, you are likely to see a very broad spectrum of prices. I always disregard the "penny seller" listings (big companies that list many, many books for under $1). I try to look for listings by other "regular sellers" to get an idea of pricing. If a book is in good to very good condition, or if it fairly uncommon, I usually price near the upper end of the price range -- but not the highest price.

I also recommend Best Offer for items, but that is a future blog post here!

CHECK OTHER SITES

If your item is rare, you may want to do a Google search for it as well. I check more uncommon book titles on ABEBOOKS (http://www.abebooks.com/) for prices, and I also like the used book search at Addall (http://used.addall.com/). There are other item-specific sites for different categories.

WHEN IN DOUBT, HAVE A DEFAULT PRICE.

When in doubt, especially with items I cannot find online, I start auctions at $9.99. This has worked well for me in the past. I highly recommend having your own default price, especially for auctions. My fixed price default runs a bit higher, as I also include Best Offer.

I hope these pricing tips are helpful, and I hope you make great sales on eBay!

30 Day Blog Challenge -- and Summer Goals

Hi all!

I am excited to begin Day 1 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge. Jeanette Cates is leading a great group at http://jeanettecates.com/blog-challenge/. It's a simple idea; you blog daily for the month of June.

I enjoy blogging, but tend to pop in occasionally (rather than blogging regularly), so this is a great discipline for me.

My blog focuses on vintage treasure hunting, and selling online (eBay and other venues). If you're new to the blog, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Concurrently, I've been working on Summer goals, so the timing of the blog challenge is perfect!

Here's what I have planned for the summer:

JUNE

I'm going to stretch my selling legs a bit and try some new venues, in addition to eBay. I love eBay -- I mean I really love it -- but the Spring 2010 "store in core" changes have not been kind to media sellers, as the market is now flooded and prices on books, music, movies are lower. With this in mind, I plan to import my listings to both Addoway (http://www.addoway.com/birdhousebooks) and update my booth at Bonanzle (http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/birdhousebooks).

I will be listing on my beloved eBay too -- mostly vintage books and ephemera. My eBay store is located at: http://stores.ebay.com/Birdhouse-Books.

I also am planning to blog daily about my online selling adventures, including pictures of great finds. Of course, I will post more about Addoway and Bonanzle as I explore those sites.

JULY

July is about Amazon Marketplace. I will be pulling more of my media items over to my marketplace store (http://www.amazon.com/shops/vintage-books-galore). Once again, this is in addition to eBay.

AUGUST

I will continue adding items to my Amazon Marketplace and listing new items on eBay.

I also plan to make a new "price book" to check my items for current prices on eBay. I will be pulling media items under $9.99 and putting them at a 30 day sale before donating them. I will continue to carry ephemera at a variety of prices (starting at $6.99) because it is such a pleasure and ease to deal with.

So ... blogging should fit in nicely with my summer plans, and I'm looking forward to this new adventure. I hope you'll be coming along!