I have heard wonderful things about Addoway, and decided to check this new ecommerce site out. Addoway is designed to integrate with social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, so you can shop with people you know and trust.
I am so incredibly impressed with what I've seen! I started an import of my listings (over 2700 items) from eBay just before 8 AM this morning. It was completed in an hour. In addition, my custom templates and photos imported, and all my shipping rates imported as well. WOW!
It took me about 15 minutes to set up my seller terms and seller description. At 9:09, my storefront is completely up.
I absolutely could not be more impressed, and highly recommend Addoway. I also hope you'll pop in on my Addoway store: http://www.addoway.com/birdhousebooks/storefront/
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
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.
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!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
It's a Mystery! Levenger Brass Terrier Dogs
Hi all!
I did not intend to go yard sale-ing today when I went out to have breakfast and run a few errands with my best friend. But we heard the siren call of the yard sales, and had to stop at just a few.
I found 6 - 7 lovely 1950's vintage cookbooks (one signed by author) and these very cute brass terrier dogs. They look like Wirehair Fox Terriers and are very cute. They are marked Levenger (perhaps from the pen company at http://www.levenger.com/?). They are brass. They are very heavy. But what ARE they? At first I thought they were bookends, but now I'm wondering if they are pen stands. But the dogs' paws are outstretched in a manner as if they are meant to hold something.
Can anyone help me solve this yard sale mystery? Thank you in advance!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Where do you find things you sell on eBay?
Shopping for vintage goodies is one of my favorite parts of "the job." I go treasure hunting regularly with friends and family and it is great fun. Here are a few suggestions for finding great things to sell online.LOOK IN YOUR OWN HOME
Especially when starting out, your own home is a great resource for goodies to sell on eBay. For instance, I regularly cull my CDs, DVDs, and books and pull aside things that I don't think I'll listen to/watch/read again.
And don't forget to think creatively. See my old blog post called "Never Throw Away an Empty Box!" (http://birdhousebooks.blogspot.com/2007/12/never-throw-away-empty-vintage-box.html) I found some vintage department store gift boxes from long-defunct stores, and they sold great on eBay!
CHURCH AND COMMUNITY SALES
Organized sales at churches, community groups, libraries, etc. are all great! For these, you want to arrive early and be sure to take a cloth bag or box to gather your treasures as you shop. My biggest tip is to always look ON the tables, ABOVE the tables, and UNDER the tables, as you never know what you will find.
THRIFT STORES
I have had uneven luck with thrift stores. They are browsed so heavily in my area by collectors and dealers, and the prices tend to be on the pricey side for resale. But -- I have friends in other areas who swear by great buys at the thrift store, and you may have some wonderful stores in your town.
One word about prices for resale -- I never spend over 10% what I think resale will be. For instance, if I think a vintage children's book will resell for $10, I would never pay over $1 for it. (And I certainly would love to get it for less than that!)
EBAY AND OTHER VINTAGE SITES
Again, not as great a venue for resale ... once you add in the shipping I've found you typically pay more than you should for a resale item, using my 10% rule. But -- you never know, and worth looking!
YARD SALES
Ahh! My favorite! One of my favorite things to do is have breakfast with friends and go to dozens of yard sales. I am going to say a couple of things that are contradictory to what you may read elsewhere, but these tips work for me. We never go as "early birds," but go after the "early bird" dealers, so we can be a bit more leisurely and also more thorough. (It is amazing what the early birds pass by, and what gets put out later in the morning!) Also, we do not go as dealers, with business cards, book scanners, etc. We are always friendly and chatty with yard sale sellers, and friendly conversation often yields great goodies that aren't yet put out. For instance, "I love these vintage books! Do you have any more?"
A nice thing about yard sales is that prices are not written in stone. I like to gather all the things I want to purchase together, and then ask "how much for everything?" I usually get better prices that way than when I make a specific offer.
Again, a big reminder to look ON tables, UNDER tables, and ABOVE tables ... and to think outside the box about goodies you see.
However you choose to search, I hope you find great goodies ... and I would love to hear about them!Thursday, June 3, 2010
1920's - 1930's Vintage Children's Valentines
I'm working with some charming 1920's - 1930's vintage die-cut children's Valentines today, and found some that are too sweet not to share. Above you'll see Little Red Riding Hood and the Woodsman from the fairy tale: "I'm the woodsman big and strong who'll protect you all life long, Valentine." 1935 card.
The little clown or Pierrot above also dates from 1935. What lovely art work on these vintage cards!
The 1931 card above shows a little boy and girl in a hot air balloon. It reads: "I'm up in the air over you! Please be my Valentine."
This undated card (1920's to 1930's vintage) shows a sweet little Dutch girl with a heart. Note her wooden shoes! It reads: "My Valentine. Here is mine heart. Let us together never part."
The 1931 card above shows a little boy and girl in a hot air balloon. It reads: "I'm up in the air over you! Please be my Valentine."
This undated card (1920's to 1930's vintage) shows a sweet little Dutch girl with a heart. Note her wooden shoes! It reads: "My Valentine. Here is mine heart. Let us together never part."
This card (looks like 1920's from style) shows a boy who is a cheerleader. He has a megaphone and the little flag behind his head looks like it says Yale. "Here's my favorite yell Valentine - rah, rah, rah, I think you're swell!"
If you'd like to see a large -- and always growing -- collection of vintage Valentine cards, 1920's to 1960's vintage -- please stop by my store:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)