Vintage Linen Postcards - New York City - Times Square

Linen postcards are a wonderful starting point for a postcard collector. They are inexpensive, colorful, and fun. These linen cards were popular in the 1930's to mid-1940's. They were especially popular as American travel souvenirs - roadside Americana.

These New York City cards are so lovely that I thought you might enjoy them too. You'll see several pictures of Times Square here. Of special note -- the vintage cars and building/advertising signage. Great fun!

eBay: What should be included in a listing?

If you're new to selling on eBay, one of the first things to learn is how to write a detailed, buyer-friendly listing.  Here are a few tips:

PHOTOS (PLURAL)

Photos, photos, and more photos.  Photograph whatever's good about your item and also any flaws (very important).  You will want multiple photos for almost everything.   Think about what the buyer would like to see.  For instance, with books, I photograph the book cover, the front endpaper, at least one photo or illustration from the book, and the back cover.  I frequently also photograph the spine.

AVOID STOCK PHOTOS

They do not show the buyer what he or she is actually purchasing.   Most eBay buyers feel the same way.  I very highly recommend avoiding stock photos in all instances.

IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS

Describe what you are listing in detail.  I try to write a description as if the buyer cannot see a photo of the item;  I want to be detailed and descriptive.  Be sure to discuss the condition in detail.  List any flaws, however small.  (I also recommend photographing any flaws.)  Do not depend just on item specifics;  actually write a solid description.

SELLER'S TERMS

Please keep them brief and buyer friendly.  Keep terms positive and avoid negative phrases.  Have a buyer friendly return policy.  Remember that with Paypal buyer protection, the buyer can file if item is significantly not as described, and the seller will have to refund.  I feel very strongly that it is important to present yourself as a seller in a friendly, accessible way in the seller's terms.

I hope these listing tips are helpful, and I wish you wonderful sales!

It's All in the Name: Titles for eBay Book Listings

I like catchy titles -- they're fun and yes, they catch your attention.   But with eBay auctions, I believe what really matters is the facts -- with ample (appropriate) keywords.

Here are a few suggestions for book listings on eBay.

What is the title?
What is the publication date?  (see copyright page -- you are looking for the latest date mentioned)
Who was the author?
Is the illustrator memorable (i.e. N.C. Wyeth, Eloise Wilkin)?
Is it a hardcover (HC) or paperback (PB)?
Is it vintage (VTG)?
Will buyers be searching by book type -- i.e. Community Cookbook, Little Golden Book, etc.?
Is it signed?  Or a First Edition (1st)?

A couple of examples of titles from my own listings:
Farm Pets 1954 Junior Elf Book VTG Anna Ratzesberger
Question and Answer Book 1963 Mary Elting WONDER BOOK

I am not a fan of descriptive versus specific auction titles -- i.e. DARLING BEAGLE BOOK 1944.  That is not going to catch your buyer's attention if he or she is looking for a specific book (or author, or illustrator).

I am also not a fan of wasted words -- i.e. BEAUTIFUL, LOOK, MUST SEE.

In eBay titles, I believe it's best to follow the advice of Sgt. Joe Friday from Dragnet:   "Just the facts, ma'm."

Bonanzle - A Little Bit of Mayberry in the E-Commerce World

If Mayberry was an online shopping venue, Aunt Bee would be browsing pie cookbooks and pickle jars at Bonanzle, while Sheriff Andy Taylor looked for fishing tackle, and little Opie oohed and aahed over comic books and slingshots.

Bonanzle is such a homey and cheerful site that both buyers and sellers will find much to like.

It's beautifully designed -- see the handpicked lists that appear when you first visit the main page at Bonanzle.  This attention to detail follows throughout the site.

Not to be missed are the individual booths with a place to leave messages for the seller near the top of the page.  If you'd like to peek at my booth at Bonanzle, you'll see what I mean:  Birdhouse Books at Bonanzle.

Be sure to take a few minutes to stop by People at Bonanzle.  The forums are lively and friendly and overall a very positive place, and check out the "Say Hello To" feature in the bottom left side of the screen.  You can leave a friendly welcome to new members.  Nice!

I've been a Bonanzle member for a while, but after retooling many of my titles and prices at eBay, decided to delete my Bonanzle listings and re-import items from eBay to freshen my Bonanzle booth.

It took the better part of a day for my 2700+ eBay items to import to Bonanzle.  Then I spent the next afternoon updating shipping preferences.  This was very easy with the batch editor found at My Bonanzle (top of screen).  The site is intuitive and easy to navigate.   Unfortunately, my HTML did not translate over, so I lost my pretty templates, and only my first photo from eBay imported.

I have had several sales at Bonanzle in the past year, and the buyers have been uniformly nice.  Customer service is upbeat and responsive.  It's been a positive experience, and this is an ecommerce site that I would highly recommend.

MEP Vintage Postcards - Margaret Evans Price

I love vintage children's book illustrations and postcards designed by Margaret Evans Price. She was a noted illustrator in the 1910's - 1930's and was one of the co-founders of the Fisher Price toy company.

This Margaret Evans Price postcard is denoted by the small initials MEP near the bottom right corner of picture. It reads "Merry Christmas" and is a Stecher card. In the foreground, we see a white teddy bear with a big bow around his neck. A little girl sits under a Christmas tree with a candy cane and ball, and she reaches for a jack-in-the-box toy. An especially lovely vintage Christmas card!

You will find this card, with many other similar vintage and style cards, in my store at:

http://stores.ebay.com/Birdhouse-Books