Selling - Older Puzzles Think Round ! Springbok

Hey Everyone! I am sorry its been a while since I posted to the blog. Its tax season for us accountants and we have been swamped ! I wanted to post another in our series of cool items to sell on eBay. This time we can talk about Jigsaw puzzles. One of the best names to look for is Springbok. These puzzles seem to have developed a nice following and the older ones can sell for good money on eBay! I am working through a pile of older Springbok puzzles I picked up at a tag sale last year. The better ones are the older ones that are circular or octagon in shape. These tend to fetch the most dollars! If you have time or a nice relative that likes to assemble puzzles it is good to put them together to see if they are complete (have all the pieces) as this definately adds to the price you might get! Here are some pictures. We usually show a picture of both the box and the assembled puzzle! Ill check in with you all soon!

Selling on eBay - Getting Better Pictures to sell more items

Hey everyone! I wanted to talk a little about taking better pictures for eBay listings. Good pictures help sell items, but even with the great new digital cameras that are being sold, taking good pictures is often difficult. My wife and I are certainly no picture taking experts, so we searched for a tool to help us. We purchased what is called a photo deflector on eBay. This is a briefcase like item that opens up and reveals some reflective white paper on the inside that allows you to place you item in it and then take the picture with the flash. With a little photo editing you can get some really great pictures that make your items appear to float in space! Here are some examples below! Photo deflectors run about $100 and the eBay seller Sharpics was selling them last I checked.

Please remember to check out our cool items in our ebay store located at http://www.OnceUponAbid.com

Selling - Older neat Vintage Toys on eBay.

One thing I love about eBay is finding a lot of very cool things to sell. Things that I never knew existed. I learn about the items as I research them and wonder why we dont have such wonderful things made today. I am one of those people that think we lost a little something as everything became mass produced and made from cheaper materials. Here are a few neat things I picked up over the last week or so that I have listed in my store. One is a set of Russian made building blocks that go back a while. They assemble a neat looking tower which has a four clock face at the top representing a real building in Moscow. The other pictures are of a 60s era spinning top made by Sidney A. Tarrson Co. (also branded "Tarco Toy"). Arent those little figure the cutest things you have ever seen? They are in a balloon flying in their little spinning world! I love it! Thanks for checking out my blog, please stop back again soon for some excellent new information!

Trading Assistant Business Made page 1 of Newspaper!

Hello fellow readers! We have some big news to share. We were contacted by a local reporter for the Meriden Record-Journal which serves Meriden and Wallingford , CT and we were featured in a story that ran on page 1 at the top of the newspaper along with a huge color picture of my wife! This story concerned selling things you might have received for Christmas that you might have doubles of or do not want etc. It also discussed our trading assistant business and it has already resulted in some good calls. Although we were contacted in this case, do not hesitate to contact your local reporters about your business as they like to do stories about eBay!

Here is picture for you!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We went out of 2005 with a record month (December) ! We sold more $$ of items in December 2005 than any month since we started selling. With the new year comes a heckuva lot of new goals which I will be discussing here with you.

We had some awesome stuff to sell and one of my favorites was this German Cabbage Patch doll that you see pictured here. The German Cabbage patch dolls are beloved for their larger freckles!

I also picked up an awesome set of Limoges serving and dinner plates which I have a picture of also here.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

People on eBay - Paying it Forward ...to help others.

This will be a little different than most of my posts here. Just a few days ago I had an idea for people to help out other people on eBay that were having a hard time , either with their sales or with finances etc. I started a Pay it Forward thread based on the idea that I saw in the movie of the same name. An outpouring of help occured that has left many people in shock at the generosity of the eBay community. Some people had families making gift baskets for them, others helped out with money or links to sites to help with fuel assistance. Others bought things from the stores of the sellers that were having a tough time. Many people were helped a lot of new friends were made, and many people are still helping as this has taken on a life of its own.

While growing sales is important, there are also times when giving back is what we should focus on. Working with this project led me back to the times when in private school we did community service projects that just gave you a warm feeling inside.

People that receive help often turn around and help others and remember the kindness showed to them. This is the concept behind Pay it Forward and I am glad we were able to work with this idea on eBay!

Selling Items based on Cartoon Characters

Hello fellow blog readers! Im sorry I have not posted much over the last few weeks , we had our busiest (and most successful) month since we started selling on eBay! We sold over $3450 in merchandise for the month of November! You can do that and more, just poke around our blog for ideas and contact us if you need some help getting started. My wife is an educational specialist but we also offer consulting as needed to people not in our area! Her email is cadamoct@aol.com (Cheryl).

Today's post is on items based on Cartoon characters. These are always popular and if you find ones that are from the 1980s or earlier you usually have a great item to sell! Here are some pictures of Pitiful Pearl ! Now I had not heard of Pitiful Pearl, but from the minute I saw her, I knew she would be a hit. She is based on a cartoon character of the same name and is just the cutest thing. Started at just 99 cents she is already up to $75 or so and might be headed higher.

So keep your eyes out for products inspired by Cartoon characters. From Looney Tunes, to Voltron and Transformer robots , to early Cartoons like Popeye!

UPDATE - This item was purchased by someone with an amazing story to tell! She had been poor when in her younger years and use to make her older brother walk her by the store window where Pearl was. All these years she wanted one, but they always were beyond her grasp. Even in bidding on a few on Ebay , she could never get the top price until now! Finally her doll is hers 30 plus years later!

HUGE SAVINGS BLOWOUT SPECIALS FOR BLOG READERS!

Hey everyone! It is time to get ready for the biggest online sales day of the year! When is it you ask?

Tomorrow! Yes, the Monday after Thanksgiving is the largest online shopping day of the year.

Guess what? If you found this post on the blog you are lucky! We f0und something good to pass along to you and want you to save some money on your holiday purchases! Here is the fine print on the coupon codes which you fill in when paying with paypal. There is a screen in the payment process that says if you have coupons put in the coupon codes!

FINE PRINTGood for one item only and the discount applies to the item price only, not including shipping, handling, or taxes. Offer valid only when you pat with and seller accepts paypal. Limit one coupon code per registered Paypl User.Valid until 11:59pm Pacific Time November 30, 2005

$5 off $50+ orders with Paypal Expires: 11/30/2005 eBay Coupon Code: C2-Holiday2005

$15 off $100+ orders with Paypal Expires: 11/30/2005 eBay Coupon Code: C3-Holiday2005

10% off order with Paypal Expires: 11/30/2005 eBay Coupon Code: C1-Holiday2005

$5 off $19.99+ orders purchased with Paypal Expires: 12/4/2005 eBay Coupon Code: CLUA5Q45S

I have used one of the coupons myself and it worked great! I heard you can only use each one one time, but someone found this fine print below that seems to imply you can only use one coupon. But try them out it cannot hurt! We saved money on our purchase!

FINE PRINTGood for one item only and the discount applies to the item price only, not including shipping, handling, or taxes. Offer valid only when you pat with and seller accepts paypal. Limit one coupon code per registered Paypl User.Valid until 11:59pm Pacific Time November 30, 2005

Keep in mind these are paypal coupons , but if you want to visit our store we will give you an additional 10% off any item or items you buy PLUS we combine shipping to save you money on additional orders!

Our store is located at http://www.onceuponabid.com

Rare Gems,Vintage ads,Mosaics, Sexy Clothes- Friends New Blogs about their eBay Stores

I wanted to post a few interesting links for you tonight. Some of my friends from the eBay selling group that I am in have ventured into blogging and I took a peek tonight and really liked what I saw.

One of my friends just started a blog on Vintage Advertisements, and I really think you will find it interesting, especially the part about Art Cards Editions and Originals Her blog can be found at http://ad-venturess.blogspot.com/

Another friend sells beads, and lately has moved into selling some really cool items. One type of stone is called Larimar and is only found in one place in the world. You can find out more about it and find some for sale here http://creativebeadz.blogspot.com/

Also jumping on the blog scene is my good friend Mel that was kind enough to help me design a nice ME page. She has a neat blog on Mosaics , and some wicked cool looking pictures and products . Her blog can be found at http://amazingmosaics.blogspot.com/

If you are looking for something a little Sexier in the blog world try out this cool blog http://dressvoodoo.blogspot.com/ for some tips to enchant and some very sexy clothes!

Congratulations to all my friends above that have started their new blogs, they all have some great new products and are excellent sellers!

I will be adding more blog links and blogging tips over the next few weeks so stay tuned!

Selling - Voltron Defender of the Universe

We managed to get another fun auction listed on eBay recently. The auction is for a collection of Voltron items. Voltron (Defender of the Universe) was an early 1980s robot type guy that has suddenly become pretty popular and is very collectible on eBay. I heard that he preceded the "Transformers" , and is collected by people who like those toys.

The auction was started at 99 cents and at the time I post this is already up to over $50! Voltron hits upon a few different themes that seem to work on eBay. One is early 80s toys, and the other is Robots. People love both! To have two in one usually means it has a chance to do well on eBay.


You can always find things we have for sale in our eBay store at http://www.onceuponabid.com

Buying Art on eBay - Art By Hiromi

The following is from a guest speaker on the blog, an artist who creates the amazing works you see pictured here.

Love original art but intimidated by galleries? Hate gallery prices? Northern California artist Hiromi welcomes direct interaction with her private and corporate clients. She hand paints all of her own designs, mostly modern art abstract paintings but also landscapes, florals, zen and asian-inspired pieces, paintings with texture, mixed media and acrylics.

Whether due to early exposure to Japanese aesthetics or simply a reaction to her Mother's propensity towards dressing her in frilly pink outfits at a very young age, Hiromi's pieces generally tend toward simplistic elegance and earthy neutrals or colors reminiscent of blood or black and blue. However, from time to time, she follows her artistic whims into colorful territory albeit still preferring relatively clean lines.

"I create continually, mostly because I lean heavily towards obsession, passion, whatever you want to call it, tempered by an attention-span of a 2-year old. Yes, I tend towards hyperbole too. Probably in large part due to this slightly obsessive inclination, my sleeping problems started young. I think someone finally attributed my sleep-walking and sleep-talking to an overactive imagination which now provides the bases for my art."

Hiromi's originals are versatile, complementing a wide array of dicor, appropriate for home or office. Most pieces go equally well with:

• contemporary or mid-century styled furnishings such as Eames era (styled) and the clean lines of Danish modern design (Scandanavian) furnishings
  
• more traditional pieces such as those produced by Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel
  
• wood furnishings
  
• black lacquer
  
• glass
  
• chrome (stainless)
  
• Asian-influenced settings
  
  

Go ahead and add color to your life and submit your best offer for Hiromi's original paintings. Each one is waiting to join your life and bring a smile to your face.

Hiromi has also put together a guide to buying original art that you might find interesting , it is located here : http://reviews.ebay.com/Buying-Original-Art-Online-101-Paintings-On-eBay-1_W0QQugidZ10000000000001541

Holiday Selling on eBay Update !

Well it seems like the holidays are soon approaching and the holiday selling has already begun. Apparently it was kick-started fairly early this year by retailer promotions that are normally reserved for later in the month. With heating oil prices so high , brick and mortar retailers starting offering discounts to get people buying before their fuel bills came in !

So what are some key tips to successful holiday selling online?

1) Get as much merchandise up and available for purchase as possible. Demand is very strong this time of year!

2) Offer priority and even express shipping to customers. They want their stuff, and want it right away! Often it is not just for Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Many people have office gift exchanges or family meeting well before Christmas so keep this in mind!

3) Offer combined shipping savings and allow people to make a huge box of stuff they need to fill shopping lists and have it come from you!

4) Sell right up to the end! Many sellers stop shipping a few days before Christmas and last minute people are willing to pay big money to fill those holiday gift needs that they have not filled yet!

5) Think new in box, plastic wrapped gifts at this time of year, people want good stuff to give to others!

6) Get all your holiday celebration stuff up! From Christmas glasses to plates to ornaments list it all , people want to be in the mood to celebrate.

7) Perhaps different than in other years, think UPSCALE whenever possible. The middle class is struggling lately yet the wealthier people are spending like there is no tomorrow. If you have more pricey items list them!

8) Perhaps the biggest tip for selling on eBay this time of year is to sell into the drop off in listings that happens as Christmas hits. People list a lot less and often wait for a listing promotion. Often listings are at 1/2 their normal levels. If you see this happen, LIST LIKE CRAZY!

Best wishes for a great selling season! There are many more blog entries coming so stay tuned!

Selling on eBay - Time to Get Ready for the Holidays

Good evening fellow blog readers! Tonight's post is about getting ready for the holidays and listing items that will be popular as people look for gifts to buy. At this time of the year , right up until Christmas, people look to buy gift quality items that are new in the box and still sealed and are ready for gift giving. We have been listing furiously lately increasing our items that can be purchased from about 800 to over 1300! Much of this increase is because we have some items that have quantities to them. For example a few hundreds yo-yos or a dozen puzzles etc. We listed lots of great stuff to our store just this evening! Here you will see pictured some of our cool new items. A Peter Max Puzzle, A really cool Animal Art print kit and some fortune telling cards for kids.

People will soon start their holiday shopping and it is good to get ready way in advance. This year, many retails stores started holiday sales early to get buyers in since they are worried about heating oil costs affecting last minute shopping when the weather gets colder.

SELLING- Dont throw out your fathers old tools!

Good morning Blog readers! This mornings first post is about vintage tools. Almost everyone has some old tools kicking around. Usually they weigh a lot, are not too attractive and take up space! Often times when people inherit items they throw these old tools away, thinking they are just junk! As is usually the case, many times items you do not think are worth money are! Vintage tools sell very well on eBay. Most have a name or what is called a "Maker's mark" on the item to let you know who manufactured the tool. This way you can easily look them up on eBay to see if they have any value! I have posted a few pics for you to take a look at an old vise I have posted in our listings that has already attracted bidders! You can check out this item and many , many more in our eBay store at http://www.OnceUponABid.com .

SELLING - Welcome back to the world of Cabbage Patch Dolls!

Remember the days when Coleco? was flying Cabbage Patch dolls over on 747's to get them to stores on time? People were tripping over other people to get the doll for the children. Past crazes that have had time to age like fine wine are also good areas to look into for selling on eBay. Recently Cabbage Patch kids dolls are making a comeback. They come in all different variations, white, black, boy , girl, even animals! I even heard the once hot Furbies are on the top ten list this year!

So why do these things make good items to sell on ebay? It turns out people long for their memories quite a bit. In a difficult world, warm memories of things they loved as kids often become the collectibles of the next few decades. Few items have created as much interest as Cabbage Patch dolls. While we have sold some "average" used Cabbage Patch dolls in the past, we had the opportunity to pick up a collection of them from someone moving. Most of the dolls are in near perfect never used condition with all their "adoption papers" and boxes in great shape. Any items in such good shape are a sellers dream! I have posted pictures of a few of our 40 some odd Cabbage patch dolls you can find in our store. We will also be posting some very rare European issue Cabbage Patch dolls, which are popular as they have larger freckles than their American counterparts.

We have some twins, both white and African-American dolls and premies, and some Koussas (Cabbage patch cats).

I still think that someday those people with piles of beanie babies will experience the same revival. Of course that might take some time!

You can find our cabbage patch dolls in our store at www.onceuponabid.com . You can just type Cabbage patch in the store search when you get there!

SELLING - Keep thinking Retro - Aluminum cups??

Hey blog readers! Its been a busy eBay week! Our Pepsi radio featured in the post below sold for over $135.00! The auction started at $9.99 ! Tonights post continues on with the retro collectible theme.

As I gain more experience as a seller, I pick up new things to look for. These aluminum cups (probably from the 1950s) are an item I picked up just because they looked too good not to get! After a while you get a feel for things! I have since researched them and they appear to be made in the 50s or 60s and usually sell for a pretty good amount. These particular cups come with a cool plastic holder made by Federal Tool Works in Chicago, which sets them apart from others offered. I have not listed them but will soon. I just received two new books in the mail on Retro collectibles from the 50s and will post more on this topic soon!

Picture of the Vintage Pepsi Radio I mentioned

Just a quick addition for you. I realized I mentioned the cool looking Pepsi radio I had for sale in the post below. Here is a picture for you to look at! Its listed as an auction now in our store and has a few days left to go . Our store is located at www.Onceuponabid.com .

Garage Sales, Tag sales or EBay - Selling what Brings in the Cash!

I wanted to post about the "stuff" we all have accumulated over the years, and what might be worth some money and what things might not be worth what you think they are.

It is interesting because I often go to tag sales, flea markets, garage sales etc and see that the stuff I wouldnt buy (brand new made in China dishes, toys etc) is usually marked high, while the "secret collectibles" are marked for a buck or less! What has value is sometimes not so apparent. Take for example an old calculator, the handheld type with red numbers that come up when you turn it on. You might just throw this item out, or put a 50 cent sticker on it. Depending on the model, these could be worth up to $400~! Similarly things like old clocks, old toys (especially tin ones, found some of those for 50 cents) and things that might not look like much but which represent an era or a company that people might collect. Many things from the 50s -70s are really collectible now, so be on the lookout for them! Even tupperware is purchased actively on eBay! Vintage computers, calculators, calculator watches, video game machines are all worth money these days so dont chuck them!

So what might not be worth what you think is stuff you paid a lot of money for years ago when you bought it. High end stereo equipment use to cost in the thousands of dollars. As prices fell, resale value and new innovations like CDs etc made much of this stuff worth only 10 cents on the original dollar you paid for it. There are certain exceptions, but generally do not look to get back all your money on those types of things!

So what is the next craze that might hit? Well, recently Cabbage Patch dolls and Furbies are making a comeback (believe it or not), I think someday, even the beanie babies will make a comeback. People long for memories as they get older, and what better way to help those memories along than by surrounding yourself with things you love when you were younger.
People think like this, so you should as well.

Other things that might be worth money are things representing the Hippie generation, from Peace signs and mushroom decor stuff to other items.

The key is to think broadly before putting items out at tag sales. Some things you are pricing low might be worth a try on eBay. Other items might not.

I read somewhere that TRILLIONS, yes trillions of dollars in STUFF is to be transferred as the baby boomers age. Much of this might wind up on eBay or at tag sales etc.

We are gearing up for the holidays in our eBay store located at www.onceuponabid.com so please check it out! Tons of stuff there! Soon I will be listing some of our awesome tag sales finds so you can see the types of things we pick up! We are currently listing a vintage Pepsi radio that looks like a miniature soda machine! It is rare and getting bid up already!

More soon!
You may contact us at anytime . For thoughts on selling on eBay yourself, and training you can reach my wife Cheryl at cadamoct@aol.com . If you want to move your existing business to get access to a worldwide market on eBay you can write me (Marty) at clhct1@aol.com


Thanks for reading! Remember once our listings are ramped up in our store, we will be putting a BLOG ONLY coupon here for you! So please stay tuned!

Blog Update September 26th , 2005 Skype, Ebay Educational Classes etc...

Hello blog readers! I am sorry its taken me a while to post back here . I have been really busy working :) Lots to talk about though! As I posted right below, eBay aquired Skype in a huge transaction that should position eBay to be the leader in voice over the internet technology for years to come. I see a lot of potential in this aquisition as Skype has been the fastest growing internet company in terms of users EVER! There are approx 54 million Skype users of which only about 10% are also eBay users. This provides fertile ground for cross-promotions. Additionally there is now the opportunity to offer innovative new services over Skype where there will be no cost (or little cost in some situations) to communicate with customers. I am working on such services to offer now!

In other news my wife Cheryl, is an eBay educational specialist. She has taught numerous classes and just received a call today that her Wallingford, CT Adult Ed class filled up to the brim and is overflowing into a second class (almost filled also) that they want her to teach. It seems like everyone is curious about eBay and attending a class is a good way to get started. If you are in the Connecticut area and are intersted in her class schedule make sure to email her at cadamoct@aol.com .

Due to the hurricane (both Katrina and Rita), eBay has been a little slower than usual. Lots of people are displaced, and thousands of others are working to help displaced families. This happens from time to time and it does seem to have turned around some since Rita came to an end.

Recently my daughter worked on some eBay listings with me for some of her items. One was a pair of ripped up, torn and sliced Hollister jeans that in one day attracted 16 bids and 120 plus hits!!! She seems to be wired into what kids her age are looking for. That item soared from 99 cents to over $15.00 on its first day, and she has a few other small bids on other things she posted with me. Working on eBay with your children can be good for both you and them. Your child can learn a little about e-commerce, you can get their input on hot items. Also, instead of an allowance you can have them sell things they do not want anymore in order to buy things they do want. This has saved our family tons of money!

The educational aspect is the most important thing to me though. I think any little skill you can teach your children as they go through high school can help them find their interest in jobs in the future.

I will post more later! Thanks for stopping by! Get ready for the blog readers only discount section and coupons coming up!

EBAY NEWS - eBay To buy Skype! Lots of opportunities here!

Ebay to buy Skype
Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:59 AM BST
Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS

By Eric Auchard

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - EBay Inc. (EBAY.O: Quote, Profile, Research) plans to pay between $3.7 billion and $4.1 billion (2-2.3 billion pounds) to acquire Skype, depending on how fast it meets three growth targets, the online auction leader said in a U.S. regulatory filing on Thursday.

As previously disclosed, the Silicon Valley-based company agreed to pay cash of around $1.3 billion and another $1.3 billion in eBay stock to acquire Skype, a fast-growing, closely held supplier of Internet-based telephone calling services.

In addition, eBay spelled out some details of an "earn out" plan for a future payout to certain Skype shareholders based on targets being met for active users, gross profit and revenue, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

An earn out clause specifies terms by which entrepreneurs can receive further payments from the sale of their company if they achieve certain growth targets after a buyout.

EBay did not quantify the three specific targets. An eBay spokesman said the company would provide no further details.

In just two years, Skype Technologies SA (SKYP.UL: Quote, Profile, Research) of Luxembourg has attracted 54 million members to its free Internet-based voice service and is on pace to roughly double in size again within a year.

The base-level amount of this earn out agreement is 900 million euros, or $1.1 billion. Skype investors would receive this payment if it meets each of the three growth targets over any four-quarter period before June 30, 2009.

An additional bonus of up to about 300 million euros, or about $400 million, would be payable if the targets are hit during calendar 2008. The eBay-Skype deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, eBay said.

The maximum additional payout for meeting these growth targets would add up to 1.2 billion euros, or $1.5 billion. EBay can elect to pay the earn out in either cash or stock.

Skype shareholders who participate in the plan are bound by a non-competition agreement through mid-2009, the filing said.

Shareholders representing about 40 percent of all Skype shares chose to receive a single payment in cash and eBay stock at the close of the transaction. Holders of the remaining 60 percent of Skype shares chose to receive a reduced up-front payment in cash and eBay stock at the close of the deal in exchange for the potential future earn-out payments.

The deal is contingent on shareholders representing 85 percent of the outstanding Skype stock options taking part.

Skype's shareholders include co-founders Niklas Zennstrm and Janus Friis, some of Skype's reported 200 hundred or so employees and private equity investors including Mangrove Capital Partners, Draper Fisher, Bessemer Venture Partners and Index Ventures.



© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.