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
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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.

BUYING - So what do I like to buy on eBay?

Well having been on eBay a while now, I have bought many items, perhaps a few thousand dollars worth of "stuff" maybe more! What do I buy? How do I find it? And how has my experience been?

Well a long time ago, I use to buy some older stock certificates that had become collectible. Since starting to sell on Ebay, I find myself buying things to help me with the selling process. We buy shipping and packaging supplies on eBay. I also buy a lot of research material to help me identify items to sell and to learn more about selling techniques. Though I have slowed down recently , for a while I was buying almost every new advanced selling on eBay book I could find. I would buy them, read them , take some notes, then sell them on eBay again !

You learn something from everything you read, and you read more when you are interested in something. I recently purchased a lot of old magazines called Collectibles and Flea Market Finds. The magazine is no longer printed, but was around from the mid 90s to about 2001 or so. They have lots of color pictures of neat items you might find while hunting at tag sales and flea markets.

Occasionally, I will by what is called an e-book (electronic book) on eBay. I try to stay with those that talk about the experiences of sellers as opposed to those with the "make a million dollars on eBay" themes!

I love when packages arrive and have generally had a great experience buying on eBay. eBay has a lot of protection for buyers and sellers alike. The few problems I did have as a buyer were because I rushed into things without checking out the seller first. Sometimes we get caught up in the hunt for item.

Sometimes I purchase things that I want to re-sell after adding other stuff to the mix. Recently my wife came home with hundreds of cool 8-track tapes for less than 5 cents each. I needed a player for these. So I bought one on eBay. It is a really nice retro player and it arrived here promptly. This way I can check out the tapes! Luckily right as this player was on its way, I found a wonderful 8-track AM/FM Soundesign stereo with speakers at a tag sale for 10 dollars and scooped it up. I am going to keep that one!

Now if you would like to buy more on eBay, the main tips are to check the sellers feedback score. Feedback is a way for buyers and sellers to rate each other. Generally if someone is above 98% or so they are pretty good. Always make sure to check all the details in the listing , especially shipping prices to get the item to you!

As I write this , I was peeking at our stuff that we have listed for sale on eBay now. We just sold a waffle maker that makes waffles that look like snoopy! We are up to over 400 items listed now and growing!

If you want to check out our items please visit our eBay store at www.OnceUponAbid.com

SELLING - Cat lovers Delight in these Custom made Cat Homes !

Hey Everyone! It seems I have been spending a lot of time posting about some great sellers here lately. I cannot help it! Sometimes the people I meet on eBay have some of the most amazing items. The pictures you see here are of some custom made cat homes that will blow away anything you see out there in the stores! Check out the neat designs! I have posted a few pics, but they have many more cool ones to choose from at their store located at http://stores.ebay.com/Cape-Cod-Custom-Cat-Homes.

I hope you like these and check them out!

SELLING - Holidays , wizards, fairies and cool decor !

Good morning blog readers! I just wanted to share some cool items with you! eBay has a number of discussion groups, and while reading posts there about blogs, I came across a seller that had some amazing items for the upcoming Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. Every once in a while you see something and you say WOW ! This stuff is really neat! I will give you a link to their store here so you can check them out if you like them! Wizards, fairies and any combination of mythical or magical people always do well on eBay and it is no surprise that these awesome unique items do well ! Please be sure to check this site out as there are items too numerous to mention that are some of the best I have seen!

http://stores.ebay.com/Kathys-Kupboard

SELLING - Cool Clocks Sunburst theme

Tonight's post is about selling clocks on eBay. Some of you might have seen the clock commercial eBay had running for a while on TV. Fortunately, a lot of clocks of all types sell on eBay. I am far from an expert on clocks but have found some that seem to do well. They are called "Sunburst" clocks and are definately "RETRO" themed. They look like spokes coming out from a central clock face. I have some pictures of one here that I have for sale now in our store at http://OnceuponaBid.com.