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.

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.

SELLING -Think about what gets HOT - Star Wars

Another post for you to review! A while back it seemed all the talk was about the Star Wars movie coming out. You know the one that wrapped up all the previous movies and explained things. Well if people are talking about, chances are people are buying items related to it on eBay. For a long time Star Wars items have been collectible, but mainly the original stuff from the first movie. When talk of the movie hit, run of the mill stuff starting shooting up in price. For example, 6 months before the movie an R2D2 Wilton Cake pan sold for about 10.00 on eBay. During the craze , I picked one up at a tag sale and sold it for over $40! So keep your eye on what people are thinking about, what they are talking about. Here , in addition to the cake pan pic, you will see some pictures from the parking lot of the movie on opening night when a Jedi knight sabre battle took place between some diehard fans. Believe it or not I took these pictures on my cell phone! If I am not mistaken there was a seller of light sabres on eBay that sold 20k in a month or two in these high end light sticks! Keep your eyes out for Miami Vice items as there is a movie coming out next year.

SELLING- Enlist the Family to find things to sell!

This morning's post is about staying tuned in to what people are looking for. A while back my daughter was at a store where she saw these items that you see pictured here made by the designer Jeffrey Fulvimari. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he was the illustrator of the Madonna book called "The English Garden" (I believe that is the name). Well these were little purses , I guess most would call them wallets. There is also another item we found which was a makeup bag which is also pictured.Originally priced at $12.00 or more , they appeared to be on sale for $1.50. When I went back to the store with my daughter, they rang up as .75 cents on the register! So we filled a few shopping carts with them LOL . Im not sure of the exact number we bought over a few months on clearance but there had to be 100 or more. We sold every last one of them at prices from $5.99 to about $12.00 with some buyers from overseas buying a dozen at a time. Now I had never heard of Jeffrey Fulvimari, but my daughter has good taste, and if she likes things usually other people do. So keep your eyes and ears open as those around you point you in the direction of neat things to sell!

SELLING - Other eBay Seller Blogs to check out!

I wanted to give you some links to some other nice blogs my friends on eBay have. They have some great information, and a diverse selection of items they sell.

Here are the links

http://artisticcatneedlepoint.blogspot.com/ Like Cats ? Cat needlepoint, oh so cute!

http://caravansarai.blogspot.com/- Hookas! Really cool and from Egypt! Don't know what they are? Check out this link to find out!

http://climbingbear.blogspot.com/ - Totally awesome quality hand crafted wood items! (many our on our Christmas list already! A must see!

http://hortonsbks.blogspot.com/ -My friend the book expert! Her blog was just started but stay tuned for some excellent info on bookselling!

http://wwwabbeyscarolinas.blogspot.com/ Incredible educational toys and books!

Please check out these great sites for some cool information and items!

Navigating This Blog! Tips and Suggestions..

There are lots of posts on this blog now, and a bunch of nice comments! As we move along I thought it might be a good idea to review some tips on finding different areas of the blog. When you come to the blogs front page you see the current month's postings. If you want to go back to other months take a look at the archives on the bottom left hand side. For example you will see July 2005 there now. As time goes on, I want to make sure people can find the start of this blog and of course the picture of Meg Whitman (CEO of eBay) passing me meatballs at dinner :)

Also, early on I explained how I will be using capitilization in post titles to tell you if the post is about SELLING on eBay, or BUYING on eBay, or if a GUEST is speaking etc. Keep this in mind as you scroll through.

Also note that this blog welcomes information from others, and as you can tell we talk about other sellers and their items as well as their tools for success on eBay. If you want to be on the blog (free of course) just send us an email at clhct1@aol.com

Thanks for reading! More great stuff to come!

SELLING - Great Resource for Springbok Puzzle Sellers!

I am writing to tell you that I found some excellent information (on eBay) of course for Springbok puzzle sellers. I purchased the information from the seller I will link below. He has compiled a spreadsheet of Springbok puzzle prices which could be very useful to those selling them and those out hunting for them! The information was at a really great price and I highly recommend it as a tool in the hunt for good items to sell. As a general rule I read tons of information. The more info the more informed a seller I am and I encourage all sellers to read and research. You never know if something you find will be a big winner unless seeing it triggers your memory when out looking for items! Here is a link to the sellers listings so you can review his items (he sells puzzles also) and this info source

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZjhawks12

Remember my post below on the Atari system? When researching it , I found that there is one game out there that sells for (Get this) $500 !!!! Of course I didnt find that one yet ;)

SELLING - eBayers LOVE Atari Stuff! ATARI JAGUAR

Well, if you remember Atari, you will know that soon after they held the lead in the game industry they lost it to the likes of Nintendo, Sega, and internet gaming. This doesn't mean of course that Atari games and systems are not in demand. As with any other retro item that people remember, they make a comeback, kind of like an 80's rock band! I have sold some Atari things in the past, and recently just purchased and Atari jacket! Here pictured you will see a listing I just launched this evening called the Atari Jaguar System. It comes complete with tons of games, all kinds of goodies and is starting at 99 cents (starting bid). I only use starting bids this low, if I feel the item is in demand enough to be bid up. In our seller group we determined the item would have to be worth over 20-30 dollars or better to be a good 99 cent item. I will report back to the blog on how this baby does! You can find it by going to our store at http://www.stores.ebay.com/Onceuponabid and typing
ATARI in the store search box.

SELLING - More pictures from Silver Lotus !

Here are some more pictures to go with the post below!

SELLING - Specialized Handcrafted Silver BLOG GUEST

A good friend of mine sent a long a very well done blog submission with some photos for you to enjoy! Check it out!

Silver Lotus
Handcrafted Sterling Silver Jewelry and Other Brilliant Buys
http://stores.ebay.com/silver-lotus

While living and working in Kathmandu, Nepal, I fell in love with locally handcrafted silver jewelry. I thought the jewelry was so wonderful that, in the mid-1990s I began a small part-time business exporting it.

Nepali silversmiths are masters of centuries-old techniques who create an incredible range of styles using silver, gold, gems, and other materials. Unlike the workers in factories in most other countries, artisans in Nepal still work with simple hand tools and use the traditional techniques handed down in their families. Much of the jewelry they create is unique, and all of it is distinctive. The raw materials come from all over the world – Kathmandu has been an active trading center since ancient times, when Nepali, Tibetan, and Indian traders traveled throughout the Himalayas and across Asia.

Because of a deteriorating and increasingly dangerous political situation in the once-peaceful Himalayan kingdom, our family decided to return to the USA, and of course I brought back jewelry to sell (and continue to import it from the same people). In Nepal, one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries, eBay was something I was vaguely aware of, but we were lucky to have internet access, let alone the ability to do business on eBay – the infrastructure was not really suitable for running an eBay business. So when I first arrived in the USA, eBay wasn’t even on my radar as a business possibility.

That changed soon enough, and my first auction began on May 13, 2004. I had no feedback and was amazed that anyone would actually buy from me. It turned out that the gemstone in the pin I was selling is not commonly available in the USA, and the buyer happened to be in love with it. I will always remember that first sale, not only because it was the first, but because the buyer went out of her way to send me an email to let me know how much she appreciated the customer service she received. It reinforced everything I’d ever learned about good customer service, and I decided there and then that customer service would be my highest priority as an eBay seller.

Once I saw that I could sell the jewelry on eBay, I decided to add other merchandise. First came Wild Earth products. One job I had while living in Kathmandu was as manager of Wild Earth, a small business that contributes to women's and rural economic development in Nepal. Wild Earth produces handcrafted Himalayan herbal products based on ancient local traditions. I had a role in developing a number of their products and know how good they are; I thought others would enjoy their products too. I sell some of my favorites, including what I believe is the world’s only yak milk soap!
By mid-fall of 2004 I realized it would make a lot of sense to open an eBay store, so I did. I decided that handcrafted jewelry from Nepal would be the core of Silver Lotus, but it would be fun and profitable to add other great finds – what I call brilliant buys – to the mix. I’ve been able to offer good deals on new merchandise such as Swiss watches and designer/brand name handbags, and I always have my eyes open for deals at garage sales, thrift stores, liquidations, and, well, any place that might yield a “brilliant buy” for a customer. Repeat buyers have made it clear to me that they come back not only because of the merchandise and the prices, but because they value a seller who values them. Some lessons take a while to learn on eBay, but the role of great customer service is not one of them!

eBay User ID: the-silver-lotus
Visit my eBay store - Silver Lotus
http://stores.ebay.com/silver-lotus

SELLING ON EBAY- RETRO WEAR THAT 70'S SHOW?

Hello Blog readers. I have a cool new pic to show you here! It is of retro 70s shirt my good friend Rob is selling. Rob, sells a whole bunch of stuff. He sells books, collectibles and anything cool he can get his hands on. You can checkall the cool things in his storeby clicking on his store link --->>http://stores.ebay.com/Robnzak . Now what does this post have to do with "That 70's Show" . Well watch the show sometime, watch what they are wearing. Look around the house they are in. Pretty much anything in the house is collectible these days and can sell well on eBay! They even featured the same radio that I bought for $7.99 then sold for $255! (The Weltron Stereo mentioned elsewhere on the blog with pics). Neat shirt here huh?

SELLING - Enlist the Family! Have your own Puzzle Master !

Here you see Tina, my wife's sister giving the thumbs up to a puzzle she assembled. It is complete and no pieces are missing! Letting buyers know this is very important when selling jigsaw puzzles on eBay. Tina has Mosaic down syndrome, and while some people call that a disability, I think she is "differently abled" . She can do puzzles that noone else has the time or patience to do. This one was really hard! She puts on her glasses and digs in. She has her own system where she stacks like pieces in piles then gets the job done. This puzzle sold for us, because we included this picture and her seal of approval. She has a wonderful smile and is a great part of our eBay business. Your family can be a part of yours as well!

SELLING - Here a Duck, there a Duck, everywhere a Duck Duck

Hey everyone! I have some new pics and info for you. This post concerns selling like items at the same time. I picked up a bunch of collectible ducks the other day while out thrift shopping. I decided to list them all at the same time. I do this to attract buyers that like those items to all the items at once. They might find one duck, then see the others. This is usually a good strategy when listing on eBay. As of the time of this post, the brown larger duck with the cool colors has the bidding lead and also has a lot of watchers. The black and white loon has a lot of watchers on the auction, but no bids as of yet!

LEARN TO SELL ON EBAY! MAKE EXTRA INCOME! CLASSES COMING !!!

Hey everyone! I have some big news for those blog readers who might live in the Connecticut area. My wife Cheryl, has just been asked to teach 3 levels of classes for Gateway Community College (I help of course!) . The classes will be The Basics of eBay Selling, a more advanced class called "Beyond the Basics" and then an eBay class for Small businesses. We are really excited about this opportunity which will be advertised in the fall by the college. If you are interested in selling on eBay and live in the Connecticut area, stay tuned to the blog for more info or email my wife Cheryl at cadamoct@aol.com . I will add information here as it becomes available. In this economy many people are looking to exand their sources of income and selling in eBay is a good way to try to do that!