March 4th, 2015
Volume XI, Issue 04
Hi!
Happy Almost Spring! It feels like Spring is in the air here in Palm Desert and I am hoping that for the rest of you who have been buried in snow that Spring is coming soon! The official start date for Spring is March, 20th, but I have already begun my Spring cleaning.
But before that, I must squeeze in a score or my story telling will go on and on….. OK, I paid $50 for this zebra because A. It was awesome B. It was Halcyon Days and C. I knew it was a good investment. I didn’t think I would make 10 times my money, but I knew it would sell for a good profit in a relatively short period of time.
Click here
to see this auction.
It was listed in my store on November 30, 2014 and it sold on February 11th. Within 2 ½ months I had taken $50 and turned it into $275 before eBay’s fees. Pretty awesome!
But let’s get back to Spring Cleaning, I wrote in my last ezine how I organized Houston’s room and closet to surprise him while he was away at a retreat.
Well, Indiana attended a retreat the weekend of Valentine’s Day, and for her surprise, I created an art studio in our garage. Here is a before picture of the garage during the process (believe me it was WAY worse than this when I started 
). Check out that built-in cabinet with the drawers that had probably originally been designed for an artist because everything eventually fit perfectly!
Our friend Coco (recycled-sporting-goods) had given Indy a huge pile of her mother’s water color paper and supplies which got me motivated. A big thank you to Coco!
Here is a close-up of the drawers with the water color paper, paint brushes etc strategically placed inside. I had also purchased that white shoe cubby for $10 and all those rolls of ribbon for 25 cents each at a garage sale earlier that day! To the left is a long skinny drawer cabinet that had belonged to my grandfather who was an architect. I can’t believe how it all fit perfectly!
Indy also had a lot of spray paint left over from Ashley (who writes ( www.lilblueboo.com which I seriously love reading). The art studio turned out super cute and Indiana just LOVES it. She calls it “Pinterest worthy”
Here is a photo of Indy and her best friend Christina a few nights after they returned from their retreat hanging out with their computers! Typical.
Check out this painting Indiana created in about two hours. It was for a school project and she was given the prompt of making something to depict a social class from the Victorian era and represent them in an art piece or diary.
Indy chose two very distinct black roads to show the division between the wife and her husband’s life. She is stuck in the home with the crying children, while her husband toils away in the factories. He has become wealthy and is able to take a mistress on the side.
To me this painting is amazing! And not just because Indiana painted it but because I feel something when I look at it. The painting really captures the Victorian era (check out their clothing) and tells such a poignant story with the bold colors and people with no faces.
Speaking of pieces of art, it’s time for another score! It is a beautiful Millefiori lamp that took me 4 years to sell. There was no way I was going to donate this piece. I would keep it until it sold….or not!
Click here
to see this auction.
Millefiori is an Italian art form and a technique in glasswork which produces distinctive decorative patterns which look like flowers. The term millefiori is a combination of the Italian words “mille” (thousand) and “fiori” (flowers). My grandmother always loved Millefiori and I do as well.
I took a best offer of $250 for it and much to my surprise, when I went to send an invoice, I realized I had offered free shipping in the listing. What? There is NO such thing as free shipping!
My mom and I were discussing it and came to the conclusion that it was probably back when eBay was really pushing free shipping and I was testing it out. Well, as you all know, I do not do NOT do free shipping on anything.
OK, I just must update you on the witch. Never have I received more emails after sending out an ezine than the one with the witch. It was so fun to read all of your ideas for her name. Check out this list….
- Griselda of course!…..maohee
- I think you should name her Hazel. By the way, I love reading your Ezines and love all of your advice!……Melody
- Hagatha….Scarethebleepouttaya!….J.
- Lizelda – lizzy (borden) for short….Janine
I wrote Janine back and said “I like Lizzy but it scares me”, Janine replied “Come on Lynn, that’s the whole idea! And besides, I’m sure Houston is looking for a good pay back too! What about Brunhilde?”
- Well, obviously, PALMIRA, the Queen of the Palm Springs dark nights…..(Elvira will be jealous!) But, remember, practical jokes are a slippery slope Always enjoy your newsletters, keep ‘em coming!…..Tisa
- Gotta another for you: How about ‘Scarella Deville’ ha ha….J.
- Hello Lynn! My suggestion for your witch’s name is Biddy. She’s an old bitty, a little batty and you love bids! ……Tamara
- My suggestion for the witch name is Hazel. She will be called Witch Hazel…..ladyshirleyann
- How about Bad Breath Bobbi? She looks like she is spewing some awful odor from that open mouth. Hello to all in the desert! Elizabeth
- Queenie the Meanie
- Which witch
- Lynnette… John
- Call her “Scary Mary”…..Jill San Diego
My top picks were Biddy and Palmira, however, Mo liked Hazel for Hazel Atlas. I think I am going to have to go with Biddy because I like bids…Thanks Tamara. Plain and simple, eBay and bids win again.
But more importantly, and the big reason that this name stuck with me is because my sister, Kiki, who passed away on 3/12/12 had a cat she loved named Biddy. She called him Biddy Biddy buttercup. In Her Memory. Love you Kiki!
And now, time for a score that got a lot of bids thanks to Biddy! This Le Crueset pan got 13 bids (hmmmm a coincidence…I think not) and sold for way more than I paid. Yipppeeee Skippppeee!
Click here
to see this auction.
In addition to the great response regarding the witch’s name, I also got some great suggestions for my friend Lori’s new work space and for all of us who sell coffee mugs. Check out this email from Jill….
“I love your ezine! Thank you! I thought I would share with you how I store my mugs. This is an older picture, but it still applies.
I buy the inexpensive baker’s racks from Kmart (especially when they are on sale!) and combine two of them into one so that there is about 8 or so inches between each shelf. I could make them smaller and combine more than 2. I use box tops from paper boxes to sort (I sort by category, but you could easily do a system like yours with labeling from A – ZZZ or such). I have since added more racks of mugs!!!
Congrats on the great sales!!
Jill”
Speaking of Coffee mugs has reminded me of an incredible coffee mug score. Well they all are, aren’t they? I listed this mug in my store on January 14th 2015 and it sold on February 11th of 2015 for full price. I should have price it at $69.99 instead of $39.99. Seriously!
Check it out…..Funny mug and only took 28 days to sell.
Click here
to see this auction.
My call for help with the perfume brought a lot of responses as well, so thank you all. This email from John was extremely helpful….
“Lynn,
In your February Ezine, you requested your readers to identify the perfume that was recommended on eBay radio. The host identified it as Iris Gris by Jacques Fath.
From my internet research, the French couturier Jacques Fath launched it in 1947. Although Fath perfumes continued to be produced after he died in 1954, the expensive Iris Gris was soon discontinued, hence its extreme rarity. If you check sold auctions on eBay, you can find that vintage 1947 bottles sold for over $1,000.
Thanks! John”
It is time for a dinnerware score and a BIG reminder that the Dinnerware to $$’s price goes up $32 tonight at midnight. This 4-week teleseminar has been awesome so far and an incredible reminder to me to be more picky with my dinnerware purchases. Check out this score!
I sold three of these for a best offer of $50 each! Two were from dinnerware that Queen’s Court member Vicki Penne found for me and one was from my local thrift store and I paid 99 cents for it! Oh happy day!
Click here
to see this auction.
Here is more information about the telesminar series.
Call #2 in our Dinnerware to Dollars series took place last Thursday. It was even better than call #1! Check out some of the comments I received:
“Great Calls! Today I went to Goodwill with your list- Must Buy, Maybe, Tricky and Never. It cut my shopping time in half in the dish aisle. Thanks!”-Staci
“Hi Lynn,Signed up for the dinnerware seminar this morning and have already listened to the first session. It was fantastic and I am so glad I took the plunge and signed up for it! Thanks!” -Cindy
“Hello Lynn, Thank you for all you do to help us learn! I loved the call last Thursday. Your upbeatpersonality and enthusiasm for eBay keeps me going.” -Debbie
“Hi Lynn, Not to be overly dramatic, but… I love you!!
I bought your latest dinnerware series. I’ve been listening to the recorded versions as I drive around doing my errands. In the first call (which is the only one I’ve listen to so far) you mentioned a special brand. It really stuck in my head because you made a funny joke about it. You told us to go out as a homework assignment and find stuff. I went to my local Salvation Army and I was able to find three of this designer’s salad plates. I paid $2.50 each and replacements shows them at $79.99 each. Woo hoo!!
I have effectively paid for your series by listening to the first phone call only one time. You are an absolute genius!
Loving dinnerware!
Chris Messina
Aka Mrs.CustomerService”
Call #3 will be taking place TODAY, March 5th at noon Pacific Time. But do not worry if you can’t listen live….it will be RECORDED so you can listen when it’s convenient for you. Some of the major changes to my system of listing and selling dinnerware that has evolved and improved over the past five years include CHANGES to:
- Brands to always buy
- Tricky brands
- Brands to never buy
- Research and new sources for doing so
- How to structure and strategize your listings(this has completely changed)…Markdown Manager, Best Offer, etc.
- How our dinnerware selling strategy has changed with eBay’s new defect policy
- Shipping pricing, materials and methods
The current price for “Dinnerware to Dollars” is an incredible bargain considering that I sell $150 worth of dinnerware a day on eBay. The current price for “Dinnerware to Dollars” is an incredible bargain considering that I sell $150 worth of dinnerware a day on eBay. The current price will be increasing $32 at midnight TONIGHT. Don’t miss your chance to order at the current price. Click here to order now. Calls #1 and #2 have already taken place, so right after you purchase you will be emailed a link to listen to them immediately. Here are the dates and times for the remaining two calls:
- Dinnerware Call #3: Today, March 5th Noon Pacific
- Dinnerware Call #4: Thursday, March 12th Noon Pacific
Once you sign up, you will also receive an email with instructions on where to ask your questions. Click here and get started now. The more questions I receive from you, the more up-to-date and informative this Dinnerware to Dollars Series will be for all of us! I can’t wait for the next two calls!
OK, another dinnerware score that sold on my Dad’s 81st birthday! Happy Birthday Papa . We LOVE YOU!
Click here
to see this auction.
I didn’t pay much for this set, but boy did those three dinner plates sell for a small fortune. More than enough to buy tickets for me, Houston, Indy and my dad to tour the Annenberg’s private residence, Sunnylands, in Rancho Mirage later this month. Can’t wait! It will be our second tour and my dad’s first.
Here is a photo of my dad when he was in high school.
My friend Max found it when we were cleaning my warehouse and he thought it was a retro looking current photo of Houston.
Here is a photo of Houston, me, the football coach and Indy on the field. Coincidence? I think not. Houston definitely takes after my side of the family .
Now, more about that cleaning adventure……
My spring cleaning has taken on a life of its own. Seriously! On Saturday, I had my good friend and former office manager, Max, meet me at the warehouse to clean it out. Max had quit his position as building manager six months ago and all of us hated to see him leave.
Max arrived at 9 am and we struggled to get to the back of the warehouse to be able to roll up the door and get started. He finally rolled up the door and tons of boxes fell out and things broke! Uggghhh. Nothing major but we started laughing hysterically.
Check out this photo of Max with the broken boxes. Way to start the day off with a bang!
Apparently we made someone on the premises mad (my guess is someone who doesn’t appreciate how well liked Max is) but the cops were called. Seriously? Life is too short for small and insignificant grudges.
Fifteen minutes after we rolled open that back door, a Riverside county sheriff entered because I had forgotten to lock the front door. Luckily, Biddy, the witch was still staged right at the front door, and I am sure the officer had quite the scare! He was looking for the person who had placed the call and it wasn’t us, so he went on his way to find the perpetrator.
The sheriff eventually met us at the back and wanted both Max and my id’s. Seriously, this was harassment in the worst degree and for no reason. I was getting angry.
We stood there for another fifteen minutes and answered a ton of questions. I had hired Max to help me clean out my warehouse and he had every right to be on the premises. Of course, Max and I were cleared to be there but in the meantime (because Max was/is a 6’2? male another sheriff was called). So now we had two sheriff cars outside the back of my office.
One of the other building tenants was laughing hysterically at our predicament and took photos.
Check out the two cop/sheriff cars. Seriously? And you can see all of my “caca…crap…stuff” from the back of the warehouse in the alley.
Well, I must say that even while the cops were there and after, Max and I had an extremely productive day and got that place whipped into shape. Thank you Max! Here is an after photo.
While all of this DRAMA was going on and trust me, at my age, I do NOT need any teenage drama, I did sell a jacket for a LOT of money. Yipppeeee! I paid $5 for this jacket and as soon as the “kaching” went off for full price, I said to “Max, may I take you to lunch when we are finished?” Si, como no…yes of course he replied. Check it out.
Click here
to see this auction.
Max and I ended up having a wonderful day and we get along great because we have both learned over the years not to let anything ruin our day! Gotta love Max.
OK, enough about Spring Cleaning. Although it makes me really happy to be organized! Let’s talk about the Queen’s Court challenge for March. It is textiles. Textiles are defined as “a type of cloth or woven fabric.” My mom helped me pick this challenge and here is one of her recent textile scores! Something she bought while visiting us here in Palm Desert.
Click here
to see this auction.
Jackie Chapman is our featured Queen’s Court Member of the month and she has a wonderful tapestry score in the making to also share with us.
Click here
to see this auction.
Before we get to her story, I want to thank both Jackie and Darryl for their positive outlook on life and for sharing their joy with all of us. Jackie’s email signature is “A Joyful Heart is good medicine.” Proverbs 17:22
We LOVE you both! And now, Jackie’s story.
“My husband, Darryl has had a long time hobby of collecting. He loves finding unique things in unusual places. He has a full time sales rep job and picks treasures on the weekends.
I was designing and selling costume jewelry at various shops and antique fairs. The same venues would also sell some of the things that Darryl had been collecting.
Here is picture of Darryl and I.
In 1996 we started hearing about this web site called “eBay”. It wasn’t until 1998 when we got our first computer that we made our way to eBay’s web site. We signed up for a user ID and started buying.
Our user ID is backcountryfinds.
It took several months, but I was able to re-buy the entire collection of Nancy Drew Mystery books from when I was a child.
Here is a photo of my collection.
The journey to becoming full time sellers has been a slow process. We had attended two eBay University events in San Diego, read a few books and had a friend, who was selling on eBay, show me how to list one thing.
It wasn’t until I finally decided to put aside my jewelry business and really get serious about selling on eBay that the business started to grow. Inventory wasn’t a problem thanks to Darryl’s weekend picks, but there was still so much I did not know.
One day I was listening to eBay radio and Griff was interviewing a “Power Seller”. Her name was Lynn Dralle. She was doing what I was trying to do. I signed up for Lynn’s eZine and in July of 2007 when Lynn began the Queen’s Court, I immediately joined. Being able to ask questions, get answers and ideas is what has helped moved our eBay business to where it is today.
Over the past 7 years, I have hired moms with college aged kids to help with the business and get it to a smooth, well….fairly smooth, running machine.
We are now moving to the next phase with our business. Darryl is retiring in two months and we are partnering with our son, who also has an eBay business. It is a very exciting time and we are ready for it!
One of Darryl’s Amazing Finds:
Title: 1929 Rose Bowl College Football CAL Georgia Tech Program
Paid: Around $28
Purchased From: A newspaper ad in Exeter, California
Winning Bid: $1200
Winner Lived: Oceanside, California
Story: Darryl saw an ad in the Exeter Sun for someone selling Football Paper Collectibles. There were 3 programs and some ticket stubs. He paid around $200 for all. The other items sold in the $100 range, but this one pulled in a whopping $1200! The reason it sold for so much, was that this was the game where Roy Riegels ran the wrong way which led to a game loss for CAL and Roy was forever labeled “Wrong Way Roy Riegels”. L
Another of Darryl’s Amazing Finds:
Title: Authentic Original Bozo the Clown Costume
Paid: $200
Purchased From: A yard sale in San Diego, CA
Winning Bid: $2600
Winner Lived: Hollywood, California
Story: Darryl purchased it at a yard sale. It had belonged to a man who worked at the San Diego television station that broadcasted the Bozo The Clown TV show in San Diego.
It received immediate action on eBay. We had a Bozo The Clown collector and other buyer ask us to sell it before the auction ended. Errrr. The winning bidder was a Television Show Memorabilia Collector who has an extensive collection and is planning on having a museum in Las Vegas someday.”
What amazing scores! We all need a Darryl! Jackie, I am so excited for the next phase in your eBay journey. I imagine that you, Darryl and your son will be an even bigger success than you already are! This is going to be awesome
Ok, time for a funny story. My mom calls me every morning with an eBay question. Lucky her, she has me at her beck and call! Just kidding. I love my mom and it gives us something to chat about on my way to the gym. So she calls me hysterically laughing and could barely get her story out because she found it so amusing. Obviously, it was going to be at my expense…..
My mom had a Dansk Mesa turquoise serving bowl for sale on eBay and was offered $20 for it. She said she did some research on eBay and found one for sale that was priced at $76. She wanted to see what the “idiot” was thinking when they priced it so high and guess what?, lo and behold, that idiot was me .
Here is that listing. Then I told her that my bowl had a slight chip and she laughed even harder.
Click here
to see this auction.
She just couldn’t stop laughing about this. But I saw no (real) humor in it because I know that I will sell mine for close to asking price. It is a foregone conclusion. I get more money for dinnerware because of my tried and true practices. Lately, I have been selling dinnerware for more than Replacements.
After my mom stopped laughing, she realized that she should raise her price . Good job Mor Mor!
Here is my mom reading to me when I was little—when she was the teacher and I was the student…oh how the roles have reversed. Just kidding! She and my dad did a great job of raising my brother, Kiki and I! Thanks to you both.
So after my Mom’s hysterically funny phone call, I headed to my local thrift store to see what was for sale. I found a taped up HUGE set of flatware for $29.99. I managed to pull out one of the spoons and read the back with my loupe. It said Towle Stainless. Sometimes it can be good, sometimes not so good. But for $29.99, I took the risk.
I got it back to my office and researched it. It turned out to be WAY good. The pattern was Colonial Plume Continental and was worth a boat load. However, it was only made for two years so that gets tricky in the demand arena. If you are wondering about any of this, you really should sign up for my four-week teleseminar, Dinnerware for Dollars. Learn more and sign up here.
In any event, when I got the auction listed on eBay it added up to $1,457.68 and all the pieces were not even listed completely. In addition, I will double those prices in my store. OK, $3,000 worth of stainless flatware for $29.99. Yikes, that is way better than my 10x rule! Maybe I will move to a 100x rule . Just kidding.
I called my mom to tell her about my score and suddenly she wasn’t laughing so hard anymore and she actually said a swear word when I told her the retail value was $3k. Gotta love it!
Here is one of the listings.
Click here
to see this auction.
As you know, in every ezine we are going to feature a great product at a special price. In honor of my epic flatware purchase, the flatware ebook is on sale for an all time low price.
Read more about it here or click here to purchase now at a super reduced price.
OK, I put a challenge out there recently to MYSELF, that I would increase my eBay sales by 10% this year. I also promised to give you updates.
Here is my January and February update. Last year in January and February I sold $14,997.73 on eBay. This year I sold $18,130.31 on eBay. That represents a 17.2% increase over last year. Yippppeeeeee! So excited to be starting the new year off on the right track. I hope you are as well .
Since it is March and St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, I thought I would end this ezine with a green Irish score. I am only 1/16 Scotch Irish but my red hair must come from that country! Check out this vest that I bought last year a week after St. Patrick’s day for a few bucks and sold last week for $40 to a buyer in Canada. Pretty Cool!
Click here
to see this auction.
Thanks for reading my ezines! I appreciate it!
Happy eBaying!
Lynn
