My Dancing Pencil

Blogging and eBay, how the two combine: Lulu's Vintage

Are blogging and eBay selling compatible? Do they marry well or is one a distraction to the other? Obviously I think the two can work in tandem, so as I run across eBay sellers who blog I'll bring them to your attention. Lulu's Vintage blog is one such blog. The blog is simple, clean, and to the point. With two major tabs, one for the blog and one to highlight store arrivals, the site is easy to navigate. Great photographs highlight the text and make for easy reading. This blog is a Typepad blog.

If you scroll down to click on the About Page, you'll find that Lulu blogs on weekdays and maintains a daily subject matter schedule. If you're interested in a particular type of item, you know when to visit her blog. Lulu has a nice Q&A style on the About Lulu Page where she notes the store has been open for two years and shares how she got into vintage clothing. She also has another blog called Shop Vintage Portland.  Take a look at the differences and similarities.

So what can you learn from LuLu? Well, see how she's mined and widened the vintage clothing niche. Note how the blog and the store play off of one another. Examine how she uses the blog to not only market her store but encourage her blog readers to click over to the store and auctions. Read how she engages her readers and her customers so they have a more intimate experience. A blog is a good way to help people feel as if they know you. You can use it to build trust with your readers and customers. Your blog can help readers and customers feel as though they have a real and active role to play in your success. I'm sure LuLu's blog has been an asset to her business. Finally, what ideas have been spurred by visiting LuLu's blog and store and be sure and let us know by leaving a comment.   

How to start selling on eBay

If you've never done it before, selling on eBay can be daunting. It sounds easy. But as soon as you open up your eBay seller account the questions begin. What should you auction? How well will it sell? What shipper will you use? Is UPS or USPS better? Will you sell to international bidders? What about packing? Do you need bubble wrap? And that's only the beginning.

One of the first things to consider is a very basic one: What will you sell? Is it really the time to take a quick snapshot of that antique heirloom chandelier and throw it up on eBay without a reserve, without any research, without any preparation? No. Save that piece until you have a better understanding of how eBay works. Choose something that is easy to photograph, easy to describe, easy to ship. Something that doesn't require research.

In my case, I chose to list mugs. Everyone has them and apparently people still want them. There is a market. But the main reason I liked the mugs is because they were somewhat uniform in size and weight. Figuring out how to ship them was easier. Photographing and describing them was quick and easy. Picture an assembly line.

My first round of auctions consisted of nine mugs. In the process of listing them, I was able to define the various elements needed in the description, list any and ALL dings, chips, and cracks and work out the parts of auctions that are so important to sellers. These included potential shipping charges and a return policy. If you've already used eBay to buy items, then you might have an idea of what you want to include. If you haven't, take some time and really read the various parts of current auctions. Find sellers who have been on eBay for a long time and have a good track record. Read their feedbacks. Finally, search eBay for items that are like the ones you want to sell.

Obviously with two households that have accumulated items for 40-60 years, I have all sorts of things in size, number, and scope to put up for auction. But for these early auctions I've decided to start small and work my way up the ladder. So mugs, bow ties, jewelry, books, and magazines will be the types of items that make up my first eBay auctions. What about you? Why not share your first auction? Did you start small or did you take a deep breath and go for broke?   

The dirty little secret is out: I'm an eBay scrounge!

Okay, my evolution (devolution?) since joining the ranks of eBay sellers continues. I hate to admit it but this really did happen. A couple of weeks ago I visited a good friend and while there she pointed to a bunch of things on the couch that she had put together for Goodwill. (She didn't know I'd begun eBaying.) I could feel the gleam in my eye as I asked her if I could look at them. She said sure, there's some books, dishes, etc.

I said, "Do you have any mugs? I'd love to have mugs." (I had already decided I would focus my first listings on mugs since they're easy to photograph and ship.)

She said, "Oh, not in that pile but I am going to give away a bunch of them."

Within minutes she had about eight mugs sitting out. One from Disney (Orlando I think), one from the Cayman Islands, one saying Brasil (curitisa), one East Hampton mug from downeastconcepts (Kathleen Denis--artist?), and a Happy Birthday to You mug. Power mugging, that's what I'm all about.

I also took the dishes, a couple of old Louisa May Alcott books and a few others, a wig (for the heck of it), and a glass mug with a map of the world that says EXPEDITORS on it. (That one proved more difficult to photograph since it was glass.)

Forget dumpster diving, garage saleing, and thrift shopping. I have friends...and apparently, I have no shame.

Listings on eBay postponed until power turned on

Unfortunately I live in an area of Houston where there has been a 100 percent power outage. Although we're forunate enough to have power provided by a generator, I've decided to postpone listing any more auctions until power is restored. I would hate to still have power out and have somethig happen where the generator gave out only to have auctions end and be unable to provide good customer service. It would be different had I already had items listed prior to the hurricane but what I had ended before Ike. After looking at Centerpoint's energy restorage map, it seems that it may be another week or so before we have power. That makes this the first major test of the generator. There's also a concern that when power is finally restored it will result in another outage due to unforseen problems. In the meantime, I have plenty to do in prepartion with CDs, videos, and books to read, as well as a bunch of items to prepare and photograph. I'll talk about a few items I've found over the next few days.   

Huricane Ike is a major distraction to listing items on eBay

Hurricane Ike blew over Galveston, slammed through the ship channel, and tore up downtown Houston in a matter of hours. Behind him he left total destruction. While the combination of water and wind wrecked the coastal areas, the wind damage alone left the city of Houston in a shambles. Ike had no problem creating a massive wind tunnel effect among the downtown skyscrapers causing windows even forty stories up to blow out. Like a petulant child, Ike's windy hands grabbed office contents, dragged them out of the buildings, and rained them on downtown. Furniture smashed on the streets, computers broke apart. Broken glass, confidential papers, and paper punches filled the streets. The only saving grace was that it happened late at night when people were gone.

Even yesterday, some 12-15 hours later, glass continued to drop and litter the downtown streets. The area is cordoned off and no one is allowed in unless they are part of the restoration process. Ike bustled north and continued to uproot trees, peel off roof tops, and shred sheds. Houston is lucky this bad boy decided not to hang around.

More than two million customers in the Houston area are left without power. I have been one of the lucky ones. Thanks to a large generator, we've withstood storm in relative comfort. I've been able to follow the storm's track and see the aftermath thanks to online reporting from two major televeision stations. While interesting, watching the destruction is a major distraction. So my listings have fallen to the side. The listings and photos are ready to go. All I have to do is focus. Let's see if that happens.   

Pre-hurricane and post-eBay auction status report

Here in Houston we're in the quiet space between post-evacuation and pre-landfall with Hurricane Ike. We're opting to stay home as we're not in a mandatory evacuation zip code and should be able to weather the storm and winds. (My daughter and her family high-tailed north due to the potential wind problems among all the huge pine trees and their large mobile home.) The hurricane plywood boarding system we created for the glass sunroom was implemented without any problems last night and only took a matter of 20 mnutes to fully install. Any potential flying projectiles have been stored, I hope, and the dogs, my mom and I are pretty much hunkered down for the long wait. The day is predictably quiet, sunny, and calm. The rush for groceries, gas, and gotta-haves is over. Except for the incessent paranoia and nonstop second-guessing projected on the TV, all is quiet. Were it not for our knowledge that a huge storm was breathing down on our neck and due to hit land in the next 12-16 hours, it would be a beautiful day.   

I'm in the quiet space, also, of post-auction and pre-new listing. My first cycle of auctions ended without any bids but that's okay. I learned a lot. I began setting up a template with the needed language that every auction requires. I also simply went through the process of preparing the items, taking photos, and implementing the actual auction. Finally I had a trial run with an emailed shipping cost request. So it's all good.

Now what? Well, the first thing will be to put up new listings. I already have items selected and will probably do that this weekend...depending on the impact of dear old hurricane Ike. Then I'll take a look at setting up an eBay store where I can move all items that didn't sell during an auction so they'll have a place to be listed and be for sale for a set price. I'm going to do that early on as one thing I learned from a variety of eBay sellers is that they wished they'd set their stores up earlier than they did. Apparently store items sell very well on eBay. So look for the My Dancing Pencils eBay store in the near future and stay tuned for new auctions. Take care and return for more Hurricane Ike and eBay news!

--My eBay auctions  

First eBay auctions end later today

My first eBay auctions end later today. As thousands of eBayers do each and every morning, I've already checked my listings to see if there have been any bids or if I've received any emails. I wish I could say there's a humongous bidding war going on but there's not. Several of the mugs have a watcher or two but no activity. Does that mean there won't be any sales? Of course not. With eBay, you can't cave until the very last second. Many bidders practice sniping, a bidding technique where they hold their bid until the last 10-20 seconds to avoid becoming embroiled in a bidding war.

I've been on the sniping end and you can get a real adrenalin rush as you count the seconds down and prepare to fire your final bid. Movement during those final 30-60 seconds can be tricky if someone comes along with a higher maximum bid than yours. If you wait too long you miss the opportunity to increase your bid and you lose. So when your auctions are ending, remember: don't assume the absence of bids means the absence of interest.

Which means that my auctions aren't over yet! Now, if that blasted hurricane Ike doesn't wreak any havoc here in Houston with a massive evacuation, everything will be just fine.

--My eBay auctions

Buying on eBay teaches you how to sell on eBay

One way to wrap your hands around the necessary shipping skills needed to be a successful seller on eBay is to dissect shipments from others. When I joined my eBay seller group one of the first things I did was go through their auctions and stores. I wanted to see what they sold, how they wrote their item descriptions, and what sort of place they'd carved out for themselves on eBay. Naturally I found some things to buy.

One seller had a lovely handpainted balloon wine glass and a terrific mug with a flipflop-wearing frog perched on the handle. Because they were in the seller's store, I could buy them right away. The seller provided stellar communication and service but it was when I received the package that I knew I was in the capable hands of an eBay pro.

First, the two fragile items were packed so perfectly it would have been impossible to harm them. (Amazing to me, a newbie.) The glass stem was wrapped in bubble wrap, not uncommon, but then each piece was wrapped in bubble wrap. The two items were then wound tightly together once again in bubble wrap. A bright yellow-gold star THANK YOU! card had been attached to the very top of the bundle so it was the first thing I saw and touched. When I flipped it over, I found the 5-star feedback showing accompanied by a nice note: If there were any problems or questions the seller asked me to contact her before leaving any feedback. (We'll talk about the importance of feedback in eBayland later.) Finally, the packing slip was underneath the thank-you note but still on top of the entire bundle. A hand-written thank you and the seller's signature were also on the packing slip. By the visual impact of the packing and the obvious care in shipping, this seller earned her 5-star feedback.

I've been buying for a while on Amazon and eBay and I have to tell you I was really impressed by the care and handling this seller provided. I knew instantly when I opened the box that I had a real learning opportunity in front of me. This seller sold great items, delivered even greater service, and ultimately proved to be a wonderful teacher.

--My eBay auctions

Panic attacks and eBay seller support groups: The Queen's Court

While eBay is extremely user-friendly it is a highly sophisticated and complicated universe. There is definitely a learning curve. That became very clear to me yesterday when I received my first request for a quote for international shipping. Someone in France asked for a shipping quote for the souvenier mug from the Cayman Islands. I hit panic mode.

What to do? Well, the first thing I did was call out to my support base. This is a great group of successful eBayers who are members of Lynn Dralle's Queen's Court (QC). (Lynn is a successful eBayer known as the Queen of Auctions who also provides excellent training tools for anyone interested in selling on eBay.) The QC folk are generous, funny, helpful and define the meaning of supportive. They didn't fail me. Post after post offered helpful suggestions, guidance, and encouragement, and they literally walked me through the process so I could confidently provide an answer.

Baby steps are highly recommended when first becoming a seller on eBay. Linking up with those who have more experience and who are more than willing to share their knowledge--and their time--is a must to shave off panic attacks. Learning various ways that different sellers approach their business is helpful in picking your own way through eBayland's tall trees. Taking a deep breath and doing the first 5-10 listings, as so many QC members advise, is the best way to test the waters without becoming overwhelmed by sudden questions from potential buyers or a mass of successful auctions that result in shipping overload. If you haven't guessed, I am thoroughly indebted to my fellow QC members.

Share your first eBay panic attack story and leave comments; I love to hear from my readers.

--My eBay auctions; --Queen's Court  and Lynne Dralle, Queen of Auctions

Don't throw out that menu, it's ephemera and it's big on eBay

When eBay makes the news it is usually because something outrageous, unexpected, or just plain bizarre has been put up for auction. Remember the Madonna on the grilled cheese sandwich? Sometimes these types of items will garner more media and more bids than the traditional antique and vintage items you'd normally expect to show up on a global auction site. If you're going to eBay you have to get used to thinking outside of the box.

One creative eBayer put his or her debt up for bid. Another tried selling a bottled ghost. If that seems a bit too bizarre for you, consider ephemera. Items that fall under the ephemera category are those that appear during our daily life but only briefly. They are transient in nature. Bits of paper make up a large part of the category. Postcards and trading cards would be ephemera that most of us have come across and realize their intrinisic value. But what about political buttons, hotel napkins, disposable salt and pepper shakers? Think twice before you throw out those old menus, rumpled calenders, and decades old Christmas cards. There may be a collector somewhere in the world crouched in front of his computer, scrolling through hundreds of auction items, searching for just that piece of ephemera.

Luckily I stumbled across this vast category early on before I began combing going through my dad's things, so my ephemera eyes were open. I'm also a member of a group of eBayers who are more than willing to share their knowledge, so when one of them mentioned the value of vintage airline ephemera I took note. Woudn't you know, a few days later I came across a pair of old disposable salt and pepper shakers handed out in the past to airline customers. My dad had them in a plastic bag with a few other items that he apparently tossed in his suitcase when he used to fly. Included were a couple of clearly vintage Wash and Dri packets that had never been opened. Before learning about the value of ephemera I would have tossed them out without another thought; but now I know. Put them up on auction first.

Who knows, maybe they'll do well in auction. People collect salt and pepper shakers; people search out ephemera; people covet vintage airline memorabilia. Surely there will be someone out there in eBayland who will just die if they don't have my dad's travel items. I'll let you know when they go up for bid.

Meanwhile, hit those desk drawers, empty out those shoeboxes, shuffle through those bits and pieces of papers. And don't forget, this is a huge political year. Campaign and political items from years gone by are certain to be highlighted and sought. You may have the next big auction hit in the ephemera marketplace.

--My eBay auctions and The Ephemera Society of America