My Dancing Pencil

Baby steps: Collect 10 items for auction

Baby steps it is. This week I plan to collect 10 items to put up on eBay. Because the whole shipping thing scares me to death, I'm going to look for small, lightweight items. After I have them collected, I'll write them up and take photos. My goal is to put them up for auction next week. I vaguely remember reading something about the timing of auctions so I also need to see if I can find that info. 

I will probably look to the world of ephemera, those daily items that briefly appear in our lives, for some of the items this week. Paper napkins, matchbooks, even small company advertising items. My plan of action also calls for me to limit the time I devote and to be more stringent so I don't end up forsaking everything else. That's a real danger with eBay and right now I want to be sure that I don't get overwhelmed as I return the land of eBay. How about you? How do you balance eBay and the other areas of your life? 

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.