I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy...or I will be when I get these!

So I happen to be one of those crazy people who likes to go all out and decorate for things like Memorial Day and the 4th of July.  There's been some slacking off lately but I'm thinking now that I've got 2 whole weeks so I will get the house and front yard decorated for Independence Day.  Why? Because I live here in the USA where I have more freedom and more opportunity that I personally know what to do with. So here's some things I'm ordering (or already ordered)

I like this... it goes with my new 'tude!

    

And I like this cause I have a small neice who will look adorable in it.

That little cutie and the two great nephews will LOVE playing with these guys...


 Now let's see what else I found or bought or will buy....
I got some of these from a local friend but you can get them here

And I bought this at the fleamarket but I need 3 more (now that I decided to go all out.
..                              
I like these candles for the walkway and for the tables in the yard but I also put them on my arents graves and my great grandfather, grandfather and 2 uncles graves because they served in combat. Only one died in combat but several of them were Purple Heart recipients and most of them had some kind of wound. Even my mom was a veteran. 

SO... I also need some entertainment.. music preferably
and this looks perfect

or this? in case it rains

And for now I'm done... (well unless I find something I really,  really can't live without.. I was thinking of the red & blue painter's cap.... ummmmm I'll let you know on that.

How eBay really lost their Mojo & where it went

I was reading this article  http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/marketing/article/5-marketing-truths-i-wish-id-known-sooner-tim-berry


And got to the #3 "TRUTH" and realized why eBay has lost it's Mojo - for real though.   A lot of people have said this, that & the other thing are the reason - HERE is the real reason...read this

"3. Consistency beats brilliance.

The full form of this one is: better a mediocre marketing plan consistently applied over a few years than a series of brilliant strategies, each lasting months, each contradicting the last one.

That's another one, like the first one here, that I call sad but true. If you define marketing like John Jantsch does, getting people to know, like and trust you, then you have to realize that it takes being the same you – whether that's a personalized company you or a larger company brand – over a long period of time. Every time you reinvent the brand, you start back at zero.

Sure, in real-world marketing you can't keep doing something that isn't working just because it's in your plan. But, on the other hand, with any normal marketing strategy you and your whole team are bored stiff with a marketing strategy long before it begins to make impact on those people you want to reach. You need to give it time. And you need to stick with it until it's not working, not just until you're bored with it.

You can't expect to hit the bullseye with every arrow. You keep trying. "


eBay management decided "AUCTIONS" weren't fun any more.  None of us who like auctions decided that.  MANAGEMENT decided it.  I think what they decided really was "eBay doesn't make enough money with JUST auctions" so they are trying to turn the big boat - the SSS QUEEN EBAY around in mid ocean.  Guess what? Big ships don't turn on a dime and sometime things fall over board when some nimroad does that with the wheel. 

Notice that one term? MARKETING STRATEGY?  eBay has NEVER had an quality, consistent marketing strategy. Heck they never even had a good advertising campaign. We always get these lame slogans and stupid commercials.  They've changed directions and sent so many mixed signals NO one can figure out what they are doing.  So eBay, I know you're out there....go read that whole article and then pass it around the management "cubicles".   That's from AMEX not me so maybe you'll listen...not blinking likely but I can dream.

June 7 - still an A.S.S to eBay

I'm still an ASS and eBay either doesn't get how insulting that designation is or doesn't care or more likely, they meant it? Doncha think?   I mean any other corporation that depended on US and heard us complaining about being designated A.S.S. (which is supposed to stand for Above Standard Seller) but which just sounds denigrating, would have changed it by now.  Above Average Seller or ATR (Almost Top Rated) or "2nd Best"  but eBay took a hard line and says TUFF, you're an ASS and we're not changing it no matter how insulting you all think it is - not in exactly those words but with their indifference and Griff's responses that they just didn't thik it was important. 

So? what is a Girl supposed to do?? Me? I'm ordering this shirt -
Proud to be an ASS

Disclaimer - not my shirt (til I order) and not my listing but I think we all need to show up in San Jose in September or in Chicago next month at the Ebay on Locatiion events wearing these.  There is power in unity, you know? Look what Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King accomplished with Passive Resistance. 

As a followup - to my ASS Status

My sales have now totally tanked.  I'm letting 800 MORE listings expire on eBay
I have 8-10 auctions ending per night and 1200 FP listings until last week.  I am getting 2-3 sales a WEEK - not a day - A WEEK! 

This place is dead and I'm moving on.   I have no more patience for people who tell me to wait.  WAIT?? And how am I paying my bills til eBay fixes the DSR system and the Search System and stops disadvantaging NORMAL sellers in search??

I have no more patience left for John Donohoe and crew.  And if I hear on eBay Radio's chat board one more time that we should be positive, I'm gonna scream.  I'm POSITIVE - SALES THERE SUCK!

I've been demoted...can you tell?

Ok, so I'm no longer a TRS - all because a year ago - TWELVE MONTHS ago I got 1 or 2 in Item as Described every month for 3 months in a row  and then a disgruntled buyer who did not follow THE RULES..(my auction terms) gave me ALL ones for everything. So I'm over my quota on 1s and 2's.  If you haven't gotten any? I'd gladly lend you some.   In fact, I'll just donate them outright. Help you self. I have 2 too many in Item as described and 2 too many in shipping costs (cause God knows I overcharge for shipping.. I say that in the confessional every week. BLESS ME FATHER FOR I HAVE SINNED AND CHARGED AWHOLE $2 for HANDLING on items that cost upwards to $400/500. HEAVEN FORFEND!)............ BREATHE BETH - BREATH!

Ok so what is the deal here eBay? - if I sell 1600 items a year I can be reviewed in 3 mos, right? but I've only sold 1156 so I can't be reviewed for a year?? Guess what?? I ain't gonna make it.  In the 2 weeks since you snatched away my incredibly ugly TRS show prize badge, my sales have sunk like a stone. So I won't be here the end of May 2010 let alone in May 2011. 

And I'm guessing that, of the 1156 transactions I had who left feedback, the 1150 who were satisfied (and honest, not thieves or scammers like 2 of the other 6) count for less than 2 thieves and 4 disgruntled customers who didn't like the item they bought, for whatever reason.   So HELLO CUSTOMERS?? YOU don't count. Only the autograph creep and the book idiot who thought a FACISIMILE copy should be a REAL first edition, count. 

Just wanted you to know where YOU stand. Me? I'm an A.S.S. and heading towards the door. (don't believe it? while everyone else is piling 40-60 million MORE listings on ebay, I've reduced my numbers from 1400 to 800 and this week another 200 will go bye-bye. )

OH, and I forgot, I said MS65 in a title for a coin that wasn't graded cause I duplicated a listing and forgot to remove that phrase and THAT keeps me from being a TRS no matter what I do sales-wise for the next year.  Logical? maybe as a short-term punishment, but for 1 offense of it's type, in 13 yrs, it sure seems heavy-handed to me.

.  

Yes I'm pissed. Yes I know it means nothing or less to eBay managment and yes I know I"m dispensible and they will replace me with some Chinese junk vendor or some Bulgarian scam artist (or  a London art dealer selling forgeries)  but I will survive.  I don't know how much longer eBay can.

How many people do you know that have left? I can tell you 245,000 have diversified because THEY joined Bonanzle or Ecrater or Addoway

BTW, did I mention that I used to buy on eBay? From you, and you and you? and you and you over there in the corner too.  So will I continue to buy on eBay? NO ! the shipping dept apparently will but ME?? NO! emphatically

So, if you're looking for fine books, vintage glass, or depression era china, or other "oddball" stuff, come see me at one of those links right there. 

C-Ya!

5-6-10 Just an FYI - when I'm pissed and I say things, it doesn't mean I won't do them when I calm down. I'm calm now - 142 listings lighter too.  And 1/2 of those are not ever going back on ebay and the rest ? who knows when.

eBay meets the 21st century!! MOBILE LISTING!!1

Ok that's some hyperbole up there but really - so many things are now on your cell phone, I've had ebay search for years on a OLD OLD Verizon phone. However, Now I hear that:

A) Apple's gonna migrate the I-Phone to Verizon (HURRAH!!)

B) Ebay has an I-Phone selling App. (and one for the classifieds too!) so now I can sell from any where.. Gives a whole new meaning to "I've got a bridge to sell you!". Cause you can take a picture of the bridge and listed it WAY SIMPLE!! This is sooooooooooooooo NEW SCHOOL...not old school... check this out

Where do you sell? WHY there??

Where do you sell?? (SURVEY SAYS...?)
Ebay
Bonanzle
etsy
ecrater
Amazon
??
your own website?
Ruby Lane
IOffer?


Well I ask because I sell on several and I'm always wondering how are you doing elsewhere? Here's MY Report card for February 2010

eBay - sales picked up on Jan 20 when I finally got the TRS badge. I deserved it before that but it took a poke in the eye to point out to eBay whomever that I had the volume to be rated on a 3 mos basis NOT a 12 mos basis and if they did that, I'd be TRS. so now I am and sales are upp about 10% - which is ok...but I could use them to be back up to the level of last year which was 50% higher than Dec 2009. - I will be watching closely what's happening March 30th when the store listings roll into search. Hopefully I'll sell out quick and be able to pay a bill and go buy more stuff.

Amazon - I sometimes feel like a red-headed step child there. As a 3p seller and NOT FBA I only get the left over sales. If they are too slow and I've sold something elsewhere and have to cancel a sale...well then I go into "amazon jail" for a month or so. In January I sold 4 things that sold the same day on eBay or Boannzle and so 4 cancellations out of 4 sales...I've been in jail ever since. NOW finally I have 2 sales and I'm feeling the Amazon love again... hopefully it will last this time

Ecrater - I lvoe this site - since day one I sell a couple of items a month -not big money but always something I least expected. I'm tweaking an additional 300 NEWER listings there at the moment so I'm hoping for a sale bump soon

Bonanzle... nothing like a ranch - I sell a couple of items a week there these days - nothing big or expensive but hey someone has to buy circus posters and post cards.. And the Bonanzle folks do. doing some tweaking there too....

IOffer - I quit. I can't stand being nagged to sign in when NOTHING has happend in 4 mos and so I don't sign in for 2 weeks and they nage me every day for another two weeks..DONE! OVER - OUT!!

My website - ANTIQUEDAZE is small but growing. Still waiting for my first sale but since I only started in January putting things up and I only have like 40 up there... I'll be patient a long time for this one. I waste more on eBay fees than this whole thing costs me for a year.

And you?? where are you selling?? I'd love to hear and if you really want to be a guest blogger and link to yourself etc...? email me at bcherkowsky@gmail.com... send me a post and I'll post your blog topic right here about YOUR website...and what you sell