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.

Day 3 (Wed) DSR BLOG TOUR! Marshell

I met Marshell (Her name is Mar - SHELL) some place on the internet. I saw her trying to get started selling and figured I knew a few people who would be glad to help her and to meet her because she just had such a great attitude and so do they (my yahoo group members I mean. They're wonderful and so is Marshell). Marshell and the love of her life (her words! ) Jimmy are working and saving to get married and to have a home of their own. This week and next she's packing and scrubbing and getting ready to move as they go from an apartment to a house! SO, as my dad used to say ...with no more ado forthwith

1. Where do you sell – please give one link and the corresponding store name or website (any of the venues or your own site!) http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/JimmyandMarshell Jimmyand Marshell on Bonanzle

2/. Where is your blog? http://jimmyandmarshell.blogspot.com/ What do you typically blog about? Topic is Ways to make money at home and online. Why did you choose that topic to blog about? For obvious reasons! Folks need help through all the crap found online today, and I intend to help in what ever way I can. I know what it's like to be lost, I was there!

2. Where is your favorite place on the Internet? http://www.superlistexplode.com/?mid=marshell Every one needs a list to send to. This is a neat little community of like minded folks who enjoy each others company, and read each others emails. It's free, and my list is now at 5084 subscribers in just 4 weeks!

3. Where do you “hang out” on the Internet – (i.e. talkshoe radio, the ebay powerseller board etc.) http://www.superlistexplode.com/?mid=marshell As you can see, it is Super list Explode; like I said, it is a great place to meet and greet! Of course, I also love my friends on our Online Business Success Group.

AND that is just a quick glimpse of our Marshell - BTW she also

4. How are you “handling” the current economic situation? i.e getting a real job, diversifying, expanding to other venues, contracting and reducing the number of venues?

I began by taking inventory of all I knew how to do...then I started doing it. I have things listed on Bonanzle, and, since we still have an account on eBay, I MAY list on there again. However, collectibles are not moving as well as before, so I am moving into affiliate circles. I am an affiliate for "The Baby Newspaper" , a great in-home business you can do in your spare time. Use my affiliate link to check it out -">Baby Newspaper!...to mention one.

5 Where do you see your self being in 3 years? (a millionaire, in Tahiti, working harder, retired etc.)

I have faith in myself and Jimmy that we WILL be in our own home in the country, not in this cramped apartment. I believe we will be comfortably off, and be doing the things we want to; the things we enjoy. I would love to buy the program and actually sell the Baby Newspapers, instead of just being an affiliate; and Jimmy wants to junk full time.

Virtual Blog Tour - Dar Sayre The Glass Guru of TheRIVERTHERANCHANDTHEBAY.com

Today's Blog Tour Stop is to visit with Dar Sayre who has just premiered as the "GLASS GURU" of the Talkshoe Radio program - THE RIVER THE RANCH AND THE BAY - http://www.therivertheranchandthebay.com. The show on Wednesday nights will feature a regular report from Dar on vintage glass and she's also agreed to help identify peices for listeners who forward pictures.

Full Disclosure - I'm the cohost of that show and Dar's friend for about 3-4 years. If you look at the right nav bar there's a gadget to listen to her on her first appearance on the show.

Dar sells on eBay and Bonanzle primarily although she does have a small presence on Amazon and soon a presence on Etsy for her hand-crochetted bikini's and sun tops!.

So Dar, Where do you sell?

http://www.recallingthepast.com/

www.myspace.com/darsayre

http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/darsayre


And her eBay store is http://stores.ebay.com/Dars-Glass-and-More?refid=store


Do you have a blog and what is it about?
2. I was told to blog about vintage glass...LOL, it started from my interview on the radio show -

http://darsayre-theglassguru.blogspot.com/


What is your favorite place to hang out on the internet?
3.I dont have a favorite place to hang out on the internet...email takes up too much of my time.

4. How are you “handling” the current economic situation? i.e getting a real job, diversifying, expanding to other venues, contracting and reducing the number of venues?

I am handling the economy as I always have. I just keep listing...and hope its something folks will want to buy...for me, the economy hasnt had anything to do with it. My selling all types of items and on several venues happened a few years ago.

5 Where do you see your self being in 3 years? (a millionaire, in Tahita, working harder, retired etc.)

I dont know where I will be in 3 yrs..Tahiti sounded good tho!(ANY beach)

And that concludes our visit for today with DarSayre of http://www.recallingthepast.com/

Join us on Wednesday night at 8:08 PM ET on talkshoe for more glass info from the Glass Guru

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Blog Tour Visit - I think Cindy Shebley of Webseller's Circle is up next!

Dar Sayre on THERIVERTHERANCHANDTHEBAY!

On Wednesday night, my co-host and I (Kat Simpson and me, Beth Cherkowsky) had the opportunity to talk for awhile with a friend of mine! Dar Sayre.

Dar and I have been friends for about 3-4 years. We both joined a yahoo group at the same time and we got kicked out of it about 5 months apart. So I started my own yahoo group and Dar joined and now we are back together talking glass. She collects glass like I do, but she collect much more expensive and hard to find glass than I do.

Dar's been collecting for most of her life and she inherited a lot of glass from her grandparents. AND she's selling on ebay and bonanzle and some of it is glass but she's got some other cute things and some really neat antiques! So come along, listen and if you have a question about vintage glassware, you can ask her any Wednesday night because she's going to be a contributing editor now!

Here are her links to her stores on eBay and Bonanzle

http://stores.ebay.com/Dars-Glass-and-More?refid=store

www.recallingthepast.com

www.myspace.com/darsayre

http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/darsayre

ebay seller name is : darsayre

Suceeding inspite of the economy in 2009

Ok, I'm kind of lucky because I don't have to provide ALL the support from my family. BUT I do have to provide half. The half I used to provide by working 8 - 7 in a corporate office for a totally nasty man. For the three years that I've been fulltime on ebay and other venues, it's not been so much of a problem. For the last 3 months? more so.

That's why, for 2009 I've made some plans and outlined some methods for me to try. Now, my big failing is not in organization. It's more in the consistency of the follow thru. I will follow thru initially but then I get bogged down in the minutae of life and next thing I know, it's December 31st again.

So, my first step was to buy Danna Crawford's Powerselling Mom Calendar. She has a DVD/Cd that's about 30 min in length where she explains how she developed this calendar and how she uses it. So, even at $30 I figured "it can't hurt". So I bought one.

And I love it. It's got nice big blocks for each day to write notes in or schedule things in. And it's go, on the top half where there is usually pretty sunset, a cute kitten or some crazy cartoon, Danna had put some motivational phrases on one side and alist of things that need working on on the right side.

And at the top, linkes for goals. $$ on ebay , Other $$ etc. Dream goals and monthly goals. And in the middle a large open space where can stick post-its or write letters to yourself.

Want one for your ownself? On ebay go to ASKDANNA and nab one!! And if you don't like ebay/paypal I'll post a link down there for Amazon.

I've started mine for 2009. My first goal for this year is $5,000 a month in sales (well that's the "dream goal". I've routinely sold around $3,000 a month for the last 3 years. Sometimes more, sometimes less but normally at least $3,000. So I'm looking to increase my sales by 50% this month. To do that, I need to move some stuff out of the store, put some stuff on ebay that hasn't been listed and encourage people to buy buy buy!

And I'm already looking ahead. You make your money when you buy your merchandise by getting the best price. And right now I'm looking ahead to Valentine's Day, Easter and Mother's day. That merchandise needs to be on your website and in your ebay/amazon/bonanzle store 30-45 days ahead of time. So it's time to gear up now for Valentine's day.

Among other things, I have to get better at using the ebay approved "store marketing newsletter.". And that is where I'm off to now. The link to Danna's calendar on Amazon is on the right side on the carousel or it's ASIN number: B001OHV3UO

Blogging is like work - DUH!

My sister runs a company (her own small startup) that provides services to senior citizens and their caretakers. She's paying $175 a month for 4 posts a month to be written. She provides the blogger with material and that person writes her blog. AND??? And she's happy paying out money. Me? As hard as it is to blog, I'd rather do it myself, thank you.

So I sat down the other day and wrote this whole draft about how Santa Claus, who used to shop on eBay according to Marsha Collier, is now shopping on Bonanzle (according to me). And I say that because? Because I've sold 4 things since opening there, without really doing a darn thing.

I pushed my eBay listings over. Was taking my sweet time editing them and people started buying. WOW! So I signed up for Googlecheckout. Guess what? I love it!

But back to that original post about Santa shopping at Bonanzle. I was just about done and...(no the computer didn't crash. ! ) I hit the wrong stinking key and deleted the whole darn thing!

TADA! the wonders of modern technology! At least in a typewriter, I'd have had typos but I'd still have a paper copy.

And the creative spark that was burning during that "episode" of my blogging life is dead now. Santa may still be over at Bonanzle shopping his fool boots off, but my brain has moved on and not to more interesting topics. Today, my brain is consumed with "WHY can't I list as many items per day as I used to??"

I'll have an answer for that on Friday. See me then. (After all, it's my consuming project for the day...to figure it out! and reverse the trend!)

Are you ready for the Holiday Mailing Season?

Are you ready?

You and I both know that even with the economy in a shambles, WE are giving Christmas presents (holiday presents to celebrate Hannuaka or Kwanza or New Years or Boxing Day or WHATEVER you feel like celebrating.)

So are our customers online! They may not be spending as much as last year but they going to give each other something. So are YOU ready?

Do you have priority mail boxes on hand?
Do you have packing materials - clean, non-smelly, category appropriate packing materials?
Do you have plenty of packing tape? labels? printer paper? ink?

Did you eat your Wheaties this morning? Cause Black Friday, Green Monday, Cyber Tuesday - they are all on the way. And for heaven't sake, you don't want to have to refund a sale because you didn't have the right size box or other supply.

Now do you know the Post Office's and UPS and FEDEX's shipping deadlines? You need to know them and let your customers know them. So, here's a link to the appropriate websites:


The USPS: http://www.usps.com/holiday/welcome.htm?from=home_lgpromo_RedOrnaments&page=Calendar

BROWN! UPS:
http://www.compass.ups.com/article/article.aspx?id=2289

and last but by no means least - Fedex:
http://www.fedex.com/us/holiday/shipping/lastdaystoship.html


So, go print out the schedules if you haven't already. Be sure to order the supplies from whomever you use for that (I've got recommendations for that on another day) and get packing!


By the way - remember to smile every day - it makes the world wonder what you've been up to! and? And HAVE FUN!