Hi eBayers!
Dinnerware continues to fly off of my shelves!! I love it! Happy Valentines Day!
- Lynn Recommends: Dinnerware Success Story–Volume One has been sent – Get yours!
- Special Announcement: eBay Changes Teleseminar with Lisa Suttora
- Feature Article: Four Positive Pointers to get you Motivated to LIST LIST LIST
- The Queen’s Update: Requesting More Stories from You
This ezine is published every two weeks.
February 11, 2010 Volume VI, Issue 3
Seriously, since I started writing the Dinnerware Success eBook, dinnerware has been selling like crazy. Remember the Tonala pottery dinner set I bought for $199 several months ago. I just sold another $274.96 worth out of my eBay store today!
Here is one of those pieces that I took the Best Offer on. You have got to love dinnerware, eBay, and the “Best Offer” feature.
Check out the eBay page here.
Another busy two weeks. Luckily, I finished the first volume of the Dinnerware Success eBook and took off for a few days of R&R in Las Vegas.
The day before I left for Vegas, my dad was coming down from Washington for a visit. How handy for me! He really wanted to see Houston play some baseball but he was flying in at 10:30 am on Sunday and we thought the games might be finished before his plane even landed.
Lucky for us (or unfortunately for us–you can always look at things with a positive spin or a negative one), Houston’s team was seeded 9th out of 9 teams. Way to go! Houston and I had to laugh about it because since they played so poorly on Saturday, they ended up getting an 11:30 am game time on Sunday. If they had played any better they would have had a 9:30 am game and my dad would have missed it.
If you can’t be the best, go for being the absolute worst, was what got Houston and me cracking up! And by looking at the glass half full instead of half empty, my dad was going to get to watch some baseball!
The boys had to win that first game at 11:30 against the 5th seeded team to advance into the lower level championship game. Well, they did it by beating the other team 4 to 2. And it was off to the championship game against the Yucaipa Rough Riders. Houston got the honor of pitching that game and what a treat that was for my Dad. Houston’s team won 8 to 1 and here he is with his championship medallion, my dad, and Indy.
When trying to figure out a feature article for this week, I just went into the eBay room to talk to Carmen and Deborah for some ideas. Deborah is just getting started on eBay and she suggested I write about some “baby boot camp” steps that a newbie could take to get up and going.
Carmen and I were both experiencing slight eBay burnout and I thought maybe I could combine the two ideas into a motivational article that would get me over my eBay block also!
You see, I only have 71 items listed at auction right now, and I know I need to get 29 more listed today, but I just can’t seem to get going. The more I thought about this article, the better it seemed to be.
Another reason was that after Houston’s team lost so badly on that Saturday, his coaches yelled at him and his teammates for an hour. Literally, it was an hour. I don’t think that yelling is the way to motivate kids, sports teams, or eBay sellers. So, I am going to give you Four Positive Pointers to get you out of an eBay rut (if and when you are ever in one). And I think most of us have been in one at some point in our eBay careers.
In direct opposition to the yelling done by Houston’s coaches, I got to witness the positive energy and motivation done by Indy’s Robotics coach, Miss Liberty. That lady is a ball of fire. Because of the infectious team spirit that she enthuses to the students, Indy’s team got invited back to Legoland this past Saturday to compete again!
Out of 17 teams (elementary, middle, and high school), Indy’s elementary school team looked like they would be in 7th place going into the awards ceremony. That was based on how many points their robot was given for completing its missions. What we didn’t take into consideration was that the overall competition is based on three things. Teamwork, Robotic Results, and Gracious Professionalism.
Indy’s team took 1st place overall! I am so proud of her and her teammates. You see, teamwork, professionalism, and spirit count for a whole lot! The other team (also under the tutelage of Miss Liberty from Indy’s elementary) took second place in Teamwork. A great accomplishment for these two Rookie teams.
Read the Lynn Recommends section to learn more about the Dinnerware Success eBook. The first volume turned out fantastically well and I am working on volume two. The price is going to go up again at the end of February, so I encourage you to order it now and get started on growing your eBay business.
In the Special Announcement section, please read more about the new eBay changes and how they may affect you and your business.
We have now sold thirteen seats for Live Boot Camp 2010. If you are considering joining us, we recommend that you reserve your spot early. This one is going to sell out quickly. Here is a link.
Finally, we are looking for more of your stories. Read below to find out how to submit your stories for consideration.
Happy eBaying,
Lynn Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions,’ Creator of the best-selling eBay Boot Camp in a Box.
Check out this email I got from Diva Dawn LV while I was in Las Vegas! The first volume of the eBook was sent out last week.
Hi Lynn (and Mo and Carmen and Debbie) —
I LOVE the e-book. There is so much information there. I am sooooooooooooooo glad I decided that this was a must-have for my business. Every time I look through it I learn more and more. I can hardly wait for the next installment. Thanks for taking the time to put your knowledge on paper and share it with us.
I wanted to email Kay and congratulate her after reading her success story in your email, but I am afraid I do not have her email address. Could you share it with me …. or her eBay ID and I will contact her through eBay. How awesome for her! (then again, she had the same great teacher I had…) 🙂
Diva
Thank you Diva Dawn!
Because there is soooo much more amazing information than I even imagined, this dinnerware eBook will be published electronically in three separate volumes. Volume #1 has already been sent out and it is over 113 pages!!!! This is an awesome bunch of information!
Because it is going to be so much longer than I imagined, the price is going to go up to $30 at the end of February (or whenever volume 2 is sent out)–whichever comes first. So, if you have been thinking about buying this, I highly recommend that you do it soon. Click here to order now.
(Queen’s Court members, don’t forget to use your discount.)
Here are the segments in Volume #1
Introduction
- Types of Dinnerware
- Manufacturers to ALWAYS buy
(Pattern name in signature) - Manufacturers to ALWAYS buy
(No pattern name in signature) - Tricky Manufacturers
(Pattern name in signature) - Tricky Manufacturers
(No pattern name in the signature
114 pages!!!
VOLUME #2 (Coming in February)
- Manufacturers to NEVER buy
- Designer/Artists to Buy
- Best Selling Patterns of All Times
- Patterns to Buy
- Good Color Combos
- Good Themes
- Different Countries
- Identifying the Different Pieces
- Terms and Definitions
VOLUME #3 (Coming in March)
- Where to Buy?
- Research in the Field to Make Quick Purchase Decisions
- How much should you pay?
- Single pieces to purchase vs. Entire Sets
- Research at Home
- Pricing and How to Sell
- Condition and Seconds
- Cleaning
- Photographs
- Categories
- Title
- Let’s put it to the test–a Case Study with me
This eBook is a no-brainer money-maker for YOU! Don’t miss out on our special price before it goes up again. Click here to order now. Volume #1 is available now. Volumes #2 and #3 will be available as downloads by February and March, respectively. Your purchase price buys all three volumes.
Check out this dinner plate that I paid just 74 cents for. It still has several days to go at auction and it has already made enough money to pay for nearly 1/3 of the dinnerware eBook!
Check it out here.
with Lynn and Lisa Suttora
In case you missed my fun radio interview with Lisa Suttora on Wednesday, January 27th at 11 am, you can listen to Lisa’s archived radio programs here. Lisa and I discussed how the new eBay store changes and announcements will be affecting different types of sellers.
A more in-depth teleseminar took place on Tuesday night, February 9th at 5 pm PST, 8 pm EST. If you are a Queen’s Court member this was your gift for February.
The teleseminar was awesome! They always are with Lisa! We were on the line for a full two hours! If you aren’t a Queen’s Court member, you can still purchase the teleseminar for instant download at the introductory price here.
‘Four Positive Pointers to get you Motivated to List‘
by Lynn Dralle, The Queen of Auctions
We all get a little overwhelmed at times. We don’t know where to begin, where to pick up, or how to keep the motivation going. It is especially hard when you run an eBay business out of your home and don’t have contact with other co-workers. Here are some of my top Positive Pointers to help you get going!
1. Thrift Store Run
Whenever I am feeling a little overwhelmed, I try and do a quick thrift store run. It always lifts my spirits and there is nothing like the “thrill of the hunt” to get you excited about eBay.
My dad is here, so I asked him if he wanted to go to a few thrift stores with me last Friday. Sure!
I was walking the aisles and thinking to myself, there is nothing here when out of the corner of my eye I spotted this stack of dishes all taped together.
Well, they didn’t look like much and at $4.99 weren’t probably going to be anything. But I had a strong gut feeling about them. I thought I recognized the pattern. When I turned them over I got my confirmation! A total score. I had once found six bowls in this same pattern and they sold for close to $60.00 each!
And, on top of that, I got to use my Dad’s senior discount to buy them. So the six plates ended up costing me $4.49 or 74.8 cents per plate!
Talk about motivation. I couldn’t wait to get home and list them! Here is one of the plates that already has bids.
See the auction here.
I give YOU permission to take a break every now and then and go out and have some fun at a thrift store! The treasures that you find at thrift stores and garage sales are those that you can’t wait to race home and list. We all need that extra motivation sometimes!
2. Queen’s Court Fellowship or Grab an eBay friend
The Queen’s Court forums are a fantastic way to connect with a co-worker. It is like having a bunch of like-minded eBay buddies in your office with you. They are an incredible bunch of people, motivational, supportive, kind, and extremely helpful. If you want to learn more about the Queen’s Court, you can check it out here.
What I also do is to grab an eBay friend, like Mo or Lori, and drag them out for a little thrift store or garage sale shopping. My friend Lori has just started selling on eBay and we go to the same gym for exercise classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Just this past Friday, I asked Lori if she wanted to hit a few thrift stores after our workout. “Sure,” she said because she was looking for some skinny jeans for her daughter Paige (Indy’s best friend).
Because Lori was looking for clothing, we went into a thrift store I usually don’t visit (because their prices are through the roof!) There on one of the shelves was a Royal Doulton Toby Jug. I couldn’t believe it and it was only priced at $6.00!
Here it is.
The great part of this story is that I just wrote about Royal Doulton for my Dinnerware Success eBook and mentioned that it is usually overpriced! Luckily, this time it wasn’t and I raced home to list it. Instant motivation.
3. Challenge and Reward Yourself
Another way to keep yourself inspired is to set challenges for yourself and when you meet those challenges, to reward yourself.
When I have a very successful Saturday garage saling, sometimes I set a little goal for myself. If I can get my 100 items all photographed and listed before Sunday night, I will treat myself to a movie matinee during the upcoming week.
I love going (by myself) to an early movie (at a bargain price) when the theater is empty. I treat myself to popcorn and a huge diet coke and it really is a nice reward.
I think I may go and see Avatar next week–if I accomplish my goals this weekend!
I suggest you think of some goals and rewards that will help motivate you in your eBay business.
4. Paper Clips
Some of you may already know about my paper clip trick and some of you may not. So here it is!
I take my I Sell sheets and bundle them into stacks of 15 pages. I know that I can comfortably list 15 things per hour. I write on the top sheet the hour time frame that I will be listing those items.
As you can see in this example, I am going to list these 15 items between 2:30 and 3:30 pm today. It is now 2:06 pm as I am writing this, so I must finish the ezine so that I can start listing!
OK, an update. I did it! I started at 2:20 pm and finished at 2:56 pm. Amazing! All 15 items were listed within 36 minutes. It just goes to show you that if you stay focused (don’t answer the phone, don’t answer emails, and don’t check your auction totals) you can really accomplish A LOT!
At 2.4 minutes per listing, if I follow my own advice and stay focused (and that is the tricky part!), I could get my 100 items listed (once photographed and written up) in just 240 minutes or only 4 hours. Amazing! I am going to really work on this in the next few weeks. I like having all that extra free time to do fun things (like go thrift store shopping!) (If you are interested in making your eBay business into an efficient machine, check out the Dralle Method here.)
By the way, here is one of those 15 items that I listed within 36 minutes. It already has a watcher. Cool!
Check out the auction here.
I hope these Four Positive Pointers give you some ideas to help you out when you fall into an eBay rut. It happens to all of us and if we can turn it into a game, a challenge or something motivational, it will really help our attitudes and our businesses!
Happy eBaying!
Lynn
Visit my eBay Store.
Visit my eBay auctions.
For more great eBay tips and stories, visit my website at:
http://www.thequeenofauctions.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? Yes, you may – just as long as you include all links as they are and append this complete blurb with it: The Queen of Auctions and eBay Power Seller, Lynn Dralle, publishes ‘eBay Tips & Tricks’ a weekly ezine with 10,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your eBay business, make more money, and have more time, get your FREE tips now at www.thequeenofauctions.com
We are looking for your eBay success stories to share with our ezine readers and possibly make it into a book of our reader’s best eBay stories.
A big thanks to everyone who has already submitted a story! We are looking for more great stories of your eBay adventures. We know there are many great tales out there, so please submit your story along the lines of the stories from the 100 Best Books and a great side story with photos will help. If we use your story, you will receive a $35 merchandise credit on my website and you will have your story featured–along with your user ID–in my ezine! It may also eventually end up in a published book!
By the way, when I mention my ezine readers’ user IDs with links to their auctions–it actually helps their sales! Amazing how that works. Click here for the guidelines for submitting your stories.
eBay PowerSeller and third-generation antique dealer, Lynn Dralle, is the creator of Boot Camp in a Box, the home-study course where you can learn to implement the Dralle Method to maximize your eBay profits.
If you liked today’s issue, you’ll love this step-by-step course that is guaranteed to be the most complete and enjoyable guide to selling on eBay that MAKES YOU MONEY.
Read all about it here.
The Queen of Auctions also offers articles, teleseminars, how-to books, tracking guides, DVDs, eBay Boot Camp training, and other resources to help entrepreneurs make their eBay business a six-figure sales machine.
The Queen of Auctions/All Aboard Inc.
PO Box 14103
Palm Desert, CA 92255
760-345-9355
Lynn@TheQueenofAuctions.com
Happy eBaying!!
Lynn
Lynn is an experienced eBay Power Seller, author, and teacher. If you want to know the eBay tips, tricks, and tools that Lynn uses for buying and selling at an online auction click here.