Lynn’s eBay eZine March 4th, 2015 Volume XI, Issue 04

I buy the inexpensive baker’s racks from Kmart (especially when they are on sale!) and combine two of them into one so that there is about 8 or so inches between each shelf.  I could make them smaller and combine more than 2.  I use box tops from paper boxes to sort (I sort by category, but you could easily do a system like yours with labeling from A – ZZZ or such).  I have since added more racks of mugs!!!

Congrats on the great sales!!
Jill”

“Lynn,
In your February Ezine, you requested your readers to identify the perfume that was recommended on eBay radio. The host identified it as Iris Gris by Jacques Fath.

From my internet research, the French couturier Jacques Fath launched it in 1947. Although Fath perfumes continued to be produced after he died in 1954, the expensive Iris Gris was soon discontinued, hence its extreme rarity. If you check sold auctions on eBay, you can find that vintage 1947 bottles sold for over $1,000.
Thanks!  John”

“Great Calls!  Today I went to Goodwill with your list- Must Buy, Maybe, Tricky and Never. It cut my shopping time in half in the dish aisle. Thanks!”-Staci

“Hi Lynn,Signed up for the dinnerware seminar this morning and have already listened to the first session. It was fantastic and I am so glad I took the plunge and signed up for it! Thanks!”  -Cindy

“Hello Lynn, Thank you for all you do to help us learn! I loved the call last Thursday. Your upbeatpersonality and enthusiasm for eBay keeps me going.” -Debbie

“Hi Lynn, Not to be overly dramatic, but… I love you!!

I bought your latest dinnerware series. I’ve been listening to the recorded versions as I drive around doing my errands. In the first call (which is the only one I’ve listen to so far) you mentioned a special brand. It really stuck in my head because you made a funny joke about it. You told us to go out as a homework assignment and find stuff. I went to my local Salvation Army and I was able to find three of this designer’s salad plates. I paid $2.50 each and replacements shows them at $79.99 each. Woo hoo!!

I have effectively paid for your series by listening to the first phone call only one time. You are an absolute genius!
Loving dinnerware!
Chris Messina
Aka Mrs.CustomerService”

“My husband, Darryl has had a long time hobby of collecting. He loves finding unique things in unusual places.  He has a full time sales rep job and picks treasures on the weekends.

I was designing and selling costume jewelry at various shops and antique fairs. The same venues would also sell some of the things that Darryl had been collecting.

Here is picture of Darryl and I.

In 1996 we started hearing about this web site called “eBay”.  It wasn’t until 1998 when we got our first computer that we made our way to eBay’s web site. We signed up for a user ID and started buying.

Our user ID is backcountryfinds.

It took several months, but I was able to re-buy the entire collection of Nancy Drew Mystery books from when I was a child. 

Here is a photo of my collection.

The journey to becoming full time sellers has been a slow process. We had attended two eBay University events in San Diego, read a few books and had a friend, who was selling on eBay, show me how to list one thing.

It wasn’t until I finally decided to put aside my jewelry business and really get serious about selling on eBay that the business started to grow. Inventory wasn’t a problem thanks to Darryl’s weekend picks, but there was still so much I did not know.

One day I was listening to eBay radio and Griff was interviewing a “Power Seller”. Her name was Lynn Dralle.  She was doing what I was trying to do. I signed up for Lynn’s eZine and in July of 2007 when Lynn began the Queen’s Court, I immediately joined.  Being able to ask questions, get answers and ideas is what has helped moved our eBay business to where it is today.

Over the past 7 years, I have hired moms with college aged kids to help with the business and get it to a smooth, well….fairly smooth, running machine. 

We are now moving to the next phase with our business. Darryl is retiring in two months and we are partnering with our son, who also has an eBay business. It is a very exciting time and we are ready for it!

One of Darryl’s Amazing Finds:

Title: 1929 Rose Bowl College Football CAL Georgia Tech Program

Paid: Around $28

Purchased From: A newspaper ad in Exeter, California

Winning Bid: $1200

Winner Lived: Oceanside, California

Story: Darryl saw an ad in the Exeter Sun for someone selling Football Paper Collectibles. There were 3 programs and some ticket stubs. He paid around $200 for all. The other items sold in the $100 range, but this one pulled in a whopping $1200! The reason it sold for so much, was that this was the game where Roy Riegels ran the wrong way which led to a game loss for CAL and Roy was forever labeled “Wrong Way Roy Riegels”. L

Another of Darryl’s Amazing Finds:

What amazing scores!  We all need a Darryl!  Jackie, I am so excited for the next phase in your eBay journey.  I imagine that you, Darryl and your son will be an even bigger success than you already are!  This is going to be awesome 

Ok, time for a funny story.  My mom calls me every morning with an eBay question.  Lucky her, she has me at her beck and call!  Just kidding.  I love my mom and it gives us something to chat about on my way to the gym.  So she calls me hysterically laughing and could barely get her story out because she found it so amusing.  Obviously, it was going to be at my expense…..

My mom had a Dansk Mesa turquoise serving bowl for sale on eBay and was offered $20 for it.  She said she did some research on eBay and found one for sale that was priced at $76.  She wanted to see what the “idiot” was thinking when they priced it so high and guess what?, lo and behold, that idiot was me .

Here is that listing.  Then I told her that my bowl had a slight chip and she laughed even harder.

Click here to see this auction.

She just couldn’t stop laughing about this.  But I saw no (real) humor  in it because I know that I will sell mine for close to asking price.  It is a foregone conclusion.  I get more money for dinnerware because of my tried and true practices.  Lately, I have been selling dinnerware for more than Replacements.

After my mom stopped laughing, she realized that she should raise her price .  Good job Mor Mor!

Here is my mom reading to me when I was little—when she was the teacher and I was the student…oh how the roles have reversed.  Just kidding!  She and my dad did a great job of raising my brother, Kiki and I!  Thanks to you both.

So after my Mom’s hysterically funny phone call, I headed to my local thrift store to see what was for sale.  I found a taped up HUGE set of flatware for $29.99.  I managed to pull out one of the spoons and read the back with my loupe.  It said Towle Stainless.  Sometimes it can be good, sometimes not so good.  But for $29.99, I took the risk.

I got it back to my office and researched it.  It turned out to be WAY good.  The pattern was Colonial Plume Continental and was worth a boat load.  However, it was only made for two years so that gets tricky in the demand arena.  If you are wondering about any of this, you really should sign up for my four-week teleseminar, Dinnerware for Dollars. Learn more and sign up here.

In any event, when I got the auction listed on eBay it added up to $1,457.68 and all the pieces were not even listed completely.  In addition, I will double those prices in my store.  OK, $3,000 worth of stainless flatware for $29.99.  Yikes, that is way better than my 10x rule!  Maybe I will move to a 100x rule .  Just kidding.

I called my mom to tell her about my score and suddenly she wasn’t laughing so hard anymore and she actually said a swear word when I told her the retail value was $3k.  Gotta love it!

Here is one of the listings.

Click here to see this auction.

As you know, in every ezine we are going to feature a great product at a special price.   In honor of my epic flatware purchase, the flatware ebook is on sale for an all time low price.
Read more about it here or click here to purchase now at a super reduced price.

OK, I put a challenge out there recently to MYSELF, that I would increase my eBay sales by 10% this year.  I also promised to give you updates.

Here is my January and February update.  Last year in January and February I sold $14,997.73 on eBay.  This year I sold $18,130.31 on eBay.  That represents a 17.2% increase over last year.  Yippppeeeeee!  So excited to be starting the new year off on the right track.  I hope you are as well .

Since it is March and St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, I thought I would end this ezine with a green Irish score.  I am only 1/16 Scotch Irish but my red hair must come from that country!  Check out this vest that I bought last year a week after St. Patrick’s day for a few bucks and sold last week for $40 to a buyer in Canada.  Pretty Cool!