Hi!
eBay Live was so much fun! We had a blast and it was wonderful to meet so many of you in person! We’ll have fun pictures to share soon.
- Lynn Recommends: Listening to eBay Radio Download from eBay Live and my friend Mark’s upcoming conference
- Special Announcement: Only 10 seats left for my Live eBay Boot Camp
- Feature Article: Is Pattern or Manufacturer More Important?
- The Queen’s Update: Our 18th 100 Best Story from YOU!
This ezine is published once a week.
June 21, 2007 Volume III, Issue 23
Dear friends,
First of all, I want to thank all of you who wrote to me about the thread on the eBay discussion board. Many of you took to the time to write and I couldn’t possibly respond to all of you–so I will do it here! Your support and encouragement meant the world to me. You guys rock!!!
eBay Live! was a wonderful experience as usual. It was my mom, Melanie (my best friend), Dee (one of Melanie’s good friends), and me manning the booth. To those of you who we got to meet in-person–thank you so much for stopping by and making it such a fun time!
eBay Live!
The closing gala was a blast with Kool and the Gang playing all their old hits. I got to meet a really neat eBayer from Texas, Stephanie Inge. She was lucky enough to catch the white towel that the lead singer used to wipe his face at the end of the concert. Stephanie has it up for sale on eBay with 30% of the proceeds going to charity. She was so sweet that she even let me pick my favorite charity–Toys for Tots! Here is a link to that auction.
Stephanie and me with The Towel.
(Thanks to Kelly from Socks and More Outlet Store for
sending us this photo. Visit her store here.)
At eBay Live! I was interviewed for the French equivalent of USA Today. Here is the photo from the article.
I have no idea what it says, but I hope it is nice!
We are getting lots of pictures from eBay Live posted on my website–be watching for the next week.
The radio interview with Griff & Lee was a lot of fun–as usual! Please read the Lynn recommends section to find out how to listen in and read about a really neat event coming up in October in San Francisco.
In our Special Announcement section, I am pleased to announce that there are just 10 seats left for the ONLY Live boot camp this year. I am so excited to see those of you who have signed up to join me this September in the Palm Springs area. We have actually secured the location for the event and I am super duper excited.
While I was at eBay Live, I had some crazy dinnerware sell. It really got me thinking about whether it is the pattern or the manufacturer that is more important. Please don’t miss this article.
The great story from last week about the poker chip came from Dave and Debbie, who stopped by to meet us at eBay Live! How fun was that?
Finally, this week we have another great story about the things you all have sold on eBay.
Here’s to Successful eBaying!
Lynn Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions,’ Creator of the best-selling eBay Boot Camp in a Box.
Listening to the download of my Griff & Lee interview on eBay Radio taped live from the eBay Convention Hall in Boston. I was the first interview with Griff and Lee and it was awesome!
Click here to listen in.
Mark with my mom and me at eBay Live
If you have questions, call Mark Furrer at 408-688-0844. Tell him Lynn sent you! Mark has become my friend over the years and he is even mentioned in my new book–Ka-Ching! Watch for his name when the 3rd 100 Best is released on July 24, 2007.
Click here to learn more.
We have chosen a location and (drum roll please), it is going to be held at
The world-famous La Quinta Resort.
This is the resort where old Hollywood used to come to escape. Greta Garbo’s winter home is on the property (some say it is haunted!) The hotel rooms are amazing and so is our meeting location. Come prepared to relax, rejuvenate and revitalize your eBay business as well as yourself.
 “I just wanted to extend a huge THANK YOU to you, Lee, and your mom for such an inspirational eBay Boot Camp. I have attended other seminars but never have I had such a hands-on experience where I left with a sense of accomplishment and the UTMOST confidence that I will succeed.” “Your method of teaching is so effective, the way you taught us to step by step EXACTLY what to do and then actually had us DO what you taught us – as you mentored us through the entire process!!! It was just amazing!! I learned so much!!! Your class is invaluable! “You delivered EVERYTHING you promised – actually you OVER delivered!!” –Cathi A., Florida |
Click here for more information.
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“I came back from the seminar and I turned in my notice at work – that’s how much I believe in your system! We became Powersellers exactly one month after we attended your course. I know it works. I really enjoyed meeting you – we had a blast!” –Anne Schnurman, Gig Harbor, WA |
To learn more about my Live Boot Camp, click here. See you soon!
‘Is Pattern more important than Manufacturer?‘
by Lynn A. Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions’
As I sit down to write this article, it almost feels like I am asking that age-old question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” I have often wondered if the pattern is more important than the manufacturer, and I think I got my answer this week while I was at eBay Live.
Several years ago I bought a really neat set of china made by Block Spal from Portugal. It was geometric and red, white, and blue. I paid about $15 for the set and it was quite faded. I still thought it was neat so I tried it on eBay at auction.
It didn’t sell That was back in the days before I had a fully stocked eBay store, so it went to sit in my garage waiting for a garage sale (learn more about eBay store strategies here). Well, my $1 each garage sale didn’t even clear it out. My mom said she really liked the pattern and asked if she could have it for her beach house. Sure, why not? So she hauled it to her Palm Desert home and put it in the garage. It never made it to her Bellingham beach house but did stay in her garage for several years. She is Cheryl Leaf’s daughter and is a packrat just like the rest of us!
Fast forward to last month when my mom was moving from one Palm Desert home to another and she asked me if I wanted it back. She knew that with my eBay store it would have a better chance of selling.
So I said sure and got it ready to list. Here is what the pattern looks like. Remember that it was really faded so even though the dinner plates listed for $19.99 each on Replacements–I priced them quite cheaply as you can see.
Here is a photo and a link to my recent auction.
I had never found another set of Block china in all my nine years of doing garage sales. But last Friday, before eBay Live, we went to an estate sale, and there in the Kitchen was a set of Block Spal Portugal in a yellow floral pattern called Daffodil. Funny how life works!
Even though I hadn’t sold the red, white, and blue (the pattern is called Chili) set yet, this pattern looked interesting, there was a lot of serving pieces and it was only $25. Sold!
I listed the Daffodil pattern the same week as the Chili pattern. This set was also very very faded, especially the dinner plates. I made sure to mention this in the listings. While I was at eBay Live, I sold 14 out of the 22 Daffodil listings for a total of $235.01. WOW!!!!
This is the piece that sold for the most money.
Click here to see how much.
The red, white, and blue Chili pattern once again did not sell at all! These pieces are now listed in my eBay store at fixed prices along with the eight auctions of Daffodil that did not sell.
My conclusion (and I have been leaning towards this outcome for a long time) but now have some very good evidence: Pattern is more important than Manufacturer.
People don’t buy dinnerware just because it is made by Wedgwood, Fitz & Floyd, or Gibson. They buy it because they like the pattern and the way it looks in their homes. Sounds pretty obvious, doesn’t it?
My final advice to you–buy dinnerware patterns that you think will appeal to your buyers–not just by the manufacturer’s name on the bottom.
To learn more about what to be looking for when out garage saling–please consider joining us for Live Boot Camp in La Quinta, California this fall. Click here to learn more.
Happy eBaying,
Lynn
WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Lynn’s past ezines here.
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 free time, get your FREE tips now at www.thequeenofauctions.com
I am happy to present our eighteenth story for The 100 Best Things You’ve Bought or Sold on eBay! This one comes from Paula. Click below to read…
Click here to read the story…
Please patronize Paula’s auctions (pickyoldfussbudget) and make their business this year even better.
A big thanks to everyone who has submitted your stories! 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 Power Seller 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 free 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. Click here to learn more.
The Queen of Auctions/All Aboard Inc.
PO Box 14103
Palm Desert, CA 92255
760-340-6622
Lynn@TheQueenofAuctions.com
Happy eBaying!!
Lynn
Visit my eBay Store. Visit my eBay auctions.
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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.