Hi fellow eBayers!
Well, we are back from Colorado and it is hot here–107 degrees today! Not many garage sales, but I did buy some more interesting things this week.
- Lynn Recommends: The Queen’s Court
- Special Announcement: 12 hours left to get Ka-Ching! + Bonuses
- Feature Article: Jewelry Junkies
- The Queen’s Update: Our 22nd 100 Best Story from YOU
This ezine is published once a week.
July 26, 2007 Volume III, Issue 28
Dear friends,
The Baseball tournament in Colorado was great and our boys took 13th place! I am so proud of all of them—there were 44 teams participating from around the U.S. Once again, thank you to those of you who bid on our charity items!
Indy was a real trouper to spend a week of her life watching baseball–so I decided to do something really nice for her. Something that she has been begging me to do for a long time. No, I didn’t break down and buy her a puppy–I am not that crazy. But I did finally agree to let her get her ears pierced at age 8 1⁄2 instead of waiting until she is 12. My mom and dad made me wait until I was 12–so I was going by that rule of thumb.
It drove my grandmother crazy because she was always dying to put some of the earrings from the shop into my ears. Anyway, kids seem to be growing up so quickly these days and Indy is quite mature. She loves her new earrings (Cubic Zirconium) and has been taking extremely good care of herself. I am proud of her!
So, the ear piercing brings me to this week’s feature article about selling jewelry on eBay. I have learned a lot about selling jewelry on eBay over the years because I inherited a lot of jewelry from my grandmother’s antique store and I want to share some of my top tips this week.
I returned to that same crazy estate sale this week and bought 350 vintage children’s dresses from the 1950s and 1960s for $250. I didn’t know how to get them home, but I have a really nice cab driver (named Anita) that I use a lot so I gave her a call. She offered to bring them for free! What a star. I did give her $20 for gas, so the 350 dresses cost me 77 cents each. This will definitely be an article in a future ezine! And may take me quite some time to get them listed. Yikes!!!
Because I returned to that same estate sale, I was able to make a killing by finding some very desirable eBay merchandise. I can’t say it enough times, but Amazing Things happen when you are in the right place at the right time. La Quinta resort in September is that place and time. I think that there are only 5 seats left. Please don’t miss out on our ONLY Live Boot Camp of the year!
This week we have another great story about the things you all have sold on eBay. This one comes from Yvonna. Read about how she is getting her daughter hooked on eBay.
Our 48-hour promotion for Ka-Ching is almost over. You have 12 hours left–Don’t miss out on these amazing bonuses from the top 14 eBay gurus. Read the Lynn Recommends section for more!
And Last but Definitely not least, The Queen’s Court is filling up and I don’t want you to miss out on a Charter Membership. Our first teleseminar was last night and it was a blast! My special co-host this month was Maureen (Mo) my former assistant. The price will be going up on July 31st, so please don’t miss out on a charter membership. Read more in the Lynn Recommends Section.
Here’s to Successful eBaying!
Lynn Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions,’ Creator of the best-selling eBay Boot Camp in a Box.
The Queen’s Court Charter Membership will end at midnight on July 31st. Please sign up before then to get in at the low introductory price!
The Queen’s Court is open for business. In a nutshell, each month you will get:
- A new Q&A teleseminar–where I will be answering YOUR questions
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- A Networking Discussion Board–for members only
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Click here now for more info. Click here now to sign up.
Ka-Ching! The 3rd 100 Best Things I’ve Sold on eBay is ready to ship and I got together 13 of my favorite eBay Gurus to offer some of their best products as bonuses!
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To add some extra excitement to our promotion, we have a complete Boot Camp in a Box (with the Lost Bellingham DVDs–a $1798 value) up for sale on eBay starting at 99 cents–No reserve! Click here for the Boot Camp Auction.
‘Jewelry Junkies‘
by Lynn A. Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions’
My grandmother was a jewelry junkie. She loved to buy it, make it and sell it. The shop had six huge showcases all filled with earrings, necklaces and other special pieces. There was even an entire hallway devoted to beads and jewelry-making parts. Of course, when we finally closed the doors to the physical location on August 2nd, 2002, there was a lot of jewelry left. So I inherited quite a bit.
My grandmother always wanted a Gemologist in the family–not an attorney or a doctor–like most families want. So, she finally got her wish when my brother attended the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica. My brother is really talented, not only does he have a degree in music, is GIA certified, does all my web work and graphics but he is also a professional photographer. Wow!
But back to the jewelry. When I do list jewelry, I try and list it all in collections or bunches. I will take one week and list all of my 100 items as jewelry pieces. One reason I wanted to write this article (besides Indy getting her ears pierced) was because I am getting ready to go up to Bellingham, WA and spend three weeks. I have been so busy that I may not have time to get my 300 I Sell sheets written up ahead of time.
And here are some great travel tips–But only if you are traveling and still need to work. I don’t recommend this if you are going on vacation–although even on vacation I will take my completed I Sell sheets and list during layovers in the airport. Another tip–if you can’t get your I Sell sheets ready before your trip–you can easily get 300 pieces of jewelry (or how ever many you need) to fit into a shoebox (or two) and then take that in your suitcase (or carryon if it is more valuable pieces). I also pack my digital camera and laptop with wireless Internet card and I can list from anywhere!
Think about it. If you have to be in Colorado for a week for a baseball tournament (like we were last week), or if you want to get out of town but still be able to work, this makes it all possible.
So, I will take 200-300 pieces of jewelry with me when I go to Bellingham in August and list them from there. Once listed, I will ship them and the I Sell sheets down to Palm Desert to Carmen (my new assistant). Carmen is awesome by the way! We hired her right before eBay Live in June and she has been doing a great job! Carmen will then be able to ship them out when they sell.
Here are my top tips for finding and listing jewelry:
1. Don’t be discouraged if a jewelry item doesn’t sell at auction. About 75% of my jewelry pieces sell from my eBay store. The best way to look at this is that you are stocking your store for future sales–the more items in your eBay store, the more inventory you have for sale. My grandmother always said, “You can’t sell from an empty wagon.” Keep your eBay wagons plum full!
2. I always forget to do this because I am usually so focused on the dinnerware and flatware…but don’t forget to check out the jewelry tables. Most garage and estate sales do have a table where someone is sitting and watching the money and the jewelry. Also, all thrift stores have cases full of jewelry. Don’t overlook this easy and profitable category.
This is a Christmas tree pin that Indy found for me at a Charity sale. The full story and what it sold for is story #49 in Ka-Ching.
3. Once again, buy in bulk. If you see a table full of jewelry at a sale ask “How much for everything”? It certainly can’t hurt but remember to wait for them to name a price. It will usually be less than what you would have offered.
4. Look for signatures–we all know to turn over china, porcelain and dinnerware looking for signatures but we must remember to look for signatures on jewelry also. If a piece is going to be signed it will typically be on the back side. If it is a brooch–look next to the pin back. If it is a necklace–look by the clasp and on the clasp. If it is a ring–the marking is usually inside the shank.
You want to look for markings of collectible manufacturers as well as markings that indicate the metal used. eBay has a great Vintage Jewelry Guide here. Pieces made of precious metal may be marked (among other marks): 10k, 14k (585), 18k (750), Sterling (925) or even Platinum (‘Pt’, ‘Pt 950’, ‘Plat’ or ‘Pt 900’). Gold-filled pieces may be marked with a karat marking then GF (ex: 14kt GF) or with a fraction then a karat marking then GF (ex: 1/20 10Kt GF) . Also called rolled gold plate or gold overlay, these pieces don’t have the intrinsic value of a solid gold piece, but may be quite valuable depending on era and manufacturer.
One note of caution. A marking isn’t a guarantee that the metal is the metal and quality stated. Before spending a large amount, you may want to have the metal tested by a jeweler (or your gemologist brother!)
This is a signed brooch that sold for a lot of money. It is featured in Ka-Ching as story number 28. To get Ka-Ching and find out how much it sold for, click here.
5. Think about these different types of jewelry and the terms to use in your titles:
- Earrings: Dangle, Drops, French, Post, Stud, Shepherd’s Hook, Hoops
- Pins: Brooch
- Bracelets: Bangle, Link
- Necklaces: Chokers, Lavaliere
Some other great words to use in your title:
Costume, Fine, Gold, Silver, Sterling, Platinum, Vintage, Antique, Victorian, Retro, Mod, Edwardian, Jewelry, Trade Beads, Loose Beads, Jewelry Making Findings, 14k, 10k, 925 (signature for sterling)
This is a photo of a single pearl earring with a French Style lever back that I sold from my eBay store this month. Click here to see what a single earring can sell for! By the way, this piece of jewelry sat in my eBay store for only 10 months–It only cost me 30 cents to park it there!
6. Finally, always measure your jewelry pieces. When I measure a necklace I say the necklace is 18″ around which means 9″ on each side. This avoids confusion. For bracelets same thing–9″ when laid flat or the bangle is 3″ across (in diameter) and always tell how wide. With rings it is really important to tell the size. If you are going to be selling a lot of jewelry, I recommend purchasing a ring mandrel like my grandmother’s that is shown here. If not, you can always take a few rings by your local jeweler and ask him/her to measure them for you.
A ring mandrel. The lines marked down the length indicate the size of the ring place on the mandrel.
Selling jewelry is fun and profitable. It takes up very little space and is easy to ship. It is also readily available and can be found everywhere! Just don’t pay too much for items when starting out and learn as much as you can.
Happy eBaying,
Lynn
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I am happy to present our 22nd story for The 100 Best Things You’ve Bought or Sold on eBay! This one comes from Yvonna. Read about how she is getting her daughter hooked on eBay. Click below to read…
Click here to read the story…
Please patronize Yvonna’s auctions (harry326) and her eBay store (Yvonna’s Treasures) and make her business this year even better. Thanks!
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 web site 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 antiques 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.
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Happy eBaying!!
Lynn
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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 online auction click here.