Lynn’s eBay Ezine Volume IV, Issue Number 15

 

Hi!

I had a tough week last week. Houston was homesick 3 days from school and I didn’t get much accomplished. However, the items my mom and I found at that one garage sale that we went to with Juliette sold for big bucks! So you just never know.

  • Lynn Recommends: Digital Download Sale – ends at midnight
  • Special Announcement: F•R•E•E Teleseminar: Live Boot Camp w/me & Mo
  • Feature Article: Help, I only have 74 Items listed at auction!
  • The Queen’s Update: I am teaching two Classes at eBay Live!

This ezine is published once a week.

April 10, 2008 Volume IV, Issue 14

Dear eBayers,

Well, poor Goosie (Goosie is Houston’s nickname) was sooo sick. I spent most of the week cleaning up after him. The flu can be the worst and we all know how men (and little boys) deal with being sick. I can sum it up in one word, Needy! Houston pretty much followed me around for three days.

So I didn’t get a chance to do many listings last week. But it was nice to have some bonding time with Houston. To make up for it, I am powerlisting this week. I had been trying to just list items I have stockpiled and I realized that I have run out of easy-to-list items. So I want to share my strategy for how I was able to power list this week in my feature article.

Don’t miss it! The feature article will give you new insight into what to do when you also hit that wall of just having really unique hard-to-list items around and how to keep up your momentum.

A bright spot (in the midst of Houston’s flu) was that my friend Stephen Shapiro was in town giving a speech at the La Quinta Resort. Interestingly enough, that is where my ONLY Live eBay Boot Camp of this year is going to be held this September. Click here to learn more.

We have sold 14 seats and I really want to give you (as a loyal ezine reader) the opportunity to snag the remaining seats before Chicago in June. Please read the Special Announcement schedule because MO and I are going to be doing a F R E E teleseminar to answer your questions. AND don’t worry, if you can’t listen in live, we will provide a F R E E download.

But back to my friend Steve Shapiro. I met Steve about 5 years ago at a Book event. He is the author of Goal Free Living and I love brainstorming with him. We went out to lunch at The Nest in Indian Wells with Mo. It was a blast! Here is a photo of us at lunch.

So speaking of good friends, you all won’t believe what that one garage sale stops added up to with my buddy from college, Juliette. I called her and said, “Jules, you remember that one garage sale where my mom and I said we never find anything? Well, it turned into a $100 stop!” She was in shock. My mom and I are also.

The black and white bamboo serving bowl sold for $63.99. (I paid $1)

Here is a photo and a link to learn more.

And the used Tommy Bahama shirt that my Mom found, sold for $34.33 (the most she has ever gotten for a used Tommy Bahama)! She had paid $2.00.

Click here for more.

OK for all of you who check my math (and there are quite a few of you), it was a $98.32 stop. But consider this, we turned $3 into almost $100 in seven days. Try doing that on the stock market. We love eBay!

By the way, starting soon, Houston’s baseball team is going to be running some auctions to raise money for the world series tournament in Colorado this summer. It costs a lot of money to send 11 boys and their families so please check out those auctions & bid when they start. We are shooting for April 22nd as a start date. In the meantime, they have started testing a few items—so please check it out and bookmark it for the HUGE Live event on 4/22. palmdesertmustangs.com You will be very surprised to see what I have donated when it goes live!

I keep forgetting to tell you all, but I am super excited to announce that I have been selected to teach one computer lab and co-teach one seminar at eBay Live this year in Chicago. Please read the Queen’s Update section to learn more. I want to see you guys in those seats!!!!

Finally, since eBay has decided to not allow any digitally downloaded products for sale at auction, I decided to have a sale on all of mine. Check out the Lynn Recommends section for more. The prices go up at midnight tonight. Don’t miss out!

Here’s to Successful eBaying!

Lynn Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions,’ Creator of the best-selling eBay Boot Camp in a Box and Boot Camp in a Box Lite.

Since we have so many great digitally downloadable products, and I can’t put them up at auction or at a fixed price on eBay anymore–I decided to have a sale.

By the way, the “15 Things You Must Know and do to Run an eBay” store had a faulty link. Lee quite gracefully took the blame and it is now fixed. So, to make up for it I asked him to find a quote from a very happy buyer. Here is that quote…

Hi Lynn,

I just wanted to ‘Thank You’ again for making your eBay knowledge available. I was afraid to take that next step of opening a store even though it was time. :-) I bought your ebook ‘The 15 Things You Must Know and do to Run a Successful eBay Store‘ and it has been money well spent. Your steps took me straight through the process of opening a store and also listing of items in the store. Now I don’t know what I was afraid of because it was really easy!

I have sold a couple of item from my store since it has opened that I thought would never sell! I am having fun because it is interesting to see what will sell either at auction or in my eBay store.

I now have vacation and house updating plans that I will finance through my sales! Thank you again for making things seem so easy and for sharing!

Happy Easter,

Sharon Thomas

Sharon’s Studio and Collectibles

Here is a list of the products included in the sale. You can purchase by following the link in the title or read more information in the info links.

And if you are a Queen’s Court Member please use your 15% off coupon. You can find the code on our private discussion site!

Live Boot Camp in La Quinta, California is happening September 5th, 6th, and 7th. Seats are selling out quickly, so to help you all understand more about what an incredible experience it is….Mo and I have decided to do a free Teleseminar.

It is scheduled for noon (Pacific Daylight Time) on Tuesday, April 15th, Tax Day. You can all use a little break of comedic relief that day. Those of you who are Queen’s Court Members know how funny Mo is–so don’t miss out. We will also take some questions to live by email during the call–it will be super fun to be on the line. We will also be joined by past graduates. This is your chance to learn more about this incredible experience from those who have been there.

Mo (right) and the gang at eBay Live!

The call will last about 60 minutes–you can even be working on your taxes as you listen in.

And the best part is that this is an Ask Campaign–so click here to ask any question you want about what you will learn and experience at Live Boot Camp La Quinta.

And, if you do have to miss the live event, we will be offering a free download.

‘Help, I only have 74 items listed at Auction‘

by Lynn A. Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions’

Oh my gosh! With Houston being sick and then a baseball tournament all weekend I was down to only 74 items listed at auction!!! Help! And yes, Houston recovered enough to play in the tournament–aren’t little boys amazing? When they really want something, nothing stands in their way.

But back to eBay, I have been trying to hit 200 auctions at least once during the week, and never dip below 100. I have found with the new lower listing fees, this makes incredibly good sense.

Okay, I have to add something here from my friend Mark Furrer. Mo and I love Mark. He used to manage eBay Live! Shows for his company ChaseMarketing.com and we miss him!

Mark with my mom and me at eBay Live

He called me the other day and he said, “You have the most amazingly non-sequitur newsletter that I have ever read.” I asked him, “What does that mean?” I had no clue what non-sequitur meant.

“OK,” he says, “let me give you an example. You go from talking about you and your kids cleaning up the back yard and then all of a sudden you are at a garage sale buying a shopping cart to sell on eBay and then you are back in the kitchen with your kids and a broken microwave.” He is so funny and had me cracking up. So I guess I do write in a kind of roundabout way.

Let’s get back to eBay again. Perfect non-sequitur–Mark you will be proud! I have been trying to list all the really unique items that have overtaken my house and garage, so the listing has been quite slow.

In addition to Houston being sick this week, I haven’t found any great dinner sets or flatware at garage sales in the past month. My mom and I can’t figure it out but there seems to be a shortage.

So here are some of my tips for speeding up the listing process when you hit a wall as I did–Yikes only 74 items at auction!

1. My goal each week is to list 50% in dinnerware and flatware and the other 50% in really unique items. By doing this, I keep myself interested in listing. I can knock out the first 1⁄2 (the dinnerware etc.) pretty quickly and then at least I have some numbers up on the board and I feel good.

Because I didn’t have a lot of dinnerware and flatware to list this past week, my auction number was low at 74. But that is OK–even though I am shooting for 200 items at auction–100 at auction during a slow time is acceptable. Life happens. Don’t beat yourself up. If you typically shoot for 100 and are having an off week, remember that 50 is still good. Pat yourself on the back for getting 50 items listed!

And remember, those unique one-of-a-kind harder-to-list items are the ones that can really take off and make you the big bucks! So it can be a win-win situation. Here is one of those very unique items that I listed this week. It is an artist-signed blown glass vase.

Click here to learn more

I paid a little more than usual for this but it was so beautiful I couldn’t resist. I paid $19.99, so check it out and see what I started it at to protect my investment. This leads me to my next tip.

2. If you have run out of dinnerware and flatware check your local Thrift Stores and don’t be afraid to spend more than you usually do.

I was on a mission to find some dinner sets after a terrible Saturday out garage saling. So on Monday, I hit my usual two thrift stores with a vengeance. I was going to find some decent sets even if I had to pay more than I typically do at garage sales.

Well, in the showcase at one thrift store there was a Noritake Goldkin partial set marked $89.99. It was beautiful and there were several serving pieces. The gold was in perfect condition. So, I walked to the back of the store, flipped open my cell phone, and got onto Replacements.com. I found that three of the serving pieces were listed at $69.99, $59.99, and $37.99. I quickly added it up in my head and got about $170. I know that I can usually get close to 1⁄2 for serving pieces on eBay so right there was $85.00. And there were still another 20 some pieces.

Here is one of the serving pieces.

I knew that this was a definite money maker. I may not make my 10 to 20 times but this set would get me through a slow week. I ended up listing the items in 25 different auctions and I know that since a few were listed at $24.99 and the rest at $9.99, when it all eventually sells, I will have close to $300 in my pocket.

3. Again, if you run out of big dinnerware and flatware sets to list–look for coffee mug and tumbler sets–other types of easy multiples.

At one of those same thrift stores, I decided to look for anything else in multiples.  I found 3 Dansk Origami black coffee mugs, a set of 7 Nuline Tumblers which were really cool, and 2 Quail Otagiri coffee mugs. All were 99 cents and I was just 12 auctions richer!

By the way, when I bought the tumblers I didn’t even realize they were signed. But in the green medallion was impressed Nuline NJ–which I believe makes them from the Wheaton company and actually made in the USA. Amazing!

Here is one of those tumblers. Pretty cool!

At garage sales last Saturday, I had also found six gorgeous blue swirl liquor glasses for 50 cents each and five really unique figural cat coffee mugs for $1.00 each. That made eleven more auctions!

Here is a photo and link for the blue swirl.

Here is a photo and link for the cat mug.

As I finish writing this article my auction number is now up to 123!! And those last 23 tumblers and coffee mugs I listed this Wednesday afternoon starting at 2:12 pm and I finished at 2:37 pm. That was 25 minutes for 23 auctions. Wow! I am beating some of my previous records for listing…If you want to learn how to do this please check out the Dralle method either at Live Boot Camp in September, in Boot Camp in a Box, or Boot Camp in a Box Lite.

123 Auctions!!!

See, you can do it–if you just go at it with a slightly different strategy and great attitude. Just don’t ever give up. Just like Houston playing in the tournament after being so sick, if there is something you really want (like to be successful on eBay) you shouldn’t let anything or anyone stand in your way. Good luck to you!

Happy eBaying!

Lynn

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

I am excited to announce that I will be teaching one class and co-teaching another class at eBay Live! I have been asking eBay if I could do this for years and finally my dream is coming true!!! I don’t know the dates and times yet but will keep you updated. The classes are 90 minutes long each.

I can’t believe that eBay Live! in Chicago is just 70 days away. Yikes! I have so much to do. In addition to the classes, we will be in a 10′ by 20′ booth–Booth #538. Carmen, her husband Jason, Mo, and I will be manning the booth. Mo’s sister Mary Beth will also be helping out. Can’t wait!

The first class that I am teaching–on my own–is called “How To Research Quickly & Effectively When Selling Higher Profit Margin Items.” It is a computer lab course. Here is more about it:

I will bring in ten unique items–typically higher profit margins from the antiques and collectibles category. As an example, a flatware set (just one piece), dinnerware set (just one piece), antique vase, etc., and show them on the computer where to go and find values and identify patterns fast! I will use Google, PriceMiner, eBay and Replacements.

The computer lab classes are workshop classes where attendees can get hands-on experience. They are limited to 100 attendees sharing 50 computers. Lab presentations are similar to Seminars, but have more step-by-step instructions and screenshots/images, so attendees can follow along on the computer. I hope to see you there!

The second class that I am co-teaching with Herb Oberman is called “From One Item To A Truckload – How To Source High-Margin Items Locally.”

My section is about shopping garage sales and thrift stores.

Here is more about the class:

If you are looking for ongoing sources of merchandise that are not imported, or want to see how you can make significant profit off of low-cost items, this is a must-attend seminar! Join Herb Oberman and Lynn Dralle aka The Queen of Auctions, to learn more about locally sourcing high margin items that have not flooded the eBay Marketplace. Herb will talk about finding companies in your area that sell products at rock bottom prices which you may then resell on eBay. Lynn will show you how to quickly and effectively shop garage sales and thrift stores to find those unique items that can sell for big bucks on eBay.

It is a Seminar. These are lecture-style classes for large groups of attendees. Seminars look like your classic presentation – with a mixture of bullet point content and screenshots/images. Can’t wait to see you at either one!

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. 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.

For more great eBay tips and stories, visit my website at:

http://www.thequeenofauctions.com

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.