Lynn’s eBay Ezine Volume IV, Issue Number 40

Hi!

I can’t believe how this year is flying by. It is going to be Halloween in two weeks. eBay just emailed the list of the top selling Halloween costumes for 2008 to all of us certified providers. Read on to see what they are.

  • Lynn Recommends: Be a part of Boot Camp 2008 with this DVD set
  • Special Announcement: We have dates for Live Boot Camp 2009
  • Feature Article: Trash to Cash
  • The Queen’s Update: We want to hear your stories

This ezine is published once a week.

October 16, 2008 Volume IV, Issue 40

Dear eBayers,

Another crazy weekend. What am I saying? It was another crazy week also! At least my mom is in town for a few weeks. She is packing up her California house to move to Bellingham for the year. What a bummer for the kids and me. Oh well, what can you do?

We did get to stay in town for the weekend. That was a blessing. No baseball tournaments. My mom and I went to an estate sale on Friday that was great and I got some nice things. Check out this beautiful dinner plate from a set of dishes I bought. The manufacturer is Oxford which is a division of Lenox.

Click here to learn more.

Then on Friday night we went to a party to watch the Boston Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a fun party and while at the party, I found out that the first ever NBA outdoor basketball tournament between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets was going to be that Saturday night right here in Indian Wells at the Tennis Gardens.

Well, you can guess who decided he MUST attend. My sports addict son. And when he decides he wants something, he is relentless!  I hunted high and low for cheap tickets. StubHub was my first choice but by the time I got around to ordering them at 3 pm on Saturday it was too close to the event time and I was out of luck. I tried eBay but the prices were crazy high and most of the tickets were located in Phoenix (that wasn’t going to work!) So, as a last resort I got on Craigslist and found 4 seats (in the nosebleed section) that were within my budget.

We got to attend the event! It was a blast and everyone we knew from town was there. We saw so many people it was hard to watch the game. We even ran into Mo and her son Kelly.

Speaking of Mo, I was having a hard time coming up with this week’s feature article when I walked into the eBay room this morning and Carmen said, “You won’t believe what just sold. And Mo told me (in no uncertain terms) not to tell you!” You will have to read this week’s feature article entitled “Trash to Cash” to find out what sold. Hey, don’t I have a DVD called that?

With the economy the way it is, I have been listing on eBay like crazy.  In tough economic times, things sell on eBay really well. People are looking for unique, unusual items at great prices and that is why now is the perfect time to ramp up your business for the holidays.

According to eBay, “Remember, November and December are eBay’s busiest months as everyone rushes to buy their presents and stock up on festive goodies, so start planning your Holiday campaigns now.” I know November and December are always my busiest eBay months so I want to help you prepare.

Don’t miss my Lynn Recommends section to learn more about the 2008 La Quinta Boot Camp Footage that is going to help you prepare for the holiday season. The Four-in-One Boot Camp in a Box is going away after 10/20. Don’t miss reading more about it.

Here are the top selling Halloween costumes (as reported by eBay) for 2008. There is still time to get costumes like these listed or even think accessories like hats, gloves, magic wands, capes etc.

  1. Batman
  2. Indiana Jones
  3. Iron Man
  4. Political & President Masks
  5. Joker
  6. Star Wars
  7. Harry Potter
  8. High School Musical
  9. Pets Costumes
  10. Tinker Bell

This past week, I got a kick out of two items I listed. One was a Mideke (famous Bellingham Potter) tray from the 1970s and one was a Fitz and Floyd Lidded Box from the 1990s. I said to my Mom, the race is on! Approximately the same number of bidders looked at each one and each one had about 14 watchers. Will the item made by a talented world renowned artist sell for more than the mass produced Fitz and Floyd Christmas box?

Let’s hope Mideke wins this race. But I have my doubts.

Check out the Mideke piece here.

The Fitz And Floyd piece here.

In the Special Announcement section, I am announcing the dates for my only Live Boot Camp of 2009. Mark your calendars now. We are taking only 24 students next year and two of the seats are already sold.

Finally, we are bringing back the section where you write in with your major scores! Please read The Queen’s Update for the story of a happy garage saler.

Happy 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.

Check out this email that I just got from Dawn and remember that she was back for her second Live Boot Camp.

Dear Lynn,

I wanted to thank you for another fantastic La Quinta Boot Camp. It was informative, exhausting and invigorating all at the same time. At last year’s Boot Camp I knew nothing — this year I knew what I didn’t know and came armed with a long list of questions — none of which I asked because you covered them all during class. And with all the changes eBay is making, it was very important that we covered them and strategies for making the necessary adjustments. DSRs are so important now, and last year they didn’t even exist. Return policies and limits on shipping charges and listing multiples — you covered them all. And you still found time to educate us about antiques, research, shipping, smart buying techniques, the Dralle listing method, photography, after auction strategies and tips for streamlining our businesses.

And just as important, there was a great group of people at Boot Camp — everyone eager to learn and share their experiences and knowledge. There were plenty of opportunities to interact and get to know each other. We worked hard and we had a great time. You make learning fun and exciting. You have such a genuine love for what you do — your encouragement and positive energy makes me believe that I can do this — and do it well.

Thank you, Lynn. And Mo and Carmen and Lee and Jason and Joel. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Dawn

Diva Dawn LV (Check out Dawn’s eBay store here.)

Boot Camp 2008 La Quinta is going to be such awesome footage! Jason did an incredible job filming it and I believe it was our BEST boot camp ever.

If you already own Boot Camp in a Box you can get the La Quinta footage at a special price until it becomes our full Boot Camp in a Box. This special offer ends on October 20th. If you already own the Full Boot Camp in a Box or Boot Camp in a Box Lite, please email us for a special link to purchase the new footage.

If you don’t own the full Boot Camp, you can still get the 4 in 1 Boot Camps in a Box (Bellingham video, LAX audio, 2007 La Quinta video and 2008 La Quinta video) before we retire LAX and 2007 La Quinta video. Read more about this amazing offer here. This special offer also ends on October 20th. You will receive 3 sets of discs now with the boot camp in a box and the La Quinta DVDs later this month or early November.

Don’t delay! This is incredible footage and can change your business just in time for the holidays. The La Quinta 2008 DVD sets will ship out end of October/beginning of November. Read more here.

Many of you have called or emailed to find out when our ONLY Live Boot Camp of 2008 is going to be. We have confirmed our dates and it is going to be Friday, August 28th, Saturday August 29th and Sunday August 30th at the world famous La Quinta Resort!

By holding it the last weekend in August, we were able to negotiate super great room rates for all you future students and the resort will not be very crowded. We will also be able to get the meeting rooms that we want.

Here are my 2008 Graduates! Not everyone sent in a photo but for those who did it made it easier for Carmen, Jason, Lee, Mo and I to get to know you all faster!

Don’t you want to see your photo on this board next year? I want to see you in La Quinta. Please watch for a special invitation going out soon by email.

Trash to Cash’

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

So just what was it that sold that Mo did not want me to know about? It all goes back to last October when I was frantically cleaning my house and garage. I was expecting an out of town guest and I needed all hands on deck to get this place straightened up. I am sure you all know that feeling. It is especially difficult to keep a neat home when you work out of your house.

Like the trooper she is, Mo was over helping me clean up the garage. I went out to put something in the trash can and what did I spy? See for yourself.

They weren’t as easy to spot as in the photo I have shown here because Mo had cleverly covered them up with other garbage. She did this because she knew that I never throw anything away and that I would OF COURSE list these items on eBay before throwing them out or donating to charity.

What were they? Two empty Patron Tequila bottles and a pair of Nike athletic shoes. I quickly snuck them back into the eBay room and went ahead and listed them.

Mo said, “Are you out of your mind? Those Nikes are in terrible condition–they will never sell and who is ever going to buy an empty Tequila bottle?” I said, “Let’s wait and see.”

Well, none of the items sold at auction, so we moved them into my eBay store. About 4 months later, the Nike shoes sold for $9.99 to a gal in England. She was very happy with her purchase and I got to do a little “See, I told you so dance.”

Mo came right back with, “You know, you still have those Patron bottles staring you in the face.” They were on a shelf right across from the eBay desk.

It was such a great moment this morning when Carmen told me that not just ONE, but BOTH Patron bottles had sold and that they were already paid for!!!! Now, I really got to do a “See I told you so dance” and Now I got to write a “See I told you so” ezine. Life is awesome!

Here is the store listing for the Patron Bottles.

The point of this article is that you just never know what will and won’t sell on eBay. That is why I encourage you to follow my three very important tips.

#1. Always list an item at auction before throwing away, giving away or putting in your eBay store at a fixed price.

If you have an item that is unique, you must always list it one time at auction first. You will never know how to correctly price it for your store if you don’t do this. I bought 23 of the same coffee mug at that estate sale this past Friday. I put one of them up at auction to test it and figure out its value.

Here is one of those coffee mugs and it already has a bid!

Click here to learn more.

#2. Make sure that the item is worth at least $9.99.

Before I decide to donate an item to charity, I look at it and ask myself, “is that worth $9.99 to someone?” If the answer is yes, it goes on eBay. If it is a $1.99 or even $4.99 item, it just isn’t worth my time or the eBay fees. I want you to start thinking in terms of $10 when looking at your items. Remember, I make my living selling about 1,000 $10 items each month. Sometimes I get lucky and something sells for a lot more, but most of the time it is $9.99 items. Be happy with that!

See this flatware auction here.

Check out some of the flatware that I sold this week out of my eBay store. I sold $170 worth and most of it was priced at $9.99. Those $9.99 items can and DO add up!

#3. Your trash could be someone else’s treasure and vice versa.

About five years ago I got an email from a gal who had just read my book, The 100 Best Things I’ve Sold on eBay. She emailed to say a big Thank you because she had just thrown away a pair of her old riding boots. She was an avid horse rider and didn’t think that anyone would ever want a pair of used boots.

After reading my book, she went out to the trashcan and pulled them out. She decided to put some oil on them and was amazed at how well they cleaned up. She listed them on eBay and could NOT believe it when they sold for $71.50!

I am experiencing one of those trash to cash stories this week also. I picked up a vintage Polaroid accessory kit for $1 at my local thrift store several weeks ago. Obviously, someone was cleaning out their closets, came upon it, and decided it was really trash but chose to donate it instead of throwing it away.

Check it out here.

I can NOT believe how high it is and there are still four days left in the auction. I am getting inquiries from as far away as the United Kingdom and Thailand.

#3 ½ Never let Mo throw anything away before looking at it! (Just kidding)

Mo’s house and eBay room are way neater than my house!

I challenge you to start thinking in terms of $10 items and try some things on eBay that you normally wouldn’t. You just never know! That is why eBay is so much fun. I say eBay is like gambling but you NEVER lose!

Happy eBaying!

Lynn

I am happy to present our 46th story for The 100 Best Things You’ve Bought or Sold on eBay! Sherry tells her story of a breathtaking garage sale find. Click below to read…

Click here to read the story…

Please patronize Sherry’s auctions (shertoys) 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 PowerSeller 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.

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 web site 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 online auction click here.