Lynn’s eBay Ezine Volume VI, Issue Number 9

 

Hi!

eBay on location was really great! I got to hang out with some awesome ezine readers and Queen’s Court members!

  • Lynn Recommends: my new Brass Tacks Research Guide
  • Special Announcement: Book Teleseminar #2 with Sheila Anderson Mochrie!
  • Contest: The Queen of Auctions’ My Best Find Video Contest
  • Feature Article: Pick it up! or Put it down! (Six tips for buying books to sell online)

This ezine is published every two weeks.
May 20, 2010 Volume VI, Issue 9

Dallas for eBay on Location was a blast! What an awesome city! I flew in from Albuquerque and was picked up at the airport by my very good friend Robin Kanter. I have not seen Robin in about five years. It was such a treat! She and I worked together at the May Company Wilshire Store in the late 1980s when we were department managers. Her husband Herb is the CEO of Moosejaw.com. What a fun outdoor apparel company. I got to go out to sushi with Robin, Herb, and their adorable daughter Maddie, before heading to the hotel.

Here we are at dinner.

The next morning I was very fortunate to have breakfast with some past Live Boot Camp attendees, some new Live Boot Camp attendees, and some Queen’s Court members, and Jarsie (who is all of the previous and one of a kind!).

From left to right…back row first: Shirley, Luanne,
Me, Steve (aka Roger), Melanie and Jarsie.

As I was writing this I got an email from Jarsie (Jennifer) and here it is. I am soooooo proud of her!!!!

Lynn,

I am FINALLY a PowerSeller. At the end of the month, I should also be Top Rated Seller….. I have finally accomplished a goal I have had since I started selling way back in 2005. Thanks for your help and guidance. You are the one who really got to me when I just didn’t know what I wanted to sell anymore (or if I could for that matter). Thank you so much.

Jennifer Foster
ScarlettCollectibles.com
eBay ID: Jarsie

Way to go Jarsie! But back to the ezine…

Later that day, I had a blast at the Dallas eBabes and eMales mixer. This is Stephanie Inge’s and eBetsy’s Group. (Here is the link to their group.) I walked in and ran into Herb (another Herb in the same city–Oh my goodness!) with whom I had shared the teaching stage at eBay Live in Chicago and he said, “I love hearing about Houston–a one-hitter.” And I said, “Herb, what about Indy?” Herb said, “You don’t write about her as much”. That broke my heart. Not really, but it made me realize I need to word-check my writing and make sure that all is fair.

So, let’s insert a neat anecdote about Indy. She is amazing at soccer. My mom and I got to check her out this past Tuesday night at her soccer game. She is a natural, just like H (this way I won’t get in trouble when I word check!).

So back to the eBay on Location event. After the eBabes event, we (Cindy Shebley and I went to Melinda’s amazing party at the top of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant. (Check out Cindy here.) Melinda’s Dallas eBay group is incredible. You can check out her blog here. What a fun night! Thanks, Melinda! I was also on Melinda’s radio show this past Wednesday night with Jarsie. Here is a link to The River, The Ranch, and The Bay radio page, I was a guest on episode 116.

The next day at eBay on Location was even more fun. Can you believe it? If you are considering attending eBay on Location in Chicago or San Jose this year, I highly recommend it. Here is a link to learn more. (Early Bird registration for Chicago ends soon.) I will be on a panel with Griff, Cindy, Elizabeth, and Jordan at both of the events.

Here is a photo of all of us on stage in Dallas for the “Top Seller Panel.”

Left to right: Griff, Cindy, me, Jordan, and Elizabeth.

I returned from Dallas and was astounded to find that I had sold a book on Amazon.com for $122.44. Here is a link to the listing.

Notice that there was NO picture and it says your item didn’t sell (I will tell you more about that in my feature article). AND I sold it to the Smithsonian Institute Library. I got goosebumps! It really brought home to me that my book business has been such a joy and low maintenance operation since I learned about books from Sheila Anderson Mochrie at last year’s eBay Live Boot Camp.

Please check out the Special Announcement Section (to see what this book looks like) and read more about some great news. Drum roll, please…Sheila has agreed to do another book teleseminar with me. This will take place next week on May 25th. This will be the Queen’s Court gift for May. If you aren’t a member, you can read about how you can participate.

Speaking of the Queen’s Court, their gift for April was something pretty cool. It is a downloadable PDF and the online video showing my Garage Sale finds for a weekend, what I decide to research, and how I researched my finds in just a matter of minutes.

Here is one of those items that have been sold. Check it out here.

This video and the accompanying short text are invaluable tools to teach you how to not waste time. eBay sellers that get caught up in the minutia will never be able to make a full-time living selling on eBay. I show you how to make quick decisions in this “Brass Tacks Research Guide.” If you are not a Queen’s Court member it is available for purchase here. And you can read more about it in the “Lynn Recommends” section.

It has been such a whirlwind here. My mom wrote up about 600 items for me to photograph. It is such a help to have her in town! So to celebrate we went to see Earth, Wind, and Fire in concert at one of our local casinos on Friday night. It was really fun and I ended up gambling. I rarely gamble (eBay Gambling is enough for me because I NEVER (well, rarely) lose) but I do like playing the 25 cent video poker games.

I limit myself to just $20.00 and see how long I can play. Well, I ended up getting a straight flush! Amazing and I cashed out with $96.00! Here is my straight flush.

I said to my Mom, “Tomorrow morning watch me turn that $96.00 into $1,000 at garage sales.” Now that is the BEST kind of gambling!

Unfortunately that Saturday morning we didn’t find much of anything! I only spent $29.00 of my $96.00 winnings on a few boxes of books. Thank goodness I know what I am doing with books now or I wouldn’t have found anything of value!

Here is a photo of those books. Check out the one on cannibals! Yikes!

Because we are doing the book teleseminar this Tuesday and that is all I found this past weekend, I decided to write my feature article about books. It is my six quick tips for knowing what books to pick up and what ones to put down. Don’t miss this article!

Don’t forget about signing up for the eBay Radio Party in June in Las Vegas. I will be speaking there on Thursday, June 24th.

Here is a link to learn more.

LIVE BOOT CAMP is filling up, we ONLY have 7 SEATS Left for 2010. If you are considering joining us, we recommend that you reserve your spot soon. This one will sell out. Here is a link to read more. We hope to see you there.

Happy eBaying,

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

I don’t want you to miss out on this cool report
The price goes up at Midnight Tonight!

I was in Dallas at eBay on Location and checking my email when I saw an email with the subject line, “Seriously, Lynn?”  My heart sunk and I thought, “Oh No, what have I done now? Who could be mad at me today?”

I opened the email with trepidation and here is what it said….

Hey Lynn,

I told you once that the dinnerware eBook was worth every penny (and I’d only read the first volume). But those just kept getting better and better. I think that just the 3rd one was worth the price of all three.

Then I just downloaded the April gift for the QC members (Brass Tacks Garage Sale Research Guide) and after reading about five pages in I thought, “Seriously, Lynn? Just when I think you have done something unbeatable you go and do something EVEN BETTER!”  What an awesome report.

Thank you so much for all you do for us. I know that you make money on your books and seminars, but you give away so much information for FREE through interviews and your ezine that if someone read or listened to just those they would be successful on eBay. How wonderful.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how awesome you (and Lee and Carmen and Mo) are. Thanks again. Seriously.

Dana

Wow! A super nice email and that “unbeatable research guide” are available for you to purchase. The price will be going up at midnight TONIGHT so buy it now at the super low intro price, click here.

Here is more information about this “unbeatable research guide.”  It is a downloadable PDF and the online video showing my Garage Sale finds for a weekend, what I decide to research, and how I researched my finds in just a matter of minutes.

How much research will I do for this table full of garage sale finds?

This video and the accompanying 30 pages of text are invaluable tools to teach you how to not waste time. eBay sellers that get caught up in the minutia will never be able to make a full-time living selling on eBay. I show you how to make quick decisions in this “Brass Tacks Research Guide.” It is available for purchase here.

Seriously (according to Dana), you don’t want to miss out on this Guide!

My mom even emailed me & Lee after she read it and said, “This is GREAT!!! Well done! I learned a lot about the things I wrote up yesterday and didn’t know how to describe, or how many of each to put in one auction. Very informative, and well laid out. I’d buy it (if I HAD to)!!!
MM” (for Mor Mor–Mother’s Mother in Swedish.)

Don’t delay! Our special pricing ends at midnight on May 20th. Place your order now.

Here is a photo of the paperback book that sold for soooo much money on Amazon. And it is going to the Smithsonian Institute’s Library. Gotta love that!

Here is a link to what it looked like on eBay.

You really do make your money “in the buying” when dealing with books. You can make some really bad decisions if you don’t know what you are doing and end up with (literally) tons and tons of penny books that you won’t even be able to give away.

Sheila and I are going to discuss scanners, how to list quickly and many more critical parts of the book business on Tuesday night, May 25th at 5 pm Pacific. Sheila is an incredible teacher and has a wealth of knowledge. I can’t wait for this teleseminar (I do have an ulterior motive–I want to improve my already successful book business!) So thank you to Sheila!

Here is a photo of Sheila from last year’s Live Boot Camp.

If you are a Queen’s Court member, please post your questions now on the forums, as this is your gift for May.

If you are not a Queen’s Court member, you may purchase this teleseminar here. And don’t worry; if you can’t make the live call, it will be recorded for a download later.

Once you have purchased the teleseminar, please email your questions to Lynn@thequeenofauctions.com. We want to have lots to talk about. I can’t wait!!!!

Here is a really cute video entry that we received from an ezine reader.

I love it! And it is about Books. Synergy!

Check it out here.

I’m excited to announce the Queen of Auctions’ My Best Find Video Contest where you can share one of your great eBay sales. Here’s what to do:

Create a short video, not more than three minutes long.

  1. Choose any one item that you purchased, tell me why you purchased the item and which of my tips you used when deciding to purchase it.
  2. Briefly tell me where you bought it and how much it was purchased for.
  3. Then show the auction listing for the item and, finally, how much it sold for and what your profit was.

Upload your video file to YouTube.com (you will have to create an account for yourself if you do not already have one). The title of your video should be: “I Sold [Your item] Using eBay Selling Tips by The Queen of Auctions” and send an email to Elyanna@Blinemarketing with a link to your video page.

That’s it! Most of you have read my 100 Best books, so think of this as your #1 Best. Choose any item, the wackier the better.

Prizes:

The top 3 winners’ videos will be featured on my websiteTheQueenofAuctions.com.

1st Place: Winner will receive a 20-minute phone consultation with me, The Queen of Auctions!

2nd Place: Winner will receive a 50%-off coupon for any item at TheQueenOfAuctions.com.*

3rd Place: Winner will receive a 25%-off coupon for any item at TheQueenOfAuctions.com.*

*Live events not included in the discount coupon.

Pick it up! or Put it down! (Six tips for buying books to sell online)
by Lynn Dralle, The Queen of Auctions

Carmen just mentioned to me the other day, “We are selling a TON of books!” I said, “I know, isn’t it awesome?” It really is awesome and I will tell you why I love selling books. They are easy to find, usually not priced too much, and are super easy to ship. My kind of niche.

I really got going on books after my Live Boot Camp last August. Sheila Anderson Mochrie was an attendee and I got lucky and sat next to her in one of the garage sale cars. Score! She ended up teaching us about books on the last day of the live event and then we did a teleseminar together. As you have already read, we will be doing another one next week. I can’t wait!

Since August, I have listed about 1500 books and music CDs. I have been selling about $1,000 worth every month. I try and keep my number at around 1,000 listed at all times. This means that I only have to list about 100 new books or audio CDs each month to keep the cash flow coming in.

I have found that it is really important to continually add new inventory as it helps the older inventory sell. I sell about 60% of my books/CDs on Amazon.com and 40% on eBay.

Here are some quick tips for buying books. These are just tips and not “set in stone” rules. Of course, there are exceptions to every tip, so please use your own judgment!

Put it DOWN

1.    Over 1,000,000 copies sold or BESTSELLER

Anytime I see a book that says on the cover, over 1,000,000 copies sold, I don’t even bother to scan it or look more closely. Of course, I have heard of rare first edition Harry Potter books selling for a small fortune, but once again that would be the exception!

Here is a book that I have listed that is a best seller. Notice how cheaply I have had to price it and hope that it will eventually sell.

See the listing here.

If I saw that book today, I would not buy it. I bought it before I knew what I was doing! Notice how it says right on the cover, “More Than 4 million Unofficial Guides Sold!” and “SECOND EDITION.” Two red flags!

2.     Recent Novels

The same thought process goes into passing up all those beautiful hard-cover novels that you see everywhere. They printed too many of them to make them valuable. However, sometimes you may get lucky and get a rare first edition that is also signed by the author. I have heard of this happening.

Once again, this is just my very basic rule of thumb for book buying. Use your own judgment.

For some reason, I find a lot of author-signed books out here in the desert. Here is one that I picked up at a “friends of the library” sale for $2.00. Notice how it has the “signed copy” sticker on the front. I have it listed pretty high and hope it will sell for close to that amount.

See this listing here.

3.     Oversized Coffee Table/Photo Books

This is really counterintuitive to me. I love all those huge coffee table books with fabulous photos and know that they cost a lot of money new in the bookstore. However, more often than not, they don’t sell for much. You can also find a lot of these books listed for just a penny on Amazon. It is crazy!

Sheila and I will discuss penny books in the teleseminar and also how using a scanner can help you decide which of the coffee table books may be worth picking up. There are NOT many but there are some.

Here is a coffee table book that I have listed now at a very low price. It is probably for sale on Amazon for a penny but I am hoping that someone on eBay will pay a little more for it.

View this listing here.

Pick it UP

1.    Unusual Non-Fiction Paperbacks

With my scanner in hand, I have found that unusual paperbacks can list a lot higher than even unusual hardbacks. I don’t know why this is true, but we do seem to sell a lot of paperbacks. That unusual book about the fabric that went to the Smithsonian library was a paperback.

I am not talking about novels here. I am talking about non-fiction. I pretty much stick to non-fiction anyway.

Here is a paperback about ribbon design (unusual) that just sold for quite a bit of money. Most book buyers overlook the paperbacks and that is where I am doing very well.

See this listing here.

Just to show you how easy it is to find paperback books at great prices, check out the box of paperbacks I bought for 10 cents each at my local thrift store. This entire box cost just $4.20.

2.     Strange Topics

Just like I always say about things that sell on eBay, “The weirder the better.” This is very true for books. The odder the subject matter, it seems like less books were manufactured. So, if there is a current demand for that subject today and only a limited amount of books were produced, you may just have a winner.

Here is a book about shuttle crafting that I bought last Saturday in my $29.00 bunch of books. It is really unique and I started the bidding high on eBay. Let’s see what happens. I don’t auction many books unless they are extremely rare.

See this listing here.

Here is the listing for the Cannibal book that I also got last Saturday. I paid $5.00 for it so I started it higher than I normally would. This is the epitome of unusual and strange! Missionaries trying to change Cannibals. Wow! This book in acceptable condition lists for $42.00 on Amazon.com. I will be happy to sell it for what I started the bidding.

Check it out here!

3.     Cookbooks

Cookbooks are a good bet. Not all of them (of course), but quite a few. You need to be very picky and look for the unique. Hot tip…NEVER buy Microwave cookbooks. Look for cookbooks by chefs you see on the food network. Also look for cookbooks in excellent condition. Most cookbooks are stained from use and you only really want the clean copies. Also, ALWAYS buy Julia Child Cookbooks. Remember the Julia Child cookbook that I sold within a week for $224? You gotta love cookbooks.

I recently paid $1.00 for this cookbook and it sold for a lot!

I hope that this article has given you some good ideas about books and what to buy. Books are a great bread and butter basic business that continually brings in a steady stream of income–as long as you continue to keep listing new and fresh stock.

 

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


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

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.

The Queen of Auctions/All Aboard Inc.
PO Box 14103
Palm Desert, CA 92255
760-345-9355
Lynn@TheQueenofAuctions.com


Happy eBaying!!

Lynn


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.