Hi!
Yet once again, as I write this ezine I am traveling on an airplane. Funny how that works! I am on my way to Orlando, Florida to teach a class at eBay on Location called “Sourcing Product Locally.” I spent two months working on new content for the class and Indy spent countless hours putting it together into a PowerPoint presentation. She received a Frank Sinatra Piece of artwork for her efforts. It now hangs over her piano. Pretty cool!
- Lynn Recommends: Last Chance for BCIB on Fire Sale–ends 12:01 am
- Special Announcement: Live Boot Camp at–THE LAST ONE EVER!
- Feature Article: Are Coffee Mugs Trash or Treasure?
This ezine is published every two weeks.
September 8th, 2011
Volume VII, Issue 14
The last two weeks have been hectic. Back to school, back to baseball, and back to the piano. In addition to back to HQ and my new house and trying to unpack and get ready for Live Boot Camp.
Speaking of Live Boot Camp…I have decided that I will NOT be doing another one. Our coup de Triomphe will end with this last event at HQ. I need to spend more of my time listing on eBay and in order to do this, I need to cut back on many things; ezines, Live Boot Camps, and speaking engagements. I will continue to focus on the Queen’s Court (my baby) but for now, I have to make some serious cuts in my life. Live Boot Camp will be one of those cuts.
So, if you have ever wanted to attend one, there is still time to reserve a spot at this year’s final Boot Camp at HQ.
This year’s FINAL Live Boot Camp at HQ is going to be more important than ever before. The many eBay changes and how to deal with them will be our focus. You can reserve your seat now (remember, only FIVE FOUR spots left). Read more about it in the Special Announcement section. The detailed information page can be found here.
A very important topic that we will be covering at Live Boot Camp is the multiple auction listing regulations that are now being enforced. I had several auctions shut down a few weeks ago because my sell-through was not 30% on multiple auction listings. This has changed our strategy for listing. Mo and I have been having fun with it and believe that it will be saving us eBay fees in the long run.
My mom will be in town for Live Boot Camp. I can’t wait for her to get to town early to help us whip Headquarters into shape. I did NOT make it through the Alps so those of you attending Live Boot Camp will get a chance to view it in person. Bring your cameras! Maybe we can get a photo with us at the top with an American flag.
The Queen’s Court members have been an amazing group and that is why I have chosen them to be my focus in the upcoming year. I was looking at the random things I have been selling on eBay in the past 15 days and trying to figure out the feature article. Coffee mugs were there in full force.
I posted on the QC for anyone to share a score for the article and within minutes I had this email from Lynn H.
Hey Lynn,
Saw your post on QC. I have a Laurel Burch mug Score. (See the listing here.)
I paid $.50 it sold for $21.95 and is going to be featured in a Tetley Tea commercial both overseas and here in the US.
Take care,
Lynn H
How cool is that? The Queen’s Court members are awesome! Mo and I had just talked about Lynn H’s score on our monthly call last Wednesday. We had to laugh when I said to Mo, I think I have this exact mug listed on eBay and mine hasn’t sold. Then Debbie V. a QC member emailed in to say this…
Looking at Lynn H’s cat mug. Along the top are things from other sellers. One was YOURS. So coolDebbie
How ironic is that?
With all this talk of Queen’s Court members, I have to mention that Vicki Penne was in town, and Mo, Carmen and I all went out to lunch with her.
I haven’t had much time to list; with finishing section two of the eBook on flatware (should be delivered by 9/22), getting ready for EOL, and tried to unpack both HQ and my new house. BUT, I have had a few major scores in the making. Just had to share them with you.
First one is a piece of Victorian silver I bought during ‘research’ for my flatware eBook (codeword for shopping…my favorite thing to do 
). I paid $30 at an estate sale. Who knows where it may end up? But it has had some serious action already.
Seriously, the profit on this one piece alone would pay for a copy of my Flatware Success eBook. Amazing!
See the listing here.
Then, there is my next paperweight score. Could this be even better than the last one? My next eBook is going to be on paperweights. I think I may have the magic touch!
I paid $5.00 for this at a thrift store (if I remember correctly). I have had it for over three months and thought it was so fantastically beautiful; I let it sit on my desk and did not want to list it. Then, during all of our moving, it got lost and I found it two nights ago in a bag of important items in my living room. Go figure…so I got it listed!
See the listing here.
Before I forget; with Live Boot Camp taking place at HQ, we are clearing out 2010 Boot Camps in a Box at an incredible price to make more room. Please read the Fire Sale information below or click here to learn more. Our lowest price ever!
Also, Bling my Bra is preparing to kick off in October. Please bid on these items and help raise money for a very very important charity.
This just in from eBetsie,
Bling My Bra 2011, the annual eBay charity auction fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and research, has officially launched the run-up to October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) with the arrival of the first handcrafted art bras made by volunteer participants.
The blinged bras will be auctioned on eBay throughout October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All proceeds are donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the global leader of the breast cancer movement, via eBay’s Giving Works charitable program.
First to arrive was I’ll Fly Away, a longline bra created in memory of breast cancer victim Marie Rambo. Adorned with pink trimmings, pastel butterflies, crystal accents and a coordinating scarf, I’ll Fly Away is accompanied by an angel ornament.
Also just delivered are two Breeze Comfort high-performance sports bras embellished with glitter, sequins, and zebra stripes. Breeze Comfort bras are specially designed to reduce the risk of breast diseases.
More than three dozen hand-decorated art bras were created for Bling My Bra 2011 during this year’s first Bling My Bra workshop, held on Friday, August 26, 2011, at the Knox Public Library in Knox, IN. Seventeen women used fabric, faux pearls, beads, silk flowers, and feathers to bling 37 one-of-a-kind bras, which are now competing for first place and runner-up honors in a Bling My Bra contest in Knox before being auctioned on eBay.
Handcrafted art bra submissions for Bling My Bra are due by September 23, 2011. Donations may be made from now through October 31. Those interested in participating in this all-volunteer charity event can find details at blingmybra.com, including instructions on how to bling and submit a bra for the auction.
Bling My Bra can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/blingmybra and on Twitter as @BlingMyBra, hash tag #blingmybra. Bidding will start on October 1, 2011, in the Bling My Bra eBay store at blingmybrastore.com
.
And finally, thank you to everyone who bid on the auction items for my sister! A huge thank you from both of us!
Happy eBaying!
Lynn Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions,’
Creator of the best-selling eBay Boot Camp in a Box.
Lynn’s Boot Camp in a Box Fire Sale
Great news! We need to make room for our Live Boot Camp.
We need to make room for our Live Boot Camp so we are having a fire sale on Boot Camp in a Box to make more room.
What does this mean for you?
It means you have the opportunity to own the awesome lessons of Boot Camp at our absolute lowest price ever. Plus, we are including a coupon in the box good for $50 off the new Boot Camp footage we will be shooting at Live Boot Camp at HQ later this month.
Are we crazy? Nope, we just want you to have the tools you need to make your eBay business a success.
Read more here.
P.S. This is the lowest price ever that we’ve offered for Boot Camp in a Box. Don’t put this off; this offer expires at midnight on Thursday, September 9th, 2011.
P.P.S. Remember that because this is a business investment, the entire cost is 100% tax-deductible (Check with your accountant.) This makes it an even better deal!
P.P.P.S. eBay beginners are welcome to purchase Boot Camp in a Box. Just make sure to complete my six-week ecourse. The ecourse is my gift to you! As soon as you make your purchase, email us at Lee@TheQueenofAuctions.com and tell us to get you started on the course!
Place your order here before midnight tonight!
ONLY Five Four Seats Left for
2011 Live Boot Camp
@ HQ
OUR FINAL LIVE BOOT CAMP
Palm Desert, CA at Headquarters (HQ)
These dates are…
Friday, September 23rd to Sunday, September 25th, 2011
Only four seats remaining. Click here for more info.
Eight seats are already spoken for.
Will you fill one of the remaining four?
Reservations are open, email me for your customized link to reserve your spot.
‘Are Coffee Mugs Trash or Treasure?‘
by Lynn Dralle, The Queen of Auctions
As I was prepping for EOL (eBay on Location in Florida) and my speaking engagement there, I started making a list of unusual things that I had sold recently.
I know that this is not a huge score, but the fact that it sold and sold for over $10 is very cool.
See the listing here.
I was thinking about some of the crazier coffee mugs I’ve sold. I remembered a Starbucks travel coffee mug that I had sold for over $20 during the summer of 2006. Who knew? I had originally learned of the non-vintage coffee mug potential during my first eBay Boot Camp that was held in Palm Springs in 2006–Thanks CJ!
Starbucks Bas Relief World Map Travel Coffee Mug
that sold for a little over $20!
And, in More 100 Best Things I’ve Sold on eBay Money Making Madness, I discuss a coffee mug that originally came from my grandmother’s kitchen cabinet. Now, I knew this coffee mug had potential because it was vintage and jadeite. Here is that excerpt from the book with story #49.
The Story
I have never had a cup of coffee in my life. OK, I take that back. I had one cup of coffee in Paris in 1985, and it was laced with brandy. It was snowing, I was freezing, and my friends Juliette and Vicki said it would warm me up. It did warm me up, but I still can’t stand the taste of coffee. Instead, I drink about six Diet Cokes every day to get my dose of caffeine.
It’s funny, but I didn’t realize where I learned NOT to drink coffee until I was writing this story. This jadeite green coffee mug was in my grandmother’s kitchen cupboard for years and years. It finally dawned on me that my grandmother NEVER drank coffee. No wonder I had no desire to try it or like it. I was following the lead of my favorite role model.
Anyway, I inherited it in one of my boxes. I thought one coffee mug was never going to sell for very much but decided to do some research anyway. I knew it was jadeite by Fire King. Fire King was a group of ovenproof lines launched by Anchor Hocking in the early 1940s. Jadeite was named for its green color, which resembled jade; it became a signature item of the Fire King line. When I got on eBay, I found that these are super collectible. Three of the jadeite coffee mugs together had recently sold for $100! Each mug’s handle curve is named for different letters of the alphabet–there are “c” and “d” curves. I guessed that mine was a “c” handle.
I put it on eBay with all of that information in the title. I started the bidding at $9.99 (my usual) and couldn’t believe it when it got ten bids and sold for $36. It was shipped to Japan and the buyer paid $14 more for airmail shipping. My grandmother would have laughed and laughed over this one. She would have gotten such a kick out of it!
Another thing that she would have gotten a big kick out of was that she and I were appearing in an article in the Antique Trader that very same week. I had interviewed Sharon Korbeck, the editor of the Antique Trader, for my McGraw Hill book, and she thought that my grandmother and I would make a great story. It was written in the spring of 2004 and published at the end of July.
The Antique Trader was my grandmother’s favorite magazine; she read it faithfully cover to cover every week. She would have been thrilled to pieces to be featured in this publication. I now include this wonderful article in each box that I ship out to my eBay buyers. I have heard such nice comments from my customers. Things like, “The article adds such a personal touch,” and, “I feel like I know you and your grandma!” I’ll bet they don’t know that neither of us ever drank coffee!
If you liked that story, you will love all of my 100 Best Things I’ve Sold Books. Click here to learn more.
Another type of coffee mug that I have had success with is anything Disney. Check out this Large Cheshire Cat Coffee Mug that I bought for $1.50 at my favorite thrift store and sold for nearly $15.00
When you are shopping your thrift stores and garage sales, do not overlook the coffee mug sections. I think there are a lot of sleepers to be found in this arena. (By the way, a sleeper is what my grandmother used to call a bargain-–just waiting to be found!)
I have always told you to be wary of cups and saucers (they just don’t sell as well anymore) and the trend is just what this article is about–coffee mugs are the collectible item replacing the teacup and saucer collectibles of yesteryear.
As I was doing my research (last two weeks completed auctions on eBay), here are some more types to be watching for…
- A Bazooka Bubble Gum Fire King mug sold for $129.05!
- A Snoopy Red Baron Fire King mug sold for $99.00!
- A Burger King Fire King mug sold for $91.00!
- A Google Coffee mug featuring Dilbert for $41.72!
And a few more shout out scores from the Queen’s Court. Thank you QC!
Here is an email from Mandy,
Hi LynnI’ve been on a Swedish kick this week!! ALWAYS BUY SWEDISH anything! 🙂
Here is an Eames Era Stainless & Teak mug made in Sweden I found in GW for 1.99 & sold at auction with 3 bids and it ended at…Click here
to find out! I started it at 24.95 thinking it was pretty good!
Mandy
MandicraftsHere is another email from Mandy,
Hi Lynn,You specifically asked for Taylor & Ng & I had this one sell in July at auction for $89.88. I’d found it at Re-Use It for .25 cents. Cobalt horse CHEVAL from 1979 (original).
See the listing here
.
I know Reta posted a score recently for a Taylor & Ng original too, & a different design.
Mandy
Mandicrafts
Wow! I got so many wonderful emails from other QC members. I couldn’t add them all as I have to speak tomorrow morning at 5 am my time…so watch for more QC scores in the near future.This has been so much fun. OK one more. This one is from Victoria…
This one is pretty cool for it’s history, and for my own personal link to the family
Paid 49 cents, sold for $21.87 to a buyer in Canada.
The Roy Roger’s Victorville museum — near Roy and Dale’s retirement ranch in Apple Valley, CA — was very popular with Roy’s movie fans, but is probably best known for the fact that Roy’s horse, Trigger, was stuffed and displayed there, as was Dale’s horse Buttermilk, and Roy’s German Shepherd, Bullet. Roy’s son Dusty (Roy Jr.) closed the museum in 2003 and relocated it to Branson, Missouri, where it was run by his son Dustin. The museum did poorly there, and was permanently closed in December 2009. The museum’s contents were auctioned by Christies in 2010, and Trigger was purchased by an Omaha TV station for $266,500.
I met Roy & Dale several times in the late 1970s, when I was working with Roy’s daughter Cheryl (and her husband and their 4 children) in Los Angeles. During the 2 years I worked with Cheryl, I attended many family activities, as well as her youngest daughter’s wedding. Roy and Dale were both extremely gracious, and Roy was an absolute hoot to talk with on virtually any subject. I have an old photo of myself standing next to Trigger, but have absolutely no idea where it is after all these years.
You can see this listing here
.
-Victoria
Kitchen-Kitsch
Auction Girl Vintage
By the way, the QC came through for this ezine. They went out of their way to help me and I LOVE THEM. I will post more of their scores in the upcoming ezine (as long as they approve…thanks QCers).
Bottom line: Try anything in a unique or fun coffee mug. They are usually cheap–25 cents to $1.00–and I don’t think you can miss! And remember, even if it doesn’t sell at auction, move it into your eBay store at $9.99 and I bet it will eventually sell!
Happy eBaying!
Lynn
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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.
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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.