Free Shipping One Size Does Not Fit All

As Ebay sellers we have all been encouraged to offer free shipping on our merchandise.  It is very tempting to fall into line and do what the masses are doing on the site.  We want to be good little soldiers and do what our buyers want, right?


However we all know that there is no such thing as a free lunch in our logical minds.  So there is really no such thing as "free shipping".  The concept means shipping is included in the price and you do not have to add the two amounts in your head to figure up what shipping would cost you as a buyer.

Sellers normally add a certain amount to their merchandise total so they can safely ship the item to the customer and still make a profit on said merchandise. The amount varies from seller to seller. It may depend on the sellers geographical location. It is less expensive for some sellers to ship if they are located in the middle of the country for example to any area than if they are located on one coast or the other.   The seller still has to make enough profit on the item however after shipping costs for it to be worth their while.

This can be good and bad for sellers.  Sellers who are on one coast may have to add enough shipping in to cover the costs to the other coast.  This may increase the price so that a buyer who is geographically close to them is not happy because pricing is more than they want to pay.   This can decrease the buyer pool for a lot of sellers who use this practice. 

The positive part is that some buyers don't want to have to add shipping and handling costs to their purchase. They want a simple and easy transaction. They are the ones that seek out free shipping.

My experience with free shipping is that it can work on some items.  Small items that do not weigh a lot are good candidates for free shipping in my book.  Items under 13 ounces are good candidates as well unless they are items that people tend to purchase multiples of.

People who want to buy multiple items tend to want shipping discounts.  A lot of them do not like the free shipping concept as they know they are paying for it after all is said and done.  They would rather deal with paying shipping and get a discount for multiple purchases.

So free shipping is not a one size fits all concept in my humble opinion.  Sellers need to figure out what works for them in their business. 

Paying My Dues

Wow I cannot believe how long it has been since I have written here. This has been a crazy year for my family and myself.  Some years are better than others I guess.

2013 turned out to be a topsy turvy year for me.  My father who had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer passed away in June.  The first half of the year was spent trying to keep up with my business, traveling to see him when I could and learning how to let him go. I lost my Mom in 2002 so this was a very hard thing for me to process.

After losing my father I found out I needed 2 different surgeries so I spent the last half of the year taking care of my own health needs.  My family ended up taking care of me. This was even harder than me taking care of everyone else!
I am a very independant lady and am not used to letting go of the reins to let anyone take care of anything.

We are just getting back to normal if there is such a thing.  Ebay has made so many changes in the last year it has made my head spin.  Many sellers are grumbling and griping about the new changes and wondering if they will survive them honestly. 

As a smaller volume seller, I have concerns as well. I do know one thing at this point in my life.  Change is ever constant.  Without change we die.  I am still kicking, breathing, and moving forward.  The new changes may be challenging and some may not be pleasant. 

I will learn to deal with them as I have learned to deal with every other thing in my life.  I will keep paying my dues.

The World of Vintage Board Games and Reselling

Vintage, classic and new board games can be found in many places. A lot of resellers will pass these beauties by if they are not complete or the box is in bad condition. If you are a part of said sellers,  you are leaving money on the table!

Many of these board games can be purchased for a song.  The most valuable are obscure board games that most people have never heard of.  It is always a great idea to check the value of the board game via Terapeak, Profit Bandit or other research software that can be loaded into your phone or computer.

These games will bring the most money of course if they are complete with instructions. Box condition is important as well. Check out any board game thoroughly prior to purchase for missing pieces or damage that may have been done to the box or the contents themselves. Next use your smeller. Are there any funky odors?  This can be a deal killer for reselling purposes.  If the game is complete and box is in decent condition, purchase it! Chances are it will sell. 

So what do you do if you find a really cool board game but some of the pieces are missing? Do not immediately toss it back into the pile of unwanted merchandise! There is a market for game pieces. People lose pieces all the time. They need replacements.  Selling game pieces can even be more lucrative than selling the game in its entirety.

Second keep games that have missing pieces to complete games you have on hand. This is a way to take a dud game and change it into a money maker.  You can use the pieces from another game to complete those games you have at home. You now have a very good piece of merchandise for your store.

Third many crafters purchase game pieces for repurposing.  Go take a look at Pinterest for all the wonderful art projects that can be made with game pieces.  Here is a link to some of the ways game pieces can be used for repurposing! 

Think outside of the box. It will make you more money and a successful business owner!

Board Games...........A thing of the past? Not Really!

Anyone over the age of 30 probably remembers sitting at the table with their family playing some type of board game. Some of my fondest memories include hot chocolate, Monopoly and some heated arguments over who got Park Place and Boardwalk! Times have changed and the average kid today would probably look at you sideways if you asked them to sit down to play a board game!

However are board games really a thing of years gone by? Well the makers of Monopoly must think so as they have done the unthinkable in my humble opinion. Later this year there will be no more classic Monopoly games made. A shorter, easier version  of the game will be launched. No more Park Place, Boardwalk or Reading Railroad. Kids will be trading stocks and bonds. Popular products such as Coca Cola will be featured.

I know that we cannot stick our heads in the sand but it seems that something that has worked for over 50 years should not be adulterated such as this! At least do not call it Monopoly anymore. Let us baby boomers and other adults have our fond memories!  Many of us today need that real interaction of the kitchen table and family.  Talking, having a good time, and being with each other is slowly becoming a thing of the past. We do not need to keep moving in this direction.

Some things should not be changed such as classic Monopoly. Many other adults agree. They are taking action to keep the theme going. There are groups who meet on a weekly basis to play classic board games at public places. These people are trying to keep the idea of the board game as well as the atmosphere of people gathering and being social in person alive.

So how do you feel about all of this? Do you feel it is the death of an era as we knew it? Are you going to fight to keep it alive?

Quick and Easy Tips For Cleaning Your Merchandise

One of the not so fun things is cleaning up your merchandise once you get it home. Getting those pesky price stickers off can become a real chore after you do it a hundred times! Goo Gone or Undo are wonderful for getting those stickers off anything except paper. For paper use a Scotty Peeler to get them off quickly.

Once you have that accomplished, you want to clean it up so you can get your photos done. For glass or pottery a quick and easy clean up is to use 25% Murphys Oil Soap and 75% water in a spray bottle. Spray down the item thoroughly and let it sit for a minute then wipe it dry with a microfiber cloth. It will come out nice and sparkly! Glass does not pick up dust nearly as quickly after using this solution.

For stainless flatware I use Worley's Wonder. It is also great for jewelry or any other silver plate or brass item. Just spray it on and wipe it dry.

One of the things that stumped me for awhile was trying to get vintage linens clean or white when they had become yellowed. After much research, I found that soaking them in some borax and water for 24 hours will usually remove any stain and make the linens white and pristine. For really stubborn stains an extra 24 hour soak may be necessary.

Auction Do's and Don'ts The Ins and Outs of Auction Buying

Auctions can be a lot of fun and can be a great place to find merchandise for resale. They can be addicting! They can also cost you a lot if you do not know some basics and keep your wits about you.

A lot of auctions now are listed online at Auction Zip. This website has auctions in all areas of the country.It is a great tool to use if you want to try out auctions to purchase merchandise. Auctioneers frequently will list a lot of the merchandise that they are going to sell at the auction as well as post pictures for you to view ahead of time. This way you can get a feel of what is to be auctioned off. You can also decide if there is enough merchandise that you are interested in before actually going there.  Most of the auctions will have a period of time that you can go in and preview the items in person as well.

I recommend going to any auction early and looking over anything that you are interested in before the auction starts. Most auctions are fast paced and it is hard to get a good look at a lot of things when the auction is in progress. Look over any items you are interested in and even take notes about them as well as write down numbers of the items. Examine items carefully as a lot of auctions do not allow you to return an item if you find flaws with them afterwards. Most auction merchandise is sold as is. Honest auctioneers will announce problems with an item if they are known but they are human and can miss things too.

I always try to figure out ahead of time the amount I am willing to pay for an item before the auction starts. The auctioneer will start the dollar amount and ask for bids.  Don't be afraid of holding back if you feel the amount is too much, they will come down or ask for a lower bid if no one holds up their hand or card at that time. Once the bidding starts bid until you reach your limit. Know your limits and stick to them or you can easily overpay for items. That is one of the pitfalls of auction bidding. It gets into a frenzy sometimes with the fast pace and the adrenaline gets pumping.

If you win an item write down on your card the amount that you paid for it. It is good to keep a record of your bids for yourself to make sure there are not any mistakes when  you are ready to pay the auction bookkeeper at the end of the auction.

One of the overlooked bargains to be found at auctions are box lots. They will have a box full of things and they will sell the whole box for one price. These usually sell for lesser amounts and can have hidden treasures in them. I have gotten box lots for $1-2 and have sold the items for much more than that. At the end of auctions, items that have not sold will be put in a lot or a table together and can be purchased for good amounts as well. The crowds usually thin out as the auction goes on so if you are in for the long haul you can get bargains at the end of the auction.

Be ready to stay for a while at auctions. Most go on for hours. If the auction is outside take a folding chair with you as it is very hard to stand for hours. Remember to take some boxes or totes with you as well. A lot of auctions don't have boxes or paper for glass items. It is good to take some water and some baby wipes or hand sanitizer with you as well. A lot of items are dusty or dingy at auctions. Some auctions offer refreshments but there are also long lines usually at the concession stands so you can miss out. Taking a snack as well as water can tide you over if you don't want to miss out on any auction action!

Take a black light with  you too to check porcelain or pottery for small chinks, chips, cracks, or repairs that are not easily seen with the naked eye.

Most of all have fun and get some great merchandise for awesome prices!!!!

Here is a recent example of one of my awesome online auction finds! It is currently in my Ebay store for sale!

If you would like to find out more about check it out in my store

The Five W's of Marketing and Selling Your Products

It is always a lot of fun to go out and find things to sell. It is not always so much fun figuring out how to market and sell those products successfully once you have them. There is a psychology to good marketing selling technique.

In order to be successful as a reseller today, you have to answer a few questions in order to know who your customer is and what they are looking for. The formula that I use for this is another rendition of the five W's.

Who: You have to define who you are as a seller and who your customer is. Is your customer the person who is a collector and looking for that one piece to complete their collection or someone who is looking for a good bargain?

What:  Once you have figured out who your customer is then you need to ask yourself what type of merchandise that customer is looking for.

When: If your customer is an avid collector, then you are going to be looking for merchandise from specific time periods.

Where: These are the places that your customer is shopping. Does your customer usually shop in discount warehouses or fine antique shops?

Why: Why are your customers purchasing their merchandise? Are they looking for that special piece or are they someone who just finds that item too cute and have to buy it now?

Once you have figured out the answer to these questions, you are then ready to market to your target customer base.