Research!

I love to research and learn about new things, it is one of the more enjoyable aspects of selling on eBay. But I have to be careful that I don't get lost in the research because time is money!

This week I was explaining this strategy to a friend who recently opened an eBay store. He had sold an item at auction without researching. Our discussion about this subject gave me the idea for this post.

As far as I am concerned, there are different levels of research.

You should have a bit of knowlege before trying to sell either used books or vintage/collectible/antique books. Buyers need to know about a book's condition and you need to know how to describe it. Someone who specializes in books would do more than obtain "a bit of knowledge" but books are a small part of my inventory so I am speaking only for myself. I try to be very thorough and include pictures of damage or flaws but I do not do any other research. Here is a link to the books in my eBay store.

When it comes to dinnerware, flatware or even some glassware, I typically use a popular used dinnerware website to help identify the pattern name, I check their prices and I always start my auctions for less. I also use "Kovel's Dictionary of Marks" to help date older sets and I have a modest library of research books that I use for glassware. Typically my descriptions only include the pattern name, maker and condition but sometimes I will include a brief description with the color and design as well as the date it was produced (if I am able). Out of curiousity, I may also look to see who else on eBay is selling my pattern but that is the extent of the time spent researching dinnerware. Here is a link to the dinnerware and a link to the flatware I have for sale in my eBay store.

Some may recall my major score with the Cambridge Glass ice bucket or biscuit jar last year. Here is a link to that blog post. That score was a result of finding the pattern name in one of my books on glassware and then checking to see how much it was selling for on that used dinnerware/glassware/flatware website. Had I not taken the time to research it, I would have started it at $9.99 and listed it as a glass candy jar. The Cambridge Glass collectors out there never would have found it and I would have lost out on a $1300 sale!


Collectibles are where I spend the most amount of time with research. A few weeks ago I spent most of a Sunday afternoon perusing web sites about Smurfs. I had purchased several baggies of Smurfs at an estate sale several months ago. I knew that there are Smurf collectors and had no idea whether or not I had any "good ones" in those baggies. My research did little more than help me identify names for each character but by immersing myself in Smurfland I was able to get a feel for what may be important to collectors. I separated the Smurfs into 16 separate lots in a way that made sense to me and a few I listed singly. Four auctions sold, 3 for $9.99 each and 1 for $145.00! The lots that didn't sell are now in my eBay store, here is the link. There may have been a better way to do it, but I think the time I put into Smurf research paid off!

There are a lot of collectible categories. Research can be very random for most and many times your item may be so unique and collectible that there may not be any information. And that item may be just the very thing that a collector is looking for.

A simple "google" search is sometimes all you need to find out whether your item has value or not, an eBay comparison search of "completed listings" will tell you whether anyone is buying your item or what your competition is and replacements.com can help you with descriptions. It doesn't have to take a lot of time, and it shouldn't if you want to expand and grow your business. You may be spending so much time trying to find out about your specific item that you don't get anything listed! If you are not listing, you are not selling, and if you are not selling, you are not making money!

Happy eBaying...

New Kitties!

The day after Thanksgiving my two new barn kitties were delivered from the Humane Society and their custom crate was built.

The Talbot County Humane Society here in Easton, Md (and probably all over the country) has a barn/feral cat relocation program and since I have a barn, I decided to adopt.

I already have a barn cat who took up residence in my hay loft about two years ago. In the beginning I would see him out of the corner of my eye, maybe crossing the road at night or scooting out of the barn in the mornings when I went out to feed the horses. My barn is only about 100 yards from my house so I also caught sight of him just lurking around the barn. I started leaving out cat food the first time I saw him.

It wasn't long before he got bolder and when I went up in the hay loft I was a little intimidated by him as he sat high up on the stacked bales of hay watching me. I was afraid he was going to pounce! I always talk to my animals and he is no exception. I would say "kitty, kitty" as I climbed the stairs.



When winter came I felt well padded enough to hold out my gloved hand to him, and what do you know? He started purring and rubbing his face on my fingers! We progressed slowly and soon he was following me around the barn as I did my chores. By then, I had no choice but to give him the unfortunate name of "Kitty". He is my barn buddy.



He is not the first stray animal to "adopt" me. When I lived on my horse farm in the mid 1990's, a super friendly black dog used to hang around. I would get so frustrated with my boarders when they brought him treats, I wanted him to go home! Eventually I arranged to foster him until the rescue was able to find him a home. I took him to the vet to be neutered and get whatever shots he might need. He tested positive for heartworm which made him un-adoptable. I had tried so hard to NOT bond with him but he came home with me that day, the heartworm was treated successfully and he became my farm buddy, "Stan", the best dog ever! (no offense to my current kids!)



I moved here to Easton in 1999. On New Year's Eve 2000, my Lempe came. When I was heading back to the house after feeding horses, I noticed movement around the wooded perimeter of my property. I got some dog food and she tentatively approached the bowl and gobbled every morsel. I confined her in the garage overnight and the next morning I brought her into the house, gave her a bath and she is still with me.



About two years later, a big old hound dog that I named Deke decided that my yard smelled good. I adopted him through the Humane Society when his owners relinquished their rights. Deke was with me for almost a year and then went to live with my sister. He passed away a few months ago. According to Janet, he was the best dog ever!



Not to forget my newest, Mosey. When a friend who is an equine dentist came by one day with a puppy, which was not unusual for her to have dogs with her as she rehabilitates and rescues dogs and horses, I said "cute puppy" and she said "do you want him?"... Of course I said "Yes!".



Back to the new kitties. They are currently in their cage in the barn where they should have stayed for only a few weeks. There is a fairly simple process of letting them out in a closed barn to explore during the night, then opening the doors in the morning and hoping that they return for the regular food they have become accustomed to during their confinement. We are having a particularly cold and snowy winter and I am not ready to let them out of their cage, yet.

There are two kittens, both are under a year old so they shouldn't be threatening to Kitty. A fuzzy little black male that I have named "Sweeny" who likes to play and flirt and a shy little tortoise shell female with white paws and face that I named "Junior". The ladies at the Humane Society got a good laugh talking about "Uncle Kitty" and his little nephew "Sweeny" and Sweeny's sister "Junior". They are very cute. Hopefully Kitty has gotten used to them through the cage and won't chase them away when the inevitable warm January week comes and I let them out.

Having an Assistant is Good!

There is an awesome bonus to having an assistant... a lot of extra stuff gets done! Today I pulled some items out of a box that have been packed up for over a year. Vintage greeting cards, player piano rolls, books of stamps... all items that seemed like a good idea at the time but as soon as I got home and started doing a little research, they were pushed aside. I don't know anything about stamps! How should I put together lots of old greeting cards? Those piano rolls are gross!

Since sales have slowed a bit since Christmas and there hasn't been that much to ship, I handed the piles to Bijou and asked her to deal with them. As she started sorting, she asked a lot of questions. I answered and then changed my mind and changed my mind again and again. I am pretty sure she stopped listening to me. Her list and sort of the player piano rolls helped me get them all written up, 12 lots. While I was working on the piano rolls, Bijou was sorting and writing up the greeting cards into about 16 different auctions! Outstanding! Next week she is going to tackle the stamps! If it's stashed in a box, it's not selling!

I have a bunch of teal green glass insulators that have been on top of the buffet in my kitchen for probably 2 years! Recently I bought a bunch of baggies full of little Smurf figures, little plastic cowboys and indians and army men. I also have a huge stack of sheet music from the 19-teens and 1920's and baggies full of needlepoint yarn. These are all things that will probably sell very nicely but how in the world do I put the lots together? One Smurf or five? Should I group the yarn in lots by color or sell lots of mixed colors? What about all of those cowboys and indians... by the pound?

These are the questions that go through my head and completely block me. Bijou has motivated me to plow through these stumbling blocks and get-stuff-listed! And you know what? I have been selling like crazy! Thank you, Bijou!