5 sets of Studio Hummel Ornaments

FleaPirates Plunder is bringing her blog back to life with a test. (Yes, I know, it's been months since I've had something to say!) You all know that I am an OLA gal. Actually I've been exclusively listing at OLA for over 4 years now! Wow! But I read an interesting article the other day, about the competition, eBay. In this article, (or what I call a bundle of fluff), the author is attempting to convince the reader that it is feasible to earn $10,000 in a year, selling your treasures on eBay. Really?

The comments section is the most telling. There you will find a score of folks who have been there, done that and disagree with the author vehemently. So I thought, "Why not give it a try?" I'm in possession of 5 sets of Studio Hummel Ornaments, which are in like-new condition and highly collectible. This is the perfect opportunity to see if eBay still has a buying audience.

The ornaments are made by Berta Hummel. All the boxes are dated 2004, although 2 sets have ornaments which are signed 2003. With the exception of a single ornament, all come with COA's and original boxing and packaging.

I've researched these ornaments extensively. Some sell as complete sets, which I prefer, keeping the set intact. Others sell individually, with select ornaments fetching some mighty impressive values, I might add! Taking all this information into account, I settled on an opening bid of $34.65 for each set, with a shipping cost of $5.35, bringing a total investment, for one set, to $40. (Combined shipping is available at FleaPirates, of course!)

Now for those of you who are saying, What the heck is she thinking?, I must admit this fact... I paid absolutely zero in listing fees. I was shocked, never expecting that small windfall. Apparently, if you are listing in Classic Auction formats, eBay now allows you to list 50 items, (without "the extras"), at no cost to you. If they sell, I must pay a Final Value Fee.

If they don't sell, they'll eventually arrive at my standby, and favorite listing place, FleaPirates Plunder at OLA. I've got lots of great items listed there already... you should go take a peek!

In the meantime, I'd really love to have tons of folks browse those Studio Hummel Ornaments at eBay. It would sure be fun to find out just what the Final Value Fees have become since I left in 2008. Just click on the Set # below to visit the auction... the ornaments are real treasures!

Set #26
Dolly and Me
Hold Me Tight
A Helping Hand

Set #27
Holiday Errand
Wrapped with Love
Bundles of Holiday Cheer

Set #28
Special Christmas Greetings
Sneaking Christmas Treats
Christmas Lullaby

Set #29
Quiet Thoughts
A Shiny Christmas Apple
Holiday Anticipation

Set #30
Christmas Prayers
Christmas Train
A Story for Christmas

Auction Listings - What Are You Forgetting?

We've all had them... auction listings that don't sell, and weeks or months later we revisit the listing page and shake our head at how badly we worded the description, or how much better we could have taken those photos. What was I thinking? Most sellers would admit this, to some degree. It's human, and certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.

No, what I saw today, and what inspired this blog post, goes beyond simple revisions. It is what was forgotten. It makes me wonder... how many sellers don't even preview their listing before activating it? For sure, if this seller had previewed this auction, they would have seen how much it lacks.

Now, now, never fear... I will never specifically target anyone on a public platform like my blog! What I will tell you is that I was doing some research for a product that I would like to list. As is my habit, I use various search engines to find out how many others might have the same item, (or a similar item), and I peek at several listings, just to compare their descriptions and pricing to what I envision mine will be. That's a good habit, wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, I found myself at eBay. This seller's title caught my eye, as it was very near to what I had planned for mine. The title was great! When I opened the listing, here was the description, in it's entirety:

"THERE IS NO DAMAGE ANY QUESTIONS JUST ASK THANKS"

To be fair, the seller had included 6 photos. They weren't great photos, but by viewing the photos I was able to see that they had placed the item next to a ruler. I surmise that this was their way of giving me the measurements. Good thing I was determined enough to click through the photos!

Fortunately for this seller, I was not perusing their listing in the capacity of a buyer. If I was, I would have hit the Back button so fast that I would have never seen the photos! How about you? Would you buy from someone who did not take the time to give you pertinent information?

Here is what I think is pertinent information for online sales:

• Measurements: length, width and height, and sometimes weight
• Condition: used or new, any damage found and general appearance
• Color
• Branding, if any
• History, if available

Then let's move on to other information that may be included, such as:

• Shipping details
• Payment Options
• Return Policy
• Contact Information
• Any information that might sway me to purchase from you, as in possible uses for the product, original retail value, manufacturer's history, or other unique qualities of the item.
• A link to your other items for sale!

SEO is not the issue here, just salesmanship! If I were to apply my guidelines for SEO, as you all know I love to do, this particular listing would fail in all but the title. We'll leave SEO tips for another blog post. They did say no damage, so I guess I'd have to give them credit for the condition. It just amazes me that they said so little else.

Do you have a mental or written checklist that you use when creating new auctions? Mine is mental, and admittedly, I have forgotten a piece of pertinent information on occasion. Once, I forgot the measurements on a brooch, and was lucky to have a buyer that was interested enough to question me on it! As a rule though, most of my auctions have as much information as I can pack into them, as a courtesy to my clients.

That leaves me with my Thought for Today... As eCommerce merchants, let's all take the time to put ourselves in our buyer's shoes, and consider what would be important to us when writing auction listings, as if we, ourselves, were interested in buying that item. Hopefully, none of us will ever have auctions that beg for clarity, as this one does!

And don't forget to stop by and check out the Six Week Extravaganza, currently in Week 4, (which is Tech Week), at OnlineAuction.com. Great deals! You can find me, at Fleapirates Plunder!

Interviewing Buyers and Sellers, Part 3

In Parts 1 and 2 of Interviewing Buyers and Sellers, I spoke primarily to online sellers, asking thought provoking questions such as, On how many venues do you offer product? and What's your favorite venue?

Hopefully, this started you thinking about your own options! Soon we'll discuss things like SEO and social networking, but first let's look at the results of my last poll regarding favorite venues.

I must admit that I expected OnlineAuction.com to rank high, as I am already a member there and pray that I have a following of readers from that venue. I was not disappointed, as OLA took 3 votes! Seller's Arena followed with 2 votes, and the three venues which had single votes were Atomic Mall, eBay and "My Own Website". Thank you all for participating!

Surprisingly, there were no votes for Bonanzle! I sure hope that means that their sellers were too busy packaging product for shipping! One thing I have learned about Bonanzle, that I really like, (and commend them for), is that they have a button to tweet your items, (on Twitter), while you are listing them. BuyItSellIt offers this also, and I think we'll see more and more venues adding this feature, don't you?

As for me, I've already made arrangements to have a new mall store at Seller's Arena. As soon as their testing is complete, and stores are available, Fleapirates Plunder will be expanding. It's rather exciting, and I am looking forward to managing 2 venues!

For this week's poll, I'd like to address the buyers! Your answers to my poll will lead us into our next discussion about SEO strategies. I am curious as to how everyone searches for products. Let's say you want to purchase a gift, and you know exactly what you want. For the example we will use an iPhone... that's a popular buy. (Not in MY field, but it should work for this purpose!) Where do you look first?

Where do you search the internet for specific items?

GoogleAlternative Search EngineThe Manufacturer's WebsiteBig Box StoreseBayCheck my favorite venue firstAn online service, like PriceGrabber

pollcode.com free polls

Thanks again, my readers! I hope you all had a safe, relaxing and enjoyable Memorial Day!
Look for me on Twitter, under the username fleapirates!

Interviewing Buyers and Sellers, Part 2

Last week I polled my readers, inquiring how many venues they use to sell their wares.

Thank you to all who participated! There were 8 replies and the results are as follows:
1 Venue : 3 sellers
2 Venues : 4 sellers
4 + Venues : 1 seller

I am in awe of the person who voted that they sell at 4+ sites...
this just seems too much to manage, for me anyway!

Per the poll results, it appears that adding a site may be a good investment of time and money. The next obvious question is which venue to add?

Your recommendations will help me, and others, evaluate the options that are available! Please choose the venue that you feel is your overall best performer... the one where you get the most sales, and where things like cost, SEO, community, and customer service combine to bring the greatest success. And yes, those of you who use only one site may certainly vote for yours!

Which venue is your favorite site to sell on?
	My Own Website
	Amazon
	Atomic Mall
	Bonanzle
	eBay
	eCrater
	Online Auction
	Overstock
	Seller's Arena
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

If I missed naming your site, please accept my apologies! I know of more, like Etsy and MyBISI, but size restraints restricted me from using more than ten spots. Please use Other as your choice, and be sure to let me know the name of your choice in the comments section!

I'd also like to know which feature was the most important to you when choosing your site. Was it cost? Customer Service? SEO? A great community? Or a combination of all? Something else? I believe those I mentioned are all equally important, and combined, they are the reason I am such a loyal OnlineAuction.com member.

There's a lot going on at Seller's Arena right now, with the addition of a new Mall. I am already a member there, and must admit that opening a store with them is an enticing idea. I already know they have great SEO, prompt customer service and a friendly, welcoming community. Hmmmm.....

Going back to eBay is not in my plans. If you still sell there, please post your thoughts in the comments section. After all the changes at eBay in the last 1-2 years, I still consider myself a boycotter. I made a purchase there recently, but only because it was being sold by a friend. And from time to time, I pop an item up for sale there, just to keep my account active. (Those items don't even get looked at anymore, and I left with great feedback and stars!) It just amazes me that anyone can make any profits there, after the listing/relisting fees, the Paypal fees and the final value fees. Then there's the worry that your buyer will try to cheat you out of your product, and your money, by being dishonest. Is it really worth it?

Bonanzle's membership appears to be growing at a fast pace. Can anyone comment on their features? One thing I've seen talked about frequently, at all the sites, is the submission of listings to search engines. I do a lot of researching, and am disappointed that I do not see Bonanzle listings coming up in my search results more often. Although they sure are talked about on Twitter!

The other sites in the poll I do not know much about, but I'd love to learn. I'm hoping that we all can develop an appreciation for ALL the sites, learn about their strengths and weaknesses, and show support and respect for sellers on EVERY site. Thanks for your continued participation!