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From the lens Lost in the shuffle the hobby auction seller.

  • vintagerosecollectibles Feb 1, 2010 @ 10:32 am | delete
    Hi saw your blog from The Vintage Village, so thought I would stop by and say hi!
  • Auctionwally Jul 28, 2009 @ 9:03 pm | delete
    A great post, Karen and a very valid question. It's a pleasure to see my friends here, have contributed with experienced and well thought out input.

    I'd like to suggest a slightly different route, that goes against the grain of common thought here however.

    I'd urge those reading to really get a look at some of these new venues popping up. I'm selling on some of them and am having great success.

    Traffic or a large crowd is the biggest myth to success in the auction business.

    You only need 2 excited bidders to have a good auction.

    I've held thousands of auctions, live and online, and guess what, it always comes down to a hand full of bidders that makes you money. I'm holding auctions on 3 sites right now besides eBay. Many times there are only 2 or 5 people who attend, and they do very well. Can you get 2 to 5 good people to your auction? It's all you need.

    Traffic, bah! Give me a good product, no reserve and ANY selling platform and I'll auction it.

    Walt Kolenda
  • Susan52 Jul 25, 2009 @ 11:36 am | delete
    You make some excellent points here, Karen, especially that there's no "one size fits all" answer. Your mother give good advice, too, that life isn't built in a day. Build your reputation and your brand by using a blog and, if you're comfortable with it, a website, then you'll be able to take your business anywhere as the venues change and the numbers grow.
  • mommyto3 Jul 23, 2009 @ 9:53 am | in reply to vince jelenic | delete
    You probably found the lens via a retweet from Cliff on twitter which maybe be why you thought he wrote it. No offense taken. :)
  • vince jelenic Jul 23, 2009 @ 9:49 am | delete
    Great post Karen.

    OOPs, atributing to Cliff in my response ... what a dope. No idea where my mind was. I guess parts of post were similar to something else I read or discussed somewhere during same day -- OR I was led here by Cliff somehow and assumed. or... ?

    As I keep telling my partner (biz) "never assume anything".

    Foot wil be removed from mouth after 12 pm. today (we'll let it soak a bit more, hard nails).
    cheers.
  • Renagade Jul 22, 2009 @ 8:15 pm | delete
    WOW! What a lens!! You did a fantastic job covering all the points here. The good thing with the small sites, and even with ebay, amazon, etc is there IS so many to choose from now, and what sells on one site may bomb on another, but at least sellers...whether hobbist or pro, do have plenty to choose from!
  • Consignment Pal Resale Directory Jul 22, 2009 @ 6:27 pm | delete
    mommyto3,

    You've done a terrific job voicing the major issues. Yes, times have really changed on eBay and we have to evolve too, painful though it is.

    Resale shops are another option. Besides online auction format, consider selling your hobby items, clothing, and general merchandise at resale and consignment clothing and furniture shops.

    While the consignment store commission may be more (33 - 50%) than on eBay, the selling price might ALSO be more than what you'd get on eBay. And you don't have to write the auction description, photograph, list, collection payment, ship, or answer emails. For busy moms and entrepreneurs, it's worth considering.

    Example: Last week when I went to Houston to move my daughter out of her apt, we took a Heywood-Wakefield vintage rattan table, vintage rattan chairs, a lucite and glass coffee table, and an English G Plan table to The Guild of St. John the Divine, a phenomenal nonprofit consignment store with only a 33% commission. Easy!
  • Felicitations Jul 16, 2009 @ 1:20 am | delete
    I agree that it is most unlikely there will ever be another eBay but honestly who would want another eBay? As you said the internet has moved on. eBay's essentially 'AOL behind a wall' philosophy will become increasingly redundant as the good small sellers move off. With google to search for 'practicals' and one or two super easy to use niche sites, there is no reason to bother with a cumbersome glitch ridden 'I wanna be Walmart on steroids' site.

    Yes as one seller leaves three move in, the question is, are they making any money? Unless they are selling things they got for free the answer is, probably not.

    I have just celebrated one year on Bonanzle and it suits me and what i sell just fine. That doesn't mean it is going to be right for you. One size does not fit all.
  • rainbowseeker Feb 24, 2009 @ 9:55 pm | delete
    Great opinion lens! Keep up the good work.

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mommyto3

I am a very busy mom to three children ages 2,7 and 26 and a grandmother of 2 ages 6 and 8 months. I am so glad I discovered squidoo as now I can shar... more »

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