June 12th, 2014
Volume X, Issue 08
Hi!
School’s… out… for… the Summer! School’s… out… forever! Do you remember that song? I couldn’t remember who sang it and I just looked it up and it was Alice Cooper. Oh my gosh! I had no clue who sang it but it is a classic and sooooo reminds me of this time of year. Getting up early, driving my 1964 VW bug to the shop and working for my grandma every day. Summer’s were magical in Bellingham!
Since I usually like to start my ezines with a score, here is a “Summer Score” a set of sea shell glass dishes that recently sold for over $175.00!
Click here
to see this auction.
There is a funny story behind this sale (of course there is 
). I received an email from the buyer…
"Dear thequeenofauctions,
I would like to purchase all 12 of your shell plates!! Would you take $7.50 for each plate?
I recently purchased 13 cobalt blue of the same for $10 total.
Thank you for your consideration."
I had just listed them on April 19th, 2014, so was not interested in discounting them to ½ price. Then I received this email from the buyer…..
"Dear thequeenofauctions,
Hi,
I am the one making the offer on all 12 of your shell plates. I meant to tell you that they are Arcoroc France glass. They make clear, aqua, cobalt blue fish shaped plates and bowls too. "
With the potential buyers help, I was immediately able to get on my favorite china website and research these.
Pattern: Coquillage-Turquoise by ARCOROC [ACOCOQU]
Description: SHELL, TEXTURED, TURQUOISE
And they had NOTHING in stock. I should have priced them higher—DARN it! At this point, I could have changed the title and the price, but the buyer was being super nice and helpful and I just couldn’t do it. Also, I had only paid 50 cents per plate .
And I kept saying Coquillage over and over again with a French accent….it was so fun. Usually Arcoroc is signed but this time is wasn’t. Please learn from this and look for Coquillage pieces!
I went back and forth with the buyer until her final (and acceptable) offer came in.
"Dear thequeenofauctions,
If I give you your full asking price of $14.99 each plate...will you give me FREE shipping?
Thank you for your consideration. "
Done deal and a great score to start my Summer!
I am hoping you have lots of SCORES this Summer and that your Summer will be magical this year on and off of eBay.
Off of eBay, my summer has started out pretty darn incredible. There was an awards ceremony at Xavier and here is the email the principal sent out….
Dear Parents,
Next Wednesday, Xavier will have it’s 8th Awards Assembly. This might be one of my favorite days of the school year. I'm not necessarily a fan of awards or assemblies for the sake of giving awards and assembling. But...What we celebrate at this Awards Assembly is our Jesuit/Ignatian Identity. We celebrate Jesuit education and the students who have made exemplary efforts to animate those qualities during the school year and over the course of their four years at Xavier.
We recognize a boy and a girl in each grade for each of the five qualities of The Profile of the Graduate at the Time of Graduation, a document that informs much of what happens at Jesuit secondary schools in the United States and around the world, qualities that are rooted in some of the earliest documents of the Society of Jesus. The five elements of the Grad at Grad are:
- Open to Growth
- Committed to Justice
- Loving and Compassionate
- Religious
- Intellectually Competent
We also recognize three seniors whose time at Xavier epitomizes the ideals of St. Francis (the St. Francis Xavier Award), Saint Ignatius (the Saint Ignatius Award), and the motto of the Society of Jesus A. M. D. G. (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam?For the Greater Glory of God).
So...Next Wednesday, we invite 554 students and their teachers and the staff to sit in the gym for two hours while we honor both the 43 students who win these awards and the ideals represented by these awards. We pay homage to our Jesuit heritage and our Ignatian identity. We believe it's important for all of our students to be present.
Like last year, WE WILL NOT be notifying parents of the winners ahead of time. We choose not to do this for a few reasons. In the past, when we have notified the parents of the students winning awards, we saw that kids walked into the gym and immediately started looking for their parents. When they found their parents, the gig was up and it was just a matter of waiting. If they didn't see their parents, they were tempted to sit through the ceremony floundering in dejection and self-pity.
If you want to come...please come. Along with celebrating our students, I also find this ceremony to be quite a challenge. I find myself leaving the gym and desiring to give a greater effort to live a life of generous service to something bigger than myself.
All are invited - Join us as we honor these students and as we celebrate the values that make a Xavier education unique. We'd love to see you there.
O.K., Wow! What a well written email and a testimony to the power of Xavier! Here is the scenario that played out in my mind…..Do I go? or do I not go? If I go to the ceremony, am I assuming that one of my two kids has gotten an award? If I don’t go, is it saying that my kids don’t deserve an award? It was a very hard decision to make until I asked Houston and Indiana. “Of course you should go MOM!” O.K. I would be there.
Luckily, since joining my new gym, I have met so many wonderful new friends. One of whom (Kelly), also has a daughter at Xavier (Kaileigh), who my kids just adore. So, as soon as our Kettle Bell class ended on Wednesday, Kelly and I rushed to the gym. I was very surprised, but there were only about 45 parents in attendance. I wonder if the principal’s email scared some of the parents away.
The first award given was for "Open to Growth---A Xavier Student by the time of graduation has matured as a person---emotionally, intellectually, physically, socially, religiously – to a level that reflects some intentional responsibility for one’s own growth (as opposed to a passive, drifting, laissez-faire attitude about growth). The student is at least beginning to reach out in his development, seeking opportunities to stretch one’s mind, imagination, feelings and religious consciousness."
The faculty breezed through the freshman and sophomore boy and girl winners and it was time for the Juniors. I couldn’t believe my ears when they asked Houston Wilson to come up to accept the award. I was so grateful at how blessed we have been at this school and I started tearing up. Here he is up in front of the staff with his award and the junior girl who also received it.
The assembly continued to be awe inspiring and they got to the 4th award for "Religious—A Xavier student by the time of graduation will have a basic knowledge of the major doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church. The eventual graduate will also have examined his or her own religious feelings and beliefs with a view to choosing a fundamental orientation toward God and establishing a relationship with a religious tradition and/or community. What is said here, respectful of the conscience and religious background of the individual, also applies to the non-Catholic graduate of Xavier. The level of theological understanding of a potential graduate will naturally be limited by the student’s level of religious and human development".
The first name called was Freshman "Indy Wilson". Seriously? I started shaking at this point and could barely get out my phone to take a photo. I was so PROUD and we aren’t even Catholic. It was an awe inspiring day for me and both kids .
Here is Indiana getting her award with the freshman boy (Robert) who also received it. Robert gave Indy a hug when he came up and in the background you can see the faculty laughing about that “precious” hug!
About 1 ½ hours into the awards assembly, the principal called for a stand-up and stretch break and Houston ran down out of the bleachers and motioned for Indy to join him. They bee-lined it to me and wanted hugs! I grabbed my phone and took a "shaky" yet wonderful photo of them both. It was soooooo memorable and MAGICAL.
The estate and garage sales out here have been magical as well. I have found some incredible things and business is great. Not as wonderful as May, but June has still been strong. I was at a sale this past Friday and everything was high quality. I asked the lady who was having the sale if she had any flatware and yes, of course she did. She opened a drawer full of stainless. It was Kirk Stieff and had a shell motif. Can’t go wrong with that! I asked how much and she said $60. Sold! Check out flatware ebook here if you don’t have it yet.
Here is one of the listings.
Click here
to see this auction.
These teaspoons list for $55.99 each on a popular replacement site. WOW! I got a 5 piece place setting for 16. Oh my gosh! It added up to $3,200 at high retail. MAGICAL.
At a sale the week before, I found a bunch of great stuff. Waterford Christmas ornaments in a box of about 30 ornaments for $10! Here is one of the FE Waterford ornaments that didn’t sell at auction but will be relisted in my store for an asking price of $189.99. Score!
Click here
to see this auction.
Also, some French market dolls that I think are rare and I remember selling one quite a while ago for a lot of money but I can’t figure out this maker’s signature. If anyone can help with this, I would really appreciate it!
Click here
to see this auction.
Well, life is in full swing again this summer. Thank goodness we don’t have summer school on top of everything else like we did last year. That was overload! Houston is playing summer travel baseball and Xavier football. He finally decided to jump in and play football for his senior year. I had always discouraged it because of injuries, but when he broke his arm playing first base last year, I was like whatever, it is your life and life is short.
Indy is back at cross country full speed ahead. She has practice every morning from 6 to 9 am. I can’t wait for her to start driving .
Here they are the night before one of their 6 am turnouts! They hate it when I call them turn-outs, apparently they are now called “practices”. Whatever!!
Houston is wearing a Ferndale, Washington High School Football shirt that my mom’s neighbor (a former coach) gave him one summer and Indy is wearing the jersey from the cross country race she won last year .
I got a text about two weeks ago from the most amazing person. Her name is Ashley and she writes an incredible blog. I had gone to a garage sale at her home, bought some dishes (duh!) and she gave me her website info and I immediately signed up for her blog/ezine/newsletter. She inspires me and her writing is impeccable—it draws you in and you don’t want it to end. I think you should check out her blog and subscribe.
Here is a link to her website - http://www.lilblueboo.com.
Here is the text she sent me a few weeks ago….."Hi Lynn. Not sure if you remember me, but you bought a bunch of dishes from our yard sale. I was wondering if you had interest in more? We are selling everything for a move to NC and I have no interest in listing it on eBay....not enough time before we leave".
Wow! Did I remember her? Unforgettable (of course) and unbeknownst to me, Indy had started following her blog as well because Ashley belonged to our Presbyterian church. I asked Indy to join me for our appointment.
Here is a photo of Indy with Ashley in the garage when we were buying stuff. Indy ended up spending more money on art supplies (spray paint mostly) than I did on dishes and Ashley was so sweet she even gave Indy a bunch of canvases!
I didn’t sell much of the stuff I bought from Ashley, but that is OK. It was more about the experience and inspiration for Indy and myself . Here is the one platter that I did sell.
Click here
to see this auction.
Since the Ashley experience (as I call it), Indy has turned into a spray painting creative genius. She already was a creative genius, but the boxes full of spray paint we bought from Ashley have inspired her to no end. Not to mention the free canvases. Here is Indy out spray painting a framed chalk board that Ashley gave her a few nights ago. Our house is looking amazing! I can’t believe how cool it is turning out . Sooooo much fun this summer has already been. Need I call it magical…. again?
OK, because we are still on the subject of a magical summer, it’s time to tell you more about our Summer Safari!
We're Excited to Announce our Newest Video:
Summer Safari
(Join us for a Typical Monday at The Shop)
Because it is officially Summer and school is out :-), we were able to film the next video in our listing series! It is called “Summer Safari” and the footage is fun and informative. Indy has been editing and working on it like crazy this week. It is an hour and a half of footage showing how we streamline our day-to-day tasks to help you be just as efficient!
The photo shoot for the above graphic was hysterical. It looks like Indy super-imposed all of us on top of a jungle scene, but we were actually in the bushes in front of the office. You can see actual cars and street signs in the background!
Houston really climbed that tree with a loupe in his hand and ripped a huge hole in his seersucker shorts (that footage is included in the video!). The only fake part of that photo is the graphic for “Summer Safari” that Indy put in after the fact. I don’t know how she got such a great photo with a self timer. Seriously, we only did two takes. It looks surreal, doesn’t it?
But back to the video, we had a great cast of characters for this one. Mo was here, Indy, myself, and Houston. It made for a fun, hot, (and long) day of filming. But we hope the effort will help you see how we stay on top of all our daily tasks.
Don’t forget that we have been building up to this video with many other videos and if you just purchase this one, you will be missing many pieces of the puzzle...Here they are in chronological order so far...
In this video we will show you a typical Monday. The WORST day of the week (by far) since most eBay sellers take a break from all the paperwork and details starting Friday around noon and don’t get back to it again until Monday.
We take this break so that we can actually focus on sourcing and listing, because as a Top Rated Seller (TRS) we are required to ship within one business day. Starting Friday about noon, you aren’t required to ship again until Monday. YAY!
Summer Safari will show you a typical Monday in the Shop (what I call my office). Click here to order Summer Safari.
In this video, you will learn:
- How to Check Emails and Scan for Problems
- How to Answer Questions
- Why You Should Email Buyers of Items with Defects
- How to Have Fun Checking Your Listings—Watchers? Bids?
- How to Pull your iSell Sheets from Closed Auctions
- Why You Should Price Your Unsold Items High
- How High Should You Price those Unsold Auction Items
- Why You Should Put Your Pull Sheets in Order Before Finding Sold Items
- How to Quickly Pull Items for Shipping
- How to Respond to Your Best Offers
All of these tips and tricks will help YOU save time with the details. And we all know, Time = Money.
This video will be similar to the Live Boot Camp section called "A Typical Day" with Lynn. But this time, we have me, Mo, Houston and Indy .
Since we are not having any more Live Boot Camps, it is my hope that these training videos will keep you all updated and knowledgeable.
A.L.L. or Nothing is available for online viewing or download NOW.
Order your copy of our new Summer Safari Video at our low introductory price.
To order now, click here.
Because Summer is here, we attended Xavier’s graduation on May 31st. It was super AWESOME and yet bittersweet. I will miss so many of Houston and Indy’s friends that are graduating. And next year it will be the Goose. Not sure I am ready for that!
Houston’s 2nd grade teacher was in attendance (she said she might be when Indy and I ran into her a few weeks ago) and Houston spotted her in the crowd and couldn’t wait to give her a hug. It was super sweet. I asked her to please attend next year. She said of course!
Here is a photo of the two of them.
In celebration of the graduates of 2014, I have to share an awesome score that just sold. Hated shipping this one though .
It was a display sized and empty (perfect for 18 year old graduates) champagne bottle from Nicolas Feuillate . Sold for over $110.00….seriously? I paid $5. Yeah!
Click here
to see this auction.
I keep telling the kids that every day just keeps getting better and better with them. I have learned to look for the good in each day and appreciate the happiness and not dwell on the bad.
Even this past Sunday, when Houston and I were driving to Irvine for a baseball tournament, and we had a tire blow out on I10 west, I told him it was all good. He was like, “Are you crazy?” OK, I am a little bit Pollyannaish and it sure was scary. I was going 75 in the fast lane and luckily the SUV handled it like a pro and I was able to pull into the center median. I had him text his coach and his coach hadn’t left yet so he picked him up in the middle of the freeway. Seriously! Life doesn’t get much more crazy than this…..
Or does it?
My mom and the little boys are coming to visit! I haven’t seen my nephews for over two years. We just haven’t been able to get up there, for many reasons. But finally, we all get to reconnect. We are all so excited. Kiki’s crazy little boys are flying into Palm Springs on June 18th with my mom.
Here is a recent picture of them, being, well, crazy. Even though my sister isn’t here with us on earth, I know that she is happy that the cousins will all get to spend time together again. No matter how hectic and crazy it will be for those few precious weeks .
The day they all fly in, I will be in Las Vegas teaching for eBay radio. YAY! But, I can’t wait to get home and see those little sweethearts. For those of you who are in Las Vegas for the eBay radio party, I can’t wait to see you also. It is all good!
The eBay Radio Party in Las Vegas is next week. I am very excited to see many of you in person and teach a class. The title of my presentation this year is "The Price is Right" eBay Style! Hopefully, it will be a fun and interactive presentation!
The event is sold out but there is a standby wait list here.
As always, I want to end with a score. You may remember this Moorcroft tiny plate that I shared in a recent ezine. Well, it just sold for a best offer of A LOT! Gotta love eBay.
Click here
to see this auction.
See you in Vegas BABY!!!!!
Oops, one more thing. As all Queen’s Court members know, sometimes we send out actual items in the mail for your Christmas gift and hope you will list that item on eBay and make some money $$.
Well, last year we sent out jewelry and unfortunately, one of the items I sent out had lost a faux stone. The QC member was so sweet that she sent it back to me after I had sent her a replacement gift. I told her to keep them both and try to sell this one even with the damage. But she was too kind. Gotta love the QC members.
So, it was on the shelf with items to list and Mo listed it last week. If you can believe it, it has a ton of watchers and even has a bid with the missing faux stone….
Check it out here.
Click here
to see this auction.
O.K., one more last thing. Queen’s Court member Jan posted an item on our forum for identification. Great story that I must share. Here was her post….
"Another rusty thing....
From the same lot as the previous rusty thing. This is about 6" long, metal with wood handle.
My first thought was cherry pitter, but there's no place to put the cherry. I have attached a photo of the tool in both its positions.
There is an old store tag on it marked $22, but no clue as to its purpose.
Thanks for your help.
Jan"
I started my research and I have to admit, I was WAAAAAAYYYYY out of my element. A rusty farm tool? I don’t think so.
Luckily, I found an amazing website and I emailed the owner and asked (well, maybe I pleaded) for his help. He was super sweet and identified it for us.
Check out Jan’s listing here to see what it really is. I hope it sells for a fortune!
Click here
to see this auction.
Thanks for reading my ezines! I appreciate it!
Happy eBaying!
Lynn
