Lynn's eBay ezine Volume VII,
issue number 15

Hi!

Oh my goodness. I am almost speechless (that will never happen). Our final Live Boot Camp at headquarters was beyond exceptional! It was a wonderful group and the group dynamics, lessons learned and laughs we shared have made an incredible impression on not only me, but my mom, my brother, Mo, Carmen, Houston, Indy and hopefully our perfect eight students!

Lynn Recommends: Thrifting with the Boys

Special Announcement: 2nd Episode Reality Show--View for Fre.e!

Feature Article: 5 Top Tips for Selling Plush from Debbie Ybarra!

This ezine is published every two weeks.
September 29th, 2011
Volume VII, Issue 15

Our last Live Boot Camp was fantastic. It was bittersweet. We were sad and yet happy when it was finished. Here are the girls and my mom dancing in the office when it was over.

I can't believe that with all of this going on, I actually flew to Florida and spoke at eBay on Location. Thank you to everyone who came to listen to me! I appreciate it! What a great group of students in Florida.

This is a picture of me, eBetsy and Melinda from RRB radio.
Click here for a recent interview I did on her program.
There is a great segment on getting organized.

Seeing eBetsty reminds me of Bling my Bra. Thank you to all the wonderful people behind these auctions, Beth, eBetsy, Danni, Kat and many others! The auctions start soon. Please support this wonderful cause to put an end to breast cancer. You can see the auctions here.

Here is the bra that we blinged! It was Mo's idea to use postage stamps. Brilliant! We are calling it Stamp out Breast Cancer and we found a wonderful Betsy Johnson hot pink bra to use. Carmen sorted out all the red, purple and pink postage stamps and I spent several hours gluing them on. It was ironic because as many of you may know, I had a line of greeting cards with Sunrise/Interart with postage stamp borders. We have included some of those greeting cards with our bra and we are also adding a set of DVDs from LOL to help raise as much money as we can for the cause!

While in Florida, hanging out with the stars from "Thrifting With the Boys," we had a great idea. Why not get them on a teleseminar for the Queen’s Court this month? Brilliant! Jason and Bryan crack me up. If you are not a Queen's Court member you can still purchase the teleseminar in the Lynn Recommends section. We had a blast and learned so much.

Because of The Boys, I actually went out and did some "research," aka shopping. I bought 11 t-shirts for $19.00 and have 10 of them listed. The reason there are only 10 listed is because Houston absconded with the Roxanne Police t-shirt. Great!

Here is one I just listed today.

While we were in Bellingham this past summer, I took my kids up to visit my best friend from High School's father, Ed Souve. Ed had been fighting cancer for 5 1/2 years. They had told him he had 18 months to live. Boy did he prove them wrong. He was an amazing man!

This photo was taken on August 8th, 2011. Ed passed away on September 4th. Here is what I wrote about Ed in his guest book.

Dearest Mel, ET and the rest of your wonderful family, I am so sad regarding Ed's passing. He was LARGER than LIFE and the most wonderful person. I don't think that there is one person in this entire world that can say a bad thing about Ed Souve. He had a heart of gold and was the most positive person I know.

When my kids and I went to visit him three weeks ago, it wasn't about him or his pain (and he was in tremendous pain). He wanted to talk to Houston about his baseball and Indy about her school. Ed never put the focus on him but made you feel like you were special. The truth is, he was the special one. He will be greatly missed.

After we left his house three weeks ago, my kids said, "That Ed Souve is Awesome! What a great guy!" I explained to them that they have known Ed their whole lives. He and ET used to show up to each and every one of their birthday parties when we lived in Bellingham and would bring the best gifts. Complete Gymboree outfits from head to toe. Hats, swim trucks and swim shoes. They went above and beyond and it will never be forgotten.

About two months ago, I dialed a phone number that I knew by heart, thinking it was for the Bellingham Herald. 360-671-6***. It turns out it was Ed Souve's number. When he answered I knew I had dialed incorrectly but instead of hanging up I instantly recognized his joyful voice and said, "Ed". He was happy to hear from me and I was happy that I had dialed him by mistake. We had a nice chat.

His passing away at such a young age was also a mistake. God must have a need for him in Heaven. Maybe he needs Ed to teach him his golf swing.

We miss you Ed. Lynn, Houston and Indy.
~
Lynn Dralle,
Palm Desert, California

I will be flying to Bellingham on Friday night to attend Ed's memorial service on Saturday. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Then on Saturday night we will celebrate my sister Kiki's 42nd birthday. Hopefully we will get some footage to share with you ala "the tent".

Now for some good news from my kids! Houston got to pitch his first inning as a varsity player. He is a freshman! And he did a great job. I am so proud of him but I had to miss it because I was on the QC call. He was mad at me for missing it, but what can I do?

Then I got more great news today from Indy. She is so humble (unlike her mother--according to Mo). I didn't find out until later today that she was chosen as the assistant editor for the yearbook. OMG. As a 7th grader to be named assistant editor is an amazing thing!

I am so excited to announce that the 2nd episode of our reality show is up for fr.ee on both YouTube and WorthPoint. This episode is Coming Soon. Please read the Special Announcement section to learn more. Thank you to our wonderful sponsors, Kabbage, WorthPoint and The Queen of Auctions for making this possible.

News from Kabbage...

Some of you may have heard by now, but we here at Kabbage introduced an AWESOME new feature of our product last week and are making it possible for small businesses to have access to more cash! We understand how useful social media is and how it plays a major role in small business. Therefore we have introduced Social Klimbing ™. This is very exciting for small business! Social Klimbing gives these owners access to more cash based on their activity on Facebook and Twitter! We have had lots of folks come and add their social accounts to their Kabbage accounts! Check out Social Klimbing at Kabbage.com. It is kool!

During Live Boot Camp we were able to film some of the commercial spots for the reality show. Check us out when you watch the show in the Special Announcements section!

We learned so much at Live Boot Camp. It was an incredible event. The footage from this Boot Camp will become our Boot Camp in a Box. If you do not own a Boot Camp in a Box you may purchase the 2010 footage and receive this new improved 2011 footage when it is available (sometime in November) for a great price. Be on the lookout for more details soon.

Here is an email I received from Jane regarding her experience at this year's Live Boot Camp...

Just want to say thank u sooo much for an awesome Boot Camp. It was amazing and so much fun. Really haven't laughed so much in a long time. Thanks to Month and Carmen as well. See u next year same time, I wish. Will be in touch. Miss u already.

Jane
Find-More-Things

Here is a photo of all of us running during Live Boot Camp.

Our mascot for this final Boot Camp was Pee-wee Herman and the scary Halloween costume that Mo hung on the screen. However, I think our mascot has become Clarece's robe that Lee so graciously modeled for us.

You can see that auction here. Poor Lee! Note how Clarece added, "Sorry, man not included." Lee said he did it because he loved watching us all laugh so hard at him in the robe in 110-degree weather.

You can see the listing here.

Lee sat in my new and improved office (When he got here he said, "Wow, I didn't even know this room was here") at HQ during the event and worked on section Two of the flatware eBook. Section Two will be emailed out around October 8th. Thank you all for your patience! [It will be worth the wait! - Lee]

Here is a flatware piece that just sold for a LOT! I paid $30. It was in the last ezine but I wanted to show you what it ends up selling for….Yikes!

See the listing here.

Diva Dawn's class on organization was just the kick in the pants I needed to start on the Alps (organizing the mountain of boxes in the back of Headquarters). Thank you Diva and your green arrows. I actually unpacked two boxes! Yay me! Here are those items on the shelf at HQ.

And here is the amazing part of the Diva Dawn story...some of those plates are worth a small fortune! Thank you, Thank you.

News from Pagemage.com and my good friend Chris Taylor…

Fr.ee eBay Seller Webinar

"Know Your Numbers" from Jim "Griff" Griffith, Dean of eBay Education; Also "Learn the Best Practices for Holiday Shipping"

-- "Best Practices for Holiday Shipping"
When: Wed, Oct 26, 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET

The holiday season is the busiest shipping period of the year. Are you prepared with the latest money and time-saving shipping tools and techniques to keep your business running efficiently and your customers satisfied? Join Mark Le Vine from BubbleFast and Eric Nash from Stamps.com as they discuss packing and shipping tips to make your holiday season headache-fre.e!

Where: Register at: http://TopRatedSellerWebinars.com (This is for all sellers whether you're a Top-rated seller or aspire to be one.)

When I was trying to think up something to write about for this week's ezine, I realized we haven't talked about plush for quite some time. Debbie Ybarra, where are you? I emailed Debbie and she immediately responded with an article from several years ago with an updated introductions. Remember how I met Debbie? In an elevator at the Pechanga Casino during a baseball tournament. When she heard me call my son Houston, she said, "Are you Lynn?" Funny! Since then we have done two teleseminars together and Debbie taught at one of our Live Boot Camps.

During our email exchange this week, I asked her if she would please come back for plush teleseminar #3 as so much has changed since the last one. Of course, she said yes, she is awesome! The Queen’s Court gift for October will be a teleseminar with Debbie about plush on Thursday, October 13th at 5 pm. If you are not a member of the QC, you may purchase the call here. Remember, it will be recorded in case you miss the live call. Once purchased, please email your questions for Debbie to me at Lynn@thequeenofauctions.com

And because I am writing about plush, I finally sold a Barbie that I have had FOREVER. Thank you Debbie! Here is a link to that auction and I can't wait to ask Debbie more about Barbies and what to stay away from and what to pick up, because I apparently don't know ANYTHING about Barbies.

See Barbie's listing here" target="_blank">here.

Happy eBaying!

Lynn Dralle, 'The Queen of Auctions,'
Creator of the best-selling eBay Boot Camp in a Box.

Thrifting with The Boys

How would you like to learn more about
selling Guy Stuff that you can
easily find at Thrift Stores?

That is just what Bryan and Jason taught us in our first ever teleseminar together. Bryan, Jason, Mo and I had a blast on this phone call--all the while sharing important tips and tricks that will help you make money.

Remember this guy score from Kaching Story #42. The Nadalin Skateboard that I paid $3.00 to get and it sold for $103.51! I love Guy Stuff.

I have known Bryan (Mr.BigFoot) and Jason (tikipugmusic) for years. They are super guys, love to share their knowledge and are funny to boot!

Here is one of Bryan's recent T-Shirt scores.

Here is one of Jason's recent Tiki Mug Scores.

What is "Thrifting with the Boys" ?

Thrifting with the Boys started when friends Jason and Bryan united to 'share' hints and tips about acquiring items for resale at thrift stores. After an eBay event in Las Vegas, the two Boys ventured to a number of thrift stores along with a couple of other friends. Hilarity ensued! Not only did they laugh, but they shared great ideas about what to buy and what to pass up. The Boys both left with tons of great stuff to resell on eBay.

Jason and Bryan realized what they were doing could be beneficial to many eBay sellers who already were shopping at thrift stores for products and needed some inspiration and direction.

As a result of that trip, Jason attempted to secure the Boys a speaking engagement at the eBay Radio Party Conference in June of 2011. His efforts paid off and apprehensively the Boys were given a spot early in the morning when it looked 'safe' to let a couple of well-liked fellows try this unique presentation for the first time. The seminar was a smash hit, very well received and left the very attentive audience clamoring for more. The eBay Radio Party immediately booked the Boys for 2012.

This fantastic teleseminar was the Queen’s Court Gift for September. If you are not a Queen's Court member you can still purchase the teleseminar here. I can't wait to start checking out my thrift stores for more guy stuff!

This teleseminar gave me more insider information that I need to be successful. I hope you take advantage of this so that knowledge can be yours, too!

To purchase click here.

Once again, a very BIG Thank you to Bryan and Jason for sharing their thrifting and guy stuff tips & tricks!

Guy Stuff can be found for low prices and can reap great rewards. Why not add this exciting category to your online business?

To purchase click here.

Episode #2 of Trash to Cash

Coming Soon!

We are super excited to announce that our Reality Show
will be available for F-R-E-E viewing.

Get ready for another hilarious and informative episode of Trash to Cash. We are happy to announce that this episode will be provided f-r-e-e of charge on the Internet to everyone.

A HUGE THANK YOU to our sponsors that have made this possible:

WorthPoint

and

Kabbage

And the Queen of Auctions

(Can I really thank myself?)

Watch for an email with the link to view coming soon.

Now on to Debbie’s article….

'My 5 Top Tips for Selling Plush for Profit'
by Debbie Ybarra

Debbie has an update to this reprint of her article.

The article still stands, although I don't list most plush items via auction for the first week anymore. Many plush toys have a unique buyer who will want the item at a fixed price so they don't have to wait for the looooong seven days. I just give them a fixed price with a Good 'Til Canceled listing in my store. It seems like every week that I list new plush toys, there is one that sells within 24 hours!

-Debbie

Plush toys and stuffed animals are a great source of income on eBay! You can find them in any part of the country, they're unbreakable, and they're easy to ship. Here are my top 5 tips for selling plush toys on eBay:

1. You don't have to memorize brand names. Virtually any and all brands of plush toys will sell. Often the lesser known, hard to find and more obscure brands can sell for a lot more profit than the bigger names. Think of those stuffed toys that are made in China that fill the giant "claw" games at many restaurants these days. If a child were to become emotionally attached to one of those toys, chances are their parents would have no clue how to replace it if it were lost. eBay is the answer!

The only two types of plush toys I will not buy are Ty Beanie Babies and Ganz Webkinz. As cute as they are, the market is saturated with them and they are not worth listing. Here is an example of a plush toy I sold that was made in China and had a funny brand name:

This sold for $24.99

2. Plush toys do not have to be Mint With Tags (MWT). They can be gently used and will still sell! It should be clean and fresh smelling, but other than that a "tush tag" is just fine. A tush tag is the fabric tag near the "tush" that is sewn into the toy. Most of the plush toys I sell only have the tush tag. Here is an example of a listing with a picture of the tag:

This cute little sea otter sold for $19.99.

3. I like to list plush toys via auction the first week, and then they go into my store with a Buy It Now price (and Best Offer option). Most of my plush toys are sold through my store. Don't get discouraged if they don't sell the first week! It can take time and patience for the "right" buyer to come along and find your listing. I price my plush toys based on availability on eBay and Google.

The more rare it is, the higher it's priced. This pink unicorn I listed didn't have any watchers the first week in auction. A month or so after being in my store, it sold for $24.97 (my asking price):

4. Don't overpay for plush toys! Your best bet for finding great deals is at garage sales. Just this morning I was at a sale with - let's face it - a lot of junk! That is until I spotted the huge pile of stuffed animals on a bed sheet in the yard. WOW - there must have been at least 50! They were clean and many had their paper hang tags (store tags) still attached. I asked, "How much if I take all of them?!" The wide-eyed seller looked at me, then looked at the pile and said "How about 7 bucks?" SOLD! I figure I paid about $0.15 each.

5. Before you list your toy, do a Google search on it. You might come up with a recall warning in which case you should not sell it on eBay. You might also find an eBay Want It Now posting in which someone is looking for the exact toy you have! You can then list your toy and "answer" the Want It Now eBay ad. It's a great way of connecting your item with a buyer right off the bat. Here is an example of a toy that had a Want It Now add posted for it, and the buyer offered me $30 (I believe my asking price was $39.97):

Thanks Debbie! Click here now to join in this great new teleseminar with Debbie. This is going to be another great resource for expanding your eBay business. Don't miss out on this one!

Like anything on eBay, selling toys is a numbers game. The more plush toys you list, the more you will sell. Get out there and offer to buy up a garage sale seller's entire supply. Get them listed and watch the bids and offers coming pouring in!

Happy eBaying!

Lynn

Visit my eBay Store.

Visit my eBay auctions.

For more great eBay tips and stories, visit my web site at:
http://www.thequeenofauctions.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? Yes, you may - just as long as you include all links as they are and append this complete blurb with it: The Queen of Auctions and eBay Power Seller, Lynn Dralle, publishes 'eBay Tips & Tricks' a weekly ezine with 10,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump start your eBay business, make more money and have more time, get your FRE E tips now at www.thequeenofauctions.com

eBay PowerSeller and third generation antiques dealer, Lynn Dralle, is the creator of Boot Camp in a Box, the home-study course where you can learn to implement the Dralle Method to maximize your eBay profits.

If you liked today's issue, you'll love this step-by-step course that is guaranteed to be the most complete and enjoyable guide to selling on eBay that MAKES YOU MONEY.

Read all about it here.

The Queen of Auctions also offers articles, teleseminars, how-to books, tracking guides, DVDs, eBay Boot Camp training and other resources to help entrepreneurs make their eBay business a six-figure sales machine.

Some links in my emails to you may be affiliate links. You can be confident that I only partner with companies that I fully stand behind.

The Queen of Auctions/All Aboard Inc.
PO Box 14103
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760-345-9355
Lynn@TheQueenofAuctions.com

Happy eBaying!!