MoreHi!
I hope your Thanksgiving was awesome! Ours was very nice and relaxing. I can’t believe that it is almost Christmas…
- Lynn Recommends: The Queen’s Boot Camp in a Box!
- Special Announcement: The 12 Days of Christmas Sale
- Feature Article: Things always appear so small at garage sales! Shipping those monster items
- The Queen’s Update: Our 39th 100 Best Story from YOU
This ezine is published once a week.
November 29, 2007 Volume III, Issue 46
Dear eBayers,
Our Thanksgiving was super. Very relaxing. It was just my mom, my brother Lee, Houston, Indy, my mom’s cousin Gwen and the kid’s dad. Instead of doing the Turkey Trot this year (Houston’s Sever’s Disease in his heels is pretty bad), we got up really early and rode our bikes for about six miles. Then we went to Sherman’s Deli for the traditional Thanksgiving breakfast of Belgian waffles with ice cream and whipped cream. Yikes! I opted out and had bagels and lox.
Then we spent a relaxing day in the swimming pool and no one cooked. I ordered a HUGE Thanksgiving Dinner from Stater Brother’s that was only $79.00! It came with a 20-pound turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, rolls, vegetables and 2 pies. We still have leftovers and it was delicious! I couldn’t have bought all the ingredients for that amount of money. And then my poor mother would have had to cook it. It was such a great deal!
Here are the kids swimming in the pool.
I didn’t really want to work on Thanksgiving, but while we were sitting around the table chatting, I decided to work on a “small” eBay project. You see, I had bought a San Francisco 49ers NFL signed football from 1995. I only paid $10 at a garage sale and knew that it would sell best if I identified all of the players. So Houston printed out the team roster for me from 1995 and I started trying to read their writing. It was an incredibly challenging job! Their penmanship was terrible.
Houston had let me know that Steve Young and Jerry Rice had better be on the ball to make it worth any real money. The last two signatures I identified (they were right together in the bottom corner) were Young and Rice! What a score.
Here is a photo of the ball–click here to see what it is up to.
While I was Identifying players, we started talking to my mom’s cousin Gwen about what a great caricature artist she is. She is the daughter of my grandmother (Cheryl Leaf’s) brother Houston. She was being very humble and I said, “You won’t believe all the products that have the caricature that you drew of me last Thanksgiving on them!” So, I pulled out just part of the new boot camp to show her and we took a picture of her with her wonderful work!
Speaking of Boot Camp, don’t miss reading the Lynn Recommends section for more details. The price will be increasing soon and you don’t want to miss out.
After Thanksgiving, I was faced with an incredible shipping challenge. Remember all those African pieces I bought that sold for so much? Well, I forgot to tell you about a six-foot tall snake that I had also purchased from the same lady. It was a nightmare and a half for Carmen and Mo to ship all the other African items. I told Carmen “Things never look so big at a garage sale.” But once you get them in your eBay room, all of a sudden they appear huge. So, there was no way I could ask the girls to pack the snake. That would be my punishment!
Here is a photo of the snake.
So this week’s feature article is all about tackling some of those challenging shipping issues. Don’t miss out. It is a really fun step-by-step of how I got that monster into a huge box!
We have also decided to hold a Twelve Days of Christmas Holiday Sale!! We want to help you with your shopping and know that the 100 Best Books, Audio Books and other products will make fabulous holiday gifts. And we can even ship them directly to your gift recipient if you like! Read my special announcement section to learn more. Sorry, Boot Camp in a Box is not included in this one (But you can still order it at the low introductory price.)
Don’t forget that I have started selling manufacturer’s new items under a new user ID. Check out my auctions at SmashinBeauty. You can get some great deals on brand new cosmetics. I was fortunate enough to work with Jen Cano from HammerTap on our new item strategies. It was a lot of fun and I learned a ton! Watch for a feature article coming up soon about this super research tool.
This week we have another great story about the things you all have sold on eBay. This week’s story is about a great thrift store find. Read about it below.
Here’s to Successful eBaying!
Lynn Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions,’ Creator of the best-selling eBay Boot Camp in a Box and Boot Camp in a Box Lite.
Hear what Leeann has to say about Boot Camp and The Dralle Method…Leeann just graduated from her second Live eBay Boot Camp in La Quinta. We are so proud of her…After her first Boot Camp in November of 2006, she went home and listed 300 items a week starting right away. It really paid off. Leanne sold $11,800 in December 2006. Way to go! Click here to learn more.
Here is an update we got from Leeann just last week!!!
Leeann working on the road Hi Lynn, We just spent a week in Hilton Head, SC, and on the drive down and drive home I listed 300 items. Of the 125 items that I listed on the way down, most sold at auction and I netted over $1820 – just on those 125 items that were at auction that week – while we were playing in Hilton Head. That is just the neatest thing in the world – to take a week off – go to the beach and PLAY and still have income coming in. A lot of self-employed people don’t have that luxury. Things are really going great! Leeann Samples, Tennessee |
Things can be going really great for you on eBay, too, if you just put the Dralle Method into practice! Click here to learn more.
The La Quinta Boot Camp footage is finished and we have put together an incredible introductory package for you. There are so many bonuses it will make your head spin. I know it is making Carmen’s, Mo’s, Lee’s and my mother’s heads spin–putting it all together to ship out. Click here to learn more. This offer will expire on our Twelfth Day of Christmas (December 12th at midnight), so don’t delay or make excuses!
This new Boot Camp footage is totally up-to-date; showing the new sell your item form and changes that I have made to my system. I am really excited to announce the “on sale” special promotion details today. What are you waiting for? It is time to change your eBay business and your life…right now!
Remember, I am an eBay Certified Service Provider. eBay lets me put their name on all of my products. And I offer a 30 day money back guarantee. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I want you to be as successful as I am. Click here.
All Queen’s Court members receive a 15% discount on all of my web site store merchandise. That includes Boot Camp in a Box!
OK, Lee talked me into it. A special holiday sale called “The 12 Days of Christmas“! So from now until midnight of Tuesday, December 12th, everything on my Website will be 25% off. (Not including Boot Camp). And if you are a Queen’s Court member–you still get your 15% off on top of that–so you are now shopping at a 40% discount!!
Have I lost my mind? Probably. But the Queen’s Court members are awesome and have become a very special bunch to me. And all of my ezine readers are wonderful–So shop away!
Stock up on i Sell sheets, buy the 3 100 Best books or 3 100 Best Books on Audio–as gifts (we will ship to whomever you like) and check out all our great learning tools! Click here to go the store.
(Your discount will be applied in the shopping cart after following the link in the previous paragraph. Make sure you use the ‘Check Out’ button in the row of four buttons and not the yellow PayPal button or your coupon won’t be applied. You can still pay with PayPal on the checkout page.)
Click here to apply your discount coupon and go to the store. Queen’s Court members, please log on to the forums for your special coupon code with your additional discount.
Happy Shopping!
‘Shipping Monster Items‘
by Lynn A. Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions’
As I mentioned earlier, packing up those nine huge African items turned out to be a nightmare for Mo and Carmen. Those girls are such troopers that I just couldn’t ask them to pack that snake. Or could I? Not a chance!
Check out all the boxes that went out on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
I thought I had a box that the snake would fit in. It was a long thin box that the banners that I hang up at eBay Live had come in. So on Tuesday I went by my storage unit to check it out. The box was only 5″ square and there was no way I was going to get a 10″ (at the widest point) statue into that box.
So, I got on Uline.com to shop for the perfect box. Well, they have these cool telescoping boxes that come 12″ by 12″ by 48″ and then you can put them together up to 96″. Perfect, since the snake was about 72″ tall. Here is a link to all of the telescoping boxes at Uline.
They were only $6.07 each–what a bargain! Problem was that I would have to order 15 at $6.07 and then pay another $28.00 for shipping. I didn’t want to invest $119.05 in an item that I had quoted at $99.00 s/h/I within the US.
Oh, before I forget. I paid $40 for the snake and when I got him listed on eBay (I started him at $49.99) the questions started coming in like crazy. It turned out that he was a famous type of Snake made by the Baga tribe in Guinea Africa. People were asking for shipping quotes to Europe and Thailand. I found that the least expensive shipping to those places would be by UPS. There is a length limit of 48″ on a box to Europe by the United States Postal Service–so that was not an option. It was going to cost about $425.00 in s/h to get this piece to Europe!
So I immediately started thinking that this must be some piece! I did a google search and found that there were a few listed on websites in the $600 to $1,000 range. Score! Or so I led myself to believe. He didn’t sell for anywhere near that amount. Click below to see how much.
Here is a link to see what it sold for and to learn more about him.
So even though he didn’t sell for a small fortune, I am very happy that he was going to a rattlesnake museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. http://www.rattlesnakes.com/ So if you are ever in that area, please go buy and say hello to the snake for me! I love it when items I sell on eBay wind up in museums. Pretty cool!
Now, back to finding the perfect box. I wasn’t going to order 15 of them–not only because of the cost but because of the storage space that they would take up. So, I called my local UPS store and she didn’t have any telescoping boxes like the Uline ones, but she did have a 12 by 12 by 48″ for $6.99. I could buy two of those and make my own box. I was excited!
As I was asking my mom to stop by and pick the boxes up when she was out doing errands–Carmen says “Lynn, I just found these 12 by 12 by 48″ boxes in your garage that might work”. How weird was that!? They weren’t the telescoping variety either, but I can’t believe that I had exactly what I needed in my own garage. As my grandmother used to ALWAYS say, “If we don’t have it, nobody needs it!” I think that they were the ones that Mo had ordered a year ago for the Harley motorcycle tanks. Thank you Grandma and Mo!
Anyway, I took photos of my process for shipping this snake so that I could walk you through it step by step.
#1 I bubble wrapped the entire snake
#2 I taped up one of the boxes leaving the top open
#3 I cut a round hole in the center of the end of that box (this would help anchor him in the center without having to use packing peanuts)
#4 I slid the snake in so that part of him was in the box and the other part waiting for the 2nd box
#5 I took Styrofoam out of the box that my new printer came in and cut a piece to go around the snake’s head. I taped this all in place. By doing this I was further anchoring him safely in the center with out using packing peanuts.
#6 I put in my Thank You note, order form and article and taped up box number one. I then stood up the box and boy was that snake secure in the center. He wasn’t going anywhere.
It was about this time that Carmen walked by and said sarcastically, “Are you going to ship him like that?” Ha Ha.
#7 I secured another piece of the Styrofoam from my printer around the base of the snake.
#8 I taped up the base of box number two and completely cut out one end so that I could hang it over the snake.
#9 I had my mom help me pull the box sides around and I taped it up very securely.
#10 I got a black sharpie and wrote this end up on all sides with arrows.
Here he is all ready to go! I was quite proud of myself.
Unfortunately, he ended up being 85 by 12 by 12″ and it cost $75.66 to ship UPS. There was no way I could shave 5 inches off the height and have the head and base be protected. But if I could have, and he had been 80 by 12 by 12″–it would have only been $28.76. Amazing the difference that those 5″ make. Almost $50!
To learn more about shipping, check out my shipping DVD that just came out. And Remember it is 25% off or 40% off if you are a Queen’s Court member.
Happy eBaying!
Lynn
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
I am happy to present our 39th story for The 100 Best Things You’ve Bought or Sold on eBay! Look below for the story of a great thrift store find. Click below to read…
Click here to read the story…
A big thanks to everyone who has already submitted a story! We are looking for more great stories of your eBay adventures. We know there are many great tales out there, so please submit your story along the lines of the stories from the 100 Best Books and a great side story with photos will help. If we use your story, you will receive a $35 merchandise credit on my web site and you will have your story featured–along with your user ID–in my ezine! It may also eventually end up in a published book!
By the way, when I mention my ezine readers’ user IDs with links to their auctions–it actually helps their sales! Amazing how that works. Click here for the guidelines for submitting your stories.
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. Click here to learn more.
The Queen of Auctions/All Aboard Inc.
PO Box 14103
Palm Desert, CA 92255
760-340-6622
Lynn@TheQueenofAuctions.com
Happy eBaying!!
Lynn
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