Friday, April 30, 2010

Garden Video Update

Just call me a crazy person, it would be OK. I decided to turn the dirt in my little garden by hand, this year. My Troybilt rototiller is just too large for this small space and I am trying to sell it anyway.

I did the whole garden using my Garden Claw. At first I thought it was called a Garden Weasel but they are slightly different. I bought my claw at Home Depot and I just love it.

Now, granted, I didn’t turn over the whole garden in one day, I decided to do it in stages, one row at a time. As I was doing this I thought I would make one of my dorky videos and share it with you.


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Piltz Exposition Auditorium Civic Center Postcard Linen Unused 1932


Vintage Exposition Auditorium, Civic Center, San Francisco, California, Unused Linen Postcard. This Post Card is in Near Mint Condition with slight discoloration. The top of the card states, “EXPOSITION AUDITORIUM, CIVIC CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.” It is numbered 21 on the top right of the postcard and 2A-H775 in the lower right hand corner of the card.

The back of the postcard states, “CIVIC CENER BLDGS. The Exposition Auditorium is one of the buildings comprising the famous San Francisco Civic Center. It has a seating capacity of approximately 15,000 persons, and is greatly sought for National Conventions.” I believe that this postcard dates to 1932. It was published by Stanley A. Piltz Company, San Francisco, Calif. The Stamp Box states, “PLACE ONE CENT STAMP HERE.” This postcard measures approximately 5 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.

Do not miss this opportunity to own this Vintage Exposition Auditorium, Civic Center, San Francisco, California, Unused Linen Postcard. This would make a wonderful gift for that special person who collects Vintage Linen Postcards.
This Set would make a wonderful gift for that special person who collects Vintage California Linen Postcards from the 1930s. Click here to view this Piltz Exposition Auditorium Civic Center Postcard Linen Unused 1932

I have this 1932 Piltz Unused Postcard for sale through OLAs Classic Auctions with a starting price of $6.00 This is a great price!!! Please check out my Stubsinc OLA Store for more interesting items.
Click here to visit my OLA Store



HAND CROCHET BABY DRESS WOOD VIOLET LAVENDER 100% COTTON


This little dress is hand crocheted with 100% cotton thread by SouthMaid. It is brand new and will fit 6-12 months. Three buttons in the back and satin ribbon around the waist.
Perfect as a gift for that new little one!
It has been washed and blocked after crocheting!
For more details, click HERE.
If this isn't what you are looking for please come and browse our other listings under
Thank you!

Friday, April 23, 2010

10 Best Shipping Practices from WebWholeSaler

From WebWholesaler:

By Eric Leuenberger

It's no secret: Shipping is one of the most essential factors in closing ecommerce sales. We know, and it has been proven, that offering free shipping can further boost sales. But step back for a minute and think about how you present your shipping information to your customers. How and when you present it can be as important as the shipping offer itself. Customers want to know how much it is going to cost to ship their order, and you better have the answers easily available for them, or risk losing the sale. Here are ten different best practices to consider when dealing with shipping:

1. Don't Make Customers Login To Get Shipping Rates.
How would you feel if you went shopping on the internet and found that you had to login just to view shipping rates? Not happy, correct? It's not right, and your customers won't go for it. The questions, "How much does shipping cost?," and, "How fast can I get it?," are first in a customer's mind, and to force them to login will cost you prescious sales. Customers should be able to see the cost for shipping on the shopping cart page, and it should be an option on the product pages as well. If you base your prices on the location where the order will be shipped, give people the ability to enter their zip code for a quote. (Notes from MetzyMom are all in italics and follow each practice... Customers do not have to login to see shipping rates at OLA. They do have to login to buy, but not to see shipping rates. I also find that including a more detailed shipping section in the actual listing answers ALL their questions).

2. Include Shipping Info on all Product Pages.
The product info page is one of those places where shipping questions often arise. Customers want to know, "If I add this item to my cart, how much is it going to cost to ship it?". As a result, giving the customers the ability to see shipping times and costs from or on the product pages should be an option. Offering a link to the shipping rates and policies is a good idea, but an even better one is using something like AJAX or a tabbed view, to enable the customer to get their shipping rates without the need to leave the page they are on. (OLA has a shipping tab, but you MUST enter the information or the tab is worthless. If I had a nickel for every time I opened the shipping tab to find it says "See Listing for Information" (and then found none in the listing) or it gave only the bare minimum info, or had nothing on combined shipping, I'd be a rich old woman).

3. Link to Shipping Page from Shopping Cart.
In the shopping cart where customers select the shipping method, be sure to provide more information regarding what they can expect with each option. (since we here at OLA do not have a traditional 'shopping cart', it makes it all the more important to have a shipping policy with all the information within the listing).

4. Don't Try To Make a Lot of Money off Shipping.
Customers are shoppers, and can find shipping rates for similar items on competitor sites very easily. They are often sensive to high shipping prices. Don't attempt to make more money (profit from) by rasing shipping and handling rates. It will backfire on you. (No one, and I mean NO ONE likes a postage cheat. Adding a $1 to cover packaging is fine, but only if you've explained it and what it will cover. Better to put any additional costs in the price of the item than to put it in the shipping).

5. Consider Offering Free Shipping at Level Above Your Average Order Value.
If your average order value is $45, consider offering free shipping at $55, to increase that average value. (This will also lend itself to moving more inventory because customers will order more to get the free shipping, especially when they are close with their original order).

6. Show Delivery Estimates by Region.
On your shipping page, show a map of UPS or FedEx estimated delivery times, based on region. These graphics are often provided by your shipping carriers, and can easily be downloaded and placed on your site. (This is really for those who have their own website in addition to their OLA House, but it does make sense to put estimated delivery times in your listings. This is easily done in a Shipping Policies section on the actual listing).

7. Ship Next Business Day as the Norm.
Ship Express Orders Same Day. Customers want things fast. Even if they purchased three to five day shipping, you need tomake sure you get all orders out the door they next day (that being at least the day after the order arrived). In general, make it a point to process orders within one business day. There is no reason to sit on orders, and doing so increases your chances of the order not arriving on time, which leads to unhappy customers.
For those that choose "1 Day Express,""2 Day Express," etc., shipping methods (if you offer them), consider shipping these orders the same day you get the order in, up to a certain cut-off time. An example of terminology for this type of method might be, "All orders received before 1 pm. EST are shipped the same day." (This is really for Express and Express-type orders only. See Practice #10 for the others).

8. Provide Tracking Numbers.
You should be doing this already, but it needs to be mentioned. A critical time to start building customer relationships is directly after an order. Customers want to know that the order they placed has, in fact, been received, and they want the ability to track that package's progress to their doorstep. As soon as you receive the tracking numbers and shipping information, you should promptly email your customers and relay that tracking info to them. If your system enables it, make the tracking number a link directly to the carrier's website (or your own), which pulls up the delivery schedule for them. It provides an extra layer of usability, and your customers will appreciate this small gesture in the long run. (The USPS Delivery Confirmation Number doesn't always track each step of the way, but sending that number builds confidence and trust between the buyer and the seller, even when it can't actually be tracked every step of the way. That you gave them every bit of information that you could is what matters).

9. Don't Ignore or Point Fingers on Lost Shipments.
If you ship any level of items over the Internet, is is bound to happen at some point. A shipment will get lost in the shuffle. Although it may not be your fault, you need to work with the customer to correct the situation. Don't point fingers. Instead, help solve the problem. If that means reshipping the order, then do it. (I actually look at feedback to see how the seller handles this! It doesn't have to be anyones fault, and usually it isn't... and that is something to keep in mind!).

10. Under Promise, Over Deliver.
Don't try promising something you can't back up. Give yourself a shipping cushion. To avoid unrealistic delivery times, you may want to add one or two (or even three) days' padding on to your delivery times estimates (except for overnight, one and two day options). Companies like Dell and Amazon tend to do this pretty well in most circumstances. They say, "3-5 day shipping," for example, and the package arrives in 2 days. (That says it all. The only thing I'd add is that if you sold it with Media Mail shipping and you see that First Class Parcel is only a few cents more, go ahead and upgrade it. Give your customer better and it's almost a lock that they will be back!).

Thursday, April 22, 2010

FENTON Hobnail Crimped Bowl~Mothers Day

This is a beautiful amberina Fenton Hobnail Crimped bowl. The color is a red orange moving up to a deep red. This is a beautiful bowl for display! 9 1/4" X 4 1/2" in size. This would make a lovely Mother's Day gift! Click HERE to see all the details!

If this isn't what you are looking for, click HERE to browse through all our listings!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Fun in Las Vegas & Blue Diamond






We had a wonderful time, despite our hotel being less than promised. Enjoyed meeting my Onlineauction.com cyber-friends, who are now my new REAL friends - so nice to have a human to put with the typing! What fun ladies! Smart, funny, clever, motivated, strong, compassionate, sensible - just a few words to describe them. Dave had a great time meeting them too, and now "gets" what I'm talking about when I'm yakking at him!
Bonnie Springs Ranch is still the little gem it's been for decades, tucked away near the Red Rock Canyon in Blue Diamond.
I was lucky enough to meet Miss Bonnie, the gal who started it 50 years ago. She still bottle feeds new baby animals, and plays with her "kids" - a wolf and 2 Canadian Lynx. Other fun animals there to see, up close and personal, are llamas, mini burros, pot bellied pigs, goats, sheep, Coatimundi, Patagonian Cavies, Porcupine, exotic bunnies and guinea pigs, horses, mini horses, long horn steer, buffalo, ducks, swans, turtles, deer, emu, a really cool Raven, peacocks EVERYWHERE, wallabies, ferrets, chickens...and more! It's not a fancy place, so if you don't like dust, the smell of animals, slobber and the occasional poop, it may not be to your liking. I relish all that!!
We had lunch in the rustic Western theme diner there, and Dave said his meal of big meaty BBQ ribs, crunchy fresh coleslaw on a bed of crisp lettuce and thick hot fries was the best he had in Vegas! Bonnie Springs offers a little Old West town, too, complete with train, gunfights and even a good ol' public hanging! Horseback riding , pony rides, weekend rodeos and horse boarding are also available, as well as a themed motel.

Speaking of horses, feel free to check out my horse items for sale at Onlineauction.com/store/curiocache such as the 1960's Marx Best of the West Comanche Horse pictured..

Spring Time Fruit and Flowers!

I took a few pictures of this Spring’s fruit tree blossoms. After the very hard winter we had here it is nice to get outside and, of course, now we are having unusually high temperatures. Almost 90 today!

I am trying to sell my rotor tiller so I am doing my vegetable garden by hand. I do have a nice tool, Garden Weasel Claw, and it does a nice job. Just am doing a row at a time and not the whole garden. Easier on these old bones!

This is the newest arrival to the garden, a thorn-less Blackberry bush. I planted it last week and it already has blossoms this week! Maybe I’ll get one berry.





I know I am going to have a bunch of blueberries this year! My little bush is just loaded with blossoms.



Check out these strange little butter cup type plants. They come up all over the place even in between other flowers. I wonder if anyone knows their real name? The are pretty so I don’t even try to get rid of them. They die off after spring anyway.



I took this picture of my Damson Plum tree but it was a little late to catch all the blossoms. Enough pictures for today. More in a later post. :)



International Shipping Offer From Gateway Express



For all OnlineAuction.com members!

This fantastic offer from Gateway Express
entitles you to a free DHL account,
with international postage at
60% off Express Shipping Rates!

A limited time offer...
please visit the OLA Shop Talk Forum
to read how you can
take advantage of this savings today!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

HEMMINGRAY 45 INSULATOR CLEAR

This is a nice Hemmingray 45 insulator made of clear glass. We have several sizes of insulators and would be happy to combine shipping.
These are great collector items! For more information, please click HERE.

We have many more items to offer! Everything from collector plates to car parts! Just click HERE!!!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Vintage Yale University Creamer circa 1925

Available for purchase at www.onlineauction.com is this Vintage Yale University Creamer which dates to circa 1925. This creamer is white china with Yale's blue color for decoration, and it has the symbol for Yale on it. This logo/symbol is only on one side of this creamer. It is marked on the bottom with a bird mark and C.T. Altwasser Silesia; this German mark was used by this factory around 1925.


This creamer is in very good condition, with no chips or cracks, and just a bit of wear from age/use. Don't know how many pieces like this are out there; I couldn't find anything comparable on the Internet. Size is approx. 3" tall, with a base diameter of approx. 2-3/4".



Click here for more information about this vintage Yale creamer.

Click here to see what other vintage items I currently have listed.

X-Force X-Men Vol 1 # 64 Mar 1997 Marvel Near Mint/Mint Condition 9.8


X-Force Modern Age Marvel Comic Book in Near Mint/Mint 9.8 Condition. This Comic Book is Volume 1, Number 64, March 1997. This Comic Book comes from a smoke free environment.

This comic book has never been read, it was a store over stock. The cardboard backing and plastic sleeve is included. I have scanned the front and back of this book to show the condition.

This would make a wonderful addition to your Modern Comic Collection so don’t miss this opportunity to own this X-Force Modern Age Marvel Comic Book. Click here to view this X-Force Comic Book

I have this 1977, Volume1, Number 64 X-Force Marvel Comic Book for sale through OLAs Fixed Price Auctions for only $1.95 This is a great price!!! Please check out my Stubsinc OLA Store for more interesting items.
Click here to visit my OLA Store

Saturday, April 10, 2010

The OnlineAuction.com Minute From SellerBuzz Radio

Chris Fain, Founder of OnlineAuction.com, used his weekly SellerBuzz Radio Minute to promote and thank SellerBuzz.com and SellerBuzz Radio.

From Chris Fain:

"Every Seller should become a member of this site (SellerBuzz.com) to add to ones credibility. The more networking and associates we have reflects on everything we do. The proof is in the pudding since we have been joining in, Blogging and promoting together our site sales at http://www.facebook.com/l/d34f0;OLA.com have almost doubled in just a few weeks and thats a very significant increase! Just last week our sales of 27 pages of sold items at 50 items to a page set a new record for weekly items sold. We are positive we are all on the right track to bring OLA into the forefront of the worlds best Online Auction site thanks to all of you great people out there!"

Friday, April 9, 2010

1997-98 Stadium Club Michael Jordan Hardcourt Heroics # H1

A single basketball trading card in near-mint condition.
Insert card.

Year: 1997-98 

Brand: Stadium Club Hardcourt Heroics 
Player: Michael Jordan 
Card #: H1 
Condition: Near-Mint



Available at Flea's Field at OnlineAuction.com!

Click here for purchasing details!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

CRISTAL d'ARQUES/DURAND DIAMANT CRYSTAL STEM WARE






Currently we have two listings for the Cristal d'Arques/Durand Diamant crystal stem ware. We have the Cristal d'Arques/Durand Diamant Wine Glass with a faceted stem. We also have the Cristal d'Arques/Durand Diamant Water Goblet with a smooth stem. Both have the same style bowl but different stem shapes. Click on the item for more information! All are in excellent condition! If you need more than one, please contact us for combine shipping rates! It will save you money!


Not what you are looking for? Browse around! We have many more collector plates, glassware, books and other items! Many are perfect for Mother's Day! Click here to see more!



Tuesday, April 6, 2010

OnlineAuction.com Luncheon in Las Vegas

Next week, FleaPirates and I will be attending the eCommerce Conference in Las Vegas ( http://www.ecommercesummit2010.com ) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. OnlineAuction.com is sponsoring us so that we can further our eCommerce education and bring back the latest information in eCommerce to you.

A small get together is also planned as several of our members will be in Las Vegas during the week of the conference. Members BlafStore ( http://www.OLA.com/store/blafstore ) who lives in Las Vegas, DustyCorners ( http://www.OLA.com/store/dustycorners ) who will drive up for the lunch, CurioCache ( http://www.OLA.com/store/curiocache ) who will be in Las Vegas celebrating her birthday, FleaPirates ( http://www.OLA.com/store/fleapirates ), and I ( http://www.OLA.com/store/metzymom ) will be having lunch at the Rio Hotel and Casino on Tuesday, April 13th at the Rio Hotel and Casino.

If there is anyone who is going to be in or near the Las Vegas, NV area on Tuesday, April 13th, we hope you will make plans to join us. Contact me via Omail for more information, some of which is still in the planning.

I hope to meet more OLA Members there!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Online Merchants : The Power of Picasa

If you are an Online Merchant, one of your priorities is certainly focused upon placing your product advantageously in the various search engines. We've talked a lot about Search Engine Optimization, and ways to improve the titles, subtitles and descriptions of your products to appeal to the search engines. Another way to promote your product is through Image Optimization. Today's post is about harnessing The Power of Picasa.

We believe that Picasa will meet the demands of those sellers who do not wish to utilize outside photo hosting resources. Instead, these sellers may opt to download this Google program, and benefit from perks such as photo enhancement, resizing, titling, and tagging, right from the comfort of their own hard drive. Yes, Picasa offers a photo hosting service, entitled Web Albums, but we have found that it is not necessary to use the uploaded images in order to receive the full benefit of Picasa.

Join us tonight, as MetzyMom and I discuss the advantages of Picasa on Seller Buzz Radio. The live show airs at 7:05pm CST, but if you are unable to attend, you may listen to an archived show, which will be Episode 11.

Additionally, you are invited to join us this Monday evening, April 5, 2010, for a Webinar about The Power of Picasa! You'll find us in the LIVE CHAT area of the Ola Team Blog, on Monday, at 8:00pm CST. We encourage anyone who is interested in using Picasa to download the program and try it out on your own. Then, visit with us Monday evening for a quick walk-through of the features and a group question and answer session. Mind you, no one is claiming to be Picasa experts... but we've been using Picasa for several weeks now, and are familiar enough with the features to assist those wishing to take their photos to the next level.

Upton Arithmetic Grade 4 With Answers Teachers Edition 1945


Vintage Book titled, “Upton ARITHMETHIC Grade 4”. This is a Teacher’s Edition School Book with the answers. This book is in Very Good to Fine Condition with light wear and minor discoloration to the cover.

The book has a copyright date of 1945 by American Book Company. The book is 296 pages long and 14 pages that contain the answers. This book is by Clifford B. Upton. The pages have slight yellowing to the edges of the pages.

The pages are crisp and clean with no tears or writing. This book has bright color graphics and appears to be unused. This Book would make a wonderful addition to your Vintage School Book Collection.

Don’t miss this opportunity to own this Upton Arithmetic Grade 4 Book. Click here to view this Teacher's Edition Upton Arithmetic Book.

I have this 1945 Upton Grade 4 Book for sale through OLAs Classic Auctions with a starting price of $8.00 This is a great price!!! Please check out my Stubsinc OLA Store for more interesting items. Click here to visit my OLA Store