Consider Using eBay to Sell Your Junk!

I saw an interesting video today by Marsha Collier, the author of the eBay For Dummies series, called Bringing eBay To America. Ms. Collier was being interviewed on twenty television stations across the United States in just four hours on a satellite media tour. Therefore, she spoke with each station for a just a couple of minutes.

She gave a quick overview of eBay as an excellent venue to sell your junk. I agree. As a matter of fact, your junk might be much more valuable than you think! You probably have stuff in your home that you haven’t used in ages plus some stuff that you have never used…selling it on eBay gives you instant access to 80 million people, all potentially interested in your junk!

What’s involved in selling on eBay? In short:

• Taking good pictures.
• Doing research on eBay (and possibly elsewhere).
• Writing a good title with keywords. (Squidooers know all about keywords!)
• Writing a good description in words (as if there is no picture!)
• Suggesting who the item might be good for, what it could be used for.
• Accepting payment via credit card – Paypal makes this possible.
• Packaging items for shipment.

eBay is user friendly. If I can figure it out, you can too. I started out selling items from my Mother-in-Law's estate. Once I started, I found myself constantly tripping over great bargains everywhere I went.

That is not to say that I was successful instantly. There is definitely a learning curve involved and I recommend that you use all of the help available to you on eBay. I also recommend you read every eBay book that you can put your hands on whether you borrow them from the library or buy them, that you watch the eBay tutorials and that you listen to eBay Radio. I believe also that you should start by buying a few things on eBay so that you learn how the process works from a buyer's point of view. eBay is a great place to buy those books about eBay just make sure that they are as recent as the last year or so, anything older will be out of date.

Ms. Collier quoted a Nielsen study which found that most people have $3,000 worth of stuff sitting about their home that could be sold on eBay right now. What’s stopping you? 

Find Marsha Collier's eBay books on Amazon by clicking here.

Brenda

Visit my eBay store, Treasures By Brenda, by clicking here. This week I have beautiful Halloween costumes for young children, new Disney clothing items, an amazing Roots leather wallet, new DVDs, VHS tapes and CDs and more listed at auction. As usual, my store brims over with an eclectic assortment of new and preowned items.

You never know what I might have in store for you!

31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS: DAVIDsTEA Color-Changing Tiger Mug

Next up in my latest 31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS series is this fun, color-changing, tiger-themed coffee mug from DAVIDsTEA. I love many of the their mugs but they are not all created equal and this one has a particularly dramatic change when you pour hot water into it. See the photo below.

Measuring 5 1/4 inches tall by 3 1/4 inches wide without the handle or 5 inches wide with the handle, it holds 16 ounces or 475 milliliters of your favorite hot and steamy beverage.

Originally sold in 2019, it is now retired so you will need to turn to the resale market to find one. Note that color-changing mugs are NOT dishwasher or microwave safe. If you are buying a used mug and it has been put in one of those home appliances, it may not work or the image may be damaged. 

This tiger mug is perfect for anyone who loves tigers or anyone who simply loves to brew a nice cup of tea. It is generously sized and comes complete with an infuser and a lid. Note that for a period of time the manufacturer stopped using the pretty DAVIDsTEA boxes so this one is more simply packaged than the original ones were.

Find this DAVIDsTEA tiger mug new in my eBay shop by clicking right here.  You will also be able to see the other retired color-changing mugs that I have available.  

You never know what
mugs I might have
in store for you!
Brenda

31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS: Starbucks Anniversary Collection 2015 Golden Scales Mug

It's been awhile since I have done a 31 Days of Coffee Mugs series. Since 2020, it turns out. Here's to a new series for 2023 starting off with this handsome Starbucks coffee mug. It is the anniversary collection mug from 2015 and features a raised detail of golden scales. A reference back to Starbucks' mermaid. 

You'll love how the dark coloration glistens both with the glossy finish and the gold dots. The metallic finish means that it is imperfect in nature, with little spots here and there in the finish. 

Remember that said gold detailing and metallic finish on a mug means that it is not dishwasher nor microwave safe.

Size wise, it is an ordinary-sized coffee mug. Ordinary, by old-fashioned standards. You might find it small if you are used to having a big mug. This one measures 3 1/4 inches tall by 3 1/4 inches wide across the opening and 5 inches long if you include the handle. It will hold 10 fluid ounces o4 296 milliliters of your favorite hot, steamy beverage. 

Find this Golden Scale Starbucks Anniversary Collection mug by clicking here to visit my eBay store.

You never know

what mugs I might have

in store for you!

Brenda

MORE STARBUCKS MUGS:

Starbucks' the Year of the Rat Mug.

Starbucks' Year of the Monkey Mug.

Starbucks' You Melt My Heart Mug.

Antique Gebruder Bing Teddy Bears

Meet my pretty little Gebruder Bing teddy bear. Alas, she was mine but for a short time. I am an eBay seller and cannot afford to keep many of the fabulous items that I find. Unfortunately, this sweet antique bear fell into that category. I loved her but could not keep her but nor could I sell her until I knew who she was. Here is what I discovered in my quest for knowledge.

According to Let's Talk Teddy Bears, the company Gebruder Bing was established in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1863 but they were not a teddy bear manufacturer until much later. In 1881, they started making metal toys and had grown to become the biggest toy maker by the early 1900s. In 1907, they stepped into the teddy bear craze of the day but not without some difficulties. 

Bing's bears, it is said, were much like those produced by the well-known toy manufacturer Steiff. They wore a metal 'button' on their ear in the same manner that Steiff plush toys did. Eventually, to appease Steiff, Bing was forced to move the metal tag from the ear to the left arm and then finally to the right arm. Bing also switched to calling the 'button' a 'tag.' They did not make bears for long. In 1932, the company folded.

My bear still had the little metal tag on her arm that represented Bing Werke. The tag was the key to identifying her though I will give credit to the bear collectors who shared that information with me. I do not have a photograph of the tag but it was on her right arm and it was a red round metal button with a B, W and Germany on it, which according to Minka's Bear Passion, dates her to between 1919 and 1927.  

Bing bears, as I quickly found out, are still hotly sought after in any condition. As is evidenced in the photograph, my bear was quite worn, obviously much beloved by a previous owner or perhaps a number of owners. Given that she could be a hundred years old, I think that was understandable. 

When I listed her, I corresponded with a number of collectors and potential buyers. Some of them felt that she needed restoration and I would not argue with them. However, others were prepared to love her as she was given that this is the authentic state of a bear who is antique and who proudly displays a century of life. 

The lady who eventually purchased my bear is a collector who was anxious to add a Bing bear to her collection and she was thrilled to acquire this one. In our discussions, we wondered if this bear started off with a German child or if she was exported from Germany right away. If she was, we wondered, where did she go? When and how did she arrive in Canada? There are so many unanswered questions. 

This bear and all bears should have passports or diaries to record their lives.  As one correspondent wrote, "if only she could talk."  Anyway, I was thrilled to have this bear go to a home where she would be treasured for this stage of her journey.  

You never know

what I might have

in store for you!

Brenda

QUICK LINKS:

Check out the Gebruder Bing bears currently listed on eBay.

Check out the Let's Talk Bears blog.

Vintage Springbok Mickey Mouse's Head Puzzle

Here is another fantastic but hard vintage Springbok jigsaw puzzle. This one features the iconic cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. Since it depicts Mickey's head in just four solid colors, it is difficult and in the end, I worked Mickey's head and my husband worked the mass of yellow around the outside. It took us awhile to finish but it felt great when Mickey's smiling face was finally complete.

WHAT ARE THE PUZZLE DETAILS?

Produced by Springbok in conjunction with Walt Disney Productions and marked puzzle number 2048 or PZL2048, this puzzle, titled Mickey Mouse, was created in 1972 and was sold as a 500-piece puzzle. The finished size is square and measures 20 inches by 20 inches.

WHO IS IT SUITED FOR?

This puzzle is suitable for older, avid jigsaw puzzle workers and for Disney collectors who fit that description. I would not recommend it for young fans because, as I mentioned above, all that solid color makes a puzzle harder rather than easier.

WHERE TO BUY IT?

This puzzle has been discontinued for more than 50 years but you can check on eBay to see if it is currently available by clicking right here. When I looked there were a number of them to choose from but no new ones. If a new one shows up, you can be sure it will be at a premium.

If you are buying a used puzzle, make sure you buy from a reputable seller who gives a good description of the condition of the box and pieces and maybe even a guarantee of completeness. When I buy puzzles, I definitely prefer to buy ones that are complete whenever I can. Since that is not always possible, take care to look at the pictures and read the seller's description carefully so that you know what you are buying. Also, be aware that a counted puzzle is not necessarily a complete puzzle since the number of pieces that a manufacturer quotes is often a rounded number. For instance, a 500-piece puzzle may actually have slightly more or less pieces than that figure. 

Are you a jigsaw puzzle fan or a Mickey Mouse fan or maybe a bit of both? Have you worked this puzzle?

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
You Never Know What
I Might Have In Store For You!

MORE JIGSAW PUZZLE READING:

Find Springbok's Mickey Mouse puzzle on eBay.

Discover Springbok's difficult Little Red Riding Hood's Hood puzzle.

Love books? You'll love Springbok's Book Shop puzzle.

Love difficult puzzles? Ketchup? Check out the all red Heinz Ketchup puzzle here.

Check out all of the jigsaw puzzles new, used and vintage in my eBay store.