Where The First Lady Leads, The World Follows.......

You would have to have been on another planet to have missed the long running presidential selection process covered so closely on all major news networks over the last year or more. Even the macho sports star Stacy Andrews has bought his lady several of these super brooches over the last six months.

And which lady on planet earth has not noticed that both Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton have both continued their own individual styles by wearing large vintage costume jewellery brooches? Well here is your opportunity to grab one, and at a bargain price. The green brooch above is made by the well respected vintage costume jewellery design house 'Exquisite'. Their hallmark is on the back. The picture speak volumes, for more info click here.

And where Americas aristocracy (celebrities and politicians) go, the rest of America follows, and eventually, the rest of the world catches up on the trends. This superb crescent moon brooch is by the high end vintage costume jewellers JJ. As with all the other brooches it is in immaculate condition.

This superb oriental gentleman with red rhinestone hat is waiting to be listed now, so here is a taster of just some of the superb items I have yet to list. As well as this red one, I have his brother who is wearing a green rhinestone hat. If you are interested in either of these, or any of the coming attractions, simply contact me through Specialistauctions.com

This delightful and very 'high-end' vintage costume jewellery kity pin brooch is simply stunning. The body of the cat is made from mother of pearl, and is mounted in what I believe is a silver bezel setting. To view more images of this listing click here.

Words fail me with this butterfly! The detailing is superb, the multi-enamelled wings are also studded with the most sparkling rhinestones which are surely Swarovski. This is a true statement piece and would look truly spectacular on a black suit jacket or dress. I have several butterfly brooches listed in my shop at specialistauctions.com so click here to look if you have time.
If you like to be more subtle, then these next two brooches are for you. The first is a stylised fawn or bambi with the most gorgeous expression, and with an angelic face studded with sparklers. Another high qualitylisted item (details here) waiting to be snapped up by the elegant lady.

Again classy and elegant this superb solid silver brooch has gorgous abalone shell inlaid into the leaf, which is so stunning as to be hugely impressive. This would go beautifully with an orange suit jacket, or on a black or dark green jacket. Stylishly classy, yet understated, this superb item is even going to pay you back in time for buying it, as it will only go up in value. To take a further look visit collectablesnet shop at specialist auctions by clicking here.

Bugs and bug pins or brooches have been fashionable since pre-Victorian days. This super example is just waiting to be listed on my shop at specialist auctions. He definitely comes under the coming attractions listings. Made of high quality rhinestones on a black body the celluloid or lucite wings are in absolutely pristine condition. This little guy doesn't look more than half a century old does he? The red eyes and glittering clear rhinestones are quite superb and look stunning against a red or black blouse or jacket. He was wrapped away in tons of tissue and a box, so he is in perfect condition.

If you are interested in seeing more pictures of any of these items which are not yet listed in my shop Collectablesnet at specialistauction.com then just go to my shop and contact me - I'm always willing to accept your 'haggles' so make me an offer. I'm sure we can come to a 'deal' which means you get a super bargain.

Buy with confidence - every single one of my customers is delighted
You can see their comments here.

What To Start Listing First ?

Having found my ideal venue for selling, the next question was what to list. One of my favourite area of collectables is vintage costume jewellery, and I was lucky to find a kindred spirit in the Moderator of that section on Specialist Auctions. She is approachable and helpful, and an all round delight to deal with. Our interests compliment one another so it works out well.
Juggling my other commitments, I started by listing costume jewellery at Specialist Auctions. Most of it came via my aunt who lived in Santa Monica for years, and regularly attended the MGM Saturday props sales, picking up no end of glitzy gaudy vintage costume jewels. There follows a selection of vintage costume jewellery for sale in my shop.

The so called demi-parure above in the black box, is by Sara Coventry and comprises a central pendant or brooch and a pair of large emerald cut rhinestones. These were given out to successful 'Party Hostesses' for the Sara Coventry items sold at in home parties. If you would like further information click here.
This stunning brooch above is named 'Blue Lagoon' and was made by Delizza & Elster for Sara Coventry and is just gorgeous, the shades of blue crystals is incredible. Details here

Way back then when my aunt collected vintage costume jewels, they were little collected, and only a very few of those she bought from MGM are annoted as to who wore the item, or where it was used in the making of a film. I've been in touch with MGM several times to see if they have searchable archives, so I can verify my aunts notes, but never even receive an email in reply, so not much hope there. I have a feeling the set below (I call it 'Lady Di' since it is so much like the gems she wore) may have come from there.
This green and clear crystal rhinestone set is one of my favourite parures - this reminds me so much of the late Lady Diana Spencer, it is typical of the type of choker set she would wear. It is for sale on Specialist Auctions and if you would like more information - please click here.
And here we have the gorgeous green frog who has almost been sold twice, but he seems destined to stay with me, and I really don't mind because he is gorgeous. His huge emerald cut green back is quite stunning in person - info here.

Everyone has heard of Whiting & Davis Mesh Purses, but did you know they also did a range of costume jewellery ? They rarely marked it, but the quality stands out a mile. Shown above is a gorgeous crystal intaglio set of large pendant and matching ear clips. It is for sale in my shop on Specialist Auctions - full details are here
Another of my favourites - Amberina crystal. It is that ruby red which has a tinge or deep orange in it, and it is extremely difficult to produce. This brooch is Amberina and is for sale too - full details here
Above is a high quality pound sterling sign, or possibly a stylised initial 'L' This is an unusual and high quality brooch made by the high-end manufacturer BSK. Click here if you would like to see more images
Finally here (above) is one of a pair of really unusual lilac crystal Weiss ear clips. They are a rare colour in fantastic shape from around the 1950's. Not bad for half a century old ! More info is here.

I have to confess that while searching out and researching vintage costume jewellery, I have become addicted. My own personal collection is now almost as big as that of my aunts! And believe it or not it is quite hard to part with some of them. Especially some of those shown above.

This is just a taste of the vintage costume jewellery I have to list, and all the items shown are listed in my shop Collectables Net on Specialist Auctions. But I have several hundred more items to list - the problem is finding the time to do it !

I've Looked At The Rest - But Found The Best - No Contest

My criteria when searching for an alternative to 'greedbay/pheebay' was simple. I had a list of requirements which grew the more and more wannabee's I tried which failed to meet even the most basic of needs.

I did not want to pay for an online shop - I wanted the freedom to list as many items and I chose and I wanted my own banner for my own shop - I wanted free listings but would pay a small percentage once my item had sold, that seemed reasonable enough to me. And why pay for even one photograph of my own item image?

But gradually, as I explored the options, I found less and less of the online selling platforms who provided even these basic essentials. They all promised a lot, but every single one failed to deliver on some aspect or another of my requirements.

So imagine my shock and delight when I found specialistauctions.com which not only survived the list of 'essential requirements' but also exceeded my expectations in many other ways, and today, continues to do so, almost on a daily basis.

Before I go any further, and in the interests of full disclosure, I should tell you that I do not own specialistauctions.com.

But boy, I wish I did. This site is going places. I am hoping as a member I may get share options when they eventually 'go public'. Meanwhile I have the opportunity to sell on somewhere which is not 'pheebay' AND get to keep more of my money for my item AND have fun doing it while 'meeting' people from all over the world.

As well as meeting my basic essential requirements in an online selling platform, specialistauctions.com offer a list of benefits (all completely free) which from my experience on the net is completely unique. Another huge bonus is that there are none of those ghastly flashing advertisements which drive everyone crazy. In fact, no adverts at all!

This is a summary of just some of the USP's (Unique Selling Points), which you will find at specialistauction.com. I challenge anyone anywhere on earth to find an online selling venue which offers the same or better options for buyers or sellers:

* Expert Moderators to help both buyers and sellers. Easy access to Moderators for advice on any aspect of buying or selling or helping to price or date or identify your item FREE.

* Free shop in which to sell your items with NO LIMIT on the number of items you have listed.

* The opportunity to list each item in two categories free, thus doubling your exposure on Google and all the other search engines.

* Seven free images per item. Simple to use image uploader, no need for Photobucket or similar programs.

* Listing in any currency with 'real time' currency conversion tool for buyers and sellers. This is one of the key aspects in which specialistauctions.com is unique. Sellers from all over the world can list in their own currency, yet buyers can convert to their local currency rate with a simple click. I love the international aspects of this site, it is quite unique.

* Large Title field per item allowing full and complete description of your item.

* Unlimited number of free listings for your shop.

* Your own shop URL to promote on your social networking sites and elsewhere.

* Free bulk uploads from almost any other selling platform, including your own site (copying your listings so again, double exposure for free).

* Helpful, friendly Forums, with a great community feeling with discussions on everything from the best way to make full use of the features on the site, to what the weather is like in Finland!

* Free help from expert Moderators and other members who are happy to share their considerable knowledge and help on any and every aspect of selling or buying.

* Free inclusion of your own blog showing items you have listed for sale on specialistauctions.com again increasing your chances of a sale with FREE ADVERTISING.

* Moderators to monitor sellers who may be trying to sell fakes or repro items as genuine therefore providing a safe and 'clean' environment for both buyers and sellers.

* Responsive, helpful and understanding technical support department, who do not make you feel like a dork if you don't understand something, and who respond very quickly to enquiries or questions.

* Ongoing promotions with internationally known brands to benefit sellers (watch out for the one starting in March).

*Not one of those annoying flashing adverts - in fact, no adverts at all ! What a delight.

*The feeling of community is not a false one, the participants (buyers, sellers, owners) all are of one mind and all contribute to making this the best online selling venue ever.

If I sound enthusiastic, then yes, you are right, I am. I had no hope, now I have found the best selling platform on the entire planet.

But I do have to report one problem with Specialist Auctions. And it is something that even the very helpful owners at specialistauctions.com cannot fix.

It took me a whole year to find them....................

The Saga Continues .........Search For Superior Alternative To Ebay

The next site I stumbled upon in my search for somewhere to sell my stuff was AuctionBytes. I did not realise that they were not actually a selling platform, but more a place for sellers to gather and discuss selling issues.

I joined the forum, and read the posts. There did not seem to be huge activity there, and some of the threads had never been answered. I read the information provided about the owners of the site and liked what I saw. They seemed dedicated, helpful and professional. I added them to my favourites list.

Since then I have looked occasionally at the Forums there, particularly the collectables, but they are rather static. There does not seem to be a huge amount of input there and what is there is very sporadic. I've tried posting and seeing whether I can speed things up for them, and got one or two answers eventually, but generally not much activity.

I was reminded of this recently when one of the owners of this site commissioned a writer to write a piece on Specialist Auctions. It is a good read, and really sums up the ethos behind Specialist Auctions. Here is a link to it if you would like to read it :

www.auctionbytes.com/

The author was lucky in interviewing one of the founding owners of Specialist Auctions and one of the wisest people I know. Not many people these days still follow the traditional 'My word is my bond' moral. Integrity seems to be getting more and more scarce to find in people today. So it is a pleasure to deal with this gentleman, who is head of the team in control of the day to day running of Specialist Auctions.

But I am getting ahead of myself, just after the New Jersey Earthquake I tried again.

Another Sunday evening was looming, and I was again determined to spend a couple of hours Googling my eyes out searching for an online selling platform. My DH (Dear Husband) had built a brand new website for me, but what with working long hours, and my lack of knowledge, it was outdated and languishing incomplete and not updated after only a month or two online. And as females do, I kept changing my mind: about the format, about the categories, even about the colour scheme. It is a shame I did not keep it up to date, since I deliberated over the new name for days, if not weeks.

On one of my way out 'deep in the depths of the web' trawls that Sunday, I found a list of online selling venues. I eyed them cynically - I recognised most of them, since they were mostly already 'has beens' from my point of view. I had already 'road tested' more than three quarters of them on the list.

Then I spotted Specialist Auctions. Sounding more like one of those posh online antique malls (the kind which charge the earth, give only one picture and ten words per UK£500 item), I clicked on the link, fully expecting to be disappointed. But I was not.

Specialist Auctions gave a very good first impression. The first thing I noticed was something missing - something quite amazing and very unexpected - those hideously gaudy epilepsy-inducing nightmares of flickering, jumping flashing neon red and green adverts, usually for the American green card lottery, or an online casino.

Delightful not to be bombarded with that. Already I was grateful and I hadn't even read a word yet................

My Search For An Alternative Something Better Than Ebay Continues.......

Looking back, I really should have kept a log of all those 'greedbay' wannabes I tried. One does stick in my mind as it is (or was, I don't know I have lost track of it) UK based, which since I am a Brit, at the time, it appealed to me.

It is ebid. Right, sounds good I thought, (hope springs eternal), I tried to register. That did not work, it rejected my address at least ten times in all formats, and did not seem set up to accept my type of address at all. Frustration piled upon frustration. I tried everything. Then I sent an email to their support desk. Experience told me not to expect a quick reply, but they did reply eventually.

Saying that even though I was a Brit, I could not Register with ebid. Their system simply was not set up to deal with expats. I was stunned. I do not know the current number of British expats living overseas but it is surely in the millions by now. Needless to say, this one was crossed off the list too. Anyone short-sighted enough to rule out millions of potential clients with one stupid rule does not deserve my business.

Ok fast forward through the list of also rans : craigslist, bonanzle, adflyer, mystore, dealtent, altectrader, bidville, treasuresales, bidville, overstock, ioffer (particularly hopeless - they deserve a medal for ineptitude), wagglepop (pathetic), auction quest, blujay, plunderhere, qxl, ecrater, auction addict, auction-warehouse, vintagevalue, ukbidsaway et al.

Then I brain-stormed with my husband. We sat down and thought about it. We both had sold on ebay in the early days, and tried to remember what it was that was so compelling. We figured it out. But then we realised that was fine for then, but for now, even if we found an online auction/selling venue which was as good as greedbay was in the past, that would simply not cut it now, in todays internet environment.

So - we decided what we wanted was something SUPERIOR to ebay in the early days. So the hunt just got even harder. I can't count the times I almost gave up and just decided to take to the Auction Fairs and Flea Markets circuits yet again. But the hunt continued...............................................if you dont want to follow the torturous journey which led me to Specialist Auctions, then just go there now and check them out. They truly are better than ebay was even in the beginning.

The Hunt For An Alternative To Greedbay

We've been here in Europe now for about a year. During that whole time I have been 'road testing' every single online selling venue I could find or heard about, including quite a few which are no longer around (unsuprisingly).

Each and every one had a fair (and long) trial, but there was always one or two things which niggled and made me uncomfortable selling in those places. And some of them just never sold anything anyhow, despite my best efforts and rock bottom prices with FREE worldwide postage. Heck, I may as well just give the stuff away I thought!

The first one I tried was Etsy. I understood that it was for crafters selling their handmade wears, but they soon developed a vintage costume jewellery selling category.

Since I have some vintage costume jewellery which is broken, or needs a slight repair, from rhinestone pieces which need new ones sourcing, and sticking back in, to necklaces where the silk cord had rotted and the whole thing needs re-stringing, I thought I could list these and get rid of them.

I also have a stash of vintage findings (the metal parts on costume jewellery) because my Aunt Dolly bought out many retiring jewellers and even one small factory - and they are only the ones I know about. I suspect there were many more, knowing her.

As to fixing them myself as someone suggested to me once
"Oh it's easy" says she.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" said I.
Not for someone like me who is notoriously 'cack-handed'. So no, I would not even attempt that kind of thing myself, so Etsy seemed heaven-sent, at first that is.

Anyhow, long story short, visited the Forums for tips and advice and was astounded at the number of 'F Bombs' being hurled around willy nilly. Now I am no prude (very far from it), but saw no need for language like that on a public board. That was the first nail in the coffin.

Contacting one of the admin people to ask why such language was tolerated resulted (three weeks later) in a note saying perhaps since I was not an 'artist' the site was not the best fit for me, because in artistic circles any language is acceptable. Well, I took the hint and moved on.

Next came eCrater. Easy interface, lots of hits, but not good categories for me. My stuff just did not seem to fit into any of the existing ones. So a nice email was sent suggesting a couple of new ones which may help. No reply. I left it for a month and still probably have some stuff sitting there, I just never heard from them again. Time to move on yet again.

Finding it hard to get into the apartment for boxes of stuff waiting to be sold, I re-investigated the dark side - greedbay. Could the fee's really be that high? Does that really matter if it means I get rid of some stuff? I tried to justify jumping on the ebay bandwagon even though the rules seemed often pointless and directed at the wrong people. It would be easier than enduring these hopeless ebay wannabes who just could not cut it in my eyes.

Then they (greedbay) introduced the 'no bad feedback for buyers no matter how awful they are' rule. Well that woke me up big-time. No way am I going to put my heart and soul into selling, braving -12 weather to get to the post office fast to post their parcel and then get a bad feedback for something completely bogus. No way!

So back to the alternatives - had a good look at Ruby Lane whose fees are high, but who now have quite a good reputation. But they too had arbitrary rules one effecting a major producer of vintage costume jewellery.

The company named D&E (Delizza & Elster) has fairly recently been discovered as having made exceptionally high quality jewellery, for themselves (Juliana) and for other big names, like Weiss, Kramer and Eisenberg. Ruby Lane unilaterally decided that jewels which had passed the very rigorous online testing for 'verification' of genuineness (is that a word?) could not be advertised as such on 'The Lane'. Big black mark for Miss Ruby I am afraid, so crossed that one off the ever decreasing list.

But that was not the last, by any means, that I tested. There were some early start-ups which pure and simply did not work. Clicking on something brought up something else. And nice emails telling them this received no reply at all.

Of course, I noticed that all of these greedbay clones were springing up in the good old USA, there simply MUST be one here in Europe surely? But Googling my eyes out for days at a time, I only found one poor old neglected half built site from a Frenchman. Say no more.

The saga continues.....................................