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.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
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.....................................
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.....................................
Where To Sell All This Stuff?
Having been a collector (and dealer) of all kinds of everything for at least thirty years, I come from a long line of collectors, and so now, in my early fifties, I have inherited an awful lot of 'treasures' to add to my own collections from relatives who have passed over. On top of this, both my son and my husband also are avid collectors.
Since my husband is in the aviation business, we move from country to country fairly frequently, and shipping costs for all this stuff, plus the usual household items, plus number one sons stuff (who now lives away near his university) is horrifically expensive. The last move we made involved us hiring two 25' long metal containers, into which all our belongings were packed. That was from Thailand to Austria.
We gave away and sold some items, which would nearly equal the stuff we brought with us. Our hardworking and kind young maid benefited from a huge amount of stuff, which was wonderful because she was a hardworking girl with a new house to furnish (to us it would look more like a concrete garage, but to her it was heaven). Her one dream in life was to be an esthetician, allowing her to do facials, waxing and other skin-related services. It seemed odd to see my desk bought at auction twenty years before being used as a dining table. But I was so pleased to be able to help her. We went to see her house, she had invited us to admire it, just after the settled in all her new acquisitions.
After some time we found her house, a small concrete block hut with two rooms, in the centre of a field full of high grass, surrounded by expensive villas owned by foreigners. We parked hear the entrance, and got out. Just outside the front door (or rather where the front door would one day be) was a bucket with an 8' long dead snake curled up in it, blood still oozing from the long and obviously fatal cut under its chin. Sompon explained that her husband caught it before going to work, and this was to be supper for the whole family.
Even after divesting ourselves of almost half the stuff we had accumulated over the years, we still have a large attic, and a 'jewellery room' which is full of items to sell, to the point of not being able to get into the room. I have gone through some of it, selecting things which I particularly like to keep, some of which remind me of relatives who have passed. And some I am keeping as I have fallen in love with some vintage costume jewellery, particularly that made by the relatively unknown artisans of Bohemia from the 1800's to around 1950.
So once we arrived in Europe, got settled, discovered indababa music and unpacked the household furniture, I started to try to get a grip on what we have. There is so much. Stuff from my nan, things from my ex-mother-in-law, items from my mother and father, and the biggest treasure of all, travel trunks brimming over with all kinds of collectable costume jewellery and other very rare items.
These came to me courtesy of my favourite aunt, Aunt Dolly, who lived her life to the very fullest. She lived in Santa Monica (on the west coast of the USA, just north of Hollywood) for most of her life, and collected everything she could lay her hands on it seems. When her third husband died she decided to do the 'grand tour' of Europe, only with her it was actually the world. All my aunts were lovely, but Aunt Dolly was my favourite, and I am very honoured that she remembered me when it came to dispersing her rather big estate. She would always completely smother me with huge hugs and leave lots of bright red lipstick kisses on my face on those rare occasions I got to see her. The scent of Youth Dew will always remind me of her.
But now I was left with the dilemma, where to sell it all ?
Since my husband is in the aviation business, we move from country to country fairly frequently, and shipping costs for all this stuff, plus the usual household items, plus number one sons stuff (who now lives away near his university) is horrifically expensive. The last move we made involved us hiring two 25' long metal containers, into which all our belongings were packed. That was from Thailand to Austria.
We gave away and sold some items, which would nearly equal the stuff we brought with us. Our hardworking and kind young maid benefited from a huge amount of stuff, which was wonderful because she was a hardworking girl with a new house to furnish (to us it would look more like a concrete garage, but to her it was heaven). Her one dream in life was to be an esthetician, allowing her to do facials, waxing and other skin-related services. It seemed odd to see my desk bought at auction twenty years before being used as a dining table. But I was so pleased to be able to help her. We went to see her house, she had invited us to admire it, just after the settled in all her new acquisitions.
After some time we found her house, a small concrete block hut with two rooms, in the centre of a field full of high grass, surrounded by expensive villas owned by foreigners. We parked hear the entrance, and got out. Just outside the front door (or rather where the front door would one day be) was a bucket with an 8' long dead snake curled up in it, blood still oozing from the long and obviously fatal cut under its chin. Sompon explained that her husband caught it before going to work, and this was to be supper for the whole family.
Even after divesting ourselves of almost half the stuff we had accumulated over the years, we still have a large attic, and a 'jewellery room' which is full of items to sell, to the point of not being able to get into the room. I have gone through some of it, selecting things which I particularly like to keep, some of which remind me of relatives who have passed. And some I am keeping as I have fallen in love with some vintage costume jewellery, particularly that made by the relatively unknown artisans of Bohemia from the 1800's to around 1950.
So once we arrived in Europe, got settled, discovered indababa music and unpacked the household furniture, I started to try to get a grip on what we have. There is so much. Stuff from my nan, things from my ex-mother-in-law, items from my mother and father, and the biggest treasure of all, travel trunks brimming over with all kinds of collectable costume jewellery and other very rare items.
These came to me courtesy of my favourite aunt, Aunt Dolly, who lived her life to the very fullest. She lived in Santa Monica (on the west coast of the USA, just north of Hollywood) for most of her life, and collected everything she could lay her hands on it seems. When her third husband died she decided to do the 'grand tour' of Europe, only with her it was actually the world. All my aunts were lovely, but Aunt Dolly was my favourite, and I am very honoured that she remembered me when it came to dispersing her rather big estate. She would always completely smother me with huge hugs and leave lots of bright red lipstick kisses on my face on those rare occasions I got to see her. The scent of Youth Dew will always remind me of her.
But now I was left with the dilemma, where to sell it all ?
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