OK... I know it is not polite, however I still would like to know,

clem sending all the best to you.

Does anyone else get upset when they read their DSLR report? Makes me mad to be an eBay seller. I try to be ok. and they jest knock me down.

Odette say nite also.

Part of my extended family actually was driving to Boston at the beginning of the storm. They arrived and fled to New Hampshire, hope they are ok.

Nice to see you here, always enjoyed talking to you.

Making a big pot of whatever soup, hope it turns out ok. Can't go wrong with chicken, tomatoes, garlic, peppers and plenty of seasoning.

hope saereader is ok during the storm. Also think of the member in New Hampshire that I enjoyed so much but her alias escapes me.... (please help an old man)

Hope you are all well.

Clem , really like those bookends. I think Mystery is right, start them high. Nice eye.

Here I thought I was the only one that loved Walt Kelly…. I treasure my ex library copy of POGO We have met the enemy and he is us. It has the hardboards cover often used by libraries with the typical stamps . I remember growing up in the 70s, and thinking, gee Walt sure knows how to draw Spiro Agnew and JE Hoover.

Dodged a big bullet today. A couple of weeks ago a guy in Italy contacted me about shipping for an expensive pair of shoes. I quoted shipping at around 28$. I had not heard from him till today. Of course the PO rates had changed since the quote, but something else was in the back of my mind. I seemed to remember from some BB conversation that Italy has many rules concerning shipping items and sure enough shoes are on the list. So I wrote the guy, he seemed to take it in stride. That was a close one.

Sometimes I think I am getting soft in the head as I age.

Beth, I appreciate your experience and knowledge. I wish I could spend a day shopping with you. Of course I would make a video, up load it to YOUTUBE and make a few bucks from advertising...just kidding...I value your experience so much.
mystery... VERIZON huh? maybe I should check them out.

Got to say goodnight peeps..check with you tomorrow.

I also taught myself how to process B&W film, which saved me some $.

Now all someone has to do is point a cell phone at something and take a pic, and use INSTAGRAM to make it look like an old photo.

Things change for the better, but people are not aware of the struggle that happened before. At least that is what I think.

When I was very young, I really , I mean really wanted to be a PHOTOGRAPHER. I read old photo mags at the library and collected them also. I looked at the backs to try to find a camera I could afford. There were always tiny little adds for importers of Japanese cameras in the 1960s. The major brands were Nikon (top of the line); CANNON somewhat better with a following; MINOLTA respectable and solid; Pentax below the bar but a good entry level camera.

After about five years I had enough money to buy a MINOLTA ST 101. It was about 350.00 in the mid 1970s. A great camera that helped me photograph the events of my teenage life. I think I still have it around here somewhere, I would not sell it. Too many memories.

I am doing ok here, still at the same place and doing pretty much the same stuff. I’ve had some setbacks in the past four months, however I am now hoping for a rebound. It all started with Hurricane Sandy, which managed to knock out the power here for seven days. From then on it always seemed like I was trying to catch up. December sales were not all that great for the stuff I was trying to sell. Then in the beginning of January I caught a cold, lasted a week. And the week before last my Mom was in the hospital for six days, fortunately she is doing much better and is home. Now it is up to me to get her to her numerous medical appointments, which is what I did today.
It is not all bad though, I still manage to get some auctions up and find new stuff. I still enjoy research , finding out about new things.
Odette is doing just fine, she is a great companion. When I had my cold she was by my side 24 hours a day. She is gaining some weight, but I do not mind, I guess I spoil her. She still likes to play, so have to entertain her with various games (hunting is her favorite).
Well I check back later as I have to write some auctions.

Oh, almost forgot, I have seen Jack a couple times in the past year. He told me he wasn’t going to do any more yard sales. He he stopped selling on Amazon. Not sure if he is still doing the Antique Mall, I suspect he is not. He moved from Lakewood, Gave me some stuff, nice guy.

Really I miss you guys.
I checked the remembrance board and saw that many are still around, thankfully.
Oh, anyway. I guess I am just thankful to be around.

The PO changes, rates are up for First Class 4 pounds and under to Foreign countries. I had to mail a two pound to Australia today, sold before the rate increase, about $2 increase. I wonder how much this will impact my Foreign sales. I depend on them quite a bit. Sometimes 3/4 of my sales go overseas.
For some reason it bothers me when a customer spends more than twice the amount of the object for postage. I suppose I should just shrug it off right?

Booksellers with 15 minutes to spare might find this film bio on youtube interesting
Charles Mysak New York City Street Bookseller.

"As the world’s largest online marketplace—one comprised of 93 million active users—eBay is uniquely equipped to serve as a cultural barometer. Its global community helps set and forecast shopping trends daily through its searches, purchases and live sales.

The Inside Source, eBay's digital style magazine, is a media destination that harnesses these unique insights to tell stories about what people are shopping for right now—their collections, their passions, and their must-haves."

You can find moreHERE

Yes they probably grabbed the scan with the logo. Sometimes it is tough to protect tour wears "wares" on the interweb.

GayleI like reading your post and am happy you have joined the new board. However, I am being vague for a purpose, dropped a few hints, but I will not be specific.

dainisjg yep, guess I should grow a thicker skin.

What if I told you you could buy back a very personal family photo. A photo that only shows your Grandparents, but your grandparents parents, with a whole lot of cousins, aunts and uncles? On top of that, you never knew the photo existed, and that is probably one of a kind?

Priceless right, maybe even precious. How many chances does one have to recover a lost bit of family history?, all for the price of a couple of dinners at a restaurant or half a tank of gas.

Anyway, here is the email I got from someone that found out about one of my postcard auctions:
"Hi...thanks for making the picture larger. I'm sure this is of my husband's family as they are the only (...family in the area....) However, the price is very high and the shipping could be first class taking that cost down too. It would be nice to have the picture just as part of our ancestry/geneaolgy collection, but too costly.

I just really want to send a short note to them wishing them good luck in finding a cheaper example. But I won't and I will not send it to them for a cheaper price.
What do you all think, it's ok if you differ in opinion, as I expect some will say, just send it to them for the good karma.

Anyway, something to think about.

well just waited through a near two hour rain delay here in Cleveland for the Indiana's Twins match up. Frustrating that the umps decided to cancel the game. The Tribe is alive, actually had a good chance to sweep the Twins if they played today, three behind Detroit for the AL Central.

vangoes is there any way to put the link back up?

The past few days have been slow sales wise for me, guess I will blame it on the Summer Doldrums. Better just keep my nose to the grindstone and let things take care of itself.

Odette says Hi, she had her favorite treat this afternoon, canned tuna. Variety is the spice of life , even for cats.

I found this article very thought provoking, in the London Daily Mail, concerning the Riots, one father's grief and the role of Religion in Society Religion in Society

furtima I am enjoying your little book sales reports.

Anyone else experiencing this? Can't figure out if it is me, or maybe ebay. Perhaps a cachet problem, or maybe the Browser, I'm using Firefox.

In a way, I feel sorry for the guy. In a moment of weakness, he let his passion for exotic feathers and fly tying rule better judgement.
This is very different from the guys who bring home "samples" from work and sell them on eBay.

As with any crime of this sort, there is a certain amount of "Rationalization"...if I do A, because I am allowing others to enjoy B and they pay C then I will afford to improve D.

One would have to wonder if the "exotic" world of feather buyers is just too small a community, it was probably a matter of time before people were asking questions as to the Who, What and Where.

There was a story in the British/ London news today concerning the verdict that has been handed down in the case of a young American man selling rare bird plumage on eBay. You can read the details HERE

Also here is the initial story from last November that outlines some of the facts about the case HERE

The thing I know about Peonies is that they attract Ants. Be careful when you harvest them, check the petals for common ants. When we used them in arrangements, it was common to see them invested. Beautiful flowers none the less.

At that time living there was like living in a strange movie. Most of the young men were Viet Nam Veterans , many were amputees or had severe Mental Health issues . Most all of the soldiers working at Walter Reed were career military and more than most were Doctors, Surgeons or top brass. There was a huge facility housing a nursing staff, all single females in their late teens or early twenties. At that time the Surgeon General lived on the post...I was very good friends with his children and often spent time in their home (mansion).

Such a strange mix of people.

I like the BIN with lower offer, I sell a lot of stuff that way. I usually run the item first as an auction.
"Haggling" is a time honored tradition, and I am grateful for all the experience I learned when I sold at Flea markets and antique shows. I like to think I got my "BA" in Antiques from those places.
First, there are different levels of bartering, and different intensities. There it depended on the time of day, here it depends on long it has been in the store.
Some items I respond with a counter offer, sometimes I just sit on an item knowing it will sell eventually. These things can only be deduced through experience and intuition.
I think we all agree "pushy" or "threatening" types will not get far, "pleading" and requests by "educational" entities for donations are on the same level. Selling historical material like photos and postcards I get a fair number of these requests, and I usually respond with an authoritative no. Same goes with people asking for copies, ie scans of images. No Way.

lludwig your story reminds me of a similar exchange I had with a person that wanted to buy a jacket. There were a number of exchanges back and forth. Most of the offers revolved around the I'll pay this and you take care of the shipping.
As I finished reading the "latest" email...I had the insight to check out what the eBayer had bought or had for sale. Ironically, the same person has the same type of jacket (one size bigger) on eBay with a by it now! I looked at the listing, and the postage he was asking was the same.
Imagine the nerve!
I shot back an email, stating that he expected his customer to cover the postage, why did expect me to pay for his?
I got a very apologetic email from the person. In it he explained that he had bought the jacket and it was to large. And he was hoping my jacket would fit. Caught in such a ruse, he agreed to pay for the postage and settled on a BIN price that was in my range.
There was doubt in my mind that he was trying to use me to cover the initial loss he experienced in purchasing the larger coat.
Thankfully he was satisfied with the new jacket. I did not leave any feedback.

I appreciate lludwigs book related posts and admit I am not as well read as I should be. Seems like I spend a lot more time reading stuff on Blogs and Magazines on the net.

I have always preferred an auction without alot of terms and conditions. Guess I have changed my tune now.

clem we have all kinds of wild critters here, especially Skunks, Raccoons and some other wild stuff I am sure. I worry about attracting that bunch. Plus there is the kind cat lady the next lot over that feeds all the strays.

I had a nice auction end on a hand painted "nudie" necktie. Someone had asked me to end it early at 45, glad I didn't
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