posted on September 8, 2000 05:08:37 PM
Sometimes it's the small things that count--knowledge that comes from experience but could be shared with other sellers to help them along their way. Two tips I've come across lately that have greatly helped have been (1) Beware of "kitchen crud" on figurines at (garage, auction, estate) sales. Although it will lull you into thinking the item is old, it oftentimes has been left there to hide cracks and repair jobs. (2) I recently discovered that numbering the boxes and corresponding pictures helps in locating the item later. For example, any pictures of items taken out of box #1 are labeled 1figurine, or 1plate, etc. Then down the line when things are sold, I don't have to go rummaging through each and every box to find what I'm looking for! And, items not sold and placed in a relisting box, are still kept together only the #1 box is now smaller.
Anyone else have any handy hints they want to share?
posted on September 9, 2000 01:27:30 PM
I maintain a hard copy record of all pending auctions in a three ring binder. The information in the binder is updated, as a matter of habit, before I even enter anything into my pc. Should my pc crash, become infected with a virus or something unexpected takes me away from my desktop, my auction information is current and ready to pop into my briefcase. My binder was worth its wait in gold when my mother was hospitalized. I was able to address shipping labels and fill out DC and insurance forms while maintaining a bedside vigil. I've also been known to write receipts ect. while spending time in doctors waiting rooms. I am the only computer literate person in my house. So should I become ill or otherwise unable to fulfill my auction obligations my father has been instructed to hand over my binder to my cousin (who is also a seller) or my brother. Everything they need to know to effectively communicate with my buyers can be picked up and carried home to their own computers. To me, thats a reassuring thought.
