Pictures on eBay: I use http://www.honesty.com to host my images. There are several free sites available. But before storing your images you will need to have an image editor. With this photos can be resized. I use Microsoft Photo Editor.

Dianne

Auctions, other than eBay! Yahoo has auctions for miniatures. Listing and selling is FREE. http://www.auctions.yahoo.com/

Gail in Orlando

E-Bay Pictures: My scanner came with software for editing images I scanned. I have to use that software to change my image to the .jpeg format. I really had to hunt for the area you use to do this process, but I'll bet it's in your software too. I'll give you another pointer about transfering your images to EBay. You need to have what they call a "picture host" for your pictures. (You can't just send them directly from your computer to the auction.) I've run two auctions. The first one, it took me 2 1/2 days, and I still didn't get all my pictures to my auction. It was so frustrating. The second time, I used the image host http://www.Honesty.com. It's free, as was the first host I used, but about 100 times more 'user friendly'. The whole process, from composing the ad to final product took me less than 2 hours!

Maggie Dickens

eBay: I always check Dee's catalog to make sure the item isn't in there - why pay more for something than what it's worth?

Quality is a difficult one to judge. Sometimes taking a look at the picture over several days helps. I always ask what the dimensions are if not listed. I've purchased a few items that said "to scale" but they weren't. They were "mini," yes, but not to scale. Some don't know. It's just something they found or were given.

Shipping - $6.00 and it was shipped for $.55 - yikes! I usually write the person before I bid and ask: if the shipping price is firm or could they send it first class instead of priority? If they charge a handling fee - forget it! One person told me that he is charged for shipping and handling ($5.00) so he couldn't lower the shipping charge, so I didn't bid.

Marsha

Searching for Minis on eBay Miniatures has it's own categories and then subcategories. The main category is: http://listings.ebay.com/aw/listings/list/category1202/index.html

Marsha, Newark, CA

eBay: I pride myself on a feedback of 300 on yahoo and 200 on eBay, and you must get tough. I'd never wait a month for anything. No excuses. Leave bad feedback and demand your money back if you don't get your item. I recently purchased a sewing machine (mini) and they said it hadn't come in yet. Well if you don't have the item - don't sell it.

As for postage costs, I charge $1 for my minis on eBay and have been charged $5 for a tiny thing. When I asked if $5 was really necessary, they said they had to buy a box, etc. When it came, it was wrapped in cardboard. I felt ripped off and said so. A low price on an item might come with more handling charge than you should have to pay. Ask what the fees are before bidding. And Use the Feedback.

Gail Spector

eBay selling: I haven't sold anything on eBay, but have purchased on occasion. These are my observations:

1. Before someone will bid, theyneed a picture of the item.

2. A check of the feedback to see the dealer's rep. will happen.

3. If there is no history, people will be hesitant to bid, especially on something very pricey without a known name attached to it.

4. Since eBay is so heavily used now, new entries can be buried very quickly. When eBay first came on-line, I remember there being no more than about 3 pages of miniatures. Now it is well over a hundred, probably more. I end up using the search to find what I want so I don't spend 20 hours searching through stuff I wouldn't buyanyways.

5. My opinion: Slow loading pages that are graphic-intensive are death. If I have to wait while endless graphics with store logos, fancy backgrounds, music, pets, children, neighbors, neighbors' children and pets etc., are loading for something I was just interested in "browsing" anyway, I hit the back space faster than warp nine. These things are all quite nice on a personal page, but going to eBay is like going into a store -- if it is acrowded, noisy and disorganized establishment, it may drive some of us more delicate types out fairly quickly;).

6. A picture in front of the description will make me look far faster than all caps yelling at me to believe that an item is "one of a kind". Incidentally, I was watching a show about writing, all caps are hard to read because humans recognize word shapes when reading as opposed to individual letters. All caps makes all words look exactly the same shape, hence harder to read.

7. A good short description is better than a vague promise of cute/unique/special.

8. Something very big is going to cost a lot to ship, this is taken into consideration before someone will bid on an item.

What sells? Got me. I have seen some of the weirdest stuff get bid on in a frenzy and some beautiful yet reasonably priced things go off without a buyer. I have been told the way to do it is to start out selling something a little smaller and less expensive first, build a good rep. and then work your way up to the big ticket stuff. Still, I don't know if it is worth it because of point number 4.

Kim Bulback

eBay: My suggestion is to post negative, negative feedback. My husband and I collect Wades from England, the miniature village pieces made of porcelain. In our buying and selling, we encountered a person who claimed that the piece we sent her was flawed. We know it wasn't as we go through the pieces under a magnifier before we advertise them. We're so convinced that the pieces were switched and her flawed piece sent back, that we started marking our pieces with invisible ink. You can only see the ink markings with the aid of a black light. Handheld ones run on batteries. When you're antiquing the black light also shows cracks in pieces. We look for Roseville, too. My point is, we notified the Wade dealers we knew and gave out the person's name as it happened too many times to be co-incidental. We also posted negative feedback and that's about the only recourse you have. It's another one of those "buyer beware" situations.

Connie

eBay: I have not bought minis on eBay, but I have bought a lot of toy trains. In the case of the excessive shipping charges, you needed to challenge them before you bid with an email question to the seller. In the case of the balsa furniture, if you did not email them asking what it was made of, again that is your responsibility, especially if it matches the picture. Those 2 should get positive feedback, perhaps with a nice questioning email to them privately at the most.

The third one, I would email them and tell them that it was only mailed two days prior to receiving it, and you don't want to post a negative feedback, but you want to know what really did happen. Based on their answer, or a lack of one, post either negative or neutral feedback. If we don't keep eBay honest it will not work for us.

Barb Jones

eBay Tips:

1. I always start my eBay auctions on Thursdays and run them for 10 days. That way I get two weekends worth of shoppers bidding on my wares.

2. Also, if you get more than one bidder, contact the "losers" and offer them a comparable item at the price they were willing to pay. That turns one sale into three or more.

3. If you don't get a bid the first time, re-list the item on the next Thursday and do it again. Sometimes, with all the stuff available, your item gets overlooked and re-listing it gives it another chance. Be bold and raise your price on the second listing. A couple of times I've gotten emails from bidders saying, "Hey, I saw this last week and it was cheaper. Will you sell it for what you first asked for it?" Well, yeah, duh. I think some folks wait to see if the price will go down...

4. Also, don't forget the add-ons: the "featured item" and "gallery" listings will raise the likelihood of someone seeing your item and checking it out. I usually pay the extra fee when the item is expensive and the minimum bid will cover the additional charges.

5. I have also learned that the more often you list items the more likely you are to get bids. I think this is because shoppers see your user id, start to recognize it and feel you are more trustworthy.

Sally Cook-Thomas

Ebay: I buy on Ebay all the time. Please, if you don't get good service or good merchandise, please leave negative feedback. It is the only way to be protected and to protect others. If you get good service, please also leave that feedback. I have negotiated with the seller if I thought the shipping was too expensive. Just ask. I have had very good luck on Ebay. Keep trying.

Sheila

Shipping Charges: In addition to the minimum postage of $3.20 or about $7.00 UPS, we must also allow for our time in driving to the post office or UPS center, standing in line etc. Then there are just the small things that add up like shipping labels, adhesive tape, foam peanuts or other packing materials, not to mention the time required to pack the order and the cost of the box. I agree with Deb, $7.50 is a bargain.

Dean Jenson

I sell a lot of miniatures on Ebay. My policy is that it is returnable if the buyer is unhappy. I usually charge $1.50 shipping on items that can be shipped in a padded envelope. That covers the cost of the envelope and the $.55 postage that it usually takes. A lot of the sellers on e-bay are dealers at miniature shows. When I buy, I do check the feedback for sellers and won't bid on items that are offered by dealers with bad feedback. I would hope that people would not rush to leave negative feedback without trying to work it out first. Sometimes the post office is to blame. Sometimes it is difficult to match up payments with the item if there is nothing to identify what the payment is for. Sometimes buyers simply send a check with no Ebay number, no description, e-mail addy, and no way to identify it. I hope that those of you who have never bid on anything won't be afraid to bid. It's a fun thing. You just need to use common sense.

Kathie

Ebay Shipping: As an Ebay seller I work very hard to maintain a good feedback file. I don't believe people should charge for handling. I charge $3.20 for priority mailing. The trip to the post office is my part for doing business. The post office gives you free priority boxes. I, too, was so offended when I ordered a disk for $2.95 and was charged $6.00 for shipping, and noted the person only paid .78cents for postage. I never did business with that person again.

Tina Richardson

Shipping Charges: Did you know that the US Post office will send you all the priority boxes, in different sizes that you need? Also all the tape and labels you can use. My husband sends a lot of things and he keeps the majority of his packages at $3.20. The miniature I saw to be shipped for $7.50 wouldn't have even cost $3.20 to send. My husband is the greatest packer I've ever seen and I'll bet he would have shipped that item for $2.00. After 500 or so feed backs from e-bay no one has received a broken product.

Debbie

Shipping Charges: I don't take into account the time I spend packing when figuring shipping costs. My personal feeling is that's what my profit on the merchandise is for, paying me for my time. For small packages, the greatest expense is often insurance. Therefore, I insure a package for what it would cost for me to replace it wholesale and not on the retail cost. I use recycled materials as much as possible. A pretty cotton filled box is lovely but costs about 40-50 cents and when possible I use a free film canister and line it with bubble wrap. Just as effective, not as pretty, but saves the customers "handling" costs. You can get the canisters in any store that processes film. They look at me weird when I ask for them, but willingly give me all I need. When sending priority, I use the free materials from the post office. After getting packages with $2in postage on them and being charged $7 for shipping, I have stopped buying from these suppliers and I let them know why I have stopped doing business with them. In my opinion if there is more than $1 difference between the actual shipping costs and what you paid you should complain. $1 should cover packing materials unless it's an unusual item. If you want to bid on something on eBay, you should negotiate a lower shipping cost with the person before bidding and tell them to go to the USPS web site to do a calculation.

Carol

eBay Sellers' Starting Bids: To determine your starting bid: Figure out what the piece is worth to you, add to that price whatever costs you incur for packing, be it chips or bubble pack, add to that any costs that you have incurred from eBay for listing the piece (and if you'd like to charge for the gas it takes for you to go to the post office, or travel to ups, or if you have a carrier pigeon that is going to personally deliver it =), add this and any handling costs to the price you want for the item, and then this total is your starting bid... or your reserve price if you want it to be a reserve item.

Susan