A Rescue Pet's Christmas Poem

This is the time of year that I ask you all to help you local animal rescue society.

'Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,every shelter is full - we are lost but not found,Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,we hope every minute that someone will care,They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,"Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!!But now we sit here and think of the dayswe were treated so fondly - we had cute, baby ways.Once we were little, then we grew and we grew,now we're no longer young and we're no longer new.

So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?We "jump on the children:, "don't come when they call",we "bark when they leave us", climb over the wall.We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.If only they'd trained us, if only we knew,we'd have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.We were left in the backyard, or worse - left to roam,now we're tired and lonely and out of a home.They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye,"Maybe someone else will give you a try."

So now here we are, all confused and alone,in a shelter with others who long for a home.The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat,They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer,we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads,of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears,our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.

If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn,could you help with the bills and fill our food bin? We count on your kindness each day of the year,can you give more than hope to everyone here?Please make a donation to pay for the heatand help get us something special to eat.The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,and more of us will, if more people will give"

Gothic Cast Iron Light

Scotty is finally parting with his favourite gothic style ceiling light that he picked up from a charity store some time ago.

Just listed on Ebay, the 1kg black and silver cast iron light is made to Australian Standards and has a cast iron chain and brass rings.

The glass is a special yellow/gold colour with a crackled pattern. This glass is similar to that from the 1950's to 60's however the light's era cannot be fully ascertained.

Will make a fantastic addition to a gothic style house - inside or out. According to an antique dealer, old style lighting is quite popular as many people tend to use candles in place of the light globes.

TIP: Good Gothic items go quite well on Ebay Australia so it would most likely be a worthwhile investment if you could get your paws on something gory looking at a good price.

You can view Scotty's Gothic light HERE.
To visit Scotty's upcoming Ebay items visit his new photo album at Flickr by clicking HERE.

Scotty's Items FOR SALE

Scotty's been cleaning out his dog house and has put a number of items up for sale before the Christmas break.

Firstly we have a pair of South African hand crafted rugs made from wool. These rugs are signed by the original artist and each has a unique ID number on the back. They are brand new, never been sat on!. Can be used for a floor rug or for a wall hanging so check them out!

Secondly we have a pair of Witchery shoes Size 10AU/40US. These shoes are in excellent condition - as new and are a highly sought after brand in Australia. Great for the warmer weather too! Sorry, four pair not available.....

To see Scotty's items for sale click on the link to SCOTTY'S EBAY.

More Best Mates

I couldn't resist sharing these little MacDogalds with you

Don't forget to email me a photo of your best mate to be posted right here on Scotty's Boutique.

Official Ebay Merchandise

Firstly, apologies for the stagnant Blogspot and secondly, it's great to be back! That black dog has been hanging around me for the last three weeks making it mighty difficult for me to Blog. Finally he's left with his tail between his legs but no doubt as always he'll be back again with avengence!

There have been two sad events while i've been away. Firstly our Aussie mate Steve Irwin passed away, followed by motor racing legend Peter Brock. The death of famous people can create an influx of unofficial merchandise being sold on Ebay and other auction sites.

The unofficial Irwin items available on Ebay ranged from tshirts and bumper stickers to DVDs and mugs. An engraved glass and marble memorial plaque for $59.00 bearing a cross and the words "Steve Irwin. The Crocodile Hunter. 02-22-1962 - 09-04-2006. You Will Always Be Loved." was also on sale.

Another seller was offering a fake dollar bill bearing Steve Irwin's face starting at $29.00 and a 20-year-old woman was convicted for selling fake stickers of the late crocodile hunter and telling people it was to raise money for his Wildlife Warriors fund.

One company, Legends Online maintains that most, not all, celebrity autographs on merchandise that appears on internet auction sites are fake. This is why their price appears to be extremely good. Legends Online claim to offer piece of mind when buying a movie or music related autograph from Ebay. Provided there is longer than 2 days left to run on the auction, they offer people a 10 point Authenticity Report on items.

Remember the Golden Rule: "If it's too good to be true, it probably is".

Best Mates

Here's Winnie, a Border Collie and the best mate of Emily, flying through the sky to catch a ball!

Best Mates

Send in a picture of your best mate for publishing here on Scotty's Boutique.

Here's the first one to get you started.

Cheese Sandwich Returns

11 years ago, Diana Duyser of Fort Lauderdale made a grilled cheese sandwich and, upon taking her first bite, noticed what she said was a likeness of the Virgin Mary burned into the bread. She quickly put the rest of the sandwich in a plastic container padded with cotton for safe keeping in her freezer.

Two years ago, Duyser put the sandwich on EBay, where internet casino Golden Palace bought it for $28,000 and the frying pan that cooked it, for $6,000. Duyser recently had the sandwich tattooed on her chest to "keep it close to her heart."

The tattoo artist spent two hours on the sandwich tattoo and used a lot of yellow ink to convey cheesiness. It was smaller than most actual grilled cheese sandwiches.

Mysterious power seemed to circulate around the sandwich. Diana believes it won her $23,000 at the casino and kept her husband healthier than he would have otherwise been. (She didn't say if it was the Golden Palace Casino!).

Strangers spot Diana on the street and line up before her when she makes public appearances. It seems that people think that because the Virgin Mary came to her via a toasted cheese sandwich, that she has a special gift.

Sirius the Police K9

If you are passionate about a particular topic or would just like to learn more about things, Ebay's community discussion boards are a great place to start. To access the Community Discussion Boards, click on the "Community" link on any Ebay home page.

Ebay USA have a special Animals Collection Discussion Board where the community can post views and suggestions about animal collectibles or any animal topics in general.

It is here that I found reference to Sirius, a Police K9 labrador retriever caught up in the events of September 11.

Sirius was a 4 and a half year old 90 pound yellow labrador retriever who worked as a bomb detection dog with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department. He and his handler, Police Officer David Lim, were assigned to the World Trade Center, where they often searched hundreds of trucks and vehicles each day. Sirius was the only police dog killed by the events on September 11.

On the morning of September 11, Officer Lim and Sirius were at the Port Authority Police Station located in the basement of the World Trade Center's North Tower when the first plane hit the South Tower. Lim left Sirius in his basement cage, where he believed he would be safe while Lim assisted those in need.

After assuring the safety of the evacuees, Lim desperately tried to make his way back down to the severely damaged basement Police Station to rescue Sirius. However, he was stopped because the area was too dangerous to enter.

Sadly Sirius a well-trained bomb detection dog, whose life was dedicated to the dangerous job of searching for bombs did not survive the September 11 attacks.

Tributes to Sirius can be posted on the Ebay Community Discussion Board for Animals at:

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/forum.jspa?forumID=2

or at the Port Authority Police Memorial Page located at:

http://www.portauthoritypolicememorial.org/sirius_tributes.htm

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Top 3 Websites for September

Each month Scotty will share his top three websites for that month. The websites will mainly reflect suitable products for re-sale online and useful information of benefit to Sellers and Buyers.

Whilst product sourcing is a rather taboo subject with online sellers, Scotty hopes to break the silence by slowly revealing all he has found that has assisted him in the last few years of selling online.

TOP THREE WEBSITES FOR SEPTEMBER:

1. http://www.ebayliveauctions.com/

Fantastic website for live online auctions by registered (and some non registered) dealers. Auctions can start from $1.00 No Reserve. Some absolutely beautiful items available but BEWARE, very competitive and extremely fast paced. Can take a while to get used to the procedures, terms and conditions of the auction. Things to look out for here are the shipping costs of each dealer. Some require you to arrange your own shipping and others will not ship outside USA. Winning bidders are always required to pay a buyers premium (a percentage of the sale) to the dealer. Scotty has used Ebay Live Auctions on numerous occasions without any hassles.

2. http://www.bidz.com

This website always comes up in Scotty's online searches. Never made a purchase but it seems a popular website. Jewellery seems cheap for descriptions used. Some items could be resold successfully depending on your marketing procedures and the quality of the item. Jewellery is the main focus of this website however ensure you click on the "Other Categories" section to take a look at what else is on offer.

3. http://stores.ebay.com/DIAMONDGALERY

A USA Ebay seller and Live Auctioneer. Purchased 1 item from here before. Excellent customer service and cheap shipping to Australia. Item quality was a bit of a problem. It is recommended you ask about any flaws before bidding. HOT TIP NO.1: Take a look at the Feedback of Diamond Galery and you will notice that many BUYERS have purchased more than one item. Ask yourself whether those buyers could be re-selling the items on Ebay. HOT TIP NO.2: Click on the BUYER details to reveal feedback information and peruse the items the BUYER has sold on Ebay. You may very well find some items from Diamond Galery appear here!

I hope you find these links helpful. Please let me know how you go.

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Scotty's Ebay Store CLOSED

Scotty's Ebay store has finally closed.

Contributing factors include the increase in the store subscription fee to $14.95, decreasing sales due to the approaching Christmas period and the realisation that a 10 day auction for Scotty's items was more successful than a fixed priced sale.

De-tails of any of Scotty's Ebay auctions will always be promoted in Scotty's Blogspot so make sure you check back regularly or subscribe to Scotty's Boutique by entering your email address in the top right hand corner of Scotty's Blogspot.

It's Me or The Dog

Screening on Channel 7 on Sunday nights is a funny show called Its Me or The Dog. This week the presenter Victoria Stillwell visited the home of Karen Holder who owns SIX dogs, Penny, Fudge, Blue, Mouse, Cookie & Toby.

These dogs are very hyperactive and excessive barkers. Their every day delicacies include their own Mr Whippy, their own cup of tea (they have their own tea pot), icy poles, Mars Bars and other sugary treats and Karen admits the dogs haven't been walked in two years!

It is always a great idea to take your dog to puppy school which usually involves a six week program held at your local veterinary clinic. Here you will learn to teach your dog basic commands such as sit, stay and come. You will learn valuable information on the right foods to feed your dog, walking your dog and available flea treatments. Puppy school is a great way to socialise your dog with other dogs but is usually only open to dogs up to eight months of age.

I have one dog that has been to puppy school and one that has not. The difference between the two in public places is phenomenal. Pepper (aka Scotty) will bark at anything with two or four legs that moves and Lily will just stroll along happily amongst most surroundings.

Its Me or The Dog website can be found by clicking below:

Anyway, time for a cuppa....

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Ebay Express

I've discovered a new website run by Ebay for fixed priced items called Ebay Express.

The format is basically the same as Ebay however items can only be listed at fixed prices and you can drop products from up to five different merchants into a shopping cart. Sellers have their own stores but must be Paypal ready and have a feedback score of 100 to be eligible. There is not a huge range of categories available however I was impressed by the quantity of women's shoes available (179,260 pairs). Ebay Express has over 10 million products available for purchase.

The downside of Ebay Express is that selling and buying is only available to US residents at the moment.

I was a bit disappointed by Ebay Express. The items were highly priced making them unsuitable for resale purposes or finding a great bargain and the vintage bags category was filled with brand new bags. I don't think i'll be back there any time soon.

http://www.express.ebay.com/

Scotty's Ebay Travels Pt 4

With Christmas fast approaching, now is a good time to start listing as much as possible on Ebay because once buyers get a whiff of Christmas, their purse strings tighten and sales of secondhand items slump. Scotty's Ebay sales generally start slumping around late September early October so he doesn't bother listing after that. However, sales of new items are known to increase during this period.

On the other side of the fence, the pre and post christmas slump does not always deter sellers from listing on Ebay. This can be a good opportunity to grab a bargain or start acquring items for selling in the new year.

Off on his usual walkies this week, Scotty found a dazzling pair of gold Gucci heels with peep toes and diamonds. Looking brand new with a price tag of $48.00AU these shoes would be a lovely buy for personal use (for his owner of course!) but Scotty wasn't so sure about them for re-sale purposes. While peep toes are back in fashion this spring/summer Scotty was uncertain if they would fetch more than $48 on Ebay. Scotty knows that this store drops its prices daily on existing items so he has the option of returning tomorrow to buy the Gucci's at a cheaper price if someone else hasn't snapped them up first. Scotty thinks a fair price for these beauties would be in the $20-$35 price range.

Next up was a Burberry tote bag for $45.00 AU. For those of you who don't know, Burberry is a UK based designer brand often in a distinctive check pattern that has become one of its most widely copied style. At $45.00AU, this bag fell into the "too good to be true" category and was not worth the risk of jeopardising Scotty's good feedback rating for a few dollars profit. Scotty knows that the store selling this item has a well trained manager who can identify the originals from fakes and no doubt that knowledge was reflected in the bag's price tag.

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Shipping from U.S.A

How annoying is it when you find an item you really want but it's located in the U.S.A and the retailer won't ship internationally. You will find that some US Ebayers won't ship internationally either.

There is a way to overcome this. Access USA (www.myus.com) is a USA package and mail forwarding service that will ship items to you anywhere in the world. Access USA provides you with a genuine US street address that is unique to you. This is not a Post Office Box! This is your own street address that US retailers will accept as a valid shipping destination.

They also consolidate all your purchases and other mail into one shipment. This saves you the international shipping costs of having each package sent individually.

If you don't have a US credit card they will also purchase from US retailers on your behalf with their company credit card, cheque or PayPal account.

Access USA offers the ability to track your parcels and view your shipping invoices online and receive a notification email when parcels arrive for you.

But what about the costs involved I hear you say! Using U.S.A to Australia as an example (you can choose your destination country online), the parcel fees by Express are as follows:

1. 1 time setup fee is $35.00 US
2. $132.00 US annual membership fee
3. Each 100g over 1kg is $1.25 US per gram (minimum 600g)
4. $8.00 US for a commercial invoice
   

You could consider going halves with someone else to save on the above costs.

If you are purchasing from the US for re-sale don't forget to take into account what Access USA will charge you for forwarding the package. The item may not be a bargain after all.

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http://www.auctiva.com

Auctiva is a powerful Ebay auction tool that is totally FREE.

I stumbled across the Auctiva website a few months ago while I was searching for free shop templates. Lets face it, Ebays templates are a bit out of date and boring. Auctiva has 100's of templates that are professionally designed for many categories. When I became a member, Auctiva did not support Australian Ebayers but has recently introduced full online support for AU users.

Basically, Auctiva is an online listing program which procedure is similar to listing online with Ebay. All your auctions are entered into the Auctiva database online. You can upload your listings from Auctiva and Auctiva keeps a record of all your listings and images for future reference.

Auctiva's auction tool site has totally free image hosting. Up to 100's of images can be uploaded at a time and effectively managed, magnificent templates that can be customised to suit seller's needs, a one page listing tool and a scrolling store at the bottom of each listing so buyers get a snapshot of other items you have listed on Ebay (fantastic promotional tool). There is also access to sales tools and reports

Below is a comparison table between Ebay and Auctiva services:

If anything, you have to look at their free templates. My trick is to create a very basic listing in my Auctiva account, copy and paste the HTML code into Turbo Lister and save the template for any future Ebay listings.

If you get stuck on something, Auctiva also has an online message board and free interactive tutorials.

Well worth a visit.

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World 1st Bipolar Study

Researchers at the NSW based Black Dog Institute and the School of Psychiatry at the University of NSW, in partnership with Perth based health care provider, Sentiens, are currently recruiting people with Bipolar Disorder throughout Australia to participate in an world first online study. Participants of the study will use a secure Sentiens web based platform to access targeted online materials and track their mental health.

It is hoped that this research will help researchers understand if treatment programs and information provided over the internet can assist people to manage symptoms of bipolar disorder. By participating you will be making a major contribution to knowledge about how to effectively manage bipolar disorder. You benefit personally by learning more about this disorder and how to best manage symptoms when they occur.

Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to determine if programs designed for and delivered over the internet can help people with bipolar disorder stay well. Specifically if such programs can help reduce symptoms, reduce rates of relapse and admissions into hospital and assist people to remain on medication. This study is a randomised controlled trial, which means that all selected participants will be assigned to one of two specialised treatment groups.

Sufferers will be able to monitor their bipolar illness using state of the art technology in what is believed to be a world first in this type of research. Participants will have access to a large body of information which combines psycho education with specific therapeutic techniques based on cognitive behavioural and social rhythms therapy designed to help better manage bipolar disorder and keep well. The programs are based on established 'face to face' psychotherapy programs and have been written by psychiatrists, psychologists and pharmacists with special experience and expertise in the realm of mood disorders.

A selection process is required before being determined eligible for the study. Having been deemed a successful candidate for the study, I can disclose that interested persons are required to undergo a 25 minute online questionnaire based on their symptoms, current and past moods, family history and drug use (if any).

Successful participants can chose to have their medical practitioner notified should their condition deteriorate at any time during the study. They will also have access to online diaries, information on bipolar disorder, regular reminders to take medication, 10 sessions of cognitive behaviour therapy and access to weekly websites.

More information on the study or on Depression or Bipolar Disorder can be obtained from The Black Dog Institute website at www.blackdoginstitute.org.au.

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Ebay's Fee Hike

On Monday 21 August, 2006 Ebay will increase its fees. Fee increases will only affect sellers who use Featured Plus in certain categories, Basic Stores subscribers and sellers who list using Store Inventory Format.

Basic store subscriptions have risen from $9.95AU to $14.95. The reason for the increase in fees is that buyers have expressed concerns regarding the large quantity of Store Inventory Format listings and the overuse of Featured Plus listings which have led to searches producing too many confusing results and being less relevant. This has made it harder for buyers to find what they are looking for.

For those who use the Store Inventory Format, changes to the way these listings are displayed in search results will start to come into effect on Wednesday 2 August 2006. Basically, Ebay will now display only 10 related store inventory results when a buyer is searching for a particular item, thus limiting the exposure of other items in stores that have the same inventory for sale.

Final value fees in the $0-$75.00AU category have risen from 5.25% to 10% and in the $75.01-$1,000.00 category fees have risen from 2.75% to 5%.

Most likely Scotty's Boutique will close due to the fee hike and items will be listed in the auction format only. This will however affect the amount of traffic that visits Scotty's Blog but regular listings with a link through the "about me" page will have to suffice for now.

There is a UK based Ebay Fee Protest Group which has 475 members so far and can be found at

http://groups.ebay.co.uk/forum.jspa?forumID=1600003487

Who is "Gucas"

No doubt many of us are sick and tired of receiving spoof emails from Gucas (fig 1) about wanting to buy an item when they don't have anything for sale or asking if they have Paypal when it's apparent on their listing.

Spoof emails can be a major problem for unsuspecting Ebayers. These emails ask Ebayers to reply by clicking on links asking for their personal information, such as their user name and password (figs 7, 3, 5 & 6). Generally, once you click on a link a keystroke program is activated and the hacker can record your keystrokes thereby obtaining your Ebay username and password.

I don't think Gucas is very smart. Firstly, if I were going to send spam to an Ebayer purely to obtain their username and password, I certainly wouldn't "CC" other Ebayers into my spoof email (fig 4). Secondly I have noticed that Gucas is a very poor speller. I have actually hit the reply button once and told him so however it seems his learning curves look like Mount Everest.

Gucas seems to be becoming more creative lately by dropping the "F" word in his emails (fig 2 creatively blurred out so as not to offend fellow Bloggers). After receiving four of these emails in one day I was starting to get offended so I forwarded the email to the Ebay fraud email address "spoof@ebay.com".

"My Messages" is the legitimate source for any email from EBay that affects your account. If an email is legitimate, it's always in My Messages. If you get an email that looks like it's from EBay about a problem with your account, a query on an Ebay listing or requests personal information and it's not in My Messages, its spoof!

Spoof email most likely includes a forged email address in the "From" line. Some may actually be real Ebay email addresses that have been forged. In the instance above (fig 4), Gucas has used a fake user email address to make his email look as if it has come from a legitimate Ebayer.

By following the safety measures above and those on the Ebay website, we can eradicate worms like Gucas as an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

For more safe trading tips visit: http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/confidence/overview.html

To Buy or Not to Buy

Apologies to my loyal readers for not posting sooner. I have had a visit from another black dog this week so i've been rather pre-occupied.

I finally managed to get out and about to visit my favourite Melbourne charity store. Unfortunately, since the Manager of the store resigned over 5 months ago, the quality of the store's items have dropped dramatically. No longer do I find Scanlan and Theodore camisoles or fancy italian leather shoes. Instead, there's an influx of Target and Kmart brands. Don't get me wrong, these brands are great for wearing but not for selling on Ebay unless of course they are BNWT (brand new with tags) and you are content with making a couple of bucks profit.

New sellers will find that over time their taste in items for re-sale will change. For instance, I used to literally fight other shoppers to score a pair of leather or synthetic shoes all to make a profit of $10-20AU. Nowdays I wouldn't blink twice at such a low profit or some of the brands I used to buy let alone a pair of synthetics! Over time and with experience, sellers learn how to establish what's hot on Ebay and the market price their item is expected to fetch. Before choosing, experienced Sellers learn to take into consideration the time it will take to clean and list the item and whether all the work required is worth the expected profit.

Getting back to my visit at my favourite store, items of interest were a pair of Von Dutch pink runners hardly worn for $8.00. Von Dutch is a highly counterfeited brand so intuition told me to keep moving. Coming across a pair of stripey rattan sandal thingies (pictured above), I had a flashback of seeing that style of shoe in the latest Shop Till U Drop fashion magazine. Not really wanting to purchase them incase my memory was failing me, a quick trip around the CBD assured me that this style was the latest for spring. Not quite sure if they would be a hit on Ebay and never hearing of the brand "KD", I faced the decision serious shoppers regularly face, "to buy or not to buy". I left empty handed deciding to sleep on it but knowing from experience they will most likely be gone by the time I decide to buy them tomorrow. It's always the way!

Coming up: Who is "gucas" and if I met him i'd lift my hind leg in disgust!

The Best Day to List on Ebay

There are many opinions of the best time, day and period to list items on Ebay.

When I attended the Adam Ginsberg seminar last year, Adam preached it was best to list for a three day period in order to turn over inventory faster. His opinion was that most people look at the "time ending soonest" auctions on Ebay meaning the length of time the item spends on Ebay is really not important.

Each seller has their own method that works for them. My method has always been to list on a Thursday evening for a 10 day period. This means that my listing is viewable over two weekends and ends on a Sunday evening when most people are at home and able to place a bid. A 10 day listing will also generate a high watch list allowing the item to secure a place on Ebay Pulse which inturn offers greater exposure for the item.

My last few listings have ended mid week during the day. I have found midweek listings quite unsuccessful. For instance, my recent bulk jewellery lot finished on a Friday lunch time. This listing had 23 watchers but no competition on the final day. My theory is that most of the 23 watchers were at work, unable to place a bid and not thinking about that great item on Ebay that was about to end. A more appropriate finish time would have been Saturday or Sunday evening. Subsequently I lost a fair amount of money on this jewellery auction however good luck to the winning bidder "Kevin" as he scored a great deal.

Purchasing goods for re-sale

The most common question new Ebayers ask and which frustrates them for months on end is "where can I purchase goods for re-sale on Ebay". Successful Ebay sellers are very reluctant to disclose their secrets about successful selling and their regular haunts. You will see from previous posts about Scotty's Ebay Travels the names of some of the stores which Scotty frequents to acquire his items.

One of the aims of Scotty's Blogspot is to provide new Ebayers with ideas on how to select an item for re-sale and to loosen the current taboo on the venues successful Ebay sellers frequent to acquire their merchandise.

Recently a magainze called The Antique Collector published a list of worthwhile trash and treasure markets around Australia. Whilst I did not purchase the magazine I did speed read which places were recommended in Victoria and two places caught my eye.

Number 1 which was already known to me was Camberwell Market. Although I have never been, it is always recommended for its array of collectible items. The downside for Scotty is that in order to acquire a real bargain he would have to rise very early on a Sunday morning which is a bit ruff! Perhaps Ebay Chatters could make a day out of it? Let me know what you think.

The second recommendation was "The Junk Company" located at 583 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Australia. I had never heard of this warehouse but will certainly visit it in the near future and give my fellow readers a full report.

If you would like to share a recommended place of interest where Ebayers can acquire goods for re-sale purposes please post a comment below with the details.

Scotty's Ebay Travels Pt 3

Scotty hasn't been able to provide his audience with any shopping tips in the last few days as the quality of second hand items has been very poor. However, Scotty did manage to travel to Savers in the hope that he would find something of interest to replenish his fast diminishing Ebay stockpile and keep his fans happy.

As usual, Scottys first stop was the cabinet which revealed some interesting items. Firstly, a Louis Vuitton bag. Scotty has had his fair share of listing LV bags over the past 2 1/2 years and has come to the conclusion that they are not worth the trouble. Whilst the majority of LV bags available at charity stores are imitations, it is possible to acquire an original LV bag provided you know the intricacies of how to identify one. Scotty recommends that people visit My Poupette for more information on identifying an original LV bag from an imitation.

Secondly, hidden away in the cabinet, in its original 60's pink checkered box, was the silver Italian tea set Scotty wrote about in Part 1 of his travels. Scotty was glad the tea set was tucked away because he is waiting for the price to be reduced from $129.00. Scotty would pay no higher than $70.00 for this set if he were to re-sell it on Ebay and knows that eventually Savers will reduce the item in order to dispose of it. There were pieces of another Italian tea set in a plastic bag however Scotty recommends that for resale purposes, a full set with original box is a far better acquisition.

As Spring is fast approaching in Australia, Scotty suggests that all winter garments be listed as soon as possible. By pure coincidence Scotty found an Alannah Hill faux fur jacket for $80.00AU. Whilst Scotty thought the jacket looked as if it were only good for lining his sleeping bag, he knew that this brand was popular on Ebay. However, the price Ebayers are prepared to pay for an Alannah Hill item has reduced considerably over time as every man and his dog (no pun intended) is selling the brand. In order for Ebayers to make a profit on this jacket, Scotty thinks a fair price to pay would be $30.00.

Unfortunately Scotty left empty pawed on this shopping trip.

Paypal Get Rich Quick Scheme

Can someone tell me how FIVE listings of an "Ebay Money Making Machine that makes up to $100.00 every 20 minutes" can be listed on Ebay Pulse as the most watched item on Ebay Australia? I find this extraordinary and am suspicious that the seller/s of these products (which are basically pyramind style Paypal programs) are advising their buyers to add the product to their Ebay "watch list" which in turn gives the product high exposure on Ebay. This manipulates the Pulse system and Australian Ebayers into thinking the product must be a worthwhile purchase as so many people are watching it. These products are always BUY IT NOW. If a product is listed on Pulse, why would it be watched by so many people instead of just being purchased immediately??

It got me thinking about how I can promote the Ebay Fast Track Series 4 volume set which we recently listed on Ebay. A more worthwhile product to purchase or watch than the current get rich quick schemes available as proceeds of its sale will be used for community needs. The Fast Track Series genuinely assists people to buy and sell on Ebay to make a profit and does not rely on spamming (or scamming) Ebay users.

After perusing the stock of my competitors, I noticed that the majority of the get rich quick listings for sale were based in the USA. The title and sub-title always included "Get Rich in 24 hours" or "Build Weath Overnight" etc etc and the listings included numerous references to holidays and fast cars that a skeptic usually skims over.

After just three watchers in three days with no bids, I subsequently decided to experiment with my listing. I highlighted it, made it bold and changed the sub-title to read "Genuine Australian Fundraiser Auction". While I would have loved to make it a home page featured listing for $49.95, I could not warrant spending that amount of money on promoting a fundraising item. Hopefully the listing changes will make a difference to the final price and the poor will get richer and the rich will get poorer for a change.

Scotty's Favourite Gems

Finally up for auction is a collection of Scotty's favourite jewellery pieces including a special clamper bracelet by Juliana/D & E. This clamper is a magnificent piece with multi coloured rhinestones set on a butterfly. A stunning vintage piece that cost Scotty a small fortune over 12 months ago. So delicate and eye catching.

Also up for auction is Scotty's favourite toggle charm bracelet. A personal favourite which includes various shield charms and a special blue cabochon with surrounding pearls. Scotty thinks this bracelet dates back to the 60's however is unable to ascertain if the chain is gold or gold plated as it remains untarnished.

Check Scotty's items out at Scotty's Ebay Store.

Ebay Fast Track Series Auction

On Saturday we listed the Ebay Fast Track Series which was donated to Sydenham Community Centre by Adam Ginsberg, a successful Ebay Titanium Powerseller.

The series covers everything from starting a home based Ebay Business, bookkeeping and marketing to taking photographs, HTML, About Me pages and Feedback. It includes four comprehensive workbooks, 8 audio CD's and 4 CD Roms. It retails at $499.00.

Late in 2005 I attended one of Adam's seminars in Melbourne. It went for two hours and cost $60.00 for two people. I went in not expecting it to be worthwhile but was pleasantly suprised. Adam Ginsberg is one of the best speakers I have heard. He appeared to engage every one of his 600 attendees and gave insights into how he got started on Ebay and how he became a Titanium Powerseller. I am sure that everyone who attended the seminar went home with a new feather in their hat that night. I know I still practice some of his teachings to this very day.

Check out the Fast Track Series up for auction at Scotty's Boutique (click on "Scotty's Ebay Store"). It really is a worthwhile purchase and 100% of the proceeds of the auction will be donated to the Centre.

Turbo Lister

On Saturday 22 July, 2006 we had a demonstration of Turbo Lister in which we listed Adam Ginsberg's Fast Track series four book set at a recommended retail price of $499.00.

The series was donated to the community centre in order for it to raise funds to go back into the community. It will appear in Scotty's Boutique shortly.

Instead of designing my own Turbo Lister tutorial for Ebay Chatters, the Ebay Turbo Lister Tour and full program can be found at the following Ebay link:

http://pages.ebay.com.au/education/learn-to-sell-turbolister.html

Scotty's Ebay Travels Part 2

The cold weather has kept Scotty indoors lately but last weekend he decided to venture out to give his fellow bloggers something interesting to read about. He set out at his usual time of 10.15am to The Salvation Army. Unfortunately there wasn't much on offer behind the glass counter nor in the whole store as a matter of fact. No new coats or new collectibles caught his eye however Scotty did spy three cafe style booths for sale. For $90 a piece they were a bargain and a sure winner for Scotty's Boutique. Their bases just needed a good sand down and lacquer but the vinyl seats were in pristine condition. Unfortunately for Scotty, these booths had already been sold. They would have made a fantastic piece for someone's garage! Scotty couldn't help wondering if he had of gotten out of his sack earlier these booths could have been his. Although how on earth would he get them home?

For Sale

USB Mini Card Reader/Writer Mini SD MMC
$16.00 AU (includes postage)

This Flash Reader is a compact and user friendly memory card reader/writer. It allows you to decide what memory capacity you would like to carry by simply inserting the Mini SD/MMC card.
Specifications:

• Functions as a portable USB card reader
• Reads and writes SD & MMC Flash Memory cardsWorks with Transflash, Mini SD, MMCmobile, RSMMC, MicroSD and MMCmicro with the appropriate card adaptor.
• Full compliant with USB 2.0 Hispeed
• USB bus powered, no external power required.

Scotty's Ebay Travels Pt 1

On Saturday 1 July, 2006 at 10.15am Scotty left his comfy abode to sniff around the local opportunity shops to see what he could acquire for his Ebay Store "Scotty's Boutique". Follow Scotty's adventures to see what bargains he finds.


First stop was The Salvation Army. A good sniff around here revealed very little. The locked cabinet is usually Scotty's first stop where he found a couple of over-priced dolls and some crockery. Scotty knows that the trouble with the Salvation Army is they have their goods valued before displayed making it very difficult to get a bargain on a collector's item as their prices generally reflect the item's worth on the antique market. Scotty's ears pricked at the sight of two rugs for $25.00 each. Aside from a few marks, they needed a good wash which Scotty couldn't be bothered doing and subsequently left the shop empty pawed.

Second stop was The Brotherhood of St Laurence. Now the Brotherhood of St Laurence opened three new stores a few months ago and this store was one of the newbies. This store stocks predominately electrical appliances, TV's and computers. Scotty's insider revealed that the three new stores were receiving the bulk of the quality donations in order to boost their opening sales and clientelle while other longstanding Brotherhood stores were missing out. Scotty thinks the store's new status had worn off as Scotty found nothing of interest here. One could however acquire some nice 60's furniture here.


Scotty's Third stop was Savers! Scotty was disappointed he didn't get out
of his sack earlier when he realised Savers opened at 9.00am. In order to find the best bargains Scotty recommends bargain hunters arrive at the store's opening time. Whilst Savers is an incredibly huge bewildering store, Scotty's first dash is always to the locked cabinet. Scotty finds a lot of costume jewellery and a lovely silver Italian Tea Set, hallmarked, in original 60's box but Scotty snorts at the $129.00 price tag and leaves empty pawed once again! Scotty knows from experience that Savers not being a charity store makes negotiating with its workers like getting blood from a stone!

Scotty's Fourth stop was The Salvation Army. A quaint little store with very little to offer however Scotty was passing by and remembered he acquired his lovely South African handcrafted rugs from this store so he figured he should set his paws in the door to take a quick look around. It was midday by this time and Scotty didn't expect to find anything much here however a lovely green vintage dress caught his eye for $35.00. Scotty remembered that his other vintage dress sold for $65.00 and then decided he didn't really want to get out of his sack for $30.00 anymore so he left empty handed.

Scotty was needing a bone and nap by now when he remembered he had to stop by "Margarets", a secondhand and antique furniture store. It is here where Scotty found the most interesting of items. Four cast iron wall sconces at $70 a pair and a matching candlebra at $120.00! Scotty left empty pawed though thinking Margaret was lucky Scotty was not in the mood for bargaining today!

Scotty always finds it hard to strutt past bargain stores without stopping to have a sniff as he never knows what he might miss out on. Scotty's final stop was The Salvation Army. Scotty's visit to the locked cabinet revealed some 1940's collector opera programs at $120.00 each. Aside from that, it was 12.30pm and Scotty knew that all the bargains would have disappeared by now so Scotty decided to call it a day.

A disappointing day's collecting for Scotty. Scotty thinks perhaps being the first day of the month and in particular the end of the financial year, some stores were waiting for new goods to arrive.

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures with Scotty.

Poetry in Motion!

Spin us a Poem or Song!

Proud of something you've written? Email the Moderator missmoushoes@yahoo.com.au or for totally confidential writings why not include your piece as a comment (click on "comments" at the bottom of this post) and the Moderator will copy and paste approved poetry and will not be able to determine the author!

(1) "I Wonder as I walk this Path"

I wonder as I walk this path
Are others with me too?
Do others feel the way I feel
Or wonder as I do
Do others walk and touch the leaves
Or feel the shinning sun
Do others look around and say
Look at all they have done

Do others even know me?
In the energy I leave
Will others seek to show me
All that they believe?
If I just trust and listen
And let them guide my way
Will my assurance deepen?
And my love for them never sway?

Yes I hear them answer
In the wind upon the breeze
There are others like you
You will connect with these
You are not alone child
For we walk by your side
Just trust in us and in our love
And this we will provide

And so I trust and walk my path
Though learning’s sometimes hard
There is only knowledge deep within
No handsome thank you card
But within this place they have sent
I’ve found my own sweet niche
With others who walk my souls true path
Here in the sacred mist
Anon

(2)"My Grey Cloud"

(This was written by a very special person who has talent in my eyes and should never give up their writings. Please comment, tell us what you think of My Grey Cloud)

I stare up at my ceiling every night,
Staring into the darkness,
I wish that I could just hide away in it
Can't remember when the last time I saw light was
As I lay in stillness, staring into the darkness,
Shadows begin to play in my mind
Voices being to hum in my ear
A silent chill slowly takes over my body
It enters like a grey cloud enters a blue sky
I tremble with a lust for warmth and light
Preying for someone to remove me from
The hollows which enfolds my soul and leaves me alone to find
My warmth
My light
My soul
My soul which has befriended my grey cloud
And floated away to take another innocent soul's blue sky.

J.R

(3)
Kiss me, hold me, hug me,
Tell me that you care
Keep me safe and warm,
dont let my heart lose it's passion.
Lust is obsolete, love has taken it's place,
full bloomed and free from hurt.
Emily Jones.

(4)
You came into my life in an instant,
you turned my world around with a blink of your eyes
my soul reached out to yours and became entwined.
Your love rushed through my veins,
binding our emotions and souls.
We became one, through a cascade of bliss,
our sacred love being unlocked to find heaven on earth.
Emily Jones

(5) "Why"

Why do I carry your burdens so?
Is this my punishment for my generosity?
My innocence?
My naivity?
My stupidity?
I thought you were my knight in shining armour
I thought you were my dream
You let me down
You made me scream
You incited this disease
This disease of the mind
The one that threatens all mankind
Some shun me, disbelieve
In my heart, I only grieve
For you are my shadow
My mirrored image
No man stood up to you my dear
Ageing is my acumen
The part that I fear
For with it comes the realisation
That you are only human.
Anon

(6) The Pawn of Science

Give me something to relieve this agony
Give me something to relieve this pain
The temptation is so hard to resist
The compulsion to expose my wrist
To pump a vein is what I dream
To take me to a land serene
All I want is to relieve the pain
No matter what I swallow, it’s still the same
Tired of talking, tired of crying
Tired of faking, tired of lying
Tired of being a science rat
Just feed me to the scientist’s cat!
Anon

TERMS: *Blog Moderator has the right to reject inappropriate writings from being published. Writings on this Blogspot are subject to Copyright laws.

Ebay Chatters Group Idle

Ebay Chatters Community Group will not meet until further notice
Enquiries can be directed via email to the moderator.

"Scotty's Boutique" Ebay Store will continue to operate as usual.

MAY CHATTERS MEETING

MAY Ebay Chatters Details:

• Unfortunately this months meeting will not be proceeding on May 26th due to unforseen circumstances. Stay tuned for further meeting date for June.

There has been a change in meeting location and the slight price rise. The extra $0.50c pp is going to the Club to cover tea and coffee and anything else required and the $2.00 is going to the Community Centre for room rental.

The April Ebay Chatters meeting had a wonderful array of cultural foods including Lisa and Laura's Italian Pizzas (recipe coming soon), Rudy's Stuffed Peppers (recipe coming soon), Lana and Vinh's Beef Stroganoff, Gil and Anne Marie's "Light" Quiche, George's Bacon and Egg Pie, Alex's home made Hungarian Snags, Alex's home made Parlinka, Joe's Christmas Stollen and Rudy's absolutely wonderful Panetone and coffee! When can we get some more Rudy?? I hope I haven't forgotten anyone's dish.

AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST MORNING TEA
10.00am on 23 May, 2006 at the Centre.

If I can't get Coles to donate tea and coffee for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea to raise money for cancer, (they have already spent their yearly budget for donations apparently), I think it is a good idea that Chatters donate same. Chatters has the money available and one of the primary aims of the club is to assist those in need where required. Any members that have an objection to this please contact me before Saturday 20 May, 2006.

APRIL CHATTERS MEET

This month's Ebay Chatters will be on the 5th Friday of the month as follows:

• Date: Saturday 29 April, 2006
• Time: 6.00pm
• Location: My house
• Cost: $2.00 pp

APRIL EBAY CHATTERS - CULTURAL FOOD NIGHT

This months meeting will include a cultural food night.

Chatters are reminded to bring along a plate of food from their country of origin.

Photo taking will commence at 6.00pm sharp so anyone wishing to take pictures of their own items please ensure you bring your own camera and your item with you. Adequate lighting and stands will be available on the night.

It is expected that eating will commence at 6.30pm/6.45pm and charity listings will commence thereafter.

This month's charity item will be the donated Ebay kit from the titanium Ebay Powerseller Adam Ginsberg worth $499.00.

TEMPORARY CHANGE OF MEETING NIGHTS

By popular demand Chatters prefer to meet on Saturday nights. Ebay meetings will now proceed on Saturday nights until further notice.

Cumquat Marmalade

My good friend Anne-Marie gave me this quick and easy recipe for Cumquat Marmalade. I think she spends too much time on the computer though....

Ingredients:

500 grams cumquats;
1 ½ cups of water;
1 Tablespoon lemon juice;
3 cups sugar;
2 teaspoons of Jam Setta (available from supermarkets @$1.75AU)

• Slice fruit finely; reserve seeds in muslin/fine netting (takes about half an hour to pick the tiny seeds out of the cumquats).
  
• Place fruit in a deep *Microsoft bowl (3 litres). Cover with a 1 ¼ cups of the water.
• Tie the seeds in the muslin and pour remaining water over the muslin in a small bowl & stand overnight.
  
• Strain seeds by squeezing the juice from the muslin. This is the process of extracting the pectin from the seeds; pour water into cumquat mixture. Cook, uncovered, on High for 15 minutes.
• Stir in sugar and lemon juice until dissolved – Cook, uncovered, on High for 20 minutes. Stir jam occasionally. Keep an eye on the microwave as jam may spill over if left unattended.
  
• Add Jam Setta and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Stand Jam for 5 minutes before pouring into hot, sterilized jars. Seal when cold.
  

*I think she means "microwave"!!

Bon Appetite

COMING SOON

A lovely hand crafted scarf by Mary from Calson Park Alpacas will be in Scotty's Boutique very soon. The scarf is made from from sheer material and alpaca wool from her alpaca farm. Such a beautiful handmade piece. Keep an eye out for it!
LEFT:
Two Calson Park Alpacas:
Chocolate & Zsa Zsa