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01/06/2020 at 5:59 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 444: Is Cross Posting The New Reality? #72579
Hey Retro.. Just hear say from my end but isn’t AMEX a Charge card not a credit card. A friend has an Amex business card and he says whatever amount he puts on the card has to be paid in full, 100% at the months end, unlike a “credit card” which allows the user to make the minimum payment, [if needed] and interest gets charged on the unpaid balance.
If this is true, that would be the deal breaker with us. But we have always have a business VISA or MasterCard with Cash Back points to redeem for cash back into our account.
just asking more than anything.
Mike at MDCGFA in Atl.
01/06/2020 at 5:51 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 444: Is Cross Posting The New Reality? #72578Holy Cow, what a story. This is just one of 3 or 4 reasons we do cross list and are working on our own Shopify store. SixBit does all our cross posting, tracking, deleting and providing full financials broken down by platform for $99 a month. We look at it is “Store-Business Insurance”.
But what a nightmare and cost.
But one BIG question, given Ebay has it’s VERO program. Are you an authorized seller of NBA Products. From your volume it seems you must get multiples or wholesale lots of pre-produced gear from a licensed printer or mfg. to stock a store as large as yours. Guess that is what the lawsuit would be about.
But 8,000 boxes at $15,000….WOW! Though only $1.88 per box mailing to you, still times 8k of them. Then where do you store them and the time to get everything sorted out and a new inventory set up locally.
You have our due respect on handling all of that. Good luck on it.
Mike at MDC Concepts, Inc. in Atlanta
01/05/2020 at 4:15 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 444: Is Cross Posting The New Reality? #72493Mark: And if OSHA ever found out you would be required to wear a yellow hard hat, yellow safety vest with day-glow stripes, metal toe shoes, wear metal mesh gloves, use a slow return re-tractable tape, Long pants and take a safety course on how to wear and use such safety appearral and if you buy all certified safety equipment it would run hundreds of dollars per outfit but you could still get hurt.
Saw a cartoon once of an OSHA Approved safety device to protect an employee from acceidents using a hammer. It would weigh 100 pounds, cost thousands of dollars and the employee would have to be strapped into it. LOL.
So be careful out there. It is cheaper to stay safe than be protected by government programs. LOL. Just being silly, it has been a long day.
Mike at MDC Concepts, Inc.
MDC Galleries and Fine Art in AtlantaCheck out this link from the Ebay Community. Someone asks your same question and see the answers that follow. In summary for USPS yes that size will work, but distortions can create some errors, for FedEx and UPS no, they require 4×6.
Hope this may help if you read through all the replies.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine art in Atlanta
Howdy: No one tool is going to handle that many platforms, or atleat ones most normal people can afford. The more popular ones like SixBit, WonderLister, InkFrog can handle two or three, but even then you have to pay as you upgrade to the version that will handle them
Search Troy Satterfield or T-Sat and you will find his method for using codes in the custom skew field to handle Mercari, Posh and Etsy while only using the Mid Range cost plan of SixBit.
We use the SixBit Duo version to handle Ebay and Etsy in almost automatic mode [almost]. But Troy has a system whereby he uses sku codes added to his inventory numbers to track which items are on which platforms. But when he makes a Sale on one of the odd ones, he has to enter a manual Sale Order to keep the financials correct and remember to delete that sale on all the other platforms.
To me this sort of takes away the use of 3rd party software to help reduce the work load. Instead, in my opinion, may be back to putting in as much time using SixBit as he was using his own spread sheets. Don’t know. Probably need to see if Troy will see this and respond. But he has been very tied up with a ton of things to handle, so he may not be onitoring SL much any more. I know I have cut back on SL as well.
But if you search the forum some months back he does explain a little of how is setting it up to keep and eye on and track a larger number of platforms.
Don’t know if any of this was of any value. Good luck with it.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art
Close.
When you set up your shipping policies, we use the lesser cost method. We select “Parcel Post Package” as the Free Shipping choice, then we also list 3 or 4 other methods besides. Ebay allows you up to 4 [I think], so we always use all four of them. Next we list, Priority along with UPS and FedEx.Then when a buyer checks out, if they want Free Shipping, it defaults to the Parcel Select, but if they want anything else, it shows to them as options and if they decide to choose any of those, they will see the cost to “Up Grade from Free Shipping and will be charged the extra.
We have only had a few cases where the buyer selected to upgrade to faster shipping, usually due to a deadline or special need for their purchase to arrive quickly.
If you haven’t set up your shipping policies you can do so from your account preferences or do the manually when listing, but policies is way faster, easier and a one time investment in time.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine At.
That is correct. Been that way ever since they began the program. To get the full dollar amount I usually have to spend a little over the $50 in our case and pay the difference. If your order comes up short, then that is it.
One chance to order and only that one chance to try to get the full amount out.Yes.. Love to see the numbers presented this way. Very close to a P&L statement. I also break ours down into percentage of the income.
New comers seeing numbers this way will help them to realize that if they need $25k a year to live on, then they better prepare and gear up to sell a lot more than that, maybe closer to $50,000 for the year. Ebay and PayPal fees and the cost of the item is just the tip of the iceberg.
mike at mdcgfa
Here is another idea for you. I noticed you are missing a middle string. I suggest taking it to a instrument shop where they sell guitars and ask for the string to be replaced. That shouldn’t cost much plus will increase the sales price somewhat.
Tell them it is going to be a gift for a niece or nephew and you want to get the string replace and get it tuned. BUT while you are there and talking with them ask about it, dig for information. Is it a good choice for a student, will the neck warp, is it an OK grade for a beginner. Just play dumb but interested that as an aunt you don’t want to give the kid something that he will be embarrassed to start taking guitar lessons with. Maybe even ask them if they offer guitar lessons and the price. i bet they will dump their guts out on the quality of the guitar if they think you may be a future customer for the kid’s lesson’s, as a fantastic and proud Aunt or Grandmother should be. LOL :-), Try it, it may work. Who knows, it may be a great “Classical Guitar”, which Shinano seems to make.
mike at MDCGFA
Good Morning:
Check out this Worthpoint Link and also their is a ton of information on various models on Google as well as several videos.
https://www.worthpoint.com/inventory/search?query=shinano+guitar&category=
The price points on the Worthpoint ones for the model SC-30 runs from $175 to $269 but if the number you mention 10F is a model number as it says on your label, then that is probably a different model, but the prices for the SC-30 would make me want to chase down your model number.
Also Google top 100 classical guitars. The Shanano is not in the top ten list is what I Googled.
Think you will hit pay dirt if you spend some more time searching on Google, Classical guitars under $500, student grade classical guitars, of course Shinano. Maybe even call or contact Shinano themselves if still in business.Good Luck,
Mike at MDC galleriesYes to what Jay and Ryanne have already said. The depressed circles are called “coin dots” and come in small and larger sizes. Yours are “small coin dot” and of course some call them “dimpled”.
Here is a link to a 4 pc set of mugs in the larger dimpled pattern. See if you can continue the search on worthpoint for other depression era uranium and / or vaseline glass.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/set-green-uranium-vaseline-glass-2016149243
As Jay says, many do collect them and we too have seen large curio cabinets filled with them with a black light on them. At night when the Antique Mall we were in closed at night and it was dark, that cabinet was really eerie because he left the black light on all night.
Don’t expect to get a very much for them. Remember they are called Depression glass for a reason. Tons of kitchenware were made during the war and depression time. Look to see if there is an “IG” anywhere on the bottom. That is the mark for Indiana Glass Company. They made a ton, but the IG pieces do tend to get a little higher prices. And of course Fenton made some too, but most of their “Coin Dot” pieces were of finer, higher quality work due to their highly skilled guild craftsmen that worked for them. Those will definitely bring higher dollar amounts.
Good luck on your search and don’t forget to look up some of this data on Wkipedia also. Always a free, quick source in many cases.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art.
12/27/2019 at 8:11 am in reply to: A matter of perspective: My mental tool to help me move on bad buyers. #72148@ Aperture: A Tip. We try to never use any words that even come close to a “grading term”. Words like Mint, Great Condition, Flawless, Perfect Condition.
We are collectors of many things and not experts in any one thing and I think That goes for most of use vintage, one of a kind sellers.
So when a grading phrase is used, it sets expectations of a certain level of quality on the buyers end. If they happen to have more experience than you in a certain area, then you may be in trouble if they disagree.
We use a multi-point system of inspection for quality and flaws and do that under our photography lights. We note irregularities that we see and then downplay those with words that are more vague, like several small “hairline” scratches, hardly perceptable to the unaided eye, can only be seen undermagnification, seen only when held up to a light and things like that.
Just a tip. And by the way, I have a very strong art background and knowledge on printing, art prints, paintings [all mediums] but still only state the obvious and list only visual flaws if seen during observation inspection. And never use a “scale” phrase such as “we think or feel it is atleast an 8 out of 10″. Buyers will eat you alive on that one and go for the Item Not As Described” button.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine art in Atlanta.
12/27/2019 at 8:03 am in reply to: A matter of perspective: My mental tool to help me move on bad buyers. #72147Yep and again, just a cost of doing business. If you had dropped the item pulling out of storage, or couldn’t find an item, you do what you have to do, stay out of the weeds as much as you can and $10 to $40 to correct a mistake, keep your record and reputation clean and safe, is just a part of “shrinkage” that every business has. Just categorize it as mental shrinkage.
Theft, breakage, shipped to wrong buyer which we did this week for the first time ever, eating shipping when you under estimated, refunds all can be classified in your accounting system and nothing more than that and not a personal battle.
If a buyer was up at the office in a B&M store and got unruly, you would call security and have them removed from the store.
Now, as an online seller, don’t argue, don’t fight, just have your in house procedures written down in a word document and cut and paste responses, eat the loses and get on with it.
Our shrinkage is several hundreds of dollars per year, less than 1% of our gross. Yes it eats into the bottom line net, but worth the cost to give refunds, or ship something. Just do it, mark it in your accounting, which can be a tax deduction [expense] and go onliving.
Slept late and just having first cup of coffee, that opinion and my half cup of coffee is worth about a plug nickle, maybe.
Hope everyone had a Great Christmas. Our fourth quarter sales were up 37% over last year. With everything that has been going on this past year, we will “grab it and growl!”
Mike at MDC Concepts, Inc.
MDC Galleries and Fine ArtCast iron will be melted / liquified and poured into a mold or extruded through a series of rollers to form it. If a two piece mold, there will be a seam line some where. Smaller pieces can be poured into smaller cavities just like a cup cake pan. Pour the liquid in several rows of cavities and let it cool and you have several dozen smaller pieces all from one “smelting” pour.
Any type of “casting” is made from molds were usually made just like metal sculptures are made. First a bees wax carving is made, then a plaster or concrete cast is made of the shape, figure or decorative piece. Then molten liquid metals after extreme heating are poured into the molds and cooled.
Also ornamental pieces can be made by stamping “soften” metal slabs between a male and female die mounted on a two part [above and below] hydraulic press and the thinner slabs of very hot-softened are guided or rolled between the upper and lower die parts and the press slams together and “stamps” or “Molds” the design into the metal and the cutting edges of the dies also cuts the part out at the same time like a cookie cutter. The rough edge or burr as it is called can be ground off later after all parts are cooled or left with a rough edge.
Cast iron and steel and stainless steel are magnetic. We keep several magnets at our work stations and I always carry one along with my 10x power jewelers loupe [magnifier] when we go sourcing.
Brass, copper are not magnetic, or at least only very slightly so if mixed with a metal that is.
Sterling Silver is not but electro-plated will be because it is coated over other metals that may be.
In this case, this part is made up of several smaller parts that were molded separately then drilled and assembled into the one piece as a final product. It seems to be a cap or top of something. It looks like a finial that would go over a fence post as a decorative topper. Research metal finial post tops, etc.
But it could be anything, who knows.
Hope this helps.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
MDC Galleries & Fine Art.
Sharyn and others are steering you correctly
QuickBooks is an Accural system [general ledger and Journals] and is more suitable for businesses that need to create invoices to submit to their customers and at year end, if they have unpaid balances, from those they have invoiced, the balances get carried over to the next year.We used to use QuickBooks but finally just changed over to Quicken Home and Business. Just no need for that kind of fire power and at such a high cost.Everything is on your computer unless you wish to use their back-up system.
We are a Sub S Corporation and it works for us to fine. It has been greatly improved after Intuit [the QuickBooks Comapny] sold Quicken to a separate company and they did a lot of improvements. Quicken is much cheaper than QuickBooks also.
In all cases any user of these software programs, even go daddy, you need to have some understanding of accounting. We have even figured out a work around to be able to create and submit invoices for some services we do.
Quicken interfaces and downloads from our bank, credit cards, and PayPal. It handles or personal accounts and keeps those separate from our business accounts and balances. We reconcile monthly and get reports and Quicken furnishes a Balance Sheet and a Profit and Loss statement. These reports will also show dollar amounts and the percentages of those expenses against the business income. AND we keep multiple stores separate also.
There is just a little bit of a learning curve to get everything set up the way you want it. Unless you are creating Purchase Orders for buying lots of stuff from vendors or are sending invoices out to sub-contracts or billing your customers just no real need for QuickBooks.
Hope this helps to some degree.
Mike at MDC Concepts, Inc.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
MDC Galleries & Fine Art.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
MDC Galleries & Fine Art.
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