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Hi TSG: We do get labels about to fall off or partially folded back at times. We use the thin version of super glue combined with either the tip of a toothpick, on of our metal dental tools or Exacto blades both a no. 7 and 11 blade shapes.
How we do it is if the label is just slightly folded back, we squirk one drop of the thin superglue out on a piece of paer, use the toothpick tip, dip it into the drop to get just the smallest dap of glue on the tip, then apply it in several dots on the folded back label inside, then take a #7 Exacto blade [in it’s handle] and fold the loose label pice back over and into place.
If the whole label is off we start the same, but with maybe 2 drops of the thin SG and use the #7 blade to pick up a wider bead of glue and then spread it on the back of the label, using the blade tip like a painting pallette knife. This spreads the glue in a thinnest of thin layer. Then using stamp thongs we pick up the label, and place back into position, trying to match the area where it originally was.
The reason we use Super Glue is that it’s chemical compound will stick to almost any surface, especially glass, ceramics, wood, plastics, resins, cloth, etc., etc. whereas the polymer based glues like elmers does not in most cases.
Hope this helps..
Mike at MDC Concepts, Inc – MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atl.
It is part of how we train our two helpers. They laern more and faster than by asking us questions and waiting for answers. Also they can then croos search Wiki for definitions of terms they don’t know. Remeber our discussion of Kaolin clay and the original origins and now where all it is found? Well that information was added to our helpers knowledge base and Worthpoint combined with Wiki is a great teacher as long as too much time isn’t lost.
Besides, it frees Susan and I up to do other things rather than explain details about objects, trends, materials, etc. One of our helpers on her own did a quick research the other day when we were out of the office. She did a quick look at Worthpoint to find a glass piece. When we got home she informed us that she never knew the difference between press glass, moulded, glass, crystal and what a pontile mark was. Yes Wiki gave her all the details, she started the research by seeing pontile in one Worthpoint listing and moulded glass in another Worthpoint listing. That was what started her search. After that she already had her keywords found and put into the listing without asking us. Artist made, hand made and blown,made by artisan – craftsman vs. factory made, mould seamed, depression glass, hallmarked IG [Indiana Glass Co.], etc.
Worthpoint can be a combination of keyword finder, description maker, knowledge of object or subject provider and of course prices and price comparisons. You can tell fairly quickly which color of Fiesta water pitchers have more value than other colors. Then when you go to auction you know which ones to bid on. We take our helpers to auctions with us occassionaly and they see that knowledge in action. Lisa went with us last Saturday night and we asked her during preview which milk glass pieces had a value. She nailed the Indiana Glass ones right away, then said uggh, the others she wouldn’t buy. She was spot on and that is some of the things Worthpoint listings can help you with.
We were grand fathered in at $14.99 per month.
Also Worthpoint has a hallmark directory and research identification guide with the upper level subscriptions just like Kovels does.
Here is one for you.. if you find a Roseville vase that has the name in the bottom what does it tell you if the Roseville name is done in raised letters [embossed] or pressed in letters [debossed]. Well, you can find the answer in several Worthpoint listings, in a Kovels annual published guide and on Wiki. But would you know to look that up and or use what you find in either your title, item specifics or description area or all of those?
Kovels has been the go to reference books, published annually for half a century. We have seen dealers who had 25 years worth of Kovels guide on the office book shelves behind them. We now have an online subscription and use the built in search function.
It is just like those dealers that buy and sell Baseball cards, most of them subscribe to the Beckett’s Guide or if you sell stamps, a subscription to the Scott’s catalog. Look those up. Most pro sellers use them all the time for the current market prices and for what to pay and especially for things that need grading. Being in the printing business for over 40 years combined with my art background I can grade stamps and sports cards very well.
So these subscription databases are not only for pricing but for knowledge, identification and listing building. I think of them as professional tools for the professional seller.
Just another… HHhhmmm moment!
Mike Collins at MDC Concepts, Inc. – MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta, GA.
Terrapeak was only one back when we tried it and then Worthpoint picked up at the 2nd year mark and goes way back.
Even if items on Worthpoint are “old” as you say Jay, then forget the prices, one our type of unusual, older items we find tons of key words, who manufactured items, who importers are, tons of stuf about Murano, Roseville, Hull pottery, the Gillesville jugs. Between Worthpoint and Kovels you get an education about the stuff we sell. Then to know historical prices is just gravy.
Terrapeak, had lots of graphs showing the trending items, key word searches, price fluctuation charts but always seemed to us to be targeted at the currently manufactured items and their trends.
So Cal Joe: Very good tip. I have a device that has a cigarette lighter plug and a large block that has 4 regular power cord plugs ins, I just have forgotten about it. I think it is in one of the car’s arm rest. In an emrgency I could plug a laptop in and a portable printer and be back in business. Then using my phone as a hot spot, I would have the internet and there we go.
T-Satt I would be all over having you do either a live chat demo or a video demo on how to use your spread sheet and to do the forecasting.
But so much on my plate. I have got to get through our Sub S Corp. taxes and then personal [since the Sub-S Corp is a pass through], then get on with the transition from WonderLister to SixBit, then also doing some Shopify University training, and with the 4 houses being built, time is at a premium.
Something I have thought about lately and that is also how much time Scavengerlife can eat up. With the growth in SL membership, the amount of posts are growing and with it comes expanded amount of questions, comments and just no time to chime in and help.
By Wed. of this week I had 225 unread emails from Scavengerlife in response to this weeks podcast by Jay and Ryann. It takes time to read those and then if I wish to reply, well you can see the time this is posted and I have been up for 4 hours [4:00am EST].
So point being anything you set up as far as a demo to help expedite the use of the forecasting spread sheet and the use of it also for the others numbers would be great.AND… if you did a demo on the use of SixBit and your process, i bet that John and the gang over at SixBit may be interested in using it on their site.
For general knowledge SixBit does have a lot of demos and they are very good. Much better than anything WonderLister has.
Mike Collins at MDC Concepts, Inc. – MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta
Yep.. got the email about the update also. Skimmed through the outline but have not read it word for word yet. But I will as soon as I get a break. Still doing taxes and reports and processing new inventory.
mike at MDCGFA
RTWV: We were just talking about this with one of our helpers and the phone hot spot came up. She said she uses it all the time and works great. But if the power goes out and it is wide spread, then at some point a cell phone’s battery will dwindle also. We have a super fast hand held recharger that would be good for an additional one or two charges before it also would die off. We use it when we are out scavenging. Quick, fast, easy charge right from my coat pocket.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art
Brian: This may be of interest to you and-or others. It just so happened I started to list 3 items that were easily under one lb. roughly 4 ozs. So I placed 6 ozs. in my listing in the “ounce” box and did a verification and it did not verify. [I use WonderLister] so may be different if you are listing directly into the Ebay form or on your phone. But WL will always tell you something is wrong during the verification process.
Well after the item did not verify, which means I had to make corrections to the listing before it would submit to Ebay. The nice thing about WL and possibly SixBit is that it will tell you what is wrong. Turns out that all I had to do was “ADD a Zero into the Lb. field. Once I input 0 then 6 ozs. it verified and uploaded.
So maybe Ebay now wants sellers to into a zero in the pound field then the ounces into that field.
Give it a try on one listing, add the zero and see if it works.
Guess Ebay again has changed something without telling any of the sellers.
mike
Steven: Always love seeing your fur babies at the end. Poor Kitty wants inside and out of the snow! :-). We lived in CT. for 22 years and the avg, annual snowfall was approx. 8 Ft. per year and would at times drift to the gutters of the house. We never care if we see snow ever again.
But Spring is around the corner and if the old saying is true, then March will come in like a Lion and go out like a Lamb and we all will be out in the warmer weather scavenging again
mike
BrianB: If you have your First Class business policy set as to stated .. ” I thought I had First Class in my business policy for items over 1 pound, but that was not the case. I had Parcel Select, Retail Ground and Priority Mail.” Is this correct. First Class setting should be for anything “UNDER” 1 pound. If you have heavier items [more than 1 lb.] with the First Class bznz policy that may be why Ebay is saying “your weight exceds the max.”. Well sure it does, if they are over a pound.
So, that needs to be corrected anyway regardless of your handling time. You will need to go through your listings, see which ones are “over” a lb. and bulk edit them so they have one of your policies that handle over 1 lb. packages. Then do the same for all of your listings that are under 1 lb. and make sure they are set for first class package.
But by you saying you thought you had First Class set up for items OVER a pound may be the issue. Just thinking out loud.
Mike
Simon: Your phrase in the donut hole is a perfect explanation and reason Ebay should have and needs a middle tier store in there somewhere.
Yeah Retro.. Sorry to hear about your kids. Hopefully, everything will level out in short order and things will start to stabilize and the kids are all well again.
mike
Jay.. There is an easier way.. Write down what you make. Individual, corporation, whatever, then send in 10% of it. Called the Flat Tax system then their is the Neil Boortz “Fair Tax” where the tax is built into the type of or category of item you purchase and it is added to your purchase cost. The luxury items are bought by the wealthy and they would pay more than someone not buying a yacht or an expensive Tiffany diamond bracelet.
But simple is not something Washington understands. Man how easy would 10% straight across the board be for everybody. Make a buck send in a dime, make $50k send in $5,000, make $100,000 send in $10,000 and on the corp level make 1,2 billion then send in whatever 10% of that is???
But we will never see anything like that, at least not in my life time. Oh, well
mike at MDCGFA
I have the same question as Julie.. are there some zeros that were left off or added to your numbers in error? If you made $20,000 in “Profit as in NET PROFIT”, you will owe a whole lot more in taxes than $200, try thousands unless you itemize your expenses and those will need to be a lot to lower taxes on $20,000 net.
If you made $20K GROSS all sales plus shipping and any other income, then that number can be whittled down, again, by uses your expenses [deductions] and also the new tax laws.
BUT.. BUT… I see you stated you are closing down Ebay in May, then if you are only having to do your taxes for last year and will not be doing this going forward, maybe just get someone to do your taxes for you this year, provide what numbers you have and let them report it back to you and be done with it. BUT AGAIN if you are going forward with anything as a business, then as Jay says, get yourself set up as a business as far as your infrastructure goes.
A big suggestion I would offer is not co-mingle your personal money and or checking accounts. If you are going forward as a business go to your bank and open up a business checking account. Your branch manager will tell you everything you need, but that may incluce a county business license, a Federal ID number and a few bank forms. You will get business checks, a business credit card. Then set PayPal to transfer all your Ebay Amazon earnings into your reg. business account every few weeks. At years end, your banking statements for your business account will only show transaction in and out for your business only. And my bank allows me to classify all transaction directly in their online web site so statements and of course your bznz. credit card statements will only show income [deposits] and out go [expenses] just for your business.
Then from there use GoDaddy will aslo pull everything from Ebay-PayPal and your bank accounts also to track all your business transactions and you can categorize them from there. at years end you just print out reports to give to your accountant.
Hope this adds to everything Jay has already said, but if this was just a year or two’s effort and you have no intentions of going forward as business in the years to come, maybe everything is over kill and just let a local accountant help you out for filing the 2018 tax year and then move on.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta
As T-Satt says.. Well Done Jay and welcome to the Weeds! The devil is in the details and the answers lay in the weeds. The God Send to Salvation is in the “details” and the Angel of Mercy is being able to explain it all to someone else, thus “The Infamous Wall of Text”. … WELL DONE!
I have been just to busy with everything to be able to do much replying here on SL but will be back at creating some “walls” later this year I am sure.
Mike at MDCGFA in Atl.
