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05/14/2018 at 2:36 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 360: Is Diversification a Myth or Reality? #39884
Yep, Yep, Yep.. Now that you bring it up, I do remember that long, long transfer being done on the free version. Also when I talked to JC at SB it was before they made that change. i bet you dollars to donuts, JC and the rest of the team talked it over and then inserted the toggle to keep the hpotos out of the datbase and you are correct agagin on the SQL limitations but once all those hptos are out of the database, it is a non-issue. Unless at some point..but wonder how many listings and photos that would be??
I know WL has told me about a couple of sports memorabilia clients that have 100’s of thousands of listings but if they are trading cards that would only be 2 or 3 photos per card. Still half a million photos attached to 100k of listings would be humongous.
Does SB allow you to put your photos up on a Cloud drive and let you drag and drop the photos from there. I had mentioned that to SB, so wonder if they broke the photo storage out of the database, but still only let’s them reside on the main rig that the SB program is installed on. Hhhmm.
05/14/2018 at 2:18 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 360: Is Diversification a Myth or Reality? #39882The only drawback to SixBit vs. WonderLister is that SB does keep all those photos connected directly to the database and that is why the SB Db is much larger than WL. What the team did at WonderLister is creat a direct connection to DropBox, Google Drive, and MS OneDrive. Then we keep our photos there arranged by year and month within our free terra byte of space. Then when we create a listing, WL sets the “path” which points to the hpoto on any of these 3 drives that you choose to store your photos. This techniques makes the WL database 10 times smaller in size than SixBits. But everything is still all linked.
I talked with JC at SixBit twice about this technique and he said they were aware of this process but was overly inthusiasitic during the conversation. Then I hit the “magic” question / topic with him. SixBit only allows [unless they have changed], a datbase of a ceratin size. Then low and behold you will get a message saying your allotted size of the SB database is about reached and would YOU LIKE TO BUY MORE SPACE. So I hit JC with that, Hey JC guess if you guys did something that would make the SB datbase smaller and more compact, you would loose those sales for extra space, and boy was it dead silence for a long period, then a low, mumbled, yeah I guess so.
I send my database the WL all the time because they study it for research and it takes about a minute for backup and send. Well I sent my SB database one time and two hours later it finially finished. That is because SB has all the photos saved “inside and with the actual text data” in its database. So I sent my whole Ebay store from with WL to our new Shopify store and it took a couple hours. do that with SB, holy cow, who knows how long to transfer all the data.
Thought I would share some techy stuff to consider when comparing the two.
05/14/2018 at 2:00 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 360: Is Diversification a Myth or Reality? #39880One of the reasons we are building our own store with our own domain and will SEO our own site. Google’s bots and spiders will find it and crawl it. Then rank it and then when thoe keywords we used are typed into google our site will be among the selection a searcher will see and possibly come visit us.
Ebay, nope, The Panda and Penguin releases of the Google algoruthm hit Ebay hard. Ebay was using a whole bunch of “black Hat-bad dirty tricks” to get themselves and sellers items searched by Google. Back link farms, key word stuffing, spamming, etc., etc. A lot of that was coming from within the sellers description areas and about me pages. A ton of Chinese [whoevers], had opened Ebay accounts and filled there description areas with “links”, “back-links” and tons being bought and sold on link farms. So when Google rewrote there algorythm to omit those types of links, Ebay went dead in the water just like all the Russian, Chinese and other black hat guys.
So that is one reason Ebay has pushed all the sellers to clean up the description area, starting policing the sellers, created “Item Specifics” in hopes of pulling Google bots and spiders back. But also Ebay doesn’t want to allow a “clean link” either. A clean link “click here” or embedded link [those blue words] that take you to other pages, well Ebay wants nothing to do with a good, clean link that is going to take a viewer to a sellers own store. god forbid.
Like in our case, I would love to have a clean link in my Ebay description that says, for more “Asian Ginger Jars-Click Here” and when you do, it takes you to MY PERSONAL STORE on the internet, outside of Ebay. Ebay is not going to let Google get hold of those types of links and they are not going to let us Sellers include them in our description area. try and see what happens.
So very little comes from Google. Ebay just buys Google Ads and pays for the clicks to the Evay Categories. Once a searcher clicks on those Ebay Google links, then you will go to that category and you will see every seller under the Sun who has one for Sale.
Right now if you search our store name, you can see that item from our store, but search for the “item” and you get a Goggle Paid Ad that takes you to the Ebay category and again you will see yours and all of your competition. If you have a stale listings, not using promoted listings [basically a kick back umm paid fee] to Ebay, you may not even show up at all.
So, Ebay relies haevily as Jay has said before on it’s branding, it’s reputation as a shopiing place for deals, and then once the potential buyers type in Ebay.com, then that is when “Cassini” Ebay’s internal search engine takes over.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art
05/14/2018 at 12:55 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 360: Is Diversification a Myth or Reality? #39870Yep.. and they are getting closer. I had a very surprising phone call yesterday. When I answered the person introduced himself and I recognized the name right away. It was the Senior-Head Design Engineer from WonderLister.
We talked about 45 minutes and I also fired up TeamViwer and let him dance around my rig on WonderLister for awhile.
The main purpose was to explore some changes to they have been working on for the Shopify Interface. He also did an update to my WL that is not even in Beta Testing yet. He wanted me to have first crack at doing an Automatic Transfer of my whole store over to our own private domain store at http://www.mdcgalleries.com. We have been using our Shopify store for testing for about 6 months.
So, while I had him on the phone I asked where they stood with the Etsy interface. He said they had a large amount of the coding and design work done. But everytime they needed an answer to an engineering question and had to contact Etsy, that Etsy would take days to get back to them and his team would have to just park Etsy and wait. But he said that end of July was still going to be a target. I told him it would be nice to have it ready for the 4th quarter. But he said ready for us, the Beta testers, probably not for general public release.
He also said it was the feedback from the Beta Tester that provided the data for the places that they needed to fix-patch.
So with regards to Shopify.. here is what took place this morning. I had a doctors appoinment to be at at 9:45. So, I was in WL. I went to my Ebay Active folder and higlighted all of our 936 listing we have in our Ebay store. I then right clicked for a drop down menu that contained several commands. I high lighted “Send to Shopify” [I also see the send to Etsy selection, but that is none functioning on my beta version as of yet]. and hit enter. A message popped up and said sending 936 entries to Shopify.
I got back from the doctor at 11:30 am. Guess what? All 936 items had been trasbfeered over to our Shopify store. And because of the Beta Tester feedback, the way WL is doing this is that in the Shopify description it is copying and placing in the description area not only our Ebay description, but then skipping one line and then adding the “Condition” area from ebay, then one line under that, WL is adding every single one of the item specifics appended to the bottom of the description. Then every photo we have posted on Ebay is also placed into Shopify.
Now currently I have only clicked on “make public”, just a few of my listings in Shopify because we are still testing things, making sure everything is moving over correctly. I already see a few HTML glitches in the first bullit point of each listing and have found that Shopify does not like MSOffice HTML codes. So a copy and paste from MSWord did create a one line small glitch which we talked about yesterday. It is a Shopify thing not a WL thing. But I am going to maybe just for testing go ahead and make public all 936 items just to see what they will look like.
The headers and collections will still have to be built and reported back to WL to automate but we will get it all looking pretty, pretty, once we have the guts worked out.
The the final stage is for the Shopify to hook to and post everything WL sends to it on to Facebook, Instagram and Tweeter. tweeter is already coded and working perfectly. Every listing I submit to Ebay gets automatically sent to Tweeter. Have a bunch of people who follow those tweets. Can’t recall how many, but it all happens “automatically”. No extra work involved. That is the beauty of a relational database built on SQL {Searchable Queary Language].
So everything you can think of for having a one master central control system built into one piece of software is what the beta testers are trying to feedback to SixBit, WonderLister and others. And it seems to be working slowly, bit by bit. Eventually whatever 3rd party app you are using for cross-milti platform listing will be your “Ground Control-This is Houston” calling all platforms station dealing with all listings, ending listings, selling notices and ending on the “related” platforms, messaging, shipping, running sales promotions, all from the one piece of software. The thing of it is, a lot of this is already available. Just looking around the edges and looking at reviews is not going to cut it. You have to buy into it, purchase it, commit to it, learn to navigate it, learn how to use all of the powerful tools on an advanced level.
So just like what Ebay does by sending everything over to Bonanza automatically. Now WL is doing the same to our Shopify store and it will also do the same thing come early fall to our Etsy store. And SixBit is already doing it.
Now for the future. just like selling something on Bonanza, what do you do. All you do is print the label from Bonanza and ship it. So, same will apply here to Shopify and Etsy. When something sells on any of the platforms that is under the MASTER CONTROL of WL, WL sends a message to that platform, kills the listing on the other platforms, tells Ebay and Etsy the item is no longer available and then duplicates the Sales data from the platform it sold on into WL. So I now have a system folder called Sold on Shopify, Sold on Etsy and when all is out of Beta Testing and working smoothly and they go Public, the goal is that we do not have do do one thing at all on any platform other than print a label and ship. We will get separate reports, separate sales status, separate tax info. and tons of built in reports all from one MASTER CONTROL CENTRAL.
But all of this said by just this one user and is only my opinion. Trying to inform what these apps do and will be able to do. Will they do it for you, I would maybe think no. Why… How many people do you know has a spread sheet program so they open a spread sheet sent to them. But now ask the average guy to open up a blank excel or Mac spread sheet program and ask him to build, code and format the things that Quicken or Go Daddy does and they wouldn’t even know where to start. Or give a free Photoshop program to the avg. guy, then ask him to break a photograph down into 4 layers CMYK and do the color separartions to make that photo press ready to be printed by and litho printer. Nope unless you are in the trade.
So I am thinking, my opinion only, that these types of apps are not for the entry level, Ebay newbie, and more for the moderate level sellers that are willing to invest the time into making these types of programs become their own private master command central.
I have been working with WL and Sixbit over the last 3 years and still consider myself only moderatly capable. Compared to some here on SL I feel like I am a babe in the woods. But I do understand what these apps are capable of just like a Space Shuttle Pilot, I just need to learn how to fly it at an advanced level.
Boy that is a mouthful that will probably get me crucified.
Mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta
Here is a link to a good supply source we have used occasionally when we had our antique booths.
https://www.antiquelampsupply.com/
You may think about getting one and adding it to your brass base then do a good mark up on the whole thing selling your base and the new shade. A neighbor antique dealer who specialized in turn of the century / victorian oil-kerosene lamps turned us on to this place when we had some missing the shades on a few two tier-[double decker] ones. We have also gotten some table lamp finials to go with a couple of Asian Ginger Jar lamps that we need the Asian symbol on.
We liked them also because they were close by in TN. and they knew Steve our contact person at the antique mall. We could do phone orders.
In any case .. a good source for glass gee-gaws! 🙂
mike
Yes.. it holds what is called the “glass flue” or “glass wind screen”. You pinch them together and slip a glass chimney [flue] over them and sit it down inside the brass ring. These two metal pieces spring back out “inside” the glass flue, pressing against the sides of the glass flue and the tension holds the flue-chimney in place allowing you to walk around and not have the wind from the movement snuff out-blow out the candle flame.
Same concept as Jay says only instead of on an oil lamp or lantern, the glass flue is to protect a candle from the wind.
Hope this helps….
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta
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This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by
MDC Galleries & Fine Art.
here is a link to Lee Roberson and Cades Cove but unfortunately not your image. But maybe you can find some information about the artist within some of the descriptions.
Maybe yours is a rarer, harder to find image.
https://www.worthpoint.com/inventory/refineSearch?offset=0&max=100&query=lee+roberson+cades+cove
Good luck …
Mike at MDCGSorry about that. had house guests arriving about the same time I was trying to leave the reply.
Here is the link that shows a few.
https://www.worthpoint.com/inventory/search?query=harley+davidson+ceramic+business+card+holdermike at MDCG
Here is a link that will show you a few that have sold in the past. Without a subscription you can’t see the prices but the top 3 selling prices was approx. $29.99 +/- and the lowest 3 were approx. was $15 to $17.
Hope this helps… Ooppss! Here is the link. https://www.scavengerlife.com/forums/topic/harley-davidson-business-card-holder/#post-39750
mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta
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This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by
MDC Galleries & Fine Art.
That’s interesting Jay. First thing I thought of is it’s a grill grate from a Weber or similar Gas Grill. The whole structure looks just the same except for the 4 plastic feet. I wonder if Ikea buys grill grates at cost and just a quick plastic “gee gaw” add on and Viola’ instant Ikea trivet. If so they must get those grates dirt cheap. The ones for Weber and Grill Master are a whole lot more than $6 bucks ++.
mike
I just Googled it on the spot as I prepared for the reply to the post. no magic, a web site came right up that had the data. So I guess the story of the blind squirrel finding a nut occasionally applies. 🙂
Ryanne that would be great. I hear the “E-Packet” price grid that items come from China uses allows small, light weight items to be shipped to the USA for as low as $.25 per package. It would be great if that could be a reciprocity thing whereby we only pay the same thing going back to them.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art
The reason I asked “if you have to pay any taxes”, is that you will be surprised how you can lower what you have to pay.
This is how, go to the web sites of places around you that you can donate to and download and print out their “Donation Value Guide”. These are fairly thorough pricing guides as to what the “donated tax value” is for each item you donate. The Goodwill one is bad. Too short and not thorough at all. But the Salvation Army one is detailed, has many categories and has good valuations for items that you donate.They show a price range for each item, Low to High. We just use a price in between [avg. the two].
You will be surprised at how much you can write off if you donate items to these places. Now you may only get a percetage of what you declare as the value of the items you donate, but it may come out to be more than $.99 you were going to place in an auction and you don’t have to do any work other than create a written list of what you donate, get a receipt when you donate, and put a valuation price beside it. Oh course, you do have to itemize your taxes in order to take advatage of this.
But here are some examples of the price ranges the salvation army places on items donated to them. We find we get a better value by donating and using these prices instead of having a yard sale and a whole lot less work.
Some of the categories are of course Men’s Clothing, Women’s Clothing, Appliances, Home Goods, Furniture, Childrens clothes,
end table: $10 to $50; coffee table: $15-$65; rug: $20-$90; blanket: $3-$15; coffeemaker: $4-$15; Lamp: $5-$75; pillow: $2-$8; a dinner plate: $.50-$3.00; man’s shirt: $2.50-$12.00; men’s shoes: $3.50-$25; mens shorts: $3.50-$10; womens blouse: $2.50-$12.00; womens dress: $4-$20.00; womens shoes: $2-$25;I think you can see what we mean. We use the middle of these and in many cases the tax donated value is more than we could even get for the low end, lower quality, run of the mill stuff we get in box lots, or cleaning out old inventory that we made mistakes on. Fast, easy, and at pretty good prices.
BUT_BUT, you have to need tax write offs in order to lower your tax liability. If your income level is low and standard deductions are better or if you don’t itemize your year end taxes, then these donated values won’t be of much help.
Hopefully they may.
Good Luck.Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art
T-Satt: Knowing you and some of us like numbers.. And presented in a positive light..4 numbers for comparison
Clicked on Vintage for Sale in Mercari and there are 95 pages x 50 listings per page for a total of 4.750 [guess some of those are HomeDecorGuys] vs. 15,170,343 on Ebay.
Now the one that caught my eye:
6 months of visitors to Ebay is 1.10 BILIION Potential Customers vs. 33.73 Million over 6 months for Mercari.
…>>> So, how I guess with being in a mix of only 5k other vintage items does not seem like a whole lot of competition.. but then again, you got to have traffic [buyers].As Arsenio Hall used to say.. some things just make you go .. HHhhmmm!
Not being negative just stating the numbers or as Jack Webb used to say on Dragnet.. Just the facts ma’ame! LOL 🙂Sheesh is right. Boy what a trial you have been through. And God Blessed you to help keep that roof over you and your husbands head.
Before I go into a suggestion that may be of interest, first a question that would pertain to that answer.
Do you end up paying taxes at the end of the year or do you pay quarterly taxes or have any tax money taken out of some sort of an income check? Depending on if the answer is yes or no, it would save me from going through the tip for you.
Mike at MDC Galleries
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This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by
MDC Galleries & Fine Art.
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