Yes, the Ebay POLICE!

There it was - I couldn't believe it - an OSTRICH CHANEL bag - it was gorgeous! Definitely the REAL THING! (oh, but I have been wrong before!!). No this was real - and it was amazing! and in my most favorite color of all - PEANUT BUTTER BROWN! I would give anything to own something like this - a bag like this would be over $4000 (easily). There were about 34 bids on it already but the price was still low............somehow there was something strange about this.
So I looked to see what other items this person was selling. Quite a few - all little diddy things except for a Red Louie Alma bag. This item was also at a low price but also with A LOT of bids. Everything else were little items with 0 bids! So here were these two items with lots of bids - high end items and both started at very low prices.
Next I checked on who was bidding on both of these items. Right - it was the same person bidding on both of these handbags.
Then I went to check on this person - to see the type of items she had been buying (having signed up on ebay many many years ago). Right - nothing of this sort. All items in the $5 range - no big ticket items.
These people were playing a nasty game. The one doing the bidding was the SHILL! I was so angry. I reported it to eBay (I take this selling thing very seriously! and hate the idea of someone screwing around with buyers). Unfortunately the auctions were both able to come to their conclusions - I wouldn't bid on the Ostrich bag no matter how badly I wanted it. It did go for a little over $735 and that was a fabulous deal! I don't know where the Louie ended up - but both of these people were removed from eBay. I don't know for how long - I hate being a SNITCH - really I do - but it made me so angry.

Working at the store is such fun!

I really do enjoy working at the store. It is such a great store and we have such wonderful merchandise (and we have such fun). Of course I meet many of the women there who send me things to sell on ebay - so it is good in so many ways!

Today a gal came in with her husband - it was quite chilly out and she bought a gorgeous brown/green tie dyed cashmere scarf - it was really wonderful and she was thrilled with it! She and her husband then left to get some lunch but she promised to come back later.

She did come back and wandered around gathering up such great goodies to try on. She came out of the dressing room with lots of great things that were "yes's" and then discovered the row of amazing sweaters hanging in the front of the store. She found another "yes" and then she left with all of her wonderful purchases! What fun!

In September we start our buying for Spring! Three weeks in September and lots of appointments. I do love it!

Women are great! They love the clothing - they buy so much and it makes them so happy! Life's little pleasures - in this awful world it's good to have something so simple to make us smile.

Bottega Fake #2

It's been a very busy last few days and this is the first chance I've had to get to this........but it's been on my mind.

I roam around ebay and have Bottega handbags as a favorite search - so I get to see the new ones as they come on. Along came a beautiful tote in my favorite color - peanut butter brown! Woven and looking very good in the photos. All of the important things were in line - this gal had lots (over 1400) good feedback, the items she had sold all made sense in terms of fashion items and in terms of price. Things looked good and I won the bag for something over $400 (if I remember correctly). Again - waiting is always the hardest part! The bag came, packed beautifully - the moment I opened it up I knew it wasn't real! Looked great (from a distance), but it didn't have the right feel - Bottega leather is always very soft and supple! and it didn't smell right - how do you explain that? It just wasn't right - it had the smell of a cheap leather store - yuck!

The difference in this situation though was that when I emailed the gal and told her my feelings about the bag - she couldn't have been nicer. I do believe that she believed the bag was real. It did look good - "no problem" she said - "send it right back". I packed it up and sent it right back to her. As soon as the bag was received by her - I was refunded my full amount.

This is the way it should work. I do believe she felt it was real - she respected my feelings and even though her description said "no returns", "all sales final" - she took it back. I never saw the bag relisted. Perhaps she took it to Bottega to have it authenticated.

These things do happen. My sister-in-law gave me an Hermes scarf two years ago - in the package - certainly looked good to me. I am not a collector of Hermes scarves and have never had one of my own (they're a little too serious for me - design wise) and so it looked OK to me. Listed it on ebay and got $175 for it. Pretty good - not great! The gal received it and immediately emailed me to tell me it was fake. I was very upset. I do take this very seriously and the last thing I want to do is to be selling anything fake. I asked her why she thought/believed it to be fake. She told me that the silk was too stiff and the handstitching on the scarf was not right.

She was very nice about the whole thing - she believed me when I told her that I just learned something from her (how to tell a fake Hermes scarf from a real one). She returned the scarf - and of course I immediately credited her - I actually credited her before the scarf was returned. These things do happen. But wait - next time I'll tell you about the fake that I received (if indeed it is fake) that I love and wear and enjoy!

Since that time I have sold three Hermes scarves on ebay. My niece who works around the corner has taken each one into Hermes for me to verify that they are indeed real. I do know the difference now though - the silk is much softer than that first one - and yes, the handstitching is indeed handstitched! They are beautiful, but I'm still not interested in owning one! People do collect them though - when I put one on - I mention that I don't know anything about Hermes scarves and get lots of responses from other ebayers giving me the name and date of the scarf. Most people are really nice and always happy to be helpful. This is what makes ebay so special.

Don't forget to check out my listings: lots of good things..........
The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

The fakes I've managed to purchase.......

Yes, it can happen to all of us......no matter how careful.....no matter how smart!

My first was costly! $610. Hope I didn't tell you this already (for some reason I think that I did) but this time I will tell the whole story........

I should have known better - why? because the seller did not have many feedbacks and the few that she did have - well, a lot of them were from people she bought things from. It's so much better to buy from someone who has a lot of good feedback from BUYERS!

But of course the item was tooooo good to be true and how I would have loved to own one. A Bottega Veneta large BLACK WOVEN TOTE. Sells for at least $3000! So - does someone really believe they can get this for $610? Well, I know that people get really good deals from me - so why not? It can happen.

So I happily bid my $610 (with auction sniper) and WON IT! YAY! I was so happy - couldn't wait for it to come. Yes, that's fun too! The wait. But I send things out immediately (the day they are paid for) and I'm waiting and waiting......finally I email the seller and ask her where the bag is - "it's coming from England" Uh oh! Why isn't it in her apartment in Brooklyn?

So finally the bag came - nicely wrapped from England - I ripped right into it! Ahhhh! Nice leather - soft and supple - yes, this could be real!

NOOOOOO! Cardboard on the bottom of the bag - between the lining and the bottom - HUGE DIFFERENCE. Doesn't sit right, doesn't look right - IT'S NOT REAL! NOT EVEN CLOSE!

What a disappointment. But there will be no problem, after all, I had her telephone number and she was so nice. So I called her and lo and behold - disconnected! I reported her to eBAY and to PayPal. PayPal told me to return the item, gave me her address and told me not to worry - afterall, I have PAYPAL protection!

So with that security I immediately returned the FAKE BOTTEGA to the gal in Brooklyn. Having my item tracked the next day through UPS I discovered that the item was delivered and signed for by someone on the first floor of the building. I called PayPal and gave them the information. I was immediately credited back through PayPal - yes, their Buyer's Protection! YES! $175! DUH! Where is the rest of the money? "OH no, that's all the protection we can give you - unless this person pays you back - that's it".

Oh boy!

So yes, I continued to try to get a response from my seller by email. NO LUCK! What to do, what to do? The thought of losing all that money to a thief did upset me sooooo much!

So I did a REVERSE ADDRESS SEARCH on Yahoo and was able to get the names, addresses AND phone numbers of most of the people at 55 Pineapple Street in Brooklyn, NY.

I promptly emailed my seller with the information that was I going to call everyone - starting with her next door neighbors (having her apartment # too) and let them know that she was a thief! And that if that didn't work the next day I would call the POLICE!

Had the money back in my account in hours!

That turned out to be very satisfying!

My next blog will be the next fake BOTTEGA that I received!

is fun no matter what! It's all an experience!




The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

Why it's FUN!

I guess the best thing about selling on ebay is the very last moments of the auction! The bracelet that was in my blog (http://mygirls4.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_mygirls4_archive.html). I started it at 99.99 - sometime during the week someone did bid on it and it stayed there without moving. This morning before I left it was still at 99.99 but lots of people were watching it (always a good sign)!

The PR firm that won the Chanel Belt for ebay's media campaign did put in a bid at the end - but didn't win it. I have mixed feelings about that - it would have been nice to see it used in ads for ebay - but I think it's better that someone will perhaps be wearing it and enjoying it!

When I came home it was STILL at 99.99! But within those very last moments it started to climb! In the last second in went to $272.00!

That's the fun of ebay. In the end - the gal whose bracelet it is/was will be very happy. Afterall, this was sitting in her drawer at home. She was never going to wear it again - and now someone else will have it - it will be new to them - something to love and enjoy and BRAND NEW! I'm happy because it was for me, a fun auction! AND the person who won it has won a really wonderful collectible piece of jewelry. They couldn't have found it anywhere else buy on ebay. It sold at a good price for everyone!

Isn't ebay great?!

One gal's opinion!

If you're a seller on ebay - one of the things that I recommend is always (well, not always) going to COMPLETED items before you list. I had a Lambertson Truex bag to list - I don't know very much about this company. With all of the handbags I own and have owned, for some reason I have not had one from this company. Their bags are beautiful and luxurious - expensive and sold only in fine stores. But not knowing enough on my own I first looked the company up on Google to see if there was anything I should know about this company that would help sell the bag and then checked out Completed Items in an Advanced Search on ebay.

Knowing that so many people do not bid until the end - just looking at what is online at that moment is not good enough. You want to see what a winning listing was started at, how much you can sell one of these bags for and just what someone else has to say. You learn a lot this way.

Here is the listing for the bag that I listed - beautiful blue leather handbag, suede lined - beautifully constructed. To me, it's better than a Louis Vuitton Speedy - better made, better looking and beautiful inside and out! Item #110023924117 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110023924117&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESC%3AIT&rd=1

The same gal also gave me a fabulous Louis Vuitton Yellow Epi Leather Tote - really gorgeous - the temptation is so often there to buy it myself - but where will I put it? No room in the closet!!!!!
It is item #110023934712
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110023934712&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESC%3AIT&rd=1


Also a fabulous Navy Blue Woven Bottega - item #110023953010


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110023953010&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESC%3AIT&rd=1



AND a wonderful BLACK YOHJI! Hard to believe - all of these wonderful handbags!
Item #110025019729
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110025019729&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESC%3AIT&rd=1

The trouble that I see...........

It's very nice that I might give hints or tell the things that I might have learned buying and selling on eBay! BUT - in a blog like this - you say what you have to say one day and there are people who read it (that's really nice) - but as you continue on each day - your blog with the secrets goes further down and then I wonder how far back people will go to read your various blogs.

After all - you might find a couple of these blogs interesting - but will you go back to the beginning to find the hints, secrets or suggestions? It seems like the latest blog and a few down below would be all a person might read.

I don't know the answer to this..............

Perhaps BROWN is the new BLACK!

Perhaps now that I've sold the RED bag (and I'm sure this gal will totally LOVE LOVE LOVE it) it's time for the BROWN one to go. How many of these are lingering in my closet? Oh - too many! But I just love handbags! I wonder why - don't you wonder what that is all about. I think one of the customer's gave me a reasonable answer but unfortunately I don't remember what she said - perhaps it was something about "order" in your life. I don't know - but I do know that for some reason I can never find the "perfect" handbag - everytime I think it has truly happened - it's perfect - my things fit in so well, it looks so good, this is it! IT'S NOT! I'm still looking and hunting. Guess I'm not the only one. The price of handbags has gone UP UP UP and AWAY over the last few years. Inexpensive bags are $600!

So here is another bag from that wonderful factory in Italy (and the last one from my closet).

This bag was made in the same factory that makes the Manolo Blahnik alligator shoes. The workmanship is the best and the alligator is top quality. This little bag retailed for $1100 at the store where I work and was a fabulous value at that price. So at $199.99 - you can't go wrong. This bag is really a beauty! The color is really fantastic - maybe BROWN should be the new Black!

The item number is: 110027736902 and will start on Sunday evening, September 17th.......

The listing for this bag is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110027736902&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESC%3AIT&rd=1

Interesting........

The first CHANEL belt/necklace was sold yesterday. It did very well as far as $$$ went. The interesting thing though is that it was purchased by a company that does PR for EBAY! They are also interested in the ROBERT LEE MORRIS bracelet that is still up.

Both pieces are vintage and really good items. I believe that they will be used (assuming that they will win the bracelet too) in media for EBAY.









Their GOAL - "to attract new and current eBay users to all of eBay's $1 billion business units."

Their PROGRAM - "Create an alliance with media to advance eBay's image from an on-line flea market into the first - and easiest - place to ship for all consumer and business needs: whether paper clips,new designer "musts", or the rarest collectibles."

The above was taken from their site.

Interesting, yes?

So let's keep our eyes out - if you see a media campaign that will include these items, let me know. Certainly they are smart - that CHANEL belt/necklace is fabulous and a great steal. I wonder who will eventually wind up with it. Do you think when they are finished with it that they will sell it on eBay?

The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

We all learn the hard way!

I received this email from one of my ebayers.......there is so much to learn about buying and selling on ebay. She learned her lesson about this the hard way - just like me! But I appreciate her sharing.......

"I have nearly 1000 ebay feedbacks, with only 1 negative. Here's why. I bought what was supposed to be a first edition book in excellent condition, about dogs (yes, I'm a dog person) from this guy in the UK, and paid with paypal immediately, like I always do. The book arrived, and I always like to get my feedback written and entered, so I left him positive
feedback. My mistake.

When I opened the book, I found that not only was the spine broken, but the boards (outside hard cover) were warped. Yikes. So I emailed him a VERY nice email explaining what I found. He said the post office must have done it (not possible). I emailed him several more times, VERY politely asking for some kind of resolution - offered to return it to him, split the cost, etc
etc, and he finally quit responding. So I went to paypal and filed a claim (this book cost me over $100).

After waiting nearly 2 months, paypal comes back and denies my claim because I left positive feedback in the beginning (that will be a lesson to me to look more closely first). Then, the seller has the nerve to leave negative feedback for me because I filed a claim about a damaged item - I was fit to be tied, I can tell you. So now I have that one lonely negative feedback which sticks out like a sore thumb. However, I try to laugh about it...

Anyway, that's my long ebay story about what can happen. Meanwhile, I still love ebay!

Thanks for listening"

I'm not happy about this.................

I received the following email from ebay.......


eBay Unpaid Item Dispute #280014534881 -- response required

Dear member,
eBay member totalfunz has that they already paid for item #280014534881
Review the submitted details regarding the payment.
Regards,
eBay International AG


Now that item number is the following:
NEW SONY PSP GAME: BURNOUT LEGENDS - UK SELLER


How does something like this happen? I love ebay - I really do - I wonder if this has anything to do with the thief who listed items on my auction site. Ah well, hopefully this is just an error! In the meanwhile - check out my site and the things that I really do list:

The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

These things have to be figured out!

People really send me such wonderful things to sell. It's truly amazing the things that we have in our closets! Brand new gorgeous cashmere sweaters, alligator handbags beautifully made, brand new designer shoes - fabulous! Every once in awhile though something comes along that can really make me laugh!

I pulled out a BRAND NEW YOHJI YAMAMOTO thing - yes, I have to call it a THING! I really can't figure it out. Now we sell Yohji at the store and I have been lucky enough to buy Yohji in Paris (for the store) - what fun that is (and what work it is too-it takes hours!). But this - well - it's a long long tube of black wool. There seems to be a place to put your head - that becomes a turtle neck kind of thing - then a hole for one arm - and then what? What goes in the tube? Your body? Your arm? Perhaps someone knows how this thing should work. HELP!!!!

added August 18th
OK - it's been figured out! Here are some photos of my boss in the Yohji scarf - she looks pretty good I think!

Visit the Yohji site - it's quite fun! http://www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp/

Red is the new BLACK!

Don't you just love that? Who makes these big decisions? I thought that they said Brown was the new Black!!! Can't they make up their minds? Myself - well, I prefer Black being just BLACK!

BUT if Red is the new Black - take a look at this (this item is scheduled to go up on ebay on the 14th of August in the evening) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110018949298&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESC%3AIT&rd=1 This bag was made in the same factory that makes the Manolo Blahnik alligator shoes. The workmanship is the best and the alligator is top quality. This little bag retailed for $1050 at the store where I work and was a fabulous value at that price. So at $199.99 - you can't go wrong. This bag is really a beauty! The color is really fantastic - maybe RED should be the new Black!


I hope that someone will bid on and win this bag - because they will truly have won something beautiful that they should enjoy always. How many of these "wonderful" things can I have? I already have too many.

What to do before you bid!

Now I'm not talking about bidding on little things - I'm talking about the BIG things - an expensive handbag, a piece of jewelry, etc. etc. You want to be sure that the person you're dealing with is honest and knows what he/she is selling.

You want to look at the photos very carefully - try to determine from what you know whether the item looks real or not. If you have a lot of expensive handbags you should know what a fake looks like. Then you click on their number of feedbacks - the number in the parenthesis (56) - then you click on the tab -from buyers- and then you read the feedbacks. After the feedback is the auction # of the item that this person bought. If it is within the last 3 months you will be able to click on it and see what the item was. Try to get a feel for what this person has been selling. You want to feel that this person doesn't sell an expensive handbag one day and then a package of tape the next. Click on all of the items that you can - see all of the items that this person has been selling. If someone is selling an expensive handbag or piece of jewelry and they only have 10 feedbacks from sellers - be careful. NEVER buy something from someone who is out of the country and won't take PAYPAL! NEVER send money through Western Union - anyone who won't let you pay by PayPal or BidPay is someone you should be wary about.

These are just some hints from things that I have learned. Ebay is great and there are so many great buys to be had. You really can get wonderful things at great prices - or things that you can't find any place else - it's great to shop on ebay and I recommend it totally. You must become smart though and I recommend starting with small items for your first purchases. Get comfortable with PayPal, Auction Sniper and Ebay.

Ebay is really GREAT! The Ebayers are WONDERFUL!

This is a question/comment that I received from one of my ebayers!

"Hello friend , you have very beautiful things up for auction, only the best as I see! I just have a few questions for you? Where do you purchase the Skif Seed for Peace items? They are quite nice. Also where do you work as you seem to carry beautiful items there? What designers does your place of work carry? Is it new items or consignment as i see you state in some of your auctions that your customers have brought that particular item in for you to sell? What do you carry there , it seems to have very unique merchandise , I really love the designer Sarah Pacini http://www.sarahpacini.com/index_flash.asp have you heard of her? She has equisite clothing! I really hope to do some business with you in the near future! (also what would shipping be to Canada on this top?) Thank - you have a wonderful night! Kindest regards"

Isn't that great? I think so -

The answer to the question is - we carry Eskandar, Issey Miyake, Yohji, Yohji Y's, Rundholz, Trippen, Cucinelli, Losani, Patricia Roberts, Marion Foale, Edina Ronay, Effetto, Gunex, Rivamonte, Rubinacci, Sonia Speciale, Trelise Cooper and so many others......all really great lines. English knitters, Italian designers, etc. etc. etc.


This is the item that she is referring to: Skiff Seed for Peace. This is a company that I never heard of - but learned about from another ebayer. Check it out online:
http://www.thetraveleronline.com/media/storage/paper688/news/2005/05/06/Lifestyles/For-One.International.Designer.Sweaters.Are.A.Seed.For.Peace-949067.shtml?norewrite200608092245&sourcedomain=www.thetraveleronline.com
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&item=110015813198&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

Go Granny, Go Granny, Go Granny Go*

*Yes, we all know that's from "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena"-The Beach Boys http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/PrintLyrics?OpenForm&ParentUnid=51FEAF123526BB84482569820028E78F

Sometimes I'm so surprised when I look in the mirror and I see this gray haired old lady! How did this happen? I feel like I'm 18! Someone can be driving in front of me and going so slow - and seeming like they don't know where they are and when I pass them by and see it's someone with gray hair - I say to myself "oh boy - old lady - no wonder" and then I realize that someone else will probably say the same thing about me. Because I too am an old lady with gray hair!!!!

But as corny as it sounds these seem to be the best years of my life.

I think that my job and my ebay have made all of the difference.

After working for ten years at the University of Hartford and living in West Hartford I was very concerned about moving to the "country" - what was I going to do? how was I going to keep busy?

I started working at TANGLEWOOL - a fabulous, very up-scale woman's clothing store in Lenox, MA. (http://tanglewool.net/) I do a good deal of the buying with the owner (my dear friend) traveling with her to New York City, Paris and once we even went to London.

One night my husband and I were at a restaurant, The Old Mill (http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/features/travel/destinations/unitedstates/massachusetts/berkshires/restaurant_details.html?vid=1086282841974) in Egremont, MA and were sitting in the bar waiting for a table. No shock - we struck up a conversation with the other people sitting there too. The woman at the next table asked what I did here - people are always curious when they hear that I live here "full time" - what could I possibly be doing!!!! When I told her - she replied, "I heard about you!" I thought that was really something - I am having such a good time that she actually had heard about me.

That was a few years ago - before I started selling on ebay. Now living in the "country" is even better. I really am enjoying this ebay business - my access to such beautiful clothing is great and being able to pass on really wonderful buys to people all over the world is such fun!

This OLD GRANNY is having a great time!**

**actually I'm not really a granny yet!


The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

Shhhh! Don't tell a soul!!!

Now this is the sign of a really bad business person! Giving away the "secret"! As far as I'm concerned this is the big secret of bidding on ebay. I know I shouldn't share this secret - but I do think that a lot of people know it already and for those of you who don't - well, I feel I must tell you..........'cause that's the way I am - my mouth is just toooo big! and I can't keep a secret!

This is the secret.......
Don't BID UNTIL THE VERY END!

By bidding when the auction begins all you will do is raise the price of the item. Then someone else will bid - and then you will bid, etc. etc. and if a third person wants it too - oh boy! The price can go really high. Now as a seller - I LOVE THIS! as a buyer - I HATE THIS! It's always tempting to tell the person who is bidding to just stop and calm down! Wait - have patience!

Of course sometimes it is hard to be around your computer when an auction is over - so then you should put your highest bid (the highest amount you are willing to go to) the closest time to the end of the auction and hope that you don't get outbid - OR, of course, that dirty word - Auction Sniper! Now please, now that I've given you my darkest secret -if you sign up with Auction Sniper - give my email address as the person who told you about them - and I will earn a FREE SNIPE! this is the email address that they have for me: mygirls3@hughes.net

THANK YOU! I appreciate that! This should be the site to go to:
http://www.auctionsniper.com
and go to: TRY IT NOW FOR FREE
There will be a place where they ask if anyone referred you - please put in my email: mygirls3@hughes.net AND you will get 3 FREE SNIPES!

I've let the cat out of the bag (as far as I'm concerned) and hopefully not too many people will read this. But my conscious is clear - I've told my friends and I'm telling you - I will not mention this again!

The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

Chanel! Chanel! Chanel!

It's all about CHANEL, it's the very best. Do you think COCO would be happy with CHANEL today? I think so.......what a smart and talented woman she was. http://www.coololdstuff.com/coco.html

Lucky me - I was given three fabulous VINTAGE CHANEL belts to sell on ebay. One is both a necklace and a belt. I have scheduled them over the next two weeks. Check my site to CHECK them out! http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3

The first one is item #110018666339 and is the one that can be worn as a belt or a necklace - what a fabulous piece. Listed August 7th.

The next - the one with the red/green/gold charms is item #110018731377and is scheduled to go on August 14th.

The third - the gold will be listed on August 21th and is item #110018720072.

They are all really special.

How did this all start?

A lot of people ask me how I started selling on ebay. It was really simple......

I had a closet full of beautiful handbags that I just was not going to use anymore. My girls have plenty of handbags too and it didn't make sense to give them anymore either. What a shame to have these beautiful things just sitting on the shelf. One of the things that I love about ebay is the idea that someone will be able to enjoy something that I have instead of it languishing on the shelf.

I started with little things - a Kate Spade jewelry case - I was so excited - watching people bid! I couldn't believe it! I figured the whole thing out. Of course anyone can - ebay has a tutorial on how to sell on ebay. I didn't use it - but I'm sure it takes you through the entire process. I told my husband that I was going to buy a digital camera - he said "no, wait until they get smaller" (or maybe he said better) - but of course I got it anyway and it was probably one of my best investments ever. I figured out how to use it and then figured out how to get that little jewelry case on ebay. I don't remember how much it went for but the whole thing was really a terrific experience. Probably on a lot of different levels.......

After that I started pulling down the handbags and with each sale I got more and more involved with the whole process. When a black Chanel bag went off to Japan I couldn't have been happier. The gal was very concerned about the authenticity of the bag - so I sent her a picture of myself with Beanie (my Bichon) and asked her if she thought that this lady in the Berkshires who loved her dog so much really was trying to cheat her! That was it - she bought the bag with a BUY IT NOW! How happy was I that this bag was going to a good home? It was a mistake that I ever bought it - it was not my style of handbag (I prefer something that hangs in front of me) and now it was going to a young woman who promised to love it. Then a pair of Chanel shoes, then a Kate Spade handbag, and then something else, etc. etc. I was totally hooked. The thrill of the sale - the thrill of answering your first question - it's all such fun!

Believe me, anyone can do it - and you'd be surprised how much you have in your own home that you don't want anymore, but someone else will. You don't want it and someone else will LOVE it!

Here is the link for HOW TO SELL on EBAY. I really recommend it - it's such fun and truly anyone can do it.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/basics.html

Otherwise - why don't you get in touch with me if you have high end items you would like sold on ebay. I sell for sooooo many people. Just email me - vze599yb@verizon.net

The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

Thank you ebayers!

Really - I couldn't do this without you! I listed a great pair of LAGOs earrings I knew they were great but I didn't know what the beautiful white stone was called and I asked in my description if anyone could tell me......I quickly got a response from someone telling me that the large stone was WHITE TOPAZ and the smaller stones were Blue Iolite! Small stones - what small stones? I didn't see any. So I thanked my nice ebayer and wondered why she mentioned anything about iolites.....duh!

Then I received this message from her......

ARE WE LOOKING AT THE SAME PHOTOS?!?!?!? The pictures are pretty clear that there are 4 small stones on each side of each earring. In fact I counted them to see whether the earrings were the large size or the smaller size which only have 3 stones on each side.

See what I mean - where would I be without my ebayers! I thank her so much! The earrings were nice to begin with but now they're even better! I think I'd better have my eyes checked quickly!

The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

But I WANT IT ALL!

That's what I love about retail - besides my ebay business I work part-time in a very high end, very wonderful & fun woman's clothing store. For me - it's heaven on earth. I love the clothing, I love the women and I love my boss! Perfect!

Last week a woman came in who comes into the store once a year. She said that she had been in New York City but wouldn't buy anything - she was saving her $$ for a trip to the store. She tried on this and that - and picked out a few things - a handbag, a wonderful Miyake outfit and a few other goodies. We added it up and it was more than she wanted to spend. There she was on the other side of the counter - "But I want it all!". It wasn't a joke - she meant it - and I understood as would a lot of women - they want it all - AND THEY SHOULD HAVE IT!

My theory about all of this is that life is short - and none of us know what is around the corner. Now that doesn't mean that we should be totally frivilous and go crazy - but if these are the things that make us happy - we should do it! (Within reason, of course!). I guess all of this sounds somewhat shallow - sorry - I know about all of the bad things in this world - these are the easy things - may as well enjoy them if we can. Because of that when my husband kept going on and on about the IWC PILOT's WATCH that he wanted I suggested that he look on ebay. Now you have to understand that this was a few months after he had a heart attack and it seemed to me that this fits into my theory as mentioned above........

We looked on ebay and found two of them. One from someone in Philadelphia who had a ton of good feedback and was selling very high priced watches and the other in Hong Kong! I would not buy an item such as this from someone in Hong Kong - for any number of reasons and it had to be purchased from someone I felt that I could trust completely. I emailed the person in Philadelphia and told him that I was interested in the watch and that I would like to speak to him on the telephone. He emailed me back with his home # and his work # - a very good sign. We had a few chats and proceeded to BUY IT NOW! - WOW! We decided that I would meet him in the city and pick up the watch. How exciting! My husband couldn't wait to get that watch on his wrist. He put it on and then took the dog for a walk - when he got back the watch was no longer working! I called this fellow and he was very upset about it and arranged for Fed Ex to pick it up the next day at his expense. He sent another watch immediately and my husband was not happy with it. There was a nick in the chrystal. Oh boy! We were offered our money back but that wasn't what he wanted - he wanted the watch. So the original watch was sent back to us and my husband found the people who service these watches. The watch was under warranty - he brought the watch to them (in New York City) and it came back (after quite some time) - still not working properly (can you believe it?). Finally they replaced the movement and it still didn't work! This went on and on (I won't bore you with ALL of the details). In the end IWC replaced the watch completely! It all worked out in the end!

Moral of the story - if you are dealing with someone honest on ebay - it should all be OK. My husband LOVES his watch! I love him and I'm glad that he's well and can enjoy it.

The link to my ebay items is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZilovemygirls3QQhtZ-1

Penny is right about auction sniper!

Penny is right - the Sniper situation does not seem very fair - BUT it's there and many people are using it - so like they say in New York - "you gotta be in it to win it!". You may not like it - but people are pulling the rug out from under you - I doubt that ebay can do anything about it - there are quite a few "sniper" websites and obviously nothing has been done to get rid of them.

What I would like to do though is give some advice about bidding - I guess telling people these things may not be the smartest thing to do - afterall, I am a seller and always want the highest price, but I love ebay, I love the people that buy from me and perhaps I'm just a nice person who loves to share the things I have already learned.

I started out years ago buying on ebay - and have been burned 2-1/2 times. The 1/2 is a whole other story that I will save for another time. The other two times you know about as I have already written about them. I can't count the number of wonderful things that I have purchased though and what great deals I have gotten - so the following is a little of what I have learned along the way.......

Know who you are buying from - I think that is the most important thing. You can only get to know the person by reading his/her feedback carefully. There is a lot of information there....first the number of feedbacks are very important. Not just the number of feedbacks - but the number of feedback from BUYERS. At the top of the feedback page is a place for you to select JUST feedback from buyers - that's what you want. You want to hear what the people who have purchased things from this seller have to say. If the person has 100 feedbacks from sellers - well that will just tell you that this person buys things and pays for them - you want to know what they have sold and how honest they have been.

You want to buy from someone who has been selling for awhile. I got burned the two times by people who had very few feedbacks from buyers. I should have known better - but both times I just couldn't resist the "great deal"! I knew better - but trusted more in ebay than in them. So both times I got screwed!

OK - so now you see that there are a number of good feedbacks. Now you want to see the type of items this seller has been selling. Click on the auction numbers and see what kinds of things he/she has been selling. Is the item you are interested in a similar type of item? I like to feel that the seller I'm doing business with has been selling the same types of things (and a lot of them) - generally high end. That tells me that he/she knows what they are doing and that they can be trusted. That's why some of my "watchers" emailed me when they saw all kinds of electronics listed on my site - they knew something was wrong - I don't sell electronics! I sell high end women's clothing and accessories. I thank them again for the warnings - luckily I had already caught on to that criminal.*

Once I saw a fabulous Ostrich CHANEL handbag (classic style) - it was fabulous! I could see from the photos that it was indeed very real and very wonderful. How do you start something like this at around $25? OK - some people do that - no reserve! Heaven! This must be heaven! There were already about 35 bids and it was still only about $350 - how could this be? A bag like this could cost as much as $5000 (maybe even more!). So I did a search of the other items this person was selling and what do I see? This seller had about 35 items on at that time. Lots of silly things - none of them very valuable and things with no bids or very few bids. There was one other handbag - a Vuitton Alma in Red Epi. Now that was also still at a low price (definitely real) and also had about 35 bids. So now I look at the bidders (they do show user names) and what do I see - the same person was bidding on both bags. So now I check this bidder and look to see what kind of items this person has been buying. No, no bags like this - in fact, nothing like this. $5 items and in the last 5 years that this person had been on ebay - had only bought a few things - none of them more than $5.

What is the moral of this story? These people were in cahoots - one was bidding to raise the bids - but had no intention of buying the bags (of course). I reported the situation to ebay and both people were removed from ebay. Not before the CHANEL bag was sold though. I would not bid on it no matter how good the deal - I would not deal with anyone who would do that. The bag went for about $750 (someone got a really GREAT deal - if they ever got it) and I'm glad that the cheating seller didn't get any more than that! Now that I think about it - I would have to wonder if the bag ever got shipped.......

But you see - you do have to be careful.

OK - so far I've only given you a little bit of advice. Tomorrow I'll try to give a little more. Most of all though - be careful! Try to get a good idea of who you are dealing with and what they have sold already. The thing that I appreciate so much is that people know that I am honest, that I love ebay and that I love seeing people get great things!

*A sidenote - yesterday on the train into the city I helped a young woman who had much too much baggage - she was heading back to Paris (of course that is a whole other story) but it turned out that she was an attorney working for Microsoft and one of the things that she is involved in is trying to prosecute some of these pirates - that made me happy - to know that there are people out there trying to catch these creeps!