Vintage Little Golden Books

There are few vintage collectibles that capture the joy of a baby boomer era childhood better than Little Golden Books. Whether the books explore magic and imagination, holidays, pets, toys, or everyday life, the words and images are nostalgic and charming.

Little Golden Books are one of my favorite things to collect - and to sell - on eBay. I personally collect Little Golden Books about dogs and Christmas, as well as Eloise Wilkin illustrations. Two of my books are in the photo above. I have a special fondness for activity books, like Trim the Christmas Tree, which has little paper ornaments to cut out and assemble. I had a copy of this book in my childhood - which of course I used to make ornaments. I am delighted to have another copy now that is complete.

As a seller, there are several things a buyer will look for with Little Golden Books. These include:

* Title
* Author of Book (some authors are collectible)
* Illustrator of Book (there are some treasures here – i.e. Corinne Malvern, Eloise Wilkin, Richard Scarry, Garth Williams, etc.)
* Book Number (top right corner of front cover). It is important to note that numbers featuring a hyphen, i.e. 254-12, are newer editions, and not as collectible.
* Original Price of Book (top right corner of front cover). 25¢ and 29¢ books are the best sellers in the vintage market.
* Date of book publication - On copyright page, make sure you have included the last date of publication included. For instance, if you see 1950, 1962, 1976, then the date to include is 1976.
* Edition - For older books (i.e. 25¢ - 29¢ books) you will also find the book’s edition inside the back cover. Open the back cover and look at the bottom of last page of book in the book gutter at binding. With oldest editions, you will see a letter, i.e. A, B, C, etc. A is a First Edition, B is a Second Edition, etc.
* Condition, including any writing or marks in book, child’s name, gift inscription, etc.

Little Golden Books are a uniquely charming baby boomer vintage collectible, and great fun for buyers and sellers alike!

Trish
eBay name: birdhouse-in-your-soul
eBay Store: Birdhouse Books
Fan page for updates and vintage chat: Facebook.com/birdhousebooks
Trish's blog: Adventures on eBay


(Many thanks to Trish, proprietress of Birdhouse Books, for today's guest post.)

How to Get Buyers to Read Your eBay Newsletters

Are you a store owner on eBay? Do you use your mailing list capability, the one that eBay provides along with your store? I hope that you do as it can be a very powerful tool. Speaking as a buyer, I enjoy receiving newsletters from eBay store owners - occasionally. The majority of the time, though, I simply delete them without opening because I know they're going to be a waste of my time. How do I know that?

When I see these subject lines, I don't ask questions, I just delete:

"eBay Seller Email: Check out my Newly Listed Items"
"eBay Seller Email: Sale! Shop my eBay Store for Big Savings"

Those are default subject lines, the ones that eBay supplies for you. They're the lazy seller's way of sending a newsletter. Inside, I can expect to see a list of items for sale and little else, sometimes not even a personalized message from the store owner. In fact, unless I scroll to the bottom of the page, 99 percent of the time I have no idea who sent the email. Why? Because eBay's default does not supply the store name at the top of the email. The only place I might find it is on the feedback section that is (by default) plugged in at the very bottom. Sorry, but I have too many other things to do than search an email to see who it's from. I'd rather shop with sellers who catch my attention with subject lines such as these:

"eBay Seller Email: Birdhouse Books - New Year's Sale"
"eBay Seller Email: 25% Off Selected Flat Wallets & More"
"eBay Seller Email: Happy Holidays from Handmade by Martha"
"eBay Seller Email: New 2 Day Sale Fun Stuff from Annie Star"

Aren't those subjects more appealing? Absolutely! Don't they make you want to see what's inside? Of course!

Note that the "eBay Seller Email" part is always provided by eBay, identifying that the mail is not s-p-a-m, so that's okay. However, it leaves you, the seller, a limited number of characters to work with, so be creative and use the space wisely.

If you've been taking the lazy way out by using the eBay default subjects, check your stats to see how many subscribers open your newsletters now, then try it my way a time or two and see if that opening rate increases dramatically. I truly believe it will. If I'm on your mailing list, I can guarantee it will. Then come back here, leave a comment and let me know if it worked for you.

Happy selling and prosperity to all in the new year!


P.S. It's tax prep time. Need advice? The eBay Seller's Tax and Legal Answer Book: Everything You Need to Know to Keep the Government Off Your Back and Out of Your Wallet

Selling on eBay? You Need All the Help You Can Get!

When eBay sellers think of eBay these days, the one word that comes to almost everyone's mind is "change." Change in policy, change in fees, change in rules, changes here, changes everywhere.

While it's simple enough to go to eBay's site and read the rules (well, maybe it isn't all that simple), perhaps it would be easier to have a team of people, experts, to help you understand and interpret all these changes and help you understand how they affect you and your business.

If you're not sure what to do about your eBay business, whether you should hang tight or jump ship, I can tell you that doing the same things you've been doing for years, working hard and having little to show for it, may not be the right choice. There are alternatives. There are changes you can make in order to succeed online and, specifically, on eBay.

Do you have about six and a half minutes? I'd like to suggest that if you can spare that small amount of time, click on the banner below and watch the video. Take a look and listen and evaluate if this membership site might be right for you. Maybe it will, maybe the monthly investment is more than you believe your future is worth. That's fine, but I love to see people succeed and I love to see people enjoy what they do, rather than working more than full-time hours and seeing little to no results, and I think this is something worth checking out. Really, you have so little to lose to just take a look. How about doing it now, while it's on your mind.

P.S. Remember, the busy holiday selling season is coming up. Check this out before you miss out on information that could make a huge difference in what happens to your eBay business the rest of this year.

Didn't Make it to eBay Live? No problem.

So, you didn't make it to eBay Live in Chicago this year. Neither did I. Sorry that you missed all the great teaching that went on there? So am I. Well, we're in luck! Now we can access many of the seminars and presentations that were made in Chicago at eBay Live 2008, online and all in one place.

The EBay Live Presentation Download Center contains 80 downloadable presentations (PDF downloads) in six different categories, including topics for buyers and sellers at every level. Want to learn how to pack the unpackable? They've got you covered. Want to find out how to market your eBay business? Of course you do and you'll find that topic covered as well.

While it doesn't include t-shirts, pins, and the party atmosphere of eBay Live, the topics that you need to help you succeed on eBay are all there. Dig in and help yourself!

EBay Store Seller Quick Tip of the Day

When you send out eBay store newsletters, be sure to personalize the Subject line rather than using the eBay default for the style of newsletter you've chosen.

I have received a dozen or more store newsletters this month with the same subject line: "Sale! Shop my eBay Store for big savings!" Knowing who sent the mail (the From field always says "store-newsletter" by default, so that doesn't tell me) goes a long way in my quick decision as to whether to take time to open and read that email or to trash it.

Don't know about you or your customers, but I would be much more likely to open a message with this subject line (for instance) "Hurry! All BIN On Sale Now at my52cents on eBay!" than one with the default. Remember, think like a customer!

EBay Plus Squidoo Equals . . .

. . some awesome lenses and a lot of traffic for some very smart eBay buyers and sellers.

In honor of eBay Live 2008, Squidoo and lensmaster Katiyana put together a challenge for those who "do" both eBay and Squidoo. The result? The 10 Day eBay Challenge 2008. Participants were to make 10 lenses in the days leading up to eBay Live, lenses that would highlight their eBay businesses or, not to leave out the buyers, special stories about items that they have bought on eBay. The result? Wow! A great bunch of new lenses, at least 104 at last count.

You can see the long list on the challenge lens. Pay special attention to the 14 finalists, in a separate list on the lens here. I haven't had a chance to check out all of the lenses yet, but one of my favorites so far is the Redneck Rings lens. Lensmaster titanium_knights involved a reality show on the lens, and we all know how popular reality shows are! Of course I enjoyed this lens by one of my favorite lensmasters, Chef Keem, whose lenses are always entertaining no matter what the subject.

If the challenge lenses don't convince you that all eBay sellers should have a Squidoo lens (or a few) to enhance and help advertise their businesses, then nothing will. I hope you'll check them out and then get started on Squidoo, too.

How to Write the Best Item Title on eBay

I'm not going to tell you, but I'll point you to someone who will.

I found a terrific 10-minute video on a Suzanne Wells' Power Seller King blog here. If you sell on eBay, whether full-time or casually, investing a small amount of time watching this video and putting what it teaches into practice will likely pay huge dividends. I have already heard from others how much the knowledge taught in the video has improved their eBay businesses.

If the information helps you, I'd love to know, so I hope you'll come back and leave me a comment here.

Squidoo Fanatic Teams Up With Power Seller King!

I hope you've seen my friend Suzanne Wells' Power Seller King blog. Suzanne provides her readers with awesome tips on a daily basis, tips that will help you improve your own eBay business. If you don't read Suzanne's blog regularly, you're really missing out on some great stuff.

Today's great Power Seller King tip is in a guest post written by, ahem, moi. The post is called How to Use Squidoo to Promote Your eBay Business. It's really good advice, if I do say so myself.

While you're there, be sure to subscribe to Power Seller King and read it every day. If you sell on eBay, you'll be glad you did.

Why Now is the Best Time to Start Selling Books on eBay

Recently eBay announced pricing changes, including lower listing fees, effective February 20, 2008. Now the news is even better. Another announcement was made this week, this time regarding category-specific listing fee reductions for media categories.

Effective along with the previously announced changes, listing fees for books, music, movies, and video game software categories will be further reduced. Auctions listed at a starting price up to 99 cents will be reduced from 20 to 10 cents each, auction and fixed price listings in these categories with starting prices from $1 to $9.99 will be reduced from 40 to 25 cents, and similar listings with starting prices from $10 to $24.99 will be reduced from 60 to 35 cents.

What does this mean to you? If you're a bookseller (or music or movie or video game seller) this can mean a very nice increase to your bottom line!

Haven't started selling on eBay yet? Why not start with books? With eBay's listing fee reductions, now is the perfect time to get started. Books are a great product for a new seller to start with on eBay; most of us have too many and, if not, books are very easy to find at yard sales, church sales, and library sales. They're easy to handle, pack, and ship, and they're great sellers.

This bookwill teach you all you need to know about selling books on eBay or elsewhere online. The used book business is booming and eBay's fees are coming down, so why not find out how to get started selling books on eBay today!

Why Bettye Had Record Sales Last Month on eBay

My friend, Bettye, from Dragonfly Vintage Clothing, just reported on her fabulous eBay sales from last month. January was her highest sales month ever after opening her eBay store 18 months ago. Here are Bettye's top three reasons, in her words, of why her sales have continued to grow and why she believes she had the big jump in January.

1. I'm buying better - more selectively...which I'm able to do only because I'm shopping MORE - I get to at LEAST one thrift store 6 days a week, and, many days, two. On average, I'm in 10 stores a week. This is on top of my full-time M-F, 8:30-4:30 day job. You have to get to a LOT of stores, and see a LOT of items, to allow yourself the luxury of only buying the BEST items. When I used to try and do all my shopping in one day, I had to lower the bar for what I would buy, as I knew there would be no other buying opportunities that week.

2. When ebay works right, it's using a system of exponential growth - which I think only REALLY works when you have a niche. I've done both. I've studied both. I know people who do both, and ON AVERAGE, there seems to be MORE GROWTH in stores that specialize in a certain type of product. Niche sellers have more repeat customers, there is probably more word-of-mouth referrals...and over time, a specialty store gets more and more and MORE regular watchers...as you have more people watching, you have more people likely to bid...and all it takes is two or more people who want the same item, and prices get driven up. When every one of your items is totally different - not even in the same style or genre - repeat customers are not as likely, repeat watchers the same. This exponential growth takes TIME. To Really Succeed on Ebay, I think you need to have/offer one of several things (you don't need all, but you need ONE): HIGHLY rare or desirable and well-recognized things (Coach bags, Apple ipods, etc); or EXTREME savings - if you're The Cheapest in any category, you will get the attention and the sales; or TIME. Time listing above average, well-priced items, in an attractive format, with good pictures, clear descriptions, reasonable shipping, in a specialty - and in TIME, you WILL build up a customer base. I think I'm finally hitting My Time :-)

3. To reiterate #2, I have really taken care to have clean, unfussy auction formats; clear, large pictures (I'm a firm believer in the PICTURE tells the story - the text is just an aside); low starting prices and reasonable shipping with no handling fee. I've held firm to my gut feeling that MY clothes are best shown on a live model, even though it would be easier and cheaper to use a mannequin.

Many thanks to Bettye for allowing me to publish her tips and observations. Bettye's goal for 2008 is to double her eBay sales from 2007. Looks like she's off to a fabulous start. (You go, girl!)

Bettye's store
Bettye's other store

Changes on eBay - Don't Panic 'Til You've Done the Math

Did you hear it, the rumbling going through the eBay seller community today? It's been building for a few days, since the news that today would be the Big Announcement with details regarding the restructuring of eBay's fees and feedback policies. If you heard the rumble change to a roar early this morning, that's when the details hit the news - and eBay sellers hit the ceiling.

Fortunately, now that it's afternoon the roar has subsided and even the rumbling has settled down since wise sellers have started doing the math and assessing how the fee changes might actually affect their businesses. Initially lost in the roar was the fact that, after being rumored for some time, the fee for gallery photos indeed will be eliminated. That in itself means a huge savings for sellers who use the gallery photo option and is great news for eBay buyers as hopefully this will make it easier for them to shop (which turns into good news for the seller, who is more likely to make a sale). It seems that most of the sellers who have done the math have figured out that the change in the fee structure will have little effect on their final, bottom line fee. In fact, many who have a low sell-through rate are thrilled that their overall listing fees will be significantly lower.

Of course, there is the feedback issue, the fact that sellers will no longer be allowed to leave neutral or negative feedback for buyers. On the surface that certainly stings but, as I've said before, practice excellent customer service and you should not have to worry about any but the very occasional negative buyer, and there's even a policy to handle and remove those negatives in certain cases. Read all the details about the feedback policy changes on this page.

There's a lot to learn about the policies that were announced today. Rather than getting caught up in the hysteria, savvy sellers should study the changes, do the math and then decide how much worse off - or better off - they might be in the long run. Here's an overview of the announcement with links to the details. Read and study, then decide for yourself what changes if any you will need to make in your eBay business to stay a step ahead of the crowd and take advantage of the void to be filled by those disgruntled sellers who jump the eBay ship. Fee changes take effect February 20, so that gives you plenty of time to make any pricing or policy changes of your own that you deem necessary to best serve your customers - and help your business grow.

How to Sell Other People's Stuff on eBay

Another idea when looking for products to sell on eBay is to sell other people's stuff for them. In fact, consignment selling on eBay can be very financially lucrative. Experienced sellers who sell items for other people on eBay are called Trading Assistants. EBay supports the idea and provides resources and a directory where you can list yourself as a Trading Assistant (TA) as well as provides training documents and a toolkit with research which you can study and use in order to build your TA business.

The first question most sellers ask when considering selling for other people is, "How much do I charge?" There is no set answer to that question as TA commission and fee structures vary widely. One suggestion is to research other TA's in your area, find out what they charge their clients and set your fees competitively. Another good piece of advice is to be careful and not under-charge your clients. Consider all the steps involved in selling an item, including taking possession of the item, researching the item (especially if it's in a category you are not familiar with), taking photographs, writing an excellent listing with a great title, packing and shipping the item, handling feedback or any problems, then paying the client his share of the profit. That's a lot of work and you deserve to be paid accordingly! A fee of 40 to 50 percent of the selling price with you paying the fees is not uncommon, with perhaps a sliding scale based on the value of the item.

Another question is, "Where will I find clients?" First, list yourself in the eBay TA directory. Then, begin to spread the word locally. Tell your friends and family members and ask them to spread the word, purchase business cards and distribute those to people that you meet, or place a notice on your local grocery store bulletin board with tear-off tags with your phone number. That should get you started. Provide excellent service for your clients and word will spread to the point that you may have more business than you can handle.

I recommend starting with this book, How to Start and Run an eBay Consignment Business, to answer all of your questions about how to get started selling on consignment, how to decide what kinds of items will be the most profitable, and how to set up your own eBay consignment business. You can find out from eBay about their Trading Assistant program here.

Look Out - I'm Back On My Soapbox

My friend, Suzanne Wells, The eBay Coach, has written a new blog post called, "How the Fair Tax Plan May Impact eBay Sales." I like it!

I'm a huge supporter of the FairTax and intend to convince as many people as I can to support the plan. It's especially attractive to me as, being self-employed, I have to pay that killer self employment tax. Quarterly taxes are due in a few days, so the timing is good for me to get up on my soapbox and shout out for support of the FairTax, which would eliminate all income taxes (among other taxes) and replace them with a consumption (sales) tax on new goods.

In her blog post, Suzanne points out that the FairTax would favorably benefit eBay sellers by boosting the market for used goods. Additionally, since the FairTax would eliminate the self-employment tax, there would no longer be a need for all that record-keeping and having to jump through hoops looking for ways to reduce our tax burden.

I'd encourage you to read Suzanne's post and then read this page for a comprehensive overview of the FairTax plan. Then, urge all your friends to do the same. While "everyone" says that the FairTax will never pass, it's grassroots efforts that start with you and me that can prove "everyone" wrong - and help grow our eBay sales in the process.

More About eBay Income and Taxes

NOTE:  For 2009, the ebook referred to in the following article has been replaced by an updated ebook, which expands on information presented in the post below.  Click the banner to gain access to more important tax information. 

The question comes up all the time: "Do I have to pay taxes on my eBay income?" I've addressed it here before, but now a true tax expert has addressed the subject - just in time for tax season.

How do you know if your online business is a business and not just a hobby? How do you find out what online income you are required to report to the IRS? What tax forms do you use? Are there any legal “loopholes” you can use to keep from paying out all your hard-earned profits to the IRS? Aacckkkk! Too many questions! You want answers, right?

I’ve found all the answers for you in this brand new, hot-off-the e-press book called eBiz Tax Tips: How to Minimize Your Taxes and Maximize Your Profits. In this book and its accompanying audio and visual presentations you will learn:

• How to turn personal expenses into deductible business expenses
• How to save hundreds to thousands in taxes each year by choosing the right business structure for your business
• The key strategies to keep the IRS from reclassifying your business as a hobby
• How to take full advantage of the home office deduction
• How to maximize the business deductions you are entitled to
• How to pay your kids $5,350 tax-free, every year
  And much more...

Note that the information in this great new book applies to all online income, not just income from eBay. So, if you earn money elsewhere online, including affiliate commissions on your own websites or even on places such as Squidoo, then you really need this resource.

Click on the banner above to read the 2009 version of this excellent product now.

Last-Minute Tax Deductions for Your Online Business

Hurry! You have until the end of the day on December 31 to purchase and pay for items for your eBay or other business and use those expenses as a tax deduction on your 2007 income tax return.

Some qualifying items that you probably need anyway, or will need soon, include items for shipping such as bubble wrap, padded envelopes for mailing, maybe a new postal scaleor even inkfor your printer if you print your own labels. In fact, if you need a new printerfor your business computer, this is the time to make that purchase.

Other tax deductible items that you might not have thought of include books for your eBay education, titles such as The Official eBay Bibleor How to Start and Run an eBay Consignment Business. If the information applies directly to your business, the books are deductible business expenses on your Schedule C.

Do you plan on joining a dropship service such as Doba or Shopster next year? Do it now, pay the fee by the end of the day on Monday, December 31, and that expense will also be deductible on your 2007 taxes. Speaking of fees, go ahead and pay your December eBay fees early; they’re deductible as well.

If you’re dreading gathering your business information in order to be able to complete your tax return, you may need a bookkeeping system like this one and yes, you guessed it, the price is a deductible business expense as well.

If you’re going to need these things anyway in the next few weeks, might as well make your business purchases now to take advantage of the tax deductions. Just be sure the items are paid for before January 1, 2008.

P.S. Disclaimer: This information is believed to be accurate but should not be considered definitive in your situation. Always check with your tax professional to determine the eligibility of items for business deductions.

P.P.S. Don’t like all the work that goes into paying taxes and trying to understand the tax code? You can help get rid of the IRS. Look into this alternative, a truly fair and simple way to pay taxes.

New eBay Sign-In Page: Are You Prepared?

EBay is rolling out another change, something that sounds minor but if you don't know about it, you may have a freak-out moment first time you see it. (Maybe they'll release it on Hallowen . . .)

They've made a new login page and, indeed, it does look different. You can read all about it here and see a screen shot. The picture reminds me of the Paypal login page, which also has changed recently.

Security is a big issue with eBay and should be for you as well. The announcement page also includes some ways to ensure that you are logging in to a legitimate eBay site. One of the suggestions they make is to download the eBay Toolbar which includes a feature called Account Guard. I have had the toolbar for a long time and particularly like the Account Guard feature as it shows me when I am on a legitimate eBay/Paypal site and when I am not. Also, it lets me know when I am about to transmit my eBay or Paypal password to a non-eBay/Paypal site. I have different passwords for nearly every site that I have to sign in to and occasionally I will type my eBay password in place of the correct one. When I do, the Account Guard lets me know, and I'm glad it does.

Hopefully the transition with the new login page will go smoothly, but every eBay account holder should be aware that there is a change coming up. Read the announcement for yourself and consider downloading the toolbar. You may be very, very glad you did.

Drive Traffic to your eBay Store with This Tip

Skip McGrath had a neat tip in his newsletter this week that I thought I would pass along. If you have multiples of the same item to sell, list one at auction and charge shipping, but include an enticing line in the listing such as, "Buy this item now from my eBay store and get Free Shipping!" Hyperlink directly to your store. Build the shipping cost into the price of the additional items in your store and list them there with free shipping. What a great way to get people to visit your store.

If you'd like to read more of Skip's great ideas, as well as his take on eBay news and much, much more, click here to read the lastest issue and for your free subscription to The eBay Seller's News. Don't miss the article called "Tune Up Your eBay Store for The Christmas Season."

Make This One Change to Grab Your Customers’ Attention

Do you use email marketing to promote your eBay store? I hope you do. And if you do, I hope you make those newsletters interesting for your potential buyers. The most important place to start is by writing a killer, attention-grabbing subject line.

It’s easy to put together a store newsletter using the marketing tools section from your “My eBay” page. The first thing the process requires you to do is select the type of email that you want to send. The drop-down menu includes several choices (newly listed, etc.). After you have made that selection, on the next screen you will have several options. One of those is “subject.”

The subject line is what your customer will see first, right in their inbox. What they read there will make them decide to open the email or to simply delete it. Why leave the subject line, like so many people do, with the default “Check out my Newly Listed Items” (how boring is that?) when you have 55 characters to work with, 55 characters just waiting to make or break your entire marketing effort.

Here are some examples of subject lines that have enticed me to open and read an eBay store newsletter.

“Newly Listed Items – Hair Accessories, Jewelry, Lenox”
“100 sales, auctions, pet tips ANNIE STAR PET SUPPLIES”
“New Auctions and Tons of Sales!”
“Limited Time Special for our Newsletter Subscribers” (Who could ignore that!)
“Sale! Shop Dragonfly for Big Savings”
“March Inventory Sale! All Items Reduced!"

Aren’t those better than the default? It’s easy and doesn’t take but a minute or two to create an interesting subject line for your store marketing emails. Get creative, grab your customers’ attention, then see if your “opened” rate – and your eBay sales – increase. It’s worth 55 characters of your time to find out.

EBay Income and the IRS

People ask it all the time. "Do I have to pay taxes on my eBay income?" The answer is really very, very simple in terms of the IRS. Answer is: You're asking the wrong question!

The question is correct in spirit, but not quite in semantics. The IRS says you must report income. All income. Doesn't matter if that income is from a business or a hobby. Doesn't matter if it's from eBay or your 40-hour-a-week employer. In fact, it doesn’t matter if it’s “just” the $50 gift certificate you won in the local photo contest. It is income and you are required to report it. Whether or not you pay taxes on that income depends on the combination of all your income, deductions, etc. and what happens when you get to that bottom line on the tax form.

So, the correct question is not, "Do I have to pay taxes on my eBay income?" and it's not "When does eBay become a business rather than a hobby?" but rather, "Do I have to report my eBay income?" The answer is yes, you do. You are required by the IRS to report all income. If you want to claim business expenses for your eBay business, you may do that. Just make sure every expense is fully documented. I would suggest obtaining a schedule C form from the IRS (or the IRS web site) so that you will know what types of expenses are reportable and keep records accordingly.

Tax returns can be cumbersome and tax law is long, detailed, and sometimes complicated, but the basic rule is very simple. You earn it, you report it.

P.S. Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn is an excellent, well-reviewed resource to learn about what business expenses you can deduct. A very comprehensive resource - recommended!

P.P.S. Don’t like filling out those complicated tax forms? Do you think the tax code is unfair? Then consider supporting this alternative way to pay taxes.

How to Receive eBay Free Listing Days Notifications

There was another free listing day on eBay this week, free listings when you chose a gallery photo upgrade. Did you take advantage of this money-saving special? Did you know about it?

If you didn’t know about the special, you might not be receiving e-mail notifications of special events from eBay. Go right now to your “My eBay” page (find the link at the top right corner of any page on eBay), look down the left column of that page for “My Account.” Below that, click on “Preferences.” You might be surprised to see how many choices you have there.

The top section is called “Notification Preferences.” Look for “Newsletters, Promotions and Event Notifications” and click on “Show” at the right. There will be several items shown. Each one should say “Email” next to it. If they do not, click on “Edit” at the right and check off the boxes of the notifications you would like to receive. I would recommend checking all of the boxes just to make sure you don’t miss out on receiving an important announcement you might otherwise miss. Be sure to click the “save” button at the bottom of the page if you change anything.

If all of the choices are selected and you’re sure that you’re not receiving notices from eBay, certainly go back to the “Personal Information” section and make sure that your e-mail address is correct. If it is, perhaps some of eBay’s e-mail is being filtered into a junk mailbox on your e-mail account, so take some time to look into that possibility and then take measures to correct the problem. You need to be able to receive information from eBay.

Don’t miss out on another money-saving eBay special. Go check your settings now!

(Speaking of not missing out on a special, have you signed up for your favorite sellers’ store newsletters? I receive several and often find some good deals, not to mention some very creative ways that other sellers promote their listings. You can start by signing up for mine!)