What will you make, sell, or buy this Christmas?

Yes it is time to start thinking about Christmas. Ealc is just one place that is promoting Christmas items and collectibles are great for Christmas gifts too! This is especially true if they are in their original boxes and in great condition. However some buyers are looking for unique hand crafted items that say I care enough to devote my time and efforts for you. Then some buyers are looking for patterns and supplies to make these very special gifts.

What is a collectible antique?

By definition an antique is something 100 or more years old, yet when I visit the local antique shops I often see things for sale which are far less than 100 years old. I will often say, oh I have this or I have that. Many of these items bring back fond memories of long ago times, but at the same time many of them are not really antiques but are older vintage and sometimes even younger vintage items. I like to find out the dates for the things I find or sell. It is really a fun way to learn history. Visiting antique stores whether brick and mortar or online is fun as well. If you find a genuine antique, 100 years old, and keep it and love it then it must be an antique collectible. right? Check here for our newest news and updates.

Christmas in July Sales

EALC Christmas in July Sales are ending today with many sold listings but it is not too late to shop early for Christmas. In our store we offer combined shipping as well and Paypal to make it easy any time.
What do collecibles sellers list for Christmas in July Sales? Why not shop for Christmas early. Prices are down. There are more sales promotions and many collectibles are also new or like new items. Some people love to get old collectibles like Vintage or Antiques as well. Why not artisan made items or supplies for making these special personalized gifts. Let's use our imaginations and get creative to find those special unique collectibles. For more ideas and interesting reading you may like to visit these squidoo sites. If you are a jewelry artist, crafter, designer, or just love unique jewelry check this one out The Art of Jewelry Designing for a 15% discount on all Rachel's Design Jewelry, and more.

What to do about The Summer Slump - Tips

At this time of year every year we here the complaints in the selling community! My store isn't getting enough traffic. Looks like my store has become invisible! It was doing good before. Well daah. Every business has its slumps and for the online community it comes in the summer when more people are getting outdoors and vacationing and entertaining children who are off from school.
So what do you do when the dreaded slump hits your e-store?
1. This is a great time to work on your store, re-evaluating your inventory, researching what is selling and what is not. Make it the best it can be for those who do get online and for the selling season.
2. Find new ways and places to advertize so that your store gets seen. Here is a new page I have started atSquidoo.com Let me know what you think.
3. Join a forum and try to help other online sellers.
4. Have a web page to link back to your store, give some information, and show off some products.
5. Discussion boards are also a great place to help others.
6. Have an rss feed of your store and blog.
7. Don't forget to ping your feeds to keep them fresh
For more information on feeds and blogs you may want to visit here
8. Learn a little html and get prepared. Seasons do change and when people can find what they are looking for they will come.

What makes a collectible worth collecting

I have heard it said that everything is collectible. That might be true for some people but not for everyone. Some folk collect just a certain date. Maybe it was a special anniversary or birthday. Not everything is collectible just because it is old though. Old baseball cards were put in bycicle spokes by little boys having fun. This created a scarcity of cards in good condition. Many such items are more collectible because of their scarcity. Uniqueness is another quality that makes an item collectible. Any one of a kind item is more desirable than something made in bulk. Some items are collectible for their artistry. Others are desirable for their quality. I love items with a historical significance. Who wouldn't want to collect anything about a famous or not quite so famous loved one. These are great for studying history or Geneology. This book about Tiger Woods and other golfing pros from the 2000 Open at Pebble Beach should be very collectible as time goes by. It has brief write ups about many of the golfers as well as a list of 100 champians and is a first edition. There is also a page in memory of Payne Stewart.

Elvis Presley

Elvis was wildly popular with teen of the 60's not only for his singing but for his dark hair and flashy costumes. There have been many impersonators of Elvis but this little guy really cracks me up! He is a Fanciful Frog named King Croak from Westland Giftware. Westland Giftware began in 1972 and is still in operation today. Have you kissed any frogs today? That song just kept going through my head.

Feeds and Feed Readers

Did you know you can subscribe to a feed and get regular updates on your blog. When you burn a feed at Feedburner.com you can choose your feed reader. We have been discussing feeds on our Jewelry Designs Forum. Subscribing to feeds is a great way to stay up to date on the blog information you are most interested in. You may subscribe to this blog by going here http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/HnFA

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Collectibles to Honor our Fathers

What does your Father love to collect? Does he have a passion for Jet or Airplanes or Cars? Whatever it is there are collectibles to honor him. We think military memorabilia is great to honor a serviceman or those who love their servicemen. These men and often women go into harms way to protect their children and loved ones and their country. They are very brave and deserving. We love to read about them and remember them. See our store for more Father's Day Gift Ideas.Penney's Collectibles

http://whats-collectible.blogspot.com/

Fenton Art Glass Collectibles

Fenton made many very collectble art glass items like this shoe. Many are hand painted. At brick and mortar auctions I have seen many nice Fenton items selling for $30 and up even though Fenton is not a very old glass company. Some people love to collect the ruffled vases while others love to collect the bells or Fenton's fancy glass eggs. The glass art work is so pretty. I like this shoe because it has a little story to tell on the card. And this is such a lovely green glass bell. The Fenton mark is worked into the strawberry pattern on the side of the bell.

Collectible Artisan Jewelry Etc.

What makes an artist works collectible? Every artist starts out in the same way, with a passion for art that can surpass even the need for making a decent living. They just love art and design. We once tried to discourage our budding artist saying sh would be a starving artist and indeed many artist done become popular until after their death. Some artist go to college and study design, as is the case with our budding artist, Rachel.
As a child Rachel loved art more than anything and aspired to have a shop of her own one day. She would make her own jewelry from any materials she could find. She went to work and began spending part of her earnings on art lessons learning all she could about painting green ware. She learned to make green ware with her own molds saving every penny she could to buy materials for her projects. Then she began to put herself through college studying design. She is still primarily a self taught artist and designer but with her drive I believe she can achieve her dreams. I have just given you a short biography for the designer of Rachel's Designs. To see more of her work and the work of other passionate designers check out our forum at Jewelry Designs or go to Penney's Collectibles to see what she has to offer.

Oh you Beautiful Doll Collecting!

We collect all kinds of dolls, artist dolls, porcelain bisque dolls, vintage vinyl dolls; but I think the realistic babies are my favorites. We have a really adorable one up for adoption in our store this week. He is Precious Baby William by Kymberli Durden and is part of the Paradise Garden Collection. To read about or purchase him click on the link here! Penney's Collectibles William will be adopted out by the 21st of Feb. To see all our Beautiful Dolls click hereDolls
Looking for more info on Jewelry, Dolls, Vintage or antique items! Be sure to check out our discussion board!

Vintage Sterling Silver

I love old sterling silver jewelry and especially puff hearts. I wonder how many others share my feelings and how many would rather just buy it to remake it. Here are some I have put up for auction. I think they are very reasonably priced. Auctions Of course Rachel's Designs are unique one of a kind costume jewelry designs. She has sold sold some of her creations to friends and co-workers who really love them. I collect the vintage sterling and regular silver jewelry as well and love the old costume as well as fine silver jewelry. I do hate to see nice vintage or antique jewelry re-created. That to me is a little like destroying a historic old house but the buyer has the right to do what he wants.
Here are some of my favorites.

All That Glitters

Ealc has posted their All that Glitters Contest going on from Dec 11 through 18. If you like jewelry you can see a lot of great deals but it is more than that. I have been researhing a lot of vintage sterling silver. I have just learned that Taxco Mexico is a town famous for silver. Not all silver is the same. Tell us your interesting silver facts. Visit our forum for discussions on all kinds of Jewelry from designer to costume and new to vintage and antique and much more.here

Collectibles Online Buying and Selling Tips

So you want to buy or sell collectibles online! Here are some things you need to know before you start.
1. Learn all you can about your collectibles. There are books available and a number of online sources for information. We have a new forum for discussing our favorite collectibles.

Visit my Gifts and Collectibles Forum for helpful tips, tricks, advice, etc.



SELLER TIPS:

* Do research to properly ID your item for the search engines. As a seller you should know what you are selling to give your buyer the best chance of finding what they are looking for in a search. I have often heard buyers exclaim over their newly purchased treasure. "These sellers just don't know what they have."
I have also seen sellers selling obvious fakes. This is something you really need to gaurd against as a seller.
* Use pictures in an auction. Items rarely sell with only one picture. Make sure your pictures are clear and have a magnified picture of makers marks and any defects.
* Be honest to a fault about what you have to offer. Don't exagerate either by enhancing your pictures or with words. It is better to lose a buyer than have an unhappy buyer so do describe everything and don't forget sizes or weight.
* Strive for fair shipping both for you and your buyer. A small handling charge will help to keep you from losing on shipping expense, however buyers really hate "excessive" shipping.
Buyer Tips
One of the first things I look at when deciding whether or not I will buy from a seller is their feedback! It is however difficult for new sellers to gain feedback so It is a good idea to also buy a few things especially if you are new to selling. You should start out with small purchases. Ask the seller questions. If they are quick to answer questions and friendly then they will probably give good service. Read the listings carefully and pay special attention to shipping cost and terms of service. If you are buying something that is usually marked, be sure there is a picture of the mark. If the seller can't or won't show the mark and it matters to you then go on to the next seller!
Have fun with listing. If you have fun your buying will enjoy your listing more.
Favorite Places
Penney's Collectibles
Jewelry Collectibles

Buying and Selling Small Collectibles

Some small collectibles may be considered worthless by some because they won't bring in the big bucks. Take for instance this old yellowed Simplicity Pattern It might well wind up in a land fill. Few people sew anymore. But for the collector who remembers mom using a pattern like this or someone who decorates with vintage and antiques, it might be a real treasure. Despise not the day of small things.

What's Collectible

What is collectible? Or why do we collect things? What makes an item collectible or not so collectible? Remember Beanie Babies and Care Bears? How about the beautiful Norman Rockwell Plates? We have learned a few things about collecting and selling collectibles. First it is fun. What you think is collectible probably isn't or won't be tomorrow. If it says it is collectible, it often isn't. What you think will sell usually won't and what you think won't sell gets all the bids. Why do we collect things. Often it is for the memories. Grandma had one just like this. It is a sentimental thing. Sometimes it is for the beauty as in collecting beautiful artwork and glass. Sometimes it is for the history. We love to learn about the things we find. Sometimes it is for the adventure. What really neat and unique old treasure can you find?

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