What's it Worth? - Auction and Online Selling News

Sunday

07Mar2010

Newsletter March 7, 2010 Tips for pickers

Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 2:21PM

New England pickers would love nothing better than a nice Spring this year. For the last couple of seasons,weather-wise, we’ve basically gone from Winter, straight into Summer with very little Spring-like weather.

A good Spring means a lot more treasures unearthed, and the struggling economy should mean a Bonanza of buys for skilled pickers as people looking for much needed cash sell off their old “stuff.”

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I’ve been looking for Picker’s to interview for an upcoming episode of The AuctionWally Show, and am very surprised that no one qualified has answered the call yet.

I have had several people answer my request for an interview, and I thank them for that, but they were part time people in the business who buy things at flea markets and auctions for eBay, and that’s just not what I’m looking for with this interview.

I’m looking for pickers who have:

Been in the business for 10 years or more.
Do doorknocking
Pick at least 20 hours a week
Sell items directly out of the back of their truck to dealers or at auction.
Have a few colorful stories.

The older you are the better!

If this is you, or know someone who fits the bill, contact me at pickers@auctionwally.com

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Amazon and eBay sellers:

Ever wonder how people get those great deals that enable them to sell far below current retail value for current hot products?

Are you a wheeler, dealer who’s more into electronic gadgets, computers, cell phones, video games? Do you have the ability to make volume purchases of 20 to 10,000 items? If so, I’ve just become a rep for Closeout Solution, a company who sub-wholesales, laptops, iPod accessories, X-Box games etc.

We sell products from Belkin, Griffen, Microsoft, Logitech and many other companies. Sometimes these items are refurbished, sometimes they are brand new. The inventory changes daily, as we purchase large trailer and container loads, and sell pallet and case-loads at sub-wholesale.

This is not a drop-shipping scam, we sell the actual inventory and deliver it to your business.

To find out more, contact me at walt@cosintllc.com

If you know someone who can use this type of product line, as with everything I do, finder’s fees are paid for referrals that result in a sale or purchase.

======================

Spring tips for pickers:

If you’re canvassing an area, call the local police dept. to let them know what you’re up to. It’s not legally required in most towns, but it’s a good idea. This way if any complaints are launched because of “suspicious activity”, you can save yourself some time and trouble.
Bring a flier or a handout with you, as well as business cards.
Make sure your vehicle has a sign or is painted with your business name and #.
Look for buildings that appear to be old, interesting, or full such as: large barns, garages. Yards that seem to have years of accumulation scattered around are a good sign.
Be careful of animals.
Make sure to present yourself in an un-threatening manner. Stand back a bit from the person, hands out of pockets, NO sunglasses, hat off, quickly introduce yourself and why you’re there.
Make sure you are actually dealing with the person that owns the property you wish to buy and not a tenant or someone else.
Pay as fair as you can for the item, while trying of course, to ensure a good profit.
Ask, ask, ask. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean they don’t have it. When you ask for things you don’t see around, you jar their memory and every so often, they’ll say something like: “oh yeah, I have some of those tucked away in the loft.”
Have cash, let them know you have cash, pay in cash. Get a receipt.
Don’t get discouraged after a few strikeouts, the next big find is just around the corner. Any time you go out on the hunt, you could find this, or this, and that’s what keeps us all going in this business!

These are just a few of the important things you need to know on the hunt. I could fill a book with information critical to success in picking, and someday may.

For now, lets see if we can get more knowledge from some “old-timers” as my search continues for interviewees for The AuctionWally Show.
======================

Live online video auctions today starting at 2PM

=============

Site of the week:

WatchedItem.com.

I got the following email last week from Michelle from WatchItem.com.

I hope you are well and getting through this snowy winter.

I’d love to get your feedback on WatchedItem. You can try the Top 500 Most Watched Auction List which shows the hottest listings across all categories. The list is updated every 2 hours and supports US and UK.

WatchedItem has 3 super auction searches that are not available on eBay:

1. Search by the number of eBay watchers
2. Search by the most bids or purchases
3. Search the highest priced auctions that will sell There is a $45K auction for a 1920 MILLS VIOLANO DOUBLE DOUBLE MUSICBOX

For buyers, it gives insight on how many people you are going up against in an auction. For sellers, it provides a rough idea of the interest in a particular item that you are not selling at the moment.

Best regards,

Michelle

WatchItem is an eBay compatible application, and after looking around the site I was pretty impressed. It seems to work very well, and the important information that you’d want right up front about an auction is right in the initial pane, such as price, amount of bids, and time left on the auction. This is critical to folks who put expedience at the top of the list when browsing eBay.

Good luck Michelle.
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What’s up with you?

Do you have a blog or a website that talks about or sells antiques and collectibles? Do you have a sale or a special event coming up? Send me some news on what’s up with you and I may post it in my next newsletter for all to see.

Send to news@auctionwally.com

==================
News from Barre MA

This week we have an auction full of art, antique & collectible books, and who knows what else. More details here.

===============

We are always looking to buy and consign good quality items for these sales. If you have something to sell, give me a call at 978-636-3101 or send an email to:

wkolenda@gmail.com

=================================

A book from 1779 selling for only $25.00?!

Looking for work?

If you can answer “yes” to a few simple questions, you may be able to start making good money as an antiques appraiser. I have a one day seminar that will help qualified candidates start earning between $75 and $150 per hour as a Professional Personal Property Appraiser. Find out more here.

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Ask an Auctioneer

Mystery item at Ask an Auctioneer. I been stumped! Does anyone out there know what this is?

If you have a question about antiques, collectibles or auctions, email me at ask@auctionwally.com (a few good .jpg pics of any items is essential.)

==========================================

Do you or need the services of a Massachusetts Auctioneer? Want to find out how auctions work, or need help with your auction business? If so, check out http://massauctioneer.info

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The weekly contest:

Two contests this week!

Thanks to the folks that participated in last week’s contest, your prize packets are on the way.

This week, there are two contests. The first contest question revolves around the MYSTERY item at Ask an Auctioneer, as noted above. If you can answer as to what the item is without doubt, I’ll send off one collectibles ephemera surprise package. (You must cite your source as proof)

LAST WEEK’S CONTEST CONTINUES

Since I’d gotten such a good response to last week’s contest, and since the folks at DealitLive.com are subsidizing prizes, I’m going to run that contest again! Here’s how that works:

The first 10 new people who register as sellers on DealitLive.com and subscribe to my auctions there, (both are free to do) will win collectible surprise packages from me.

DealitLive.com is a live video auction site that’s a ton of fun to buy and sell on! It’s easy to use, all you need is a web-cam and a microphone, and some stuff to sell. Right now, the site is 100% free to sell on, with no fees at all. How can you beat that?

If you’ve already subscribed to my auctions there, but have NOT registered as a seller, you are eligible to enter this contest and win again!

The first 10 peeps to email me at wkolenda@gmail.com with a notice that they’ve registered as a seller and subscribed to my dealitlive auctions will win a packet, it’s that easy. Now of course, I’ll need a way to get that package to the winner, so send your snail mail address along with your contest answers. The prize is a neat collectibles surprise envelope which includes things found in a recent estate purchase I made. Things likely to be in said envelope are vintage postcards, ephemera, books, old photos and who knows what?

There are a LOT of live auctions out there.

The best way I know of to search them is to use Auctionzip.com the largest live auction locator.

I’ve been using AuctionZip.com for years now, and I’m proud to have them as a sponsor.

In short, if you want to find auctions anywhere in the US, AuctionZip is an easy way to search online by zip code, the site is free to search and has a million uses within the auction business, such as:

Find auctioneers
See the prices realized section to find out the current value of items.
Search for items coming up for sale
Track which auctions specialize in specific genres
Learn how to consign to auction houses

If you have an ecommerce business, in the antiques and collectibles genre, your link may be a perfect sponsor fit in this newsletter:

If’ you’d like to know more, please contact me at: wkolenda@gmail.com

See the best collectibles video podcast at http://Collectiblescornertv.com
Tammy Kahn Fennell provides tips, interviews and news with a lot of fun.

Winter is here, and travel can be difficult. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on great auctions! Did you know that iCollector.com is an online portal into hundreds of auctions from live venues?

You can bid live and even contact the auction houses to see if you can send your quality consignment to be featured in an upcoming auction!

Please forward this to friends.

Until next time,

thanks for reading, and remember, it’s not spam if your requested the content ;)

Auctionwally | Comments Off |

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Sunday

28Feb2010

Newsletter Sunday Feb 28st, 2010 - Let's have an auction...now!

Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 11:51AM

Want to go to an auction? Right now? This afternoon I’ll be holding live video auctions throughout the day. All it takes is about

2 minutes to register. I hope you can make it to one of them.

Spring is in the air and that means vintage and classic cars will be hitting the road soon! Although I love seeing these vehicles on the road, and admire the people that put hard work into restoring them, I’ve never learned very much about this area of collecting. That’s why I’ll be interviewing Dick Robinson from

www.AntiqueCar.com on an upcoming AuctionWally Show episode.

==========

Are you a fan of

American Pickers, the new show on the History Channel about the two guys who travel the country picking antiques? As someone who has been a picker for about 30 years myself, I can relate and it’s become my favorite new TV show. Finally, our “junk business” is getting a little glory! In honor of this newfound popularity, I wanted to interview a picker for an upcoming episode of the AuctionWally Show, so I’m looking for candidates.

Does your heart beat faster when you drive by an old barn that looks like it has hidden treasures?
Would you rather spend your weekends digging in basements than watching sports or relaxing?
Is the term “what’s it worth to ya” the most often used part of your vocabulary?
Once you’ve sold an item is the first thing on your mind going back to the hunt?

If you’ve answered yes, to these questions, and have done this type of thing for more than 10 years, or know someone who has, then I want to talk to you! Contact me at pickers@auctionwally.com

============

How old is old?

That’s a subjective question, 20 years old is not that old for a piece of furniture, but you wouldn’t want a candy bar at that age.
It’s old to a child of 10, but not to an old geezer. And it’s the same in antiques, it’s all relevant. 100 years old is old for some books, but not religious books, because they go back quite a way, but 230 years old is old for any book! And I have one that will be up on eBay this week. It’s called, “The Truth About Christianity” it was published in 1779, written by Hugo Grotius. I’ve not been able to find a copy this old anywhere, but have found quite a few re-prints.

What’s it worth? That’s for the bidders to say, I’ll be auctioning it without reserve starting tonight at 9pm.

=============

Site of the week:

I recently spent some time at The Antique Marks Blog. This is a pretty cool site that give marks references, updates on auctions and news in the antiques world. It’s kept fresh with new stories and event happenings, the site is clean and easy to navigate. Points for that!

The content is kept interesting by way of variety, for example, two recent posts are about:Fontaine’s Auction Gallery Tiffany Lamp Appraisals and the auction of a 66 Million Year Old Tyrannosaurus Rex. Now that’s diversity!

============
What’s up with you?

Send to news@auctionwally.com

News from Barre MA

Things have been picking up here in Barre. The auction hall has been full, and the quality of lots is increasing on average. Last week we had a Civil War sword sell for $400 plus the 10% buyer’s premium, and a copy of US Post Exchange 1928, (a phenomenal shopkeepers catalog) brought $100. Many other antique and collectible book lots did very well.

We had some antique paintings which I thought sold for under the $, and a nice mix of other antiques and collectibles. Find out what we have coming up

this Thursday evening.

===============

We are always looking to buy and consign good quality items for these sales. If you have something to sell, give me a call at 978-636-3101 or send an email to:

wkolenda@gmail.com

=================================

Recently someone asked:

Hi, I know nothing about this cabinet other than it was given to my Mother by an older lady in Boston, what’s it worth?

Find the

answer here.

==============================

Find out more here.

======================================

Ask an Auctioneer

If you have a question about antiques, collectibles or auctions, email me at ask@auctionwally.com (a few good .jpg pics of any items is essential.)

==========================================

Do you or need the services of a Massachusetts Auctioneer? Want to find out how auctions work, or need help with your auction business? If so, check out http://massauctioneer.info

====================================

MarketMeTweet

I know many of you are using Twitter to get the word out about your business as well as for social purposes. I’m involved with a set of tools that are available at MarketMeTweet.com that are phenomenal.

The one I use most is Tweetbrand which links back to your site with every Tweet you post, in a VERY, non-intrusive way. Are you aware, that Google is giving search value to Tweets? It’s true. Tweets are now showing up in Google’s search, and when you use

MarketMeTweet.com to help you with your Tweets, it’s like putting them on steroids!

The weekly contest:

This week’s contest will be a bit different. I am giving away 10 envelopes of collectible ephemera to the next 10 people who subscribe to my auctions on DealitLive.com. There is no charge to sign up or to subscribe.

The first 10 peeps to email me at wkolenda@gmail.com with a notice that they’ve subscribed to my dealitlive auctions will win a packet, it’s that easy. Now of course, I’ll need a way to get that package to the winner, so send your snail mail address along with your contest answers. The prize is a neat collectibles surprise envelope which includes things found in a recent estate purchase I made. Things likely to be in said envelope are vintage postcards, ephemera, books, old photos and who knows what?

There are a LOT of live auctions out there.

The best way I know of to search them is to use

Auctionzip.com the largest live auction locator.

I’ve been using AuctionZip.com for years now, and I’m proud to have them as a sponsor.

Find auctioneers
See the prices realized section to find out the current value of items.
Search for items coming up for sale
Track which auctions specialize in specific genres
Learn how to consign to auction houses

If you have an ecommerce business, in the antiques and collectibles genre, your link may be a perfect sponsor fit in this newsletter:

If’ you’d like to know more, please contact me at: wkolenda@gmail.com

See the best collectibles video podcast at

http://Collectiblescornertv.com
Tammy Kahn Fennell provides tips, interviews and news with a lot of fun.

You can bid live and even contact the auction houses to see if you can send your quality consignment to be featured in an upcoming auction!

Please forward this to friends.

Auctionwally |

Newsletter Sunday Feb 21st, 2010 Art from Muhammad Ali to Barre MA

Monday, February 22, 2010 at 8:21AM

First, my humble apologies for those of you who showed up at some of my live video auctions in the past 2 weeks only to look at a blank screen.There have been some scheduling problems, but I’m back on track with them. Now, if someone would have just stumbled across one of these auctions, it’s no big deal if they got a goose egg, no time lost.

But if you are one of my newsletter subscribers, and put a little time aside for one of these auctions, then you’ve been put out a bit, so here’s what I’m going to do. I have two auctions I’ll be scheduling on Monday and Tuesday evenings of next week.

If you’re on this news letter list, and you win the bid on either of those auctions, you get the item for FREE. That’s right, I’ll deduct 100% of the bid amount, and you pay only the shipping fees. In order to keep the bidding from going on indefinitely between two email list subscribers, the auctions will be timed.

On Monday night, I’ll be doing an auction on uStream.com and the first item of the auction will be include this give-a-way.

On Tuesday night, I’ll be hosting an auction on

DealitLive.com and if the winning bidder is from this email list, they’ll receive the item for free as well, with only shipping fees due.
===============================

Art from Muhammad Ali to Barre MA

I get a lot of requests for art appraisals at AuctionWally.com. Art is one of the most difficult types of collectibles to appraise due to so many factors, and I’ll often decline an online art appraisal if I cannot authenticate the piece from photos of it. I’ll conduct the appraisal if in fact the owner knows that it’s legitimate, but I’ll often enter a caveat in the appraisal that I’m basing the evaluation on assumptions.

Then there is the question of what the art is worth if it is legitimate, which of course is a very subjective question as well. Condition, period of the artist, whether or not the work is of their forte, the medium it’s on and many other factors come into play when value is assessed.

All this confusion may seem frustrating to some folks, but the fact is, it makes for a huge profit potential. If someone is going to make a windfall in the collecting world, it’s usually with a piece of art. If there’s a “sleeper” at an auction it’s usually a piece of art. If there’s a rare treasure pulled out of a flea market or an antiques show, it’s very often a piece of art.

All of this is because of the factors I’ve mentioned above: art evaluation is tricky and confusing.

Let’s look at two current examples of artwork coming up for auction for an illustration of this theory:

The art of Muhammad Ali. That’s right, the famous boxer Muhammed Ali was also an artist. What is his work worth? Is it valuable for who he is, or can it stand alone? Many famous people in history dabbled in art, including Hitler, Churchill and others. It will be very interesting to see what this Ali Serigraph sells for in an upcoming auction at

RoeGallery.com

The art in my Barre MA auctions: This is the type of auction where you’re likely to find those sleepers I mentioned earlier. Recently, I acquired about 1000 pieces of art from a retired antiques dealer. I have little idea of what is there. Really. There is just not enough time to research all of it. This week on Thursday evening, much of this art, along with antique books, porcelain, glass, other antiques and collectibles will go on the block to be sold at a rate of 2-3 items per minute.

Since this art will be sold without reserve, there will be treasures found, there will be items sold WELL under their perceived value.

Small country auctions such as the one I hold on Thursday evenings, can be a fantastic place to find diamonds in the rough in any area of collecting. If you’re not attending your local auction house auctions onoccasion, I can assure you, you are missing out!

======================================================

As with the live auctions, there has been a bit of a scheduling glitch with The AuctionWally Show episodes, and again, I hope to have that back on track soon.

That’s it for this week, I’ve gotta go, lots of stuff to catch up on!

===============================

The Prices Realized Directory

Check out the new entries.

www.AuctionWally.com/prices-realized you’ll find a 100% free prices realized directory, no registration required.

Prices-Realized Directory.
==========================================

Auction in Barre, Thursday- February 25th, 2010

This week we’ll feature art, antiques & books It will be a PACKED auction, you may want to get there early to assure a seat.

See more details on upcoming Thursday night auctions in Barre.

We are always looking to buy and consign good quality items for these sales. If you have something to sell, give me a call at 978-636-3101 or send an email to:

wkolenda@gmail.com

=================================

Find out more here.

======================================

Ask an Auctioneer

If you have a question about antiques, collectibles or auctions, email me at ask@auctionwally.com (a few good .jpg pics of any items is essential.)

==========================================

Do you or need the services of a Massachusetts Auctioneer? Want to find out how auctions work, or need help with your auction business? If so, check out http://massauctioneer.info

====================================

MarketMeTweet

MarketMeTweet.com to help you with your Tweets, it’s like putting them on steroids!

The weekly contest:

This week’s contest question is, what is the pre-auction estimate range of the Muhammad Ali Serigraph mentioned in this newsletter. Hint: details are in the slide show price report.

The winner of the contest two weeks ago was Dede! Dede, you’re collectibles package is on the way.

The first person to email me at wkolenda@gmail.com with the correct answer is the winner, it’s that easy. Now of course, I’ll need a way to get that package to the winner, so send your snail mail address along with your contest answers. The prize is a neat collectibles surprise envelope which includes things found in a recent estate purchase I made. Things likely to be in said envelope are vintage postcards, ephemera and who knows what?

There are a LOT of live auctions out there.

The best way I know of to search them is to use

Auctionzip.com the largest live auction locator.

I’ve been using AuctionZip.com for years now, and I’m proud to have them as a sponsor.

Find auctioneers
See the prices realized section to find out the current value of items.
Search for items coming up for sale
Track which auctions specialize in specific genres
Learn how to consign to auction houses

If you have an ecommerce business, in the antiques and collectibles genre, your link may be a perfect sponsor fit in this newsletter:

If’ you’d like to know more, please contact me at: wkolenda@gmail.com

See the best collectibles video podcast at

http://Collectiblescornertv.com
Tammy Kahn Fennell provides tips, interviews and news with a lot of fun.

You can bid live and even contact the auction houses to see if you can send your quality consignment to be featured in an upcoming auction!

Auctionwally | Comments Off |

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Monday

08Feb2010

Newsletter Sunday Feb 7,2010

Monday, February 8, 2010 at 10:40AM

I’m seeing more merchandise come on the market than ever before.

Maybe it’s a sign of the times, maybe it’s because I’ve been in the biz a while and I’m getting more calls, or maybe it’s a combination of both of those, but I am seeing more merchandise than ever before. A lot more.

I always chuckle when I hear someone say, “the stuff just isn’t out there anymore.” Are you kidding me? Last week at my local Barre MA auction we ran a complete woodworking shop which we had bought out.

During the same week, we also purchased the contents of mega collection of art, jewelry, books and other antiques from a retired antiques dealer. This is a collection that will put our small local auction on the map for good antique merchandise. There may not be any original Van Gogh paintings, but there are over 1000 pieces of art that should sell in the range of $5-$500 each. In this lot were also about 10,000 first day cover and other stamps, pottery, glass and much more. With this one purchase we will probably fill about 3 sales!

If that’s not enough, we have about 4 more calls that we are waiting to get to that sound very promising.

Details will begin coming soon to Auctionzip and will be updated just about daily.

================================

5 tips for getting estate lots

As I said earlier, I’m getting a lot of merchandise these days and you can too. Here are some tips that deal specifically with purchasing ESTATE LOTS.

1) Wipe your feet when you walk into the home. This simple courtesy establishes respect for the client. Don’t forget, this is an ESTATE purchase I’m talking about, someone has died here, the family may still be grieving. Show respect. It’s a good idea to take your hat off too, if you have one on.

2) Ask what the goals are as far as when they’d like the contents removed, or if they want an on-site sale etc. Listen twice as much as you talk.

3) Avoid talking prices on individual items. You are after a large amount of merchandise here, to discuss prices on single items is risky at this point.

4) Determine if you can realistically handle the job. If you can’t, say so, and refer an auctioneer or an antiques dealer that can. An auctioneer will usually pay a fair finders fee for good estate acquisitions. Work with auctioneers that do pay finder’s fees.

5) Make your bid. Decide whether it’s firm or not and whether or not you’ll honor this deal if it’s a call-back situation. Sometimes you’ll be in competition with others for the job. Don’t take offense at this, it’s part of the process. In many states, attorneys and executors are required to get at least 2 bids on an estate.

As you’d imagine, the other things I have going on don’t stop just because my live auction is full right now. I’m begun working with Dealitlive.com again and am very excited about that.

I hope you’ll attend my DealitLive.com video auction tonight at 9pm Eastern Time.

===========================================

My NEW live video auction (5 People in the chat room)

I’m very excited about this prospect. This is a new live video auction that I’ll be doing on uStream.com. It’s called the 5 people in a chat room auction and that simply means, if I have 5 people that show up, I’ll start auctioning items.

Sometimes these auctions will be scheduled, sometimes they won’t. Sometimes the lots will be posted in advance, with pictures and details, sometimes they won’t. Sometimes, I may be at that URL and we’ll just talk shop.

The basic tenet of the auction is that if at least 5 people show up, we’ll have an auction!

The first one will take place tomorrow evening at 9pm Eastern Time, (Monday February 8)

And for this one, I do have plans to post details and pictures. They’re not up yet, but will be soon.

See details at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/auctionwally

Some of these auctions may pop up at anytime. If you want to be in the know on them, please follow me on UStream and you’ll get a reminder whenever I have one.

There is a chatroom there where buyers can ask questions.
I’ll be calling the bids live.
I have the ability to ad lots and even take requests
These auctions can be posted on Twitter.com and elsewhere.

Please help pass the word…

===============================

The Prices Realized Directory

At www.AuctionWally.com/prices-realized you’ll find a 100% free prices realized directory, no registration required.

Prices-Realized Directory.
==========================================

Auction in Barre, Thursday- February 8th, 2010

This week we’ll feature art, costume jewelry, books and ephemera, but it will be mixed in with plenty of other goodies. It will be a PACKED auction, you may want to get there early to assure a seat.

See more details on upcoming Thursday night auctions in Barre.

We are always looking to buy and consign good quality items for these sales. If you have something to sell, give me a call at 978-636-3101 or send an email to:

wkolenda@gmail.com

=================================

======================================

Ask an Auctioneer

If you have a question about antiques, collectibles or auctions, email me at ask@auctionwally.com (a few good .jpg pics of any items is essential.)

==========================================

Do you or need the services of a Massachusetts Auctioneer? Want to find out how auctions work, or need help with your auction business? If so, check out http://massauctioneer.info

====================================

MarketMeTweet

The weekly contest:

This week’s contest questions are: Where on my uStream page is the “Follow” button, and what is the code-phrase I’ve posted in the chat room for this contest?

There are a LOT of live auctions out there.

The best way I know of to search them is to use Auctionzip.com the largest live auction locator.

I’ve been using AuctionZip.com for years now, and I’m proud to have them as a sponsor.

Find auctioneers
See the prices realized section to find out the current value of items.
Search for items coming up for sale
Track which auctions specialize in specific genres
Learn how to consign to auction houses

If you have an ecommerce business, in the antiques and collectibles genre, your link may be a perfect sponsor fit in this newsletter:

If’ you’d like to know more, please contact me at: wkolenda@gmail.com

See the best collectibles video podcast at http://Collectiblescornertv.com
Tammy Kahn Fennell provides tips, interviews and news with a lot of fun.

You can bid live and even contact the auction houses to see if you can send your quality consignment to be featured in an upcoming auction!

Please forward this to friends.

Until next time,

thanks for reading, and remember, it’s not spam if your requested the content ;)

Auctionwally |

It takes a Vintage Village... Newsletter 1-24-10

Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 10:29PM

If it takes a village to raise a child,
then it takes one to grow a business too!

“Word of mouth, social networking, it takes a village”

These 3 phrases all mean the same thing, getting the word out about a business or a cause.

Here it’s discussed in an Internet context, which is after all, the way 99.9% of you on this list have found me.

Since there are every day, more and more people coming online to earn a living or at least extra money in the antiques & collectibles business, there is more opportunity. Many of you on this list already have at least one sucessful website or more. Many of you may be on your first one, or are about to publish.

You need to know that social networking in your niche is critical to success.

Social networking sites like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook have become household names. Bookmark sites like digg, addthis, Stumbleupon and others are used by Internet publishers with a fierce loyalty, you could argue that some have built businesses largely dependent on them.

So of course, the next big thing would the specter of doubt that surrounds any vastly popular meme. Lately, I’ve noticed the the question, “does social networking really work?” popping up all over the place.

Are the people asking this serious? If you would be truthful at all when you claim that social networking doesn’t work, you would have to be referring to the people and companies that abuse it with spammy overkill.

Since the argument has be re-hashed into a puree, all I’m going to say is of course it works, when you use these tools for their original intended purposes which are: To bookmark and group like and relevant content to your interest. The natural outcome of this strategy would be to surround yourself in efficient circles with people who have common economic/social interests. You figure out a way to filter what you don’t need and you are running at much more efficiency.

Here are 4 tips to help you build your social network:

Use

bookmark sites to rate and keep track of sites important to you. Every time you do, it helps the site get boosted in rank, and of course becomes organized as a bookmark for you. If your website is linked to on this site, double bonus! Tooting someone else’s horn draws more lasting visitors more so than if you were to only push your own sites. It shows you’ve an interest in distributing the best info you can and that you cite your sources with confidence. A tactic spammers find difficult to duplicate with ease, so it would make sense that search engines seek it out.

Within your own articles and blogposts, use the same tactic linking out to

rich content when possible. Links to Wikipedia dot .org sites and knowledged based sites, aren’t automatic rank raisers, but rather, provide value to your readers which means they are more likely to return if you keep your site fresh.

Keep your site fresh: If you can’t do this, have someone do it for you, it’s that important. Of course, freshness is relevant to the topic and modis operendi of the page. Some sites will not have the need to publish more than once a week or so.

Be interesting: We all only have a limited time to work on our projects. Substitute being clever and interesting for long articles. People are generally after information in bits and fragments when they’re on the Internet. Even if they thoroughly cover a subject, they are likely to do it pieces at a time. Consider breaking up a long post into 2 or 3 which means you have a couple more URLs rather than the one for the long article. More chances of getting found. Don’t forget to link to the other articles in the series.

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Episode 91 of the AuctionWally Show is up. Show notes with links can be found posted at this link as well. Was your website mentioned in episode 91? Listen to find out.
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The Prices Realized Directory

www.AuctionWally.com/prices-realized you’ll find a 100% free prices realized directory, no registration required.

Prices-Realized Directory.
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Auction in Barre, Thursday January 28th, 2010

See more details on upcoming Thursday night auctions in Barre.

We are always looking to buy and consign good quality items for these sales. If you have something to sell, give me a call at 978-636-3101 or send an email to:

wkolenda@gmail.com

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Find out more here.

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Ask an Auctioneer

If you have a question about antiques, collectibles or auctions, email me at ask@auctionwally.com (a few good .jpg pics of any items is essential.)

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Do you or need the services of a Massachusetts Auctioneer? Want to find out how auctions work, or need help with your auction business? If so, check out http://massauctioneer.info

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The weekly contest:

Thanks to Daniel C of Ontario, Canada who was the first person to correctly answer last week’s contest question.

This week’s contest question is: give 3 first names of any characters in the Underwood and Flinch podcast. Information about the Underwood and Flinch fiction podcast can be found at the beginning of ep91 of the AuctionWally Show.

There are a LOT of live auctions out there.

The best way I know of to search them is to use

Auctionzip.com the largest live auction locator.

I’ve been using AuctionZip.com for years now, and I’m proud to have them as a sponsor.

Find auctioneers
See the prices realized section to find out the current value of items.
Search for items coming up for sale
Track which auctions specialize in specific genres
Learn how to consign to auction houses

If you have an ecommerce business, in the antiques and collectibles genre, your link may be a perfect sponsor fit in this newsletter:

If’ you’d like to know more, please contact me at: wkolenda@gmail.com

See the best collectibles video podcast at

http://Collectiblescornertv.com
Tammy Kahn Fennell provides tips, interviews and news with a lot of fun.

You can bid live and even contact the auction houses to see if you can send your quality consignment to be featured in an upcoming auction!

Please forward this to friends.

Until next time,

thanks for reading, and remember, it’s not spam if your requested the content ;)

Auctionwally |

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