neglus
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posted on March 2, 2003 02:20:28 AM new
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ i wish i could! But it's 4 am and I have a stack of listings to write up for launch tomorrow night..who said this eBay selling was easy!!!?? I need some comic relief..where is a good carrot listing when you need one? (though i much preferred the mate to the XX-RATED carrot)..and then if I finish in time, i still have 54 feedbacks to post..
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TomSwift
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posted on March 2, 2003 03:00:07 AM new
No I don't stay up all night doing them... but I am an early riser so I have been up since about 2:30 - 3 AM eastern doing photos and scans for some stuff I am putting up today and on Tuesday. After I did my dishes. Been doing this on Sunday mornings for years. The most horrible thing about it are the selections on TV at this hour. You know you are in trouble when you zap thru the channels LOOKING for Ron Popeil's "Set-It-& Forget-It" infomercial! Man, I can sit at this computer with my back to the TV and talk along with him thru the whole 1/2 hour. I know every line by heart hahahha ! My cat thinks I'm crazy.
Welp, its 6am... i think they are showing it again on channel 35....
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neglus
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posted on March 2, 2003 03:13:56 AM new
I GUESS I NEED A TV IN MY PUTER DUNGEON! -OOPS! I LIST IN CAPS - NOT YELLING.
Do they show the spray on hair info-merical anymore? that one was my absolute favorite!
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neonmania
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posted on March 2, 2003 03:23:58 AM new
I have lucked out and found halfway decent broadcast programming in my non cable office. Monday thru Friday it's NBC - Saturday and Sunday nights one of the local stations replays old Matlock and Perry Mason movies.
My favorite infomercial though is the twin dwarfs pitching someone elses pitch for land purchasing... that and the" is it a commercial or is it a news health update" for the Okinawan calcium assumption secret.
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TomSwift
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posted on March 2, 2003 03:39:38 AM new
Hahaha... no they don't show the spray on hair one anymore.
The twin dwarfs one is a riot, but I don't think it has the staying power of the Ron Popeil one. The Set-It-&-Ferget one I can listen to back to back several times. Sheesh! (sez the cat)
Old Perry Mason shows would be cool. I do like to have shows on that I have seen before when i am working as I really don't watch, I listen while I work.
Wish reruns of Columbo were on at this hour.
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neonmania
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posted on March 2, 2003 04:07:10 AM new
A&E used to be the best for late night Columbo reruns. I used to tape the marathons and drag the tapes out on especially bad late night sessions.
I don't think Ive seen the Set-it and fogret it commercials. I got to burned out on the rotisserie : ) - TW - Whatever happened to that miracle of modern gadgetry, the Pocket Fisherman?
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Libra63
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posted on March 2, 2003 07:47:27 AM new
It's the police radio for me. I find it less distracting if I do it at night but then the next day I am a zombie.
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sanmar
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posted on March 2, 2003 08:06:55 AM new
Not me! I have all day every day to do my listingsI usually do a half dozen at a time. I list on M.T, W, & T. They go on at 11:30 Thursday nite for 10 days, so they end on Sunday nite. Us Old folk need our rest. Usually in bed by midnight & up between 7 & 8.
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Roadsmith
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posted on March 2, 2003 10:02:11 AM new
Sanmar: Are you on the east coast? Do you get many bidders for the 11:30 endings?
I wonder if some of you night owls should just turn on a spanish-speaking tv station and absorb. We travel some in Mexico, and my worst problem with the language was figuring out from the spoken word where one word ended and the next began. Now, after absorbing subconsciously the language from tv stations I've begun to recognize words that I already knew. At least it's a start!! One lifetime to go, I suppose. . . .
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neonmania
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posted on March 2, 2003 10:15:39 AM new
Road - I do the same thing.. I also used to watch the subtitled movies and picked up alot by reading the subtitles as I listened. Another interesting aspect of Spanish TV is the Broadcast schedule. Friday night one of the Tijuana stations was airing Chicago (I forgot to watch until too late so don't know if it was dubbed or subtitled) and a few years ago I watched two movies on the Mexican version of the Hallmark channel which ended up in American theatres a few months later.
I've been told by spanish speaking friends that the best way to pick up cnonversational spanish was thru the novelas but the rapid fire mega emotional style has me lost within minutes. 
[ edited by neonmania on Mar 2, 2003 10:16 AM ]
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kiara
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posted on March 2, 2003 11:25:44 AM new
I love it late at night as the world is so peaceful and quiet to me and I can write my descriptions without being interrupted.
During the day I always have to be on alert for the next customer, supplier, delivery guy, or phone call and I have to look my best and always react right away to whatever situation is in front of me.
Late at night there is no one in my space and I can relax. I have the TV on in my office but most of the time it just drones on in the background and I don't watch it. My two cats take turns sitting on my lap so I have to reach over them or around them to my keyboard.
I do okay on 5 or 6 hours of sleep. There was a recent study that said the people that sleep fewer hours live longer.
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neglus
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posted on March 2, 2003 11:51:17 AM new
I try to list 50 new items/day - this is what I have figured I need to do to make a "living" at this. Mon-Fri I can usually get this done in the 7 hours my family is gone..but on weekends with everyone around I feel I have to do the listings when they are asleep so I can spend some time with them..maybe I am slow, but it does take me nearly 7 hours ( oh ok...i read this board, check email and of course frequently check my auctions and other time wasting manoevers here and there) to do my daily listings..not leaving me much time (considering i have to ship too) to work ahead at all!
I use AW to do my listings - each item is unique and although I have saved some basic templates in my "inventory items" i still have to make some changes for each listing.
I also need very little sleep (thank goodness)...but every once in awhile the all-nighters get to me! (like last night!) Even Fluffy (yes FTWC mine is really called "Fluffy" abandoned me for my daughter's bed! I guess I am going to have to move a TV in my office so Ron Popeil can keep me company !
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on March 2, 2003 01:04:17 PM new
neglus: There may be some way for you to save time that you have not considered. There's no shame in that; we all get too involved in what we're doing to take an objective look.
I wouldn't waste time with feedback, personally, I'd pay someone to leave it for me (even vr*ne.com).
Sometimes, on closer inspection, you find that you can cut your routine expenses enough to be able to pay for some help (whether it's a child or an auction service). I used to ship all jewelry pieces in the same-sized box, which I would buy 2000 at a time at 26 cents/box. Recently I realized that many of my current pieces are rings or earrings, and could go in a smaller box that is 7 cents cheaper. I ordered 1000 of the smaller and 1000 of the usual size and saved $70.
Is there perhaps a faster way to do your pictures? Do you have to fiddle with images a lot? I once sold 5000 souvenir spoons one at a time, and used three pictures for each auction: full-length front, close-up of spoon handle, and close-up of mark. I used my label printer to generate serial numbers and simply tagged each spoon with the unique label as well as naming the images 0000a, 0000b, 0000c. (I hate trying to think up names for pictures.) If you've been using descriptive filenames, you might find it faster to use serialized numbers instead.
Anyway, I think the goal for all of us who do this for a living is to automate the process as much as possible so we can spend more time with our loved ones. Just the simple act of going to a flea market with my partner, as we did this morning, is something I hate to miss out on. (Got some good eBayable stuff, too! )
--
Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more. --George W. Bush, 02/01/03
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sanmar
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posted on March 2, 2003 10:23:54 PM new
roadsmith: I live on the Central Coast of CA. When my aucions close it is 2:30 AM in NY, 9:30 in Hawaii. Everybody has all Sunday evening to view my Auctions. More people are on eBay on Saturday & Sunday than any other time of the week. You would be surprised how many last hour bids I get. I would say that at least 50% of my sales are done in the last 2 hours. Many from the East Coast.
Fluffy: because I sell unusual & different items, I can't batch them. I do however use a template that has the "boilerplate in it, All I have to is fill in the description, the starting $$, reserve if I want it. & the description. I can set up an auction in about 2 or 3 minutes.
[ edited by sanmar on Mar 2, 2003 10:31 PM ]
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Roadsmith
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posted on March 2, 2003 10:53:18 PM new
Sanmar, I'm blown away! I too live in CA, in the mountains above Palm Springs. The latest I've dared have my auctions end on the east coast is 10:30 or 10:45 and even then I've wondered if those folks would be heading for slumber. I'm really surprised that you sell things to easterners at 2:30 in the morning. May I ask if you sell collectibles?
Or is it possible you sell things that night owls naturally gravitate to, like sleeping pills?
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dadofstickboy
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posted on March 2, 2003 10:58:08 PM new
I live in Jersey.
It's 2:00 am here now.
I don't stay up to buy, I use proxy bids.
But I do stay up all niht to list if I have to.
Mostly stay up to see if I can help Damsels in distress!
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Roadsmith
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posted on March 2, 2003 11:03:52 PM new
Well, Dad, this damsel is very grateful for your help in the other thread tonight.
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jefflh12
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posted on March 3, 2003 04:10:19 AM new
East Coast guy here...For you Westerners I'll post this...Me, and about 6 of my friends buy collectibles on ebay...We continue to be amazed at why sellers end their items in the wee hours of the morning for Easterners...None of us stay up...We do proxy's, BUT, if ended no later then 11 PM our time, we would all stay up and possibly bid higher following the auction to it's end the last few minutes...Take it for what it's worth, but just throwing it out to you all in the West who sell...
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Dragonmom
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posted on March 3, 2003 06:33:06 AM new
Jeff, thanks for that info..., So, 8:00 westcoast time, makes it 11:00 East coast time.
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
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neglus
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posted on March 3, 2003 07:03:23 AM new
I sell postcards and i try to have my auctions end between 10 - 11 in the appropriate time zone..AW is great in that I can schedule my auctions appropriately - I did not have much success ending my auctions in the wee hours of the morning so if I'm not done listing in time, I will schedule for the next day. I experimented with having them end around 1 p.m. for the "at work buyers" but I don't think I will do that anymore - i always wonder if i would have gotten better prices with evening auctions. It seems to me that people are waiting until the last minute to bid - don't know if this is intentional or if they don't even SEE the items until the end..what are your thoughts? do buyers look more at "new items" or "auctions ending today" or "going going gone"?
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sanmar
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posted on March 3, 2003 10:40:52 AM new
Roadsmith; I sell china & collectibles. Just sold a Meerschaum Pipe. the last bid was at 23:52 EST. Whether this was a proxy bid or not, I have no way of telling. This is going to AL. I have been using this formula for about 2 yrs. & it has worked well for me. Two weeks ago I sold 6 Lionel engines. All went to the East to individual buyers. Also sold a Transformer, it went to NYC. As long as I get results I won't change a thing. I don't mind spending a dime for the 10 day sale especially on big ticker items. Had one go off last night, had a rerserve of $200.00, went for $255.00. Sold 7 of 8 items last night.
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katiyana
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posted on March 4, 2003 09:07:11 AM new
I usually either listen to music while listing, or have something sports-related on - ESPN classic is great for rebroadcasting old games 8)
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pelorus
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posted on March 4, 2003 11:32:16 AM new
On a slightly different tack: I find that when I stay on the computer late at night it disrupts my sleep. Probably all that light from the screen makes the brain think it's daytime.
Does anyone else out there experience this?
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