Should You Report eBay Deadbeats?

I've heard that ever since buyers figured out sellers can't leave them negative feedback ratings due to eBay's May 12th policy changes, there's been an increase in non-paying buyers (NPBs) and late-payers. However, sellers are fearful of what filing UPIs (unpaid item reports) might do to their DSR ratings, which have a powerful impact on their bottom line.

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Seller’s Story : Why we’re quitting eBay

"It is with much regret we are leaving the site. It has been a decision made over a period of time but when we did some number crunching again this month it became much easier to bring down the final hammer. With the lower turnover we were now doing it means the that the latest changes to feedback have put our business at the mercy of what could be a few vindictive buyers or competitors. We are not prepared to keep going any longer under these conditions."

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Flea markets everywhere and on the air! Too many now?

There have been a bunch of new flea markets opening in our area recently, and none of them (so far) are big attractions. Let's see... In the last few months, we’ve had new ones crop up in Moosup, Central Village, Foster, RI, Dayville, and most recently in Putnam.

I do think Putnam has potential. Allen’s on Rt. 101 in Dayville seems to have a chance and my guess is that he’ll be there with a few good dealers through this summer at least...

No official announcement has come out of Danny’s Auction Barn in Foster, RI, but it’s not looking too promising over there on Sunday mornings. Their new flea market launched back in April. People were stopping by, but with fewer than 10 dealers each week, it’s not turning out to be a destination for a day trip.

With the economy in the dumps, it would seem reasonable that more people would be shopping secondhand. But are there too many new endeavors within a few miles of each other?

Without enough dealers participating, it can be difficult for new flea markets establish a regular stream of customers. Without a regular stream of customers, dealers are hesitant to invest the time and money required to set up on a weekly basis.

Or, how about a different approach?

If you like country music, you may have caught WCTY’s Sunday Morning Radio Flea Market on the radio Sunday mornings from 7-10 am. The show can be heard the dial at 97.7. Listeners can hear callers seeking buyers for anything from campers to used cars to old wood stoves! If you get tired of driving around, you might want to tune in. It’s free to announce your wares on the air if you have something to sell, and it’s interesting to listen to while you’re driving around from Plainfield to Dayville, to Putnam, to Foster!

On the other hand...

Looks like it will be a great weekend for yard sales!

Check it out:
I just added these links to my sidebar (on the right) so you can easily reference up-to-date yard and garage sale listings each week!

Eastern CT:
http://norwichbulletin.marketplace.totallylocal.com

http://newlondon.craigslist.org/gms/


Rhode Island:
http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/classified/

http://providence.craigslist.org/gms/

Bidding for a bridesmaid? What a creative way to pay for a wedding!

Kelly Gray, a Virginia Beach bride came up with a creative idea to help defray the cost of her upcoming wedding. She posted an eBay auction for a bridesmaid. Her auction pulled in 23 bids, topping at $5,700.

Turns out, the winning bidder was a guy! But he was a representative of Dr Pepper Snapple Group. He told Kelly the beverage company wouldn’t be honoring their $5,700 bid. Instead, they wanted to make a donation of $10,000 for her wedding and supply all of the beverages.

Before the auction idea came about, Kelly, a hairdresser with a 1-year-old daughter, planned with her roofer finance to spend $7,000 on the event. They would make ends meet by baking their own cake, and using an iPod instead of a D J.

Kelly’s story has since received media attention from MSNBC and The New York Times. She gets a wonderful celebration for her marriage, and the beverage company gets lots of publicity!

Click here to view the eBay listing.

NY Times Story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/us/26bridesmaid.html?ref=us

Painting left at Maryland Goodwill auctions for $40,000

An old painting dropped off at a rural Maryland Goodwill store turned out to be a work by a French Impressionist. And now, thanks to the sharp eye of a store employee, the charitable organization is $40,000 richer.

The Parisian street scene, left at the store in March along with daily donations of pots, pans, old clock radios and other items, turned out to be a work by Edouard-Leon Cortes, probably from the early 20th century.

If the owner of the painting wants the money, he or she may be out of luck. Goodwill says it doesn’t keep track of donors. Donations, meanwhile, are gifts that are considered legal and final transactions.

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The bargain that wasn't... My new microwave won’t shut off!

I thought I had found a bargain earlier this week at Home Depot. There were two items I needed that the store offered at great prices. One was a backyard gas grill. At $49, it serves my purposes, brand new in the box too. (Just need a tank now!)

The other thing I needed was a microwave. The store had a small one on sale, also priced at $49. Not bad. But then I noticed a bigger model with more features up on a top shelf. It had a sticker on it, “Damaged”.

If you read my haggling story from last month, you know that Home Depot will routinely discount damaged or flawed items. (And sometimes perfect items as well -- if you ask!)

Okay... So I looked over the microwave. On the back corner, the casing was dented. Otherwise, it appeared to be fine. Hmmm... I thought it was good enough. Larger, with more features... I can live with the dent in the back. It was loaded into my cart and lugged home.

My son, Ryan, 19, was visiting later that evening. He’s a great kid, and always willing to give me a hand with whatever needs to be done around the house. I gave him my handyman list of to-dos, which included assembling my new grill and helping me to find the best spot in the kitchen for the new microwave. As I looked over the paperwork that came with it, Ryan plugged it in. As soon as it was fed electricity, it was running at full power — without having been turned on. We hit the ‘clear’ button and another we thought might stop it, but to no avail. I went through the manual, again and again. The only way to stop it was to open the door and/or unplug the thing.

One might think if the store is selling a damaged item, that it would still be in good working order as far as function is concerned. Today my own to-do list includes trying to return my new “damaged” microwave. It wasn’t such a great bargain after all.

Putnam Flea Market off to quiet start

On Sunday I decided to check out Putnam’s new flea market. There was a steady stream of traffic going in and out despite the impending rain. The setting is gorgeous! Dealers were set up in a lot with shady trees and the water just beyond that. On the other side is an old mill.

There weren’t a lot of dealers though... Maybe a dozen or so. However, their displays included an interesting assortment of unusual items, a pretty eclectic mix of merchandise -- mostly antiques. Nicely done. I just wish there was more of it!

My stop was brief for another reason as well. My 4-year-old daughter spotted a vintage toy that I was not going to buy for her amusement, and she put up a fuss... That always means time to go.

Shortly afterwards, the sky opened and rain poured! I hope everyone was able to pack up quickly enough.

http://www.putnamfleamarket.com