I discovered a new site called BigCrumbs.com that let's us save cash when shopping at places we already shop (such as eBay, Gap, Old Navy, Circuit City, Target and more).   Whenever anybody we refer shops, we get paid and whenever their referral shops, we also get paid. 

I decided to test it to see how it works.  I entered my eBay site through Big Crumbs. I put an opening bid on a book and a troll and happened win both auctions a few days later. I spent a total of $4.98 on two auctions and received $.33 Cash Back.   

The site has been around for over two years and is giving people a real chance to benefit from the economy. We probably won't make millions, but extra savings and income never hurts.  I figure, the $.33 Cash Back just helped me pay an eBay Insertion Fee.  Every bit helps.

Please use the link below if you're interested in learning more.

http://www.bigcrumbs.com/crumbs/frontpage.jsp?r=tracysnook

On Monday mornings, my Dad and I go to the thrift stores to see what new stock they have sitting on the shelves waiting to be sold on eBay.  We drove up to our favorite thrift store about 9:15 and the parking lot was packed. I forgot it was Martin Luther King Day and that people besides me had it off. "Oh, crap!"  I yelled, as I thumped my hand on the dashboard.  My Dad dropped me off in front of the store while he drove around hunting for an empty parking space.

The store was wall-to-wall in shopping carts being pushed through the cramped aisles.  I grabbed a shopping basket, as did my Dad because they are easier to maneuver through the aisles.  My Dad knew the game plan for the day; banks, trolls, clowns and novelty items in very good condition.  I went one way, and he went the opposite direction as we filled our basket with our finds. There was a man in front of me standing near a blue piggy bank with a butterflies and flower design.  I reached around him while saying "Excuse me," and grabbed the bank.  The man laughed and said, "It's alright, it's alright when you see something you like you have to be fast!" 

I passed on this one piggy bank that was brown and white spotted like a cow with a flower petal hat because it was high priced and it was one of those banks you have to break to get the money out. Minutes later, my Dad walked by with that very same piggy bank in his basket. I guess it was destined to sell on eBay. 

My Dad's basket was full of trolls, and banks.  He is the Master of Trolls because he finds them hiding on every shelf.  It's like magic.  He found two Rainbow Trolls by Bright of America, one still on her display card in a hot pink bikini. There was a cute baby shoe bank that says Jesus Loves Me on the front, plus a blue baby block in New condition with the same phrase printed on top.  It was quite a shopping experience! 

I've had to work every day this week at my part-time job but I was able to list a few things yesterday.  The items were listed as a 3-Day Auction so take a look before they go fast!

By Company-Issued Press Release
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--eBay Inc. (Nasdaq:EBAY) (www.ebay.com) announced today that Meg Whitman will step down as President and CEO of eBay on March 31, 2008. Whitman will remain on the company’s Board of Directors.

Whitman joined eBay in March 1998. At the time, eBay was a U.S.-only, auction-based trading site with 500,000 registered users, just 30 employees, and $4.7 million in revenue. Today, the company has hundreds of millions of users worldwide, more than 15,000 employees and nearly $7.7 billion in revenue. Whitman led eBay to become one of the fastest-growing companies in history. Over the last 10 years, she has built an unforgettable portfolio of brands and a thriving business that enables millions of people to trade, pay and communicate online.

“Meg’s passion for all things eBay changed the world,” said Pierre Omidyar, Founder of eBay and Chairman of the Board. “With humor, smarts and unflappable determination, Meg took a small, barely known online auction site and helped it become an integral part of our lives. We’re all enormously grateful that Meg dedicated herself to stewarding eBay through its 10 most formative years.”

eBay’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to elect John Donahoe President and CEO. Donahoe came to eBay in February 2005 from Bain & Company, where he had served as worldwide managing director since 1999. For nearly three years, Donahoe has been President of eBay Marketplaces, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the company’s global revenues. In this role, Donahoe has been responsible for the growth of eBay and its other ecommerce businesses around the world, and during the time he has managed this business unit, both revenues and profits doubled.

“During the last three years, John and I have worked very closely together to arrive at this day, and we’ll continue to work together through the transition,” said Whitman. “I’m extremely confident in John’s skills and the abilities of John’s veteran management team. eBay and its millions of users are in great hands as they head into the future.”

Omidyar added, “John is a great choice to lead eBay. He understands our community and is committed to continuing Meg’s legacy. The Board and I look forward to supporting John as he takes eBay into the future.”

In addition, eBay announced that Rajiv Dutta, currently the President of PayPal, has been named Executive Vice President of eBay Inc. and will also replace Donahoe as President of eBay Marketplaces. Dutta, who will report to Donahoe, has also been elected to the eBay Board of Directors.

Dutta is a 10-year eBay veteran who has previously served as eBay’s Chief Financial Officer, and President of Skype, eBay’s communications business. Since July 2006, Dutta has successfully led PayPal to achieve more than $65 billion in payment volume and three consecutive quarters of accelerating revenue growth. Dutta will apply his experience, strategic abilities and leadership skills to accelerating growth in the company’s core business.

“Rajiv is one of the most talented executives I’ve met,” said Whitman. “John and Rajiv make a fantastic combination, one that will help ensure the continued growth and success of all our businesses.”

Scott Thompson, PayPal’s current Chief Technology Officer, will replace Dutta as President of PayPal. A three-year PayPal veteran, and a 25-year veteran of the payment and financial services industry, Thompson has been responsible for the products and system architecture that has fueled PayPal’s growth and global expansion.

Bill Cobb, President of eBay North America, has decided to step down from that role. Cobb, an early eBay executive who created the company’s first integrated marketing campaigns and later led eBay’s international expansion, will retire from the company at the end of the year. Lorrie Norrington, currently President of eBay International, will become President of eBay Marketplaces Operations and assume Cobb’s responsibilities. Norrington will report to Dutta.

About eBay

Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, Shopping.com and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.

eBay is running a promotion to encourage Store purchases. The "eBay Stores Shop to Win Sweepstakes" kicked off on January 22 and runs through the end of January. Shoppers who buy a fixed-price, auction or Store inventory item from an eBay Stores seller and register have a chance to win over $50,000 in prizes. Each day, 160 buyers will be randomly selected to win an eBay Gift Certificate of $10, $50, or $100. Plus, a grand prize winner will be randomly selected, and both the buyer and seller will win $5,000 cash.

Enter the daily sweepstakes by registering on our promotion page at www.ebay.com/shoptowin. Then purchase a Fixed Price or Store Inventory item or Auction-style listing of $20 or more (excluding shipping and other charges) from an eBay Stores seller between January 22-31, 2008.

You are more than welcome to buy an item from my store.

It's -13°, brrrrr!  I was told there is an estate sale not far from my house but I don't want to go outside. 

I'm clipping coupons from the Sunday paper. There is just two of us in my family, so I don't use many of the coupons in the newspaper.  I always feel bad throwing the unused coupons in the garbage.  I recently discovered that people sell coupons on eBay!  Last week, I cut all the coupons out of the paper - there were a lot! I had to switch scissors mid-way because my hand was killing me! Some sellers separate the coupons into categories of like items  (cleaning supplies) or all one item (Electrosol Dishwashing Detergent). That was too much work for me, so I separated them by month.  I listed coupons from February, March and April in three different groupings and stated in my auction that they are not bidding on the coupons but the time it took me to cut the coupons.  I made about $7 on the three aucitons.  It's not a lot of money but its another item sold. Plus, I'm not wasting coupons that other families can use!  I feel so GREEN!

You Did What With Bubble Wrap?

Bubble Wrap - It's Not Used Only For Packing Supplies

• Arthritis - If you have difficulty holding pens, silverware, brooms, mops, and rakes, cut a strip of Bubble Wrap, wrap it around the body of the instrument or utensil, and secure it in place with a piece of Packaging Tape, creating a more convenient grip.
• Backache - Cut rectangular sheets of Bubble Wrap and stuff them into an empty pillowcase or a gallon-size Ziploc Freezer Bag.  Place the Bubble Wrap pillow behind the small of your back when sitting in an office chair, when driving the car, or on long airplane flights.
• Broken Bones - In an emergency, immobolize the broken bone by wrapping Bubble Wrap around the injured arm or leg several times and securing it in place with Packaging Tape, then head for the emergency room.  Once the broken limb has been set in a cast, you can avoid damaging the cast by wrapping it in Bubble Wrap (bubble side in, to resist the temptation to pop the bubbles) held in place with Packaging Tape.
• Foot Ache - Cut foot pads from Bubble Wrap and slip them into your shoes.  They'll cushion your feet for up to six hours.
• Knee Pain - When working in the workshop, crawling under the hourse or in the attic, roller skating, or playing contact sports, improvise knee pads by folding two sheets of Bubble Wrap to form cushions and taping them to each knee with Packaging Tape.
• Stress - Pop the bubbles in a sheet of Bubble Wrap to relieve tension and provide a harmless outlet for your anxiety and aggression.

-These and other great tips are found in the book Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen Cures

Ready for the big time,
ready for the small.
Whatever's comin' to me,
I'll be ready for it all.
-Girl Can Rock, Hilary Duff

This week, I have been dealing with a buyer that did a Chargeback or ACH Return (basically, the buyer or the bank said it was an unauthorized payment).  The item was shipped within 24 hours of payment, delivery confirmation indicated it was paid for and buyer left glowing feedback.  However, I am screwed because the buyer had an Unconfirmed Address, so I can't do much about it except hope that the buyer tries to resubmit payment. 

When your transaction is eligible for Seller Protection Policy coverage to protect you from chargebacks the buyer's address needs to be confirmed.  The buyer needs to provide a credit card or in some instances a secondary credit card proving the billing address.

As sellers, PayPal has made it our Duty to either block unconfirmed PayPal addresses or contact the buyer to verify the address (remember to have proof), or refuse PayPal payments from unconfirmed buyers. This week, two of my buyers have had Unconfirmed PayPal addreses.

Is it fair that PayPal does not protect Sellers for Unconfirmed Addresses?

Yesterday, I had to get all my listing done by 1pm because I had to go to work. I popped in my Golden Compass Audio CD (I don't have alot of time to read books, so I listen to them) and got to work. I took pictures of about 20 items and wrote descriptions on my I Sell Sheeets of the items that I purchased from the thrift shop and other sources. I was able to put on 10 items in less than an hour. My goal was all 20 items but I'm happy that I was able to take advantage of the 20-Cent listing day and still get to work on time.

My goal today is to finish up the other 10 listings.  Then I need to start working on my taxes - ugh!

On Monday, I went to the thrift store and bought all sorts of cool things. I found a Clown Head carved from a Coconut, a Holland Dutch Shoe Bank, Miniature Clowns, lots of Trolls, and so much more.  I bought this one action figure doll of a Charlotte Hornets basketball player, on the back-side of his jersey is the name Rice 41 - does anyone know who the player is and if he still plays on the team?

I'm pumped that today, eBay is holding a 20-cent listing promotion for auction-style and fixed price listings. Yippie!  I started taking pictures this morning before my family woke up.  I'll start listing in about 2 hours.  Woohoo!

I hope everyone has a super day listing and takes advantage of the 20 cent insertion fee.

I just read an article by Ina Steiner of AuctionBytes.com that eBay has tweaked its search function to the benefit of Store listings. Now, after a buyer conducts a search on the core eBay.com platform, if they click on Stores link in the global header they will be taken to search results for that with listings from only Store sellers.  Formerly clicking on the Stores tab, even after a search, would take users to the Stores Hub where they would have to enter their search term again.

I decided to try it.  I went to Buy and typed in Troll Dolls. Then I scrolled my mouse down the page until I saw Search Options on the left side of the page.  I clicked on More Buying Options, and clicked the Arrow Button for your choices Add Store Listings, Store Inventory Only, Classified Ads or Sale Items.  For this exercise, we will select Store Inventory Only. Click the Search Button at the top of the screen. Now, all you see are Store Listings. 

Boy, there are a lot of Stores selling Troll Dolls!  I'm not sure how much I will use the Search Function but if it helps one person find my Store then I'm happy. Play with the search tool today, and see if it helps you with your search.  

I was looking at my feedback and I went to the first page of sellers comments and I noticed that the first item I ever sold was on February 20, 2004.  

I went to a local bar to see a Bruce Springsteen Cover Band with my sisters.  We had a lot of fun that night, dancing to the music of the Boss.  The band was raffling all sorts of prizes if you stayed until the end.  My sisters and I were game - our chances were good since the crowd started thinning out around 12:00.  At 1:00, my name was called for the Framed Bruce Springsteen Autographed Tunnel of Love Album Cover.

My next door neighbor was at the bar that night and offered me $25 for it.  I told him that I think I'm going to sell it on eBay and try to get double that amount.  The next morning, I started researching that album. 

Tunnel of Love is the eighth studio album by Bruce Springsteen released in 1987 In 1998, Qmagazine readers voted Tunnel of Love the 91st greatest album of all time. In 1989, it was ranked #25 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 475 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatests albums of all time. 

My description told about the night in the bar and how I came to own this magnificent autograph. It also gave the facts of the album, the size, condition and that it was just the album cover - no record. I took great pictures of the framed album cover and close-ups of the autograph. One thing I should have done is contacted the band to find out how they got his autograph to help verify the authenticity. 

I was gleeful when the auction ended. My first item sold! I made $89 on the Framed Bruce Springsteen Autographed Tunnel of Love Album Cover. My first feedback comment as a seller read  + Great transaction, fast delivery, very well packed. Thanks.

What was your very first item sold?

"Congratulations!  Today is your day.  You're off to Great Places!  You're off and away!  You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself any direction you choose." ~ Dr. Seuss

1. Use bookmarks.  Don't lay books facedown or dog-ear the pages.  Avoid using paperclips, which may rust or crimp the pages.
2. Stack large or heavy books in piles, but not too high. Rotate the volumes every other month, so that no particular book is subjected to too much pressure. Keep all other books upright, with another book of similar size or a bookend on each side to prevent warping.
3. Keep books clean by dusting the tops and spines with a feather duster weekly.  Once a year, take everything off the shelves, and dust shelves and books thoroughly.  Fresh air retards deterioration, so the occasional handling is good for the book.
4. Don't write in your books.
5. Don't store books near a heat source; doing so hastens aging.
6. Don't cram books too tightly on the shelves, or you will harm the bindings.
7. If a book doesn't lie flat, don't use force to open it wider or you may loosen the binding.
8. Don't store books on unpainted or unsealed wood, which can release damaging vapors.  Either paint shelves with a latex paint or seal with a water-based polyurethane.

“I read because one life isn’t enough, and in

the page of a book I can be anybody;

I read because the words that build the story become mine, to build my life;

 I read not for happy endings, but for new beginnings;

I’m just beginning myself,

And I wouldn’t mind a map;

I read because I have friends who don’t, and young though they are, they’re

Beginning to run out of materials;

I read because every journey begins

At the library,

And it’s time for me to start packing;

I read because one of these days, I’m going

To get out of this town, and I’m going to go

Every where and meet everybody,

And I want to be ready.”

Anonymous

Piggy bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is the traditional name of a coin  accumulation and storage container, most often used by children. A piggy bank is known among collectors as a "still bank"  as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. Piggy banks are often shaped like pigs and made of ceramic or porcelain. Piggy banks are used to reinforce ideas of savings and spending to children; money can be easily inserted, but the pig must be broken open for it to be retrieved (although most children easily got round this by using a knife to retrieve the coins from the slot), forcing the child to justify his or her decision. However, many modern (and most 20th century) piggy banks have a plug or stopper located on the underside of the bank to allow easy retrieval of coins.

In Middle English, "pygg" referred to a type of clay used for making various household objects such as jars. People often saved money in kitchen pots and jars made of pygg, called "pygg jars". By the 18th Century, the spelling of "pygg" had changed and the term "pygg jar" had evolved to "pig bank."

This name may have caught on because the pig banks were mostly used by children, and the pig is a child-friendly shape that is easy to fashion out of clay. Once the meaning had transferred from the substance to the shape, piggy banks began to be made from other substances, including glass, plaster and plastic.  

Another reason for the name piggy bank that has been put forward is based upon the idea that the coins given to the piggy bank represent the food fed to a pig by the farmer. It costs the farmer money to feed the pig which he does not get back until the pig is slaughtered for the meat (represented by breaking the piggy bank) which the farmer can then sell.

At 11:00am Pacific Daylight Time (Tuesday),  I listen to eBay Radio. 
www.wsradio.com/ebayradio  Today's eBay Radio guests will be: Debbie Levitt, CEO of As Was, talks about her upcoming 2008 As Was Conference. Colette Marshall, Business Development Manager with Worldwide Brands, Inc. talks about finding suppliers for certain types of products. Lynn Dralle, the Queen of Auctions, gives us her New Year's resolutions for her eBay business in 2008. Lisa Suttora, Founder and CEO of WhatDoISell talks about the top product trends for 2008. I never called in but if you have a question you can call 877-474-3302 (877-GRIFF02)

When I'm not listening to eBay Radio, I listen to Audiobooks.  Right now, I'm listening to Almost Moon by Alice Sebold.  I really don't like the book but I'm committed to finishing it.  Next on my audio booklist is Giving by Bill Clinton,  The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka and Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet.  I never seem to have enough time to read because of eBay.  I feel guilty when I take time to read an actual book so listening to books while I work makes the time to go by faster.  However, I spent the whole day on New Year's reading the book Garden Spells cover to cover.  It was an awesome day!

I sometimes listen to music but I find that I sing and dance too much and that can be very distracting! 

What do you listen to while you're working on eBay?

After work this morning, I drove to the thrift store to see what they had in stock.  Oh my stars!  I brought home two big bags of items to sell on eBay. The bags are full of Piggy Banks, Trolls, My Little Ponies, Harlequin Clowns, Plush Toys, Bookends, and Dolls.  I'm going to be quite busy the next few days adding things to my store. 

My greatest find at the thrift store today was an Owl Bank. It is groovy!  Seriously, it looks like it was made in the 70's. The bank is marked F. F.  I can't wait to add it on to eBay because I know someone will want to add this bank to their collection!