Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Robin Hunt Squidoo Lens
I took a variety of photos on my New Years day Robin hunt. If you are interested you can get an idea of what my winter walks look like on a Squidoo lens I put together. Its located at: http://www.squidoo.com/1stRobin
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Spring Has Sprung!
I saw my first two robins of the year as I hiked along the the Mississippi River gorge between Minneapolis and Fort Snelling, today Jan 1, 2008.
It must be Spring, despite the 0 degree weather.
This walk has become an annual ritual with me. The robins seen however are not returning from the South, but rather wintering over birds. They are easiest to find when its the coldest, as they tend to be near sheltered areas by open running water.
Today's sighting were by a place my family calls the Bridge of Fallen timbers. I am tempted to put together a Squidoo Lens to show some of the photos I took during this walk. The robin doesn't show as it was up in a tree when I go the camera out and I do not have a telephoto lens.
I also saw a mourning dove in the same location. Not sure I've seen one of them over winter before.
I hope you are having a warm New Years Day. etn
It must be Spring, despite the 0 degree weather.
This walk has become an annual ritual with me. The robins seen however are not returning from the South, but rather wintering over birds. They are easiest to find when its the coldest, as they tend to be near sheltered areas by open running water.
Today's sighting were by a place my family calls the Bridge of Fallen timbers. I am tempted to put together a Squidoo Lens to show some of the photos I took during this walk. The robin doesn't show as it was up in a tree when I go the camera out and I do not have a telephoto lens.
I also saw a mourning dove in the same location. Not sure I've seen one of them over winter before.
I hope you are having a warm New Years Day. etn
Monday, December 31, 2007
| Happy New Year! I hope you have had a chance to reflect on the plusses and minuses of the past year, and have set for yourself a clear plan for the coming year. For me that means making a variety of changes. One of which will be less popular as I explain below, I am raising my shipping and handling charges. Another change is my continuing move into the internet marketing arena. This will take time away from the cover business, but will hopefully help me work down down my accumulated debt. It seems I’ve more inventory than dollars these days, but the gas company won’t take first day covers for the heating bill. This past few months, I’ve had some success with my various adwords campaigns during the Christmas buying season. I don’t expect to do as well in the off Christmas season, but I hope to build up to the Christmas levels over the coming months, and set myself up for a very busy Christmas this coming year. My repeated new year’s resolution revolves around my ever so large middle which I need to shrink. Again, I have had some recent success, but that was largely negated by the holidays. So I am going to try, try again. Initially I am going to do the same diet that brought me some recent success. This involves eating frozen entrees, 3-6 times a day. It’s a bit pricey, but allows me to eat often, which I’ve come to understand is a good thing. Even though I may eat up to six of them, most have low calorie counts. More importantly, they usually contain a meat portion and vegetables with relatively few high glycemic starches. One to two weeks of that will enable me to drop 10 pounds or more based on past experience. But I will get bored. My next step will be to either repeat after a period of time or explore a new diet I’ve been hearing about that takes a radically different approach to eating. I’ve liked what I have read about it, and my wife (who has bought and read every diet book ever written) tells me it is getting a lot of positive press. It’s called calorie shifting. I haven’t bought the eBook yet, but I intend to. If any of you have had any experience with it, I’d welcome your comments. I have other plans as well, including a planned trip to Among my goals from the past year was to get all my covers up and listed on eBay. I didn’t get that one done. I still have several thousands covers in boxes that have not made it online. While many are cheapies, there are still many better covers, primarily space and flight oriented that need to get processed. You can expect to see most of them in the coming three months. My plans for New Year’s day include a board game day with family and a hike along the river in my annual Robin hunt. I like to be the first to see signs of Spring and the robin certainly has that cachet. Even though I know I am hunting for wintering over robins, it’s fun to claim the bragging rights. I’ve been successful almost every New Years day for over a decade now. I’m confident I will be successful again this year. I hope the coming year will be one of your most successful years as well. Best wishes, etn
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Sunday, December 30, 2007
Shipping Price Increase
I have decided to increase my shipping and handling charges on all future eBay lots. For years I have been charging $1.50 for the first item and 25 cents for each additional. While this covers postage costs, it doesn't come anywhere near the time cost of handling.
I will now charge $2 for the first items and 35 cents for each additional lots sold to US Addresses. The rate to Canada will be $2.25 for the first items and 35 cents for each additional. To the rest of the world, I will charge $2.50 for the first item and 35 cents for each additional.
Last month and for January, 2008, I am running a special offer, where I will pay the shipping and handling charge for any order of three or more lots.
My goal is encourage more multiple unit purchases. More purchases theoretically means more of a profit margin per mailing.
As I have reported previously, I figure I have 15 minutes handling time invested into each lot on average. That said the new rates mean I am giving myself a raise from $6 and hour to $8 an hour for my time, less actual mailing costs.
I currently offer thousands of items with minimum bids below $10. The economics just don't work unless I can get a greater percentage of people to buy multiple lots.
It may seem like nothing, but the time it takes to print out an order, pick it from inventory, stuff the envelope, address it, stamp it, file feedback, record the transaction, and mail it add up quickly.
When people ask for special services, like insurance or registered mail, I only charge what the post office charges, and nothing for the time it takes me to stand in line at the post office.
I understand that this is not a popular move from my customers point of view, but it's something I need to do. I hope you understand. etn
I will now charge $2 for the first items and 35 cents for each additional lots sold to US Addresses. The rate to Canada will be $2.25 for the first items and 35 cents for each additional. To the rest of the world, I will charge $2.50 for the first item and 35 cents for each additional.
Last month and for January, 2008, I am running a special offer, where I will pay the shipping and handling charge for any order of three or more lots.
My goal is encourage more multiple unit purchases. More purchases theoretically means more of a profit margin per mailing.
As I have reported previously, I figure I have 15 minutes handling time invested into each lot on average. That said the new rates mean I am giving myself a raise from $6 and hour to $8 an hour for my time, less actual mailing costs.
I currently offer thousands of items with minimum bids below $10. The economics just don't work unless I can get a greater percentage of people to buy multiple lots.
It may seem like nothing, but the time it takes to print out an order, pick it from inventory, stuff the envelope, address it, stamp it, file feedback, record the transaction, and mail it add up quickly.
When people ask for special services, like insurance or registered mail, I only charge what the post office charges, and nothing for the time it takes me to stand in line at the post office.
I understand that this is not a popular move from my customers point of view, but it's something I need to do. I hope you understand. etn
Friday, December 28, 2007
eBay 10 cent listing day
Thursday December 27th was a 10 cent listing day on eBay auctions.
In past years eBay had free listing days. These were big hits at first and gave a real advantage to dealers like me who have automated inventories. I used to do wholesale dumps of my inventory on eBay.
The problem was that while it didn't cost anything to list, the number of items sold as a percentage of those listed tanked. Since it was free it didn't matter. For some years now though, eBay has been having fewer such promotions and not free.
That is probably a better idea. When they were free the site would just become overwhelmingly cluttered. Since I now have to pay a dime, I am using a bit more discretion as I load the site.
Rather than dump 16,000+listings, I took advantage yesterday and listed 316 items in the $25-$300 range from virtually all categories of material. Then since listings were cheap, I added gallery view so my images would show to viewers. That brings the auction listings to 45 cents each which is cheaper than a straight listing without gallery normally would be.
With so many others taking advantage of the cheap listings, I am hoping my better priced items will stand out in the sea of cheap un-galleried items.
If I am able to sell over 9.5% of the items, I will deem the experiment of adding the gallery expense worth while. Thats 2% more than the average sold in past big blizzard listing days, which covers the additional gallery charges at $25 per items sold.
We will find out next Thursday if I am able to sell 30 of 316 items. Should be easy. But to help it out, I am extending my free shipping and handling deal till the end of January.
If you buy three or more (non bulk) listings, and pay for them at the same time, I will pay for shipping and handling worldwide.
This deal applies not only to items at auction on eBay but also any items in my eBay store or on my ship cover web site.
Use these links to go there: Naval Covers
eBay Store
Thursday December 27th was a 10 cent listing day on eBay auctions.
In past years eBay had free listing days. These were big hits at first and gave a real advantage to dealers like me who have automated inventories. I used to do wholesale dumps of my inventory on eBay.
The problem was that while it didn't cost anything to list, the number of items sold as a percentage of those listed tanked. Since it was free it didn't matter. For some years now though, eBay has been having fewer such promotions and not free.
That is probably a better idea. When they were free the site would just become overwhelmingly cluttered. Since I now have to pay a dime, I am using a bit more discretion as I load the site.
Rather than dump 16,000+listings, I took advantage yesterday and listed 316 items in the $25-$300 range from virtually all categories of material. Then since listings were cheap, I added gallery view so my images would show to viewers. That brings the auction listings to 45 cents each which is cheaper than a straight listing without gallery normally would be.
With so many others taking advantage of the cheap listings, I am hoping my better priced items will stand out in the sea of cheap un-galleried items.
If I am able to sell over 9.5% of the items, I will deem the experiment of adding the gallery expense worth while. Thats 2% more than the average sold in past big blizzard listing days, which covers the additional gallery charges at $25 per items sold.
We will find out next Thursday if I am able to sell 30 of 316 items. Should be easy. But to help it out, I am extending my free shipping and handling deal till the end of January.
If you buy three or more (non bulk) listings, and pay for them at the same time, I will pay for shipping and handling worldwide.
This deal applies not only to items at auction on eBay but also any items in my eBay store or on my ship cover web site.
Use these links to go there: Naval Covers
eBay Store
Inventory Time
It's year end and time to take stock of my cover inventory for the tax man as well as my own information. Turns out I have a total of 24,314 items with 16,163 unique listings in my internet inventory. Total value at my minimum prices of about $187,000.
That represents about two work years of labor if I use my standard estimate of 15 minutes per item on average for handling. The 15 minutes includes time on the shipping and handling end, so the two years estimate includes yet to be done work.
I'd be happy to give someone a 10% discount if they want to buy the entire inventory, perhaps a bit (lot) deeper if anyone were seriously interested. Not included are the boxes of yet to be processed material.
One of my goals for the coming year is to decrease the total number of items significantly, while increasing the average dollar value per item.
It's year end and time to take stock of my cover inventory for the tax man as well as my own information. Turns out I have a total of 24,314 items with 16,163 unique listings in my internet inventory. Total value at my minimum prices of about $187,000.
That represents about two work years of labor if I use my standard estimate of 15 minutes per item on average for handling. The 15 minutes includes time on the shipping and handling end, so the two years estimate includes yet to be done work.
I'd be happy to give someone a 10% discount if they want to buy the entire inventory, perhaps a bit (lot) deeper if anyone were seriously interested. Not included are the boxes of yet to be processed material.
One of my goals for the coming year is to decrease the total number of items significantly, while increasing the average dollar value per item.
Monday, December 24, 2007
| Merry Christmas. I hope you and your families and friends are enjoying all the blessings of the season. As I write this Sunday, the house is still in a high state of chaos, with presents yet to be bought, wrapping behind schedule, and countless last minute errands to run as well as greetings to write. And yet somehow it will all come together ready or not by tomorrow eve. We celebrate Christmas eve with my wife’s family, and the day with mine. Christmas eve traditionally was at Joan’s parent’s house. There, in a small stucco bungalow, the MacKenzie clan would gather for T-bone steaks, mashed potatoes, fruit soup, and ever so much more. Hazel would never sit down, pushing mountains of food at any plate half empty. Art offered everyone a glass of Mogan David wine, perhaps the only day of the year such beverage was shared in the house. The kids table was always loud, in the now ever so small living room. It’s dimensions indented by the gloriously lit, always perfectly decorated Christmas tree. Even more constricting were the mounds of presents in every other corner and stacked along the walls. After dinner, Hazel required a carol or two to be sung before the presents could be opened. And then the walls would reverberate with the shredding of wrappings, giggles of excitement and politely pronounced thank yous crisscrossing the room. As the loot was unwrapped, each item was exclaimed about and thanked for and stashed into piles, every so careful to make sure the to-from tags were neatly tucked within each box. The bedlam would last till nearly eleven when it was time to sneak out and start warming the frozen cars, and load the trunks with the incoming, now that the outgoing was dispersed. Got to get the kids ready for bed, cause Santa Claus is yet to come. Mrs. Claus always managed to whip up a great reason for the kids to wake us the next morning. Even with fresh piles of yet to be played with gifts from the night before, there was always something special under the tree. I hope that you were able to both give and find something special under your tree this year. Best wishes and Merry Christmas. etn |
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