Make Use of the Force with Star Wars Memorabilia

Loyal Star Wars fans have been talking about it for months.  Star Wars: The Complete Saga has just been released.  It includes all six episodes of the series on hi-definition Blu-ray.  The 9-disc set also includes extra deleted scenes, added dialogue, and behind-the-scenes extras.  This set is now available on eBay.

Listings and corresponing sales of Star Wars items has jumped to three times the customary levels, and the interest is expected to continue to boost sales as the new generations are introduces to Luke, Leia, Han, Yoda, Chewie, Darth and all the rest.  There are several ways you can take advantage of this hightened interest from the release, as buyers relive the memories associated with the fantasy and fun that is Star Wars.



One of the most popular film series of all time, and the fantacism goes beyond just the movies themselves.  Vintage and new Star Wars collectibles are popular on eBay, as are other toys like Legos.  Fan enjoy getting to know their favorite characters better through books and comic books or just fantasizing about intergalactic adventures as they gaze at vintage Star Wars posters.

There are plenty of Star Wars apparel options for those who want to feel at one with the force.  For those that want a chance to be a part of the action, costumes for kids range from Yoda to the lightsaber-wielding Darth are sure to be popular choices, with Halloween already on the minds of many eBay buyers.

Don’t forget all about the unique memorabilia and experiences that will be up for bid on our Use the Force for Good, in support of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).

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6 Tips for eBay Buyers

Who knows of a greater e-commerce site than eBay? The site has over 147 million registered users from all over the world. Whether you are just starting out on eBay or have been using it for years, you should find the following tips for buying on eBay useful.

1 – Know what you are looking for.
You can waste a lot of time on eBay just browsing, especially if you don’t know what you are looking for. If you are not looking for a specific item, then is may be helpful to make a list of “searchable” items instead.

2 – Browse like a pro.
On the eBay site, items are sorted into thousands of categories and sub-categories. If you want to speed up you search, you can narrow your search results by selecting the categories on the left-hand side of the search results page.

3 – Make use of your options.

To further focus your search results you can select how the search results are listed. To decide which option you would prefer, ‘lowest price’, ‘highest price’, ‘newly listed’, or ‘ending first’, look for the drop down menu to the upper right of the search results list.

4 – Educate yourself.
Be sure to do your research on the items you are searching for, especially if the item is an antique or memorabilia. Educate yourself on the item, confirm the condition of the of the item, don’t just rely on the listing photograph. You can also compare the item to similar items, this may improve your chances of purchasing an item that’s worth your money.

5 – Know the seller.
The seller could be continents away from you. It is a good idea to check the seller’s credibility. Looking at his/her feedback is a great first step. The feedback rating is on the auction listing page, it’s the number followed by a star that is next to the sellers name. You can read more about feedback ratings in another of my postings.
Also be sure to carefully read the item’s description. Many listings have a return policy, preferred payments, and the cost of postage. There is an ‘ask the seller a question’ option, don’t be afraid to make use of it.

6 – Be the best bidder.
If you find an item that you desire greatly and choose to bid on it, remember to stick to your maximum bid. I caution against bidding higher without really knowing the item’s worth. This is a common mistake. You are best served to consider that as a buyer you are still the one calling the shots on how you spend your money. You can check into sniping services to help you get the best value or bid on an item.

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Become An eBay “Sniper”

If you have been on eBay and bid on a few auctions, chances are that you have been beaten in the last few seconds by a “sniper”. This experience can be very frustrating, and while this is against eBay rules, in theory, and you can go ahead and report it. In practice eBay never does anything about this common occurrence.

The bad news is that the only way to beat a “sniper” is to become one yourself. The up side is that once you figure out sniping you can use it to your advantage, and win auctions at a much lower price than you would otherwise.

Sniping Manually

Sniping manually is pretty simple if you have lots of spare time and a reasonably fast internet connection. First write down the ending time for each item that you bid on, and then be sure to be sitting at your computer with the page up for the last vital minute of the auction. This will allow you to defend your winning bid, or even outbid the current winning bid.

The best tip I can give for sniping manually is to make sure that you set your max bid as high as possible – otherwise you could still be automatically outbid, and the auction will be over before you can even bid again.

An important note – it is not worth even trying to compete against someone who has decided to use an auto sniping service. If their service is any good, then they will always manage to outbid you. If you really want to be a sniper, you will need to find one of your own.

Using an Auto Sniper

Just type “eBay sniping” into your preferred search engine (I like Google), and it’ll bring back several online services that will be more than happy to snipe on your behalf for a small fee. Most will give you a free trial, so feel free to try it out.

If you don’t want to pay each time for use of the online service, then their are some types of software that you can use. Two that I know of are iSnipeIt (http://www.isnipeit.com) and SnipeRight (http://sniperight.com). These you pay for once and then you can use for free for as long as you want. Once the software is installed on your computer, you just tell it what auctions you want sniped and the max amount you are willing to bid. The software then places the bid within the last few seconds of the auction. The disadvantage to using this software is that you will need to leave your computer on just about all the time, or risk missing the end time for your auctions.

An Alternative to Sniping

If sniping just sounds a bit too much like playing dirty, then here is another low-tech way to get around it. Just send an email to the seller of an item that you were sniped on. Let them know that you were sniped at the last minute but would really like the item. Chances are that if they have another one to sell, they will agree to sell it to you for the ending bid price.

Whether you choose to become a sniper or not, I wish you best of luck in your eBay pursuits.

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Perfect For The SuperBowl! eBay TV Coupon Event Ends February 6

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!!

With the NFL playoffs upon us (and almost over), what better time to watch the pigskin action on a new HD TV? Whether the preferred format is LCD, LED, plasma or even 3D, eBay has great deals on the top selling brands and models.

From now through February 6, take advantage of the 10% off coupons and free shipping on select TVs from Beach Camera, Electronic Express and Electronics Expo.

Special page for all three offers: http://tinyurl.com/4d9gzos

Seller: Beach Camera
Coupon Code: CBEACHCAMTV2011
Offer: 10% off any TV
Landing page: http://tinyurl.com/4cu7teg

Seller: Electronic Express
Coupon Code: CELECTEXPRESSTV
Offer: 10% off any TV
Special page: http://tinyurl.com/4zfrxb5

Seller: Electronics Expo
Coupon Code: CELECTEXPOTV
Offer: 10% off any TV
Special page: http://tinyurl.com/49365to

The coupons may be used up to three times per user, each time up to the maximum $600, while supplies last. To receive the discount, you must be a registered eBay member and pay for the item with PayPal.

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eBay Coupon Event October 12-22 Only

eBay’s exclusive seller coupon event is back! Eight different sellers are offering up to 40% savings off select items today through October 22nd. Please note that you are not limited to one-time use of these coupons during the event.

You can find all of the offers on this landing page: http://tinyurl.com/2axqaoy

Here’s a look at the participating sellers and their corresponding coupons:

Seller ID: BayStateOutfitters
Coupon Code: CBAYSTATEEBAY
Offer: 15% off Entire Store
Free Shipping: No
eBay Page: http://tinyurl.com/2eupd8d

Seller ID: VIPFashions
Coupon Code: CVIPFASHEBAY
Offer: 15% Women’s Handbags & Bags
Free Shipping: Yes
eBayPage: http://tinyurl.com/268ruxw

Seller ID: EastCoastShoeStore
Coupon Code: CECOASTSHOEEBAY
Offer: 20% off Entire Store
Free Shipping: No
eBay Page: http://tinyurl.com/2345pc
 

Seller ID: ApparelSave
Coupon Code: CAPPARELSVEBAY
Offer: 15% off Entire Store
Free Shipping: No
eBay Page: http://tinyurl.com/2g8o3e6


Seller ID: street-moda
Coupon Code: CSTREETMODAEBAY
Offer: 15% off Entire Store
Free Shipping: No
eBay Page: http://tinyurl.com/2dfeksd

Seller ID: shoemall
Coupon Code: CSHOEMALLEBAY
Offer: 20% off Entire Store
Free Shipping: No
eBay Page: http://tinyurl.com/2g7xzs2

Seller ID: teresahilton
Coupon Code: CTHILTONEBAY
Offer: 25% off Entire Store
Free Shipping: No
eBay Page: http://tinyurl.com/2cgx56w

Seller ID: AJMFashions
Coupon Code: CAJMFASHEBAY
Offer: 40% off Entire Store
Free Shipping: No
eBay Page: http://tinyurl.com/299zm58

PayPal payment is required to redeem the coupons.

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eBay Coupon Event Ends September 30th

With such great success with the last coupon event, eBay has launched another event now through September 30th! 

Sweet!  :-)  

Please note that you are not limited to one-time use of these coupons during the event.  ;-)  

Here’s a look at the sellers and their corresponding coupons:

Seller ID: blackanddecker
Coupon Code: CBLACKDECKERSEP
Offer: 20% off Entire Store
Free Shipping: Most Items
Sale Page: Black and Decker

Seller ID: Costumekingdom
Coupon Code: CCOSTUMEKNGDMSEP
Offer: 15% off Select Costumes
Free Shipping: Yes
Sale Page: Costume Kingdom

Seller ID: eForCity
Coupon Code: CEFORCITYSEP
Offer: 25% off Select Items
Free Shipping: Yes
Sale Page: eForCity

Seller ID: BeachCamera
Coupon Code: CBEACHKODAKSEP
Offer: 10% off Kodak Products
Free Shipping: Yes
Sale Page: BeachCamera

Seller ID: BeachCamera
Coupon Code: CBEACHTVSEP
Offer: 10% all TVs
Free Shipping: Yes
Sale Page: BeachCamera TV’s

Seller ID: BeachCamera
Coupon Code: CBEACHGPSSEP
Offer: 10% off all GPS Items
Free Shipping: Yes
Sale Page: BeachCamera GPS

Seller ID: SkullCandy
Coupon Code: CSKULLCANDYSEP
Offer: 40% off Select Items
Free Shipping: Most Items
Sale Page: SkullCandy

Have Fun!!

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Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!From Boutique Bargains, here is wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

I hope you are enjoying this holiday season with family and friends. It’s the perfect time to take a break… Relax, regroup & refocus for the new selling year. You’ve worked hard, so you deserve a little time off!

Be safe & take care. Looking forward to 2010!

~ Jenn ~

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Trick Or Treat! Enjoy your Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!  It’s going to be a wonderful day!  I love it when Halloween falls on a Saturday – it makes for such a fun, unrushed day!

To all of YOU, from Boutique Bargains…
Here’s to a Happy and Safe Halloween!
Have fun!

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Tweet Me Tuesday! Weird Twitter Dream….

So, I’m a Twitter addict….

I had a dream the other night – Maybe it’s just lack of sleep with a baby up for 3 am feedings.

Come share with me…

In the background was the ever familiar chirp of Tweetdeck alerting me of new tweets, mentions, direct messages…etc. 

I was walking into a building, no clue what I was doing there or how it’s relevant to my life.  I sit down at a desk – those nice school type desks with the storage under the seat and the lift up desk so you can put your books inside – the books that you eventually forget about during class and wind up leaving without them, only to find yourself in a sea of embarrassment to go back and get them – of course being late to your next class…more embarrassment, and a potential detention..ANYWAY, never happened to me.

Back to the dream..I sit down at the desk and the Tweetdeck chirps are getting LOUDER and closer together!  Man, I think, it’s  hoppin on twitter tonight!

Suddenly, I realize – I’m not the only one here!  My twitter friends!!  They are here as well – but not as actual physical people.  I see their profile pictures and they’re stuck to those wooden Popsicle sticks!  You know those sticks that you used to save and make bird houses out of in summer camp? Man, how many of those did you eat to make one stinkin bird house that really wasn’t all that impressive to your parents and they’re probably thinking – humph money well spent there. ANYWAY, I never went to summer camp..

Can you imagine all of your twitter followers sitting around you in a classroom with their profile picture on little square pieces of paper on a popsicle stick?

Why?  Why did I have that dream?  I don’t get it! Weird…

If you like to tweet, especially regarding anything eBay give me a chirp – @Jennwahm and tell me what you like to sell on eBay.  Tweet Ya Later!

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Hot Seminar Series, Week 4 – Social Mediate

It’s the 4th week of the Hot Seminar Series!   We’re already at the half way mark! This weeks Hot Seminar Series guest is Deb Ng!

There is no need to sign up again, if you’ve already joined.  You should already have your log in information. If you didn’t join, it’s not too late!

Kelly McCausey will introduce you to real people running profitable businesses entirely on the internet. You’ll find out how they got started and what first steps you can take to get rolling with with your own virtual business this fall!

Join us on July 1st, 9pm EST, to learn about Deb as she shares her work at home career as Freelance Writer/Ghostwriter/Paid Blogger – woah!  Busy, busy!

 See you on the inside!

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