AuctionBytes-Update Number 30 - January 21, 2001 - ISSN 1528-6703

AuctionBytes-Update is a free newsletter for online auction buyers and sellers. Read reviews of online-auction products and services, tips on being more efficient, and information about antiques and collectibles. AuctionBytes-Update is published by email twice a month. (Print it out for easier reading.)

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IN THIS ISSUE:
1) From the Editor
2)Making Your Own Items to Sell Online: A Look at Three "HomeMade" Entrepreneurs
3) OAUA Evaluates Web-Based Auction Management Systems
4) The Gimp: Free Photo Editing Software
5) COLLECTOR'S CORNER: Madame Alexander Dolls, Pulp Magazines
6) This & That: eBay Price Increase, eBay University
7) Newsflash
8) Letter from Reader
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1) FROM THE EDITOR

Is it just me or does eBay not like 10-day auctions? David listened in on eBay's earnings conference call on Thursday and learned that eBay wants to encourage shorter listing cycles. To motivate users to shorten auction lengths, eBay has tacked a 10 cent premium on ten-day auctions and instituted features like "Buy It Now". This makes sense from their point of view - listings require storage space and use searching capacity, so the shorter the auctions, the better. From a seller's point of view, however, ten-day auctions are great - if timed properly, they can span over two weekends, getting greater exposure from potential bidders.

Rather than limit our choices, I wish eBay would allow greater flexibility in setting up auctions. For example, I like my auctions to start on Thursdays. I'd like to be able to prepare my auctions over the weekend, when I have more time, and have them automatically post on the following Thursday. That way, I don't have to stay up late Thursday nights posting auctions!

Everyone has their own preferences and philosophies regarding length-of-auction and end-of-auction timing. Let's accommodate such preferences and people's busy schedules. We want more flexibility, eBay, not less!

***
I love email newsletters. I don't have a lot of time, so getting information delivered right to my inbox is very convenient. That's why we are making the Newsflash feature of our Web site also available in email format. If you would like a brief summary of what's new in the online auction world, sign up for Newsflash by sending a blank email to auctionflash-subscribe@topica.com .

***
I never really thought about online auction sites being great vehicles for selling homemade items. In this issue, David profiles three sellers who found a thriving marketplace online for their homemade wares. Also in this issue, Edith Reynolds tries out a free photo-editing software program, and in Collector's Corner we have stories on Madame Alexander dolls and pulp magazines. Enjoy!

Ina Steiner, Editor
email: ina@auctionbytes.com

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2) Making Your Own Items to Sell Online: A Look at Three "HomeMade" Entrepreneurs
By David Steiner

If you are not an expert in antiques, don't have a source of wholesale computer parts, or lack a supplier of inexpensive vacation packages, taking the plunge into the world of online auctions might seem a tad difficult. Having a product to sell is often a major obstacle for the person who is considering eBay for extra income or a full time job.

But while eBay may be best known for Pez dispensers and Beanie Babies, a closer look at the Site reveals a vast array of unique items, many of them having their own loyal clientele.

Here are three profiles of online entrepreneurs, who used a little homegrown ingenuity, found a niche and put their talents to work for them. Perhaps they'll inspire you to jump in with both feet as they did!

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Chocolate Magic
Teri Thomas (eBay: chocomagic) offers home-baked goods online. A professional pastry chef, Teri not only teaches at a gourmet cooking school in Toledo, Ohio but also bakes desserts for some of the area's finest restaurants. While working at an antiques store, Teri got her first experience with auction sites when her boss decided to try selling a few things online.

"Through listing things for him I became very familiar with eBay," says Teri. " I thought to myself, what could I sell on here?"

It didn't take Teri long to find the "Foodstuffs" category on eBay, and soon she was successfully selling her delicacies online. Do an eBay search of chocomagic's auctions and you'll find a great selection of Rum Balls, Buzz cookies (peanut-butter topped chocolate chip cookies), and Wizbangs (Kahlua and Frangelico cream-filled chocolate cookies).

The key to Teri's success is the freshness of her baked goods.

"My auctions run from Sunday to Sunday." She explains, "Nothing is ever pre-made or pre-baked. Everything is done to order. When I get the money and it goes out the next day priority mail. If someone pays with one of the online pay services I use, they can expect their goodies in three days."

Teri's special touch is evident not only in her auction pictures, but also when packing her baked goods.

"I spend a lot of money and time on packaging," says Teri. "There's nothing worse than spending $25 on a couple of dozen cookies that arrive in crumbs! Presentation is everything."

Being an experienced pastry chef has also served Teri well, as she is well versed in the local health codes that she must follow to sell food online. "Selling online is no different than opening a store," Teri explains, "in this case, a bakery."

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Hart Cottage Quilts
Leigh Fellner (eBay: hcquilts) began quilting in the Fall of 1998 to keep herself busy and quickly became enamored with her new avocation. Within six weeks, she found that she had built quite a stockpile of her original creations and decided to sell one on eBay. "The first one - a lap quilt - sold for over $200. You could've knocked me over with a feather!" laughs Leigh.

Since then, Leigh has sold about 65 quilts on eBay and has never looked back.

"I try to finish at least one a week," she explains, and cites her own, unique style as the underlying key to her success. "Nobody is selling quilts like mine on eBay or any other auction site. All my designs are original, one-off, my color sense is sort of wacky, and I dye my own fabric and use a lot of pre-1950 textiles."

Leigh has developed a loyal following of bidders, and receives many requests for commission work. She has even set up a Web site < http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/cheyne/1205/id20.htm> to display her original designs. But she prefers the world of online auctions where she can express herself freely, then auction her work off and let the market decide the value.

"You have to find the right price-point and the right style," Leigh counsels, "But you can't be prone to getting hurt feelings if something doesn't sell as well as you'd liked, or guilt if something you think is merely OK triggers a bidding war."

So what advice does Leigh have for the person who is considering following her footsteps?

"If something doesn't net the profit you'd like, you can't blame it on somebody else. You can't get lazy or sloppy. Research - of the economy, your own market niche, textile and quilt trends, textile history - is an endless task, so you'd better really love what you do. Fortunately I do."

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Dolled Up - The Ouma Collection
Sure there may be a lot of Barbie dolls on eBay, but who's going to dress them all?

Carol Petts, that's who! Carol (eBay: Ouma) is known to friends and family as Ouma, and she makes a wide selection of clothing for Barbie, American Girl, and Betsy McCall dolls, to name just a few.

Ouma began making doll clothing for her own children 40 years ago. When her children had children, she began dressing up their dolls with her creations. Soon, friends were requesting Ouma originals as well. She became so prolific that she would take the extras to sell at craft fairs, but after moving to a more rural environment where there were fewer venues for her doll clothes, Ouma discovered eBay.

A retired math professor, Ouma has been selling online for three years and posts about 25 auctions a week with a sell-through rate well over 90%. But with most of her doll clothes selling for under $15, how does she manage to make a profit?

"Most of my sewing is for custom work," she explains. "When I make a dress for someone, I do two of the same thing and sell one on eBay. This is what lets me sell to people as low as I do."

Ouma genuinely enjoys her craft, and even helps doll collectors with themes for their collections. She is currently creating Medieval costumes for one collector and an entire Civil War set for another.

"My husband says I am a workaholic, so I just sew to keep busy in my retirement."

Ouma may sell just to keep busy, but a quick look at over 1,100 feedback responses she has received shows that she has many repeat customers who are happy that she can't sit still.

Chocomagic's MePage: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/chocomagic
Hart Cottage Quilts Web site: http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/cheyne/1205/id20.htm
Ouma's eBay auction page: http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewLi stedItems&userid=ouma&include=0&since=-1&sort=2&rows=25

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3) OAUA Evaluates Web-Based Auction Management Systems
By Ina Steiner

The Online Auction Users Association recently completed an independent evaluation of six Web-based auction management systems <http://www.auctionusers.org/eval/wbams.shtml>.

The reviewers were OAUA members, all of them experienced online auction users, who volunteered to be part of the OAUA product evaluation team. They signed confidentiality agreements and certified that they have no connection to the products they evaluated.

Steve T. of OAUA developed the methodology, the evaluation tools and wrote the final reports based on the reviewers' reports. Each auction system was evaluated by at least three testers, and the final reports are a compilation of their assessments.

The Evaluation
Auction management tools help sellers organize and post their items to auction Web sites like eBay. Web-based auction management systems are just that - you access the programs via the Internet. This is opposed to software that is installed on the seller's computer. The advantage of using computer-installed software is that you can do much of the work offline, a definite plus if you have a dial-up connection and are paying for Internet access by the minute. OAUA will be releasing a review of auction management software in the future.

Here are the six Web-based auction tools OAUA evaluated: Andale, AuctionFlow, AuctionWatch Auction Manager, AuctionWorks, GoTo Auction Manager and ManageAuctions. Three of the programs are free to use, and three are paid services. The cost of the services seems to have no relationship to the overall ratings. For example, the highest overall rating was given to GoTo Auction Manager, a free program.

This is a very nice comparison of the auction management systems available to auction users, and well worth reading. I'm looking forward to OAUA's review of the auction management software, which will be released soon.

Editor's Note: You can read about the Online Auction Users Association (OAUA) in a recent issue of AuctionBytes at < http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/27/28/28.html#oaua>.

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4) The Gimp: Free Photo Editing Software
By Edith Reynolds

Despite its politically incorrect name, The Gimp (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) is actually a nimble little file-swapping answer to Adobe's costly Photoshop software program. The Gimp performs such tasks as photo retouching, online batch processing, image rendering, and format conversion. If you take digital photos of your auction items, you can use The Gimp software to edit your photos before uploading them to a hosting service.

The Gimp uses GNUtella, the open source peer-to-peer file-sharing similar to lawsuit-riddled Napster. But in the case of GNUtella, there is no central server, thus it can't be shut down over royalty issues. Gimp creators Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis came up with the idea during their school days at Berkeley. The site continues and thrives with a cadre of faithful followers who regularly contribute to improving the program and launching ancillary sites that add benefits, list bugs, and serve as an online pep rally.

How well does The Gimp actually perform? According to our shop's jack-of-all-trades and Gimp cheerleader Furlan Primus, we should see very little difference between it and Photoshop. The best way to test this theory was to try it for ourselves. The first and wisest decision I made was to delegate the task to 18-year-old Vicky Semrow, who spent her high school years learning Photoshop. Our challenge was to create a simple Web page that rose above our Romper Room reject we had concocted using Frontpage.

Before lifting one finger to the keyboard, Vicky immediately started whining that we'd be MUCH BETTER OFF with Photoshop. My answer was to remind the girl that the $600 or so we'd spend on Photoshop could be better used elsewhere--say--PAYING HER SALARY. Vicky agreed, but not happily.

The look of The Gimp is similar to Photoshop. It employs toolboxes with understandable symbols. But despite these similarities, Vicky reported that some of the actual processes seemed backward and began another torrent of complains that had to be quieted with a quick smack to the head. That done, she was off and running.

What we hoped to accomplish was a simple image backdrop for the home page. Because we own an antiquarian bookstore, our initial design was a nice picture of 7 books. Vicky erased the titles and inserted text that dedicated each spine to the different menu operations. Then we exported the result to Frontpage to tidy everything up and publish.

During the actual work we heard a lot about Photoshop's superior methods, but as she got used to using The Gimp, Vicky's fingers flew across the keyboard, creating just the image we had in mind. Unfortunately, when she was done and ready for Frontpage, the consensus of everyone in the shop was that we hated it.

We went back to the drawing board to put The Gimp through the paces once more. This time we shot a digital image of an entire shelf of books. Miss Vicky began erasing and replaced the text with clean portions of the spine. We then prompted her to lighten the image and by her nature she began to play. That's how we discovered THE LOOK! Vicky had turned the image to black & white (or rather shades of gray). Without adding text this time, we exported her new creation and began adding the menu bar, the logo, and the spiffy Flash portion for the lower right hand corner. The menu was no problem but the logo (being text) had to be inserted piecemeal and the Flash didn't work.

Why, was it something with The Gimp? No, it turned out to be a simple error--the jpeg background was not compatible with our idea and simply changing it to wallpaper solved the problem. See <http://www.sellusyourbooks.com> for Vicky's final result.

So, when we all stopped breathing down her neck, Vicky's response to The Gimp was: "It's okay, but I like Photoshop better." This free software program may take a little time to learn, but time is all you'll pay. Given the fact that you'd have to spend time to learn Photoshop as well, The Gimp proves to be a bargain. When given the choice of whether to buy Photoshop or continue with The Gimp and use the cash we saved to buy her a present, Vicky quickly learned to love (tolerate) The Gimp. Our Miss Vick can be seen here <http://www.taxter.com/images/MVC-006S.JPG> working in her spiffy new chair that rocks, rolls, and slides up and down.

How can The Gimp help the average online auction user?
According to David Busch, who wrote the "Guerrilla Guide to Great Graphics with The Gimp," simple techniques of photo enhancement are available. You may want to improve your images for clarity. Blotches can be erased using the same technique Vicky employed to erase the lettering off the spines of books. You can isolate the item you want to sell from the other images in the photograph.

For example, you snap a photo of your 1992 Toyota that's seen better days. With The Gimp, you can eliminate the background completely, lighten the image and add text with arrows to point out the flaws the buyer needs to recognize.

Granted, you can live without The Gimp for most of your auction images. But the program is free and readily available. And this gives you the benefit of exploring options like creating better-looking ads, pages that are linked to ads, and more involved graphics.

How to Download The Gimp
Go to the Web site <http://www.gimp.org>
Click on the download portion of the menu
Go to the bottom of the list of countries and under the United States, choose <ftp://ftp.cs.umn.edu/pub/gimp>
On the next page, click on gimp, then choose win32 version
On the last page before the actual download, you'll choose gimp-setup-20001226.zip

Recommended Reading
"Grokking the Gimp" at <http://www.gimp-savvy.com> (a tutorial manual, also available through bookstores)
Federico Mena-Quintero's Gimp Web site at <~http://luthien.nuclecu.unam.mx/~federico/gimp>

Edith Reynolds is a former newspaper and magazine writer. She and her husband Dan own an antiquarian bookstore, The John Bale Book Company in Waterbury, CT. For the past nine years, they have specialized in early Americana and rare bindings. They are members of the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers of America Association), ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers), IOBA (International Online Booksellers Association), and OAUA (Online Auction Users Association). Edith manages online sales. In addition to their bookstore, they sell on eBay and at book fairs. Visit Edith's Web sites, http://www.taxter.com and http://www.usiana.com. eBay IDs: TAXTER , TAXTER2 , TAXTER3 , USIANA , BALEBOOKS

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>AUCTION FORECAST:

David's auction forecast calls for a mixed day for Sunday, January 21, 2001:
5-day auction: Fair
7-day auction: Good
10-day auction: Bad
(Don't forget, Super Bowl is Sunday, January 28!!!)

Click here for an extended auction forecast:
<http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/calendar/calendar.html >
Bookmark it!

Brought to you by AuctionBytes Yellow Pages at
<http://www.online-auction-directory.com>
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5) COLLECTOR'S CORNER: Madame Alexander Dolls, Pulp Magazines

COLLECTOR'S CORNER: Collecting Madame Alexander Dolls
By Diana Lucas

The Alexander Doll Company in New York has been making and selling dolls since the late 1920s and is still making dolls today. Alexander dolls offer the collector a wide variety of doll sizes and styles in many different materials. They began with cloth dolls in the 1923, then made composition, hard plastic, vinyl, rigid plastic and porcelain dolls.

The Alexander Doll Company produced everything from sweet child-like dolls such as Wendy (8"), Lissy (12") and Little Shaver (7" to 22"); to full-figured, lady dolls, such as Cissy (21") and Elise (16 1/2 to 17"); to play dolls for children such as Puddin (14" to 21"), Pussycat (14" to 24") and Victoria (14" to 20"). (You can see some photos here: < http://www.auctionbytes.com/images/alexanderdolls.JPG>.)

Due to the sheer number of dolls made, most collectors narrow their collection to certain years or doll types, such as Lissy or Elise. Beginners should research the Alexander category and get a feel for the types of dolls available and see which ones they like the best before buying.

Almost all Madame Alexander dolls are marked on the back of the head with 'ALEX' or 'ALEXANDER,' so, when bargain hunting, you should be sure to check for the mark. Look closely, because this mark wears off easily on the vintage dolls. There are exceptions, of course, but learning how to tell whether an unmarked doll is an Alexander will only come with regular handling and exposure to the dolls.

Well-known for their high-quality and detailed clothing, Alexander dolls lose most of their value if the original clothes are not present or have been replaced. Condition is also extremely important and is second only to rarity. Several of the most popular dolls, such as Cissy, Lissy, and Elise, have avid collectors who buy nude dolls and then outfit them in style using vintage patterns.

Alexander-made clothing is marked with a cloth tag stating the name of the doll or simply 'Madame Alexander.' This tag is usually on the outside of the garment in the back or sewn inside the seam of a skirt or blouse. And not every pieces of a multiple-piece outfit will be tagged. If the tag was cut off, which often happened, you can look for clues: some of the earliest clothes had buttons, but a quickly identifiable feature on their clothing is square metal snaps.

One thing to keep in mind when bidding on a nude doll is the price of vintage (pre-1970s) tagged Alexander clothing. They can be extremely expensive - into the hundreds, even thousands of dollars - because vintage Alexander clothing in great condition is very difficult to find. If you don't have to have vintage clothing, then those lovely vintage dolls generally fix up and display beautifully with the addition of a suitable outfit.

There are many reference books to help the collector. I personally recommend "The Collector's Encyclopedia of Madame Alexander Dolls 1965-1990" by Patricia Smith and "Madame Alexander Collectors Dolls Price Guide #25" by Linda Crowsey. There are over two dozen books on Alexander dolls, many of them out of print, but they are well worth finding and owning.

Editor's Note: try http://www.bibliofind.com to find the books mentioned.

Diana Lucas (auction ID: dianasdolls) has been collecting all kinds of dolls for over twelve years and has specialized in Madame Alexander dolls for the last eight. She sells on eBay as a stay-at-home mom for her two children, William and Katherine. Her Web site, focusing on dolls and related items, ( http://www.dianasdollsandbooks.com) is currently a work in progress. Email: lucasfamily@foxinternet.net

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COLLECTOR'S CORNER: Pulps
A Thrilling, Fantastic, Amazing Story: The Unknown Worlds of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Pulps And Why YOU Should Collect 'Em!! - Part 1

So, what is the Stamps Editor doing writing an article about "pulps"? Ever since I was a little kid, I've been fascinated by the pulps, just as I was fascinated by old comics from the "Golden Age" and old stamps. As an 8 year-old kid, what amazed me about the pulps were those covers! Scantily clad women on the covers of Planet or Jungle, distant stars on the cover of Fantasy and Science Fiction,...the list goes on.

The pulp titles - Astounding, Amazing, Unknown, Weird Tales, Fantastic - became legendary to me, just in the same way that Detective, Flash, Sensation and Marvel Mystery were legendary from a comic perspective. Yet, while I was able to track down old comics, where were the pulp magazines? They seemed nowhere to be found. As an adult, I have had some opportunities to begin to track pulps down, and in fact, eBay provides a small but thriving marketplace for the pulps.

Here's some background on pulp. The pulp category is huge. The fantasy and sci-fi pulps from the 1930s and 1940s are what really caught my imagination as a kid. Yet, this genre is just the tip of the iceberg of the pulp world. Other pulp genres include western, mystery, war, adventure, jungle themes, sports, and short stories. Each separate genre includes fabulous cover art and great stories! For example, a comic audience should not be surprised to see Schomburg, Kinstler, and other golden age classic comic book cover artists working on the pulp covers of these other genres. Great authors (outside the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genres) include the likes of Zane Grey and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

A small but loyal pulp collector base exists. I went to my first-ever pulp convention this year, in Dayton, Ohio. This convention, "Pulp-con," is one of the granddaddies of all of the pulp conventions. Yet the entire convention could fit within about 1/8 of large regional comic convention such as the Motor City Con.

So, why should a sci-fi and fantasy pulp renaissance take place? Why are these magazines worth collecting? Several reasons:
- Famous authors.
- Fabulous stories that have been reprinted dozens of times.
- Cover art that easily rivals and often exceeds the most classic cover art of golden age comics.
- Highly underrated interior art.
- Scarcity. Llike golden age comics, these items are 50-80 year old paper products that nobody ever thought were worthy or deserving of saving. Mostly, these magazines were read once or twice and tossed out in the trash. The paper drives of WWII claimed many of the rest. For those that survived, many were left out in a well-lighted place and gradually decomposed through the twin-action of sunlight and the very woody pulp paper that they were printed on. Insects, rodents and the elements claimed much of what remained. It seems fairly clear that no more than a few dozen fairly high grade examples remain of any given early issue, particularly from prior to WWII, and often, like rare comics, only a handful of high grade examples remain.

Why should comic book collectors care? The two areas of collecting have striking similarities. What "sells" a collector on a classic golden age comic? Well, the first appearance of a character; early work of a famous artist; and, of course, a fabulous cover. Increasingly, in fact, a great cover is the dominant factor that sells a book, as first appearances and early work generally result in such high prices as to make the comic unaffordable except to a privileged few. Pulps work in the same way: classic covers drive purchases, as well as key authors and characters. A bonus with pulps is that at this time, prices are such that first appearances and early works of key authors are still eminently obtainable.

Moreover, some of the classic pulps have golden age comic book equivalents, such as Planet Stories/Planet Comics; Jungle Stories/Jungle Comics; and The Shadow. In fact, golden age comic covers "swiped" pulp cover art, and vice versa! These create natural, complementary collecting goals.

Finally, I don't think that I'm the only comic book collector that has read a sci-fi or fantasy book! How cool is it to be able to expand your collecting to such a closely related area? Even better, the prices for classic pulps are so inexpensive compared to golden age (and even classic silver age) comic books that a comic book collector really can feel like a kid with his nice aunt or uncle in a candy store when collecting pulps!

And in the next issue, I'll guide you through one of my recent purchases.

Stamps & Pulp Fiction Editor John Kirsner has been collecting stamps since he was 5 years old. He still has his Minuteman Stamp album with his name on the inside front cover in crayon. John lives in Columbus, Ohio, is married to Lisa, and works as a healthcare attorney. eBay ID: JKLAW

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6) This & That: eBay Price Increase, eBay University

eBay Price Increase
As we announced in Newsflash (January 16), eBay has increased its insertion fees for all auctions. A new .10 additional fee for 10-day auction was also instituted. This is the first fee insertion increase on eBay since December 1996. For full announcement, go to: < http://www2.ebay.com/aw/announce.shtml>. More information is also available at: <http://pages.ebay.com/community/news/price_increaseFAQ.html>.

eBay University
eBay is holding 1-day classes with tips and tricks from eBay experts. The cost is $25. Check the schedule here: < http://pages.ebay.com/university>

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7) Newsflash Highlights - See Web Site for Full Details and Continuous Coverage
Go to <http://www.auctionbytes.com > and click on Newsflash.

eBay Replaces High-End "Great Collections" Site with "eBay Premier" (January 6, 2001)

AuctionWatch Goes Corporate, Cancels Appraisal Service (January 20, 2001)

New Policy from PayPal Helps Sellers Lower Risk (January 20, 2001)

eBay Announces Glitch in "Buy It Now" Feature (January 20, 2001)

Ebay announces Earnings (January 18, 2001)

Analysts Speculate a Viacom Takeover of Yahoo(January 18, 2001)

U.S. Government Launches Web Site (January 18, 2001)

PayPal in Trouble with Better Business Bureau (January 17, 2001)

Ebay Raises Insertion Fees (January 16, 2001)

User Fees on the Horizon at AuctionWatch? (January 12, 2001)

Hard Rock Cafe to Auction Beatles Memorabilia on eBay (January 13, 2001)

eBay's "Buy It Now" Feature Now Permanent

Re/Max Sues eBay over Television Commercial (January 12, 2001)

Fedex and USPS in Alliance (January 12, 2001)

Fees Take Effect at Yahoo Auctions( January 11, 2001)

TV "Survivor" Rudy Gets His Own Action Figure (January 10, 2001)

Yahoo Auctions Gets Serious with Deadbeat Bidders (January 9, 2001)

Mercata to Cease Operations on January 31, 2001 (January 9, 2001)

BE SURE AND VISIT OUR WEB SITE FOR COMPLETE DAILY AUCTION NEWS!
AND NOW YOU CAN SIGN UP TO RECEIVE NEWSFLASH VIA EMAIL!

The "Newsflash" column brings you DAILY online auction news. Go to
http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/newsflash/newsflash.htm l for the latest online auction news and announcements. To subscribe via email, send a BLANK email to: auctionflash-subscribe@topica.com

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8) Letter from Reader: Use Tshirts to Advertise Your Web Site

Pam P. (eBay: pzp), a faithful reader, wrote asking about the Cafe Press Tshirts we're selling. She shared a great idea that she uses for advertising her Web site. Pam sells "horsies" - model horses - on her site <http://www.horsies.net>. She prints up Tshirts with her logo (which is really cute!) and gives them away to people who live-show models if they promise to wear them at the shows. The Tshirts are striking, and I'm sure she generates a lot of interest that way.
Thanks for the tip, Pam!

You can read about ordering your own Tshirts at Cafe Press in the last issue at <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/29/29.html#cafe>. And if you'd like to order an AuctionBytes Tshirt, check out our "virtual" store at < http://www.cafepress.com/auctionbytes>.

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Please use the AuctionBytes Yellow Pages when you are shopping for supplies and services for online auctions and collectibles! <http://www.online-auction-directory.com>
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AuctionBytes-Update ISSN 1528-6703
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