Thursday, August 24, 2017
Where have I been? I attended the Boy Scout jamboree and came home with so much new inventory that I've been selling like a bandit this month. At my peak I had over 1200 live auctions kicking. So it's been a good and busy summer but I'm ready to settle back into a schedule that includes the WWII Hot Finds.
During that summer crush I actually had a day with over 100 orders that got filled. I'm not used to doing that kind of volume on eBay but when it's Christmas for Scout collectors I had to get it done. My kids are back to school Monday so at 9 AM I should be back at my desk and on track for the rest of 2017.
We are squeezing out a couple last days of vacation at the beach after enjoying the solar eclipse at my mom's house in SC. What are the chances that the house I grew up was exactly in the zone of totality for the amazing eclipse. It was quite an amazing event that I'll never forget. This is a picture of my son Patrick taking it all in. He earned an eclipse patch from the Cub Scouts that we will put on his uniform as he starts off as a Wolf this fall.
My wife and I were going over the schedule today and it looks like I have about 7 hours during the work day to get as much stuff up and listed on eBay. That comes out to a 35 hour work week although as an entrepreneur I would just assume it be twice that. But family, Scouts and church calls so I have to remember all things in moderation.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
There is no summer doldrums for this category if you are willing to look. I found plenty of great pieces that are ending soon in the United States category.
I have been binge watching the Amazon Prime tv show "Man In The High Castle" which imagines a world where the USA lost WWII. The Germans control the United States east of the Rockies. Needless to say for a WWII nut it's a really interesting show of what if.
In the tv show I mentioned the Japanese empire controls what they call the "Pacific States". The show takes a pretty deep dive on Japanese culture and how that would intersect with a fictional world where the Nazis are a threat while a home grown resistance pushes back against occupation.
I always close out the newsletter with a sneak peek at the WWI category to see what's shaking. I look for about a dozen live auctions that are getting bids and ending in the next few days. These picks certainly fit the bill.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
There are some unique pieces in this block including that odd ships buoy that has been turned into a picture frame. When you see the pin featuring the pictures of the 3 allied leaders kinda makes you realize what strange bedfellows the war made with Stalin alongside Roosevelt and Churchhill.
Sometimes you have to read the fine print when it comes to these eBay listings in foreign countries. I was investigating the details on the 2 rings pictured below. Turns out the shipping will take 2-3 weeks and possible as long as 6 weeks (ouch) and there are no returns from CAN or USA. Well I don't think I'll be buying from that seller.
The Internet has all be abuzz over this weekends History Channel special that proposes proof that Amelia Earhart landed in the Marshall Islands and was capture by the Japanese. I have to say that's a pretty convincing photograph they found in the national archives.
If you take a close look at that British propaganda poster it's striking how severe the imagery is. I don't think this would fly even during wartime in today's politically correct system.