Daily Chat

[agnessrainn]

Good morning all ...

Hard to believe it is Dec 1st already.  Soon it will be Christmas.  So much to do to get ready.

Hope you all have an enjoyable season and a wonderful day.

Kate

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

Can't believe Dec 1st  is here already!  Keith put up the Christmas lights today and we'll put up the tree on Wednesday.  One thing about an aritficial tree I don't have to worry about it drying out, I do miss the scent though.  

Sales have been pretty good 3 international sales now.  All sent priority of course.  One each, Australia (bought 12 back issues of movie mags for $236!)  UK is pending payment, and one to a little town in France that was sent off last week.  I am amazed at the shipping prices the collectors are willing to pay. I guess they can't get the item they want in their country.   Still a little nervous about getting burned on the international shipments, I've heard so many horror stories.  

The increase in sales makes me want to raid Keith's rooms (yes he has two bedrooms full plus the guest closet)  for some higher end items to list.  If I don't get faster at it I will be listing when I'm 100!  I really want to set up a local comic con in the next few years.

Hope you all have great sales this month. 

Jenny

[agnessrainn]

Good morning ... it sure is balmy here ... rainy and in the mid 40's.  Windy and a little chilly.

Working on decorating the house ... will get a tree this weekend and get it up and decorated.  We are having the family get together on the 10th.  We usually don't even get out tree until the 10th or so but with our son leaving for San Diego we have had to bump up the holiday celebration.

Glad to hear your sales have been good Jenny, especially international sales.  Have you had any glitches shipping overseas yet?  Sure hope it all goes well for you.

Kate

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

No glitches yet on the shipping, since the packages are still in route.  I am being really selective about which items I list for overseas shipping.  Only things that I know the defects if there are any show in photos.  Sometimes it's hard to make a wrinkle in a comic show up in a pic. 

Have you sold overseas any?  Any advice, areas to avoid? 

We're supposed to start dipping into freezing temps some this week. My back so DOES not like the cold. 

[agnessrainn]

Jenny ... whereabouts are you located.  I am in SW Washington state ... and we have the same forecast.  Sounds like a nasty winter storm coming.  My back and my knees don't like the cold either.

Haven't shipped international so no advice from me ... hoping you have good luck though. 

Kate

[Anonymous]

Jenny, I've been shipping internationally for 10 + years. I tell all international customers that they have to use PayPal. I only use USPS Priority mail and I make sure that I am very specific on the customs forms. Some buyers ask you to reduce the invoice price so they don't have to pay VAT tax or customs fees. I NEVER do that. Also, the small flat rate box and the flat rate envelopes don't include insurance.

I had 2 lost items and they both went to Canada. Apparently Canadian Customs doesn't like to work with US Customs. I had to write both off as a loss. Never got the insurance money either since Canada wouldn't work with me or US Customs.

I don't know if you have your boxes picked up and I don't know if this is still the way it works but it used to be that USPS charged extra to pick up shipments outside the US. Hope this helps.

[agnessrainn]

Good morning all ... still waiting for the big change in the weather that they keep saying is going to happen.  In the meanwhile temperatures are mild with rain.  Warmer then usual for this time of year but rainy like normal.

Hard to believe it is already the holiday season ... we are busy decorating the house and getting ready to start Christmas cards ... I missed out on so much of this last year ... this year I am going all out to make up for it. 

Kate

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

Thanks! I didn't realize that the flat rate bubble envelopes doesn't  include the insurance.  I better start praying that all goes well with my shipments to UK and France.   Thankfully the large Australia one was insured. 

I take my international packages to our post office about 5 miles away.  The rest I take my sub station post office that's about 1/4 mile 🙂  

I knew that some people may ask me to lie on the forms and that is a big NO.  I don't want E-bay to TOSS me plus I am not a law breaking type. 

Thanks for the help!

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

I live in Tucson Arizona, not where people think of cold winters though we did have a blizzard last year. It lasted about 6 hours and was fun because it melted the next day. 

We get freezes a lot during the winter and a hard freezes in the 20's a couple times. 

Between the heat and the cold it makes gardening interesting.

This is a picture from our freak storm last year.   

[whotoldya]

We use Stamps.com for all of our shipping labels. It works great. Also the shipping costs are discounted. 

We can leave the packages for USPS to pick up every day. They know we have them and always pick them up. I made it my business to get to know the delivery lady. Some sellers give them things we only have ever given them bottles of water now and then.

We have a bonus offer number you can try if you sign up with them. It is suppose to give you a discount and some extra things. 

Promo code: C9CJQFY9

DWB

[agnessrainn]

Good morning ... cold and frosty here this morning.

I used to leave my packages for my mailman Mike to pick up ... he was always good about coming out to my porch to pick up packages.  We used to leave him treats now and then ... homemade cookies ... candies ... and always a small Christmas gift.  Sadly, Mike retired this year.  The mailman now is nice ... don't know his name ... but, one day I had two packages to do out ... I watched the mailman deliver the mail ... and then go next door ... I called out to him that he needed to pick up my packages ... he came over ... picked up my packages and said he didn't realize I had packages.  I haven't left a package out since then ... we just run them to the post office or Scott drops them off at the post office on his way to work early in the morning. 

Kate

[Anonymous]

I think it's going to look like that outside my house Friday morning. They are predicting half to full inch of freezing rain that's supposed to change to sleet and then to snow accumulating somewhere between 3 to 5 inches. Back up north that wouldn't have been a big deal but down here it's a really big deal. We're all concerned about power outages because the temps are supposed to drop down into the single digits. Nobody can remember if that's ever happened here.

I'm all set with food, water, batteries, candles, and firewood. Topped the gas off in the car and have it facing down the driveway. Figured if the power is out for any length of time I can charge my cell phone in the car...if the car battery doesn't die. I am not at the stage of having an anxiety attack but I confess I am very nervous about the power going out. There is no question this is my last winter here!

DWB...I thought there was an extra service charge for the stamps.com. Has that changed? I print my labels out directly through eBay and still get a discount. What's nice is they automatically send the buyer the tracking number once the package has been scanned at the post office.

[whotoldya]

O'h those ice storms are horrible. We  used to get those sometimes up in Tax-achusetts.

When a storm would head up northward via the west of us it would bring warm air over the top of the cold air at the bottom. So it'd be 20 degrees on the ground and 40 up  in the clouds. The rain would freeze on the way down and stick to everything. Once the storm was gone the wind would come from the north and freeze everything solid. O'h what a mess.

Sure glad not to be up there any more. Word is the taxes on our previous property are $20,000 now. They were around $4000 when we left.

Stamps does charge a monthly fee yes.

Our website business is very strong.

We send out a lot of packages. Also we get the maximum discounts with them. So the fee is only pennies per package.  WE have it set up to contact the customer with the tracking. And it also sends tracking to ebay and paypal. We print with one of those Dymo thermo label printers. That thing is fabulous. 

You are probably better off using ebay shipping.

We all need to find out what works best for us.

[agnessrainn]

Good morning ...

Boy oh boy is it cold here ... it was 19* when we got up at 4:30 but it has dropped now to 17* ... they say we might get snow tomorrow.  The wind is supposed to pick up so there will be a wind chill factor as well. 

Glad you are all prepared there Soloinar ... keep safe and stay warm.

Kate

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

BRRR, here I am complaining becasuse it's going to be 32 tongiht with light rain! 

Our power used to get knocked out at least once a season during wind storms, summer and winter.   We run the heat until we're sweating if it's cold weather and turn the air on until I our teeth are chattering if it's hot weather anytime we hear that a big storm is coming our way.

Also have to run the heater extra at night when we have freezes becasue I have a heat pump that doesn't work unless the outside temps are above 40!  Makes for some chilly mornings if I forget to turn the heater up before I go to bed.  The heat exchanger freezes and then were SOL until the sun thaws it or we can make ourselves colder and thaw but running the airconditioning!   

Hope you stay warm.