Selling on Ebay - get more bang for your buck with 123Show!

Want to keep your Ebay listing fees down to a minimum?

Q: Do you have things you want to sell on Ebay, but want to do it for a minimal amount without racking up tons of listing fees?

A: I sure do, but I have a lot of pictures I want to show of the items I'm selling. The first picture's free, but after that they really start adding up and even more so if I want to add zoom, etc.!

Well no problem, I'm going to tell you about an application I came across that I've been using for all my listings that really keeps my picture fees down!

How to create listings with many pictures for less! 

 

In my Ebay adventures I came across a great application called 123Show. It gives you the capability to embed a template with pictures in it into your listings. You can still upload the one free picture that Ebay gives you so that a picture will show up in Search Results, but beyond that you won't need to upload any more pictures on Ebay!

To start you will need to log in to Ebay and go to the Applications tab. If you don't have an Applications tab you can get there by going to this url: http://applications.ebay.com/selling?EAppsHome

Once at the Applications Center do a search for 123Show. When you find 123Show click on it and take a look at the features and plans they provide. There's a free plan with 250 MB of space you can try out if you'd like to test it out first. I personally use the 10 GB plan as I list 300-400+ items per month and need to be able to store a lot of pictures. Depending on your sales you may need more or less space.

Once you choose which plan you want to subscribe to, click Confirm Subscription on the bottom.

After a few minutes you should be able to use your 123Show account. You can get to it very easily from My Ebay and clicking on Applications.

Now you're ready to make your first template!

First go to 123Show and then browse through all of the available templates you can choose from. There's a little something for everyone here. You can choose from Single Image, Thumbnail, Color Swatch, 360 Spin, Slide Show, Zoom, Hotspot, Magnifier, eCatalogs, and Alt Views.

I personally like "Zoom, Slideshow" the best, but you might find one that better suits your needs. Once you find one that you can't live without you can add it to your favorites to find it more easily in the future. After you've done that click "Choose" at the bottom of the template. Next, you'll want to add pictures to your template. Click on the picture of the computer monitor on the upper right hand side and choose whatever pictures you want to upload to this template.

Once you're done uploading pictures you also have the option to add text, stickers, borders, etc. to your template. These options can be found on the left toolbar. I usually skip this step unless I have an item I want to draw particular attention to.

After you're sure you are complete with your template click "Next Step" on the bottom right. If everything looks perfect to you, click "Publish Me." You now have two options. You can either copy and paste the html that has been provided and manually insert it into your listing under the "Html" tab next to "Description" or you can click on the "Ebay" button below the html and choose which listing(s) you'd like to add this template to. I always use the first option just because I like to have the power to decide where I place the template in my listings. You can try out both options and then decide which option works for you the best.

Congratulations! You have created your first 123Show template and are well on your way to saving lots of $$$, but at the same time creating more customized listings that will be sure to grab your buyer's attention!

Good luck and let me know how things go! :-)

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What makes the 1909 S VDB so special?

A controversial history

Have you ever looked at price guides for coins and came across one particular coin called a 1909 S VDB that was worth just $750 in low condition and up to $5000 and more in very high conditions? Did you scratch your head and wonder to yourself, "Why is this one coin worth so much more than the others and what in the world is a VDB?" Well, the answer to that questions lies in both history and the number that was minted.

The answers to your questions 

Let's start out by taking a trip back in time to the year 1909. President Theodore Roosevelt wanted to commemorate Lincoln's centennial (100 year anniversary of Lincoln's birth). Roosevelt came across Victor David Brenner, a sculptor and numismatist who recently produced a medal and plaque of Lincoln in 1907. Brenner suggested the idea of putting Lincoln's face on a cent as the Indian Head penny had been used for half a century and it seemed the appropriate coin to use. Roosevelt liked this idea and so plans ensued for the redesign of the one cent. On August 2, 1909 the Lincoln cent was released into circulation. People went crazy over this new coin and quickly scooped up every single available one.

All was not well in paradise, however, as in the background many people were upset about the prominent initials of Brenner (V.D.B.) on the reverse of the coin. Some said that since Brenner had been paid for to make this design and he was basically a hired workman no recognition was needed. Others said that the letters were too prominent and that most people didn't know what the initials meant and thought it had some sort of secret meaning. Soon complaints and demands were made to the Mint demanding that the initials be taken off any future mints of this coin.

In addition, other did not like the new cent as they believed the wheat stalks on the reverse did not represent this species of grain in real life. Others even included comments that Southerners did not like Lincoln in the first place and that the use of his face on the cent was unfortunate. However, it has been said that black citizens eagerly snatched up these souvenirs of the "Great Emancipator."

The Mint soon made plans to continue production of the Lincoln cent but with the V.D.B. initials removed. By this time Roosevelt had completed his term as president and was succeeded by William Howard Taft who did not have interest in the matters of coins.

The 1909 V.D.B. cent minted in Philadelphia (27,995,000 were minted) remained plentiful for a long time as hobby dealers did not make a big deal of their rarity and focused rather on the 1909 S V.D.B. minted in San Francisco (only 484,000 of these were minted). This coin quickly was considered scarce and later was considered rare. These coins with a small "S" mint mark below the 1909 date and with the initials V.D.B. on the reverse created a treasure-seeking mentality in many people's minds and the urge to search through pocket change to find this rare treasure. As the years have gone by thousands of these have been taken out circulation, but there are still so many collectors out there that need this coin to fill their collections or albums 1909 S V.D.B. hole.

Perhaps now you also, after knowing the intriguing story of the 1909 S V.D.B., will start searching in your pocket change or in that old jar of wheat pennies you've been saving since you were a kid. You never know when you might get lucky and find the true King of the Lincoln cents!

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