Ice Cream & Candy

Do you like Ice Cream ?

Do you like Candy ?

Especially Chocolate M&M`s ?

These Cone shaped M&M Candy Ice Cream dishes will hold LOTS of Ice Cream and toss in a Handful of Chocolate M&M`s for a Yummy Refreshing Summertime ( or any season really ) Treat !

These dishes can be yours and you can purchase them here ..

http://cgi.ebay.com/M-M-Ice-Cream-Cone-Sundae-Dishes-HIS-RED-HERS-GREEN-/350448027851?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51985488cb




And while you are in the confines of my store KDMORE-CRAFTS-AND-MORE

Why don`t you browse around to see what other treasures I have in there.

Earthquake and Tsunami Hit Japan

Think this is Japan? Think again.

This is the flood in Nashville last year in 2010. Do you remember it? Probably not.

The reason I am posting this is because over the next few days we will be bombarded with ads and postings on Facebook and Twitter that the Red Cross needs our money so they can help the people in Japan. George Clooney will most likely come forward and do a telethon to raise more money and it can be sent "over there." Stars will appear, music will be sung....you get the picture.

While I think this is a noble cause, it often disturbs me that those of us in the United States are so quick to raise money to help people in other countries, but where was George Clooney when Nashville was underwater?

Ironically, there was a telethon for Nashville, but did it get national coverage? Was George Clooney there? A search through Google tells us that this telethon was on a local station WSMV. Taylor Swift even contributed $500,000 to it for flood relief. Later Vince Gill raised 1.7 million for the Salvation Army. Money was raised, but outside of Nashville - did anyone know it was needed?

The point I'm getting at (and there is one)... is....why do we (American citizens) rush for our checkbooks and pocketbooks when another country has a catastrophic event, but we are so slow to reach for them when it is one of our own? Do we think the government is going to take care of it? Why does the coverage on CNN go on for days when it is elsewhere (not counting Katrina), but Nashville was just a blip on our news channels and then it was on to more important things like what Lindsay Lohan wore to court or whether Michael Jackson's doctor was going to be indicted?

I'm not saying we shouldn't donate, nope - not saying that at all. What I am saying is - that when you feel the need to give - look at your own backyard. There may be people here that need your help just as much as they do elsewhere, perhaps even more so since there is no media coverage of their plight.

A Little Lesson on Photos for Online Listings

It is something I run into every day on eBay, poor quality pictures in a listing. Since the days we were allowed to start inserting photos into listings I can remember this was an area I could stand out as a seller. The old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" is absolutely correct!

Even after all these years I still find myself struggling to get the best pictures possible of items, I like to think I do a pretty good job, but always room for improvement I'm sure!

So some tips:

1. Have adequate lighting, here are two examples good lighting and poor lighting...

2. Crop as much excess from around the actual item for sale and you can still see in the examples above the difference.

3. Take photos with this thought in mind, "my customer does not have this item in their hand so I must in essence put it in their hand and take the best photos of all pertinent angles including the bottom, especially in the case of porcelain and glass items even if they have nothing on them."

4. Make your images large enough to view without enlarging, people in this day and age are not into clicking on things to see them, you will lose people's interest fast if you make them click through to see the item they may be interested in.

5. If there is ANY damage on the item include a closeup! Can't emphasize this enough. You can sell something with a crack or chip but will get treated harshly in the feedback department if you didn't set buyer expectation on what they were receiving.

Here is one of my most recent listings:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220752085889&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

If you are viewing this past the point the auction is still available for viewing here are just a couple of the photos of these G. Armani Running Free sculpture...

In order to even think I will get my opening bid and beyond I have to include several high quality photos of the item. No one would ever consider paying hundreds of dollars for an item they couldn't see clearly.

You don't have to be a professional photographer to sell online, you don't have to have a fancy camera even! Just take clear, well lit , detailed photos and you will be at the higher end of the price range on the items you sell!