So you have some extra products to sell and you would love to get the best price possible for them and sell them quickly. This is a perfect world, right? Think again. Not all products and pricing are created equal. The purpose of this site is for you (the seller) to find great new homes for the products you are selling. I want you all to sell these items in 30 days or less. Ideal? Of course. Idealistic? Hardly. Some folks are very lucky to sell all they have advertised within the time frame allowed. Some sell a lot, some sell a few items and renew to sell the rest. Let's take a look at how to go about this in a reasonable fashion:

1- Pricing: Pricing of your products is the key. If they are too high, chances are you will not receive many calls. Luckily, at The Basket House, you are allowed to make changes to your ad at any time at no additional charge. So, if you feel that you need to lower your prices, a simple e-mail will do. If you are unsure of how to price your products, take a look at the market and what has sold for what price. Of course, having a current copy of The Bentley Collection Guide is the best tool to have, and will aid in current market prices. You can also check the Collectors Exchange™ and the Dresden Transcript to see how others are pricing their products. The biggest mistake is those who price their items at the high end of the market value. Chances are you will receive little to no calls. Unless your item has been keep in a dark closet, and has multiple family signatures, it is unrealistic to think that you will get this amount. Price your items somewhere either in the middle or towards the average end of the market. You can always lower your prices if needed.

2 - Shipping/Handling: I always receive questions on how much to charge for this service. This is a personal thing. I can only advise. Most will charge an additional fee for shipping & insurance, some build the cost into the amount of the item and some charge a percentage of the cost. All of these are acceptable and are determined by the seller. Having shipped some of my own, the costs can be expensive on some items, lower (like tie-ons, liners, protectors) on others. You can either choose to place it in the ad, or leave it out. At least if you include it in the ad, the buyer is aware that a charge will be made.

3 - Phone Numbers/E-mail: This is an electronic media folks. Although, some who have used their phone numbers only have gotten responses, their responses would have been greater had they had an e-mail address as well. A lot of people are new to the Internet and are unaware of how it all works. Once folks are online, they prefer to stay online rather than get off and make a phone call. If you have access to anyone's e-mail address (get their permission first), it would be wise to include it in your ad for more responses. I will accept ads either way, but if you have access to e-mail, include it for a better response rate to your ad.

4 - Ad Particulars: When placing an ad, there are certain things that you can leave out that are important: (1)whether a basket is stained or unstained (Easter series), (2)what color splints in the Christmas series, (3) liners- let me know which liner you have if it is for a series (pumpkin, fall foliage, holly, imperial stripe, etc) - sometimes the buyer is looking for a particular "set" and this will help the buyer determine who to contact.

5 - One More Thing: Before you sell any items, check out the Seeking or Swap Shop sections to see if someone is looking for what you are selling. It could save you the cost of an ad.

6 - Reminder - For those who place ads: Please be sure to let me know when your items sell, and if they sell for a price other than listed. I will mark the item sold (or sale pending if you have an interested buyer), so that you will not continue to receive mail or calls on these items.
One important rule to remember - especially for those who have never sold any baskets to others before: NEVER MAIL YOUR ITEMS UNTIL YOU HAVE MONEY IN HAND. ALSO, PLEASE INSURE YOUR ITEMS WHEN YOU SHIP. Most folks you deal with are reputable, others, unfortunately, are not. You could be out not only the money for the item, but the item as well. Please be careful.

These are just a few of the ideas to help you in your selling efforts. I would like everyone's ads to sell in 30 days. of course, but this does not always happen. But with the help of a few of these "tips," some of you may sell more, quicker. Good luck!