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****NOTE,****
Tried to list a model through Auctiva today (Sept 6) but they're changing their images loading method and it wouldn't work with my computer. Not sure if Auctiva's photo loader will 'get fixed' or if that's the way they intend to leave it. Of course they changed/removed the method that worked for me, the other two ways wouldn't work on my computer at all despite having Windows Vista and my pop up blocker switched off.
I have been at a new 'free auction loader' site figuring how to use it and it was pretty basic and easy. It woulda worked faster if my modem didn't keep cutting the connection (it has some sort of settings problems), but I was able to relist the two Stablemate foals that didn't sell the last listing (dun Appies), and I listed the Chip WB.
I like the AuctionZealot template I chose, a 'country rustic' pattern named Rusty. It complements the colors of the models and has a nice simple pattern, maybe can pretend it's hay or straw in the stable!
The item #s for the auctions are (in case you miss them before they end):
Stablemate Running dun Appy foal, item # 250291916142,
Stablemate Prancing/trotting dun Appy foal, item# 250291920630,
CHIP WB, chestnut App pattern, item #250291926506.
The foals don't seem to be selling like usual so I may not paint any more of those for a while. It's probably the economy, it's hitting everyone. And I've heard people often are slow to buy during an election year, so that's another excuse besides being broke LOL.
JUST LISTED before the above:
(Sept 1st, ends Sept 8) a Breyer gamboling, leaping, or scampering foal repainted as a brown or purple roan Overo Paint. If you miss her before she ends, she's item # 250289897366.
I listed (Aug 29, no sale, relist info above) a Breyer Prancing or Trotting Stablemate Foal repainted as a red or muddy dun Appaloosa. If you missed her auction, she's item #250288541622
I just listed (Aug 24, no sale, relist info above) a Breyer Running Stablemate Foal repainted as a red or muddy dun Appaloosa. If you missed her before the auction ended, she's item # 250286690466.
(Aug 18, sold) I listed a standing Breyer Stablemate Foal-- the new colt mold-- repainted as a pinto zorse colt. If you missed the listing before it ended, he's item # 250284303930
What's next:
I got a shipment in of Peter Stone Chips besides the few Stablemate Breyer foals I've recently listed. I have some Chips in primer and am painting those.
The bodies include some Chip Stock Horses, a running Chip drafter/Fresian (the rubber Chip mold), a walking Chip mule (rubber mold), a couple of Chip Warmbloods (rubber mold), and theSM foals I just listed, including one I haven't listed OR primered yet, the scratching foal.
The next model I list is likely to be a 'rubber' MULE Chip,
After the mule I'm likely to list two stock horse Chips. I have a few others besides those two but they're not prepped yet.
I haven't primered the 'rubber' Chip Fresian or the second 'rubber' WB Chip yet.
ISH INFO
I haven't finished either of the 2 ISHs I have on hand. I used the Appy ISH's time slot for finishing the MFT, and when the MFT didn't sell I went back to painting small ones.
I began painting the short mane/long tail version ISH in Appaloosa MONTHS AGO. I was going to do him as a Paint since the Paint I did late last year was so popular with people who look at my auctions. I decided on another Appy, but I PLAN A Paint roan on the long mane version ISH after the Appy is done.
The short mane ISH is about half color, half blanket, real etchy and speckled on the colored areas, spotted and etched legs, speckled head, freckled muzzle, and so far the color is sooty dark chestnut with flaxen mane and tail but you never know how my colors will turn out!
NO idea when an ISH'S will be finished, had to go back to painting small models due to the good ol' 30 day billing cycle that makes it hard to work on larger, more time consuming models.
I'm not planning on buying any more Trad size bodies for a little while.
That probably means no Breyer Trad size TWH mare or Trad size (new mold) Jumper this year, maybe around tax return time next year which is usually about the best time for large model sales for me.
As the year unwinds, especially around Breyerfest, my larger models don't seem to sell as well, and then often quit selling around Turkey Day and through Christmas.
So that means lots of SMs and Chips in the months ahead for those of you still waiting for a chance to get a stock horse or some other small model I've been listing but you've been missing.
If these two ISHs I have on hand don't sell fast I may not paint any more of those til next year.
Or I may just quit painting the larger models and concentrate on small ones since the big ones take so long to do and don't always sell right away unless I drop the price. I can't really afford to drop the prices on those with all of the time invested. They can take up to two weeks to prep and paint.
It can take me 2-4 days to paint a much smaller Chip depending on the difficulty of the pattern or color, longer if I have to redo it when it's almost done to change the color or pattern, etc. Then, on another day (these days with modem problems) I take hours to photograph, process the photos, upload to Auctiva, create the listing, get it posted, write my About Me page update, so that's why I charge what I do with the small ones. I've seen those resold for well over $100 on the aftermarket; I used to charge up to $165 for repainted Chips sometimes, $125 to $150 occasionally for a nicely repainted SM horse, particularly if the mane/tail redone or turned into a mule. My current prices are 'sale' prices compared to what I used to ask.
People sometimes wonder why I don't do remade models anymore, just "repaint onlies," or artist's choice.
If I can't sell xtreme remakes for a price that covers my investment in materials, costs, and time, then I just can't do them anymore and it's one reason I haven't done any xtreme CMs lately.
I recently tossed out ('humanely destroyed') a bunch of xtreme CM horses and mules, and Original Sculptures (OSCs) that were intended for resincasting but that I didn't have time to finish, they needed so much work. Hated to do that but they were almost completely remade and rebuilt, and it takes weeks just to do the bodywork.
In the old days, done 'to my old standards' of xtreme remaking, I used to take 6-8 months to finish a batch of models that were remade and repainted in oils. Not only can some collectors not afford to pay the price to offset such detailed time consuming work, I can't afford to do that sort of work if I don't have the loot.
So for those of you who wonder why I don't do xtreme customs anymore, I no longer have a second income to back up or subsidize the list for the long months needed to finish it. They have to pay for themselves now.
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Recently sold or listed models (2008):
(Aug 12) Stone Chip Draft Horse repainted as a black sabino with blue ribbons. If you missed seeing his listing before he sold, he's item # 250282180373.
(Aug 5) Dark red chestnut Appy Chip stock horse, if you miss his listing before he sells he's item # 250279180276
(July 26) I just listed the Chip Morgan redone as a pinto zorse mare. If you miss the auction before it ends, she's item #250275434788.
(July 23) I just redid the paint on the sooty grullo Chip sabino that didn't sell and now he's a sooty grullo roan sabino Paint! If you missed his auction before he sold, he's item # 250274337064
(July 9th) (DIDN'T SELL, SEE ABOVE) I listed a Stone Chip Stock Horse painted sooty grullo sabino Paint. If you miss his listing before it ends (slated to end July 16), he's item # 250268799625
(July 5)Lilac roan sabino Paint stock horse. If you miss his auction before he sells, he's item # 250267066995
(July 2) Stone Chip Drafter painted chestnut sabino. If you missed his auction before he sold, he's item # 250266143140
(June 30) I listed a Stock Horse painted (not etched) as a dun Overo. If you missed his listing before it sold, he's item # 250265229375
(June 30) I relisted the Breyer Traditional size Missouri Fox Trotter. He's been listed 2ce without a sale. On his first listing(June 21), he was item # 250261991765. The relisting link may be on that page, but the new listing # is 250265240798. I lowered his price just slightly but have so much work invested in him, and the postage being included in the price, I didn't feel I could lower it too much. This is the first and THE ONLY Missouri Fox Trotter of this mold that I've painted so far. I may not paint another since he didn't sell the first 2 listings. I decide which models to paint again based on how well they 'review' here on eBay. I may relist him again later in July or next month.
(June) stock horse painted as a dark or sooty chestnut Overo. It sold before I could update my About Me page, within a few minutes of starting the listing! If you want to see him, he's item # 250263618012
(June) Stone Chip Drafter etched as a brown roan Sabino (purple roan) and if you miss it before it ends, it's item # 250264308773
(June 6)Breyer SM foal in dunalino Overo Paint, not etched but solid shaded. The foal sold while trying to update my page and if you want to look at the listing, it's item 250257453769
June 2nd I listed two small models after timeout frustrations due to the usb modem issues (took a long time to complete loading and managing the photos and doing the listings, having to get online again repeatedly and log in again!). The models sold almost right away, and if you missed seeing them they were a running SM foal and a Chip drafter. Item #s 250255075143, 250254998319
(May 25) I listed a Breyer Stablemate Prancing or Trotting Foal painted in sooty flaxen mane chestnut App. She sold within a few minutes of starting the listing, before I could update my About Me page work update! So if you missed her before she sold, she's item # 250252007817
(5/14)Breyer running Stablemate TB or Stock Horse Mare etched and painted as a black or blue roan App. I said I might not paint any more of that mold but right after I said that, I got one in a body lot that was already primed to paint so I thought what the heck. item # 250248137316
(5/12) CHIP STOCK HORSE repainted and etched as a dark chestnut roan Appy. He's one of my 'stuffed and loaded' Appies. item #250247609641
(4/30) CHIP STOCK HORSE that I etched and painted as a brown or purple varnish roan Appy. item # 250243211802
(4/25 OR 4/26) Chip Drafter repainted in dark chestnut roan sabino. Item number: 250241435732
(4/10 APPROX) CHIP Arab MARE etched and repainted as a bay or brown roan Appy pattern. item # 250235640382
(4/08) CHIP Arab stallion etched and repainted as a pretty brown roan Appy pattern. item # 250234848212
(3/31) Stablemate Running TB or Stock Horse I repainted as an Appy, she's item # 250234838567.
(3/31) Stablemate Leaping, scampering, or gamboling foal etched and painted as a brown roan Appy. item # 250231845106.
(3/29) Chip Mule etched and painted as a brown roan spotty pinto molly. item # 250231123457
(3/27) Stablemate Belgian etched in dark chestnut roan, inspired by an Italian drafter I saw in one of my horse books. item # 250230368779
(3/21) Stablemate leaping or gamboling foal etched and painted as a dark chestnut roan or lilac roan Paint (some may call it red roan, some people call the color by different names). Item number: 250228265379
(3/16) Prancing SM foal painted as an etched chestnut Appy Item number: 250226579875
(3/11) SM leaping, gamboling, or scampering foal painted as a brown Appy (no etching, solid shaded). item # 250224923813
(3/09) SM Prancing foal as an etched slightly sooty buckskin Appy. item # is, 250224242835
(3/06)SM running foal as a dark sorrel Appaloosa with lighter colored mane and tail. item #250222829342
(2/28) purple roan Paint leaping/gamboling/scampering foal item # 250220135663.
(2/28)chestnut Appaloosa prancing foal item # 250220138860.
(2/18) Chip WB, in an etched brown roan Appy pattern item # is 250217534750
(Relisted 2/21) Chip Fresian (running draft horse) he's a blue or black roan sabino. item # 250218619690.
(2/11) Chip Pony Mare before the drafter and she sold. She's a lineback grulla roan pinto or a lineback dun roan pinto-- take your pick! her item # is, 250215305109
(2/08)Chip mule. It's an etched brown roan or purple roan spotty pinto molly or mare mule. item # is 250214342631
(2/03) 3 Stablemate foals , the item #'s are,
Brown or purple roan etched Overo prancing foal item #250212675422
Dunalino Overo running foal, item #250212679213
Red dun Appaloosa scampering or gamboling foal, item #250212681880
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i now offer 'free shipping' on all of my auctions until further notice.
Thank you for stopping by to look, and thank you to those of you who've bought from me in the past...
Those of you who have taken time to post nice feedback page comments are appreciated!
If you show, I hope my models do well for you. If you don't show your Spotty Hoss minis, then I hope you're just happy to have them in your mini herd.
I may not be online every day while trying to finish another model to list, so if you email to say hi and don't hear from me right away, it's because I'm currently not online more than once every few days, sometimes once a week while painting-- particularly when I'm painting big models.
I sometimes check eBay or answer emails briefly using my cell phone WAP version of my hotmail box, and Yahoo box. Due to one-fingered typing using the cell phone, those notes are pretty short! But it's great to have those for access when I can't get online the usual way.
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