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Helene's Old Stuff Page
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Welcome to my page... Welcome! Come on in and take a look around - even if you don't intend to bid...
In previous years I was an Art teacher, a craftsperson, a sewing pattern designer/editor, a computer programmer [software development] in a "major Wall Street institution" [I wrote one of the first existing in-house email programs], an old house restorer, and the former Antiques and Collectibles Expert/Editor of a website called The Homevine. I've been a collector of old stuff all my life and come from a family of collectors. I bought my first signed Sabbathday Lake Shaker chair for $8 in a garage sale at age 16, and have had a quiet 'Shaker-eye' ever since. I also collect genuine folk art, the older, the grungier - the better I like it. But I also live in an old, small house, and my collections are exceeding my abilities to tend them - so, like most collectors, I sell. PLEASE NOTE - All of my articles/auctions/photos/scans are copyrighted and cannot be used in any form, or linked to, without my written permission.
By the way, do you know what real Turkey Red dye looks like? Here's an authentic antique spool of Turkey Red embroidery floss...
[Please click on image to enlarge and use your back button to return]
Issue Years and Patent Numbers - US Patent & Trademark Office.
What you should expect as a buyer - You should expect the seller to give a complete description of the construction of the item; an assessment of age - either by an educated guess or a referral to a similar item in a book or catalog; a complete and honest description of any defects, breaks, repairs or details that one would see if one held the item in one's own hand; a size measurment of the item and a guarantee that the item will be as described.
Please note: My house is totally NON-smoking, so you will NEVER, EVER smell smoke on my things or my packaging - unless it is there from the previous owner - and in that case I WILL mention it in the auction. We do have one, small, but very vocal, CAT, as you have probably noticed. :)
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Hey, why not add my owner to your favorites list? Click here!
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)Check out my newest toy constructed by my talented hubby - my outdoor potting/veggie washing sink created from all-ebay-found componants - the water is collected to recycle for watering plants in my garden:
The Fine Print - Selling Practices and Policies
My Guarantee - Bid with confidence - I guarantee all my items to be as described. Period. Sometimes I can be mistaken or overlook something important on a piece or be downright fooled - it doesn't happen often but it can happen. In which case I will refund you purchase price and all shipping charges. I do not refund for buyers' remorse. :) Please note that any requests for a return must be made within 3 days of arrival of the item. Item must be returned within a week, in the original condition, not washed or altered in any way, with all my markings intact [I mark non-unique goods with either a washable hidden mark or a non-waterproof tag.]
I will contact you promptly after the auction via ebay's invoice system. I expect your Paypal payment to be made in a timely manner, hopefully within 3 days of the close of the auction. Please check that the shipping address ebay displays as your registered shipping address is correct, because this is the address which I will use to create your shipping label, and postage charges are also based on this address.
I am an old school ebayer - and like you, I am often a buyer on ebay, too! I expect my item to be as-described in the listing, I expect cordial communication from my seller, I expect the item to arrive quickly and to be packaged safely. And, I am just thrilled when I get all of that. As a seller myself, I try to live up to that standard, and so far, I think I do a pretty decent job of it. I make sure to carefully describe, if not over-describe my items, I communicate, I pack as if the box will be drop-kicked, and I send it - FAST. There's no real magic to ebay, just simple thoughtfullness, follow-thru and a bit of hard work. But it is still magical when suddenly you bid, you win, you pay, and this wonderful object appears on your doorstep. That's how it should be. :)
What type of payment I take - In the Fall of 2008, ebay will be changing to an electronic payment {Paypal} ONLY system, so I am shifting toward that myself.
In-person Pick-Up Sorry, I do not offer in-person pick-up due to security concerns and my maxed-out daily schedule.
Feedback - I always give feedback and I like to give it after I hear from you that you have received your item...I like to know your item has made it safely to its destination. If you really prefer I give feedback when I ship your item, speak up. It doesn't matter too much to me and I want to make you happy. Also, did you notice - I've had over 300 repeat customers that have left feedback!
Please check out this new website to see what leaving various star ratings really means to sellers at www.leavingfeedback.com
On Packing - Materials - I use clean, lightweight packing materials that NEVER smell of smoke, and I use sturdy boxes - either priority mail or those usable for parcel post and overseas shipping. [I cannot understand how some sellers can present themselves in someone's home via packing materials that look like they once lined a hamster cage!] I do use clean shredded paper and clean newspaper, and sometimes I use foam peanuts. I am trying to decrease my impact on the environment as much as possible by choosing biodegradable materials for packing, and giving up on excess plastics. I hope that my customers will recycle these materials, as well.
The Art of Packing - If an original box is part of the item you have purchased from me, I know that the at least 25% of value of the item is due to its having its original box - and I take great pains to make sure that the often fragile box arrives in as good a condition as I have described it in the auction. That means that original boxes are not wrapped directly in anything that might stain the surface, and they are protected from the sides of the shipping box so that they do not sustain dents if the shipping box should get battered in transit.
All items that are very fragile are double boxed with a good layer of padding between the inner box and the outer box.
Paper items are always sent within either a plastic bag or a plastic sleeve, held straight by cardboard and sent in a near bend-proof package, if not a box.
You may notice I put a packing peanut or rolled up bit of bubble wrap in your
paper item's envelope - that's because the USPS regulations require an envelope to be at least 3/4" thick somewhere along its surface to qualify for a delivery confirmation label.
Cloth items are tissue wrapped, bagged, protected from punctures in tyvek and then either boxed or tyvek-bag shipped, as per the auction.
Small items sent in envelopes receive careful consideration as to how to make the package crush or bend proof. I put thought into this - and it depends on the item. I've found another use for those annoying AOL cds one receives in the mail - they make great 'bend-proof' backings for small items that get shipped in an envelope!
And on shipping books - My pet book peeve is sellers who think tossing a book in a manila envelope, or a grocery bag and then a manilla envelope constitutes good packaging - it isn't! Book corners get bumped and the manilla envelope rips at the corners and the book is damaged. I don't accept that type of book packaging and I WON'T ship like that. At the very least I package books in plastic bags to prevent any water damage, wrap them in some sort of bump protection, create a 'book sandwich' by protecting them with cardboard on both sides, and then put them in sturdy envelopes or more likely a box. I do use the flat rate USPS envelopes for some book shipping because it makes economic sense and it is VERY FAST - but I make sure I protect the book's corners with a cardboard sandwich if I do. All books, even paperbacks get this respectful treatment.
How and Where I Ship - I use USPS almost exclusively. Priority mail works well for me since the USPS provides me with free boxes, provides pick-up, and for small items it is the fastest for the buyer at the least cost, although on very lightweight items I do offer 1st class shipping domestically. I can also send via Fed Ex, DHL or UPS but this may take a few days longer since I will either have to schedule a pick-up or arrange time to drive to the drop off centers. I do use Fed Ex Ground service as an option for large or heavy packages, and I will occasionally use Fed Ex at my discretion on some packages - but with caution as I have heard that Fed Ex now is denying insurance claims on antiques and collectibles.
Privacy Policy -What you send to me, stays with me. I don't save or share any information, and since this is a family of rampant computer nerds, we have ample and superior security parameters on our computers. And don't forget our Head of Home Security [photo at top of this page].
Overseas shipping - Overseas buyers are welcome to email bid on most of my items - I list the shipping in the auction via a calculator or flat rate. There is no more Air Parcel Post offered by the US postal service - Bummer! That used to be the most economical way to ship and it is no longer available. Paypal requires a trackable service be used - so International First Class is usually not a safe option because it is not trackable -- and it is slow. Please do not ask me to falsify customs documents, or undervalue or overvalue items in custom forms or insurance forms - I will not.
Bottom line - I treat all my customers the way I hope to be treated as a buyer - with respect, care and honesty.
Have you seen this beetle? [Click on the beetle for the whole story]
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The above page is maintained by: helene( 4267 )     |
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