eBay's New Feedback 2.0 - Are You a Star?

I’m a small time 100% positive seller on the Bay. I’ve been around for awhile. It’s been said that the new feedback system is unfair, confusing and an invasion of privacy. All of these facts are true. The new format does expose information about all users, buyers and sellers. Anonymity has always played a role on the internet especially in buying habits. What you buy, tells the world about who you are and may imply information you would not voluntarily tell strangers. Do you purchase Designer Clothing, jewelry, expensive cars, what books you read, your taste in music, the things you collect and cherish. So as a Buyer the new system bothers me. I enjoyed the illusion of privacy the old system provided.

As a Seller I decided to take a second look at my own feedback, What does it say about me? . My feedback shows that in addition to purchasing packing supplies and educational/business materials, I sell household items at reasonable prices. Overall, Buyers are satisfied and positive about the buyer experience in my store and sellers are positive that I am a reputable buyer who pays on time, etc. At first, I was unhappy that prices were shown on the page as it an invasion, but then I realized it tells buyers there are some deals to be had in my store. I do not have stars yet, but I am not expecting perfect scores. Perfection is a goal that is rarely obtainable.

Before spreading doom and gloom perhaps we should let the dust settle. Remember the old days? Here is a link to the 1996 Founder's Note on feedback. I guess the new system is the result of the never ending wheels of progress. Ebay fixing the parts that are not broken and breaking the parts that need fixing.

The Last Door & Who is Ronnie Phillips?

Here I am again with another mystery find. A Matted Photograph that is Hand Signed in pencil:

Goree Island,Senegal "Last Door" Ronnie Phillips

It is dark, mysterious and moody. Covered in plastic, so at first I thought it was a print. I find myself drawn to that small patch of blue in the center of the stone stairway, under the arch at the end of a dark hallway. When I removed the plastic I found a typed page:

Goree Island was used as a warehouse to detain human cargo before they left their voyage of no return through the Atlantic middle passage slave trading route. The Island (88 acres) is located four miles off the coast of Senegal in West Africa. Goree changed hands from the Portuguese, Dutch, British and the French from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

History accounts for the immediate sense of horror that grips visitors when they arrive to where this castle was built in 1786 by the french. The tranquillity of the island today provide a stark contrast that can drown out the distant echoes of death and suffering that occurred here over 450 years ago. Babies women and men were kept in windowless rooms. The men who didn’t meet the required weight of 160 pounds went through weeks of fatting before they were shipped. The door is known as the "Door of No Return”.

Because of the islands excellent position, 2 miles off the coast, it provided an excellent departure point for millions of slaves and shelter against surprise attacks from mankind. Some see Goree Island as an emotional shrine, rather than a slave castle.

Ronnie Phillips

I should be listing treasures, instead I’m on a treasure hunt for information. A quick Google Search finds Goree Island less than a Kilometer from Dakar, Senegal Here’s what Wikipedia has. I guess it is a popular place for political candidates, Both Clinton and Bush visited the island - here’s a news article from the BBC and the official White House transcript of George W’s 2003 Speech.

That's a ton of information to think about and yet this photograph captures the essence of this dark and lonely place. I'm always amazed at the information hidden in the treasures we obtain. So the question remains: Who is Ronnie Phillips?

He was a member of NAIA National Association of Independent Artists in 2005. Here's the NAIA winter 2004-2005 newsletter. Ronnie Phillips a photographer, mixed media artist and painter from Georgia was on the panel for The Ideal Show: The Aritists' Perspective. Here's the only picture of his work I could find online: Mixed Media

Kira Fournier

Yesterday my fortune cookie said: "You discover treasures where others see nothing unusual." So True ~ I taped it to my monitor! I'm always finding treasures that I know nothing about. I enjoy the research and I am often surprised by the information a new treasure can reveal. Here's an example.



Off White Pot with Lid
Marked: Kira Designs TM © 1984 Kira Fournier G2.

You may see nothing unusual, but here's what I found out:

Kira Fournier (1950-2002), attended Wellesley College, Goddard College, School of the Museum-Fine Arts Boston, Corning School of Glass and received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona. In June of 1980 her article Making a Yunnan Steamer Appeared in Studio Potter Magazine. By the way, You may want to bookmark the Studio Potter. (be sure to check out the galleries of pottery.)

My Next Question . . . What is a Yunnan Steamer? The explanation was found at eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters: A Yunnan Steamer Pot is a covered ceramic dish that has a funnel in its base. When the pot is placed in a steamer, steam travels up the funnel and condenses on the lid's underside and is trapped in the pot.

Kira Fournier was a courageous artist and her personal Battle with Ovarian Cancer Eventually Became the Inspiration for Her Work. I think she stopped making pottery and began working with glass. At the University of Arizona, She Designed Sculptures in Glass of Her Own body to explore the Changes and Medical Procedures Associated with Her Illness. I found an article online about her 2001 exhibit titled Getting Out Alive Her work was featured at Sculpture Fest 2002, 2004. You can see a picture of one of her Sculptures here

In November of 2006, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center's Great Issues in Medicine and Global Health Symposium Presented "Core Strength: an Artist's Journey Through Cancer" an Art Exhibit and Reception to Honor the Late Kira Fournier.

While I sit here holding this rather simple pot, I see a Treasure! I imagine the artist creating this utilitarian treasure long before her illness changed her life and art. Most of us will never be able to own a sculpture designed by this well respected artist. I feel honored to be able to pass this treasure on to someone who will use it for it's intended purpose. By doing so, Kira Fournier, the artist continues to live.

Peace Through Understanding

My Latest Find ~ 1964 World Fair - Red Lacquer Tray


Research is the thing I love the most about selling treasures on Ebay. It is a fabulous opportunity to learn about the world. In Search of some juicy tidbits of Info about the worlds Fair I discovered YouTube. Okay, I know the rest of the world knows about the Tube but I'm a little slow.

Anyway, in 1964 Plans to build the New York World Trade Center were announced. "Beatlemania" was rocking the World . The "British Invasion" had begun while students protested the Vietnam War. Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa and Civil Rights Workers were found Dead in Mississippi. The first Ford Mustang rolled off the assembly line. Peace Through Understanding seems appropriate to me.

Now Back to the Blissful Innocence of the 1964 World’s Fair:


To Get a Very Retro Vibe be Sure to Check out Videos by retrodashmatic Some of the coolest retro clips I found!

Filmstrip of new license plates

I really just want to see if this works

Let's have a Soul to Soul Talk

Soul to Soul

Well here I am, feeling guilty that I haven't added anything to the blog. The thing is ~ You never know if anyone is listening. So here's some more info to see if I can draw some attention to ME. Cause after all ~ My blog is about self promotion! It's hard work to develop a presence on the Net. There are tons of folks that say it can't be done by a Soul who is not an expert at any one thing. After all, I'm not Martha Stewart But........


Here's one of my most basic beliefs:
If you have the Power to Change a Negative into a Positive
You also have the Power to do what others say can't be done!

So the name of the game is to be open to education from unexpected sources. I opened my eBay Store - To make some extra income - but I'm getting an education too. A year ago I didn't know anything about HTML. I'm a Bargain Hunter ~ That is My one and only area of Expertise. Ask me to find "IT" and whatever "IT" is ~ I will eventually track it down. ~ I'm like a Boxer ~ Put me in any Shopping Arena and I can"Knock out" the most valuable widget! More often than not ~ at a great price too!

My latest find is a signed Tornado Bowl
made by Wimberly Glass Works, Located right here in Texas

Visit Wimberly Glass Works to learn more about these highly Skilled Artisians.
I almost forgot the Self Promotion part of this equation:
Take a Look at my Listing for this Fabulous Find

Anyway, I've been up almost all night working on a new look for my store. I was going to enter the Best of Stores Contest......I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to just figure out how to accomplish the task. Oh well, there's always next year for the Best of Stores Contest PearlShops4U is still a work in progress. Here's the Store and here's Another with some of the latest revisions. On the upside, I got the beginnings of an HTML education and found a great free site with all the HTMLInfo I will ever need. I have to give a Shout Out to fellow eBayer merrygocats for her informative introduction to HTML.

I've got to go........I should be doing so many other things (like Taxes, Housework, Gardening, Laundry, Cleaning....House ....Closets .....Garage ....etc., etc., etc.,) But for now ~ I must sleep! Is anybody listening?

New items in my Store

I'm busy working on the listings for these items, but I wanted to give you a Sneek Preview of just a few of the treasures I will be listing this weekend

HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING!