Following on from my recent post about eBay Australia forcing its users to use PayPal, it seems that eBay’s users aren’t the only people who are unhappy about this decision.
eBay Australia is being investigated by the Australian Competition Commission to see if it is abusing its near-monopoly position in the online auction market to gain an unfair advantage in the online payments market (eBay owns PayPal).
If eBay get away with this in Australia, it seems highly likely they will extend the policy worldwide - we wait with baited breath…
More details here.
From travelling around the various antique and collectors fairs and auctions we attend, it has become apparent that some dealers own and some dealers rent.
I refer of course not to their stock but to their means of transporting it - the indomitable van.
It’s a choice we’ve been faced with in the past, as it gradually became completely impossible to fit all our stock, shelves and tables into even a large car. This left us with two realistic options:
- Sell the car and buy a van
- Hire a van whenever we needed one and keep the car for everyday use
In the end, we decided to sell the car and buy a van. This had two advantages - unlimited usage and lower costs. The question was question of cost was determined by considering whether the extra fuel costs of a van would exceed the costs of renting one when we needed it. For us they didn’t - making it cheaper to buy a van and run it as our only vehicle.
Of course, this does have some restrictions - car parks with height barriers are out, it only has three seats (including the driver’s) and it’s a bit thirsty and agricultural to drive compared to a car.
These downside - plus the sometimes thorny issue of residential parking - are probably the reasons why some dealers obviously just rent a van to use when they are standing at a fair and manage without the rest of the time.
Sometimes I’ve felt tempted by that path too - but for now, I’m going to stick with my trusty Transit. What do you do?
Note: If you are not sure where to start with vans, these links might be useful:
An interesting article in The Guardian on May 19th (got a bit behind and only found it today!)… It seems that HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs - the UK’s taxman) is starting to look in more detail at online auction activity. According to this article, tax inspectors will be trawling through many thousands of online auction sales and looking for any UK eBay sellers who are especially busy. They will then investigate whether these sellers should be classed as traders or not.
The article provides a detailed set of examples explaining who qualifies as a trader and who does not, but in essence it depends whether you are buying to sell or whether you are simply selling surplus possessions. Capital Gains Tax can also come into play on larger sales.
The article is here and is well worth a read for anyone who trades on eBay.
Perfect Pieces has been featured in print again - this time in Collect It! magazine with a detailed guide to buying and selling ceramics at auction. “Making auctions work for you”, by Roland Head, includes illustrated examples of crafty restoration and concealed damage, as well as a breakdown of the true costs of buying and selling at auction.
The article is in the June 2007 issue of this popular collectors’ magzine and is in the shops now!
I came across this article today. It is all about the restoration of a late Victorian house in the American city of St. Louis, Missouri.
It seems that the city authorities would like the house to become a tourist attraction, illustrating how one of the leading local families of the 1880s would have lived. Unfortunately, the antique dealers charged with fitting out the house have managed to spend $83,000 of tax payers’ money on antique fittings, only to have a local historical expert describe the interior as looking “like a 1930s brothel”.
The antiques are now all to be sold at auction - presumably to fund a second attempt…
Read the full article on the St. Louis Today website here.
It seems that Wareham auctioneer Cottee’s recent Poole Pottery auction was every bit the success that was hoped for - for pictures and an interesting write up see the Poole Room blog. This blog also has an interesting account of the recent Poole Pottery open day, organised at the factory shop by new owners Lifestyle and featuring well-known Poole artists from past and present such as Carol Cutler.
It seems that the factory is definitely closed for good, but that the shop will be retained and is to move to new premises as soon as a suitable location can be found.
The Poole Room sells a wide range of Poole Pottery and other work by former Poole artists from their website.
Poole Pottery’s current troubles have raised interest in the pottery, according to auctioneer John Condie of Cottees in Dorset. The well-known auction house holds two specialist Poole sales each year at its Wareham saleroom, and is currently preparing for its April 28 Poole sale, at which more than 600 lots will be on offer.
The lots on sale range from early Carter, Stabler & Adams (CSA) wares right through to pottery produced shortly before the factory’s closure. Amongst the most desirable pieces are a model of the distinctive “Harry Page” galleon - designed by Harold Stabler and instantly recognisable as a symbol of the Poole Pottery.
Full details in this Bournemouth Echo article.