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HELPLESSLY ADDICTED TO EBAY BARBIE
Item # 1390007452
Dolls & Bears:Barbie:Contemporary (1973-Now):Barbie:Artist, Collector Editions:One of a Kind (OOAK)
Everything Else:Weird Stuff:Really Weird
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Bid!
Currently US $400.00   First bid US $9.99
Quantity 1 # of bids 49   bid history
Time left 2 days, 9 hours +
Location Bunnie's Hutch of Fun Stuff!
Country/Region United States /Milwaukee
Started Oct-14-02 20:35:06 PDT envelopemail this auction to a friend
Ends Oct-24-02 20:35:06 PDT watch this itemwatch this item
Seller (Rating) *sweet*bunnie*Spacer(1886)SpacerstarSpacerPowersellerSpacerabout meSpacerstoreicon
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Bunnie's Hutch  |  Visit my eBay Store!  
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High bid http://contact.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ReturnUserEmail&requested=artworkbylew%40aol.com&iid=1390007452&frm=284Spacer(84)SpacerstarSpacerabout me
Payment
Billpoint (eBay Payments), money order/cashiers check, personal check, Visa/MasterCard, Discover, American Express, other online payment services, or see item description for payment methods accepted.
Billpoint (eBay Payments): credit cards, electronic checks. Learn More.
Shipping Buyer pays for all shipping costs, which are provided in the Payment Details section below. Seller ships internationally (worldwide).
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Item Revised To review revisions made to this item by the seller, click here .

Seller assumes all responsibility for listing this item. You should contact the seller to resolve any questions before bidding. Auction currency is U.S. dollars ( US $ ) unless otherwise noted.
Description

It started innocently enough…

Barbie wanted to find the last place setting for that antique set of china she inherited from Aunt Edna. She had tried dealer after dealer and antique fairs galore to no avail. It looked like her life's dream of owning a matching set of china for 24 was never to be realized.

A co-worker suggested eBay. Barbie thought they must be kidding…not the online place that sold Pez dispensers and beanie babies? That evening she went home and did her very first search, not really hoping for much, and was floored when she found 5,687 pieces of her rare china! She immediately registered, placed her bid and three days later, was amazed to have the china she needed without having to set foot on another muddy fairground ever again.


But it wasn't enough… What if Ken invited his law firm over for dinner? She would need at least 65 place settings! Barbie was addicted. She formed an attachment to every piece of china in her pattern listed. She cursed the snipers until she learned the art of sniping herself. She quit her job at NASA because all of the best auctions ended while she was at work.


Barbie received more package delivery notices from the postal service than actual mail. When the china threatened to take over the house, she bought other things...clothes for the kids, Ken, herself, even a raincoat for the dog! She never left the house to do her holiday shopping. Every win was a conquest, every loss, the most devastating of defeats.

Barbie's dream house was filled to the rafters with all of her finds and treasures. There was only one narrow walkway through her home because of the boxes of accumulated stuff. Her closets were bursting at the seams and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before! She could sell on eBay, too!! What a great way to earn a little spending money to buy more great stuff and finally get her house cleaned out!

Barbie haunted the discussion boards and learned more about clothing, antiques, books, coins, stamps, art, toys, and collectibles than she ever thought possible. She did search after search and finally got her feet wet with her first auction listing - Aunt Edna's antique teapot.


Barbie spent the weekend refreshing her seller's page looking for bids…10, 20, 30 times an hour when finally a bid appeared! She checked out her very first bidder's feedback and instantly knew this was the person worthy of Aunt Edna's teapot! She felt the rush only sellers know when the auction ended after a bidding war, sent her very first "Congratulations" email and started preparing the teapot for shipping. She ran to the open all-night Wal-Mart in search of bubble wrap and a box, but the first box was a bit too small so she ran back for another. And more bubble wrap. This teapot was going to arrive in one piece and would be able to withstand a nuclear war along the way.


Barbie arrived at the post office bright and early the next day and was a bit taken aback by how much one little teapot weighed. The twenty pounds of bubble wrap did not help. Barbie got her eBay bill and found that after buying a digital camera, photo hosting costs, listing fees, final value fees, bubble wrap, boxes, and extra postage paid, she had made .37.

Barbie had much to learn and learn she did as she found more and more stuff around the house to sell. Soon her profits were a bit better than .37, and she was treating the family to dinners out and the movies.


And then, it happened…Barbie ran out of stuff to sell. Ken took to locking up his prized collection of Cheese Doodles shaped like dead Presidents, and the kids hid their toys and clothes. Even the dog started burying his bones.


With her family in fear of what or who would be sold next, they woke one Saturday morning before the sun was up to find Barbie at the kitchen table with maps and newspapers laid out, plotting and planning as if sending the troops into war. Still in semi-sleep, Ken asked her what she was up to, and with five cups of coffee in her already, Barbie said, "GARAGE SALES! If I leave now, I should be able to get to 42 sales before noon when the bag sale starts at St. Mary Catherine Francis church, and then to the town rummage sale over in Smithville."

"Smithville? Isn't that across the state line?" Ken inquired.

"Yes. But I will be so near there anyway since I am also going to the Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent De Paul and Value Village in Bordertown. I may as well go to Smithville then since I will only be a hop, skip, and a jump away" Barbie replied.

"I hardly call 200 miles a 'hop, skip, and a jump away'" mumbled Ken, as he shook his head and went back to bed. Barbie began her mission before the rooster crowed with her 64 oz. mug of coffee by her side. She didn't even need the newspaper as a guide to the sales - she seemed able to pick them up with an internal radar known only to other eBay sellers.

She watched for the telltale signs - balloons tied to mailboxes, cardboard signs with type so small it made her wonder if the writer worked for a Bible printing company, garages filled with tables stacked high full of stuff. Barbie's SUV was seemingly on auto-pilot as she made her way through unfamiliar territory, stopping and trudging up driveway after driveway in search of treasures to sell on eBay.


Barbie amazed the other shoppers at the church sale when she was able to stuff her bag with 137 items and still had room for more.

The thrift shops were pure heaven!


Late that afternoon Ken heard Barbie's SUV pull into the drive. At least he thought it was her. It was difficult to tell exactly what just rolled into the driveway.


Barbie spent the next week holed up in her office, taking pictures and listing her fabulous finds only coming out to use the bathroom and grab that leftover something wrapped in aluminum foil in the back of the refrigerator. Muffled expletives were heard through the door as her computer crashed, ISP went down, picture host went out of business and Mister Lister abandoned her in her time of need by refusing to allow her to log on to edit her auctions.

Barbie finally emerged from her office at 4:00 am with a keyboard imprint on her forehead after listing her auctions and passing out cold at her desk. She went to bed and slept for 47 minutes before spending the week incessantly checking her auctions, answering "Ask Seller A Question" emails and praying for snipers.

When the email from eBay arrived, it was official. Not only was Barbie a Power Seller…

Barbie was HELPLESSLY ADDICTED TO EBAY…

Are you?



Did your living room used to look like…


Does it now look like…


Has it been a while since you could actually have houseguests, not due to the embarrassment, but simply because there is no place to sit down? Have you found creative ways to decorate your home using Rubbermaid containers?

When on an eBay buying trip, do you no longer care so much what it is, but how much it will cost to ship it?

Do you mentally appraise knick knacks and kitsch in other people's homes according to their eBay value?

Can you remove your infant and two tots from car seats faster than any Indy pit crew?


Has your cart ever been looted at the Goodwill by other shoppers thinking it must be a restocking cart because of the quantity of stuff you have piled in it? Do the shop clerks know you by name? Do they call in the reserves to help with bagging your bounty?

Do you remember when a ream of paper used to last six months?


Do the clerks at five area post offices run when they see you approaching? Have you ever gone dumpster diving for shipping boxes? Has your postal carrier suffered a hernia delivering Priority Mail supplies to your home? Is there enough bubble wrap in your home to insulate your house for the winter?


Does your spouse/significant other get that glazed look whenever you start talking about eBay? Do you speak in acronyms? NWT, NWOT, MIB, MIMB, FVF, and those dreaded NPBs!!

Do you have to sneak your eBay purchases into your home and hide them from your significant other? Have you discovered that the trunk of your car can be utilized for storage once you remove that pesky spare tire?


Is a modest backyard storage shed on your Christmas wish list?

Do you decorate your mannequin for the holidays?

Did you slip away from your beach vacation to find the nearest public library with net access so you could check your auctions?


Does your work "uniform" consist of pajamas, sweats, t-shirts or any combination of the aforementioned? Are there just not enough hours in the day to do those little things for yourself? Have you resorted to cutting and perming your hair yourself or with the help of your four-year old daughter or unwilling spouse/significant other?


If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have it bad. You are hopelessly addicted to eBay! Is there a cure? Heck no! Who would really want one?! And because you are unable to control yourself and must have this item in your home (you'll find room, trust me!) you will not be able to stop yourself from placing a bid. Perhaps several!

Just what will the lucky winning bidder receive?

HELPLESSLY ADDICTED TO EBAY BARBIE IN HER NATURAL OFFICE ENVIRONMENT!




Including doll as shown and all accessories in the Addicted to eBay Office!
  • Computer with eBay page displayed
  • Necessary desk accessories including: calculator, pile of papers, printer/copier, in and out boxes, camera and very dead plant!
  • Clothing rack with hanging items and faux Rubbermaid containers with more clothes and stuff for sale including a fabulous oil painting, 33 and 45 rpm records, books, hats and purses - all miniature, of course!
  • Office furniture and attractive chunk of wood to display it on!

    Some items will be securely glued down, others will arrive loose so that you can decorate your Barbie office any way you want!

    Now for the not so fine print stuff!

    PAYMENT:

    • PayPal
    • Money Order
    • Cashier Check
    • Personal Check - May be held up to 10 days for clearance
    • Cash at your own risk


    Priority Mail shipping and handling with confirmation is an additional $12.00 (this item is a bit heavy) to anywhere in the US! I am always happy to combine items to help you save money on shipping!!

    I ship Monday through Thursday, but am flexible if you are in a situation where you really, really, really, gotta-have-it-now, going to die without it and can often manage to get to the post office on Fridays and/or Saturdays too. Global Priority rates are also available. Please feel free to email me at: [email protected] for rates, questions and comments!

    Best of luck to you!

    Bunnie

    CLICK HERE to check out my ME page! PLEASE CHECK THIS PAGE OUT FIRST IF YOU ARE EVER HAVING TROUBLE CONTACTING ME!

    CLICK HERE to see a complete picture gallery of eBay auction listings for OTHER goodies from *sweet*bunnie*!

    Thanks for taking a peek at sweetbunnieauctionswoohoo !!

    EENIE BEANIE TEENIE TINY DISCLAIMER
    I loooooove eBay! This listing is in no way, shape, manner or form designed to state otherwise! I looooove selling! I love my buyers! I love sellers! The majority are a great bunch of people who work very hard and very long hours. So much for the ease and leisure of working from home when your boss makes you work 120+ hours a week! Please note: Small child doll is shown in precarious positions…I highly recommend the use of car safety seats and strapping the little ankle biters into shopping carts so they aren't shoving one of those annoying kiddie shopping carts into my ankles incessantly in the checkout line as I try and make out my check while the lady in front of me is attempting to pay for $118.27 worth of groceries all in nickels and dimes. Additional dolls, clothing and accessories pictured are not included. Some dolls' identities have been masked to protect their innocence and privacy. Special thanks to my editor for putting up with my insanity! Thanks to my fabulous postal workers and postmaster too for the salvaged stickers and tape! All text and pictures are the property of me, please do not use without permission unless you wish to make me cry. Thank you for your time, now please BID! What are you waiting for? HURRY! Do it now before you forget!!
    On Oct-14-02 at 20:38:47 PDT, seller added the following information:


    Use the REAL selling tools a million sellers do - Andale!






    Payment Details
    United States Shipping and handling US $12.00
    Shipping insurance per item (optional) US $1.10
    Payment Instructions
    See item description or contact seller for more information.
    Bidding

    HELPLESSLY ADDICTED TO EBAY BARBIE
    Item # 1390007452
      Current bid:   US $400.00  
      Bid increment:   US $5.00  
      Your maximum bid:    
      (Minimum bid: US $405.00 )  
     

    eBay will bid incrementally on your behalf up to your maximum bid , which is kept secret from other eBay users. The eBay term for this is proxy bidding .


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    Billpoint (eBay Payments) credit card option is available if the total price (including all fees such as shipping and handling) is under US $2,000.00 ; for electronic checks this amount is US $200.00 .

     
     
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