Bruce Nicol - Nicholnack

1. Your happiest eBay moment?

My happiest eBay moment was when I gave my ex-boss notice and told him that I was going to live off eBay. He laughed and said I was a mug to give up a wage commission and a company car.I have never looked back and to this day I know I made the right choice.

2. What do you normally buy/sell?

I sell antique and collectable ceramics - my average sale is well over $200.

3. How did you discover eBay?

I was collecting a few pieces of Carlton Ware and I found it while searching on line - this was in 1999, but I did not start to buy on eBay until 2000.

4. Most interesting item bought/sold?

Everything I buy or sell on eBay is interesting - I love ceramic art - it is my passion. When I buy an object - weather it is on eBay or locally.  I get a buzz and when I buy it and I get another buzz when I sell it.

5. Your preferred way to pay/be paid?

I prefer to be paid by PayPal, it is quick clean and hassle free. I put my postage cost on my listings and so often when I go to the computer not only has an item sold & buy it now, but I have already been paid for it. It saves me e-mails - it saves me time - which means more time for putting into other aspects of my business. PayPal are also an unbiased arbiter if things go wrong, which thankfully is very rare. 

When I buy on eBay I demand to pay with PayPal, the only time I buy an item that I cannot pay for by PayPal is when it is a bargain. When a seller says they do not except PayPal I wonder what they have to hide. Excepting PayPal is almost as good as a %100 positive feedback.

6. What's the main attraction to using PayPal?

As a seller it is safe convenient and clean. I sell a lot of very expensive items; PayPal gives my clients the opportunity to charge their purchases against their credit cards. I do have no other merchant facilities; it enables me to compete with much larger business's than mine.

As a buyer it is safe - why would you pay any other way?

7. Best eBay bargain?

There are too many to count, but one of the most rewarding was a Carlton Ware Magpie vase I purchase off eBay $150. I paid for it by PayPal, but as I had no money in my PayPal account it went on my Visa card.

It arrived 4 days later - I reloaded it the day it arrived and sold it 'buy it now' 4 hours later for $800. They paid by PayPal and it was posted that day, but I did not pay my credit card account for 3 more weeks. At $800 it was a bargain, at $150 it was a steal, it was well described and well photographed.

To this day I cannot work out why nobody bothered to chase it. I have since seen the same vase sell for $1000 or more. Some time there is just no rhyme or reason to e Bay.

8. What do you like about buying/selling on eBay?

E-bay is much more than a bit of fun for me. It has enabled me to convert my love for ceramic artwork into a business. I had a passion, I had sales skills and e-Bay gave me the opportunity to turn it into a business. I stared my business with $2000, within 8 months I was doing dealing full-time. While I am never going to drive a Roller, I am a house dad working from home around the needs of my 5 year old and 9 year old sons.

I have the ultimate family life, but I do work very long hours.  Basically I never stop working, but when your work is your life, what's the issue with that.  

9. If you could buy/sell anything on eBay what would it be?

That's easy, my life revolves around my three passions, my family, ceramic art and the bagpipes. I would love to find a vintage set of black wood bagpipes with inlaid silver and ivory for say $200; now that would just too sweet.

I love to sell the very best - the absolute top end in any of fields I deal in - every dealer dreams of selling the best. Last year I sold a Remued ashtray with a big fat old Koala perched on the rim for $2600, 800 people viewed the listing and over 100 book marked it, but it sold on just 1 bid.  Now that was fun!

10. Was there ever one that got away? (an item you wanted to buy but missed out on?)

They get away every day, the day you stop looking is the day a bargain slips by and nobody can be looking all the time.

The number of times I am successful is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail. I know this sales manta sounds corny, but it is true.