The New eBay Feedback system
The new eBay feedback system may not be perfect but you can pick up a lot more from looking at the Star system than you could from just looking at the ratio of positives and negatives. Some sellers with very few negatives have ordinary records in terms of shipping time or communication, etc and the new star system often gives some pretty good clues as to whether you should think twice about using some sellers.
eBay Auctions
Many of you will be aware that I have been running eBay auctions with starting bids of 5.97 for some time. These have been quite successful but I have to say that some people have picked up some huge bargains which from my point of view is not always a great thing! I am thinking of adding some package deals to these auctions possibly with up to 20 posters in one auction.
My Radio Programme
For those of you in Australia, I have a radio programme twice a week on Jazz Radio 94.1fm including a movie quiz every Monday at 1:15pm. I will also be incorporating Movie News and have an On This Day segment which focuses on Movie Stars born on that day. Jazz Radio is a unique radio station that provides a mix of Jazz and Swing covering a wide range of music. One of the benefits of the station is that most of the presenters choose their own music and they have a genuine appreciation and knowledge of the content of their programmes. The word "Jazz" can mean many things to many people and there are some comments on this in my Blog
"What is Jazz?"
The Australian Federal Election
We have a Federal Election looming in November and, this time, there is a real possibility that there could be a change of government or a hung parliament. There is still a fair way to go and plenty of time for both sides to make mistakes but the Greens are certain to increase their vote while the Democrats look as though they will be history after this election following some woeful performances in recent times. Their founder Don Chipp who started the party on the basis that they would "keep the bastards honest" would be rolling in his grave and their current leader Andrew Bartlett is more of a liability than an asset. One of the great 70s Australian Films was the David Williamson produced "Don’s Party" which centers around a group of Australians who gather together for a party on election night. No doubt there will be many similar parties on election night as Australia awaits for one of the most fascinating election results in many years.
The US Dollar
The days of our dollar being worth US$0.50 are becoming a distant memory and as the US dollar gets progressively weaker the prospect of the Australian dollar reaching a value of one US dollar is becoming a distinct possibility. This is great for Australian buyers but has hit sellers very hard. When you consider the fees and taxes with our local GST, it is no wonder that many sellers on eBay have closed their stores.
Science Fiction Posters
I picked up a significant collection of Sci Fi posters recently including some that have been rarely seen..
These are currently listed in my eBay Store and contain some of the iconic images that were so typical of the classic 50s Sci Fi films. I have more to add in the coming weeks.
There are also some great Sci Fi posters on my website including Creature from the Black Lagoon and Day The Earth Stood Still
Long Daybills including some from the Richardson Studio
I recently picked up a collection of very rare Long Daybills that included some from the famed Richardson Studio with amazing artwork. I will be adding these to the site in the weeks ahead including some Long Daybills from the Silent Era.
New Outlet in Australia
The number of outlets in Australia has diminshed to the point where there are now very few, if any, retail stores that sell or display posters. I now have a small selection of original movie posters and various other forms of memorabilia at the Sanctuary Cove Antique Gallery on the Gold Coast in Queensland. There are some good titles on display including some linen backed posters and a framed cricket bat signed by the English and Australian teams of the 70s. The Gallery is well worth a look and is open 7 days.
New Members
Welcome to the many new members who have recently registered on this site and will receive the Newsletter for the first time. One of the aims of this site is to provide a forum for information in addition to the sale of posters and I hope that you find the content on the site of some value.
Well, that’s it for now. Feel free to drop me an email if you have any comments or, by all means, add a comment to the Blog page.
Best regards to all
John