bluepennylady's place

Barstow CA Calico KOA Mojave Desert

2012-01-03T00:56:00.000-06:00

We finally made it to Barstow CA and decided to park at the Calico KOA located in the Mojave Desert. It was super easy to find. True to form we got in after dark so were trying to find the spot in the dark. What is it with us and navigating in the dark

When I was trying to get the directions online I kept getting a warning about making reservations and to call. So being the cautious type that we are, I called. Sure enough, they had a spot or two open. It was more like a good portion of the park . Seems we are here during the off season :) Imagine that.

A Hunter Ranch Lunch

2012-01-03T00:08:00.000-06:00

Wonder what that is. Well we did too. Stopped at Lowes to get some tools, like a screwdriver and Dale asked if there was any place to eat. Lady promptly says yes. Go to Hunter Ranch Golf Course they have a brunch ..

We ask if an RV can get up there. Oh yes of course. They go up there all the time. so off we go.

Now getting up there wasn't exactly as easy as the lady said. The driveway looked like Pacfic coast highway 1 but since we had already driven it once, this was not a big deal. Of course we did have to back up into the parking lot just so we could park.

Can you believe the extent Dale will go to find a place to eat!

The Country club and golf course is set on a hill. The brunch was really good. Whoever their chef is knows how to cook. well worth the stop.

Day 4 Coyote Valley RV Resort

2012-01-02T23:16:00.000-06:00

You read it right.. Did you know that RV's have resorts.. Now Dale and I do not do RV parks stuff often.. I am thinking never so this has been one big learning experience. Like check the reviews, call ahead (or you end up on the Walmart parking lot) Check to be sure they have 50 amp electrical service. And Dale is getting into the cable TV hook-ups

So I get on the my handy dandy internet and google. Find a place called Coyote Valley RV resort in Morgan City, CA and check the reviews. Holy Smokes. This is like a spa, golf course, hiking, country club, you name it kind of place

Restaurant, swimming pool, outdoor BBQ And a escort limo service

We take a chance and call. They have one spot left in the whole park. So we'll take it. They give us all the particulars and ask when we expect to arrive, please be specific within a one hour timeframe. That is because they have someone meet you.

The office is closed but that doesn't matter, Here comes this all dressed up for New years eve party lady, all happy and welcoming us. And she promptly gets into her "limo" to escort us to our spot.

She has Christmas lights on it and heads off leading the way to our spot. Then the nightguard shows up with his flashlights to help guide us into the RV spot. They measure to be sure the slideouts won't touch the trees. And give us the list of rules. No wonder the place is pristine..

They have rules like I can't do my washing and hang my clothes all over the RV .. My swimsuit is okay but that is all. Or we have to be quiet. No loud outside parties, singing or carrying on. Who made these rules up. Do'nt they know we are from Kansas and we use whatever to hang our clothes on. But I guess we will comply and be good.

In all honesty, the RV resort was very well done. The people were very helpful and extremely nice. They dropped back by to be sure we had everything we needed and all was well .

Day 3 Pomo campground

2012-01-02T22:57:00.000-06:00

I will try to get you all caught up.. Internet service has been really spotty the last couple of days so haven't been able to post much.

We stayed in Fort Bragg, CA December 30, 2011 at the Pomo RV and campground. Really nice place. But getting there. Now that's the story

It is getting dark and so we were trying to find where the Pomo Rv park was located. Of course it is on the other side of the highway. So we think ah, just keep on driving and see what is on down the road. About 30 minutes later, we think this isn't such a good idea. Let's turn around and go back

.Just finding a place to turn around is a challenge but we got 'er done. And head back to Pomo

We turn into the driveway and start down the road. About 50 feet in Dale says, Boy this doesn't look right. The road has a "Y" and both roads appear to drop off in the Forest of Nottingham where no man goes. Surely this can't be right.

It is pitch black out by now. Dale decides we better back up and look elsewhere. Can't see nothing. So I hop out of the RV to help direct him .. Have you ever tried to direct a 43 foot RV in the total dark. Oh yeah something everyone needs to do. And Dale forgets to turn on the volume on the back up monitor. So all the hollering and directing I am doing does absolutely nada zip. I have to run up to the side and holler at him.

Dale spots what appears to be a driveway that maybe we can turn around. I go look but nope it is gated. Then out of the corner of my eye I see movement across the dark gated lot.

It has to be a scary creature from the Forest of Nottingham so I am going to get ready for flight. In fact, I am heading backwards already when the moving creature hops over the gate about scaring me to death..

It is the nightguard of the landscaping nursery along the road. And he is coming to help us find our way. Going to stop traffic for us so we can get out on the highway. Then he asks, Folks where you all heading..To the Pomo RV park.

Why yes we are but we can't find it.. He smiles and says just follow the left fork at the Y.. You are not 35 feet from it. Right around that corner.

Well I'll be ,, when you take the curve, there the RV park is.. Down in the valley the valley so low. Drive the RV around the corner the parks down below

Great place , nice folks very clean RV park

Uncongested California highways

2011-12-31T16:51:00.000-06:00

That's right, there really are uncongested highways in California.. I use the word "highway" loosely here.. We head down California highway 1.. See a sign "Winding road next 22 miles". Now back home winding road means just come curves ,, But not here..

Holy smokes.. Talk about tight curves, hairpin and switchback curves with no shoulder.. The only other RV we saw was in the ditch jammed up against a rock wall. Sheer cliffs that would take your breath away not only from the beautiful but sheer terror!

This highway took us right through the middle of the giant Redwood forest.

we didn't know that Avenue of the Giants meant monster mountains, incredibly narrow roads but breath-taking beauty

Pretty isn't it.. As we enter the uncongested California highway 1

Then we see the sign... 15 miles per hour.. This is not good

And the 22 mile of Terror begins!

Day 2 Oregon to California

2011-12-30T11:42:00.001-06:00

Made it to California last night and stayed in an RV park facing the ocean. Gorgeous view. Waves crashing over the barrier walls, seagulls,, just flat out pretty.

This morning I thought cool I get to take a hot shower.. Yes! Dale tells me lots of hot water.. His shower was wonderfully warm.. Yes can't wait. So I jump in.. AHHH,, nice hot water.

about the time I get good and soapy, I feel cool water. Then all sudden ice cold water .. plunk. plunk plunk. Hey Dale if you pitch cold water on me, I am so going to hurt you.. And then I realize the water is coming from above me..

You got it. the skylight is leaking, dripping ice cold rain water on top of me. AND to top it off, there really isn't any hot water left because Dale used it all .. So much for my nice hot morning shower

First Night in RV Park

2011-12-29T20:19:00.000-06:00

Our first night in an RV park.. We are in Crescent City, CA. in a totally cool RV park.. Facing the ocean, Wind is whipping 90 to nothing, raining like crazy. But does that matter to us, nope not a bit.. So Dale and I jump out to get the RV all hooked up.. Shore power, city water and cable TV.

There is just one little issue.. It is that flashing Fault light on the onboard power inverter.. Hook up turn on shore power.. AND drum roll tada.. ummmm nothing. No power..

Are we daunted.. not on your life.. we hit the generator switch. Generator jumps to life humming away. I hurry to the kitchen to start that hot coffee.. Hey Dale,, there isn't any electrical outlet power. NO where in the RV.. And that annoying power inverter light is still blinking Fault 1

We even resort to calling a guy back home we go to church with who is an amazing RV electrical whiz especially since that is what he does for a living. wires up RV. the really huge rigs like this.. So he gives Dale all kinds of things to check.

About 10 trips in and back out Dale is soaking wet, generator is running but we do not have any power and the RV is now running so we have heat and don't run the batteries down..

Tomorrow we go to the RV shop down the road and see about the power inverter.. Me being me I googled it :) And we have a good idea of what the deal is but will need some parts.

On the bright side, take a look at the inside of our home away from home. And me in my jammies working diligently in Bonanza support.

I still can't believe Dale took a picture of me in my jammies!

Off to Oregon

2011-12-29T15:44:00.000-06:00

Yes we are off to Oregon to drive back an Coach motorhome. It is a huge RV on steroids! Seriously

I know you are so feeling sorry for me right about now ;) What an adventure. We are taking the Pacific Coast Highway all the way from Eugene Oregon
to Los Angeles, CA

The scenery today is unreal.

We have just gone through Coos Bay, Oregon

And there are these gorgeous fields of cranberries
The mountains are fog covered, it is raining yet warm. There is no way to describe the beauty. The state road went through the mountain via a totally cool tunnel.

Free Shipping Day December 16, 2011

2011-12-16T06:02:00.000-06:00

Today is the big event Free Shipping Day December 16, 2011 at

freeshippingday.com

Currently there are over 2500 participating merchants, including yours truly :)
bluepennylady

Bluepennylady ships most product free in the Continental US
check out my Bonanza booth or my eBay store

Bonanza sellers have their very own Category at freeshippingday.com ! So check out all the goodies today and get free shipping on that cool goody you been waiting on!

See you there!

eBay Free 5000 listings 3 days Dec 6-8, 2011

2011-12-06T07:33:00.000-06:00

That's right. eBay is offering free auction style listings for three (3) days. December 6 to December 8th.

1, 3, and 5 day duration

See the full announcement

Entrepreneurs gather in Hays to discuss cyber business

2011-10-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

What a great opportunity and so much fun! I got to meet Bonanza sellers.. Talk to new incoming sellers and just generally had a great time sharing tips, tricks, ideas and just talking.

Held September 30th and October 1, 2011 at the University in Hays, KS, several marketplaces and vendors came to share with attendees about eCommerce.

It was an awesome event. And I was so glad I had the opportunity to attend and speak to the attendees.

Read about it here at the Hays Daily News

Kansas Jubilee Friday and Saturday

2011-09-30T09:28:00.000-05:00

Kansas Jubilee

Starts today! September 30, 2011 Friday

Full schedule of events, speakers and networking

checkout the speaker and schedule

Kansas Jubilee Speakers

It's a Renaissance Bonanza

2011-09-30T09:22:00.000-05:00

It's a Renaissance Bonanza

It is time again

With the arrival of Fall we also mark the arrival of the 3rd Annual Renaissance Faire on Bonanza! Like Christmas in July, the Renaissance Faire is a product of the Bonanza community, where sellers come together to offer deep discounts on their items for the entire month of October. This is a great oppotunity to network and also to create another channel to market your items.

Read about it here

Bonanza has a new Home page look

2011-09-09T03:53:00.000-05:00

Live tonight Bonanza launched their new home page look. Pretty Cool design. Things are cleaned up quite a bit.. Navigation allows user to more quickly find what they want such as "My Bonanza > View my Bonanza" for the new user who in the past could not find their My Bonanza home page, can now quickly locate that important page.

Can't miss "Notifications" anymore either because the notifications is now in bright blue next to the users log in name. Makes is way easier to see when a message arrives while a member navigates the site.

Take a look at the homepage

Read all about the changes on the Bonanza Blog

Bonanza Boardroom Podcast August 4th 2011

2011-08-04T18:08:00.002-05:00

Tonight on the Bonanza Boardroom ~ What's new at Bonanza, Google+1, Tips from the White Board, Responsible Seller for Success and more!

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=66030&cmd=tc

TalkShoe - Call - Bonanza Boardroom

http://www.talkshoe.com/

Join us

Alex Berg Venturing on His Own

2011-07-29T10:41:00.000-05:00

Today Bill Harding CEO of Bonanza.com announced that Alex Berg will be venturing out on his own to start up his own company..Alex's life long dream.

We hate to see you go Alex! But good luck with your new business venture..

See the entire post here.

Marketplace Focus: Bonanza- Auctiva Learning Center

2011-07-29T10:38:00.000-05:00

Auctiva posted a great article about Bonanza.com

This is the second article in a series that explores off-eBay marketplaces. In this article, we introduce Bonanza, a marketplace that aims to make buying and selling everything that isn't "ordinary" easy.

Bonanza is a place for buyers and sellers looking for anything but the ordinary. And when shoppers see the funky vintage items on the marketplace's homepage, they'll know they're in the right spot to find a variety of rare and unique products.

See the entire article here

Marketplace Focus: Bonanza- Auctiva Learning Center

Volunteers make harvest possible — Convoy of Hope

2011-07-20T18:05:00.000-05:00

Volunteers make harvest possible — Convoy of Hope

This is my Dad! Daddy worked for days in the fields picking up debris . Dad and mom were picking up stuff and Dad found one single page of of a Bible. And the one page was the verse

Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest

: Dad said he stood in the middle of the field and said "Alright Lord I am tired and I take this at your Word"..

And that van pulled up with all the convoyofhope workers and helped him clean the fields... What a testimony!

Dad kept the page from the Bible. It is right next to his chair where he studies his Bible..

Bonanza Releases Bonanza Rewards

2011-06-01T08:10:00.000-05:00

Alex Berg the Chief Production Officer of Bonanza.com announced last night the release of Bonanza Rewards. Rewards are earned by tagging items and creating Hand Picked Lists. The Rewards are to offset final value fees.

Here's the full scoop

PayPal sues Google for stealing employees and trade secrets - May. 27, 2011

2011-05-27T12:21:00.001-05:00

PayPal sues Google for stealing employees and trade secrets - May. 27, 2011

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- PayPal is suing Google for allegedly stealing its employees and trade secrets that may have led to the launch of Google's mobile payment service.

The 28-page lawsuit, filed in a superior court in San Jose, Calif., late Thursday, accuses Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and two former PayPal employees who now work at Google of implementing PayPal's confidential trade secrets related to mobile payment technology.

John Lawson Nominated for Small Business Influencer Award

2011-05-27T09:16:00.001-05:00

John Lawson

Nominated for a Small Business Influencer Award in: Leaders

BonanzaUP 2011 Play to Win Las Vegas June 2-4, 2011

2011-05-09T15:10:00.003-05:00

June 2nd - June 4th at Harrahs in Las Vegas! Great speakers, fantastic information, celebrity lunches and More!

Register Now! Seating is Limited and They are going Fast

Register at the Bonanza Boardroom!

7pm - till ??? Meet and Greet at the Oyster Bar @ Penazzi
**The meet and greet will be a causual mingle as you wish affair. There will be no designated area, feel free to enjoy networking and meeting your fellow eCommerce and Bonanza colleagues. You can see their menu Here.

Get together, have some drinks and great food. A chance to meet everyone before all the busy stuff starts. Let's try not to get as wild as those in the video, eh?

Friday June 3

8-8:45-- Registration, Free continental breakfast, sign up sheets Celebrity Lunch w/ Speaker

8:45 -9:10 Introductions, announcement- Tweet for a treat! hashtag #BUP2011

9:10 - 10 -- Judy Oglesby
Support Our Sponsors!

10:15 - 11-- Keynote Phaedra Stockstill
Topic: The Real Strategy of Social Media - Begin to understand the strategy behind succesful social media for your business. How to develop a plan, understand the space, and implement.

Your Source for eCommerce information

11:15 - 12 - John Lawson - Win, Lose or Win BIG!
John Lawson is sponsored by Stamps.com

12:15 - 1:30 Celebrity Lunch! Sign up for lunch with your favorite speaker and snag some one on one time.

1:30 - 2 giveaway games, announcements, thank yous etc. Tweet for a treat!

2 - 3 speaker - USPS Jennifer Keller, Business Solutions Specialist and Charleen Reeves, Shipping Solutions Specialist

3:15 - 4 Bill Harding CEO of Bonanza.com Topic: The State of Bonanza

4-4:20 - announcements, thank yous, give aways, schedule for next day

Saturday June 4

8:30 to 9 continental breakfast. Sign up for Celebrity lunch (Cost of breakfast and lunch is included in registration fee for both days!)

9 to 9:10-- welcome

9:10- 10:15 Google Analyticals computer lab (attendees need their laptop computers to participate)

10:30 - 11:30 Keynote Phaedra Stockstill Customer Service: Marketing Opportunity. Explore true Customer Service and how it relates to being your biggest marketing opportunity.

1130 - 12-- Big Giveaway, Q&A's

12 to 1:30 lunch break with speaker and small groups Celebrity Lunch

1:30 - 2:15 giveaways, thanks yous, etc, meet each other

2:15 - 3 Sara Batterby of Good Citizen Brands
Topic: The Evolution of Branding and What it Means for Your Business: The evolution of branding is driven by transformative changes in technology, the economy and consumer values and preferences. Understand the exciting dynamics driving the big picture and learn how to make them relevant in the context of your own business.

3:15 - 4 Alex Berg

4- 4:30 Q&A's / Wrapup
Celebrity Lunch - Sign up to have lunch with one of the speakers at the event. Get them face to face and valuable one on one time!
Giveaways - Oh yeah! We are bringing it! Great suprises and giveaway all throughout the event.
Entire event will be MC'ed by our very own Mr. Mark Dorsey!

Evening of June 4th - The After Hours Party!
7pm - Till?? The Chocolate Lounge

Registration fee is $80.00 non refundable and includes a continental breakfast and a lunch buffet for both days of the event!
Register Now! Seating is Limited!

Book Your Hotel Room Now!
Group is a telephone direct group and attendees will be responsible for making their own reservations by calling our reservation line at 1-800-835-5686 by your cut off date of May 12th.

Your group will be listed as Bonanza Up!, and can be referenced by your guests using group code SHBNZ1.
BooK Your Room at Harrahs and get our special rate!

A huge and sincere thank you to Mrs. Judy Oglesby who single handedly made this years event a reality. Stop by her Bonanza Booth and say thank you!

Bonanza Adding Tax configuration Functionality

2011-04-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

Oh yes.. Bonanza is adding the ability for sellers to configure sales tax on their transactions. No more trying to set it up at Paypal or Google checkout.

Alex posted today about the soon coming feature..

Read it here.

Bonanza Boardroom Podcast Tonight April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T18:13:00.000-05:00

HI all

Yes it is that time already

Another Bonanza Boardroom podcast,, Tonight 7 pm CDT

Tonight we have Cindy Shebley as a special guest! Cindy is an absolute genius when it comes to photography.. Tonight Cindy is going to be sharing how to use Picasa to save us time and money for our eCommerce listing pictures.

Author of EZ Auction photos

Join us..!

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=66030&cmd=tc

Bonanza is Updating Categories and Item Traits

2011-04-05T10:48:00.000-05:00

Bill Harding CEO of Bonanza

To keep in step with upcoming Google product changes Bonanza is re-vamping Category and Item Traits.

The housecleaning will start in the next two weeks. Sellers really do not need to do anything. Other than might want to check the Item Traits available on your category. Some of the Item Traits will change or Traits will be added.

Read all about the changes on the Bonanza Blog

eBay Raises Seller Fees Again

2011-03-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Auctionbytes.com released an article concerning eBay's fee hike..

[quote]
Emotions ran high at eBay's Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday evening as sellers told eBay they could not afford the higher fees the company had announced on Tuesday as part of its Spring Seller Update. eBay will begin charging sellers commission fees (FVFs) on the total transaction - including the shipping and handling portion - to "incent" sellers to offer free shipping. One participant asked if it was even legal for eBay to charge a commission fee on shipping and handling.
[/quote]

See the full article here

Social Media and the Sales Strategy Phaedra Stockstill, Bonanza.com 2/11 New Life Event

2011-03-16T06:55:00.000-05:00

Phaedra Stockstill Talks about Social media at the New Live Event 2/11

Bonanza Releases Two Totally Cool Features

2011-03-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

Alex Berg posted on the Bonanza blog about two really cool features just released.

I am super excited about the Google Feed Status reporting feature!

The second feature is the ability to add a video to the Booth home page. The video is embedded from YouTube .. Easy as pie to do. Now the Bonanza booth owner can add a video to talk about what they do, new product, something of interest,, just about anything.

Check out my bluepennylady video.. Handy work of me and grandkids! The grandkids had a blast helping create it.

Read all about it on the Bonanza blog!

How to be a Profits Super Star with Nicole Fende

2011-03-03T14:32:00.000-06:00

This Thursday Night Live on the Bonanza Boardroom Podcast we have a fantastic guest for you! Nicole Fende will discussing tips and tricks that will help you with your Business Finances. As a Business owner, you know that taking care of your Financial Statements is very difficult to do. Let Nicole show you some easier ways to help you with this difficult task. Please join us Thursday Night, and take advantage of this opportunity to learn from an expert. Have your questions ready!

“Nicole Fende is President of the Small Business Finance Forum, and the driving force behind Rock Your Profits 2011. Ms. Fende is a credentialed actuary with experience as a former Chief Financial Officer, Investment Banker, and successful entrepreneur. She is the host of SmallBizFinance on BlogTalkRadio, with a listenership of 6,000 and growing. Her forthcoming book, How to be a Finance Rock Star, is an easy, practical guide to mastering small business finance.”

Nicole will be talking about how to be a profits super star.

"Frustrated by profits that don’t quite measure up? Think your business should be multi-platinum while it sits in the dollar bin? Help is here. Tune in and learn the top 3 profit pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Connect with Nicole
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Small-Business-Finance-Forum/125157404179894
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nfende

Nicole’s Websites
http://www.smallbusinessfinanceforum.com/blog/ http://www.financerockstar.com

This is going to be a fantastic show, Hope to see you all there! Talkshoe Thursday Night at 8pm EST 7pm CST Live and you can ask all of your questions in the chat room. http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=66030&cmd=tc

Bonanza News - Bonanza Boardroom

Bonanza Boardroom Podcast March 3, 2011 Thursday evening

2011-03-01T14:52:00.000-06:00

This Thursday Night Live on the Bonanza Boardroom Podcast we have a fantastic guest for you!

“Nicole Fende is President of the Small Business Finance Forum, and the driving force behind Rock Your Profits 2011. Ms. Fende is a credentialed actuary with experience as a former Chief Financial Officer, Investment Banker, and successful entrepreneur. She is the host of SmallBizFinance on BlogTalkRadio, with a listenership of 6,000 and growing. Her forthcoming book, How to be a Finance Rock Star, is an easy, practical guide to mastering small business finance.”

Nicole will be talking about how to be a profits super star
"Frustrated by profits that don’t quite measure up? Think your business should be multi-platinum while it sits in the dollar bin? Help is here. Tune in and learn the top 3 profit pitfalls and how to avoid them. "

Connect with Nicole
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Small-Business-Finance-Forum/125157404179894
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nfende

Nicole’s Websites
http://www.smallbusinessfinanceforum.com/blog/

http://www.financerockstar.com

this is going to be a fantastic show, Hope to see you all there!
Talkshoe Thursday Night at 8pm EST 7pm CST Live and you can ask all of your questions in the chat room

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=66030&cmd=tc
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=66030&cmd=tc

Phaedra Stockstill Joins Web Sellers Circle as new social media director | eCom Connections

2011-01-15T15:19:00.000-06:00

Phaedra Stockstill Joins Web Sellers Circle as new social media director | eCom Connections

Phaedra Stockstill, CEO of SLA-eCommerce joins Cindy Shebley and Dany Byrne as their new Director of Social Media for Web Sellers Circle.

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting

2011-01-14T21:32:00.001-06:00

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting

Recently during an interview on "The Savvy Seller" Podcast, I shared information on StumbleUpon as it pertained to my last two years experience in using it as a traffic generator for content. I also shared that information on an episode of the Bonanza Boardroom.
StumbleUpon easily beat out others, such as Facebook and Twitter, in my use of it for my own content and in my capacity of Social Media Manager for others.

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting

Bonanza a finalist for Washington Technology Association's Consumer Product of the Year

2011-01-10T17:00:00.001-06:00

bonanza blog

Hi everyone. I have some great news to share.

Bonanza has been named a finalist in the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) Awards for Consumer Product or Service of the year. This is a pretty big deal in the Pacific Northwest and something we’re really excited about!

This year marks the 16th annual Industry Achievement Awards, a ‘signature event celebrating Washington’s technology industry.’ Other finalists include Logos Bible Software and Swype. The awards will be announced on February 24, 2011.

Our press release should be out there 'in the wild' soon. We have been under embargo from the WTIA until just recently.

Congratulations to everyone in the Bonanza community. This acknowledgment is for all of you as well for making Bonanza what it is today!

Bonanza Boardroom (2)

2011-01-06T07:38:00.000-06:00

Bonanza Boardroom (2)

Bonanza Boardroom We are giving away 2 consultations tonight on Bonanza Boardroom! One with Phaedra, and one with Judy! All you have to do is comment under this post, "How would you use this consult to move your business forward?"
Listen in to the Live Internet Radio Show tonight to see if you won!

LITTLE BONZ LUNCHEON 2011

2011-01-06T06:16:00.000-06:00

YouTube - Florida, Fun, Food, Fried Fish

2011-01-06T06:15:00.000-06:00

YouTube - Florida, Fun, Food, Fried Fish

Mini-BonanzaUp Jan 2011 in Florida

How totally Cool!

Bonanza Antiques Rush (2)

2011-01-05T18:14:00.000-06:00

Bonanza Antiques Rush (2)

Attention Sellers: new USPS® and UPS® rates coming in January | eBay Announcement Page

2011-01-04T07:26:00.000-06:00

Attention Sellers: new USPS® and UPS® rates coming in January | eBay Announcement Page

If you are classified as a USPS commercial shipper there are now Regional priority boxes available. Check with your Post Office to see if you qualify..

Severe weather affecting Eastern and Northeastern U.S., parts of Europe, and Australia – shipping, communication potentially delayed | eBay Announcement Page

2011-01-04T07:24:00.000-06:00

Severe weather affecting Eastern and Northeastern U.S., parts of Europe, and Australia – shipping, communication potentially delayed | eBay Announcement Page

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting: 5 Steps to Facebook Advertising Success Part I

2010-12-30T21:09:00.000-06:00

Phaedra Stockstill of SLA e-Commerce straight Talk about using Facebook to drive business success

As this blog post became more and more detailed with great information, I realized I would have to split it into several parts.
Below we have Part I with Steps 1-3, next up is Part II with Steps 4-5. And I can't fail to mention the wrap up with 5 tips for facebook ads success.
So enjoy! As always, find your voice in the comments.

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting: 5 Steps to Facebook Advertising Success Part I

Read, Learn and then Apply!

Introducing Jeremy - Bonanza

2010-12-23T08:21:00.000-06:00

Bonanza added a social media onsite staff member.. Jeremy

Jeremy will be tweeting and facebooking and just generally being sociable.. Introducing Jeremy - Bonanza

Welcome Jeremy!

Drop by and say hi..

Bonanza Blog

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting Doing better in 2011

2010-12-22T17:42:00.000-06:00

Phaedra Stockstill provides some solid advice for making improvements in 2011.. Don't grow stagnant.. Just one thing. Choose the one thing your business could do better in 2011, make a plan and just do it.

What is your businesses weakest point? Is it marketng? That half done oft neglected blog?

Find it, define it and make it your goal in 2011 to improve your most lagging areas.

1. Complete a SWOT analysis of your business based on performance results of the past year.

2. Identify the weakest link, the area in most need of improvement.

3. Create a strong plan to improve this area, whether it be educating yourself, employees or outsourcing.

4. Implement.

5. Track results and tweak as needed.

6. Rinse, Repeat!

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting

Bonanza Booth and Items sold changes

2010-12-21T01:20:00.000-06:00

Alex at bonanza.com announced this morning concerning the changes made to the Items sold.

The previous version was shall we say really scary... The big bold "Item Sold" made you want to hit the back button and escape.

Now the sold is softer message. And related items from the seller's booth that is still for sale is offered above the sold item.. Much better look!

Read about it here

Merry Christmas from Giggles with Goats Totally cute

2010-12-18T21:48:00.002-06:00

Bonanza Forges Ahead with Site Improvements

2010-12-17T08:51:00.000-06:00

Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 8:29PM
Recently Bonanza.com has implemented a flurry of changes and improvements to the site, namely in asthetics and site navigation.

Continuing in that vein is their latest improvement to the visibility of coupons created by sellers on the marketplace. The site has introduced a new set of pages to allow buyers to shop coupons by category. This newest improvement allows higher visibility of coupons published by sellers to buyers browsing in specific categories.

Before the recent addition, visitors to the site were only presented with those coupons that had been recently published.

With the popularity of sites such as Groupon and RetailMeNot, online shoppers are searching more and more for the best buy possible, Bonanza seems to be positioning itself to allow its sellers to take advantage of this shopping trend.

For the sellers, this allows a higher visibility of coupons published for their booth.

Bonanza News - Bonanza Boardroom

YouTube - BaySide Betty @ Bonanza.com

2010-12-16T18:06:00.001-06:00

UPS Adds Photo ID Requirement for Retail Shipping

2010-12-11T14:07:00.000-06:00

UPS Adds Photo ID Requirement for Retail Shipping

UPS is expanding its policy to require customers who ship packages from retail shipping locations to present a government-issued photo ID for verification of identification. The directive will apply at The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations as well as authorized shipping outlets worldwide. The move is part of its ongoing review to enhance security and comes after the discovery in October of explosives hidden inside a printer cartridge in a package on a UPS cargo plane traveling from Yemen.

By Ina Steiner

AuctionBytes.com

Redesigned user feedback page - Bonanza

2010-12-10T09:44:00.000-06:00

Redesigned user feedback page - Bonanza

Tonight’s release involved a cosmetic makeover to our seller feedback pages.

Before we get into what did change let’s talk for a moment about what we didn’t change. We did not change one thing about how reviews or feedback is calculated. The percentage ratings are unchanged, the feedback counts are unchanged, and you can still import feedback from other marketplaces. Even the positive, neutral, and negative icons are the same. Changes to this page were limited to visual changes like page layout, copy, etc.

Redesigned user feedback page - Bonanza

eBay Provides Brick-and-Mortar Information on Mobile App

2010-12-08T06:47:00.000-06:00

eBay Provides Brick-and-Mortar Information on Mobile App

Shoppers who use eBay's RedLaser barcode-scanning application on their mobile devices can immediately find out through a single scan which nearby retailers currently have items in-stock and who has the best local price. eBay added the local shopping results to RedLaser from Milo, which it recently acquired. Milo tracks inventory from 140 offline retailers at their 50,000 U.S. brick-and-mortar stores.

By Ina Steiner

December 08, 2010

AuctionBytes.com

New Shipping Options - Bonanza

2010-12-07T18:39:00.000-06:00

New Shipping Options - Bonanza

Hi everyone – I’m happy to announce some new free shipping options which are rolling out of our experimental features ‘sandbox’ and are now into a live BETA.

They are entirely optional right now so if you don’t want to ‘kick the tires’ you don’t have to. To be super clear, there’s nothing at all you need to do. We didn’t change anyone’s existing settings, rates, or anything about their items.
At a high-level there are three features of note. First is the ability to set different shipping services and prices. Second is a newly enhanced shipping calculator. And third is the ability to set a preference for how and where your packages are dropped off (or picked up) for shipping. There’s a lot to cover here so I’ll take these one at a time.

Different shipping services and prices: for each item you can now set multiple shipping services to give buyers more choice. Want cheap shipping? We have an option for that. Want to offer expedited shipping? We have an option for that too. Each choice comes with the ability to set your own price of course. For example, if you want to set one item at $5.00 for USPS Parcel Post and offer UPS 3-Day for $15 you can do that too. By default your item detail pages will list the least expensive option. Want to take a look? Just edit any of your items and explore the options in the drop-down menu after the ‘buyer pays fixed price option

Out of the sandbox and into the bonanza.com community!

Bonanza in Lucky Magazine

2010-12-07T18:35:00.002-06:00

Oh yeah! Bonanza.com made it into Lucky Magazine.. lucky bonanza.com

how totally cool is that!

See the article here.

TalkShoe - Call - Tips From the Top with The Savvy Seller

2010-12-07T18:04:00.000-06:00

TalkShoe - Call - Tips From the Top with The Savvy Seller

Shape Up Your Business for 2011 w/ Phaedra Stockstill

Huckleberry Bumpkin's Blog

2010-12-07T15:55:00.001-06:00

Huckleberry Bumpkin's Blog

We all know the holidays are approaching. The television commercials fairly shout out the countdown and the number of shopping days we have left. Aside from the obvious of the material race to get the packages under the tree our minds begin to race as well. Memories of Holidays past begin to fill the space in our minds like the packages fill the spaces under the tree.

The memories and the call to our past has inspired my next guest here on the bumpkin blog. She is a very talented gal who is calling up her past to begin a bright future.

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

2010-12-07T06:59:00.000-06:00

Hallelujah Flash Mob Christmas at the Food Court..
Wow, what incredible voices!
Turn up your speakers this is outstanding

BonanzaBoardroom Podcast December 2, Christopher Joins Us - Forums - Bonanza

2010-12-03T03:18:00.000-06:00

Great responses to the Bonanza Boardroom Podcast.. Christopher was so fun and full of information and insight.

BonanzaBoardroom Podcast December 2, Christopher Joins Us - Forums - Bonanza

Bonanza Wins Tech Flash Startup Deal of the year

2010-12-02T16:38:00.000-06:00

Last night, December 1, 2010 Tech Flash held their annual award.. Bonanza.com had been nominated in November for one of the Startup Deal awards. The votes were cast and Bonanza.com won!

Bill Harding, CEO of Bonanza accepted the award..

Check out the Bonanza Blog post

And see the article at Tech Flash

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting: You've Been Lied To - Size Does MatterYes size d...

2010-12-01T14:35:00.000-06:00

South Louisiana eCommerce Consulting: You've Been Lied To - Size Does Matter

Yes size d...: "You've Been Lied To - Size Does Matter Yes size does matter and so do the numbers, I am talking Social Media here in plain language. Every..."

eBay Announcement Page

2010-12-01T02:58:00.000-06:00

eBay Announcement Page

New Rushes Available for Sign Up

2010-11-19T10:41:00.000-06:00

Alex Berg of Bonanza.com announced new Rush categories were now available..

The new categories are:

- Dolls & Bears
- Movie Memorabilia
- CDs
- Sports Memorabilia
- Baby Gear, Bedding, & Toys

According to Alex :

We have some new Rush categories available for sign-up from the ‘Join a Rush’ page. The categories are more refined than some of our previous ones in an effort to reduce the number of items and make Rushes easier to shop.

See the entire article

Bonanza nominated for Startup Deal of the Year

2010-11-19T10:36:00.000-06:00

Bonanza nominated for Startup Deal of the Year

Posted on November 17, 2010

Techflash, Seattle's largest technology / startup blog, is gearing up for their annual award night called 'the Flashies.' And Bonanza is a finalist for the Startup Deal of the Year. We're honored to be included in a list alongside many of Seattle's best companies. Here's the link to the story that announces our nomination.

The winner will be chosen by vote of the people, so if, after careful consideration of the various factors, you see fit to pick a winner, go for it.

See the announcement by Alex Berg

Bonanza makes a Database Upgrade

2010-11-10T22:41:00.000-06:00

Bonanza.com will be down for a while tonight doing a database upgrade.. The guys say it won't take long and is going to make things work so much better!

Read about Bill Hardings post

Bonanza Tuning the Rush

2010-11-10T07:15:00.000-06:00

Alex Berg of Bonanza.com released some of the things they have done and are going to be adjusting in the Rush events.
Hi everyone. Thanks for all the feedback on our new Rush functionality! As I mentioned a few times before we launched, Rushes are going to require some tinkering over time. I thought I would share some of our top findings which are based on stats, live feedback in the Rush chats, reviews of forum threads, and user testing with 'new to Bonanza' users. Here's a quick snapshot of our top 'take-aways' from the feedback thus far.

And the Rush Events are getting some major attention AuctionBytes and TechFlash published articles about it..

Read Alex's post here

eBay Announcement Page

2010-11-08T20:10:00.000-06:00

eBay Auction style listing sale.. November 9 - November 16. No matter the price list for only $0.25

eBay Announcement Page

Shipping calculator at Bonanza

2010-11-04T22:47:00.000-05:00

Bonanza.com is adding a new shipping calculator that will carry a $0.20 fee per listing.

Sellers can continue to use Bonanza's current shipping calculator. Those who want to use the new calculator must pay a fee of 20 cents per item listed - the charge will be included in sellers' monthly bills. Sellers will be allowed to incorporate the shipping calculator cost into the shipping estimate itself, adding 20 cents to the buyer's estimate so the seller doesn't pay the cost.

Bonanza is waiting for AucitonInc.com final approval before putting the new calculator into production.

Read the full article at Auctionbytes.com

Bonanza Rush Notifications

2010-11-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

Alex Berg of Bonanza.com shared with the sellers the Rush email notification being sent out for the upcoming Rush.. Scheduled Nov 4, 2010 9 AM to 1 PM PDT

Read the entire announcement

Bonanza First RUSH is now Scheduled!!

2010-11-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

You got it,, Bonanza.com has scheduled the very first Rush event..

From the Bonanza Blog

Our first Rush is in Antiques and is scheduled for Thursday, November 4th at 9:00AM PDT - 1:00PM PDT. Those of you who are signed up to sell items in the Antiques Rush will receive an email notification on Monday that includes the date and time and a link to promote the Antiques Rush on Facebook and Twitter.

Read the full details here

Our First Rush is Scheduled

List Auction-Style For 10¢ – 4 Days Only (October 29 – November 1) | eBay Announcement Page

2010-10-28T23:52:00.000-05:00

eBay is having a 4 Day .10 Auction style listing sale.

Read all about it here

List Auction-Style For 10¢ – 4 Days Only (October 29 – November 1) eBay Announcement Page

List Auction-style for 25¢ — one week only (October 19-25)! | eBay Announcement Page

2010-10-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Start listing those auctions!

List Auction-style for 25¢ — one week only (October 19-25)! eBay Announcement Page

Bonanza Tests AuctionInc Shipping Calculator

2010-10-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

AuctionBytes released an article tonight concerning the shipping calcualtor at Bonanza. In September Bill Harding launched a poll to the community asking for input. Many sellers in the community suggested Auctioninc.

Chief Product Officer Alex Berg told AuctionBytes he hoped to have something in beta form soon.

See the entire AuctionBytes article

Bonanza Bags Specialty Site Launched Tonight!

2010-10-13T00:46:00.001-05:00

Bonanza launched a handbag specialty site tonight. And it makes perfect sense to do so.. Bonanza since its launch has been the home of a fairly strong handbag community.

There will be no additional charge for an item to appear in the Bags.bonanza.com site ,, And the listing is searchable in both sites, Bonanza.com as well as bags.bonanza.com

The FAQ section provides great detail about this exciting new feature just in time for the holiday season

Check out Bills blog post Wow this is really cool!

List Fixed Price for 1¢ in Hot Holiday Categories, October 9-15! | eBay Announcement Page

2010-10-08T22:55:00.001-05:00

List Fixed Price for 1¢ in Hot Holiday Categories, October 9-15! eBay Announcement Page

Applies to ebay.com only. Be sure to read the full details. 1 cent listing fee in

•Electronics

•Computers & Networking

•Cameras & Photo

•Cell Phones & Smartphones (within the Cell Phones & PDAs category)

•PDAs & Pocket PCs (within the Cell Phones & PDAs category)

•Musical Instruments

•Video Game Systems (within the Video Games categ

Carly Joins the Bonanza Team as Social Media Intern

2010-10-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

Carly Hess has joined the Bonanza team as a Social Media Intern.. Fresh out of college sporting a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Bowdoin College just this past May. She will be working with Alex and Phaedra Stockstill of attheboutique to gain more buyers through Facebook and Twitter..

Welcome aboard Carly! Great Pictures!

Alex Berg joined Bonanza Boardroom Podcast Oct 7, 2010

2010-10-08T10:27:00.000-05:00

Last night Alex Berg, the Chief Product Guy joined the "Ladies of the Boardroom" . What an incredible interview! Alex is articulate, passionate and easily conveys ideas and concepts to others. He gave the Bonanza community a glimpse of the rationale behind a Buyer survey first. Site re-design.. Why a Rush..

Plus we learned who really is the "Resident old guy" on the Bonanza Team..

You will have to listen to find out.

Talkshoe

Be sure to drop by our sponsors booths. Their support makes the Bonanza Boardroom possible

GoGomontrose

JsGeare's Makin'Tracks

European Goodies

BubbleFast

Bonanza Boardroom podcast Thursday Oct 7, 2010

2010-10-07T18:06:00.003-05:00

It has been a year! Can you believe it...

Don't miss the Bonanza Boardroom podcast. tonight Thursday Oct 7, 2010 at 7 pm CST Episode 13

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=66030&cmd=tc

Alex Berg from the Bonanza team is joining us .. So stop in and get the inside scoop on the changes that have been made and maybe what is in store down the road.... Never know what may be shared in the podcast.

Bonanza Boardroom Podcast Thursday Oct 7, 2010

2010-10-06T21:43:00.001-05:00

Wow, has the time flown by. It is time for the Bonanza boardroom podcast. And do Phaedra and I ever have a totally cool treat..

Alex Berg will be joining us ! He is all pumped ready to talk with all of the community about the great things happening..

Don’t miss this podcast.. It is a must attend event.. (wow that is a mouthful

7 pm CST/ 8 pm EST

Talkshoe

Bonanza.com hits page #1

2010-10-06T21:03:00.000-05:00

Alex posted tonight about Bonanza organic search placement. The Bonanza community had expressed concern over the Bonanza.com name being so far back when searching organically.

Well that is changing, dramatically. As of today, Bonanza.com made it to page #1. Give it a test of your own.. Be sure to sign out of google.com so the results are not skewed. Just type in "bonanza" and see where Bonanza.com falls.

I tried it myself and the Bonanza.com ended up the 6th result on page #1..

How cool is that!

Bonanza Adds "Rush" Sale

2010-10-05T07:19:00.001-05:00

Bonanza recently removed the Bonanza sale feature with a promise that something new was on the way. The "new" has been released. It is called the Bonanza "Rush" Sellers sign up for the event via the My Bonanza > Sell page. There is a link to designate the percentage the seller is offering for the Rush.

Bonanza will schedule the Rush and notify everyone when the Rush time will be. Instead of discounted items all over the site, items in the bonanza Rush will be located on a single page. Much easier for buyer's to locate and shop.

Alex posted a detailed outline ..Read all about it.

eBay Announcement Page

2010-10-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

eBay Announcement Page

Ten Cent listing days! Oct 5 to Oct 7, 2010 See the details!

Bonanza Notifications Have Returned!

2010-09-28T11:38:00.000-05:00

Yes! Bonanza have returned the Notifications for email, alerts, offers and other important notifications.. The Notification is different from the previous notifications Bonanza sellers were use to, but it is still great to know when you have been emailed or have an offer anywhere on the site.

AND when the Notification link is clicked, you are directed immediately to your "My Bonanza' page. Easy peasy.

The new Notification link is located along the top bar of the site. The number of notifications is noted by a number. More than one notification a drop down becomes active so you know exactly what the notifications are..

Read all about it.

Bonanza starts the Address/URL Redirect

2010-09-27T21:10:00.000-05:00

Alex from Bonanza announced this evening that starting tomorrow evening, September 28, 2010, the Address/URL redirects will all be in place.

So any bonanzle.com links will automatically redirect to bonanza.com.. Nothing is going to break so don't panic. All will be well. The redirect will work indefinitely.

See Alex's post

New Bonanza Logos, Banners, Designs

2010-09-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

Today Christopher Thomas, the newest Bonanza team member posted the new Bonanza logos, Banners, business card designs.. All the assets!

Christopher has setup a Zazzle store for Bonanza sellers to create new business cards.

The orange spike grass has been retired as a prominent Bonanza logo .. If you really liked the orange spike don't despair, you will find it located in the page footers mixed in with the "green grass".

The new Bonanza logo is a nifty green Square B. The new logo will appear in a viewers browser, on twitter as well as Facebook

According to Christopher, more assets will be added but this will get the ball rolling.. Enjoy!

Read all about it.

eBay announces 5 Star DSR's for Free Shipping

2010-09-21T15:09:00.001-05:00

eBay Announcement Page

Automatic 5-star DSRs for free and fast shipping:

•As of August 24, when you offer and your buyer chooses free shipping, eBay will automatically rate the transaction with 5 stars for shipping cost.

•Starting in November, when you specify 1-day handling time, upload tracking information by the end of the next business day after the buyer’s payment clears, and we know your package arrived within 4 business days from when the buyer pays (or arrived by your estimated delivery if that was earlier), eBay will automatically rate the transaction with 5 stars for shipping time.

Press Release: Bonanza Acquires 1000 Markets and Rebrands as

2010-09-21T11:55:00.001-05:00

Bonanza.com

Moves Expand Product Offerings and Align Bonanza's Brand With Rapidly Growing Base of Loyal Merchants and Shoppers Seeking "Everything but the Ordinary"

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - September 21, 2010) - Bonanzle, the leader in community-driven social commerce, today announced that it has acquired 1000 Markets, one of the premier marketplaces for artisan merchandise.

Bonanzle also announced that it is changing its name to Bonanza and introducing a new design to make it even easier for shoppers to find "everything but the ordinary."
The combined company will be found online at http://www.bonanza.com/ and will further position Bonanza as an exceptional social commerce experience, said Bill Harding, chief executive officer of Bonanza.

"We think this is an amazing triple play. First, we're adding the tremendous stores and shoppers of 1000 Markets to our family. Second, we're bringing a dynamic new design to the site that makes it even easier to list and buy the kind of delightful and unique merchandise both companies have always been known for. And third, we're branding it with a household word that not only speaks to the bounty of opportunities to be found, but is also easier to remember and spell."

Bonanza is an online marketplace focused on unique items that is reflective of the real world shopping experience at a street fair. Working from virtual booths, merchants sell a wide variety of products ranging from old coins and antiques to handbags and candles. Its most popular categories are women's shoes and handbags, home and garden, jewelry, and collectibles. Numerous features, such as chat, custom coupons, and limited time sales, are baked into each merchant storefront.

1000 Markets complements Bonanza's existing stores with its specialty in handcrafted artisan goods, ranging from jewelry and art to home and garden items. Its outstanding sellers and inventory have garnered praise from luminaries such as Oprah, Real Simple, and Good Morning America.

Founded in 2008, Bonanza has quickly become one of the most popular social commerce sites on the Internet. At present, Bonanza has more than two million monthly visitors, 300,000 registered users and more than 3.4 million items for sale across its array of storefronts. Sales on Bonanza have increased by 150 percent over the past year, Harding said.

"This is an excellent match for our merchants and our growing audience of buyers," Harding said. "Both companies emphasize fun and easy shopping for unique products, and the merchants at 1000 Markets are known for the quality of their work and passionate commitment to customer service -- traits that we admire and support."

"We are delighted to join forces with Bonanza, one of the leaders in the field. This will bring our distinctive and passionate merchants the power of Bonanza's infrastructure and traffic," said Matthew Trifiro, chief executive officer of 1000 Markets. "We believe that this combination will create one of the strongest players in social commerce."
"Bonanza epitomizes the concept of social commerce. There are a few companies out there doing interesting things in the space, but social commerce should really be more than just putting Facebook and Twitter buttons on your product pages," Harding said.

Both Bonanza and 1000 Markets are based in Seattle. Harding said that 1000 Markets' inventory of about 100,000 items will be blended into Bonanza's inventory over the next month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Earlier this year, Bonanza raised $1 million in funding from a group of prominent investors, including Ignition Partners, Voyager Capital, Founder's Co-op and Curious Office Partners, all of Seattle, and Matrix Partners of Silicon Valley. The investment round also included prominent angel investors such as BuddyTV founder Andy Liu, Wetpaint founder Ben Elowitz and Ontela co-founder Dan Shapiro.

1000 Markets raised $500,000 in funding last year from a similarly prominent group, including Founder's Fund and True Ventures.

Bonanzle Makes Big Changes-Name to Bonanza & Site Re-design

2010-09-21T00:09:00.002-05:00

Today is a big day! Bonanzle has changed its name to "Bonanza". But why change after two years. Several reasons are cited by Bill Harding.

Bonanza is a real word. It's orginal meaning is: a source of great and sudden wealth or luck; a spectacular windfall

What a better word to describe the site.

Bonanza is easier to remember as well as spell. And if buyer's can remember as well as spell it, that can translate into more site traffic which means more sales.

The second change is the site re-design. The header has been re-designed to include drop down menus to help navigate quickly through the site. The colors and some of the other elements such as the "grass" that ear mark Bonanzle, oops Bonanza remain the same. The grass is located along the footer.

Best of all, the site category navigation is now located on the Home page, neat and clean right underneath the Hand Picked Lists.

Last but not least, Bonanza has acquired 1000Markets .. That Market will be adding their items to the Bonanza site in the near future. So everyone be sure to welcome these new members of the Bonanza community.

To help address questions, take a look at Bonanza's FAQ

Read the full announcement

Bonanzle Changes Bonanzas

2010-09-20T20:26:00.000-05:00

Bonanzle is changing Bonanzas.. Wow that is a mouthful!

They are actually going to spruce up the way Bonanzas are promoted so the events fare better increasing sales. According to Alex,

"Our goal with the new direction is to provide greater context and relevance to the items being sold and provide more effective marketing to drive sales"

Can't wait to see how they are re-designing the Bonanzas!

Read all about it

Meet Christopher Thomas- Bonanza User Experience Designer

2010-09-17T22:24:00.001-05:00

Christopher Thomas formally introduced himself today at Bonanza.. He is joining the team as a User Experience Designer..

Christopher has already been working with Alex prior to actually packing up and moving from Pennsylvania to Seattle. And some of his handi-work is already live on the site, Things like the nifty search filter Bonanzle site searchers now have to help them find that totally cool doodad they are looking for.

Welcome Christopher!

Read Christopher's blog post

ItemTraits Attributes

2010-09-15T18:13:00.000-05:00

List Auction-style for 10Â¢â€“Any Start Price! | eBay Announcement Page

2010-09-13T23:16:00.000-05:00

List Auction-style for 10Â¢â€“Any Start Price! eBay Announcement Page

WhatToDoAnalyticalData.mpg

2010-09-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

Bonanza adds Value to Booth Subscriptions

2010-09-07T09:53:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago Bonanza launched a member survey asking what members thought would add more value to the Booth paid subscriptions.

Alex has been hard at work reviewing and pouring over the survey results. And they have launched a change to the favoriting and following booth feature.. Quite cool if I do say.

Now it is really easy for incoming traffic to see how they can receive notification about product changes in a seller's booth. So when the seller adds product to their booth, an email is sent to any booth subscriber.

And to add even more value to the Premier Subscriptions.. now on every search result page relevant Premier listing can be displayed across the top of the search results as long as there are 3 or more results found.. Just like Google does in the organic results.

You can read all about it at the Bonanza blog!

Silkworm on Bonanzle ~ 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

2010-09-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

GoogleAnalyticalsData.mpg

2010-09-03T22:57:00.000-05:00

Bonanzle Boardroom Podcast Sept, 2, 2010

2010-09-03T18:36:00.000-05:00

Last night was the Bonanzle Boardroom Podcast. The chat room was full.. There was lots of fun, great information AND some top secret information about the BonanzleUp 2011 next May in Vegas.

AntiquesRGreat and EuropeanGoodies called to share tidbits and experiences they had at the BonanzleUp 2010 in Kansas City, August 7, 2010.

Kat Simpson joined us to talk about the "Bling my Bra' Breast cancer awareness campaign that will start up in October. What a totally cool idea to help in the fight against breast cancer.

You will just have to listen to the Podcast.. It was really a fun time..

TheInternet Venue Marketing Judy

2010-09-01T09:25:00.000-05:00

Ryan Joins the Bonanza Team

2010-08-31T19:51:00.001-05:00

Welcome is in order to the new kid on the block at Bonanza. Hey wasn't that the name of a rock group several years back. Boy did I date myself!

Ryan Hicks has joined the Bonanza team. Ryan's speciality is "user experience" .. Smoothing out rough edges and making things work right for seller and buyer alike. Which in turn will bring in more sales.. Yes!

Ryan has worked at Skytap, social publishing at Wetpaint and jewelry retailing at Blue Nile. (I love Blue Nile jewelry)

Ryan and Alex are no strangers. They have worked together for over 10 years.

Read all the details at the Bonanza Blog

10 Cent eBay Auction Style Listing Sale Three Days!

2010-08-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

Yes that is right eBay is having a 10¢ Auction style listing sale for three days.

August 31, 2010 to September 2, 2010. The seller must have a subscription plan and a DSR average of 4.5

Read all about the details here

Bonanza Handpicked lists and Facebook

2010-08-30T14:10:00.001-05:00

Bonanza made a really super cool change to the Hand Picked list page.. A Facebook "Like" button.. oh yeah! What a great thing.

When you "like" the hand picked list, your name and profile picture will appear. And it is posted to your Facebook page as well. So all your followers can see what you like.

Read all about it here

eBay Shipping DSR Feedback Policy Change

2010-08-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

Today Ina Steiner of Auctionbytes posted the "official" response from eBay concerning DSR ratings for Free Shipping items.

Currently as of today August 26, 2010, the policy applies to the US and Canada. eBay is looking to possibly roll the change out to other sites as well at a later date.

Sellers must match criteria.:

A seller must offer a Free Shipping option on their item.
A buyer must choose the free shipping option during payment.
eBay must be able to verify the buyer didn't pay shipping costs by using verifiable payment methods and using eBay Checkout.

Read the entire blog post on AuctionBytes

BonanzleUP 2010 Opening with Phaedra Stockstill

2010-08-24T22:52:00.000-05:00

Phaedra Stockstill of BonanzleBoardroom.com and attheboutique kicked off BonanzleUP 2010-Exploding Forward.

What fun!

Ebay Changing DSR Rating Stance for Free Shipping

2010-08-24T21:22:00.000-05:00

Today Ina Steiner of AuctionBytes posted about an eBay buyer attempting to leave feedback for a seller who offered Free Shipping. According to the buyer, they were unable to leave any rating other than a 5 star for the "Shipping and Handling charge" DSR..

Read the entire article