Q1. What is your eBay user id and name (the regular one that you get called in life)?

My ebay user id is carol_giftbunny. In real life I am (unsurprisingly!) called Carol, although have been called other things by certain people! My boyfriend used to call me Thumper (after the foot stamping rabbit, not cos I whacked him!) hence my old ebay id of carolthumper

Q2. How long have you been a member of eBay?

I have been a member of ebay since February 2004 but have only been a regular user since last summer. Now I am addicted!! 

Q3. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I work in admin (boring!) so enjoy doing crafts in my spare time to relax. I have been glass-painting and making cards for a number of years as presents, so selling things on ebay took off from running out of friends to give my items to!!

Q4. What kind of products do you sell on your a/c?

I sell handcrafted notelets and cards, a range of glass painted items such as mirrors, frames and tealight holders and also some jewellery; delicate earrings, simple necklaces and pretty keyrings. I can also giftwrao items and send direct to recipient if required, for a small charge (usually 50p to a £1).

I also occasionally sell good quality unwanted items such as bags or clothes, which is how I got started using ebay.  

Q5. Do you have a shop?

Yes, I have recently set up “The Gift Bunny”. The name was inspired by my friendly house rabbit, Dylan. My main logo is actually one of the sun-catchers I made using glass-paint. 

Q6. Do you have any top tips/shortcuts or selling secrets you would be willing to share with the other subscribers?

I have also found that ending auction items mid evening can be best for encouraging last minute bidding wars. I did have a bad habit of listing things late into the night, but you can schedule your listings so they start/end exactly when you want them to.  I always use a gallery picture, as I know I am much less likely to click on an item when there is no photo.

When buying, I always check seller’s feedback to make sure I am dealing with someone reliable, but I go by quality rather than just quantity of feedback! 

Q7. If one of the subscribers were to buy from you, would you be prepared to give a discount? (If yes – then it’s down to you to decide what discount and whether it’s only if they spend a set amount etc)

Yes. I would give a 20% discount the first time they shop with me (ie first invoice, can be more than one item though!) 

Q8. Have you ever had any bad experiences on eBay ie. Dodgy/rude customers etc

I have been very lucky and not had any bad experiences. I try to give as much detail and be as helpful as I can to avoid misunderstandings and make buying a pleasurable experience! But if the worst happens and you get bad feedback I think it is important to add a note explaining the circumstances and not just calling the person a bad tempered old bag!!  

Q9. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

I am also about to start attending some local craft fairs in Essex & East London – if you spot my stall, say hello! 

Q10. Finally, can I ask if you could share your thoughts on the new WomensBay on-line magazine and is there anything that you would like to see appear either as a one off or regular feature?

I think you have spotted a real gap in the market with this newsletter and made something that is a very friendly approachable forum for ebay advice, shared experiences and just a great read to relax and “meet” other ebayers!

Thankyou Carol :)

If anyone would like to take advantage of Carols Subscriber offer of 20% Off 1st order placed in her shop CLICK HERE to be re-directed to her Ebay Shop