Young in Argyll: Ellis Cameron on night, day and (great) tips on eBay

Last week I was working as usual, playing about and discovering new things. I’ve recently found a flat to live in for this September coming (in the nick of time I’d like to add!) and I’m getting really excited about moving back to Glasgow. I’ve missed the charity shops, the busy cafes, and of course the fantastic drink deals in Nice ‘n’ Sleazys.

Some of my friends are starting to move back there already but I’ve still got another few weeks of country life with home cooked food and generally being pampered before I head back.

The Day

Last Saturday I made a stop at the local horticultural show which takes place every year in late August. It’s a fun day, where locals bring everything from carrots to shortbread to be judged in order to win prizes for their efforts.

I was very proud of my mum, who walked away with a 1st for her peas in a pod. What made it even better was how genuinely surprised she was to have won and how excited she got when she found out.

I have to admit, I was drawn in because of the home baking (above left) – having paid £2 at the door, you get the choice of a number of different cakes to snack on, as well as tea or coffee. I found a great piece of Rocky Road and managed to nab several cups of tea too.

The horticultural show is very diverse, because although there is a large emphasis on flowers and plants, there’s also a photography section and a large children’s section.

I particularly liked the ‘Vegetable Animals’ category, in which several children had given making animals out of veg a go. My personal favourite walked away with the prize – the little boy had created sheep out of a cauliflower and olives.

Wandering round the veg section, I also spied a very unusual looking carrot, which I just had to capture on camera. You really get some originals at shows like these.

The Night

Later on that day after work I headed out to Stick It On at the Rugby Club in town. Stick It On is a DJ night where anyone can have a go at DJ-ing – just sign up beforehand, bring a CD and, well, stick it on.

A few of my friends were playing sets so I made sure to head down after I’d finished work at Piazza.

The night was a good laugh – and important too, as one of the regular DJs, Mara, is moving to New Zealand soon so it was her final set at Stick It On.

All in all the guys played great music and it was lovely to have a night out for a change. At the moment I’m working so much that nights out are pretty infrequent, so I made sure I had really good fun on Saturday.

The Inbetweens

I watched Where The Wild Things Are this week, and even though it’s a film of a children’s book I really enjoyed it. The soundtrack was particularly catchy too – most of the music is  written and performed by Karen O of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. It’s really otherworldy and uplifting, rather like Sigur Rós’ work.

I’ve also put a lot of stuff on eBay at the moment as my wardrobe’s really needing a clear out and it’s always handy to have some extra cash. So far it’s all looking good, I’ve sold one thing already and the others all have bids on them, which I’m really chuffed about.

I’d really recommend eBay if you need a bit of money and/or your wardrobe’s bulging full of unwanted clothes that are just too nice to throw out. You’d be surprised what some items manage to make, even if you don’t view them as things you would pay a lot of money for.

Check out my tips below for selling things on eBay and making your millions. This is an international market where you can sell from home.

eBay; What To Dos and What To Don’ts

DO List as many items as possible at once:
Getting everything you want to sell online in one evening is the best way to do it It’s all done in one swoop and all the items end on the same day, at roughly the same time, so you don’t have to run to the post office to post things on different days. It also means that if someone’s viewing one of your items they can have a sift through your other items at the same time, meaning you might sell more.

DON’T be minimal:
Put a photo up. In fact, put several photos up, as this will let the buyer see what the item really looks like. Describe it well. Whether it’s clothing or kitchenware, mention colour, size, material, age, where it’s from and any other details which you think might be relevant. It’ll attract more people if there’s more information.

DO offer to sell worldwide:
You can charge more according to where you’re sending it. Just make sure to mention that the stated P&P is UK only and to email you for worldwide prices. You can always choose not to send it if it’s somewhere you aren’t sure of – but better to offer so you get more interest.

DON’T be cheap with packaging:
Packaging is important, as it makes sure the item is delivered in good condition and it’s aesthetically important. No one wants their stuff to arrive in a torn package. Tesco’s sell brown paper very cheaply, and it costs less than air mail bags but still protects as well as they do, provided you wrap carefully. If an item is delicate, remember to wrap it in bubble wrap too.

DO answer questions:
If you forget to mention anything, be happy to answer any questions a potential buyer may have. Answering a question may secure you a bid. Ignoring a question may lose you one. Try to be as imformative and honest in your answers as possible. If an item is partially used or damaged, better to mention it now before they open the parcel and leave you bad feedback.

DON’T be nasty:
If you have an unsatisfied customer, whatever you do, don’t be rude. It’s not worth the overall hassle and the negative feedback they will leave you. Grit your teeth and apologise, because for every person who moans, there will be plenty others who are totally satisfied with their purchases.

GOOD LUCK.

Ellis Cameron, Young in Argyll editor

Photographs accompnay ing this article are by copyright holder Ellis Cameron