Feeling the love - eBay Feedback rating over 31,000

Posted on May 20th, 2008 in Hobby News, Hobby Trends by ramore

What a busy weekend. Our eBay feedback rating is over 31,000.

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Last Friday our eBay feedback rating was at 8,223.

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Actually, what must have occurred is that eBay changed their algorithm. We have a LOT of repeat buyers. The old eBay system did not take this into account. eBay realized that this was wrong. They are trying to create a better buying experience. One result is to encourage buying from sellers that perform. One of the best indicators of performance is repeat buying. Actually, because many of you buy multiple items from us at a time, this rating understates our overall positive feedbacks of over 61,000. Even this understates the number of eBay transactions we’ve done over the years, well over 100,000 items sold, as many do not leave feedback or only leave it on a single item in a group of purchases.

7,000+ different customers and counting

Posted on June 19th, 2007 in Hobby News, Hobby Trends by Roy

I know, its a little crowing but what the hey - we recently passed 60,000 positive feedbacks from over 7,000 customers. Given that not everyone leaves feedback and not everyone leaves feedback for every item purchased and that many of our lots are multiple patch lots - that’s a lot of patches! It is also a lot of repeat purchases.

Tico Perez recently did some postings asking about the state of the hobby. I shared several thoughts with him one of them being that we have a lot more customers than any of the trading societies, off-line or on-line, have. And we don’t have everyone as a customer , yet :-). There clearly is a lot of interest in Scouting collectibles. We are always looking at ways to make the hobby more fun and better. Please pass on your suggestions.

Just when you assume you know everything……

Posted on June 19th, 2007 in Hobby News, Camps, What's Its by dhoffard

I’ve been researching Illinois related Scouting since I was 15 years old and I just turned 37 the other day so I’ve been at it for quite awhile. I’d not heard of a camp or trail for any Illinois council that I was previously unaware of for a long long time. Well just the past couple weeks I’ve seen something from one of each.

First is a camp brochure I spotted on eBay from Camp Dunlap out of the Danville Council, Danville, IL. And to add insult to injury, I didn’t even know they were called by that name so late. I thought it was Piankeshaw Council before 1935. Camp was located in Indiana but obviously was the camp of this Council in Illinois if you read the brochure:

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Second is a brochure from a Troop operated trail in Abraham Lincoln Council that I’ve never heard of before. It was called the Lincoln-Douglas Heritage Trail, located near Jacksonville, IL. And what’s even crazier is that they talk about a first day patch, a regular patch, and even a medal so there’s cool memorabilia from this thing:

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Click on the picture of the trail brochure and you’ll get a larger version, it posted small for some reason.

Just goes to show you, nobody knows everything, even me. That makes me sad, I thought I might……..

Destry the Non-Guru

Dave Wolverton passes away

Posted on June 5th, 2007 in Hobby News by Roy

From our good friend and New Jersey collector Randy Holden we heard that Dave Wolverton passed away. Here is what Randy passed on to us:

A Brief Bio on David Alan Wolverton:

David was born June 14, 1962 in Pasadena, California to Margaret and Frank Wolverton.

As a youth he was involved with the Indian Guides at the YMCA. He then joined the Boy Scouts in Troop 305, Middletown, New Jersey. He advanced to the Rank of Eagle Scout on 10/24/1979. He went on to earn both Bronze and Gold Eagle Palms. He was active in the Na Tsi Hi Lodge 71 Order of the Arrow (the Boy Scout Honor Society) as a member of the Dance Team. He received his Ordeal Honor September 1975, his Brotherhood Honor September 1976 and his Vigil Honor in June 1979. His Vigil Name was Tachen Gentgeen Tulpe, translated as Little Dancing Turtle. He attended the National Jamborees in 1977. He served on Forestburg Scout Reservation Camp Staff and the FSR Staff Alumni Association.

David was an outstanding student in High School. He was a National Merit Scholar, Presidential Scholar and winner of the National Elks Scholarship. He was accepted at University of California at Irvine where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and received the Phi Beta Kappa honor, the nation’s oldest and most widely known Academic Honor. He later returned to graduate school at Stanford University where he earned his Masters of Science in Computer Engineering. He was employed for many years at Alcatel-Lucent and its predecessors Lucent Technology and AT&T Bell Laboratories as a Lead Software Engineer. He received the distinguished Bell Labs Fellow designation.

He was just completing his sixth year as the Na Tsi Hi Lodge 71 Lodge Adviser and was active as a member of the Order of the Arrow NE-2A Section as Native American Affairs Adviser.

He was the founder of the New Jersey Scout Museum, Morganville, New Jersey and was its first Curator. He authored the first book detailing the pictorial history of a Boy Scout Council in the Arcadia/Tempus Publishing Series “Images of America” entitled Monmouth Council Boy Scouts copyrighted 2003. He was a life member of the International Scout Collectors Association and a frequent contributor of well researched articles. David was the Monmouth Council and Na Tsi Hi Historian and maintained the “Master List” of every Scout collectible ever issued in Monmouth Council.

His other hobbies in which he made many friends included Woodworking and Blacksmithing including organizations at “The Historic Village at Allaire.”

He has received further honors and recognitions in the Boy Scouts of America including the Silver Beaver 1997, Scouters Key, Scouters Training Award, Wood Badge Beads, Wood Badge Staff, District Award of Merit, Twin Lights Volunteer of the Year 2006, OA National Lodge Advisors Training seminar (NLATS) at Philmont Scout Ranch, NM 2002, OA National Leadership Seminar 2000, Twin Lights Good Scout Award 2002, Twin Lights Silver Scout Award 1986, and the George Engledrum Award 1991.

He was Scoutmaster of Troop 60 in Lincroft, NJ, ran the Twin Lights Winterburg for ten years, was re-founding Committee Chairman for Troop 125 Fair Haven in 1997. He was also Camping Chairman and Camporee Chairman for Twin Lights District for many years. He was a regular Campmaster at Quail Hill Scout Reservation donating many dozens of weekends assisting Scout units camping there. Also a regular fixture at Forestburgh Scout Reservation.

Heart failure has been recorded as the COD. He was two weeks shy of what would have been his 45th birthday.

He will be missed by many, including those in our hobby.

Randy

As I just told Randy, this should make you appreciate how precious each day is.

Hobby Trends - A review of 2006

Posted on April 17th, 2007 in Hobby News, Hobby Trends by dhoffard

Nearly every year since 1991 I have written a ‘Year in Review’ article either as part of our prices realized book or as a submission to the International Scout Collectors Association (ISCA) journal.

Here’s this year’s in PDF.

For the rest of the article including category by category reviews, see the upcoming International Scout Collectors Association journal. Go to www.scouttrader.org for membership information.

Great fun at the warehouse sale

Posted on July 29th, 2006 in Hobby News by Roy

Over 100 turned out for fun and food at our pre-NOAC warehouse sale.

Hoards-R-Us

Posted on February 8th, 2006 in Hobby News by dhoffard

What with the volume of patches we handle, over 30,000 pieces last year alone, we sometimes refer to ourselves as “Patches-R-Us”. We may have to change that to “Hoards-R-Us.” I guess we’re now measuring collections by pallet loads. We just took in a 3-pallet collection. See the pictures below (and yes, the shelves in the background are full of Scouting memorabilia as well.)

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Collecter Cal Holden passes away 12/14/05

Posted on December 20th, 2005 in Hobby News by Roy

From Mike McAdams:

CAL HOLDEN (83)
If you could hear taps playing Wednesday, it was for Cal Holden, who passed on to be with the Lord (Dec. 14th) after an extended battle with cancer. He was 13 days shy of his 84th birthday.

A passionate scouter for most of his life, Cal was one of the foremost collectors of boy and girl scouting memorabilia in the world. He was so well known in the business, that the US Postal Service asked him to help with the design of a stamp honoring the birth of scouting for its 1910s decade project, while Hollywood studios would ask for his help in finding period scout uniforms for movies.

There was a reason he dedicated his life to scouting, and that was because a scout helped save his life after a skiing accident in 1945. He called it a miracle, and made it his life mission to spread the virtues of scouting. Cal grew up in Holden, Mass., graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1943, moved to Ohio and worked for PPG in Barberton as a chemical engineer for 40 years. He retired in 1983, and spent the years since putting together his scouting collection. He was in the process of writing a book on Girl Scout collectibles when he passed away.

Cal was also known as the resident Doylestown historian, heading up the writing and printing of two books on the history of Doylestown, most notably the 284-page, 175th anniversary edition in 2002. He was also instrumental in starting the Rogues’ Hollow Historical Society.

Cal was a 57-year member of the Doylestown United Methodist Church, holding several positions, including adult Sunday School leader for many years. He married Frances Britton in 1945, and they raised four children at their home in Doylestown. Surviving are sons Don of Gurnee, Ill., Dick (wife Cindy) and Ed (Sally) both of Holden, Mass., and Art (Jean) of Doylestown; eight grand children and two great grand children.

In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to make a memorial contribution to The Boys Scouts of America, Great Trails Council, or the charity of their choice.

Largest Scout Patch?

Posted on August 30th, 2005 in Hobby News by Roy

I’m not sure but the Tall Pine Council/lodge 218 patch issued for this jamboree may just be the largest Scout patch.

OA Lodge 218 patch - maybe the largest Scout patch

The 354 Mayi jacket patches were always considered huge and the felt Minsi lodge 5 jacket patches are pretty good size but I think this one takes the cake.

I don’t know how one collects/stores a patch this size. I hope they do not catch on. The only one really profiting from these are the patch manufacturers that sell by the inch or thread count.

eBay Account Takeover

Posted on August 22nd, 2005 in Hobby News by Roy

Over the weekend we had our eBay account taken over by some scammers out of Italy (supposedly, probably not even from there.) They started sending out offers to sell iPods and motorcycles. Fortunately eBay caught on and changed our password (which was also a pain but not as bad as having scams get out there.) Not sure how this happens though. They tried to change our e-mail address but that was stopped.