SENIOR
SPOTLIGHT
Spotlight
On Seniors
By
Cary Magness, Founder
Fay Howell, a sixty-five year old senior resident of Lubbock has discovered that the internet and her computer not only have provided her with a great deal of information and entertainment, but also has become a source of income to supplement her retirement.
Always enjoying collecting, antiquing and garage sale shopping, Fay's collections expanded to the point where she was selling in area antique malls to take care of the overflow. Three of
her sisters also had similar interests and often they joined together in pursuing their hobby.
In 1999, Fay discovered eBay, an online auction service and started by selling paper-dolls on the internet. They could easily be shipped and were often found in old magazines at garage sales. She eventually got a digital camera and expanded the types of articles to sell.
From her experience, she finds that there is a good demand for dolls, old toys, bears, glassware, advertising and many other items that she sells for her sisters. Fay has learned that good descriptions and clear photographs increase the possibility for making a good sale. She liists about ten items in the early evenings on Mondays thru Thursdays. The items are listed for seven days, so at any one time she will have about forty items being offered. Fay does not sell on holidays, weekends nor in the summer. She says that many of her customers are "repeats" and if she is listing an item of their special interest, she will send them an e-mail alerting them to the auction.
Fay has learned the value of "positive feedback" (an eBay method of tracking and evaluating performance of buyers and sellers) and enjoys having over 850 favorable or "positve" feedback comments. She ships promptly three or four times weekly and says that careful packing is essential to maintaining good customer relations. E-mails are important and she will check three or four times a day. Most of her customers pay by using "Paypal", an online credit card service, or by check and Fay says she has had really good experience in collecting for items sold.
Fay says this has certainly been an exciting event in her life and proves that "something new" is always possible, no matter the age. The fact that she can control the time spent and "work" only when she wants to is a great advantage.. She has made friends worldwide and has expanded her knowledge through study and online research, as well as learning from her customers. This internet hobby has not only been a wonderful experience, but has provided Fay with a source of retirement funds to help finance her collecting "habit." Lubbock Senior Source congratulates Fay Howell on this significant achievement.
Fay can be found on eBay under the name
"gramafay"
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