Hi YuleLoggers!

Note: This post was also posted in the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum. I posted here as a general announcement for the Bulletin Boards/Website

I am excited to announce a new way for Hallmark collectors to buy and sell ornaments. This is intended to replace the Buy/Sell/Trade forum.

For decades, collectors have bought, sold, and traded Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. Before the Internet became widespread, collectors relied on local clubs and special events in order to exchange ornaments. Nowadays, most collectors are dependent upon auction sites like eBay and secondary market dealers that keep large inventories of ornaments. Additionally, YuleLog has sponsored a Buy/Sell/Trade forum here on the Bulletin Boards for many years. The forum, while connecting independent buyers and sellers, isn’t the most efficient, and doesn’t allow the seller to post much information about each item. For these collectors, who do not regularly buy and sell ornaments (or even those that do), it can be frustrating to find an outlet to sell their ornaments.

In response to the shortcomings of the current system, I have created a website called the YuleLog Marketplace in an attempt to connect buyers and sellers of Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments.

How does the site work? Collectors can create their own shops and create listings of items they have for sale. It doesn’t matter if you have many ornaments to sell or only few, anyone can be an independent shop owner! You can post all kinds of information about items, including photos, descriptions, keywords, categories, etc. to make it easier for potential buyers to search through your store. There are a number of filters than can be used to narrow down a search.

Secure payments (via PayPal) and shipping information and are all processed through the Marketplace. All ornament shops must verified, making the website a safe and reliable tool to make it easier for Hallmark collectors to exchange items! I understand that some collectors do not use online commerce sites like PayPal. While YuleLog (and sites like eBay) have used PayPal pretty much since its creation, we understand that some of you prefer other methods of payment. In that case, this site probably isn't for you.

An FAQ is available at this link for more detailed information.

Note that this site is a work in progress. Please visit the site if interested and register an account (registration is free) and set up a shop. This is a brand new site, so there are currently no listings.

I need to hear your feedback in order to improve the site, so please post below if you have any comments or suggestions. If you have trouble setting up a shop, let me know (yulelogsean@gmail.com) and I will do whatever I can to help you.

This is a link to the YuleLog Marketplace

Note that while the YuleLog Marketplace is intended to replace the Buy/Sell/Trade forum (especially for users having trouble finding buyers), this does not mean we are totally getting rid it, as some users like Susan have expressed their desire for more private transactions.

This new website is intended to connect buyers and sellers in a more efficient way.

If any of you are like me and reading this post and wondering where the link is, go to the other post by Sean on the buy/sell/trade forum. It is in that post.

Just fixed the post here, thanks for the heads up.

no problem, sounds like an interesting concept

One nice thing about separating this, is then long posts won't take up space on the board. More room for topics.

Sean it doesn't seem that all of the shops are showing up in the shop search function. Scuba's shop shows up on the front page as a featured shop but doesn't show when you click on shops. And mine doesn't show up at all but I figured it is because I haven't added any items.

Maybe it is the link to page 2 that is bad?

I'll look into this right now.

I have updated the settings do display all the shops on one page.

I also added a shop filter so you can search by category or keyword. For example, if you only want to list Hallmark shops, you can select that in the filter and hit "Search" and it will show only Hallmark shops.

I noticed an interesting problem with the marketplace. I'm thinking people can use the value guide to set their prices. When that's done though, it shows the original box price of the ornament marked through with the value as the price you pay. It makes it look odd like the seller is marking up the price of the ornament.

Under the Message Title, "Old Yule log buy and sell board is no more" I asked Sean about this. He said, "As for the for sale price, that's totally an option. You can set only one price or the original price and the sale price."

Sean I don't think there is enough how-to information to set-up an item. I tried to put an item up for sale on the Yulelog Market Place web site. My photos don't appear on the "main page" and I see someone else has that same problem.

What does "physical" and "virtual" mean in the drop-down on the Edit Item page?

You need a Merry Miniature category on the Edit Item page.

Debbie,

I added the Merry Miniature subcategory (under Hallmark).

Virtual is meant for things like digital downloads. It doesn't really apply to the Marketplace, but there's no way for me to disable it.

Physical refers to physical products like ornaments and Dept. 56 items.

As for the photos, are you still having problems? I am more than happy to help you put photos up for your items. Just email me at YuleLogSean@gmail.com

The thumbnail photos only display for the 4 most recent items in your store. So say that you do not have images for one of the last 4 photos you posted. That photo's thumbnail will not display properly among all of the other shops.

Sean

Thanks for the info.

here's another link to market place.

http://yulelog.com/marketplace/?ref=susaninflorida

Still lots of shops without photos showing up.

Sean,

I posted a photo but it doesn't show up on the SHOPS page. When I click on the shop, I only see thumbnails not the large photo.

I have added instructions on how to get photos up properly on the FAQ page. I attached a photo of how it works, i.e. the difference between the "main" and the "alternative/gallery" photos.