8/2008 - THE cruise of a lifetime (Guess who didn't want his picture taken)?

Say "Cheese" (or rather, "Mouse")!!

Are you at all curious about the seller from whom you buy?  I know I wonder about my buyers and other sellers on eBay.  I've become e-mail buddies with quite a few buyers - there truly are some of the nicest people out there in eBay land!  First, let me say that godivagirl57 is a reflection of my love of chocolate (and my house number)........ not because I like to ride horses and my age. 

Well, back in 2002 I began buying colorful Carnival glass from eBay.  An antique store where I frequently shopped was going out of business and they had a large amount of Fenton glass that they had deeply discounted.  I had the bright idea....why not buy their inventory and try to sell it?  So I began my eBay selling and a new path in life.  At that time, I was working almost fulltime and selling on eBay part time.  Eventually selling took more and more time and it became my fulltime (and more) 'job'.  I say job, but it's really not a job at all - more like a hobby that I love! 

Many people have asked if I have an actual storefront.  No... all of my inventory is kept inside my home (non-smoking).  I'm glad to have prospective buyers come by to see the items I have for sale.  My husband, Bob, takes all of the photos I use on eBay (I haven't mastered the camera) and I do all of the rest.  Starting with shopping / treasure hunting, listing the items on eBay and eventually wrapping & mailing packages.  I have to admit.... shopping / treasure hunting is unbelievably FUN!!  I travel all over Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana (thank goodness for GPS and a minivan) looking for goodies and come home with the van packed from top to bottom.

I was born in New Jersey in 1955 and my family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1960, where I grew up.  After marrying in 1981, I moved to Safety Harbor and we've been here since then.  Safety Harbor is between Clearwater and Tampa, on the west coast of Florida.  I'm a mom of two boys (Ryan and Alex), 22 and 19 and have been married to my husband since 1981.   We have three very lucky little alley-found-kitties (Spooky, Scooter and Kitty). 

I'm truly grateful to each person who buys or considers buying from me.  I treat every person to whom I sell, as I myself would want to be treated.  Every e-mail is answered promptly and notifications of purchases and mailing are sent.  I take extreme care in packaging, expecially breakable items.  Each item, be it $5.00 or $50.00 is packed as if it were worth $500.00!  I use new sturdy boxes, lots of bubblewrap and lots of packing peanuts.  I personally know how disappointing it is to receive a package (and be so excited to open it), only to find that the contents are broken from shoddy packaging.  There's absolutely no excuse for items to be broken in transit.   UPS and the Post Office should be able to throw the package around and stomp on it a few times.  If the item inside the box is packed properly, there will be NO breakage. 

I welcome all e-mail and phone calls.  Feel free to contact me if you don't see something you're looking for or would like more than the number that I have on eBay.  There's a chance I'll be able to find it for you or that I have it in stock.  

I'd love to hear from you and would love to have your business!

Gail Gonet