Recently I thought of an idea to add a touch of hominess with classiness to my kitchen by using the upper portion of my kitchen cabinets to place lighted houses that I decided to begin collecting.  With this thought in mind, I began browsing eBay looking for houses to add to my budding collection.  However, in doing so, I quickly became frustrated in my search due to the lack of information contained in many of the auctions. 

With that in mind, I'd like to present a list of suggestions for selling your lighted house collectibles from a buyers point of view:

1. Provide the measurements of the piece you are selling.  I'm sure that many buyers are just like me: limited space to place the item.  For example, the area between the top of my cabinets to my ceiling is 11 inches; therefore, I cannot purchase a piece that is larger than this.  Fortunately, most piece are not this large; but there will be that one piece that will be and I won't have a place for it.  Considering this, I will not bid on a piece that does not have the dimensions listed.  Sometimes, if I'm very interested in the piece, I will email the seller and, provided the measurements work for my space, I will bid.  No answer, however, and no bid. 
   
   When providing the measurements for your piece, include the inch (or rare case feet) measurement for width, height and depth (W x H x D).  Width can be measured from the most left point to the most right point.  Height is just the opposite of width; measure from the upper most point to the lowest point.  And, finally, depth is measured from the side from the most front point to the most rear point.
   
   
2. Identify the material the piece is made from, if known.  There are a variety of materials used for creating lighted houses.  Porcelain, ceramic, wood, and paper are just a few examples.  When searching for a lighted house, most buyers have in mind the material that are looking to buy.  Most pictures provide this information, however there are some that leaving you guessing.  Providing the type of material the house is made of will encourages more bids.
   
   
3. Identify the maker of your item, if known.  Many buyers are looking to collect piece only from certain manufacturers.  Dickens, Department 56, and Harvest, to name just a few.  Providing the name of the maker of the collectible will also encourage more bids.
   
   
4. Provide a clear yet close-up photo.  Many photos provided for this type of item is a simple photo of the box; and often those are not very clear.  When shopping for a lighted house, I like to see the detail as clearly as possible.  Unless I'm holding the box containing the product in my hand, I'm not going to have a clear view.  Pictures of the product taking out of the box against a solid color backdrop are most preferable and show the most detail.  Secondly, if possible, provide pictures of the front view, side view, and rear view.  I consider lighted photos to be an added bonus and it highly encourages me to bid.   And, lastly, a photo of the box is also a good idea.
   
   
5. Make insurance optional or even mandatory especially when shipping the porcelain or ceramic pieces.  The one thing I hate the most to anticipate the arrival of my new lighted house only to have it arrive in pieces.  When we, as sellers, ship items out, we like to think that the post office, UPS or another carrier of our choice will handle our shipment with kid gloves but, of course, they seldom do.  To those entities, quantity overrules quality; which is probably exactly why insurance was created!  Having that option is always nice that way I know I can possibly recover any loss.

If you follow these simple steps, I feel confident that you'll see an increase in bids for your lighted collectibles....I can promise you I'll be looking!