May 2013
1 post
10 tags
Meet Cassandra: she's all about the Girl Power!
Meet the newest addition to our team at Tophatter, Cassandra. She’s hilariously goofy, fantastic at organizing partner auctions & all around awesome.
Name: Cassandra
What is your title/position? Answer: Partner Manager is my actual title - I manage partner auctions on Tophatter.
Do you have any pets? Answer: No pets; I have allergies to dogs, cats and I just...
Partner Profile: Of Matter
Beth & Chad, the minds behind Of Matter, are hosting their first Tophatter auction on May 6 @ 5PM PT.
Of Matter is an independent jewelry label designed and produced by husband and wife team, Beth Coller & Chad Sell. Referencing strong backgrounds in graphic design and media, OM jewelry has a sharp-cut personality, featuring bold geometric shapes and straightforward minimalism. With...
Partner Profile: Baby Itz you
Jenn Woolf exclaims she’s a happy hooker (aka. crocheter)! All of her items on Baby Itz You are crocheted by hand. Her first Partner Auction on Tophatter is scheduled for May 4 @ 3PM PT.
What inspired Jenn to start crocheting? Jenn explains that her grandmother taught her when she was little & that she has many special memories with her. They used to spend the weekends together...
April 2013
9 posts
Partner Profile: Urban Aviary
Samantha & Caelen Bird, of Urban Aviary, are featuring their stunning nature-inspired jewelry in their second Tophatter Partner Auction on April 30th. They’ll be featuring new one-of-a-kind pieces exclusively on Tophatter.
Urban Aviary, a husband and wife team, offers amazingly beautiful nature-inspired, eco-friendly & conflict-free jewelry. They approach their design with...
Partner Profile: Lulu Luxuries
Lulu is hosting her Lulu Luxuries auction on April 26 @ 11AM PT!
Lulu says, “You know those women who look so put together so effortlessly……well it takes a lot of thought and consideration. Let us do all the work. We create collections of jewelry, accessories and fashion to make it easy for you. We follow all the trends to find great pieces that will update your wardrobe and...
Dear Katie: How do I know?
Dear Katie,
I am SO confused. I try to schedule during the Priority period, and it tells me I can’t. I try to schedule in the Showcase auctions, and I can’t. I don’t know where to check or how I know if I can schedule in those auctions. It’s just so confusing! Can you PLEASE let me know how I can tell if I have Priority status or can schedule in a Showcase auction? All of this not being sure is...
Partner Profile: Jennifer Jangles
Jennifer Jangles is hosting her Happy Things by Jangles.net auction April 19 @ 4PM PT!
Jennifer’s first craft project was a valentine for her Dad when she was just a wee 2-year old. She hasn’t stopped crafting since!
With plans to become a fashion designer in bustling New York City, she was quickly derailed when she discovered her love for clay during her senior year of high...
Meet Rachel: Posh's new best friend!
You’ve definitely heard from Rachel before. She’s great at offering help & sorting things out for you. She’s also just super cool. I mean, come on…mountains, The Beatles, a dog-lover? It can’t get cooler than that, unless you’re Posh! ;)
Name: Rachel
What is your title/position? Answer: I am the answerer of emails, talker of chats and drinker of...
Partner Profile: Grandis Jewelry
Grandis Jewelry is hosting a Partner Auction on Wed, April 17 @ 5PM PT.
Grandis Jewelry was established in 1895 in Petrolia, Canada. Grandis has maintained the romantic Victorian atmosphere in their beautifully restored heritage building; a perfect environment in which to properly showcase their jewelry.
Grandis Jewelry is a member of the Canadian Jewellers Association, the Independent...
Download the Tophatter app for iPhone!
It’s here! The Tophatter app is now available for iPhone. Tophatter turns your iPhone into a live auction house so that you can seamlessly bid and purchase items anywhere, anytime.
Download the app from the App Store now.
Here are some things you should do once you download it…
Invite Friends, Earn Cash: find your personalized code in the Settings of the app, under ‘Invite...
March 2013
10 posts
Buy with confidence on Tophatter
At the beginning of the year, we set a New Year’s resolution to enhance trust and safety on Tophatter. As our peer to peer marketplace grew rapidly last year, we recognize that our buyer protection efforts were inadequate and so we resolved to correct this problem and to invest heavily in trust & safety on Tophatter.
3 months later, we want to share our progress. The chart below,...
Seller Story: Building a community around your...
Remember LadeeBee? She shared her amazing story with us not too long ago, upon opening her first brick & mortar store after growing her business on Tophatter.
After following her on Facebook, I came across a number of photos that caught my eye - she was sharing the workshops she runs in her store. I reached out to her and asked if she’d be interested in sharing with us how she’s...
More Tophatter V.I.P Auctions Upcoming!
We had such a fantastic time during last week’s Tophatter V.I.P Auction and we hope you did too!
From the great feedback we received from those who attended, we plan on hosting these auctions regularly.
You can expect high value items that great Tophatter buyers can win at a deal! Everyone is always welcome to attend but the requirements buyers must meet in order to bid may change per...
Meet Angelique: ...and her many types of pets!
Meet Angelique, you’ve probably had chat with her every now & then. Learn a little bit more about her favorite things!
Name: Angelique
What do you do at Tophatter? Customer service rep!
Do you have any pets? 6 lizards, 1 dog, with dreams of adding a Kinkajou to the family. We also fosters a pig, horses, ducks, rabbits, turtles and chickens.
Favorite auctioneer? Wendell - his...
Tophatter V.I.P Auction - Sat March 23 @ 5PM PT
As a reward for great buyers on Tophatter, we’re hosting a ‘Tophatter V.I.P.’ auction this Saturday, where we’ll be auctioning off great high value items provided by us.
All items start at $1 with free shipping to the US & Canada (and affordable shipping to all other locations). All community members can join the auction, but in order to bid in the auction, you must...
Matilda's Crafts: Mason Jar Pin Cushions
Create a super cute and easy way to organize supplies, in these few simple steps.
Are you enjoying Craft Month as much as we are? Share the DIY projects you’ve embarked upon this month in the comments below!
Dear Katie: Scheduling
Dear Katie,
I want to schedule! I don’t know what’s going on…What happened to me being able to pre-schedule an item? I just don’t get what’s going on, and it’s driving me crazy. Can you please please please help me figure this out? I’m pulling my hair out trying to get things figured out. Thanks! Balding in Boston _________________________________________________________
Dear Balding, ...
Matilda's Crafts: DIY Planters
Create your own modern looking planters for a number of different uses - dressing up tables, adding flair to your garden or creating cute gifts!
Here’s what you’ll need & the steps to take on your way to DIY goodness…
Matilda's Crafts: DIY Lightbox
Hey there, guess what? It’s National Craft Month!
Each week of March you can expect a featured craft on The Monocle & Moustache.
This week, the DIY Lightbox is a great photography tool for independent & small-business sellers trying to get the perfect product shot.
We love to see great product photos - share your favorite shots in the comments...
Seller Story: A letter from a Tophatter seller
Hello, my name is Melissa and I am known as LadeeBee.etsy.com on Tophatter. I became a member of the Tophatter community in December 2011 and started selling craft and jewelry supplies in February 2012. I loved the platform right away and became hooked. It was so much fun bidding and winning things and thrilling to sell my own items. Once I saw how great it was to be able to connect with buyers...
February 2013
12 posts
5 tags
Dear Katie: Who Do I Ask for Help?
Dear Katie, I get SO frustrated sometimes. I post on the Forum about my problem, and they tell me to email you…and then, other times, I email you, and you say I need to contact Support. Then, I go to Chat Staff with other problems, and they tell me to post it in the Forum. Aargh! How the h-e-double hockey sticks am I supposed to know where to post my questions? I just need help! Thanks!...
3 tags
Matilda's Crafts: DIY Etched Glass
This DIY is a great way to use any piece of glass and make it into your own! Create these pieces of mini-art to add design to your home.
More ideas on how to use them:
Secret messages (etched in the glass)
Monogrammed glasses
Candle holders
Terrariums
Rock gardens
Supplies jars (ie. Beads, Ribbons)
Cooking Jars (ie. Spices)
…more!
Have questions about this...
6 tags
Seller Stories: SuMo & the Future of Design
Seller stories are a wonderful opportunity for us to share some of the amazing individuals in our community. Susan, of SuMo, is one of those individuals.
Susan stumbled across Tophatter by accidentally clicking on a Facebook ad. She says it was a very happy accident! But before this fateful event occurred, let’s go back to the beginning of Susan’s story.
It begins in 2010 when...
4 tags
Meet Ragnar: All-Star Kitten Cuddler!
Meet Ragnar. He rocks at what he does and you can send him your thanks when you see new folks join the auction rooms!
Learn a little bit more about this motorcycle-rider & kitten-cuddler…
Name: Ragnar
What is your title/position? I acquire traffic to our auctions to make sure they are exciting and social!
Do you have any pets? If so, how many and what kind? My wife rescues dogs...
4 tags
Cultivating Positive Feedback
The foundation for stellar feedback is excellent service, both before and after the sale, paired with a quality, clearly-represented product. Assuming you have that covered, how can you increase the chances you will get the positive feedback you’ve earned? Here are some simple tips you can start using now, both to cultivate positive feedback and handle any problems before they become the...
5 tags
Matilda's Crafts: DIY Mercury Glass
Have questions about this craft or want Matilda to do more DIY tutorials? Leave your questions and comments below!
The Tax Man Cometh...
They say that nothing in life is certain except for death and taxes. And, for those of us in the US, it’s getting to be tax time again. April 15th looms ahead of us on the calendar, commercials on TV remind us of it with lures to take advantage of their tax prep software and services, commercials tempt us to come shop with that anticipated tax return before it’s even in our bank accounts. So,...
#GivingTuesday: Craft Day, Extra Toppings!
Back in November, we asked you to vote for which DonorsChoose.org project we should fund. Thanks to all of the support in our #GivingTuesday auction, we were able to fully fund Mrs. Jahnig’s Craft Day, Extra Toppings project!
Mrs. Jahnig shared her students’ weaving projects which were created with the supplies the Tophatter community helped fund. We wanted to share some of their...
2 tags
Share the love with Tophatter Valentine's Day...
Want to tell that special someone how much you care? Use our Valentine’s Day cards to share your love!
Click here to access the easy-to-print file!
Download it & the cards will be saved as a file to your computer.
Print! The sizing is already formatted to print 4 cards perfectly on one page. Note: use the “scale to fit” checkbox if any clipping occurs.
Cut along...
Tweeting 101: Twitter Vocabulary & The Anatomy of...
It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned tweeter or just getting your toes wet in the world of social media, everyone could use a review of some Twitter basics! Never again shall you say, “I don’t know this Twitter stuff!” This post was inspired by not only my Mom, who really doesn’t quite “get it” yet, but also my twenty-something roommate who has...
5 tags
Meet Chi: Ami's new partner in crime!
Meet Chi. He’s joined our amazing Ops team and will be helping the community on a daily basis. Think of him and Ami as partners in crime!
Name: Chris Williams aka Chi (pronounced ‘Kai’) Willy
What is your title/position? Jack of all Trades hoping to master at least one!
Do you have any pets? If so, how many and what kind? If not, why not? Nope, but I really want an Alaskan...
Pin to Win: Valentine's Day on Pinterest!
February is the month of love, so we want to see all of the items on Tophatter that you love the most!
Here’s how it works…
1. Pin as many items as you want from Tophatter.com.
2. Get as many repins on those pins as you possibly can!
3. Submit one pin, with the highest number of repins, by emailing the pin link to promotions@tophatter.com. Submissions due by 11:59PM PT on Feb...
January 2013
6 posts
Meet Ami: our newest engineer!
Hi there, this is Ami. Ami is a new addition to our team at Tophatter - he’s one of our helpful engineers! Not only do YOU get to know him a bit better, but so do we…
Name: Ami
What is your title/position? I am the master of Smiles. It basically means that I smile all the time, even when there is no reason for smiling.
Do you have any pets? I have a small dog. Her name is Mika. I...
4 tags
Dear Katie...I AM priority!
Dear Katie,
Help! I had Priority Add-in status yesterday, and now it’s gone! What can I do to get it back? I only sell in the Jewelry and Bazaar auctions, and I can’t schedule anymore…and I KNOW I shipped everything on time and was in my auctions and had tracking numbers for everything. I just want my status back….can you help me please? Frantic in Fortaleza
...
5 tags
Meet Megan: She has embarrassing taste in music!
Hi, I’m Megan. Get to know me a little…
Name: Megan
What do you do? I get to hang out with great folks in the TH community!
Do you have any pets? One little pup who lives far far away.
Who is your favorite Tophatter auctioneer & why? Brinkley. Always the ladies man.
If I were a superhero, I would be able to add at least 3-4 hours to the day & have the ability to...
5 tags
Matilda's Crafts: DIY Origami Card Case
As a professional seller, you always need to be prepared with business cards in hand!
Check out this easy-to-make Origami Card Case. You’ll look cute & sophisticated at your next networking event.
Here’s how to make it…
Happy crafting! - xoxo Matilda
Tophatter & Payvment: Post-Holiday Clearance...
We are excited to announce a 2013 Post-Holiday Clearance Auction on Thursday January 10th with our trusted partner Payvment! The auction will be open to all sellers who have both a Tophatter and a Payvment account.
Grow your business in 2013 by selling more with the help of a store on Facebook. Payvment enables you to open up a store on Facebook in just 15 minutes.
Selling on Payvment is...
2 tags
12 Days of Christmas Promotion: Winners!
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Promotion.
We loved your feedback and it looks like everyone had a blast pinning!
Grand Prize Winner: Mel
Runner-Ups: PJ & Melissa
Third Place: Unique Offsets, Brenda, Detrian, Kim & John
A smaller giveaway will be going out to everyone else who entered the promotion!
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday....
December 2012
20 posts
2 tags
On the 12th (and final) Day of Christmas...
Hurrah - congratulations & Merry Christmas Eve!
It’s the final day and final clue to our 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Promotion.
If you’re just yet joining us, there’s still time. Click here for details on how to enter to win Tophatter prizes!
The final clue is to pin 12 earrings from Tophatter.com to your 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Board.
You have until 11:59PM...
2 tags
On the 11th Day of Christmas...
you pinned 11 Bags & Wallets for a chance to win tons of Tophatter prizes!
For more details on how our 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Promotion works, click for details here.
2 tags
On the 10th Day of Christmas...
It was the weekend before Christmas and all through the house…everyone was pinning 10 items with Swarovski Elements for a chance to win Tophatter prizes!
It’s Day 10 of our 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Promotion - it’s not too late to start pinning!
2 tags
On the 9th Day of Christmas...
Tophatter gives to you 9 Handmade Treasures!
Day 9 - pin 9 handmade items from Tophatter.com to your 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest board. For a chance to win prizes, enter our promotion here!
Getting Started with Social Media: Pinterest
What is Pinterest? Basically, it’s a site where you “pin” things (ie. images, recipes, things you want to buy, etc) that you love so you can share them with friends or keep them handy for future reference.
As you are reading through this post, it may be useful to have Pinterest open so you can flip back and forth to see what I’m talking about. You can follow Tophatter on Pinterest to...
2 tags
On the 8th Day of Christmas...
Tophatter gave you washi tape, baker’s twine, card stock, and more!
Pin 8 Twine, Tape or Trimmings for your paper crafts and gift wrapping needs on your 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Board for a chance to win exclusive Tophatter swag & prizes!
2 tags
On the 7th Day of Christmas...
Pin 7 Geektastic Gifts from Tophatter.com as part of our 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Promotion. Not sure what we’re talking about? Huzzah - click here for more details on how to win great prizes!
Check out our board for ideas!
2 tags
On the 6th Day of Christmas...
…Tophatter gave to me 6 Wedding-Worthy (Items)!
Pin 6 Wedding-related items from Tophatter.com to your 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Board to be eligible to win our promotion!
2 tags
5th Day of Christmas: Pinterest Promotion!
Pin 5 Delicious Delectables from Tophatter.com. Edible items or items from Bon Appetit are eligible.
For ideas, check out Wendell’s board.
Happy pinning!
Holiday Gift Guide: Last Minute Gifts!
Shh, it’s okay, we won’t tell anyone you were a little late picking up gifts this year. Good thing you’ve still got one more week!
Here’s your last Holiday Gift Guide from Tophatter this season, and it’s for any of you last minute gift givers…
1. Christmas Stripe Barrettes (1 pair, available in 4 colors) - perfect for the season and cute for all ages. These...
2 tags
3rd & 4th Days of Christmas: Kids Items & Glitzy...
Every day, the clues for our Pinterest Promotion are posted on our 12 Days of Christmas board.
We’ll also do periodic updates on the blog. But, if you’re following along on a daily basis, make sure to visit Pinterest for the day’s clue.
Yesterday, Saturday, was the 3rd Day of Christmas - pin 3 Kids items from Tophatter.com.
Today, Sunday - Day 4 - pin 4 Glitzy Gold items...
