The worst sellers on Ebay.

Alright Ebay sellers. We need to have a talk.

We need to talk about how to price things when it comes to Selena memorabilia.

There is definitely a demand for it.  Even 20 years on. I love it when unique items  show up like old concert posters, records, and autographs. I’ve been searching on Ebay since 1998. I actually heard of Ebay through an old Selena message board on some geocities website.   I mostly browse, especially since most sellers won’t ship to Australia anyway.

Some people have no idea how to price things. No idea at all. I understand people paying large amounts for an autograph or LPs because they are so hard to find. But no one is going to spend 5 dollars on a reprinted photo you stole off google.

But these are the worst offenders I’ve seen in the past couple of weeks. These aren’t saying she isn’t “worth” the money. I’m just saying practically speaking, you may want to lower your prices if you want to sell. You have the right to price things whatever you want but it hurts my head looking at some of these starting bids.

$2,400 for a mug. I don’t doubt it’s HTF but for that price, you can  buy a used car.  I’m thinking mayyyybee 25-30 dollars? I think I’ve seen it sold for $50 once. But good try!

I love finding things from her old boutique and clothing line.  But not sure anyone would pay more than 5-10 dollars for just the tag. May want the actual clothing item connected to it.

Once again, a great item from the boutique and rare but not that rare. I’ve seen this sell for around $25-40 dollars.

Who knows? Maybe people will pay that much for those items. I’m just saying from all the years I’ve spent on there window shopping, not likely.

If Pawn Stars ever needed someone to appraise their Selena item, I think they should give me a call 😉

Can we all just get over the J Lo vs. Selena debate?

One of the things that seems to be brought up quite often in the comments section of fan pages is the classic “J Lo Vs Selena” debate.  This has been around since Jennifer Lopez became a household name. Anytime she is mentioned along with Selena, some fan’s automatic reaction is to compare their careers and slam Jennifer. The things I’ve come across the most have been “If it wasn’t for Selena, she wouldn’t have a career” or “Selena is better than JLo” and how she is “copying” her.

First off, I do not claim to be a Lopez fan. I enjoyed her during the one season that I watched American Idol and I like one of her perfumes. I can’t name a song other than “Jenny from the Block”. That’s about as far as it goes.

I don’t understand why fans need to put them into a competition.

Jennifer simply took an acting role. An important one, yes. But still, it was  a role she played. By playing her, it doesn’t mean she is trying to be her or copying her. It doesn’t mean she is trying to replace her. It was her job as an actress. Years later, she is still gracious about the whole experience and has nothing but wonderful things to say about her. So why the hostility? She has done numerous tributes during her concerts and most recently, at the Latin Billboard Awards. And a tribute doesn’t mean she is trying to be her. She is paying respect. A lot of people don’t seem to know the definition of tribute is. 

No one can predict if she would of been where she is now without that experience.  She already had a steady career prior but this definitely threw her into the spotlight. She has admitted that her playing Selena is what inspired her to do her clothing line and sing. What’s the difference between her being inspired and any other fan?

I just think this whole debate is ridiculous.

So let it go folks.  It’s really not a competition. It’s not a who is bigger or better than who. They each have their own unique career.

I think we need some fresh new Selena releases.

I do appreciate the fact they have made some “best of” albums just to keep the legacy alive. How many more compilations  or “best of” albums can possibly be released? At this point, there are more of those than actual full length albums from her. I know it’s pretty much out of the family’s control and more on the record company. But there is so much  potential for other releases  Why do we need to keep releasing the same songs?

I have some ideas…just in case they are short of them.

• Tejano Music Award Performances. I know there’s  a ton of footage out there that goes back to 1986. It all has great audio and crisp video and best of all, it was always live.  Why not make a dvd or Itunes release of her live performances on there? A lot of those are classic performances.
• Another Remix album. I seriously loved Enamorada De Ti. I think it was the best release since the Anthology.  We could always use more remix albums as the music has so much potential. Some songs like “Aunque No Salga el Sol” or “Que” could be (more) amazing with a little updating. Even if they just did an acoustic album. Less is more, right? I loved what they did with “Corbade” and “No Quiero Saber” on the last album. It really showcased her voice.
•  A book written by a family member or band member about touring.  Imagine all the great stories they would have to share about not just Selena but the entire band being on the road.  There’s a small 20 minute interview/documentary called “Selena Queen of Tejano” and they speak of how they met Pete Astudillo, how they had to set up the stage themselves, and bathing in the bathrooms at early gigs. I think it would be interesting to see more in depth of what the band did as a whole.
• A hardcover coffeetable book of photos.   I am pretty sure I have never seen a bad or unflattering photo of her.  She had so many different styles and looks throughout the years.  They don’t need to be personal family photos or photos we’ve all seen a million times (we don’t need to see the Agree Shampoo photos again) I’m saying more of professional  concert photos, backstage or magazine shoots or maybe even some of her designs as they have up in the museum. Maybe make it a limited edition just for fun. Why not?

I know this is all probably just wishful thinking as a lot of these sort of releases are for more of the hardcore fans and not just the people who like “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”.  Let me dream, alright?

My top 5 Selena record wishlist.

Sometimes I feel like a bad fan because I don’t really have any memorabilia of hers.  I suppose as I get older, I don’t really see a need. I love to admire other fan’s collections, especially her old records from the 80’s.

Every single day, I do an ebay search for her LP records.  I’ve been watching this search since my teen years.  After 10 years of trying and through a last second bid, I managed to get the Dulce Amor album.  It’s proudly displayed in my husband’s office.

When I see any of her records shows up, I let out a little gasp and get a tad giddy. But I can’t help but wonder who else out there is doing this same Ebay search. Who else but me religiously searches “Selena record” or “Selena LP”. There’s obviously people out there because there’s always a bidding war going on the moment these show up.

1. Alpha – I see this one show up maybe once every 2 years. Maybe. I think the last time I saw it come out it was an autographed version. It sold for well over 300 dollars. I did not have the funds at the time but whoever won this auction, well done as that will probably never show up again. And if you’re done admiring it, feel free to let me know! But this is the record that started her career and has one of my favorites, “Corozancito”. I can’t listen to that song without smiling. How can that song not make you happy?
2. Personal Best– I know this is perhaps rarer than Alpha. I want it only for collection purposes but I doubt in my lifetime I will ever get my hands on it.  I swear there’s only 100 copies in existence. ( don’t quote me on that!) The cd is even harder to get. I don’t quite know the story behind this album and why it’s so rare. I always have a secret hope I would find it in some bargain bin somewhere because no one knows of it’s worth.
3. And the Winner is… – I want this album purely because it’s my favorite pre EMI album. So many gems, especially the underrated “Corozan Abandonado”.  I havn’t seen it on Ebay for a couple of years now.
4. Cara/Freddie Records singles–  I absolutely love the history behind these. You can tell it was recorded at an old studio somewhere. They sound a little tinny and the band sounds mostly amateur. But I can admit even though she was between 9-15 years old, her voice still gave me goosebumps. Se Acabo el Amor does it every time for me.  On a side note- does anyone actually have the El Super Frik/Soy Feliz single? Sometimes I feel like it’s just an urban legend!
5. Preciosa– I’d say this is probably the “easiest” record to find, and I use that term loosely.  I’ve always loved the cover because it just screams “1988” and the fact she actually looks older at 17 than she did at 23. But there’s a lot of great songs on here like “Terco Corozon” and “Sabes.”

There’s a few more out there like the South American pressing of Amor Prohibido, Como La Flor, the self tited EMI  album and even Dreaming of You is floating around out there on vinyl. I’d always welcome them in my collection as well. But for now, I’ll admire through photos and keep on searching.