National Rarities’ August Employee Spotlight
As summer comes to an end, we begin to prepare ourselves for a new month, a new season, and a new mindset.
While things may still seem uncertain, we know for sure that our fantastic team at National Rarities deserves to be appreciated. After all of their hard work this year, it’s difficult for us to choose just one employee to feature!
After a lot of consideration, this month’s employee spotlight goes to our eBay manager, Carrie Wintergalen. The world of online sales has seen a ton of growth as more people turn to online shopping with current restrictions, and Carrie’s responsibilities at National Rarities have grown in kind! Our eBay manager’s hard work on this new growth warrants a shout out for all of her dedication, positivity, and stellar attitude throughout the past few months. Please join us in commending our Employee of the Month, Carrie Wintergalen!
Q1: Describe a brief history of yourself and your relevant training.
When I was a child, my family spent five years living in England. My parents began an antique business where they would purchase items in England and ship them by the shipping container back to the US. My mom’s best friend sold the collectibles in a local antique mall. Because of this, I attended many flea markets and antique shows, where I learned about the ‘business.’
After college, I was searching for a way to earn some extra money and discovered eBay. I joined in 1998 and began selling collectibles online. It was a much different world then - eBay listings didn’t have pictures, and money was exchanged in cash or by check. All packages had to be taken to the post office to buy postage. It’s incredible how far the world of online selling has progressed over the past 20 years. I can’t imagine going back to doing listings without digital cameras, printing shipping labels online, and online banking!
Q2: What does a typical day look like for you on at NR?
My main focus is on our eBay account. Our eBay username is nationalrarities, and I am proud of the excellent feedback that we receive from our customers. To maintain our positive ratings, I answer eBay questions, process invoices, and, along with my coworkers, help ship sold antique jewelry items. It is also essential to address any issues, such as returns or missing packages with our customers. Customer Service is vital to us, and we work hard to address any problems that may come up.
My coworkers prepare new antique and vintage listings every day, and after review, these listings ‘go live’ on Thursdays and Sundays. We periodically sell on Gunbroker as well, so I assist with those auctions as needed. I also assist with answering phones, obtaining business licensing for our events, and other administrative tasks as needed.
Q3: What is your favorite thing about working at National Rarities?
I find it very exciting to see what items my coworkers find and purchase at our events. It’s fun to see how much these items can sell for, and who purchases them! An extra bonus is when we hear back from customers about how much they like their new purchases. Over the years, we’ve heard many stories about how excited someone is to purchase the very item they’d been looking for from us on eBay.
I work with an amazing team of knowledgeable and helpful people. I am honored to work with this group, and every day I learn something new. They are one of my favorite things about working at National Rarities.
Q4: What is your favorite piece that you have purchased or sold? Do you have a story behind it?
We recently acquired several Victorian Slide Bracelets, which sold quickly. I love how unique each bracelet is, and how every piece has a look all of its own. Before working at National Rarities, I didn’t have much experience with jewelry, so it is fantastic to see the estate jewelry we can purchase.
My current favorite is this platinum vintage Art Deco Ring. The look of this vintage ring is antique and classic all at the same time. As I monitor the eBay account, I often get to preview pieces before they are listed...so tomorrow, I may have a new favorite!
With the uptick of online sales over the last few months, we know that we are in good hands with our eBay manager’s ongoing efforts, Carrie. Congratulations on being an incredible and essential asset to our team!
Stay tuned for our next National Rarities Employee Spotlight in September! During this unprecedented time, it’s important to continue to recognize the good things around us. And to us, our team of “rarities” is one of them!