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Find or Refer a Contractor in Tyler

The Thrifty Nickel is Back in Town!

May 3rd, 2012

Thrifty Nickel Tyler TX

The title seems to say, “I am super excited about the Thrifty Nickel being back”, I must say that isn’t 100% true but it is a great improvement over the “American Classifieds”

Let’s face it, I am way more excited about Ebay, Amazon, Auto Trader, Facebook marketplace, before I am the Thrifty Nickel but this paper is convenient.

When I am sitting somewhere waiting for my car to get fixed, etc. so long as I find quality in the paper I will pick up again. If I pick it up this time only to find a bunch of schemes and local car dealer ads then there will be another multiple year long drought before I spend my time turning pages in that thing again.

In a previous blog post I really went after American Classifieds because they seemed to destroy the old Thrifty Nickel beyond recognition.

I am not sure how many people even knew but the Thrifty Nickel hasn’t been around for several years because it became American Classifieds.

When this happened it seemed a bunch of mail stuffing national work from home ads began appearing all throughout the publication and other stupid non personal local ads.

Lots of car dealer ads were in the American Classifieds paper and it seemed to almost completely lose any local Tyler TX connection unless you were in the market to look at car dealer ads.

I was used to finding really good deals from local people in The Thrifty Nickel but the American Classifieds was so overrun with national ads and business ads I failed to find the local people ads with cool junk for sale.

Local people seemed to ditch publicizing in the American Classifieds maybe because it was too expensive for ad space or something else, I really don’t know.

I hope now that the Thrifty Nickel is back that more cool local junk ads will appear like perhaps an old Nintendo console for sale, some retro Rayban glasses, and a $60 push lawn mower.

Tyler Real Estate Marketers Turn to YouTube

October 6th, 2011

I have been looking at Youtube lately to see how this website has influenced the local real estate industry in Tyler Texas. I have always thought that promoting homes for sale through video is one of the best ways to utilize Youtube for business purposes. Another good way to use Youtube is to promote cars for sale through the use of it. I have used Youtube to sell my car by videoing the car inside and out and revving the engine. I then placed the link to this video on Ebay and received over 10,000 unique views to my ebay listing. I had people calling everyday and had no problem selling it. Real estate offers a similar ability to promote a local real estate listing although you cannot ship a house out of state like you can a car so there will not be as many unique buyers. What you will find is that many people are trying to relocate from out of state or out of the city and may actually commit to buying a property without ever setting foot in it simply by looking at a detailed walk through video hosted on Youtube.

Below are the top Tyler Texas real estate agents and companies that use YouTube to promote their listings.

The Michael Tolbert YouTube Channel – The guy in Tyler Texas that is really killing it the most with YouTube real estate marketing you may have never even heard of before. His name is Michael Tolbert and works for Heritage Land Realty. He beats everyone in Tyler regarding total channel page views of 651 and 3,909 total video views. Several of his home for sale videos have over 100 views a piece. As I look through his home for sale videos I see these video view numbers per video, 179 views, 169 views, 158, 160, 123, 97, 95, 85, 82, 63. You can watch his most popular home for sale video below.

The Pamela Walters Group YouTube Channel This channel offers several referrals from happy customers and some questions about why you should choose The Pamela Walters Group for buying or selling a home in Tyler. This YouTube channel has 17 videos, 316 total channel views (which is simply the main page of their YouTube channel where all of their videos are listed). The channel views does not give a complete representation of how often their videos are watched but if you look at their total upload views they have had 1,154 total views on all their videos since their join date of Oct 21 2010. Below is one of the most popular videos on the channel.

The Beverly Rowe YouTube channel seems a little unvisited as they only have 73 channel views and 48 total upload views eve though the channel has been up since Sept 17 2009. This real estate agent could really use the help of someone skilled in promoting YouTube and getting more eyeballs on the channel. At this time her channel has two videos that are in a commercial slideshow format that show pictures of Tyler and Jacksonville with music and title text in the background. At the end of the video a call to action is made for people to call to speak with her about real estate needs. These commercials were likely done with some of the nifty slideshow movie creation services available on the internet such as Animoto. In order for her to get more viewers she should consider subscribing to related channels, becoming friends with people on YouTube and making more videos showing home walk throughs of houses she is trying to sell.

The Living in Tyler YouTube Channel is done by Jonathan Wolf who is a Remax real estate agent since 2002. His total Youtube channel page views is 165 and his total overall views of all his YouTube videos is 462. He has 12 videos in his channel and his most viewed video has over 100 views. The video is a walk through of the house both insde and out and gives a good indication of what the house is like if you were out of town and needed to shop over the internet. His channel was created September 20 2008.

The Bob Sells Tyler YouTube Channel is another local Tyler realtor marketing on YouTube. His channel was created June 24 2010 and his total channel views are 103 while is overall video views is 264. It appears he has only one video and it is of a house with a pool. He shows as having affiliations with Keller Williams Realty – TylerRE/MAX. His video is a nice walk through of the house with music, slideshow and call to action to call him at the end. I was able to get a real good feel for what the house is like in every room. This was a very nice $325,000 house for sale in Tyler.

The Russel Enright YouTube channel is one of the best ones I have seen although the views are about the same as the others. His most viewed video has 98 views and in total he has 18 videos on YouTube which is more than any of the other realtors. He uses a video service called Realbiz360 to do his home walk through tour videos. His top video was a Lake Palestine lot. He also has videos of homes for sale as well with comprehensive walk through. His channel page has 142 views and his total video views is 419 for all of his videos.

The REMAX Impact Realty YouTube Channel has 9 videos but in total these videos have been watched 32 times. Although the realtor has done a lot of video work they have failed to get the kind of exposure they need to their YouTube channel. Getting eyeballs to see a website or web page is not easy but it would help if this Youtuber spent more time subscribing and friending other local Tyler Youtuber’s as well as embedded these videos on their own website if they have not done this yet. Here is their most popular video of a home for sale walk through in Tyler with only 8 views.

The Burks Team YouTube channel has a pleasant blue background color and some high quality video customer referrals. Their channel is recent as having only been created since July 5th 2011. They have 26 channel views and 62 total views of all their videos. So far they have only uploaded 4 videos. Their most popular video referral has 23 views and is a review by Ruby. On a separate YouTube that does not appear to be controlled by the Burks Team there is the Glenn Beck endorsement of the Burks Team. I have included the Glenn Beck video as well below.

For great tips on how to use Youtube to promote your local Tyler TX business please read our YouTube tips article

Game X Change

March 4th, 2011

Game X Change in Tyler
Game X Change lives up to it’s name in that they will definitely exchange your games. Game X Change is Tyler’s greatest resource for video games and consoles, bringing entertainment and equipment to any console in need.

It can be time consuming and difficult to find and purchase vintage game systems like original Nintendo’s and Atari’s, but thanks to Game X Change it has never been easier and closer to drive down and pick up a classic super Nintendo or original Gameboy games.

Their games are fairly comprehensive, they’ll almost always have a classic such as Duck Hunt or Super Mario Bros and even rare and demanded items like the first legend of zelda for your Gameboy or console.

But the options are honestly to much to name, there’s a library of old games to choose from, you wont have to wait weeks for an ebay purchase to arrive when instead you can easily pick up the same game right in Tyler.

Game X Change also carries the latest video game options such as Playstation 3’s or Xbox 360’s with every conceivable accessory or controller. Handheld devices such as the Nintendo DS are supplied in equal amount with a great variety of games and extensions to choose from.

Game X Change has another role in the gamers life through buying and trading video games and equipment. Game X Change is able to supply these rare and much sought after items because of it’s bartering nature.

Anybody is welcome to bring in their movies, games, consoles and accessories to sell for cash or if you want a better value you can establish a credit with the store which will equal more than the cash received but can only be used for in store purchases.

Many people plan on buying more games with their sold games anyways, Game X Change has made it easier and less expensive for the avid gamer to experience the huge selection of games available for every console through their exchanging process.

With two registers the store can get a little busy, but the staff is very helpful and will be happy to show you a game or even demonstrate it or a console for your satisfaction. If you decide to visit remember to bring some quarters, Game X Change has classic arcade games throughout the store making it difficult for video game fans to pull themselves away from such a haven of entertainment.

Canton Trade Days Close To Tyler Texas

January 7th, 2010

Most of us from East Texas know about Canton Texas about 30 minutes from Tyler Texas. This place isn’t your typical flea market. In fact I wouldn’t use the word flea market when talking to a vendor at Canton trade days or they might just have to set you straight. Canton goes way back historically as being a gathering place where people would come to trade goods and services. The tradition goes back over 150 years and is a source of pride for the city of Canton TX known as “First Monday”.

First Monday trade days had to do with stray horses believe it or not. On the first Monday of the month when the judge in Canton arrived to convene his court. Canton at that time was an open range full of wild horses. The judge setup the first Monday as they day people could arrive with their horses in a horse auction. People would come from far and wide to trade and this auction is what has now turned into Canton trade days first Monday.

Please don’t get confused as if you come to Canton on the first Monday of the month there will be no gigantic flea market. The weekend prior to the first Monday of every month is when the Canton trade days extravaganza begins. This isn’t a run of the mill flea market but something you will need all 3 days to explore.

There are antiques available for purchase that can be had for good deals as well as marked up beyond what would be considered reasonable. It all depends on what you are looking for and how quickly you want to find it. If you do enough digging you will be able to pick up some pretty unique items for cheap.

At one time I was in the process of building a log house and I needed some old triple block pulleys. Ebay had them for sale for a little bit more than I wanted to pay so I went to Canton to see what I could find. I was able to get the triple block pulleys I needed for about half of what it would have cost on ebay. I bought a Yao Ming action figure still in the box for $1.00 and I believe this was a few dollars cheaper than what it would have cost new.

Many people are at Canton trade days behind a vendor booth almost as more of a hobby than to make a good living but they keep coming every month and some actually do make a good living. Depending on where you go in Canton will determine the type of stuff you will see and for what price. There are indoor and outdoor areas and places completely offsite that are open all month rather than just on first Monday.

Some businesses business model like Paul Michael have used Canton to capitalize on this hot spot for buying junk for the house. Paul Michael is offsite from Canton trade days and gets daily shopping traffic rather than just 3 days in a month. In fact I bet Paul Michael has siphoned a way a good deal of the shoppers that normally frequented Canton trade days. Pretty savy business sense if I do so say myself.

On our last visit to Canton we did visit Paul Michael but their stuff is quite pricey and so they pretty much serve the well to do. If you want to get good stuff for a cheaper price we recommend sticking with the trade day grounds.

Last visit to Canton we picked up all our cabinet hardware from their from a vendor booth called Cabinet Jewelry. We ended up saving about $2.00 per knob and handle that we used on our new cabinets than if we had of used Lowes or Home Depot.

When in Canton trade days you will want to eat something. There are a lot of fair food type places but pay special attention that you skip that corn dog and turkey leg and instead go to Cookin’ Cajans. This place was gone for a few years do to the owners having some health issues but is back in business again. This is one of those places that people drive an hour or two every month just to eat at so don’t forget to try it while your there.

I am not sure if Cooking Cajan’s is under new ownership as the original owner may have retired. While getting your food I recommend their crawfish etouffee, a Cajan egg roll, and some bread pudding. Hey go ahead and buy it all and if you can’t eat it all you will have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

If your not a big bread pudding fan go over to Taylor’s homemade icecream and try that stuff. I always go to gets me some of that Taylor’s homemade icecream. Very good!

I personally go to Canton to browse the puppies for sale, eat some Cajan Food, buy an old farm tool, get a small toy for the baby, and look at some of the East Texans that rarely come out of the house (pretty fascinating moo,moo outfits worn by both men and women.)

Thrifty Nickel In Tyler Texas

December 15th, 2009

Learning About Better Online Classifieds Than The Thrifty Nickel

Like many in East Texas I have used the Thrifty Nickel for years. From what I hear they may have changed their name to the American Classifieds but I will always know it as the Thrifty Nickel. I moved away from Tyler back in 1999 and lived in Colorado for a season. While there I started using an online service called Ebay. The Thrifty Nickel lost a lot of appeal for me when I came back to Tyler TX because I was now familiar with just how well a service like Ebay worked for me. I sold a lot of ski and snowboard equipment I no longer needed while back in Tyler and I did it all on Ebay. In the past I would have used the Thrifty Nickel because there was no such thing as Ebay.

Classifieds East Texas

I used the Thrifty Nickel to find things I now find on Craigslist like motorcycles, furniture, personally owned used cars, odds and ends you would find at a garage sell, and the back bumper for a Ford F150. These larger items are too expensive for people using Ebay to ship but the Thrifty Nickel was full of stuff like this. These days the jobs section is full of work from home ops like the envelope stuffing scheme, MLM businesses and such. The merchandise area where I used to find personally owned cars has much less to select from and the Nickel is full of car dealer ads everywhere. Blah! I don’t use the Nickel for car dealers. I would just go to the dealer and cruise around the lot if that is what I wanted. I am looking for good deals and I get more frustration from the Nickel than satisfaction. Back in the good ole days the Nickel was something I always grabbed along with Autotrader but those days are over. Autotrader is still a good magazine but what happened to the Nickel?

Order Of Greatness

1. Amazon.com
2. Craigslist.com
3. Ebay.com
101. American Classifieds (Thrifty Nickel) blah!

Differences Between Popular Online Classifieds Like Ebay and The Thrifty Nickel

The difference between Ebay and the Thrifty Nickel back in 2000 was night and day. I was able to sell really obscure items every time I listed them and many times at retail prices on Ebay. Many of my ski gloves were old used retro gloves but people in Europe loved them. They would buy old used ski gloves for $40 a pair and higher. Many Europeans were buying my ski goggles and other ski equipment for nice sums of money on Ebay. After selling a bunch of ski junk on Ebay I managed to make about $3,000 on unwanted ski items my friends gave me to sell. The Thrifty Nickel back in 2000 was good for unloading a used car or selling an old refrigerator for a decent sum. Because these larger items can’t be shipped affordably you had to sell this stuff using the Nickel to someone local. So Ebay remained an online place for selling smaller items to anyone in the world in order to make a handsome profit and the Nickel got you about what you deserved for an old used car. The Nickel remained your local marketplace to sell and buy items that were not easy to ship. Now I use Craigslist to buy and sell most of those larger used items.

10 Years Later The Thrifty Nickel Is A Much Different Animal

Now it is the year 2009 and we are almost approaching 2010. 10 years later after using Ebay for the first time my interests have changed a bit. I will still pick up the Thrifty Nickel from time to to time but what I have noticed is that the magazine has way too many national spammy advertisements in it. They may have changed things since a few months ago but I saw a lot of car dealer ads that were not from local people selling their automobiles. I also noticed that the jobs in Tyler Texas that were posted in the classifieds section were spam type junk job ads selling opportunities and get rich quick schemes. Some of these ads resembled envelope stuffing work from home schemes and other related waste of time job classifieds.

Giving The Nickel A Few More Chances

After picking up the Thrifty Nickel in different cities throughout East Texas while on my way out of a gas station or other convenience store I finally began to see that there was not much appeal to the Thrifty Nickel anymore. The classifieds magazine has way too many car dealers and national job seeker ads. The few and far between real ads are sparse and you really don’t get the selection that you used to. I would think that the reason the Thrifty Nickel has lost a lot of its quality may have to do with Craigslist.com website and Amazon.com taking over this market in a large part. Ebay still competes as well but for large local items like cars and furniture you will find that Craigslist.com has many local Tyler Texas residents selling anything from a filing cabinet, office conference table, to a used Volkswagon Rabbit. Ebay is also a very good website for finding local automobiles but as far as furniture and other large local items I would stick with Craigslist.

What Is So Great About Ebay?

Ebay remains a great way to pick up some unique antiques, home accesories, gadgets, and replacement parts but I would be wary of power sellers selling you something used you can get new for cheaper elsewhere. Amazon.com is a much less frustrating Ebay with no auctions only competing prices on new and used items. I consistently get a less hassle free experience at a cheaper price when buying merchandise from Amazon.com. Craigslist.com is the king of cheap prices on large items you couldn’t possibly have shipped to you. I have bought cars, filing cabinets, desks, and you name it on Craigslist. You can also get some good deals on used engagement rings on there from awkward local break ups but I imagine it would be weird buying a used ring from someone who just broke an engagement. Anyway this gives you an idea about how online services compare to the Thrifty Nickel. The Thrifty Nickel is online also but they don’t have the type of things you see on Craigslist so I don’t see the point.

If You Like The Thrifty Nickel Or American Classifieds Let Us Know

I challenge local Tyler Thrifty Nickel enthusiasts like I once was to look at a recent addition and see if it has changed for the better. I would love to write up a positive review about a paper that used to be one of my favorites but I have been disappointed just one too many times. Maybe I have missed some of the great positive aspects of The Thrifty Nickel. If I have missed something please tell me. There is a comment section at the bottom of this article for providing your two cents about the Thrifty Nickel. Feel free to leave a response.