Alas, I just ran my numbers from my eBay sales tonight (12/31/25), and yikes, I’ve eaten a LOT of shipping costs! What you all may not know is the average cost to me has been from $5-$8 USD~! (All domestic US shipping so far – I have to sell more before eBay will let me graduate to shipping internationally. I’ll get there slowly!) And it’s not getting any cheaper, sigh.
Between that and eBay’s steep fees, I’ve eaten a lot of costs, and it’s not sustainable. Yet, I know everyone is struggling too. And yes, I know about other platforms. I will slowly check them out as I can, but right now, eBay best suits my needs as a disabled artist. (I can’t meet much “demand” yet.)
I will either raise my prices enough to cover the shipping costs better, OR stop offering free shipping on any new listings after this in 2026 sorry. I have to. The numbers don’t pencil out otherwise.
I know, I don’t compete with the much more affordably mass-produced cards some others are offering on eBay. Remember, mine are handmade by myself, the artist and photographer, with my own photographs. I’m literally personally mounting every photo on every single notecard. It’s rather painstaking, despite how simple it looks. But people sometimes gasp when they see them in person, seriously.
The colors and detail are so crisp, I’ve had people pay me more than asking price at some shows which is encouraging. But, if you knew how little I was making on eBay, you’d probably suggest I both raise my prices AND charge shipping!
But I will do either one, or the other, not both, to keep things as affordable as possible while not losing my shirt in the process.
I also just launched a new coupon code for 10% off to help at checkout starting 12:01 a.m. PST on January 1st: NEWBEE10OFF. (That would read “newbee10off” in lower case, but I think you have to keep it in upper. I just wanted to clarify the difference between the number 10 and the word “off”.) It’s good through January 31, 2026.
Fry me for an oyster, I thought surely everyone would take a long nap after the holidays like all good hard working bees, and probably not rustle up any markets until like March but boy was I wrong! And how, smile.
I’m now already booked for TWO markets, in January and February 2026 respectively. I’ve added these to my Show Schedule page, but I’ll list them here too in case anyone is actually reading this blog. Be sure to follow me on any of my socials below for latest updates at all times – sometimes there are last minute changes or corrections.
I’m laughing as I type this – I thought I’d probably do hardly any craft shows or markets as I was slowly spinning things up last July 2025. (I was left stranded at my last show in 2011 right before I stopped walking in January 2012 from my EDS onset cascade.) Boy was I wrong! Lol. Silly Jan – this is Portland! Home of the super creative and crafty folk. (Including me.)
Find me next at:
Radical Harvest Craft Faire Sat/Sun 1/10 and 1/11 from 12-5 pm at Allgood Brewing Co 2425 SE 35th Pl, Portland, OR 97214. Free entry, food, drinks, crafts, clothing swap and fun. Bring the kids!
Spot Market Valentine’s Day weekend Sat/Sun 2/14 and 2/15 back in the Lloyd Center (details TBD). Likely 12-5 Saturday, 12-5 Sunday as usual but I’ll update once we know. Also free, kid-friendly, with complimentary beverages (wine and jamaica tea) and an hourly raffle. This market is always fun.
I seriously did not expect to be doing regular markets, but since finding so many indoors and doing so well so far, I’m managing. I don’t need a tent for these, and I’ve found a way to wrangle a couple of small tables that are sufficient for my needs.
Yes, I’m always completely wrecked after, but, that’s my life with EDS. I could lie in bed, or I can get up and bust a move and meet all you great folks instead. I much prefer the latter, since I’m gonna be in pain either way. (Yes, I have to recover from the latter to be sure. I don’t share that bit, it’s pretty boring – I lie moaning in bed, struggling to re-arrange all my bones back into their proper upright positions. Tray tables are much easier, I promise.)
I just hatched an Upcoming Shows page to share my growing winter market schedule with you all as I suddenly started to get booked up! (I had to do some juggling for a minute as some of the markets collided with each other, phew!) Keep up with the latest news always on all my socials here:
Anyway, in case you don’t find that page, know that you can catch me THIS weekend,Saturday December 6th at Woodmere Elementary School for their Winter Bazaar 11-5. Located at 7900 SE Duke, Portland, OR 97206. Free, we have warm refreshments and a raffle and a scavenger hunt too! Park in front of the school off Duke, enter in the middle, and find loads of super crafty and talented artists and vendors in the cafeteria, and ALSO in the gym! (Don’t forget the gym! – I’ll be just left of the gym entrance after you enter.) I’ll be debuting my first 5″x7″ prints too ($10 each), thanks to the kind staff at Art Supply Store (formerly I’ve Been Framed) on SE Foster who helped me find proper packaging. (Thank you!) Come and see!
Then I’ll be at the Clackamas County Gleaners Christmas Bazaar NEXT Saturday Dec 13th, from 10-4 pm 13821 Fir Street, Oregon City, OR 97045 (just off 213)*. Free, not sure if there’s a raffle, but pretty sure we’ll have refreshments. Dress warm, it’s in their unheated warehouse where they sort all the gleaned food they save for hungry families in the area. This is an amazing program that literally saves tons of perfectly good food from grocery stores that would otherwise be tossed. I’ve seen it, and it’s amazing. (I’m picky, and don’t like anything too old, and I was blown away by what they saved back in 2019! If you live in the area, you should check them out.)
*Note this is a change to the previous address I had (I just caught the update on Facebook! Eek! It was 13895 before, and now I have to update all my marketing materials, sigh.) Onward…
Then, last but not least (for now), on Sunday 12/1412-5 pm I’ll be at the Spot Market in the old GAP store space in the Lloyd Center Mall next to Macy’s on the second (middle) level. (Not at the east end by Marshall’s as my flyer mistakenly read, sorry, my bad!) They have killer refreshments (wine and hibiscus tea) and an hourly raffle for all shoppers that buy something. The Food Court 5000 may come through once or twice too – they’re a dedicated bunch of joyful mall walkers who start up in the 3rd level food court and cruise around the whole mall with loud jazzy music!
There’s lots going on at the Lloyd Center that whole weekend, so don’t be too distracted, and forget to stop by and see us! :)
Find the Spot Market by Macy’s on the second (middle) level of the mall
Hope to see you here or there! Jan – December 5, 2025
I always bring a pack of my small photo notecards with me when I’m exploring potential markets and stores. And almost every time I go out. It’s so hard to convey their incredible colors otherwise.
I did just that, when I headed out to find the new to me “Spot Market PDX” in the Lloyd Center Mall in NE Portland, Oregon yesterday, Saturday the 11th. Silly me, I didn’t read the notice closely, and ended up stumbling on an entirely different but equally wonderful small artisan market – the Spectrum Market, for the LGBTQIA community. It was also wonderful, so many great artists with loads of cute and useful things, and whimsy. I highly recommend it! But, being straight, they weren’t so interested in me.
It also took me over 30 minutes to realize this wasn’t the SPot Market! Which uses a lot of ladybugs and spots for their marketing. Indeed, the vendors and market manager confirmed it was upstairs as they began packing up at 5 pm.
So I headed upstairs, and lucky me, I caught the last hour of the Spot Market after I found it all the way at the east end of the mall, near the old Marshall’s store (near NE 15th) on the left. And I bumbled in again. And met some more wonderful vendors and artisans. Who all raved about my cards. And even bought one!
But I kept sharing my sleeping bees photos from last July, with the sweet shot and the “After Party” shot cued up in my photos (after I found it again – I take a LOT of photos all the time)! And then they announced there were two vendor openings the next day (Sunday Oct 12th). And the lovely watercolor artist I was with nudged me to inquire. I did, and they said “come tomorrow!” Boom! that simple! (Well, I did show some of my cards.)
I was so inspired by this wonderful development, and the interest in my duo of sleeping bee images, that I stayed up way too late tonight (last night), and went ahead and developed the images and produced the first cards featuring them shown here:
Sleeping sweetly July 16thThe After Party 7/17.
I haven’t even been able to update my online catalog just yet, things are happening so fast! I’m not unhappy – just trying to keep up! I feel a bit like the bees in the “After Party” shot in the middle above, which is the shot I got the next day after I went back with my Nikon to try catching them sleeping sweetly again.
No dice! Lol. They gave me the finger, and were ALL clustered on that poor bedraggled Gaillardia shown. Not a one was in the still fresh flowers that were still available. Oh no. Nope. They looked like a biker gang on a bender, giving me the bee finger! That’ll teach me to forget my camera! Ha ha!
As I told someone again, the best camera to have is the one you have on you when the opportunity (shot) presents itself. Don’t underestimate your phone cameras folks! You can see the results are nothing to sneeze at!
Speaking of which, the images above aren’t the best because I had already packed up my spot light that helps brighten them up. I’ll try to produce some new, better ones soon, hopefully. I’ll also try to get some up on eBay right away too.
Oh yeah, you can also get Multnomah Falls from me IN PERSON! Else just at Crystal Heart Boutique in Hillsboro for now. Cheerio.
While I do plan to make some copies of my award-winning Multnomah Falls shot available on eBay, right now they are only available to buy as small cards at Crystal Heart Boutique in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon. (269 E Main Street. The MAX Blue Line stops one block away!)
Grab them while you can! They are one of my most popular images. Especially for out-of-town guests and friends.
I was not expecting to end up on consignment so quickly, but Spirit nudged me to grab my street kit (bag of cards I now carry to sell in person or at street fairs) along with my yellow apron when I went to get my glasses fixed by the retired optician housed at Crystal Heart Boutiquein downtown Hillsboro, Oregon last Wednesday 9/10/25. (269 E Main Street, 1 block off the MAX line for the win.) And I’ve learned to follow those nudges lately. They tend to pay off as you’ll soon see.
Of course, my first order of business was my broken trifocal glasses, which are not easy to replace. My temporary McGyver job with a straight pin wasn’t going to hold too long or well.
But as I waited for the optician to fix me up, I struck up a conversation with the clerk behind the counter. I asked if they happened to consign people (it looked like it, from the eclectic array of arts and crystals for sale) and she said yes! Was I interested in buying – or perhaps selling? And I hesitated, but fessed up – selling. And pulled out a handful of my small notecards for her to see.
She was impressed, and said that while she could not make the final decision, she could give me the consignment application form and let her manager know. Plus, the store owner was due back any time from a lunch break, so, if I didn’t mind waiting, perhaps we could actually get a final decision since I was from out of town.
Meanwhile, the optician had my glasses all fixed up as good as new (for reals, he’s amazing) and for very cheap. So we chatted for a bit too. Then I wandered the store for a bit – there’s so much there, I could easily spend a week just perusing it all. And I noticed some other cards for sale on racks, though none quite as bright as mine, of course. (I really do get uniquely vibrant colors on my printer.) But also quite interesting and fun. (Good job I didn’t have any money to spend – there were tons of cute handmade items I’d have loved to buy.)
Anyway, I decided to go explore the nearby area while I was waiting for Norman the owner to return. Plus I could fetch more cards (including my medium and large ones) for them to consider too. Off I went, finding the nearby transit center (MAX line from Portland), and some other cute boutiques and consignment shops nearby. But at 4:45 pmI figured I best get back before closing at 5 pm, lest I miss him! (They said they’d call me if he came back but then didn’t.)
Well, turns out I’d just missed him in person BUT – I was consigned if I wanted to be! And how many small cards could I leave with them? Well! How many would you like? :)
Meanwhile, the store manager came up beside me holding what looked like a large live dragonfly in her palm. But I was so busy trying to do a quick inventory, wrap up business and get out of their hair (they needed to close promptly), that I couldn’t quite tell. Finally, the photographer and naturalist in me could stand it no longer and I asked: “Is that a real dragonfly in your hand?”
Yup! It sure was! She had just rescued it from out front of the store, caught in a spider’s web~! No kidding! I was stunned – talk about a God wink! ;) Unfortunately she had to rush off to pick up her son promptly, so I could only take a couple quick shots on my cell phone. But how kismet was that? Heck, how kismet was the whole day!
We’re still ironing out a few details, but I’m happy to be underway with them, and ahead of the Christmas season. Meanwhile, I really gotta get cracking on those worker bees – we gotta be ready to restock again soon! Plus add some more images. Oh frabjous day, calloo callay! Things like this keep happening, and falling in my lap, so I know I’m on the right path, yay.
Go see for yourselves if you’re in the greater Portland, Oregon area. But plan to make a day of it – the store itself is loaded with amazing locally made art and crystals and gifts to choose from (seriously, chock-full with tons of variety), aimed at the metaphysical community, but with something for almost everyone, truly.*
And they are in the heart of the old-town Hillsboro district, which has lots of other cute boutiques and antique shops to browse as well. Plus lots of good food around. So, take a day and come on out. Of course, there may be seasonal events in store that I’m not yet aware of too. You know I’ll keep you all posted here and on socials (see below).
Back to the hive – I gotta get cracking! A la prochaine… Jan Groh, Photograbee 2025.
*Heads up to my fellow zebras with MCAS – the store is heavily scented with various items including incense, essential oils and aromatherapy, so plan accordingly. (Wear a Vogmask if you have one.)
Phew! It took me a minute, and I had to pass an intelligence test (I couldn’t figure out the user interface for a minute), but I finally did it: I hatched my first discount campaign for 20% off all auctions through 9/21/25!
Use code: NEWBEE20 at checkout to get 20% off all Buy it Now (fixed bid) auctions through 9/21/25.
My first discount code
NB – I also lowered the price on the last two auctions that haven’t moved as well, so you’re gonna get a steal! And, I’ll be uploading more soon, including some fresh new images!
It’s just hard being the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, AND Gardener, AND Tech support, AND Photographer – WHILE disabled, phew! Pant, pant pant… wait for me…. I’m a BIZZY BEEEEEE! :) <—- more like sleepy, but shhh… don’t tell anyone!
I’ve been a really busy bee behind the scenes, slowly spinning this little bees-ness up with great success so far – thank you early customers! And I haven’t been idle.
I now have my very own business PayPal, Venmo and Cashapp accounts just for Photograbee, and can also take credit cards in person using either tap-to-pay or my new Square magnetic card stripe reader. So, I’m ready to roll tomorrow, Thursday August 28, 2025 again on Alberta for Last Thursday, yay! (I was testing last month, and used my personal accounts which was not very professional I confess. I wasn’t sure if I was going to press the “Start” button on this busines or not, and your support helped me take the plunge, TY!)
It’s gonna be a wee toasty for me tomorrow, so I apologize in advance if I look wilted or grumpy – I live in the same range as butter: when it melts, I melt. It’s forecast to be 88 F. But, that beats wind and rain! (I’m bringing ice for myself to be sure.)
Anyway, just wanted to re-assure folks that you can have peace-of-mind using your credit cards or the other apps with me in person now – I was properly screened and vetted and have tested them all. Cheers!
So I know you, Jan, and you’ve taken thousands of shots since you picked up your first DSLR (your beloved trusty old Nikon D60) in 2008. I KNOW you have many more cool images up your sleeve. Why the limited catalog here?
Well, first off, dear follower, you’re absolutely right, I have thousands of other images. But, barely 1% of those are worth sharing. And yes, I constantly take more, every chance I get. However, yes, that leaves at least 100 worth sharing. So why don’t I show them all here yet?
Because, if someone buys a set of my cards, and then gets back in touch and says “Could I get another 4-pack of the one with the flowers and bees?” – uhm, well, I’d need help figuring out exactly WHICH flower, and WHICH bees, as I have so many! (Pro-tip: you can see lots of my most recent shots on my social media accounts, especially X and BlueSky. Links down below.)
So. To make my aging life easier, I’ve established a limited catalog here to start. BUT… I am steadily expanding it as time and energy permit. (I just added a new fourth category – SUNDRY – this weekend!) But again, this way, if anyone wants more of one or another image, they can peek on my website, and say “B1 please“. (This literally just happened the other day.) Boom! Easy! Done!
This keeps things more manageable for both of us. Enjoy! And don’t forget to leave me feedback on eBay – thank you!! xo – Jan
Don’t look now, but I just hatched a brand new bouncing baby category: SUNDRY.
You know, for all those “various and sundry” odds and ends that don’t neatly fit into any other category! You know, like birds, squirrels and fall foliage.
Proud finch
I know, I know, I could cook up more categories, but this works for me – for now. Most of what I have fits into Flowers, Bees and Scenics. But, we’ll see how this goes.
Anyway, go take a peek and see what’s cooking in my new category.
