The Early Bonqo Special

When one thinks of the phrase, “early bird special” one usually thinks of breakfast deals or garage sales. It’s fair enough that these images are also lovingly thought of when describing the early morning rituals of our community elders.

What one doesn’t think of, however, is the dedicated use of the internet when a senior wants to sell something online. The internet, especially when it comes to buying and selling items, is something a senior will typically steer clear of. 

As more and more Baby Boomers settle into their golden years, their use of gratuitous items diminishes while, sometimes, their ability to buy more items on a whim increases. This is how a garage sale is born, folks!

Look around. So many items are stored in basements, garages, and even in extra storage somewhere in the back of their homes. The bottom line is that a senior citizen has a great need to sell their stuff.

If the senior has a need to get rid of everything, they may find themselves grabbing a newspaper and trying to list items. How 1985! They could take forever to clean out their space if they go that route.

Nowadays, seniors are turning on their computer and selling their items with online classifieds. It’s faster, easier, and completely free. Rather than open their garage door and spending all day monitoring strangers who rummage through their things, they can simply upload pictures of the things they want to sell. Then, when someone wants to buy their Japanese figurines from that holiday they took 22 years ago, they’ll get an email or call from someone who has cold hard cash right now.

Not all classifieds are created equal, though. If you know of a senior who wants to get rid of their items, make sure they look into the safer online classifieds out there. This way, they won’t be turned off by all online classifieds just because they ended up on a seedier classifieds site which promotes distasteful materials.

Before you know it, your Baby Boomer relative will have their own Bonqo.com store and will be selling their items faster than you could have imagined. The freedom of selling safer is out there for you and your internet savvy, aging family member.

Happy Listings!

Get Your Motor Running...Harley-Davidson Now on Bonqo

The Great Depression, overseas competition, and over 100 years later, the bike is still one of the best images of freedom on the open road. There is a sense of pride for a Harley-Davidson owner. A sense of status. A sense of rebellion.
And these feelings remain well into any biker’s golden years. Why shouldn’t they?
The bike can - and will – ride circles around competition out there when it comes to machinery, style, history, uniqueness, recognition and the following. The bottom line is that whether one rides the bike or has never seen one up-close, it is well respected and appreciated by civilians and HOGs alike.
Santa Maria Harley-Davidson is a one-stop bike shop located north of Santa Barbara and dead-center of some of the best roads to cruise in America. The good news is that they’ve just opened a Bonqo store with us. The better news is that you can check out their bonqo.com store right here. 
We appreciate a great bonqo.com store like we appreciate a great bike.
Here are tips on how to become a better Bonqo biker:

1. Be born (to be wild). 2. Check out the Bonqo store for Santa Maria Harley-Davidson. 3. Using caution, safety, and proper California driving rules, you should head out on the highway. Also, be sure to show proper driver courtesy and respect all motorists on the road…or not.

2008 H-D® FXDL Dyna® Low Rider®

2005 H-D® FLSTC/FLSTCI Heritage Softail® Classic

Bonqo! Turn to the Left. Bonqo! Turn to the Right.

Let’s just say you’re a pseudo fashionista who is going to a function where you definitely want to stand out—and not in a sore thumb kind of way. Guess what? We have online boutiques with pret-a-porte items just for you. Yes, bonqo.com just got all French on you. Just take a look at all of the clothes you can find on bonqo.com right now. Right this second.
Or, if you actually make clothes and have an eye for putting together unique pieces of clothing or if you are the creative type who loves using scrap fabrics to make one of a kind outfits, you should stop dreaming about it and start selling your work! Open your own store!
A great thing about the bonqo.com store option is the store space and leasing agreement. The “leasing agreement” part is a joke, by the way. This is what free online classifieds is all about! You sell your items here and people buy them. Talk about a savvy business owner. Plus, you can have as many as 250 live ads at a time. Totally free.
You read that right. Totally free.
This increases your visibility and gives the local Bonqo community a chance to check out the goods. So, go on. Open a store and sell your one-of-a-kind pieces. Or, click on our stores and buy someone’s one-of-a-kind pieces.
This is all very consumer savvy of you.
DB would be proud of you. (David Bowie, not David Bellotti, one of bonqo.com‘s super engineers.)

Beep beep.

Free > Not Free: Take Advantage of Online Classifieds

Let’s face it: you can’t afford to keep yourself hidden. When it comes to promoting your business, there is no such thing as over exposure. The competition out there can be tough. If you have the option to say, “Business is great!” instead of, “Business is, ya’ know, good” we say, choose the former.
Most business owners go the route of the tried and true methods of marketing. A few listings in the weekly mailer. A couple of coupons. A neon sign on your shop. Customers trickle in and you say, “Business is, ya’ know, good.” Meanwhile, they’re ignoring the opportunity to really be great when they choose to bypass any free online marketing.
Yes, free online marketing. Online classifieds are a great way to promote your business. Unfortunately, too many folks believe that there is always a catch. With free online classifieds, there is no catch. You post your ads, you word yourself just right, and you upload images of your shop or what your service is. Let the classifieds work for you, especially when they are completely free. How can you afford not to?
When you open up to using the tools out there on the world wide web, you’ll notice a change in the numbers. You will be one of the lucky ones who say, “Business is great!”
Promote your business online. Better yet, promote your business online for free. These tools are out there, you just need to use them. Let us help you out. Just like we did for other local businesses.
If there’s a better deal out there than FREE, we’d love to get on board with that! Oh, wait. We are free…

Chisel it Again, Sam

If ever you’ve seen a piece of stone and thought nothing of it, you may think twice after seeing some of Sam Sutherland’s pieces.
Recently, Mr. Sutherland opened a bonqo.com store, allowing even more members of the bonqo community a chance to check out and purchase some of his sculptures. True, these aren’t exactly ideal pieces to hang above your bed. No, these sculpted pieces of rock each deserve a place where folks can see them and re-think their own indifferences to art.
And while some may look like it, these aren’t your typical Medieval stone sculptures, friends. You won’t get 1 Free Chalice with every sculpture purchased. You’ll see that Sam’s work ranges from Greek mythology and Gothic imagery to Darth Vader, Batman, and even X-Man pieces. So, stone carvings for the entire family.
Seriously, Sam Sutherland is a creative artist who provides his clients and buyers with endless discussion over his unique, interesting, and beautiful sculptures. Please visit Sutherland Creations’ store on bonqo.com to check out what he’s done. We’re proud to feature Sutherland Creations in our bonqo.com stores.

“Darth Vader” $2,400 Sutherland Creations

“Batman”$3,000 Sutherland Creations

“Alien 1” $5,600 Sutherland Creations

Whatnots Galore

If you find yourself blowing into your smart phone hoping to make it work better, a la the Nintendo game cartridges from back in the day, then you need a replay. Let bonqo explain: you need a trip to Replay's bonqo.com store.

Imagine bonqo's delight when we came across the ads listed by Replay, a collectibles shop located on De La Vina Street in Santa Barbara.

While they list various knickknacks and baubles, they also have genuinely great collectible items that anyone would love to have in their possession. Did you ever think that your old Nintendo would be a collectible? Well, look around. The items that you might have tossed aside as a kid are now items that have tremendous sentimental value, if not monetary. And really. Isn't that where a collectible item's value comes from?

For the sports fan, Replay has the prestige of being able to offer some rare items. Mickey Mantle autographed baseball card? Check. Bret Favre autographed football card? Check. C-3PO figurine from Star Wars? Oh. Yes.

Whatever your tastes are, whatever you're in the market for, you can find it in our collectibles section on bonqo.com. 

Start hunting for that item you want!

bonqo Gives Back to the Neighborhood

Unity, dignity, and community can sum up what the Unity Shoppe is all about. Providing a “Central Distribution Facility” for over 300 local non-profit organizations, the Unity Shoppe helps to facilitate the process of giving back.

By establishing a positive center where families who are in need can come to receive assistance, the Unity Shoppe creates an atmosphere where those in need receive a hand up, not a hand out. In an effort to provide the assistance needed to the individuals who want it, the Unity Shoppe hopes to help these families and individuals along the way towards self-sufficiency.

bonqo appreciates the efforts and great strides that the Unity Shoppe has made. With that, we jumped at the chance to offer our help in any way to the very community that has welcomed us to the neighborhood. So, on Saturday, December 11, 2010, bonqo.com donated a check to the Unity Shoppe. It was the least we, or anyone in our community, can do for such a worthy cause. We hope to continue to be apart of such a positive, community oriented project. bonqo would like to see you you get involved, too. Be sure to check out our community section on bonqo.com to see if you can help out with anything you see there!

iPad + KJ = bonqo.com

Meet Kyle Johnson, the luckiest member of the bonqo.com community so far. Like so many of you bonqo.com users out there, he knows a great deal when he sees one. After entering the bonqo.com iPad sweepstakes back in November, Kyle waited patiently. Somehow, he must have known that destiny was on his side because by December 27^th, he was announced as the winner of a brand new iPad from bonqo!

Here's a picture of Kyle, holding his precious close.

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You, too, can meet your destiny on bonqo.com. There are so many ads for everything under the sun here. Whether you are looking for something vintage or something new, the bonqo.com world is your oyster. You never know what you're gonna find with our online classifieds.

And yes, finds like Kyle's iPad do happen from time to time. You just have to keep your eyes peeled because you never know when the next sweepstakes will happen. Don't worry, we'll announce it loud and clear so you can't miss it. Unless, of course, you're way too busy updating your favorites list.

Highway to Sell

Firstly, if you ride a bike like this and don’t get the ACDC song reference, check out our listings for red-wagons and rocking chairs.
Secondly, check out this bike. A prime example of the type of ad we love to see (and showcase) on bonqo.com!
This seller of a 1995 Honda Shadow VT600 Bobber Chopper (whew!) really put in the work– in all aspects. When it comes to refurbishing and polishing this motorcycle to the vision you see before you, as well as polishing his advertisement, we are impressed.
By utilizing the option to upload as many pictures as he could, this seller is highlighting the physical features of this fine piece of machinery. Take note, sellers: a picture really does paint a thousand words, even if most of them are, “Whoa” and “Suh-wheat.”
When you come to the option to describe your item, being as descriptive and detailed as possible will definitely enhance your ad. It shows that you are a serious seller. Also, by giving as much description as possible, you can weed out buyers who aren’t serious. After all, you do want your item to go to the right home, don’t you?
Now, bonqo’s not suggesting that you become an internationally successful scribe who wins The Pulitzer, we just want you to sell your goods faster and easier with us.
Try this:
Always post pictures! The more, the merrier.
Always describe as if this sell depended on it. (It kind of does!)
Always be honest with potential buyers. Yes, passion for your product does go a long way. “It is my second bike and although I loved working on it, I realized after a few rides I’m a sportbike guy…” That kind of passion…and the kind where a seller includes a youtube clip of the item being sold? Yeah. That kind of passion to make a sell. We love it.
So, here’s to you, Ad #3888. You make the classifieds a better place, too!

Mansion, Schmansion

Recently, actress Drew Barrymore made headlines with the purchase of her new mansion in Montecito. With neighbors like Oprah Winfrey (as if the last name is needed) and Jeff Bridges, we are sure that you’ve already started your great big mansion search. We’re right there with you. But wait! You might be rolling with a smaller budget. Makes sense. Not everyone is a movie star from Hollywood. Let bonqo.com guide you to your next home. Beach mansion or studio, bonqo’s got your size.

bonqo Services at Your Service

Are you a Doors fan? So are we. At bonqo, we love walking through them. Opening them. Closing them. We like when people knock on them. Overall, bonqo believes doors are a great thing, especially when they open up to a place where one can actually purchase new doors. Yes, on bonqo, we offer a marketplace where you can find goods and services. Wheelin’ and dealin’ for the best services in your neighborhood. Check out our list of services right now. Hear that? That’s opportunity knocking.

If You're an Artist, You Gotta Read This!

Local artists are turning to bonqo.com to sell their pieces and we say “why not?”

With our local community outreach promoting the buying and selling within your neighborhood, it's easy to see why so many people would want to check out the goods we have for them in their own backyard. Two local artists who stand out are S.L. Campbell and Pali X Mano. Both are talented artists with very different styles. Whether you are seeking subtle accent pieces or you need a blast of energy in any room of yours, check out their pieces right here on bonqo to see if they fit your artistic needs.

Let's start with the local artist known as Pali X. Mano (Pali Szilvassy) who originally comes to us from Hungary. His zest for life seems to jump out from the pages of bonqo via the pieces that you see displayed. No doubt popular, it's lucky for the buyer that he has opened his own bonqo.com store, giving you a chance to peruse the number of pieces he has up for sale. We love his style because it 's different, fun, and very unique. A bit of a local celebrity, he has been known to create videos and to interact with audiences and musicians while creating his art. Pali X. Mano creates pieces of whimsy and fantasy in both what he sells and how he lives. From his suits and cars to the paintings you can find on bonqo, his style will bring a smile to your face, one of his personal goals.

If a tranquil piece is what you crave, you may want to click through the postings to find S.L. Campbell's work. She's known around Santa Barbara as the “on location” artist. Given her background as an Aerospace engineer and math instructor, it is quite interesting that she would develop a successful career in art. With this in mind, you're sure to take a second look at her pieces which combines realism and impressionism in an ethereal union. Living and working in Santa Barbara, S.L. Campbell has provided us with pieces that encapsulates all of the beauty that is the town of Santa Barbara with a touch of her travels abroad.

We at bonqo appreciate the talent and artistry from all of our sellers. We hope that both Pali X Mano and S.L. Campbell inspire other local artists to open up a bonqo store and showcase their talents and artistic freedom right here on bonqo.com.

Happy listings, artists!