Respected GIjOE ebay dealer, Tina “Smileygirl2012,” posed recently with a 12-inch Stormtrooper, while wearing little more than a T-shirt and a smile. “Use the FORCE, Luke!” (Photo: Smileygirl2012)
Clearly, Tina is no ordinary ebay bombshell. Her ratings boast 100% POSITIVE feedback and that she has achieved the coveted ranking of “Top Rated Plus.”
“I’ve never seen a painted-head GIjOE that I didn’t think was HAWT!” —Tina, aka Smileygirl2012
Let the Double Entendres Begin
If the auctions on ebay are all starting to look alike and your eyes have begun to glaze over with disinterest, you should sneak a peek at the swingin’ sales page of one “Smileygirl2012” (found HERE). This free-wheeling female dealer has found an attention-getting way to increase sales and customer visitation to her auctions by adding some extra visual “oomph” to her listing photos: Good ol’ American SEX APPEAL!
Tina hopes that by posing alongside items in her ebay listing photos, it will help to arouse interest among customers and increase the size of her—business. Here, she poses with a “rack” full of military miniatures. Just LOOK at ’em. No, lower down, lower… THERE! See ’em now? Those toys are all for sale! (Photo: smileygirl2012)
Smileygirl’s real name is Tina (sorry fellas, last name withheld). Tina doesn’t possess an MBA, but at a time when many GIjOE dealers feel that ebay has grown limp and impotent (as an online sales portal), she believes she’s found an exciting new way to help promote or “firm up” her own business’ bottom line. In fact, Tina hopes the sales strategy she’s erected will quickly create a noticeable surge of new sales activity; thrusting the popularity of her listings upward and depositing profits directly into her—bank account. Over and over (and over) again. (pant—pant). Phew! <lighting cigarette> After using ebay’s “Mouse over image to Zoom” feature to carefully review her ample listings, we contacted Tina and asked her to discuss her unique ebay selling strategy. Was it arousing interest among GIjOE and toy fans? How does it feel to flirt with ebay’s codes of conduct? How much more of her personal—strategies—did she think she could reveal? She batted her eyelashes and replied coyly:
As long as Tina keeps her sexy product photos PG-rated, she’s unlikely to “arouse” the ire of ebay execs. Here, a very lucky Marine GIjOE (all 12-inches of him) attempts to move closer and closer to Tina’s large and outgoing—personality. Yeah, that’s it. (Photo: smileygirl2012)
“I’ve been on eBay for almost 2 years and have really enjoyed buying and selling vintage toys (mostly with a vintage military theme, but I also have a soft spot for Care Bears). My boyfriend and I enjoy going to local swap meets here in Southern California. We only purchase what we enjoy, so if we don’t sell, we’re thrilled to hold onto our finds. We have a large vintage GIjOE collection (pre-Fuzz Head), a Marx playset collection, a 1960’s Matchbox collection, a space memorabilia collection, a Care Bear collection (that’s MY department) and a military die-cast collection. It’s all cool stuff!”
Tina even changes costumes when posing with different products. Here, shes dons a tight, red “Robin” T-shirt and a pair of black-framed glasses (to simulate his mask) while holding up tiny figurines of Batman and Robin.
(Photo: Smileygirl2012)
TJR: Tell us how you came up with the idea of inserting yourself into the photos in your listings.
“Well, professionally, I’m a model. So I just love being in front of the camera. Whether the shoot is tame, or more on the sexy side, I try to project part of my personality. And I really enjoy posing with toys, because they not only reflect the ‘little girl’ side of me, but there’s also something totally sexy about boys’ military toys (I grew up so jealous of my brother’s toys!). In fact, I’ve never seen a painted-head GIjOE that I didn’t think was HAWT!”
TJR: What future plans do have for your photos?
“Some of my most enjoyable, hobby-related shoots have involved me posing with choice pieces from friend’s collections. A few purchased the images and then created 12-month calendars. It’s nice to know that I can compete with 1960’s plastic!“
The Stormtrooper and Joe give Tina one last hug before being packed up and shipped out to their new owners. (Photo: Smileygirl2012)
TJR: Even your auction terms seem to be written with a subtly suggestive, or “sexy” message. How did you phrase it exactly?
“I take my Seller’s role very seriously and will work HARD to give you 5-star service. Any problems, please contact me and I will bend over backwards—literally, if necessary—to make things right. Oh! And I reserve the right to cancel the bids of ‘naughty’ ebayers.”
Bottom Line: Tina is a GIjOE dealer that fans will surely want to keep their eyes on. Next time you’re over on ebay, be sure to push the “watch this seller” button on a page belonging to Smileygirl2012. Our best wishes and thanks to Tina for her help with this article, and to Eagle-eyed TJR Field Reporter, Keith Mayo, for bringing this very <ahem> “important” matter to our attention.
The Joe Report 
Good idea…I guess. She is cute, but I honestly don’t think it would sway me on buying anything from her. It’s still all about the price she is asking!
My Joes have all been following this story avidly. The Soul Adventurer’s commentary is unprintable, but it began with “size don’t matter!”
Since my wife is sitting next to me, I’ll say it’s not right for a lady to use her body to sell items on Ebay or whatever…….Wait……Wait…..My wife walked away.. I think it’ awesome. 🙂
Tina’s collectibles are MAGNIFICENT – as I have purchased from her on ebay – a few times now! She has a lot of fun selling lots of GI JOE stuff and with a little style and humor! She is very accommodating and as she says – she will BEND OVER backwards to please her customers – GO TINA ….or SHOULD I SAY “GO JOE”!
She’s a professional model? Um, she’s just not that hot and a bit too round, but okay….