This Blog Has Moved……..
I have started a new blog over on blogspot that is focused more on thrifting and my online selling. I wanted a new name and a new focus for the New Year! I hope you will join me there!
Etsy Tips
I did a guest post a couple of weeks ago over on Don’t Count Your Chickens about my selling experience on Etsy and have had a request to repost the interview here. I am going to do just that, but I am going to break it up into smaller posts, rearrange it a bit, and add more information I didn’t add in that interview to save space.
I do have to say that I am not an expert. These are just my experiences from the past 6 months of getting my two shops going. It has been a lot of trial and error, and I am sure it will continue to be!
I am also writing from the perspective of a vintage seller and a little bit as a supplies seller.
This first part I have titled “Etsy Tips”:
What are some tips to getting started on Etsy?
I really think the following things have really been helpful:
1. Banner and Avatar. If you don’t have them, get them. It makes your shop look more professional and cohesive. There are many shops on Etsy that provide fabulous graphic design sets at very reasonable prices.
2. Set Up Your Shop Policies. Let people know you are serious about your business and have thought out how you will handle the important areas. Payment Options, Shipping, Shipping Refunds, Returns, General Refunds, etc. are all areas you need to think through and let people know how your shop is going to handle. Etsy lets you run your shop as you see fit in the above areas and shop policies are as varied as the shops.
3. Listing Consistently. I list 4-6 days a week. Sometimes a bunch of listings, sometimes just a couple, but am always listing. Etsy is different than eBay because the date you listed an item is very prominent in your shop. Listing is the way you let people know you are around and you are actively involved in your shop.
I have done some shopping on Etsy, found a really cool item only to find that it was listed 3 months ago and the shop owner hasn’t listed another thing since. It left too many questions in my head to ever purchase it from them. Are they still around? Is the item still available?
4. Offer International Shipping. This is a big complaint from international buyers on Etsy and you can find many threads in the Etsy forums about this issue. Our international friends want to BUY, don’t shut them out by not offering that service. International sales are on average 15-20% of my sales.
5. Think Outside The Box. There are so many reasons people shop on Etsy. Photographers looking for photo props,. Production companies looking for tv and movie props. There are artists who look for assemblage items, collage items, and other unique items they use to make their art. Interior designers looking for one of a kind items. There are collectors and, of course, the casual buyer. I have been truly surprised at some of the things that sell on Etsy! You can see what a shop has sold by clicking their sales in the sidebar when you visit them.
I have sold cameras that don’t work, flashcards, drawer liner, a book with missing pages, puzzles, coloring books, pieces from curio cabinets, zippers, etc.
6. Good Titles and Tags. Etsy’s search is based on Relevancy. Your titles need to be full of descriptive keywords. Etsy also uses a tagging system for their search. Use all your tags! Spend some time familiarizing yourself with a basic knowledge of SEO. (I will be doing a more in depth post about this soon.)
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This is the first part of the interview that I did about my Etsy shops. I will be doing a series of Etsy shop posts! If you have any questions you would like answered, leave them in the comments and I will do my very best to answer them.
Making Business Decisions
After much discussion with DH and crunching the numbers, we made some business decisions this week.
Etsy has turned into my bread and butter. I am trying to maintain 300 listings in my store, and it has been a struggle some days. I really enjoy it and am having lots of fun selling my vintage items which some days sell as fast as I can list them. I want to concentrate on Old Vintage Goodies as my number 1 priority shop.
My Etsy craft supplies store has been slow but steady. I have a ton of books, magazines, kits, and odds and ends supplies. I am going to concentrate on CraftnSupplies as my number 2 priority shop.
I have a few things that I am going to list on Bonanza. I would like to get that going as it is free for my items to sit until the right person finds them. This is going to be my number 3 priority shop.
I have closed my eBay store. It was too much: too much to list there when OVG has been so busy, and too expensive to list my items to have them sit for months and months. Some of the items I am moving into OVG, and the rest will go on Bonanza. I will reserve eBay for the best of the best that I know I can turn a quick and BIG profit on (like copper cookie cutters!), and to also, possibly, use the free auctions to list the items that haven’t sold as a last ditch effort before they go back to the thrift store.
I really feel that eBay just isn’t my playground. It’s not where my concentration should be. AND this wasn’t a flippant, spur of the moment decision. I am spread too thin and something has got to give, time wise AND money wise. The numbers speak for themselves- sell through rate, listing fees, and final value fees. eBay doesn’t come close to matching Etsy in those areas. Not to mention the stress that is reduced knowing that I do not have anything listed on eBay……
And there you have it!
I am getting my November Wrap Up post ready to go, so stay tuned!
BOLO Old River Road Solid Copper Extra Large Cookie Cutters
Be On The Look Out For: Old River Road Solid Copper Extra Large Cookie Cutters. The ones with the solid copper backs and handle that they used to make, not the cheap outline cookie cutters they make now.
I came across a sleigh and reindeer set this summer at a garage sale. I bought them for a couple of bucks. I came home, listed them, and sold them in about an hour for $45. I didn’t know what I had then, as that same pair of cookie cutters has been selling for $90-$129 this holiday season.
DH and I went to an estate sale a couple of weekends ago. On top of the TV console were two Old River Road copper cookie cutters. They were an evergreen tree and a wreath. They still had their tags. They wanted $8 a piece for them. At first, DH gave me that “Really?! You want to spend THAT on THESE?!” until I reminded him of my earlier quick sale of the reindeer and sleigh.
Here they are:
Came home, took pictures, and was all ready to list them at $50. Decided to check completeds on the Bay just to make sure that I wasn’t pricing them too high. I almost fell off my chair when I saw the prices these have been commanding since October. Individually they were selling for $50-$90, and no one had sold a pair like I wanted to.
I settled on $200 OBO. I received an offer in less than an hour of $150. I was dying to take it, but decided to hold off until the next morning, and I couldn’t accept the offer then anyway..so…… Less than two hours later, they sold for full asking price!
I have done some more looking around and pretty much all of the Old River Road Extra Large Solid Backed Copper Cookie Cutters go for decent money. Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas, they all seem to do really well!
So keep your eyes peeled for these when you are out thrifting!
October Wrap Up
OK. OK. I know it is more than halfway through November and here I am wrapping up October. After my last post of sappy, teary-eyed whining and feeling like an eBay loser, I wanted to post my actual successes!
October was an awesome month for me on Etsy! Here are the numbers:
Old Vintage Goodies:
6,566 Views
55 Orders
Total Sales: $701.83
Craft’n'Supplies:
511 Views
5 Orders
Total Sales: $38.50
eBay:
966 Views
8 Orders
Total Sales: $227.48
I ended up actually selling a few things on eBay as well. I took advantage of one of their free auction promos and sold half of those items through that.
And on to November:
Etsy (vintage shop) is moving right along this month as well. Slightly off pace with last month, but the end of November is looming! Weekends are my busiest times.
My sales in my Craft’n'Supplies store have stalled out this month so far. I am considering moving my craft shop to Bonanza to save on the listing fees. If I do, it will be a slow move as things expire in that shop.
I reopened my Bonanza shop again. I am going to give it a solid try and am committing to my shop there until 2013. I really think that as folks are shut out on eBay, this could be the next big venue.
And eBay……
My shop was a victim of the great listings “disappearing-reappearing-did they really reappear-store listings bouncing around like a ping pong ball” debacle of earlier this month. While putting my shop on vacation has fixed my store numbers bouncing around, I think it is more of a smoke in mirrors effect and nothing is really fixed. My sales have tanked this month. (OK, is tanking really possible from 8 sales the previous month?)
My views are basically nonexistent and nothing I am trying is working.
I have lots of things not going for me on eBay:
1. I am a fairly new seller.
2. I have sold a low volume of items.
3. I am not a Powerseller.
4. I am not a Top Rated Seller.
5. I have a basic store.
6. I sell collectibles and used items.
I have been perusing eBay search for my items to find that 95% of them are buried so far in the back pages, it isn’t even funny. The only way I have found to locate my items is to search for the EXACT TITLE of the item- word for word.
I am perpetually invisible. And I am paying for this privilege.
DH and I have been discussing it as my Etsy shop is keeping everything afloat and it really is getting ridiculous. I don’t have as much invested in eBay as some folks and I am not selling to pay the mortgage, just to help us get out of debt faster and maybe have a little fun money occasionally. My future is up in the air again there. A lot of my decision will be based on how next weekend goes. I am still holding out hope that next weekend will turn everything around.
I’ll let you know.
What about you? How has the online selling been going?
WTH Am I Doing Wrong?!?!?
I hope this post is taken as it is intended. I am a new business owner who is struggling to get my business off the ground. I want to be open and honest about the struggles, both mental and financial that a new business owner faces. I also want it to be ENCOURAGING, so please keep reading to the end!
This post is about my mental struggle with online selling on eBay and what I am going to focus on as I have reached an incredibly difficult patch.
Online sales are like riding a roller coaster. One minute you are experiencing incredible euphoria and the next you are trying not to throw up.
I’m discouraged. I don’t like spending money with no return. It sucks!
In my last post I told you about my eBay flakiness. I decided to change all that last month, reopen my store, list-list-list, and keep my eyes on filling my store and not on sales. BUT, in the back of my head I thought that list-list-list would mean sell-sell-sell. However, it hasn’t.
My eyes have wandered………….and I’m trying not to throw up as I pay my eBay fees that have far exceeded the income from my THREE sales so far this month. Yes, you read that right. THREE. Three sales to go with my three sales last month. I kid you not. SIX total in two months.
Thank goodness for my Etsy shop which is keeping everything afloat and I haven’t had to put any personal money into my account to cover fees yet. If this continues, I will have to do that next month.
It can be hard as a newbie. I feel deflated. I wonder if it is because I am trying to sell crap nobody wants. Is it that I suck at this and should just give up? I beat myself up by looking at other successful stores wondering WTH am I doing wrong. How come so-and-so just sold their Item X for a bazillion dollars while my Item X sits in the garage collecting dust? I compare. I contrast.
One of the things that I have to remember as a newbie is not to WALLOW in those negative thoughts and feelings.
I admit it- I like to wallow. If I let it, wallowing turns to a major pity-party and I have a tendency to quit.
My brain is screaming at me right now to pack it up on eBay.
HOWEVER-
I am going to keep going. I am going to grab my barf bag and spend a moment with it as I pay my fees. I am going to get back to work…putting one foot in front of the other. Putting up one listing after another.
I KNOW that the law of averages is in play. Eventually I will have enough items listed that I will do the following:
1. Move up in the search rankings.
2. Have increased traffic to my store.
3. I will make more sales.
4. More sales=more cash flow=YA!
Turning those deflated, “I am doing something wrong” feelings around can be hard. I don’t always get it right. I have written on a Post-It note on my computer screen that I need to change my focus. It’s not necessarily what I am doing wrong, it’s what I need to tweak to make my store and listings better. Turn those negatives into positives. These are some of my tips that help me not wallow too long.
1. Determine WHAT your goals are. If you need to make X amount of money a month. If you want to hire a housekeeper or go out to eat 5 days a week. Maybe you want to pay for a vacation. Food, electricity, new blankets, new appliance, car repair, dental work, medical bills, face lift, honeymoon, new car, maybe you just want to make money so you can give it all away. WRITE IT DOWN!!!!!! It is so much help to look at my list and refocus. “Oh ya. That’s why I am doing this.”
2. When I go and look at someone’s store who is selling like there is no tomorrow, I make a conscious effort to look at their store as a wealth of information that can get me to my goal instead of saying “WTH am I doing wrong?!”. Do they use a listing service? Do they take awesome pics? How do they price?
3. What tools can I afford to use? Sometimes the question needs to be, what tools can I NOT be without? I cancelled my Terapeak subscription, but am seriously thinking of getting it again even though it would be an out-of-pocket expense for awhile.
4. What can I do to market my store?
5. What questions can I ask experienced sellers?
6. What would their answers be to the above questions?
7. AND if the going gets really tough, ask for a pep talk. There is just something inspiring about having someone say, “Hey! Sorry you are on the downhill slide right now. Just keep looking up and keep going!” OR “I’ll look into what you are doing and see if I see anything majorly wrong and we’ll see if there is anything that can be improved.”
eBay Underground has been a great resource for me as well as other seller’s blogs. Check them out if you haven’t already.
Business is tough, no matter what kind of business you venture into. BUT, you ventured into it. You didn’t just talk about it or wish upon a star. You got off your butt and did it! YA YOU!
Now I have to go and get back to work.
Feel free to share any tips or inspiration in the comments!
I’m an eBay Flake and Sales Since September 18
eBay News:
I admit it.
I am an eBay flake.
I open and close my store and bounce my listings on and off like eBay’s a trampoline.
I’m done with doing that as I focus on my goals.
I reopened my store, put my listings back up, and am going to ride the eBay ride as far as it will go. End of story. Done.
What really changed my mind is the fact that it is a good selling venue. There is money to be made there, as well as on other sites. I need to maximize all possible options, while dealing with the downside of each.
The consequences of my eBay flakiness have been noticeable. I have a Paypal hold that they won’t lift. I have been struggling to gain any kind of momentum traffic wise. I am JUST now getting some traffic, which has been nice, but now that traffic needs to turn into some SALES!
My goal for October is to have 150 items in my store. Or more!
Bonanza News:
**crickets**
That sums it up.
Etsy News:
Things are going well. I have been making sales and listing, listing, listing. My shop is up to 230 items and I hope to make it to 300 items by the end of the month.
My CraftnSupplies store continues to be slow, but I am making 1-2 sales a week there. I have 130 items in that store and hope to be up to 200 items by the end of the month.
Sales:
Halloween Place Cards: Purchased $0.20, Sold $5.00
Hallmark Scented Stationery Set: Purchased $0.20, Sold $6.00
Anchor Hocking Fire King Cookbook: Purchased $0.25, Sold $25.00
Beloved Belindy Book: Purchased$10.00, Sold $45.00 (This was a hunch! I had a TOUGH time paying $10 for it! But I am glad I did!)
Cocktail Book: Purchased $1.00, Sold $9.99
Animal Stationery Set: Purchased $0.20, Sold $5.00
Quilt Book: Purchased $0.21, Sold $8.00
Starbucks Mug: Purchased $0.50, Sold $19.99 (eBay sale)
Fenton Trinket Box: Purchased $5.00, Sold $25.00 (Sale still pending.)
Painting Book: Purchased $1.00, Sold $8.00
Mickey Mouse Little Golden Books: Purchased $1.00, Sold $15.00
Sunshine and Rainbow Platter: Purchased $2.00, Sold $20.00
Christmas Book: Purchased $3.00, Sold $9.00
Christmas Bouquet Foil Print: Purchased $0.20, Sold $6.00
Set of 3 Vintage Christmas Cards: Purchased $0.20, Sold $6.00
Lots of little sales! I notice that people are starting to buy the Christmas cards and are definitely looking and bookmarking their favorites. I have paid for the HUGE lot I purchased and am into the profit zone on all those sales. YA!
Hope you are doing well!
Catching Up
We have had a lot of family turmoil lately. We had a death in the family, I had a medical scare (I’m fine-tests all good!), we started back to school, and back to all the fall scheduled activity. It has been crazy, but things are finally settling down and getting back to normal.
I have been listing like crazy. I have made goal of having 200 items in my Etsy shop Old Vintage Goodies. I made my goal of having 100 items in my Etsy shop CraftnSupplies. I opened my eBay store again………and closed it again three weeks later (which would have been this week). So I moved all my eBay listings to Bonanza.
eBay and I just can’t seem to get along. I love to sell glass, pottery, ceramics, all the HEAVY items. All the items people think they should get for great prices AND FREE shipping. I got dinged twice in a two week period for shipping and handling charges even though I use calculated shipping and don’t add anything on for handling. GRRRRRRR. I also low ball the shipping weight. So frustrating! So I’m done there as far as a store goes. I’ll do my free auctions and park the rest on Bonanza.
Etsy has been great! I am on track to have my best month ever! Lots of sales there, though it is hit and miss like everywhere else.
Here is a recap of what I have sold since the beginning of September (from all shops, including my eBay store which was still open for a bit):
Paper Mache Trays Purchased $0.75, Sold $15.00
Brass Fish Pipe Holder Purchased $6.00, Sold $30.00
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Book Purchased $0.50, Sold $10.00
Quilter’s Magazine Purchased $0.21, Sold $4.00
Applique Book Purchased $0.21, Sold $12.00
Star Trek Pin Purchased $0.50, Sold $4.00
You Can Spell Book Purchased $0.25, Sold $8.00
Texas Instruments Calculator Purchased $0.25, Sold $15.00
Rogers Bros Flatware Set Purchased $2.50, Sold $175.00
Set 4 Vintage Christmas Cards Purchased $0.20, Sold $10.00
Starbucks Mug Purchased $1.00, Sold $19.99
Christmas Napkins Purchased $2.00, Sold $24.99
Brass Candle Holders Purchased $5.00, Sold $25.00
Lot of 7 Cross Stitch Magazines Purchased $0.00. Sold $10.00
Large Wooden Textile Spools Purchased $1.00, Sold $10.00
Our Holidays Book Purchased $0.20, Sold $8.00
Transfer Pattern for Smocked Pillows Purchased $0.10, Sold $10.00
Chalkboard Purchased $0.50, Sold $10.00
Yarn Ball Maker Purchased $1.00, Sold $8.00
That’s it so far. A profit after shipping and fees of $366.34 so far this month.
Yard sale season is winding down here. We are now turning our attention to estate sales and thrift stores! I’m looking forward to getting back into sharing my finds.
I will share these! These are foil print Christmas cards I picked up this weekend in a HUGE lot of vintage cards:
I love finding stuff like this!
I hope that everyone has a great week and I look forward to being around more often now!
Fallen Off the Face of the Earth
I haven’t…really! It has just been an insane month so far with lots of emotional family issues that have needed to be dealt with.
I’m still selling, putting lots of new stuff up as I can. Check out my shops.
I reopened my eBay store. More on that later.
I’ll be back to posting, hopefully soon.
Hope everyone is doing well and that the fall sales are really picking up for you!
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