DeAnn began selling on eBay at the advice of friends. She had adopted a child that has medical issues and that made it hard to hold down a full-time job. She always has enjoyed thrifting and this was a natural fit for her. Interesting Notes With the prompting of her friends, DeAnn went to the Goodwill Outlet - otherwise known as “The Bins”. She put on a pair of gloves and jump in with the regulars. She filled her cart with stuff that only cost her $12. She sold the stuff on eBay for over $30. That got her hooked. "The Bins" are things that did not sell at the other Goodwill stores. “The Bins” in their area is set up with a big donation drive-thru that weighs 5 pounds. She also gets estate sales items from "the bins". You can put a lot of "the bins" stuff in your cart and it goes by weights. The more you purchase, the more price of your cart goes down. She is now a regular at "the bins" and everyone knows her by name. She made friends with the other regulars too. She would sometimes pack a lunch for them. The regular at "the bins" want the newer things because a lot of them are set up at the flea markets. But DeAnn wants the older things that would sell in other places. For example, the mid-century modern nightgowns. The regulars would pass those by but she would grab those gowns. So when at "the bins", she would look for whatever she thinks would sell. But she is more inclined to look for the Vanity Fair items, those that are made in the USA, or those that have the Union tags. She also learned that Christmas items sell all-year round. So she also looks for them first. Tuesday is her "The Bins" day. She goes first thing in the morning. People would start to peak at around 10 in the morning. She would hear people screaming that a new roll would come out. But she would walk away if "The Bins" are not worth seeing. She thrifts her boxes. The Tuesday Morning stores give her their boxes and bubble wraps. 70% of her eBay items come from "The Bins". The rest is from estate sales. Her items are either priced with specified shipping cost or Best Offer. DeAnn priced her items based on her research. Between the time of "the bins" coming out, she would pick up something and does her research. She would also watch videos while taking pictures. At night, she would look at the Pinterest to see what other people are pinning or what is popular. She was able to sell greeting cards for $30 and that surprised her. It will never cease to amaze her that someone is willing to pay such amount for a greeting card. The weirdest thing she ever bought from "the bins" are Vintage Panties. It almost did not cost her anything to buy those panties. She put it for bidding and sold it for $63. DeAnn does everything by herself. She makes sure that anything that is sold overnight is packed and ready to go. She would drop her stuff at the post office and then hit "The Bins". Her husband sometimes does the shipping for her. Shipping is her biggest failure. She made mistakes before by not throwing the box on the scale with the item on the moment that she hit list or was taking the picture. Today, she does international shipping. When she first started selling on eBay, she took advantage of the 50 free listing for two months. Then she went to the first level store. Then she took eBay's offer of a 50% price discount to go up another store level for four months. Today, she can afford to pay her subscription. Doing eBay on her own is working for DeAnn. She does not ever feel overwhelmed. So for as long as she can manage to do eBay on her own, she will do it. Advice, Tips, and Tricks You have to keep a schedule; know it and stick to it. She dedicates two days to take pictures. She sets these days in her schedule. Whatever is going on, she makes sure that she lists one or two items a day. She takes pictures using her phone. She would edit pictures while watching TV at night. You have to know what works. You should not be afraid to change if something happens. To know the right price for shipping, she uses eBay autofill. She would put in the dimensions of the box and the weight of the item then eBay calculates the shipping. In preparation for the Q4, she makes sure that holiday items are listed. She has scheduled to pick up more Halloween items and work on its listings. It is possible for anyone to do eBay. You have to be motivated and keep yourself centered. Know what you can do and do it. Quotes "You just jump in and do it!" "Know what you can do and do it." "Get the shipping right. Shipping can make or break you." "The minute you walk in and turn on the lights, it costs you $500 to open your business every day." Contact Information eBay Store: Faithfully Upcycled Facebook: Faithfully Upcycled Twitter: Faithfully Upcycled Sponsors Solutions4Ecommerce 3DSELLERS eCom Chicago Norila Digital Marketing
DeAnn began selling on eBay at the advice of friends. She had adopted a child that has medical issues and that made it hard to hold down a full-time job. She always has enjoyed thrifting and this was a natural fit for her.
Interesting NotesQuotes