My First Picture with the New Working Capital

I know, it's not a very exciting one.  And I can't believe my pedicure has lasted this long!

We ended up buying the camera at Target.  I went for the Kodak Easy Share M530 - mostly because it was cheap (let's face it folks, I'm not rich YET), but also because it allows for easy uploading of the picture from the camera to a hosting site.  We'll see.

Holy Hell, I Started a Business!

This week as I was obsessively watching over my watched pot (and you know what they say about those), it really dawned on me: holy cow, I've started a business!

Granted, it's a small business.  A tiny business, really.  But it's a business.  I have a brand (Not Your Mama's eBay), I have inventory, I have working capital (I'll have more working capital after I buy that new camera!), I have processes and I have customers.  I also have a part-time employee (your truly) who's in charge of Finance, Operations, Marketing, Logistics and Strategy.

Sometimes when I'm not compulsively checking my eBay, twitter, Facebook or blog stats, I think: why am I doing this?  This is stupid.  Why am I investing so much time, energy and emotional commitment into this pseudo-business that really only makes me peanuts (which reminds me, I have to update my sales stats!).  Then I remember the answer - the thrill I get from having created something that I own and control.  The adrenaline rush from having one of my items sell, and from connecting to people all over the world who chose ME - out of all the other, vastly superior options on eBay - to spend their money on.  It's strangely flattering, unbelievable humbling and incredibly exciting all at once.  I highly recommend it.

Now I'm off to invest in my business.  Watch this space for the first pictures with my brand new camera!

Unpaid Item

Remember that cute Banana Republic sundress that did so well in an auction recently?  Well, I've yet to hear from the buyer or receive my payment, even though I've emailed them three times (nicely) and have said it's ok if they want to mutually cancel the transaction (which won't leave a mark on their record).

At this point, I think I will have to file an Unpaid Item Dispute, but don't want to because I have heard of buyers who after losing such a dispute leave the seller negative feedback.  And we all know how I react to negative feedback!  On the other hand, I can't relist or sell the dress because I'm legally obligated to sell it to the person that won it, and if they do reappear down the road they'd have a legitimate claim to it.

Oy.  Wish me luck.  I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this in the near future.

Battle of the Items - Manolo Blahnik versus Shabby Chic

VERSUS

Who will be the winner??

3 Things eBay Sellers Do that Make Me NOT Want to Buy Their Items

Granted, I am still a novice at this eBay selling thing, but as I've gotten more and more involved in the world of eBay - navigating through the seller boards, networking with other sellers, researching other people's listings, etc... - I've picked up on a few habits I plan to stay CLEAR of in my own trade.

If you're a buyer on eBay, be on the lookout for some of these to make sure you get the highest quality experience.

3 eBay Seller Don'ts in "Not Your Mama's" Book

1) Don't overcharge for shipping.  I'm not an idiot.  It does NOT cost $15 to ship a 2 lb item from New York to Chicago Parcel Post.  Just so you guys know, when an item is under 13 oz, sellers have an option of sending the item First Class mail.  This can cost as little as $2.50.  Now, Priority Mail items under 1 lb usually cost around $6 or thereabouts, depending on how far the item is going, and items under 2 lbs usually go for about $8 or $9.  Now, some sellers will tell you they also paid for shipping materials, but in my mind that is an overhead cost just like eBay seller fees or Paypal fees and there is no reason to pass that cost on to the customer.  Just my 2 cents.

2) Don't make the buyer work.  I listed an item on my Facebook page that is a perfect example of this.  The seller had posted the picture of the item sideways.  SIDEways.  Could that seller not have taken 2 more seconds to put the picture right side up so the buyer wouldn't have to work to figure out what the flipping item looked like?  That listing ended for $11, with only 3 bids.  I mean really, would you click on this if it showed up in search results?: http://cgi.ebay.com/Banana-Republic-Dress-Jade-Color-Size-10-/250617840938?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_CSA_WC_Dresses&hash=item3a59fcc52a#ht_500wt_975

There is a corollary to this mistake, and that is: 2a) Answer the Buyer's Flipping Question!  It's happened more than once that I contact a seller to ask a question about an item and get absolutely NO response.  Whenever a buyer contacts me about one of my items, I am ECSTATIC someone is showing interest.  I use this interaction as an opportunity to impress the buyer, in the hope it will pursuade them to BUY BUY BUY.  So please, don't treat me like you're doing me a favor by selling me your stuff.

3) Don't be so defensive!  Trading on eBay is not without its risks.  eBay protects buyers by establishing some rules that can put sellers in a vulneable position.  Sellers try to protect themselves from this by putting all sorts of exclusions, restrictions and rules in their listings.  Seriously, I've seen some listings that would give the Soup Nazi a run for his money. 

Here's a good one I found while browsing:

• You MUST send payment within 3 days.
• NO International shipping.
• Your bid is a BINDING contract.  MUST send payment within 3 days. (Twice, in case you failed to notice the first time)
• NO RETURNS.  Your bid constitutes your acknowledgement to having read the listing and agreeing with the conditions.
• You MUST ask all questions before bidding. 
• NO returns.

Now, I know there are some unscrupulous buyers out there, but letting your business revolve around the exception rather than the rule is akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.  Looking at this listing from a buyer's perspective was such a BIG turnoff despite the obvious quality of the item, I decided to go with a slightly more inviting seller.

Thanks for listening to my rant - I needed that.

To My Friend Who Wants the Scarf...

... you know who you are. :)  It's been listed now.  I replaced the link below the picture to the right.

Happy bidding!  I hope you win it for cheap.  Ok, not really, I hope you have to fight six other people tooth and nail to get it, but I also hope you have fun fighting!  That being said, if you want to use the Buy It Now I won't be too upset with you.

The Secret Lives of Buyers

So, I was telling a couple of my colleagues at work today that there is SO MUCH stuff that happens behind the scenes at the eBay store that I would LOVE to share in the blog, but can't for fear of offending my customers.  Kooky things.  Really and truly kooky things.  But also cool things.

Part of the reason I started this blog was after having traded on eBay a couple of times, I often ended a transaction wondering who the buyer was and why they wanted my item.  What they saw in it, whether they planned to wear it to a particular event, whether they were going to resell it, that sort of thing.  Transactions on eBay can be so ... ROBOTIC.  Silent, almost.  I don't do that.  I don't like that.  I break the silence, all the time.  Sometimes buyers like it, and sometimes they don't.

For example, whenever a buyer pays I let them know I received their payment and give them an estimate for when their item will ship.  Then I track their item to make sure it arrived, and once it shows up as having arrived I contact them again to make sure it was what they were expecting.  I don't do it to get them to leave feedback, it's just a way of handling anxiety but mostly a way to get a peek into my item's new home.

I'll give you an example.  I hope the buyer doesn't mind my sharing this with you.  I recently sold a very pretty article of clothing from a pseudo-designer mall brand that tends to be very expensive.  The garment was unique, partly because of the item itself but mostly because it was a couple of years old and no longer available.  When I contacted the buyer to check whether the item had arrived intact and whether they were pleased with their purchase, they told me they had actually wanted to buy that item when it first came out a few years ago but couldn't afford it then, so they couldn't believe their eyes when there it was listed on eBay!

That's the sort of stuff that makes my day!

Here's what I'm secretly hoping.  I'm secretly hoping one of my buyers will read my blog and leave me a comment!  I've always wanted to create a closer connection between the store-world and the blog world, but I haven't quite figured out how yet.  So, if you're one of my buyers and you're reading this, would you mind dropping me a "hi"?

Finding Unexpected Treasures

In addition to my shopping trip on Saturday, I also went down to Charlottesville to see my brother Sunday.  I wasn't expecting to do any eBay shopping, but coincidentally as we were walking to lunch we happened to find a small outdoor market where vendors were selling scarves, jewelry, hats and some other random items.

Two of the nicest, most unique things I picked up this weekend are not Manolo Blahnik or BCBG.  I purchased the two items you see below at said outdoor market for a pretty modest price.  If I had been shopping for myself, I personally would have paid twice what I did.  The dress is 100% cotton and the scarf is softer than any cashmere I've ever owned.

I'm putting both of them up for auction tonight with a starting price of $.99.  I bet you anything they do better than the Banana Republic shirt I have for sale.  Any of you care to make a wager??

My Major Shopping Spree

I can't remember the last time I went on a shopping spree like the one I went on yesterday.

I've realized that part of what I love about selling on eBay is the satisfaction I get when people get into bidding wars over an article of clothing I hand selected. I've probably mentioned this before, but one of the "values" of my little enterprise is that I don't sell anything I wouldn't buy for myself if I could afford it and/or fit into it. Same goes for the men's and children's clothes I sell - if I wouldn't buy it for my husband or my son I won't try to sell it to someone else, simple as that.

Anyhow, since I was running low on inventory and since it seems there is a group of women out there who happen to like my taste, I decided to get serious about this selling on eBay thing. I got a hint about how I could get some designer clothing and shoes at wholesaler prices and went ahead and took the plunge.

Here's what I got:
One pair of white BCBG skinny pants in a size 2
One pair of Banana Republic checkered dress pants in a size 10
One ruffled orange sleeveless top, also Banana, size 4
A capped sleeve silk violet top, Banana again (M)
An ivory bracelet
A pair of beaded satin Badgley Mischka dress sandals, size 7.5
A pair of strappy Manolo Blahnik gold sandals, size 7
A pair of Stella McCartney ankle wrap sandals, size 7.5 (which I'm actually thinking of keeping)

The awesome thing is I got such great deals, I can actually list this stuff at really attractive prices! E.g., I found one of the sandals on Zappos for about 30 USD more than I am asking for them!

The experience was more than liberating. No trying things on, no worrying about whether I would dare wear some of the more cutting edge pieces, and NO buyer's remorse! A shopper's paradise.

I'll post some photos a little later. I'm blogging from the road again today, so I apologze if the post looks funny. Wish me luck with all my new stuff!

Behind the Scenes on Listing Day

The Calm Before the Storm

It's Saturday!  That means that between today and tomorrow I'll be listing most of the items I'll be working on promoting throughout the week.

This week I've got mostly women's items with a couple of left over items from my raid of my brother's closet.  About two thirds of the items will be listed for the first time, and a couple are things that didn't sell last week, so I am taking new pictures and listing them again.

Here's the interesting thing I've discovered, particularly about skirts and dresses.  Pictures of hanging stuff for some bizarre reason do much worse than pictures of stuff that's been laid out on this one particular spot on my carpet.  Take a look:

Same skirt, totally different look.  Now, the picture on the right is still not perfect.  After all, I take all of these with my Blackberry! (I know, my next business investment will be a real camera)  BUT there is something about the lighting and the contrast of the skirt with the carpet that makes it look more appealing than the picture on the left.  In fact, I had the this skirt listed and used the picture on the left as the gallery picture, and it got very little attention.  Now I'm going to relist using the picture on the right and we'll be able to test my theory.

After taking each item's picture, I'm going to upload them to Photobucket and begin working on the item descriptions.  It's too early to list these items, of course, but I'm going to set a scheduled start time for tonight at 9 PM and tomorrow night at 9 PM.  That's going to cost me 10 cents an item, but with my son underfoot I may not have time tonight or tomorrow night to dedicate to this.  I also have to spend a little time researching completed items on eBay, trying to see what Buy It Now price to set (if any), and setting my own expectations for the final sale price.

In this lot, I don't believe there is anything that will start any major bidding wards.  Perhaps the two items below, but we shall see.  What I've realized about eBay is that:

1) It's very seasonal - the "it" items for the season always do best
2) It's a place where people go to get unique items they can't get anywhere else

Wish we luck for the week, guys!

Re-evaluating My eBay Progress

When I first started this blog, I shared my desire to test out the stories about the small eBayer who with some patience and a lot of persevereance builds an empire starting with a few paper clips.  In fact, a friend of mine sent me an article the other day about the IRS agent fined for failing to report over $40,000 of eBay income.

I'm not even close to making $40,000, but since I began this blog a little over a month ago, I've actually reached a few milestones I feel particularly proud of.

1) I've gone from fewer than 30 stars to 42 as of the writing of this blog.
2) I've managed to maintain a 100% positive rating among my buyers, despite some setbacks
3) I've had close to $800 in sales since January 30
4) I launched into the world of blogging and have managed to get about 20 or so visitors a day from places as far away as Thailand, Russia and Saudi Arabia

I've still got a long way to go, of course, but I was feeling a little sentimental and the mood struck me to pat myself on the back.  The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, so I will happily keep chewing away until I've got this whole elephant under my belt - and of course, I'll continue to keep you informed of every bite that I take!

The 4 Reasons Your Item Isn't Attracting Attention

You guys might remember one of my first posts was about a pre-owned infant winter vest I was hoping to sell.  That item did not sell, and before relisting it I came to you to ask for advice about what might possibly be the problem.  On that occasion it was fairly apparent to me why the item wasn't selling.  After all, eBay is extremely seasonal and at the end of winter people are just not looking to invest in warm clothes - especially for kids.

I'd like to run the same exercise with another item, except this time I have NO IDEA why this item is not attracting the attention I think it deserves.  As a reminder, there are four general reasons why certain items don't sell.

1) The item is undesirable (i.e.people aren't looking for this item)
2) Your item seems undesirable (i.e. people are in the market for your type of item, but something about your item makes it seem unappealing)
3) People can't find your item (i.e., there are people in the market for your item but something about the way you've listed it prevents them from finding it)
4) You got greedy (i.e. price + shipping is too high)

So here's the situation.  I'm selling the Ferragamo loafers you see pictured right.  I've got the item listed as a Buy It Now with Best Offer for $69.99.  I'm offering free shipping.

Title: Salvatore Ferragamo Spring Flats Driving Shoes sz 6
Impressions (i.e., number of times the item has appeared in search results): 500 - 750
Page Views: 21
Watchers: 1

To see the full listing, click here.

Here's my analysis of the situation.  First, the number of impressions seems low.  My really popular items have had THOUSANDS of impressions, this one has one 750 at most.  Second, the click through rate is ALSO low.  That means that the few people who are looking for a similar item aren't click on MY item when it comes up in search results.  Third, my watchers to viewers is again low.  The maxi dress I shared with you has 110 views and 9 watchers - i.e., 8% of people who click through to the item end up watching it.  That figure is 4% for this particular item

Now I know this item is desirable.  It's the right color, they're in great shape and they're Ferragamos for God's sake!  Could the price be too high?  But no, because that wouldn't be causing the low impressions problem.... and it's got Best Offer.  Could the picture be unappealing?  Could it be women are looking for sandals right now and don't want to bother with loafers?  Did I write the title differently from the way people are searching for this?

From a consumers perspective, what do YOU guys think might be wrong??

Auction End and Cash Giveaway Results

I am sad to announce that none of my fabulous readers won the cash giveaway today.  The item sold for $28.  Come back next Monday to participate in another cash giveaway after the weekends' listings!

Investing in the Biz

I took the plunge this weekend.  Up until now, I've taken my eBay earnings and used them to buy my lunch, get my haircut and drink my latte (all the things that don't fit into our budget without the eBaying).  This weekend, I decided to take some of my earnings and reinvest them in my business.  Here's what I bought:

1) A printer.  No longer will I steal ink and paper from my employer.
2) A postal scale.  It's VERY cool.  It tells me how much stuff weighs.
3) Inventory!!  That's right, inventory!

Here's how the inventory thing came about.  I bough the awesome maxi dress you see in the picture on a trip out of town (click here and check out the listing).  When I got home, I realized I'd grabbed the wrong size on my way out of the store.  Since we don't have that same department store where I live, I decided to send the dress back to the big return policy in the sky (eBay).  Well, turns out the damn thing is pretty hard to get, and it's gotten so much attention in the first few days of the listing that I decided to hunt more of them down to sell for a profit!

Ladies and gentlement, I am proud to report I am now the owner of two Angie multi-colored maxi dresses (one S, one L), which I plan on listing for a fixed price next weekend. :)  And, it looks like I got the last two in the DC Metro area. :P

Wish me luck!  Or better yet, stop by the listing and take a look!

Cash Giveaway Update - Two Players Still in the Game!

Lots of stuff going on chez Not Your Mama's eBay!  I had a grand total of THREE bidding wars going on today.  One of them has ended, but two others rage on.  One of the wars is over the yellow Banana Republic dress that is the subject of our little game.  You all still have until tomorrow to leave your guess for the selling price.  I'll give you a hint: the current price is $28.  That means only Kathryn and Schmidty remain in the game!

You guys still have until 3 pm EST tomorrow to take your guess.  Remember, if you guess to the cent what the final selling price is I will give you 15% of the sale price.  At this point the minimum prize is $4.20.  When was the last time someone gave you five bucks for free??

How I Got Started on eBay

I'm going to take a break from posting for a little bit (ha! bet you I post something else before the weekend ends), but I thought this would be a good time to pull up and do a "best of" for new friends.  I've selected these based on feedback from my readers.  Here we go!

Guess the Selling Price and I'll Give you Cash
http://notyourmamasebay.blogspot.com/2010/04/guess-selling-price-and-ill-give-you.html

My Thoughts on Peeping Toms
http://notyourmamasebay.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-thought-on-peeping-toms-otherwise.html

What's With All the eBaying, Man?
http://notyourmamasebay.blogspot.com/2010/03/whats-with-all-ebaying-man.html

Unsold Items and Similar Calamities
http://notyourmamasebay.blogspot.com/2010/03/unsold-items-and-similar-calamities.html

Did I miss one?  What has been your favorite blog entry?

I am 100% Positive...

...once again.  Out, damned spot!  Out, I say!

A little Shakespearean humor there.

Getting Negative Feedback Withdrawn

Success!  The buyer was pleased about his new jeans, and has very nicely agreed to revise his feedback.  He's even agreed to revise from a negative to a positive - much more than I was hoping for.  That just goes to show:

eBay Lesson Number 6:  Every transaction is an opportunity to set yourself apart from other sellers.  Even transactions where you LOSE money add value - they get your name out there and give you a chance to create customer loyalty.

Thanks for your advice and support, everyone.

Letter Asking Buyer to Withdraw Negative Feedback

What do you guys think??  Well written??




"Dear (Buyer),


By now you will have received the jeans I sent, and if not, you will receive them soon. I felt it was my moral obligation to replace your item, even though you didn't accept my offer originally.


I know that other sellers use the "lost item" card to get out of unfavorable sales. Let me assure you I am not one of those sellers, and ask you to please review our correspondence. Never did I refuse to send you the item, but rather offered a replacement item of equal or greater value for free because I felt it would be unethical to replace the item without giving you a choice.


Given that I made a good faith effort to fulfill our sale agreement despite circumstances beyond my control, could I ask you to consider withdrawing the negative feedback you left? Alternatively, if you don't feel I have done enough to rectify the situation, please let me know if there's anything else I can do to make it better.


I hope you enjoy the jeans, and I apologize again for the inconvenience."

If you stop by, don't forget to play our game!

Come on guys, it's free money!  Leave me your comments with the final selling price of the item.

My Strategy is Starting to Pay Off!

As you all know, I tend to list lighter items for 99 cents and free shipping.  That means sometimes I misjudge how well an item will do, and I end up taking a loss.  And that's ok with me.  On average, I still make a profit, but more importantly, I make an effort to ensure EVERYONE who buys from me has a fantastic experience so they will want to buy from me again.  That way, I'm building a good base of potential returning customers.  In theory.

Well, a couple of days ago I noticed my theory is starting to pay off.  I'm beginning to get repeat buyers.  A couple of months ago, I sold a gorgeous evening gown to a lady in Oregon.  It was one of my first sales, and if I made any money on it at all it was no more than $5 - and this was one beautiful gown.  Then, a couple of days ago, she purchased another gown from me - this time at a higher price, without the free shipping.

When I contacted her to thank her for being a repeat customer, she said she had looked at my other items and had noticed I always sell very beautiful gowns.  It made my day.  I'm already starting to build a reputation, starting to become known for certain things.  Beautiful stuff and fast shipping.  :)

Guess the Selling Price and I'll Give you Cash

Let's play a game.  Have you guys ever played the game where you try to guess the number of jelly beans in the jar? This game is very similar. The first person to guess the final selling price of this dress to the cent will get 15% of the final selling price once the buyer has paid.

You ready to play?  Here we go.  I've listed the yellow Banana Republic sundress you see on the right.  It was posted Wednesday as a 7 day listing starting at 99 cents with free shiping.  It does not have a Buy It Now price.

I have posted a counter on the listing that shows you the number of watchers.  You should be able to see the number of visits the item has received from eBay's standard counter.  The listing has received 3 bids so far, as of the writing of this entry.

Now here are the rules.

1) Enter by Commenting.  In order to send me your guess, you have to post a comment on this blog entry with your best guess for the final selling price, including dollars and cents. 

2) No Anonymous Entries.  You cannot comment anonymously (otherwise I can't verify you're really the winner!) and need to include your email address in the comment form so I can get back to you if you're the winner.

3) One Entry per Participant.  Sorry, but you can't submit more than one guess.

4) First One to Guess Wins.  If you submit the same guess as someone else, the time stamp on the comment will determine who submitted that guess first.

5) Genuine Bidding Allowed.  You are allowed to place a bid on the time that is equal to your guess.  However, you MUST actually intend to purchase the item if you win it!  After all, if you win and you don't pay I won't have any proceeds to give you the 15% OF.

6) Winnings through Paypal or eBay Only.  If you win, you can claim your winnings one of two ways.  I can either give you cash via Paypal only, OR I can apply the 15% as a credit toward your next purchase from me.  If you pick the second option, you have to send me your eBay username over email so I'll know to award the discount when you bid on one of my items.

7) Game Ends Before Listing.  The game will end at 15:00 Eastern US time on April 21st.  Entries received after that will sadly not be considered.

I think that's it folks!  Let the guessing begin!

I really want to write about how I'm going to deal with my negative feedback...

...but it's 10:45, my son is still awake, I have STILL not done my taxes and I feel like someone clocked me today.

Let's just say my strategy for getting this negative feedback withdrawn involves a brand spanking new pair of jeans and a lot of grovelling.  I want my 100% back and I'm getting that feedback withdrawn and if I have to go to the moon and back to get it done.

My brother said something to me the other day I thought I would mention, because it seems to echo the sentiments of some of my other friends and family.  My brother thinks my eBaying is "entertainment."  I actually like to think of it as my own small business.  I don't have the capital to start a "real" business, but I do have enough inventory to experiment with business strategy on eBay.  My eBay store is my dry run as an entrepreneur, so I take it very seriously.  It's not a hobby or a passtime, and while I certainly do enjoy doing it as I've mentioned in the past, it's not "entertainment."

I've got some cool now items I'm putting up tonight and an awesome game I want to start playing with my readers, but I think we're going to have to hold off until I've sent off my taxes to talk about that!

Negative Feedback

I think I might cry.  I got my first negative feedback today.

Yesterday someone broke into our car and since I was on my way to the Post Office, I had a couple of my items in the back seat.  They were both stolen, so I had to get in touch with the buyers to let them know I didn't have the original items, but offered refunds and asked for a few days to replace the items completely free of charge.

One buyer refused the new item and asked for an immediate refund.  I sent the refund and insisted that I was more than happy to replace his item and send it to him for free, but he said although he appreciated the offer, that was not necessary.  I thought the problem was settled.  Today, he had left negative feedback saying I would not ship the item even though he had won it.

Now, I understand he's upset, but at no point did I say I would no longer be shipping the item.  All I asked for was a couple of days to REPLACE the lost item, in addition to returning his money.

My 100% record is ruined. :(

The Great Sell-Off Continues from the Big Apple

Well, sort the Big Apple.  More like Chatham, New Jersey, but close enough.

My cousin, who is always immaculately dressed and chicly accessorized, is moving in a few months.  As part of her big move, she has started to sort out which of her fabulous clothes she needs, and which she doesn't.  I should also mention she is infinitely more meticulous than me, and therefore owns garments from the 1990s that look like they might be a few days old.  Two of the items she's asked for my help with (these are not from the 1990s!) are two pairs of Salvatore Ferragamo loafers, both in fabulous spring colors and immaculate shape.  One of them actually appears to be pretty rare, and could probably got for quite a bit of money.

Here's my dilemma, though.  I'll tell you guys a secret. I'm actually a terrible salesperson. More often than not, I let things go for waaay less than they're worth. However, because what I need from eBay is a regular source of pocket money, I price things to sell rather than being patient and waiting for someone to come along and pay what they're worth.  It's pretty easy to sell stuff like that when it comes from my own personal stores because my margin after fees is always 100%.  With other people's items I have to find a way to make some money AND keep the owner satisfied.  With my cousin, this is what I decided to do:  I asked her up front how much money she was hoping to get for the shoes.  She gave me a figure that, given how good these shoes look and the fact that they're Ferragamos, seemed pretty reasonable to me.  In fact, accorcing to my research the figure she gave me is significantly less than these shoes are worth.  So, we agreed that she would would keep that amount and that I would keep anything over that amount I happened to get for the shoes.

So, in a departure from my 99 cent and free shipping strategy, I've actually listed the two pairs of shoes as Buy It Now with a Best Offer option.  I've set the Buy It Now price at my cousin's price plus a small margin, and plan on accepting the first offer that will allows me to give my cousin her money and keep a couple of days' lunch money for myself.  If this works out, I'll continue the possibility of working as a selling assistant in addition to selling my own stuff.  But first, I have to get good at it!! 

Wish me luck folks, and good night from the New York Metropolitan Area!

Off to New York Tomorrow...

I'm not listing any of my own items this weekend, since we're driving to New York tomorrow to see one of my favorite cousins and we're not coming back until Sunday night.  My cousin mentioned she may have some things she wants to sell - not surprisingly, since she has a ton of nice stuff.  Since I've actually got a little money in my Paypal account, I might actually take advantage of the trip to dip my top in Phase II: Buying Items to Resell for a Profit.  I've still got some of my brother's stuff to sell, but I've decided women's clothing is really where the money if for me.  I know the brands, I have relatively good taste, and for the most part I can tell what will sell.

One thing I've been thinking about yet that I have mentioned before is writing effective item descriptions.  I think I do a crap job.  It's not easy.  On the one hand I try to be completely transparent regarding the items I sell, but on the other I wonder whether I'm not making my items sound less attractive than they really are.  Remember my "why items don't sell" post?  If not, let me refresh your memory.  The post is called "Unsold Items and Similar Calamities" and you can find it here: http://notyourmamasebay.blogspot.com/2010/03/unsold-items-and-similar-calamities.html

A big part of having a successful auction on eBay is making your item sound as appealing as possible without lying or embellishing.  Whereas some seller will lean toward embellishing in their descriptions, I go a little too far in the other direction.  I make item defects figure very prominently in the description, and that probably puts buyers off.  After all, they probably take what I write about my own item with a grain of salt, meaning that when I say "it has a small spot" they probably take it to mean: "there's a pretty visible spot" when in reality I mean "there's a spot that no one will notice unless you know it's there."

On a tangentially related note, I've discovered a couple of other blogs from more experienced sellers that could be GREAT sources, both to me and to you as we bumble through this eBay thing.  I promise to share the links as soon as I can, but right now I have to get some shut-eye, otherwise we'll never make it to the Big Apply.

Good night, everyone.  Thanks again for reading.

Phenomenal Sales Day

I had a great sales day today.  Three of those dresses sold for the Buy It Now price, which put me over the $500.  Can you believe it?

I was thinking today that it's been a while since I've done a tutorial.  Lately all I've really done is talk about my auctions, which is probably pretty boring for all of you.  So, my next entry will be about any eBay topic of your choosing.  Shipping, pricing, marketing, customer service, you name it!  Just leave me a comment or send me a note and I'd be happy to oblige.

What do you all want to hear about?

Non-Paying Buyer Paid, Hurray!

I guess it was just a matter of being patient.  She was very apologetic.  It was a misunderstanding.  Sending her item today if possible. :)  Now to get some more bids on those dresses!!!

Non-paying Buyers and Other Stressful Events

I'll keep it short tonight because my parents are in town and I already got in trouble for sitting in front of the computer for too long.

I have to admit, I'm pretty stressed out about my auctions.  My dresses have tons of watchers but very low bids.  Two of them end on Friday and there hasn't been much movement within the last couple of days.  I'm counting on this money to get me through to my next paycheck and my bonus payment from my other job next Thurs, and if I end up losing money I don't know what I'm going to do.

On the other hand I have a non-paying buyer for the first time.  Someone bought a shirt at the Buy It Now price and just never paid.  I've emailed them twice but have gotten no response, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to file a dispute and relist.

Anyway, sorry this entry is so boring, but I promise to come up with something a lot for exciting for next time.  I'm thinking of introducing a give away with the blog that's linked to the over under poll, so stay tuned!

Damaged Item Update

The buyer still wants it.  She didn't seem too mad.  I gave her a 15% discount, and I'm putting the thing in the mail tomorrow.  I hope she likes it!

How to ship internationally on eBay

I decided right away that I wanted to offer international shipping.  So many sellers here in the U.S. are afraid of selling items to buyers abroad that it felt like a great unexploited market for me to target.  Having been an expat before, I know there are certain brands you can only get in the U.S., and I also know Americans and foreigners alike seek some of these brands out specifically.

The problem with international shipping is that getting an option that offers tracking can be prohibitively expensive, and sending an item First Class Mail International, although inexpensive, doesn't provide delivery confirmation.  However, if you're like me and only sell personal items, you have more to gain from the traffic you'll drive to your items by shipping internationally than you have to lose from... well, losing an item.

For instance, I just sold an item to someone in Moscow.  It's a small personal item - a rain jacket my son wore a few times but no longer fits.  I'm sending the item First Class Mail International for about $6.50 in shipping fees.  However, if for some reason the item should get lost, I have no way of determining where or how it was lost, which means if the buyer says he didn't get it my only option would be to offer him a certificate of mailing proving that the item was in fact sent.  If he's not satisfied with that, I then have to offer him a refund AND I'm out a small rain jacket.  Now, if we were talking about a Cartier watch then that prospect would certainly make me reconsider my international shipping policy, but for a Gap rain jacket I think I'll take my chances.

So, to Russia with love, the item goes. :)  Wish me luck!

Latest Over Under Poll

The item in the poll sold for UNDER $3.  The final price was $1.54.  Unfortunately I had to take a loss on this one.  Fortunately, I had profits on all the other items in this batch, so it's all good.

Obsessed with eBay Auction Watchers

You guys are going to hate me for writing about this again, but I'm obsessed with the people who watch my listings!!  One of the dresses I have up for sale currently has 17 watchers - a personal best for me - but only one bid, and no one has used the ridiculously low Buy It Now price of $24.99.  I mean, this beauty to the right is certainly worth more than that, don't you think?

Anyway, I discovered there is such a thing as a watcher counter and I put it on my most popular auctions so I can see what happens.  I half expect to wake up and find I sold one of those dresses, because if it were me seeing that there are 12 other people out there coveting my item, any one of whom could "Buy It Now" at any second, I'd definitely want to pull the trigger first!!

Incidentally, for those of you who are also sellers, you can find the watcher counter widget at http://www.watchcount.com/widget-info.php.  I'll let you know how my experiment goes if you want to hold off on using it.

Missed the Boat on the 300 Mark

So....  I was doing the math so I could update my earnings at the top of the page and I realized I missed the $300 mark entirely.... I'm actually now $20 from the $400, which is encouraging considering I have six or seven items listed (four of which are dresses).  Three of those items have more than 10 watchers each, which bodes well for my sales.

And speaking of watchers, I've been thinking about doing another watcher experiment.  I'm wondering what would happen if I displayed a counter on my items that told viewers how many watchers my item has.  I'm not even sure such a thing exists, but if it doesn't, I could always do it manually.  My thinking is that for really hot items with a Buy It Now price, knowing there are many other watchers might push people to throw their hat in the ring sooner OR might prompt them to use said Buy It Now price.  On the other hand, for items with very few watchers it might prompt buyers to think they'll be able to get the item for a really favorable price.

For those of you who are eBay buyers out there, what do you think of the idea??

What to Do if an Item is Damaged

ARGH.

I damaged an item.  When buyers open their items from me, I like it to be obvious that I went out of my way to send them a clean item - still smelling of detergent, if possible.  This weekend, I sold a baby doorway jumper, and in preparation for shipping I put the harness in the washer... except I couldn't figure out how to detach it from the plastic rod it goes with, so I put that in the washer too.  I changed the setting to cold water for delicates and hit start.  Unfortunately I didn't count on part of the platic rod rubbing again the rim of the washer, and the friction made a pretty obvious groove on one of the sides. :(

Of course, I'm fully prepared to give the buyer a complete refund, but in my opinion that's not enough.  This person spent a lot of time bidding on this item, probably let other items go in favor of this one, and will in all likelihood be mad.  The doorway jumper still works and the damage is purely cosmetic, but even though I didn't say anything about defects in my listing I DO NOT send my buyers items I know to have blemishes without letting them know.

So what to do?  Well, I'm going to offer the refund, offer to send him the item anyway, and offer to pay for return shipping if he doesn't find it's in acceptable condition.  I'm also going to offer a discount on the next thing he buys from me.  Hopefully that will make up for my stupidity.

So what's the lesson here?  Well, there's one new one as far as I can tell:

eBay Lesson number 5:  Prepare your item for shipping BEFORE you sell it!!!  That way if you accidentally damage it you will have a choice as to listing it and describe the extent of the damage or not sell it at all.

Wish me luck with my buyer.

Thirteen watchers...

I listed one of those dresses today and it already has thirteen watchers and one bid.  Given how popular it seems I wouldn't be surprised if someone used the Buy It Now option this weekend.  I've never had that many watchers before!  Let's see if my theory about the ratio of watchers to bidders holds...

It's  beautiful dress.  I'm kind of sad I'm selling it.  At the same time, it's a size 4, and I'll probably never wear that size again.  C'est la vie.

Updated Earnings and Over Under Poll

I've updated my earnings from a couple of items I sold this week.  One of them sold for the Buy It Now price of $19.99 - yay - and the other went up to $9 after a 10 or so bids.

Also, no one's voted in the Over Under poll this week. :(  The listing ends soon, give it a shot!  Will it sell for over or under $3?  I'll give you a hint.  It's got 2 bids and 8 watchers.

Up to My Eyeballs in Dresses

I guess the universe heard me complaining about my lack of inventory.  My parents are here visiting me and my mom, trying to get into the spirit of the whole eBaying thing, brought me like seven gorgeous evening gowns we had languishing in my old closet at home.  A few of them are pseudo designer, like the Betsey Johnson one I'm showing here.

Now, considering the most exciting place I go these days is the corner grocery store, I think it's safe to assume that I won't be needing an evening gown any time soon.  So now on top of my brother's J Crew stuff, I have these gowns to sell this weekend.  I've already listed four, and I've scheduled a couple for tonight, but I need to get on it and take pictures, upload pictures and write item descriptions if I want to take advantage of peak selling time tomorrow evening.

On a different note, I got feedback from the lady that bought the mystery item.  She loved it and was very happy with her purchase, even though it had a spot on it I only found after she'd bought the item.  Whew.  I guess the discount and offer to take the item back and pay for shipping helped. :)

Yesterday's post was a joke...

...just not a very funny one.  April Fools?

I'm going to continue to torture you with my blog.  And the eBay thing.  Sorry.

My Final Post

Thanks to everyone who's been regularly reading my blog for the last two weeks.  I wanted to share some news with the two of you.

I've decided eBaying and blogging take too much of an emotional toll on me and my family, and once the six items I have listed sell, I will close up shop and go back to focusing on my other hobbies: gardening, spelunking and bird watching.