I'm Officially LEGIT - My First Joint Venture!

I've been keeping secrets from you.  Now that we know each other better, I think I might be ready to share.  My "secret supplier" is actually the clearance rack at a local factory outlet, which is why I am SO excited about what I'm about to tell you.

For the longest time, I've been an admirer of a really trendy but small designer and importer of luxury handbags called Kalah.  They have an INCREDIBLE collection of bags and accesories, all hand made in Nicaragua.  I learned about them because the owner and designer is a friend of mine's sister-in-law, and my friend was always sporting the most envy-inducing bags, including the one you see in the right.

Well, since Kalah is a small but growing brand, and considering I have a small "in" with the owner, I thought I might have an opportunity to sell some of their bags on eBay or Bonanzle (and maybe get a couple for myself at a reduced price - wink wink).  They have all the qualities of an eBay best seller:

1) They're unique.

2) They are reasonably priced.

3) They're one size fits all.

Well, I spoke to Kalah's owner this afternoon and GUESS WHAT???  She's willing to let little old me carry some of her products in my stores!  Up until now, I've managed to procure my items either by selling my own stuff or my friends' stuff, or by reselling at a mark-up things I buy from the clearance racks and outdoor markets, so as you can imagine the profit I can fairly collect is minimal.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - for me, the secret to selling on eBay has been not to get greedy. 

So you can image how thrilled I am to finally get a legit supplier, and for a super high quality product to boot!  Plus, what I love most about this joint venture is that because I am a wholesaler I can offer these bags at a modest mark-up and still boast absolutely fantastic prices on a great, great item.  It's win-win...win!

Wish me luck!!!  I'm sure you'll hear about how this goes!

The Fate of the Lime Green Ferragamos

Some of you emailed and asked how the whole lime green Ferragamo drama had ended.

Well, the shoes sold for $11.50 despite all the kind support from my readers.  I made my peace with it.  You win some, you lose some.  My friend made her peace with it too, and was very generous in letting me keep all the profits (I know, she's a very kind, classy person - also intelligent and beautiful - she's got it all).

The good news is now you can all go tell your friends that Not Your Mama's eBay is the place to find LIKE NEW designer shoes for $11.50.  And free shipping, no less.

I've yet to receive feedback or any other news from the buyer, but I'll be VERY surprised if she's anything but thrilled.

A Bit on Bonanzling

So this blog is called Not Your Mama's eBay, and I plan on continuing to write predominantly about selling on eBay.  But every day I log into Bonanzle I grow more and more intrigued.

Granted, I haven't made a single sale on Bonanzle, nor am I getting a ton of traffic to my "booth".  I am, however, getting a steady stream of visits from my neighbors (the sellers who run the other booths) who stop by with words of encouragement, "tag" my items (a menu option under each item that allows you to rate items as "exceptionally cool," "exceptionally beautiful," etc...), and make pleasant conversation.

What's curious about Bonanzle is that it's more similar to Twitter or blogging than it is to eBay.  It relies in big part of network effects.  You get people (other small sellers) to come to your booth by visiting THEIR booth.  Every booth has a chat functionality, so when people aren't in you literally leave them a message.  And then they return your visit, and leave you a message.  But that's not all.  Other people SEE the message you left and ALSO come visit your booth.  Posting in the communal forums will also get people to your booth.  It's a close knit community, so new faces attract attention.

It's easier, and more work than eBay at the same time.  I suspect that many of the successful sellers there have brought in their own customer base as opposed to picking up customers while there.  At the same time, listing and promoting items is easier and cheaper.

All in all, I think I will continue to list my items both at Bonanzle AND eBay.  After all, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  I'll keep you guys posted on what my neighbors are up to.

I've Been Featured in an AWESOME Blog!!

One of my favorite bloggers and eBayer extraordinaire Tammy, from This Mama Works It, asked me to write a short piece on my eBay selling experiences for her site.  I enthusiatically agreed - not only is Tammy a much more experienced seller than I am, she's a great blogger with fantastic insights on how to reduce debt and make money on the internet, so needless to say I was extremely flattered.

If you'd like to read my feature, please visit Tammy's blog at http://www.thismamaworksit.com/, and while you're there, you should definitely read more of what Tammy has to say.  You won't regret it, I guarantee it.

Fifty Stars

Remember when we first met?  I was young and naive and was hoping to get to 50 stars on eBay.

Guess what?  Mission accomplished.

Bona-what-now?

As much as I'm enjoying my little eBay business venture (despite the stress), I have to admit that trading on the best known cyber marketplace on earth has its price.  I've started selling some slightly more expensive items, and let me tell you, when eBay and Paypal gang up and start taking their cut, there isn't all that much left for the seller.

I'm not sure how it happened, but I came across another marketplace site, similar to eBay, called Bonanzle.  Bonanzle almost reminds me of a Main Street pedestrian shopping strip, complete with the friendly neighbors that stop by and say hello.

Sales have been reaaally slow for me this week, so I decided to give something else a try.  I opened up an account on Bonanzle - it's free - and listed a few items - also free.  Within 30 minutes of having opened my account, other sellers were IMing me through Bonanzle's chat feature to welcome me, offer help learning the ropes, and leave encouraging comments in my "booth" (that's what your store is called on Bonanzle).

It's all very very cool, which also makes it really really sad.  Bonanzle has a lot of sellers, but not a lot of buyers.  I think part of the reason for the friendliness is all these sellers are desperate for the site to grow.  Bonanzle charges nearly HALF the final sale fees that eBay does, and it offers so much more.  And yet the buyers stick with eBay.  They feel safe sticking with what they know.

I don't blame them, but I'm still going to give the place a shot.  You have to approve your sales on Bonanzle, so I plan on double listing some of my Buy It Now items to see how I do.  If someone makes me an offer on Bonanzle, I'll take the item down from eBay.  It costs me nothing, and I get double the exposure.

You guys should go look around if you're got some time on your hands.  Excellent deals, cheaper than eBay because the sellers can afford to lower their prices a bit.  The URL is www.bonanzle.com.  Let me know what you think!

Living with Stress

Oh MY God.  Why do I do this to myself??  So I have these patent loafers up for auction right now.  I'm selling them for a friend of mine who asked for my help.  I listed them twice for a fixed price and they didn't sell, so I took a chance and listed them as an auction.  Now with 11 hours to go, they've been bid up to $11.50 and have 10 watchers.  And I'm FREAKING OUT because these are worth so much more!  Yes, most of the bidding on an item happens in the final hours, and yes most items actually end up selling for their market value but OH MY GOD WHAT IF THESE DON'T!!

Curious?  Want to Keep Vigil with Me? Click here.

I know, I know, I keep telling you guys not to worry about individual item profits, that you have to take risks to make money, blah blah blah blah.  And I still fully believe that and feel good about it - when it's MY ITEMS at risk! :(

Alright.  So these have 2 bids and 10 watchers.  That means at least 3 people have yet to bid (according to my bidders to watchers ratio philosohpy, which you can find here).  I've been tweeting about them, I'm posting them to Facebook in a minute, and I've emailed a couple of repeat buyers to stir up some interest.  Any other ideas for how I can draw in some traffic in 11 hours??

Rant over.  Thanks for listening.  I'll keep you posted.