Tuesday, November 15, 2011
What Do YOU Want to Learn About?
I need some inspiration. I want to teach you. I want you to learn. I've been selling on eBay long enough that I've forgotten what some of the basic things were that I had to learn. What do you need help with? What are you struggling with? What new aspect of selling on eBay are you afraid to branch out and try? Please give me some posting ideas in the comments. This blogging business is harder that it looks from the outside. It's HARD to come up with things to write about (except my weekly finds, sales, etc posts). What do you want to learn? And don't worry - if you ask me to teach you something I don't know how to do, I have a whole team of people to help me learn :) No question is too easy or too hard.
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Teach me how to ship out of the U.S. What are the rules and regulations for different countries that I need to know. Thanks
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - that's an easy one :) I'm not sure how long you've been reading here, but I wrote this tutorial on how to set up your listings for international shipping.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ebayundergroundblog.com/2011/02/selling-internationally-doesnt-have-to.html
I also wrote this one, which has loads of information on rules and regulations, customs forms, difficult international customers, etc.
http://www.ebayundergroundblog.com/2011/07/international-shipping-tutorial.html
Both of those blog posts are really long, so if it's just the different rules and regulations for the different countries that you are looking at, then definitely bookmark USPS's International Mail Manual. There's a page for every country and it tells you exactly what you need to know to ship to each country.
http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/welcome.htm
I would love to here more about where you shop on your planned trips. (We only have Goodwill where I live.) I would also love to here you thoughts on when it is good to have an ebay store rather then the just listing auction items. I would to here if you have any favorite blogs you follow. Or if you have a system to when certain item are hot sellers. ( I know toys at Christmas and costumes for Halloween, but do you have others too?) Thanks so much. I am sure I could come up with more and you might have covered some of these already. I am new to your blog and love it!
ReplyDeleteThat first comment was not me. lol Thanks so much for responding so quickly to my post for the links to those pages (on the boards). Is there a search function on this blog? If so, I keep missing it. I'd love to see more on packing and shipping. I recall an example of how to ship microwave turntables somewhere. I'm thinking of other items. Like USPS box sizes and what items you typically use for them. (kinda like the mug thread) I also loved the thread about cleaning reverware and the tip about wrapping in saran wrap after polishing. HTH
ReplyDeleteI have been struggling to figure out what to price a pair of mens Clarks I snagged at the GW. Figuring listing prices is what consumes most of my time. I guess it will come with practice. Do you have a search bar?
ReplyDeleteI'm a returning seller and I'm lost after a couple of years away from eBay! I can't figure out how to send an automatic notification to my buyers that their item has shipped without doing it manually. It's so time consuming to do it that way.
ReplyDeleteSo, making as much as possible of our eBay biz run automatically would be great!
These are great! I will address all of these suggestions in the next week or two. Keep the ideas coming! Blog fodder for weeks - hooray! :D
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime ... I'll see if I can figure out how to add a search bar to the blog.
As a homeschooling mom I would really enjoy how you schedule your day! What is a typical schedule that you would follow, so your not neglecting family, school, Ebay and everything else. At the moment I am up way late! and up early oh and trying to keep organized!
ReplyDeleteOh Kim - you ask too much! I can't share the ugly truth of what a typical day around here looks like! 8-O
ReplyDeleteTo search a site with no search bar, you can just Google it site-specifically, e.g.: "site:ebayundergroundblog.com international shipping" and it will only show results from this website.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jessica: it's not that difficult to add one yourself. There are plenty of options, though I would probably go with a Google Custom Search Engine: http://www.google.com/cse/
One of the things that amazes me is the prices you get for plush items. When I see these in a pile at a garage sale, all I see is germs! When you find an old Alf doll, for example, do you wash it?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alicia! I've already gotten the code and will be adding a search bar shortly. That was so easy!
ReplyDeleteclamco (which part of the clam are you, by the way?): Plush has been added to my topic list, but no, I don't usually wash Alf unless he is gross or smelly.
Jessica, I'm Lorraine, (The "L" in Clamco). I enjoyed your shopping trip post. I didn't realize you were in Pa like me. I do more hard items (anything old and made of metal) as opposed to soft (clothes/shoes/plush) even though I know there's money to be made there. I don't know diddly about designer names. I find most of my stuff at estate sales. Rarely I'll get a good find at the SA or GW in my niche.
ReplyDeleteI am just moving from the "Hmm. This could be interesting - I should try this." stage of selling (my first time on eBay was a year ago) to realizing that I am totally addicted to thrifting and reselling (seriously, is it like some sort of heady rush for anybody else when you score big? I feel like a gambling addict.). I'm seeing this as a great way to pay off the mortgage.
ReplyDeleteNow, the great debates come into play that weren't there when I was just wetting my feet - should I have a store? What is the most economical option for packing materials? And the one I am currently poring over: how does doing your own shipping labels work out? What kind of scale would be best (there are only about a hundred out there!)? Are the more expensive better?
Thanks for such a great blog!
I'm not sure if you've already blogged about this, but I would love to find more info on how you prepare for taxes. You just mentioned some details (saving receipts,etc) in your last blog. But could you do a whole tutorial on all your methods? :) start to finish! What's your system? Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteLove this blog!!
Lorraine - I don't know much about designer names either, but I'm learning :)
ReplyDeleteLatoshia - great topics. I've added them to my list.
Candace, that one might have to be a series, but I'd be glad to do it!
ReplyDeleteI would also love to know about how you keep track of your purchases and also how you remember how much you spend on each item. Do you keep a notebook? I would be very interested in a taxes series.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your hard work and knowledge!
I'd love to know about your listing process. There are so many steps - cleaning, photographing, researching, listing, etc. Do you do it in batches or one at a time. What do you find works best for you?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see photos of your ebay area or room! My bedroom looks like a thrift store exploded! I need help!
ReplyDeleteYikes - you guys are killing me here. You actually want to see that disaster?? lol. I can do that.
ReplyDeleteMy list has been updated. I hope to start cranking these out this afternoon/evening into the next week or so.
Someone already mentioned my question-how you keep track of your purchases. Sometimes you'll post about an item that you bought months ago and how much you paid for it. How do you keep up with that!
ReplyDeleteI see someone mentioned packaging. I'm wondering that too. That part seems to hold me back from listing as much as I would like. Since I need to know how much to charge for shipping (at least the weight) I first need to find the right size box (which always seems to be a challenge), pack the item, weigh it and then finally get to listing it. It takes me forever. Do you store your items in the box you weigh it in? How do you ship your plush-box, bubble envelope, something else?
Ok, I have a lot more questions but I'll quiet down for now ;) Some of the other comments have some really good topics I'd love to hear about!
I have an ebay selling problem that I thought maybe you could help me with either immediately or in a future post. Someone wants to return the vintage pyrex bowl I sold to her for $14.99. Shipping cost her $11.50 originally. My return policy (which has never been used before so I didn't know any better) was that I accept returns but buyer pays return shipping. Do I have to return her original shipping cost as well? By the way, this is just because she didn't read the title--she needed a different size than the #404 bowl I listed. What should I do?
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I have a spreadsheet. I'll share with you my passionate love affair with spreadsheets in future posts :)
ReplyDeleteI'll address your other questions in a packaging post, but real quickly - no, I don't store the items in their shipping boxes. I usually know what box size I will use and how much that box weighs. For example, I'll add 1.5 lbs to the weight of a turntable, 8 oz to the weight of a pair of shoes, etc...
I ship plush in a poly mailer.
***
Diana, you are under no obligation to refund the buyer's shipping. In this particular case, I think it's foolish of her to return it, because she'll be out $23 in order to recover her $14.99. But since your listing was accurate and she is returning because of her mistake, you don't have to refund her original shipping. Does she seem like she's going to be nice about it? If I were you, I would write a message like, "I'm sorry the bowl wasn't what you were expecting. As you can see in my listing, I did correctly identify it as a #404 bowl. You are welcome to return the item to: ________. Once I have received the bowl back in its original condition, I will refund your original purchase price of $14.99. Have a great afternoon!"
Thank you so much for your quick reply! I was just replying to her when I decided to check here first. I'll write that to her now! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHow do you figure out the cost of an item when it was part of a lot (I filled a bag at the end of a church rummage sale for $5, what is the price of each item)? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteKate, I'd just divide the $5 by however many items you got into the bag. If you bought 10 items, then they were each 50 cents. If you bought 20 items, then they were each a quarter.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the best way to do shipping? I use USPS.com and pick an arbitrary zip code to ship to, then calculate based on weight, etc. However, it seems my items are always bought from someone on the other side of the country, and I lose money on shipping.
ReplyDeleteIs it best to just do calculated shipping with a handling charge? Thanks!
Valerie, I'll do an in-depth shipping post, but for now - it is ABSOLUTELY better to do calculated with a handling charge. I NEVER do flat rate shipping on anything over 13 oz.
ReplyDeleteJessica - Can you do a post on free shipping? Honestly, that's what I have been doing for the past 4 months or so and getting much higher prices for my items. Also, they can't ding you on the star system, you get free international FVF by offering free shipping, and ebay is giving discounts! As long as you do your research, it works out great. Megan
ReplyDeleteJessica, Thank you for your volunteer work and all of your sharing! Maybe more appropriate for proboards, but would love to hear more about PROFITABLE eBay alternatives and non-eBay store websites. With our recent glitches, I am feeling the need to branch out a bit, but haven't made the leap. I have local resources for opening an off eBay store, but would love to hear from those more experienced. Kind regards, Angela
ReplyDeleteAngela - ebay is the only online venue I sell on. As for offline, I just hold yard sales every summer and do this children's consignment sale in the fall and the spring. That's definitely a proboards question since I have no experience with the other venues.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you advised me that I don't have to return either shipping costs when it's not my fault they want to return the item because it happened again today! This time the person wants to return it because the movies are VHS rather than the DVDs she was expecting! So I once again wrote what you advised. (By the way, I haven't heard back about the Pyrex bowls, LOL). So thanks for helping me out twice now! :)
ReplyDeleteGrr! Why don't buyers read? So frustrating! I hope both situations work out well for you, Diana.
ReplyDeleteI have been selling on eBay since the start of this year. I'm still learning but I am thinking of opening an ebay store because I am tired waiting at 9:30 pm to list my items. Do you advise that I start an ebay store? also how do you do the automated reply to customers? Thank you! -Jacki
ReplyDeleteJacki, if you're planning on sticking with eBay for any length of time, then I whole-heartedly recommend that you start a store. I was hesitant at first, but I haven't looked back.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you mean by automated reply?
I'm curious about tax implications ... I sell just as a very part-time hobby. Paypal recently asked me for my social security for tax purposes. (I pay between $40 - $80 a month in ebay fee. I don't have a store.) Do I need to become a business? I really don't know anything about this.
ReplyDeleteAccording to tax rules, it's only considered a hobby if you show a low during 3 of the last 5 years. If you're showing a profit, it really should be counted as income, whether or not it is reported to the IRS by Paypal. I'll start a tax series on Monday.
ReplyDeleteThat would be "show a LOSS," not "show a low"...
ReplyDeleteI am staying away from anything fragile as I don't know how to pack things so they don't break. No matter how careful I thought I was , whenever I attempts to ship something fragile, I always ended up refunding because items broke in shipping.
ReplyDeleteCan you teach this of us who don't know how to pack fragiles how to safely do it please, so items arrive in same condition they were when I listed them? I am missing out on great item like Pyrex and many collectibles that I can make good money on. Once I had a client with rare Disney snowglobes that were going for a lot of money. She was nice enough to let me split a cost of ups for the to pack those globes and deliver them intact. I am ashamed of my inability to pack safely and am staying away from anything at all fragile. I can use all the help anyone can offer
Thank you in advance
Liz
How do you reconcile your Ebay and Paypal monthly bills? Not that I'm a volume seller (yet), but the thought of auditing every. monthly. statement. from both Ebay and Paypal makes my eyes glaze over. I suppose it must be done to keep everyone honest, but where would one even begin?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try really hard to get a paperwork/taxes series up this week. I'll address your question there. It seems overwhelming at first, but as long as you keep up with it every couple of days, it really only takes a few minutes.
ReplyDelete