How I Got Here

When I first started buying for resale, I was buying a lot of Corning Ware and Vision Ware at local auctions and thrift stores. At the time, these pieces were everywhere - and cheap! I was making a great profit on each piece that I sold. But I was also spending a lot of money on packing supplies, and a lot of time on packing and shipping! Then there was also the risk of damage during shipping. It took me a long time, but I have recently decided it's time for me to move away from these items. Sure, if I find an amber 5 quart Vision Ware dutch oven for less than $5, I'll certainly buy it, but I'm no longer seeking those pieces out. I have moved on to bigger and better things....

Shoes! I made it the whole way through my twenties not giving a rip about shoes. I always bought the cheapest clearance shoes at Payless or Walmart. I didn't really care if they were stylish, or even if they were comfortable, as long as they were cheap!

Then one day in the summer of 2010, I found myself in an upscale neighborhood on a thrifting road trip. I had a list of good shoe brands to look for, but, living in a lower income area, I had never even heard of any of those brands, much less found them in my town's one thrift store. So on this trip, I was very excited to find a LOT of shoes that were on my list! I think on that first trip, I found 15 or 20 pairs of shoes. I was uneasy about investing $6 in a pair of shoes, but I took a leap of faith and bought them all!

Then my sister-in-law, who lives in that town, suggested that I leave her a copy of my list. She offered to shop for me, and she started regularly bringing me bins (plural!) full of these shoes! Of course, the more I listed, the more I was selling. How grand it was to be able to just toss a pair of shoes into a box and ship them! No packing peanuts, no bubble wrap, no worries about damage during shipping. I was hooked!! And an added bonus ... I now have a fabulous shoe collection!!

I began taking road trips more often. Not always to that first town, but always to towns bigger than mine. The last time I was out at my sister-in-law's last December, I brought home *76* pairs of shoes!! My smaller trip in January got me 45 more pairs. I have about 130 pairs currently listed in my eBay store , and a pile sitting in my eBay room that needs listed. I regularly sell an average of ten pairs of shoes a week. But again, the more shoes I list, the higher that number grows.

In the past six months, I have gained the confidence to branch out and increase my risk. I have learned which brands sell quickly, which brands sell for a higher price, which sizes sell well. All of these things help me to decide how much I am willing to pay for any given pair. For example, I know that Danskos sell high, and they sell fast. I am always willing to invest more in them, knowing that I will be able to at least quadruple my money, and quickly. I know that Clarks sell very consistently. They don't sell for nearly as much as Danskos do, but they do sell regularly, so I always pick them up when I see them, as long as the price is right.

I even buy shoes that look well worn! 90% of the time, well-worn shoes are fixable. Don't pass up a good brand name shoe just because it has scuffs or wear. Meltonian Shoe Cream is the most amazing shoe product you will ever use. It is inexpensive and works great. Here is where I get mine. Tina is another of the administrators on eBay Underground and has recently become a Meltonian dealer.

Over on eBay Underground, we frequently extol the virtues of Meltonian. We often post before and after pictures. We compare Meltonian-treated shoe listings against non-treated shoe listings. We even have a video showing how to use it! We are great fans of the stuff. If you sell shoes, you positively MUST check out Meltonian (and eBay Underground, while you are at it!) I don't get anything for saying such great things about this cream. I am just an enthusiastic, avid fan!

So all of this is to say ... do your research. Learn your field, know what sells and what doesn't. Familiarize yourself with average sale prices for specific brands and use that information to make wise investment decisions. Also be aware of ways that you can buy a less-than-perfect item and transform it into something sellable. Don't be afraid to branch out and try something new from time to time. I had my list of five brands to look for, but I recently sold a pair of sandals for $98. It was a brand that wasn't on my list. My sister-in-law saw them and had a gut instinct that they were a good brand. She was right! So don't box yourself in. Be willing to take occasional risks and broaden your horizons.

If you are looking for more ideas of what to buy for resale, come check us out at eBay Underground. We've always got lots of great discussions going on about what sells, as well as other fabulous and free selling tips!

Nice to meet you - allow me to introduce myself!

Hi there! I'm new around here, so I figured I should probably introduce myself! My name is Jessica, and I am 31 years old. I live in Pennsylvania with my husband and our four kids, ages 10, 7, 3, and 2. I am a stay-at-home homeschooling mom. It's a lot of work, but what a joy!

I started selling on eBay in November 2009. Like most other sellers, I started out just selling odds and ends from around the house, at auction, and for dirt cheap. I swore I would never become "one of those losers who buys stuff to resell on eBay." Wow, how quickly our words can come back to bite us. I opened an eBay store on January 4, 2010, and I think my first purchase for resale was less than a week later! It was a couple of golf shirts, a brand that I quickly discovered does NOT sell. Stay away from Grand Slam golf shirts, everyone :)

Since opening my store, I haven't looked back. I joined a few online eBay groups. Some worked well for me, others did not. There are a lot of folks out there who do not want you to be successful. Quite a few of us from the eBay community got together and realized we felt the same way, so we started our own group - eBay Underground (on Facebook). I am one of the administrators there. It's a position I really love, and a group I am very passionate about, full of people I have come to know and love.

I suspect I spend a lot more time browsing, reading, and researching than a lot of other sellers, but it has paid off for me. I have learned an incredible amount in the year I've been selling on eBay. I have a very extensive list of things that I know will sell well, so I always keep an eye out for those items. I have learned what works and what doesn't in a listing. I have learned so much about buying strategies as well as pricing strategies. As sellers, we want to make the most money we can with the least amount of time and effort. I've learned how to do that, and I plan to share it all here!

My point is, with the right resources (all free if you know where to look!), you can learn to do exactly what I've done: become a successful Top-Rated Powerseller in just a year! Yes, I still have plenty to learn, and yes, I am still growing my business, but I've come a long way in a short time.

My vision for my role here at We Sell on eBay is to share little by little all the great tips and strategies I have learned since I started selling. I will also be sharing lots of success and failure stories from along the way. Believe me, there are plenty of each! :)

Thank you, Lesley, for inviting me to be a part of this exciting new opportunity to share! I am looking forward to it!

eBay Mentoring Program

When I first started selling on eBay in February of 2008 I would have loved a personal mentor. I had to learn the ropes myself, figure out how to make professional listings, price my items effectively as well as stand out from the competition. Now I’m lucky to have that learning curve behind me, but a personal team to help me strategize would have been a dream!

There is a lot of great information to be learned from various eBay groups and boards, but many so called “experts” are willing to help for a fee and I’ve seen many new sellers disappointed with the subpar information.

Do you ever wonder if your description is doing the job or if your pictures look professional? Are you sourcing the right products? Is your pricing strategy getting the results that you want? Do you want to take your business to the next level?

I’m happy to announce that our eBay Underground group on Facebook has formed an expert team of experienced top rated sellers who will be willing to look at your store and listings and offer up helpful comments and tactics to help you succeed. This is all part of our Free Analytics eBay Mentoring program that all members of eBay Underground enjoy.

Click here to get started!

"If you are bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals". Lou Holtz

Two years and nine months, that’s how long it took me to reach my goal of attaining the elusive Silver Star on eBay. For those who don’t know, the Silver Power Seller status is achieved by meeting a minimum sales requirement of $3000 a month for 3 consecutive months.



What did I do to get there? I sold products that I love, to people who wanted to buy them. I researched, read blogs and made some new friends on Facebook who had the same desire. I took my time with my listings, instead of rushing through. I took lots of pictures, researched product trends and sales history. This helped me to make informed decisions with my purchases and listings. This can sometimes be a tedious process, but the more you do it, the better you become at it. You can view my eBay store here.

I am no expert; I am still a student of eBay! What is hot today may not be hot tomorrow and so you may have to adjust your niche with trends. You will have to be flexible and willing to make changes if you are not getting the results that you want.

One thing I did when I was first starting out was to find a mentor. No, not even someone I knew, just other sellers on eBay selling the same products that I wanted to sell. I studied their listings, their sales history and figured out how I could make mine stand out!

The best way to get started is to sell unused items around your house. Then you can take that cash and start investing in new inventory. You will be surprised by what you can sell on eBay. If you can imagine it, someone out there is probably looking for it. There is a market for clothing, shoes, collectibles, antiques, toys, beauty products and more!

If you want to learn more about selling on eBay as well as what products to look for; join our Facebook Group eBay Undergound!

Check out our group listings. We have almost 4000 items for sale on eBay right now!

Happy eBaying!

THE UNHAPPY BUYER!

It will eventually happen to everyone who sells on eBay, the email from an unhappy buyer. I’ve had a few and have been able to, so far, successfully satisfy the customer. Customer service is important to eBay sellers because this is their livelihood. This is the extra money, or THE money, that helps their families. One bad mark can ruin a seller’s day as they think that it will harm future sales or impact their standing with eBay.

Recently, I had a good friend of mine who sells occasionally on eBay contact me in a panic when she received just such an email. Her customer was dissatisfied with the Coach purse she had recently purchased and used words like fraud and reporting her to eBay. Now let me say that the purse was indeed authentic and new, however the customer was stating there was dirt in the pockets and that it couldn’t possibly be new. Her customer was definitely angry and was letting her know it! Now I actually helped my friend with this listing and handled the purse myself and knew that it was new and authentic. But none of that really matters when you’re dealing with your customer, what does matter is how they perceive it.

The first thing you want to do in this situation is respond quickly as they are just waiting to hear back from you. Give yourself some time to gather your thoughts and then when you are satisfied you have a good response email them back. The customer wants to be HEARD. In this situation, she threatened harsh action because she doesn’t know her seller and doesn’t know whether she is a reputable person and is assuming the worst. You want to acknowledge, apologize, and reassure that you are going to do the right thing!

So my good friend, blindsided by this buyer calls me for help and I say let me help you draft this email. I’ve handled a few situations like this and knew I could help her. Here is what we sent to her customer:

Dear Customer:

I am sorry that you were unhappy with your purchase. I can assure you however that the bag is new, has never been used and that I would never defraud any customer. That said, I always want a happy and satisfied customer. I know the return policy states 3 days; however I am willing to extend this to 7 days to give you an opportunity to send back with delivery confirmation and insurance. Once the bag is received I will issue a complete refund.

I know making a purchase on eBay and then receiving an item that has not met your expectations, especially an expensive item can be stressful. Most sellers are willing to work towards a peaceful resolution because they value their reputation on eBay as well as their customers. Contacting eBay or leaving negative feedback should be a last resort when a buyer feels they have no other options.

I hope I have met your expectations with my service. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me anytime.

My mailing address is:

Kind regards,
Your humble seller


This letter was received well by her customer, of course this was a customized response to this particular situation but you can do the same.

What we did here was defend ourselves a little (not get defensive) but assure the customer that you are an honest person without sounding holier-than-thou. Acknowledge her concerns and even frustration with the situation. Imagine how you might feel after dropping $100 and you don’t get what you think you paid for. Apologize for the inconvenience and then move in for a solution. In this case, it was apparent from her email that she just wanted out of this transaction so we offered a complete refund. But other times the buyer may just want to keep it, but feels they spent to much and the value just isn’t there. Gauge the situation and customize it so that your customer has the power in making a decision as to a solution, don’t just make it for them!

I don’t normally mention feedback in my initial response to a customer, but in this situation she threatened to contact eBay and I wanted to explain the process a little. The process being that you should work it out together and if all else fails, THEN you contact eBay as an arbitrator.

Once you have resolved the problem, then a “thank you” is in order. You can then email back your customer and thank them for working with you, being patient and understanding and also state something like this: “I hope I have turned this into a 5 star experience for you!” Hopefully your customer is so impressed with your service that good feedback will naturally follow.

This approach will not help you against “the difficult buyer”. There are buyers out there who will not care what you do for them and may just be looking for a freebie. They are out there, and fortunately few and far between. When you run across a buyer like this you will still try to work towards a resolution, but it may not be enough to satisfy a buyer like that. In a case like that, you will have to cut your losses and move on.

Many times you can totally turn around the situation in your favor just by following these simple steps. For the record, the customer mentioned above has opted to keep the bag. I guess it wasn’t that bad after all!

A picture that sells!

The most important thing you can do to sell your item for top dollar on eBay is to have a great photo. You have to remember that your customer cannot touch what they are buying, so it is up to you to provide pictures so they know exactly what they are getting. The most important picture is the 1st picture. This is the picture that will pop up on all the searches on eBay, and will also “get them in the door” so to speak, whether it’s to look at your other listings or to view your entire store.

Follow these steps and you will have professional looking photos that will make your items stand out from the competition!

I’ve seen plenty of pictures taken from all around a seller’s house, from the dining room table with clutter in the background, from the bed with the busy quilt, the floor in the hallway and the back of a closet door. None of these are very good. They are not professional and are not for serious sellers. The most important thing you can do is be consistent. Being consistent will keep you more efficient. Efficiency saves and makes you money!

If you are selling kids clothes, it is my opinion that you do not need a mannequin. What you do need is a clean wrinkle free backdrop (I use a vinyl black or white fabric) and plenty of natural lighting. If you are selling women’s clothing, I do recommend a mannequin and here’s why. A woman wants to see how the item hangs on a mannequin so she can imagine how it might look on her. You can order a mannequin right from eBay.

Clothing you are photographing should be free of wrinkles, as this will distract the customer and will detract from the garments true beauty. Do not use a flash. It’s not necessary when you have plenty of natural light. Do not take photos at a deep angle. This is almost as bad as photos that are not rotated and you have to tilt your head to the side to view. Hint; don’t do that! Next, focus in on your subject. Take several photos, including close-ups of any special features. Don’t forget the back of the garment! Use the “macro mode” on your camera for close-ups; it’s the little flower symbol on your camera. If you have a shaky hand, use a tripod so that your picture is not blurry.

Once all of your photos are done, it’s time to edit. There are several FREE great editing tools which can be used to enhance your pictures. I use both Google Picasa 3 and Picnik. With these you can enhance the natural color and more importantly, crop the photos. Crop out any excess blank space around the subject. The small block that eBay provides to show off the item should do just that. The image should fill the block. Use these tools to your advantage for professional looking pictures which will translate into a sold item every time!

Happy eBaying!

Could you take these coins off my hands?

I don’t usually mind when people pay me with change at my resale shop, because most of the time I’m short of it. So when my customer asked me if she could pay me $10 of her almost $30 purchase with half dollars, I said sure. Not that I give out half dollars as change usually, but hey, money is money!

She counted out her money and handed me the coins. These coins looked new and even fake to me because they were so perfect. I inspected a few to make sure they were real and didn’t see any red flags.

A few hours later my husband shows up at the shop to take care of some business and asks me if I need him to go to the bank. I say yes, I’ve got a deposit to make and I would rather convert the coins to some other currency. I tell him about my earlier customer and the coins she used to pay with and open up the register to show him what I’ve got. I thought his eyes were going to bug out of his head when he picked them up and began to look them over. “These are silver half dollars”, he says.

I know nothing of collectable coins. I knew they looked different, but frankly got caught up in other things that I normally do when I’m running a business to give it too much other thought. Tom sat down at the computer and started researching these coins and checking eBay for sales. These coins were dated from 1958-1963, were 90% silver and had all the earmarks of being kept in a roll for all those years! My customer that day had literally opened up this roll and then circulated them at my shop. I wonder the story behind the coins, where she got them, how long she had them. Obviously, she had no idea what she was handing me that day with her $30 purchase.

These coins sold last night on eBay for $145.05!

Off to ship…

Happy eBaying!