Setting Goals

So, I have decided that I need to set goals for myself to really start turning my listing into real money.  I am a spreadsheet, goal setting, organized type of girl, so having money randomly come in or not messes with the flow of things!

I have created a list of goals that starts July 1st.  I will do my absolute best to stick to this!

1. List at least 5 items per day
2. Go to the thrift store or garage sales at least 2 times a week
3. 100% positive feedback
4. $500 monthly sales (I know this is low compared to all of you long time sellers, but I want my goals to be obtainable!)
5. Take better photos and write better descriptions

So, I've already started on #5.  I bought myself a mannequin I found for cheap to help list my clothes!  I have a ton of brand new business casual attire that I never wore because I got pregnant with my first baby right after I got my fancy office job, and business casual maternity clothes that barely got worn!  I'm hoping I can make some money off of these, I heard that maternity clothes are a big seller.  I think the mannequin will help them sell, it looks a lot better than a picture of them on my floor or on the bed!

I hope you all had a wonderful June, and are looking forward to July!  Have a great day!

The Good, The Bad, and The Shady

Well, this week has been filled with ups, downs, and what the heck moments.

Let's start with the good!  I love being positive!

THE GOOD:

I went to a thrift store for my first time as an eBay seller!  I was there for a good 3 hours looking at the racks and searching items on eBay.  I couldn't leave empty handed, so I picked up a couple books for myself (I'm an avid reader), a belt I actually needed for work, and these mugs.  The mugs were stamped "Berggren" so in doing a search I found that the mugs sell for about $10 each, I picked up 4 of them for $2.

Question for you all:  I have 3 of the one on the left and only 1 of the one on the right.  Do I sell each mug individually or should I put them in a lot of some sort?

THE BAD:

The Chatter Phone (my first sale ever) ended up resulting in a unpaid item claim.  The buyer never even responded to my messages, nothing.  Ugh, some people.  It really left a bad taste in my mouth.  Well, phone is relisted.

Question for you all: Is there a way to see who is watching your item?  The second I relisted the phone, I had a watcher.  I want to make sure it isn't him!  Go away, bad buyer!

THE SHADY:

Kari at She Thrifts, She $cores recently posted about the 53" Hugfun bears being a BOLO, and I just so happened to have one that my kids got as a gift a couple years back and never played with.  It literally sits in the corner of their room.  So it got listed right away, of course.  I got a message from someone who bidded on the item, saying that he lives close to me, and would rather pick up the item and pay me the BIN price I had listed.  He needs the item by Friday, it's a gift for his girlfriend.  I know that handling things outside of eBay is a strict no-no, and this buyer created his account just yesterday. How do I handle this one?  I would rather not ship the ridiculously big bear and just give it to him, but I am also a "play by the rules" kind of gal.  Plus, he asked me to remove my listing, which I certainly won't do, plus I can't now that he's bid on the item.  I'm hoping he's actually a nice guy and just wants to give his girlfriend this bear, rather than prey on new sellers.

Hope you guys are having a great week!  I just want to say, you all are so great and friendly!  Thank you so much for all your help!

First Sale!

Well, I finally got to hear that sweet, sweet KA-CHING! sound my phone makes when I have sold an item!  Holy moly, I jumped up and got so excited!  The best part?  This item was on auction, and the buyer just bought it at the BIN price with no bid!  I went and sent an invoice right away, hopefully payment comes soon so I can ship this item and get it out of my house!

Good-Bye, Chatter Phone!

Now I have the concern that the buyer won't pay.  I'm waiting for PayPal to tell me that payment has been received.  I put on the invoice that the buyer has a week for payment.  Do you guys ever have an issue with the buyer not paying for an item?  How do you deal with that?  This eBay world is such an emotional roller coaster!

Hope you all are having a great week!

Auctions Ending...

Well, I have 7 auctions ending today... and 7 auctions with no bidders.  I know they are kids toys, which are hard to sell, and I know I am new to the world of eBay and selling online in general, but I can't help but feel... disappointed.  Ugh.

2 of my items that end tomorrow have some watchers though!  Now how to turn those watchers into bidders?  I am selling one of those HUGE Hugfun plushes, and would love to see it gone!  It takes up so much room in my house!  I am thinking of using the price raise strategy, since I started the auction at the lowest possible price I would take. I've seen some completeds where this bear has gone for $150!

Please go away, Mr. Massive Teddy Bear!

Anyone have any recommendations to turn those watchers into bidders?  

Officially to 10 Auctions!

Hey there!  Well, since I've started this whole eBay thing yesterday, I've been a photo taking, description writing machine!  I'm up to 10 things up for auction.  I have no watchers or bidders yet, but in my limited eBay experience, I have seen that this usually happens hours or even minutes before the auction is over.  Trying to stay positive over here to keep this as fun, and hopefully profitable!

Feel free to see my items currently available here, and follow me on twitter @wifeysellsthing

Any tips for this (and any) newbie on how to maximize my auction views?

Let the Auctions Begin!

Well, I created my eBay account and listed a few toys that my kids have outgrown or don't use anymore to hit the ground running and see what eBay is all about.  They all have 7 days on the auction, a BIN (buy it now) price, and buyer pays shipping. I was surprised how easy it was to start selling.  I took a couple pictures of my items, looked at other items that were the same as the ones I am selling to get an idea of a price, and posted! I am using this as a test to see how the process works.  I have never bought or sold anything on eBay, so this should be interesting!  

Feel free to see what I have listed and please follow me on Twitter @wifeysellsthing to follow me and see how everything is going!

Lindsey

Hi! I'm New Here!

Hi everyone!  My name is Lindsey, and I just started Wifey Sells Things.  Looking around my house, I have a lot of stuff that could really be sold or donated.  With 2 kids (3 if you count my husband), I have acquired an absolute ton of toys, games, books, clothes... all that are no longer being used!  My hope is to get an eBay store up and running to sell these things, and make a little extra money in the process.  I have seen quite a few sites showing their garage sale and thrift shop scores, and keep thinking this is an excellent way to make some cash from home.

I will be chronicling my entire process, through this blog and from my twitter account @wifeysellsthing. I hope that from my mistakes (and hopefully successes!) I can help other new hopeful eBay starters.

Feel free to check out what I am currently selling on eBay as well!  I look forward to getting immersed in this blogging and selling culture!

Lindsey

PS- Feel free to comment with any tips, strategies, or words of wisdom for this and other newcomers to the game!