Back in Business

So after taking a break for awhile I am going to venture back into the world of online sales. I am really debating on how much I am actually going to use eBay this time though. It seems like it is becoming increasingly difficult to make a profit on eBay selling regular products. eBay is so full of sellers, selling the same thing. Homemade and one of a kind items seem to be the ticket. I am opening my own store where I will be selling swords and blades. I will probably use eBay as a way to advertise and get business. I will also be relying on eBay to show myself as a reputable seller since I have a great feedback score there. I changed my eBay ID to Dantotsu (which is the name of my new store). Sounds more like a sword store than Toria's Treasures. I will again start updating this blog. I still believe a lot of good advice can be found in my previous posts if you are new to this blog.

Till next time...

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Helpful Resources

If you can't find products to sell you should check out World Wide Brands. They offer a legitimate list of wholesalers & dropshipers for a one-time membership fee. To check out this great resource, click here.

If you are a Mom like me and are starting an Ebay business, the absolute best site I have found for tips, tools, forums, and overall support is Here Comes the Stork. It is geared towards selling children's clothes but there are members who sell lots of different items. See for yourself, click here.

Before you invest in all that inventory, do some free research using Mpire Researcher. They will tell you what percentage of the items sold, what was the average price, and let you know the best way to list your products. This is great. I always use Mpire before I start an auction.

This is all I have for now but it is a great start.

International Shipping Hassles

This week has been one of those weeks when nothing seems to be going right. I am sick with a major infection. I am behind in school from being sick and I have had three eBay sales go the way of the creek. Two are international orders that are two big to ship USPS and UPS wants over $300 dollars to ship them!!! There needs to be some compromise between the two services. I might be able to find another shipper myself but I am working with a drop shipper so my options are only what they offer.

The other order gone bad was an order that was made and when I went to make the order from the drop shipper they had conveniently discontinued the item. The big problem was that the customer sent me a money order before I found out that the item was no longer available. Soooo I had to wait and get the money order, cash it and send a refund through my bank. Like I said, it has been one of those weeks. Advice...

• Join Ebates if you still have not. I have earned over $140 in rebates from just going to their site before I shop at the online stores I was already planning on going to. I use it a lot for Gap, Ink Cartridges, and drugstore.com. The link to use is http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?id=32696671. If you sign up you get $5 just for joining.
• In the past 10 months I have learned quite a bit. The biggest realization I have come to is do not limit your possibilities. My business has not formed the way I would have imagined it. I am not selling the items I initially wanted to sell. You have to be open to opportunities that come knocking and realize when other ideas need to be put away. The item you want to sell won't always be a money maker or the wholesalers you find that sell the item may not be people you want to have a business relationship with. I always invest in small amounts of new items I am buying wholesale to make sure it is going to sell. I also give my drop shipment items about six months and if they are not selling I end the listings and move on to something new. In short, be flexible!

Until next time...(Hopefully next month!)

Slow Week

At least business wise it has been a slow week, personally I had to supervise Easter festivities for my 3 little ones and I started a new term of classes at Southern Oregon University.

I think going on vacation for a week did slow business a lot, mostly because my business is so new and relies on eBay auctions for most of my traffic. Hopefully, it will pick up in the next couple of weeks. Of course many people have also been on Spring Break and probably not shopping too much!

My advice this week does not have so much to do with my business but is a really neat website I found to help save you money. It works for my business because I use it when I buy clothes from Gap or Old Navy to resell.

The site I am talking about is Ebates.

Ebates, a shopping site that gives you up to 25% Cash Back every time you shop online. You can shop at over 800 stores including Barnes & Noble.com, Gap, Target, Buy.com and Expedia. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales!

It doesn't cost anything to sign up and they pay you a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase!

This isn't one of those sites that you have to fill out surveys or do anything lame. You just go to their site first before you shop at your favorite online retailers.

I am only sharing this information because I have been using it and loving it. I earned almost $20 when I bought replacement ink for my printers!!!

Until Next Time...

On Spring Vacation

The kids and I are on Spring Break Vacation but lucky for me, all the family has computers! Sales have been going well. I have sold almost $4000 in product in my first two months. My profits haven't been that high because of some initial costs I have had to pay but I am not in the red. I have weeded out two drop shippers who were not very good. I have acquired two new drop shippers and also bought some wholesale goods from two others. I don't have a very large home so I will keep my wholesale orders down but it is nice to handle what you are selling before you sell it.

I really wanted to talk to you about International Shipping today. I have been having some issues with the swords and weapon related items and international shipping. I have to ship most of them UPS because of their size and it is expensive. I just had an order that was $160 for shipping! Well the biggest problem is convincing buyers you are not trying to rob them. My point of this is, sometimes with large or heavy items, International Shipping is more of a hassle than it is worth.

Now for items weighing less that 13ozs, like clothes, you can ship Internationally for a dollar or two more that you can ship it in the U.S.. This makes selling clothing great on eBay. The best shipping costs for International Orders I have found are through the USPS. Don't forget to tell your customers they are responsible for any customs or tariff fees related to their order or you could end up losing money.

Well that is it for today!

What to Sell

When starting a new business in retail the first question you have to answer is, what do I sell? On Ebay this question is really a never ending question. You are constantly trying to figure out that product that will make you a profit. I started off with about 3 drop shippers that I listed items from. Only one of them, who carries swords & weaponry brought me sales.

I will tell you, selling swords was not really my first choice. I am a mother of three children and not really the violent type. I do like the whole fantasy genre and my husband has a couple swords around the house so it wasn't to awkward. It does seem wierd that my primary auctions are children's clothes and swords!

This seems to be a regular event on Ebay. There are many sellers out there who sell a variety of items and that is OK.

So my advice for this week is to not go crazy and buy $1000 inventory on something that you don't know will sell. Buy a small amount of product and test the waters. In addition, do your research. I will list some sites that I found helpful in my next blog.

Until then...