Summer Days

I love being self-employed, and I love my lighter schedule.  It gives me a lot more time to get projects done that I’ve been putting off, like scrap booking, and sewing.  It gives me a chance to swim, go for walks and go on road trips

Summer is also a great time  to spend more time on my listings, and get my store ready for the Christmas season.  It really is just right around the corner.

In the summer, I like to set aside one day a week to focus on my listings.  My laptop comes in handy, because we can put on a movie and I can list from the comfort of my reclining couch.

I don’t spend the entire day listing, but several hours.  I do take breaks, but I don’t plan anything else for that day.

Usually it takes me a few hours. I’m able to list everything in my current bin that I have pictures of. Then we go do something special like swimming, get a pedicure, or go to dinner.

Everyone’s schedule is different.

Some people have a hectic summer  but  fall or spring is more laid back.  Utilize the time of year when you don’t have as much going on to focus in on growing your business.  You probably won’t see it grow over night, but if you keep trying to grow your business, over time it will grow.

Never Stop Learning

I’ve been selling online for 7 years now, and teaching piano lessons for 12 years. Where has the time gone? It goes so fast, but one thing is for certain: I’m not only older, but I’m definitely wiser. I learn or discover something new everyday. Whether it’s a better way to teach scales, a more efficient way to run my online business, a new product to sell, or a way to increase sales, I’m all for it.

It’s amazing how differently I manage both of my businesses today versus even a year ago.

I’m selling on multiple venues, learning how to use Twitter and Pinterest to increase sales, shipping items out within 1 business day of receiving payment, and listing more in a week than I did last school year.

It takes awhile to build a successful business, and it’s done through gaining knowledge and being willing to try new things. As you experiment, you learn what works for your business and what doesn’t work. As you network with other business people, you get new ideas and gain knowledge from them.

So…….what have you learned or discovered lately?

This Week on eBay

This week has been pretty good.  I’ve recuperated from my yard sale and it’s been gorgeous outside, so we’ve been out walking and riding bikes a little bit each day.

I feel good about my store right now, I was able to list over 70 items this week, most of the listings were done on Friday, and it didn’t seem like it took that long to get it all done.  I had a lot of items that were similar, so that helps.

Right now, I’m not caught up on my listings.  I have three large bins full of items to list right now, and I stopped at a thrift store on my way home yesterday, which added three more bags of items to list.  Once Thursday night rolls around, I’ll be able to take some pictures and start listing a few more things.

I’m busy trying to get the number of my twitter followers up……trying……lol.

My Spring piano recital is right around the corner, and I’m busy planning that one step at a time.  Even with non-eBay tasks, I like to do things one small step at a time and far enough in advance so I’m not rushed.  I already have the certificates printed out and this week, I’m working on what order everyone will play in and figuring out what to give them at the recital (I always give each student a small gift or treat bag.)

Staying caught up on my shipping is going OK……I’ve only had a couple of times (like during my yard sale) when I wasn’t able to keep up with it, other than that, it hasn’t been too bad shipping within 1 business day of payment.

This is What it’s All About

Moving day is approaching quickly and once again, I am so thankful that I have the opportunity that I have to make money selling online.

Last month, I bought my bed completely out of funds that I earned from my online stores.

This month, I’m saving toward purchasing a brand new front end loading washer and dryer set, completely out of funds that buyers have deposited into my PayPal account.

There’s no way that I could be able to afford making both of these purchases back to back (even if I scrimped and saved) without my online stores.

It’s fun to have extra money to go out to dinner, or go shopping, but truly, this is why I eBay, this is what it’s all about.  All of that hard work is really paying off now, and I’ll be able to enjoy my new bed and washer & dryer set for many years to come.

I would love to hear how selling online has enriched your family’s life!

This Week on eBay

It’s been pretty busy around here this week.

I spent the last couple of weekends cleaning out our closets, taking the Summer clothes out and putting the Fall clothes in.  Of course, I found lots of Summer items to list on eBay, and even found a few Fall/Winter things from last year to list too.

I love being able to have inventory that I didn’t have to spend any extra money on.

Several of the items have already sold, so that’s always exciting.

My sales have been pretty good this week, and are headed in the right direction.

One thing that I’ve been selling quite a bit of this week is sweaters.  I’ve sold several cashmere sweaters, a Quacker Factory sweater, and a couple sweaters that I had listed out of my closet.  It’s getting close to that time of year again

I’ve also sold a few Halloween costumes this week.

During the school year, I don’t have tons of time to list like I have during the summer, but I try to list on Monday afternoons, list a few items on Tuesday evening, Friday afternoon and evening, and I usually spend Saturday afternoon working on listings.

I work all year to get my store stocked up for this season, but I still try to get everything I can listed between now and Christmas.

Hope your week has been great!

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