eBay Adventure - It's the Principle!

My Kate Spade skirt sold today. It came out of nowhere because I thought that the bidder wouldn’t return after I made my counteroffer. Let me back up. Two days ago, the bidder placed a $47 counteroffer on a $125. No Bueno! I counteroffer with $60 (Hey, you had to do at least half!). The bidder never returned. Now I admitted that I could had used that money but it was the principle; and, I was glad that I stuck to my guns because that very same bidder returned with a $55 bid (adding the $10.55 priority shipping and it was $65.). I accepted the order and shipped it immediately. Morale of the store: always stick to your principles because the sales will come!

Shop my eBay store for the best in tall women’s affordable luxury: www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Watch my all-new eBay livestream where I highlight 7 new items! 

eBay Adventure – Some People Are Not Your Customers

                No sooner do I accept the Kate Spade black patent leather tote bag then the buyer emails me through eBay saying ‘please disregard’. Now this is a new one: a customer saying that she wants to cancel an order after doing a bid. I am like ‘huh?’ because this has never happened to me. I agree to cancel because I refuse to fight over $26. Inside I feel like blocking this buyer for her messiness. However, I decide against it because she is probably petty and I need to conserve my energy for more sales.

                This incident magnifies that not everyone is my customer. eBay is a global auction place where anyone and everyone can come into your store; however, not everyone should be my client. You need to be discerning because some clients do not want to pay; and, you are in business to sale!

                Since I am now selling purses, I may get these customers because unlike my shoes and dresses, purses have a wider demographic. What I will do is ask more questions and screen them because cancelling orders hold up merchandise.

Shop my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Flying off of the Shelves

                I awake a little perturbed about that brown embossed Kate Spade purse counteroffer falling through. I am feeling some kind of way about it. I carry on about my day but on a chance I check my account. Low and behold my second pair of Stuart Weitzman snakeskin Backview gladiator sandals. My items have been selling like hotcakes. I am very proud to take the action from Halloween Monday’s Holiday Promo webinar (Read here: http://carlarjenkins.blogspot.com/2016/11/ebay-adventure-holiday-promo-prep.html   ). Furthermore, I am very happy that I have stood on my price raising my domestic shipping price for all of gladiator sandals. I have been hit with the dim weight at the post office ($45, I will never forget that!). I have learned from the webinar that I should never apologize for raising my prices because I am a businesswoman. Wal-Mart doesn’t apologize; and, because I have not felt too sorry to raise my domestic shipping price. The customer has purchased them anyway. I am proud to have stood my ground regarding my prices because items are flying off of the shelves!

Shop my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Wheeling and Dealing

                My eBay store activity has picked after these two sales. Also, I am happy that those weird midnight requests are gone. I have noticed something new that is happening to me. I am starting to receiving offers and counteroffers. This is a new trend so I am starting to flex my counteroffer muscle. In one such case, I have a brown embossed Kate Spade purchase where someone pitches me $35 for $75. I counteroffer $45. It is fair because half of $75 is $37.50. She has not replied but I am standing in my price and fairness. Since the beginning my counteroffer policy has always been ½ of the stated price. I am not bending over that. Remember, even though I am decluttering, this is a business. As a seller, my goal is to make a profit. I always tuck that MBA in the back of mind. It is the reason why I have made over $3200 in sales in 4 ½ months.

Shop my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure - Holiday Promo Prep

                I registered for this Holiday webinar happening on Halloween for two reasons: 1) I knew that I would get something out of it from the teacher and 2) I had not had an eBay sale in 1 week. I needed to do something different to get a different result. It was first advertised as a lottery selection. If you reshared the coach’s Periscope and Facebook Live livestreaming content, you would enter a lottery to be picked for a free ticket. I never believed that pay thing because I was already enrolled so why would not I had been accepted. That was neither here nor there. I registered for the webinar. It was not like I was trick or treating (Sidebar : I did tell my father to go to the Heinen’s grocery store and pick more candy for the kids in the neighborhood). I might as well did some personal development plus this webinar could help my bottom line.

                I attended the webinar where I learned and laughed so much throughout. The coach gave us 30 ways to make money. I started taking notes because I knew that my eBay store would benefit from this. The light bulb came on : I would put several of my Kate Spade purses up for sale. Accessories were huge! Although women may not fit a size 12 shoe or dress, every woman wore a purse. That addition expanded my target market. That meant more money and I sorely needed that. Even though the webinar ended at 11pm, immediately I started photographing my items. I uploaded 2 Stuart Weitzman sandals and 5 Kate Spade purses. I was proud to had done that all before midnight. I knew that I was ready for tomorrow and more sales.

Shop my eBay store: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Downtown DC Nordstrom Rack Grand Opening

            I sashayed 15 minutes before the 9am grand store opening and the line snaked all the way from 18^th and L street to K street where the Bank of America branch.  Regardless of my lateness, I received the Nordstrom Rack mesh bag for being one of the first 1000 customers. Immediately I went for the Kate Spade purses.  This store had a lot of variety. I snapped up the beige big purse and red and black patent leather shoppers. I added one pair of Paige denim jeans. I was the happiest when my receipt said that I spent $528.81 but saved $584. Now that was an accomplishment! Below was my photo of my downtown DC Nordstrom Rack stash:

Paige denim jeans and three Kate Spade purses from downtown DC Nordstrom Rack

Having an Actual Labor-Free Saturday!

Today I have awakened finally able to catch my breath and enjoy this Saturday without running errands. I walk to Books-a-Million (partially because my beloved Borders is out of business) to purchase the latest Washingtonian and Dolce Vita magazines. The latter is an affluent lifestyle magazines befitting of the DuPont Circle area. Seeing that the Books-a-Million doesn’t have the latest Capitol File magazine, I walk down Connecticut to News World magazine shop to buy it. I can always count on this store to have the latest magazines. And viola! Of course, News World has it along with O magazines. I grab these two magazines and head back to my apartment where I watch the Food Network and read these four magazines before departing at 12:30pm for my Four Seasons restaurant lunch date.

I decide to wear the floral v-neck Eliza J dress and carry my larger brown embossed croc Kate Spade purse to accommodate my Capitol File magazine while walking down M street. Realizing that I late, I hail a cab at 21st costing me $5.25. Though I know that I could’ve walked seven more blocks and been late, I think that it is my personal responsibility to be on time. I refuse to take advantage of other people over some meal. I arrive there ordering fish tacos (which dare I say are better than Oceanaire’s that I had during restaurant week and that eatery is renowned for its seafood!) and leaving with a $26 bill ($22 meal with $4 tip). My lunch is cheaper than yesterday’s breakfast (Four Seasons charged $6 for orange juice. Luckily, it didn’t charge for refills.).

I walk back home down M Street crossing the St. Mathews church where the bums that I’ve scrapped with sitting on the streets. Since I report them to the church father, they haven’t said anything to me. This makes my day since it’s static-free. I settle down watching TV yet automatically become uninterested because I love wearing my floral dress and must get outside. Therefore, I drop off eleven dresses to the dry cleaners. Since the weather is starting to cooperate staying in the upper 80s instead of the blazing 100s, I can now wear lined dresses. Dropping them off also means that they no longer occupy my mesh bag but now will hang from the closet. I can pick them up Wednesday. Still feeling fidgety and realizing that the Books for America store is still open I call it asking for donating my 15 books. Ironically, the Labor weekend has me doing my spring (fall) cleaning because the end of American summer. I stock all of them in my CVS reusable bag and walk through DuPont Circle down P street to 22nd street where Joshua reviews them for highlighter marks then hand me my donation slip.

As I head up the hill, 15 books lighter, Pesce restaurant captures my attention. It opens up at 5:30pm coinciding with my climb so I enter asking if it’s opened. The bartender says yes and I ask to be seated near the window. Out of nowhere, the waiter puts the large menu board in another seat right next to me. This is a first. I ask him questions about the appetizers and the entrees before ordering the spaghettini. Containing shrimp, corn, broccoli, and linguine sauce, this dish is worth the $20! Since this is a local seafood restaurant not part of a national chain, I will patronize this establishment again. Finally, for now I have returned to my humble abode full of no hard errand running just having fun, enjoying the weather, decluttering my life and reading my favorite magazines.