eBay Adventure - A Dollar Doesn’t Buy What It Use To

                Christmas selling season has been slower than average. I admit that I have not been writing eBay Adventure and going onto Periscope as much. Also I have been a tad bit under the weather stopping my progress. Yesterday night I willed myself to do a late night Periscope detailing how I was not taking New Year’s orders for both US and global buyers. I loaded it into HootSuite and reshared it to Twitter aggregators retiring for the night.

                I awake today and break my ‘no email first thing in the morning’ rule. Whenever I break this, it does not go well; but, something in my spirit tells me so I do it. I check this $1 Stuart Weitzman eBay bid offer. Her letter says ‘$75 shipping is a mistake?’. I decline that offer explaining that the $75 shipping for the global priority because the post office lists gladiator sandals as dim weight items. Dim weight items receive an extra charge. This correspondence gives me a chuckle that will take me throughout my day!

                I am taking New Year’s orders for both domestic and global clients. Shop my store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Keeper of my Word

                I have noticed as of lately that people are emailing me after the sale. Yesterday is the same. I received an email for my Stuart Weitzman Dunkirk boots saying that she would pay $75. I quickly relisted changing it from auction to fixed price. I gave it $100 fixed price emailing her back then returning to sleep.

                This morning I see 2 bids: 1) for $90 and 2) the other $75. Well, I have kept my word accepting the $75. Although the other bid is $15 more but I am kept my word. Integrity is very important to me as a businesswoman. It is the best way to run my shop.

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

eBay Adventure – Pause for the Cause

                Okay I am the first to admit that having 4 sales in 5 days (one of those days was Veterans Day, a federal holiday) is time and energy consuming. You have to pack, write thank you letters and ship. Resale is hard work so I have taken a slight break Monday. All I’ve done is track my Saturday package. I haven’t relisted anything. I even let some things expire. I just take a break from the madness (It also helps that I am getting instant PayPal payments because now I don’t have to wait until the buyer receives her package to receive my money.)

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

eBay Adventure – Receiving My 15th Star

                I have working feverishly photographing merchandise to put in my store. There have been a lot of sales lately but I will keep all of my items ready for sale. I must keep a fully stocked store especially with these few weeks before Thanksgiving. After uploading new merchandise, I see a new rating. It has gone from 14 to 15. My heart flutters because I am truly honored that my customers view me so highly. I will remember these hearts because they say that they appreciate my customer service. I shop same day upon payment. Also I ship only domestic and global USPS priority mail so that my customers get their items ASAP! On a personal note, I am very happy that my overall rating increases to 92.3%. Haters take that!

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

eBay Adventure - All Hail Instant Payment PayPal

                Resale is not an easy business. I have been doing it for 5 months. I have listed, relisted, negotiated, fought fraudsters, checked ungrateful customers and been surprised by shipping weight more than once at the post office. Throughout it all, I’ve written thank you cards, purchased materials and shipping the same day as payment. All of this toiling and seed planting have reaped me a bountiful harvest: I now qualify for PayPal’s instant payment.

                This blessing ranks right up there like manna from heaven! Liquidity and solvency are important to every business. Instant payments mean that I can transfer the money to my bank. I achieve liquidity because these transfers are cash infusions. Also with cash on hand I stay solvent by paying my bills!

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

eBay Adventure - 120 Days In

                This 30-day period is my slowest because I have taken myself offline after the Depop failure. I have emotionally regroup from that. I have only sold one item for $55; and, I am perfectly okay with that because eBay’s fees are super slow. The last thing I need right now is a heavy heart and high fees. I do think that I will reassess what I do regarding selling my clothes.

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

eBay Adventure - 90 Days In

                Right after Labor Day, I am in a very nadir place. I have decided to sell my clothing items on Depop. I have seen some YouTube personalities mention it so I say ‘why the heck not?’ Well after 6 weeks with no role (I’ve even done a Labor Day sale plastering my photos everywhere from Blogger to Instagram to Pinterest with no such luck.). I have never experienced no sales. It has taken me less than 2 weeks to get my first eBay sale. I declare defeat deleting my Depop store.

                This has taken a whole lot out of me. First, I’ve devoted time towards learning a new system. Second, I have created a separate marketing campaign. Third, I am still stuck with unsold inventory which costs me time, space and money. I so need a break from resale!

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

OFA Alumni Volunteer Meetup at the Lincoln Memorial

                I have gone to the Organizing for Action (OFA) alumni volunteer meetup at the Lincoln Memorial. I am very happy to be in an elite class. Also I am glad to switch out of the Cleveland fashion week t-shirt for the Ann Taylor blouse because it’s a more formal event. I feel slightly underdress when I see black men in suits show up. I am very glad to be photographed. Most importantly, I am grateful to not sit down because I’m tall and in the front. I highly doubt that those ladies would’ve told a man that. Yes, I’m defiant but hey that’s the same character trait that has given me the Vote Corps slot. I am no slouch.

                I see myself as others there back in the same place four years later. I am going to do the work to ensure this. I guarantee. Check out my video!

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 – Here’s to Another Successful Week

                I am fresh off of receiving three sales. I have been successful implementing the webinar strategies and shipping same day as I receive payment. I attribute my success towards more than merely positive thinking. I have taken massive action. I have been thinking like a businesswoman. I am looking at the sales goals subtracting my costs of goods sold. This is why I have increased the domestic shipping cost for my gladiator sandals. That dim weight shipping cuts into the revenue.

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 – Receiving my 14th Gold Star

                I have been under the weather for the previous two days. It has been wrenched. I am just happy to have loaded up my store, done my Periscope and built rapport with people. My two packages have been shipped. When I feel better, check my eBay profile and see my 14^th gold star. I am extremely grateful whenever I receive these gold stars because I am honored that they truly love my stuff (I am getting teary-eyed even typing this because I am very happy that I have a successful store. 4.5 months into this eBay adventure!). Seeing this rating reinvigorates my spirit to be better and restock my store.

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 – Foot Fetish?

                Now I was fresh off the holiday sales webinar feeling great. I had a full store and was about to retire when I saw that I had a message on eBay. I assumed that it was from one of my newer sales. Nope! It was from someone asking about the Rene Caovilla. These inquires were old hat. There were so many people asking about them. I even had people direct message me on Instagram about them; yet, they were still in my store. I relisted them at least twice. I opened up the message and here was someone telling me that I needed to photograph myself wearing the sandals. Yo! Was the person contacting me a foot fetish person?! It was 12:55 am after all. I shot the photo (no fingernail polish. No one got this at this ungodly hour of the morning!). I admitted that I was sideswiped by that strange request. I woke up later that day seeing the Rene Caovilla

Shop my eBay store: 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

eBay Adventure – Going for Dolo

                After the success of my other Instagram boosted posts, I’ve decided to shoot my own eBay Instagram ad. Normally I use the eBay Fashion logo but fearing copyright infringement, I shoot my Stuart Weitzman and Gucci boxes, I upload the photo then click on promote only to be told that my photo had to be in landscape! Great! What a waste of copy! Now I have to shoot the boxes sideways leaving enough space for my eBay store URL. That’s a lot of energy to do again so I wait 3-4 days focusing on my current sales and new store merchandise (I have to make money regardless if I post an ad).

                I return to photograph it in landscape, go into Picmonkey to put my URL on the photo then upload it t Instagram. Finally, the system lets me promote my post for $5 (I am a very cheap person. I have to see what this ad does with $5 before I spend $10). Shooting my own ad is a big step for me as an entrepreneur. I am creating my own products’ ad campaigns. Not too shabby for someone who had just converted her Instagram from personal to business only one month ago!

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

eBay Adventure – How to Make over $3200 in eBay Sales

I decided that for Nanowrimo (national novel writing month) to write about my eBay Adventures. I perused my seller dashboard (the first time in at least one month) and saw that I cumulatively sold $3231. That was astounding given that I had started this June. I sold 30 items. I was extremely happy at my progress. Now it’s story time:

Resale is Rough

                Selling on eBay is hard. I had to take September off because I was so drained. Although you look at the sales numbers thinking that this is good, it is very hard fighting bad customers, nothing selling and fraudsters. I am happy to have rebound

Constant Improvement is Key

                When I first started, I did not know what the proper box dimensions were. I shipped everything in the same box. Now I was wiser, I bought boxes that saved me money. The white boxes saved me hundreds of dollars in shipping.

Change Your Global Shipping Price to Above $50

                I learned this the hard way. Initially, it was $40 but after a couple of Paris global USPS priority shipments and I upped that price to $50. $10 was a lot of money to part with when your global shipping was $45.

No Global Shipping for Lower-priced Items

                Anything under $125 dollars was US only. There was not enough return on investment to make it globally. I was glad that I established that rule in the beginning else global shipping would eat all of my profits.

Be a Stickler for Customer Service

                I have always learned from my customers and shipped the same day as payment. I felt that if they paid for it, why not ship it the same day. Also I expanded to shipping on Saturday ahead of a holiday because people want their stuff. Doing this has a wonderful side-benefit: PayPal releases your money faster. I am now receiving instant PayPal even before I ship the product. PayPal trusts me so much that I automatic receive my money allowing me to transfer it into my bank account. It feels good to be rewarded because I have stood on these shipping the same day at payment receipt. There are some people who make hundreds of thousands of dollars yet PayPal still holds their money until their customers received their merchandise. After 4 months, I deserve this.

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

eBay Adventure - Racking Up Stars

                This past weekend and this Monday I received three orders from two clients. One in California and another one in DC. As always I shipped my orders within one business day. Yesterday I visited my eBay account to add inventory and saw my two new 100% customer ratings. Below is the photo showing it.

                I pride myself on providing high quality customer service in the form of answering questions, taking a lot of photos and shipping the same day as payment received. Doing these three things enabling me to have not just one sale but have multiple repeat clients. 

eBay Adventure – Firing Your Bad Customers

                I have received an email from a customer who wants a discount on an already worn, discounted item. I have told her that I could not honor her request for 3-4 reasons. Below is the synopsis of my response:

                Thanks for the correspondence and concern but I will not give you a discount and these are my 3 reasons.

·         First, the stilts price was originally $100. I agreed to your $65 best offer bid. That was already a 35% discount.

·         Second, I also extended my shipping deadline to accommodate you because you were on vacation. My normal shipment was 2 business days. I shipped on Saturday which was not a business day and outside the original scope of what I did for my other customers. You mentioned vacation after purchase.

·         Third, my description clearly stated worn and I priced my merchandise as such.

·         My store policy clearly stated no returns. I made no misconceptions about the material or my policies. I had accommodated your shipping request and accepted a deeply discounted item.

I had a situation like this before and eBay sided with me because I made no misrepresentation. Also you would have to explain to eBay how your telling me that you have been on vacation post-purchase would be in your favor. All of our correspondence was through eBay and that would be used in the decision-making process.

What I have learned throughout my 120 days on eBay, that sometimes you have to fire your customers because they are trying to take advantage of you. As a seller, never become a doormat!

Visit my eBay store at www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6.

eBay Adventure – Weather or Not

                I have been checking the USPS mail tracker feverishly because one of my packages is going to Florida. As many of you know, Hurricane Matthew has wrecked the Sunshine State. Whenever I check the tracker, it says weather delay. It is all up and down my tracking notes. I will be the first person to tell you when I started my eBay decluttering process that I had no idea that I would have been shipping into the eye of the hurricane; yet, here I am shipping my order on Saturday directly into the middle of Hurricane Matthew. I just pray for everyone’s safety (including the postman!) and that my buyer receives her package unharmed.

Visit my store: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Standing Up for Myself

                The person who tried underbidding me at $150 returned with a $200 offer. I accepted it because it was closer towards 50% ($225). I stood up for myself because there was no way that I allowed any buyer to undermine me! That was someone that you had to learn as an eBay seller. There were people out there trying to nickel and dime. It was mandatory to stand firm because this was a business and as a seller you must have a breakeven analysis and cost of goods sold (the cost to ship your product).

I brought up cost of goods sold aspect because it a vital part of revenue. In business sale – cost of goods sold = revenue. Cost of goods sold is a uniform price. The post office charged you, the seller, the same amount of the package dimensions regardless of sales price. Lowering your sales price meant a cut into your revenue. That was why I stood up and declined the $150 but accepted the $200 because I needed a buffer and to generate revenue! eBay was a business and the buyers would respect that!

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

eBay Adventure – Sometimes You Have to Walk Away

                Feeling great about my current momentum, I took to Periscope showcasing my sales and my new merchandise. Also I loaded the replay into my HootSuite redistributing it across all of my social media platforms. That was the behind the scenes work that most sellers did not understand. You cannot simply open a store. You had to do marketing and business development. Maintaining this blog and doing my Periscopes (converting some of my best into YouTube videos) were part of my marketing campaign. I would had been remissed thinking that my two newer sales were a result of my sharing my photos online, blogging and Periscope.

                Later Thursday night I checked my eBay to get the store link for a blog post. I received an announcement saying that I had a bid. I saw that someone wanted $150 for a new $450 item and I flatly declined it saying that it was too low. No one was getting me on a new item for 1/3 the cost. That was highway robbery. I would had entertained something over $325 but come on, now no one would get a Gianvito Rossi shoe for $150! Sometimes you had to walk away from a sale which I did. There might be a very real possibility that I would have to relist my item; and, I am okay with that because I had retained my integrity and sales policy!

                Visit my store at http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Increasing Sales Report

                Thursday morning the only thing that I had to do was drop off my eBay order to the post office. Nothing more, nothing less. I went about my morning walk (I must process everything), breakfast and the usual stuff. The one thing I did not do was check my email because I would be reacting to someone that happened in the past and during the morning I focused on the present and future which were occurring today.

                Upon my returning home, I checked my email and saw two new sales. I was happy because people were noticing my store. There were so many eBay stores out there and for someone to buy from me was great. Since it was not 9am, I was all set to pack up these shoes when I received a message from the buyer. She told me to delay the shipment due to travel. I was okay with that because I received the money and she gave me a heads up.

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

eBay Adventure – Breaking the Ice

                Immediately after relisting my items, I received a sale. It was at night and completely unexpected. I was grateful even though it was $25 because someone decided to part with her money. You had to be grateful for that especially after a 3-week layoff. I hoped that this first sale created some momentum for my store because I surely needed it (and the items were piling up. Remember, decluttering was my original reason for opening the eBay store.). I still considered uploading some of my clothes to do another go round.

                Visit my store at: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure - Gold Star for You!

                After a 3-week layoff, I have returned to eBay and what awaits me but a gold star next to my username?! I am beyond ecstatic because this means that I am moving up the ranks. Furthermore, since my last sale, I have received two more 100% ratings making my return that much sweeter! Below is the gold star:

I have returned because I have regained clarity. I admit that the whole Depop situation was a bummer. I have worked hard on selling my clothes but it hasn’t worked out on either eBay or Depop; and, then also, I need some cash flow. I like have another income stream so I have uploaded my shoes adjusting some of the prices. I will upload all of my shoes onto eBay by Wednesday night because my goal is to carry over $2000 worth of material (I am currently at $1150).  

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

Depop Diaries - Closing My DePop Store

                Sometimes as businesspeople you have to make decisions. I have decided to close my DePop store after not selling anything in my store. I have been here for 6 weeks and haven’t made one sale; not, even with a Labor Day sale and extensive promotion. Below is my email to DePop to close my store. Now I have the task of finding another place to sell my clothing because I have a substantial backlog. I will try ThreadUp and some other places. I may even have to return to eBay (gasp!).

eBay Adventure – Increasing my Feedback Score

                Expedited shipping is paying dividends with my customer feedback store. I am officially at 90% (10 positive, 1 negative). I am totally surprised at the last 2 responses because they have come out of nowhere; however, I am extremely grateful for them. All I promise to do is to ship the same day that I receive payment. As I approach my 90^th day on eBay, I have centered my mission on ensuring the best shipping ever.

                As a relatively new eBay seller, I like customer feedback because I learn so much from it. During these past 90 days, customer feedback has taught me that I need more photos, priority shipping is great and to stand my ground against fraud and my return policy.

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

eBay Adventure - Keeping My Store Full

                I have promised myself to keep my online store full at all times. Honestly, there are days when there is nothing in there. Starting this week, there is always something in my store. It is very important to do this because some of my customers are looking for items. Today I will add more items into my store. I am coming onto the 90-day mark and although I have not sold over much over this 30-day period, I am very happy that I have become more consistent in keeping my store full. This week’s goals are:

• Keep my store full
• Ensure that I have over $1000 worth of item in my store
• Have at least 2 sales this week
• Seeing how to reintegrate my clothes since they are not selling on Depop

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

eBay Adventure – Making Money on Labor Day

                Labor Day is a federal holiday where I have done absolutely nothing (and I am proud of it!). I know that I am an entrepreneur but I am all about having days off! Labor Day is Labor Day! So you can imagine my surprise when I receive a bid for one of my shoes. Immediately I accept the bid and this being a repeat customer pays the same day. I ship the item Tuesday morning (Income generating activity always come first in the morning!). This is the very first time that I have made money on a holiday. In addition, I am very thankful that PayPal has released last week’s money on Labor Day because I need all of my money no just some of it!

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

eBay Adventure - Tracking Global Shipping Program Like Santa Claus

                I admit that I am intrigued with the global shipping program. I have always shipped my own packages. I like being in control and have read horror stories about eBay sellers using the program but receiving bad feedback due to mismanagement. This is how eBay’s global shipping program works. First, I mail the package to the Kentucky warehouse. Second, eBay warehouse’s confirms receipt reissuing you a new tracking number. Third, the customer receives the package. I am happy to announce that my first global shipping program package has arrived at its destination!

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

Depop Diaries – Labor Day Sale

                From today, September 3, 2016 to Friday, September 9, 2016, I am running a Depop Labor Day sales on select items. Below is a photo collage with the select items that are on sale.  PayPal ONLY!

First row (left-right)

Alice + Olivia blue sequined dress $125

Alice + Olivia melon ruched dress $30

LaRok sequined leggings $20

Second row (left-right)

Silver Michael by Michael Kors dress $50

Vince sequined dress $25

Enzo Angiolini slingback shoes $50

Third row (left-right)

Black Michael by Michael Kors dress $30

Black & Silver Michael by Michael Kors dress $30

Alice + Olivia silk floral maxi dress $200

PayPal email: carlarjenkins@yahoo.com

Visit my Depop store here: https://www.depop.com/en-us/phenomena

Depop Diaries – Loading Up on the Inventory

                Determined to generate my first sale on Depop, I have been loading up on the inventory as of late. In these past two days, I have added 8 new items. Below are the four new items that I have added to my online store:

Clockwise: Alice + Olivia silk butterfly maxi, $100; Ann Taylor Loft turquoise cotton maxi, $20; Alice + Olivia silk floral maxi, $125; and mint floral Ted Baker v-neck dress, $50. I have international shipping for both the Alice + Olivia maxi dresses. Now my online Depop store has nearly 20 items. By being diligent on my Depop store, I see myself receiving my first sale on this platform. I have put the same amount of elbow grease into my eBay store netting me over $2000.

Visit my Depop store here: https://www.depop.com/en-us/phenomena

Depop Diaries – New Inventory = New Money

                Buoyed by my first Depop customer inquiry, I have decided to dedicate more time and energy towards turning a profit. I have uploaded 4 new items: 3 dresses and 1 pair of shoes. I have also kept up with the cocktail dress theme. All three of my dresses are sequined. My shoes are too. I am making sure that my prices are fair but have also entered *no swaps, no returns* in the item descriptions. People have a tendency not to read my bio which also states that. Furthermore, I am considering a Labor Day sale this week starting either Wednesday or Thursday (I am thinking about running one on my eBay site too as to thank the customers for purchasing from my site.).

                Below are the four new items that I have added to my store:

You can buy these items here: https://www.depop.com/en-us/phenomena

Depop Diaries – My First Customer Inquiry

                Okay so I have not been on Depop because I am not receiving any sales. eBay has been generating money so that’s where my attention has been; however, today, I peruse the app and notice that I receive something in my inbox. Well, what do you know? There is a question about bidding on my dress. I am willing to accept a lower rate (above 50%, of course!) with full shipping. I am very happy about this because my store is starting to make traction; and, my goal is to move as many clothes as possible. Depop is part of my decluttering process. eBay is moving my shoes at a fairly fast clip; but, I still have piles of clothes that I have not worn in a long time that I have not been able to sell on eBay. I hope that the lady returns to Depop because I am anticipating my first sale on this site.

Visit my Depop store here: https://www.depop.com/en-us/phenomena

eBay Adventure – Fees Don’t Fail Me Now

                I receive my monthly fee statement and nearly have a heart attack because it is higher than last month (Darn fraudsters! See here: http://carlarjenkins.blogspot.com/2016/08/ebay-adventure-fraudsters-are-back.html ). I have called eBay customer service to remove the $1000 because I am being charged fees. The $1000 in the red is being counted as payments but it is fraud (As of today, eBay still has not removed it so I will call again because the last thing that I need in my life is paying fees due to fraud. Yuck!

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

eBay Adventure - Expanding Shipping Options

                I have relisted the global shipping item that the customer wanted. She returned and placed a bid which I accepted. Even before she pays me (she has two days), I tweeted eBay’s customer service account to learn more about its global shipping program. What I have learned is that I do the same thing as before: ship it priority but only this time, I ship to the center not the customer. This means that I am relinquishing control of shipping. I am photographing my merchandise in the box as an insurance policy because my customer will not blame me for the middleman especially since she has selected the global shipping program option. However, I am very happy to make my first sale this week.

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

eBay Adventure – Change the Name, Keep the Game

                This weekend I realized that I needed to view my eBay store as a business. Heck, it generated over $2000 since June. I followed this guy, Raiken Profit, on YouTube and started watching his videos. He sold on eBay and Amazon FBA so why not better educate myself? I was in the sales profession and I needed to become a better seller. That meant because learning new or more ways to improve my online eBay sales. Right now, I had to do some continuous improvement just like I did with project management. I took Raiken’s advice and changed my title and my summaries; I changed my prices; and, changed some of my sales from fixed to auction or auction to fixed. I needed to increase the probability of receiving my sales.

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

eBay Adventure – Learning from Earning

                These past two months have been an extreme learning curve for me. I have gone from zero to pro (at least in my own mind). I have handled a disgruntled customer, two fraud complaints and fielded many customer inquiries. Also I have learned the importance of photography and timely shipping. My same-day shipping philosophy is the reason why PayPal releases my money 2 days after the buyer receives his merchandise versus 30 days like in June. I have learned a whole lot from my two months on eBay. Until June, I did not think that I could sell over $2000 in merchandise by myself. I have always had a job so being able to move 2 Gs’ worth of merchandise is very big for me. Now I know how to properly operate an online store, fulfillment, customer service, marketing and eliminating fraud. As always, you can visit my store:

http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Global Shipping Program

                I have listed some new merchandise receiving a brand new order. I have also received a new customer inquiry about the global shipping program. I have never heard about this program before so I tweet @askeBay to inquire. I think that it would be better if I call customer service so that they can walk me through it. I would love to sell the shoes to her so I have called eBay’s customer service line. The representative has been very helpful guiding me through the process. I have learned that I can select eBay Global Shipping for all of my items or just specific items. In addition, I have learned the eBay handles all of the shipping with the global shipping program and the company tries my packages as domestic items even when shipped globally (The customer inquiry comes from Germany). Once I have selected my specific item for the global shipping program. Hopefully, this customer returns and purchases it.

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

eBay Adventure – Class Act

                I have been writing eBay Adventures for a while and I love sharing my journey with so many people on Instagram and other social media channels. I have discussed with my coach how I have sold over $2000 in 60 days, combat fraud and bad customers trying to soil my reputation, she says that I should create my own eBay course. I think that this would be a great idea pricing it at $37; of course, I will give way more content and behind the scenes of creating a store, linking your PayPal, what to pick and how to accelerate PayPal releasing your funds (I have managed to go from 21-30 days to 5-7 days in less than 2 months!). My goal of this course to kill the learning curve! I don’t want anyone to go through the same mess that I have gone through. I don’t want anyone to un-learn all of the crap that I had to while reading resources. This course will solve all of this.

As always, I will still keep writing eBay Adventures because I love my community so much and am happy that you will continue sharing my journey with you!
Visit my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – Sales Solve Everything

                Sunday I uploaded new items and started promoting them all over social media. I also made a $1000/week goal accompanying my new merchandise. I thought that it would take some time to get a sale but, nope, out of nowhere came a sale and payment. Usually, I would have to wait 1-2 days for payment. Buyers would inundate me with ‘please’ give me 1 more day to pay. However, receiving the money is great because now I can prepare the item for shipping. This sale also moved me beyond the whole negative review thing because someone wants to buy from me. The only downside is that I will ship it out Tuesday because DC has a 115 heat index. I am not passing out in that because I will have to also go to Staples and re-up on boxes and tape. Like I have said in the title, ‘sales solve everything!’

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

eBay Adventure – New Merchandise = New Sales

                Yesterday I added some new merchandise onto my eBay store. I felt that it needed an overhaul and new blood. I added three new Stuart Weitzman shoes including the Saxony sandals. I promoted it on social media (Periscope, Twitter, Blogger and Instagram). This morning out of nowhere, I receive a sale. It also comes from a new repeat customer. I am very happy about it. I will ship the item tomorrow (I have no boxes and it is currently a DC heat index of 115 degrees). The great thing is that PayPal will release my money in one week.

                I am also thinking about relisting my Stuart Weitzman and doing video to highlight my merchandise so that people can see it. I am upping my livestream video game because I think that this is paying off. There is still over $2000 worth of merchandise in my decluttering process. I will move them.

                This new sale has been a learning experience about strategically using social media to generate sales. In addition, I will keep promoting my eBay store on Periscope. I know that I am getting a lot of reach out of it. I am very happy that I am off to a great start to this 30-day cycle.

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

eBay Adventure – Two Months In

                I have been selling on eBay for 60 days and have experienced every single imaginable incident (happy customers, unhappy customers, fraud). I have managed to sell nearly $2000 worth of items and have learned so much about how to operate a store, how to properly price my items, how to market myself and my store, stand up for myself against people who abuse eBay’s buyer protection program and the fraudsters who want to make a buck off of you.

                I have learned early on that my customer only wants to buy shoes so I have stopped uploading clothes. Instead, I have placed all of my clothes on Depop and started marketing that online platform. In addition, I have learned the importance of taking a copious amounts of photos, answering customers’ questions and shipping the items the same day I receive payment. Initially in the beginning, PayPal held onto my money for 21 days. Now if I ship on Monday, I receive my money two days after the customer receives her merchandise. This is big when I need the money to pay bills!

                Another thing that I have learned is how to properly price things. I have learned that the hard way ($177 in insertion and other fees during my first month). I have reduced or increased my price to sell 17 items in two months. In addition, I have leveraged social media namely Instagram and Blogger to generate awareness for my store. I have blogged eBay Adventure just to chronicle my experience as a newbie eBay seller trying to declutter her condo; and, the people love it. I am genuinely happy that so many people love reading about my journey because I have learned a lot along the way. Furthermore, photographing the blog post and uploading it to Instagram has spread like wildfire. Instagram enables me to share on Facebook and Twitter so I have three major social media outlets. Moreover, I have an eBay Pinterest board and have been on Periscope and Snapchat showcasing my latest additions. Overall, I must say that I have gotten some sales based on social media and blogging.

                Finally, I have experienced some bad things which happens. The bad customer and fraudsters have taught me not to believe everything that someone tells you on YouTube. The YouTubers will tell you that eBay always protects the buyer; however, that has not been the case for me. I offer no returns and promptly ship all merchandise.

I do have new sales goals for this new 30-day cycle. They are to move $1000 per week and to start working on devising my new fashion line. Now that I have gotten the hang of eBay and online selling, I am ready to take this to the next level.

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

DePop Diaries – Building Out My DePop Store

                I admit that I have not been paying as much attention to my DePop store because my eBay store has been making more money and I have been experiencing some fraud problems; however, I am BACK with a vengeance! I have added no less than 5 items to my store. It is essential that I fill out my DePop store. My goal is to have no less than 20 items on my store. Moreover, I have goals this week. I will make my first sale on DePop. I already have my Twitter linked to my DePop so whenever I upload something new, all of my followers see it. Blogging helps me so much because it gives me free advertising. Below are some of my new items. They range from Macy’s (blue ombre party dress) to Alice + Olivia (red floral asymmetrical maxi dress) to Michael by Michael Kors jaguar print skinny jeans. Finally, I will also advertise more on Instagram and Snapchat. Thus far, my biggest hurdle is not making enough people aware of my site. This will change starting today!

Visit my Depop.com store here: https://www.depop.com/en-us/phenomena

eBay Adventure – Positivity Not Matter What

                After an underwhelming day of combating the pesky fraudsters, I see that my customer review rating is back up to 7. I check to see that I have received another 100% customer rating from a Monday customer. I always pride myself in swift customer service. Same day pay. Same day ship (Hey, I like the jingle! I need to be in advertising!). This has really buoyed my spirits because I have so many positive feelings towards eBay. This auction platform has taught me a whole lot about selling and operating an online store.

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

eBay Adventure – The Fraudsters Are Back!

                I am feeling very good having taken my birthday off. I return to eBay to check the status of Monday’s shipments. When I click on my messages, I learn that the two fraudsters open a refund request out of nowhere saying that I have not shipped them their items. Angry I tweet eBay customer service; but, decide to ramp it up by calling the 800 customer service number. These chicks are NOT getting away with this! I call customer service tell them about the fraud and how they haven’t paid. The lady enters this information into the computer then transfers me to the actual fraud representative who sides with me and closes those two cases. Although this is not the ‘welcome back’ I expect from my birthday, I am very happy to expeditiously resolve this matter. People will try you on eBay yet still I rise!

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

eBay Adventure – Rebounding with Revenue-Generating Activities

                Monday morning my first order of business is going to the post office to ship my eBay order. It is a revenue-generating activity so it is first on my list. I cannot ignore this. I am awaiting another PayPal payment that is overdue but she promises to pay me as soon as she gets off of work. Hey, whatever. I just know that my birthday is Tuesday and I am not shipping anything until Wednesday. Technically, this buyer is beyond the 2-day pay period so I can cancel if she gets funny. Also, today summer has decided to return. Once again in DC it is over 90 degrees so I can get particularly cranky when it is humid.

                I arrive at the post office bright and early (9:10am) and am the third in line. Later this afternoon, the second buyer pays. Immediately I write my thank you card (I always express gratitude with my purchases. They can go anywhere else yet they have decided to pay me.) and the shoes. I manage to ship my second order around 4:30pm meaning that it will arrive to the buyer this Wednesday. This order was one of the shoes which the fraudsters ‘ordered’ but then left eBay. I regained some money out of the situation.

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