eBay Adventure - eBay Layaway

I received an email from a buyer talking about being on vacation and wanting me to hold her item. Well, it is in an open case for an unpaid item strike. Since she was a repeat buyer, I was in the process of contacting eBay to see what I could do. I had something like this happen to me before. I had a lady who bought an item, it became an unpaid item strike. After the case closed, she emailed me saying that she was on vacation in western Africa and had janky wifi (She never bought the item). It was amazing how some people thought that eBay was layway but the rules clearly stated that you had to pay for your item in 48 hours. Stories like these were one of the reasons why I started eBay Adventures because future resellers needed to know the real!

Shop my latest in tall woman’s affordable luxury fashion here:

www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Watch my latest eBay fashion livestream to see my collection upfront:

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

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 – 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 - 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

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 – 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