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Hi there! I’m Crystal from Texas! My daughter Julia and I have an eBay store, JulesBijouxVintage that we started in March of 2018. I’ve been selling on Amazon since 2011. My business sputtered to an almost complete stop in 2017 (health issues, which are mainly resolved…Yay!), but have ramped back up and now Amazon and eBay are beginning to generate some serious cash for us. I was Merchant Fulfilled on Amazon from 2011 to the middle of 2014 when I started FBA… that screeched to a halt when AZ instituted the Storage Fees for every item in 2016. Health cratered, family problems AND Hillary lost tipped me over the edge… oh well! All is MUCH better now!
My Amazon is long-tail books (books are everywhere here) and eBay is vintage clothing and stuff.
We do have a dedicated building to the business but I want another building to house listed items, it’s very crowded in here now… I just have to convince my husband Noel…8-)
Anyway, I’ve been listening to Jay and Ryanne for the last year… I’ve got lots of podcasts to catch up, I made a spread sheet of the episodes and date them as I listen. I’v a former bookkeeper, banker and salesperson so statistics and record-keeping are my thing. I’m using GoDaddy bookkeeping for the business but since I don’t have the Pro account on Amazon any more, I’ve started with Quicken to see if I can integrate all the platforms so its easy at tax time. Oh, yes…we have listings of Mercari, Poshmark and a few Etsy items as well… it’s fun! So, thanks for having me here, I know I’ll learn a lot and hopefully I can contribute some help now and then.
Crystal -
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We split the profit 55/45 since I work more at the business. I actually fund the purchases. She works at a local thrift store and brings in a lot of our stock. They have rules so that if a person is interested in something, another person prices it, so it’s a fair process for the seller and the buyer. Also, she does get to look through the recycling and bring things home from there. She’s found some really good, profitable items that way.
I’ve been collecting items to sell on eBay since I started the Amazon business, so there is quite a back-log of items to list there. I have a sister who likes to go thrifting with me and we have made a number of week-long trips over the years and are fixing to go on another trip in a few months.
Its a fun process for us both. I really enjoy listening to you and Ryanne on the podcasts just talking about your business. It’s very apparent that you really like each other and what you are doing in your lives.
I do have a 24 X 32 Morgan Portable building that is dedicated to the business. I’m in the process of convincing my husband that we need another building to house the items that are listed. We are just crammed in here and it’s hard to work because we constantly have to shift things around just to get to them. So, that’s in the works. We live in the country so we have plenty of room for another structure.
AND we just made a really good sale yesterday, 5 Mikasa Margqux crescent salad plates for 55.00 each, so 275.00… getting ready to pack those babies up! 😎 I bought those 02/21/12 for .41 cents each. The didn’t get listed until 09/25/18… I know! But it took that long for Jules to teach me how to list on eBay.. I can list on Amazon in my sleep practically. We have 1700 items on Amazon but I really need to cull…so running out of shelf space…the newest are in boxes on the floor. 426 items on eBay and we have a Premier Store so much work to do! -
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Amazon is long-tail books – anything I think I can get someone to give me 10.95 for as the minimum. I’ll sell craft booklets for less…sometimes but I sold one yesterday, a cross-stitch pattern for Hunting Dogs for 16.95. If an item has a barcode that comes up on Amazon, okay but I’m not un-gated in anything except Collectible Books. I’m really not into RA much – I like the old stuff. I really don’t like shopping in stores except for the Thrift Stores. My husband does all the grocery shopping and so on… I like that.
We have to get rid of a cactus bed for the place I want to put the new building. Any thoughts on solar-powering because I’d like to not have to string an electric wire to the new building?-
Solar power is affordable if you can install yourself. Its a long term investment if you hire someone. But running a electric line would be cheaper.
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I found this site for a company that will help you with the large solar power diy project:
https://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-information/diy-solar
Mark
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Welcome Crystal! I thought I’d say hi as I see a lot of similaries in our stories. Until recently I volunteered at a thrift store for many years and your daughter’s experience there is the same as mine was. And I have a sister that I go on thrifting trips with too. Happy selling to you!
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Hey Vintage Treasures! Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I’m about to start planning our trip for this year, we’ll be gone about a week and will hit some old and new towns and locations. It should be fun! Looking forward to it. Also,my son lives in New Jersey so I’m able to do limited thrfiting when I go visit him. I really like seeing the difference in items in different parts of the country…plus it’s nice to take a break from the home-front and always nice to get back! Happy Selling to you as well!
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