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So, we had some crazy, crazy snow here. My storage area roof was damaged due probably to the heavy snow and is now leaking like a sieve inside the proper storage area where my Ebay items are. I have likely lost about 1/3 of my items. Does anyone have any advice as to how to salvage neck ties (they are just soaking wet-will they survive? I have never had this happen. Thankfully most of my items are in plastic storage totes, but some managed to get water inside and drenched a lot of items. I’m trying my best to remain calm about this, but this is my “only” income for right now. And things are very slow for me and now this. Any encouragement or words of wisdom are greatly appreciated. I am afraid to keep digging to see what else I have lost. I just want to throw the towel in. Thanks.
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I’m sorry this happened to you. If things have been difficult for you, I’m sure that water damage can feel like a gut punch.
Best thing to do is approach this as logically as you can. Get everything away from the water to a dry place. Then start drying items out. Clothes, ties, etc will all clean up in the wash. Hard good should be good. Anything too damaged should be removed from eBay so you avoid “defects” because you have to cancel sales.
How many items are in your eBay inventory?
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I’m trying to remain level headed about this. It’s just “stuff”, but I will say, it is difficult to. @Jay, I have 792 items.
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- Oh, Daisy, that’s rough! The good news is, yes, most of the ties should survive. You can buy a Dry Cleaning Kit for about $12 at Walmart. You use it in your washing machine and just throw all the ties in there, along with any clothes that were listed dry clean only. Follow the instructions on the box and you’re golden. If you’re not sure about the dryer, dry then with no heat, or hang dry, or dry flat. Cotton and other natural fibers can just go through a normal wash. Synthetic fibers generally wash on cold. Once everything has been washed and dried, inspect to see if they look the same as the photos and repack. If there are some that have a difference to the photos, can you snap a couple of quick photos and replace the old ones? Don’t forget to update the condition!
The good news is, while it’s a daunting task, it will go faster than you think, and you’re getting an inventory check while you’re at it. Plus, all those updates will give your listings a boost, so eBay will reward you for working in your business!
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Thanks for the tips, Jay and Amatino. I have gone through most of the items. Only about 20 were lost, but only because I grabbed a wet cardboard box, and the bottom fell out. The ceramic items in it fell out and most of them broke. I’ve gone ahead and removed the damaged items. It did go pretty fast, thing is I’m getting soaked from the water coming in and it’s cold, so I am only doing about 2 hours of clean up a day. This really makes me not want to sell on ebay anymore. I LOVE selling on ebay, but along with all else I have going on, I just cannot afford the time it’s taking me to clean up the mess.
Now, I have to go through every item in my store and change the “location”, since I just stuck the items in dry boxes to keep things moving along. Oh the joy!
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Someone else here had a flood in their basement and came back from it. Maybe it’ll give you a chance to find more dependable storage. Spring is coming!
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Don’t quit, CC. Every successful business has its good and bad. The best quote I’ve ever heard is this one:
There is no absolute boundary between winning and losing. As long as you keep moving forward, a low point can turn into a high point. Our world is never a straight path. There are ups and downs, wins and losses, and no end.
Some days I just want to quit, but every day that I keep moving forward is a good day, and I usually don’t regret staying the course.
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