How does your employee list for you?? What is their process?

[Tina F]

I am training my helper and was wondering if my process is truly that fastest most efficient way. This is not the method I use when listing but I would like for her to be able to work even when I am not home. I would love to hear the process of others to see if I can speed up productivity.

In the ebay phone app she finds an active listing and does sell similar. Takes photos, includes the brand, size, measurements, condition, color, and weight in the title. Then saves as a draft. I go in on my computer and copy and paste where it needs to go. Unfortunately templates arent available on the mobile app so she wastes a couple minutes transitioning categories such Womens blouses to mens coats. Is this truly the best way to approach this?? Any advice would be appreciated!

Tina F

[Jay]

This sounds about right. We’ve taught her how to make “scheduled listings” since you can only see a certain number of drafts on the phone.

Its more important that you trust her and she’s a self-starter. I find that the little details work themselves out because a good worker learns to be efficient.

[Retro Treasures WV]

I have been experimenting with training methods on my wife. She tends to get overwhelmed and bogged down easy in the process.

The things that bog her down are:
Coming up with titles
Shipping
Pricing
Shipping
and lastly, shipping

With photography I tend to just let her go and develop her own methods and speed. She has had some great ideas for posing shirts and shoes.

So here are some of my ideas to help get the most out of a helper until they get more skill.

1. Have them tag items with a number rather than come up with a title. Dan from New Vintage NY does this with his helpers. They can create a draft with the number and get right into the meat of the listing (dimensions, condition, weight, item specifics). I can come up with a title very quickly through experience. Can be done when I am reviewing the draft. I don’t want to pay someone to learn all the keywords in describing shirts & shoes.

2. Have them provide basic dimensions and weight of the item only. No decisions on box sizes, how much weight to add for dunnage, what shipping method to use. Again, through a ton of experience I can pretty much look at an item and know what packing material to use, how much it will weigh, and what method of shipping is best. Why pay someone to waste precious minutes figuring it out and likely making a bunch of mistakes. The only stipulation I would add here is have them check to see if the item will fit in a flat rate mailer. That’s a simple yes/no data point.

3. Give them detailed guidance on what photos you want taken for common styles of items. I have a specific order I take photos for shirts, pants, and shoes and hats. It keeps the process flowing smoothly and quickly. Teach the method to them so they don’t meander in their photo taking. There should be an optimal average time it takes to photograph each item that they should be held accountable to.

Lastly, have them create listings on a computer instead of the phone – it is MUCH faster. There is so much lag when switching screens on the phone app. On a computer it is all one screen. They can switch to the phone to take photos after the draft is made.

[Tina F]

Very good advice. I agree I dont want to waste precious time (and money) teaching keywords or the ins and outs of the ever complicated shipping methods. I am just trying to have her do the bare minimum so I can complete the rest on my laptop. I can do this method I am teaching her in 3 minutes and this is not the method I have ever used. It is taking her 8 minutes. I am hoping repetition will cut that down. I agree that the mobile app is a little slow to load which can be annoying. What do you mean by starting on the laptop first and then take pictures?

[Retro Treasures WV]

Our method is to create the draft listing on the computer. The listing is fully complete except for photos and saved as a draft.
Once the listing is finished as a draft, I’ll open the draft on my phone, take the photos directly in the app, then publish the listing from the app.

When my wife and I are listing together, I’ll be doing the listings and she’ll take pictures. I can create complete listings for shoes and clothing faster than she can crank out the pictures. Since the ebay database updates in real time, the drafts are available on the phone for her as soon as I finish them.

There are so many things you cannot do on the phone that I need done, sales tax and SKU are the two big ones. Why they aren’t in the app beyond me – I’ve asked ebay tech support and they don’t have a good excuse. Those are critical features!

[Tina F]

Also I originally started training by having her do a scheduled listing and then go in an out of each specific to add brand, size, measurements, condition, color, and weight. But this seemed to take too long and was confusing for her or she would forget one of these. Now I just have her put all the info in the title. This way she only has to access the photo and title portion of the listing.

[Jay]

Cool. Our helper has been with us for a year now. Part-time. We taught her the basics where she would take photos and write a very general title. Since then, she has on her own improved and is writing complete titles, filling in item specifics, measurements, shipping, and listing any defects in the description. Ryanne does a final check, prices, and lists.

We’re now seeing about teaching her how to ship for us.

So I say go in stages and see what your helper is capable and wanting to do.

[T-Satt]

Retro, we are just about at the stage of getting an employee ourselves, and we are looking at using your type of process. For right now, they would do photos on my clothing items, then look to expand out to Veronica’s items and shipping. My thoughts are this:

1) I source the items and prep them.
2) I create the draft listing in SixBit so that it has a SKU (that is our key) and most if the information I want in the listing.
3) Assistant takes photos and measurements and confirms the quality (meaning they make sure that if they find extra flaws, they add that to the listing)
4) Assistant does the photo editing and numbers the photos with the SKU #. I also have an order to the photos that I want to follow.
5) I add the photos to the listing, price and submit.

For me, photos and photo edits are 4-5 minutes per listing. Overall, I am at about 9-10 minutes per listing for most items. If they can do my mid-low end items part-time during the week, I can use the studio for the higher end items myself.

Also agree on the computer. I have a laptop in the studio that I use now for setting up my draft listings. Plus, the photo editing software is on there now.

[Karen]

I know it varies, but what should be the average listings per hour?

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Karen.

[T-Satt]

It depends on the items you are listing. I can run about twice as fast on clothes than what Veronica does on hard goods since I can use templates and each listing is similar to other listings, while many of hers are unique.

[Jay]

Six per hour is acceptable to us at $15/hr.
This is for photos and doing the entire listing except pricing.

But as you said it varies.
When our helper does t-shirts, then she can do 12 an hour.

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