Home › Forums › Buying and Selling › Listing Challenges › Listing Challenge 2021 Thread #3
- This topic has 181 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 4 months ago by Amatino.
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09/02/2021 at 4:05 pm #91115
This is the 3rd Third thread for 2021 as I accidentally cut 2021 into thirds instead of quarters.
Post your Challenge numbers here for the week starting Monday August 30, and ending Sunday September 6, 2021. Numbers must be posted on Monday 07, and then each week going forward. You do not need permission to join, just post your numbers and I’ll add you in.
For information and rules on the Challenge, go here.
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09/02/2021 at 4:12 pm #91117
September Challenge: TEXTILES!
Sheets, towels, curtains, doilies, rugs, blankets, quilts, throws, comforters, table cloths, kitchen towels, bathroom rugs, table runners, placemats, napkins (not paper napkins!), Christmas tree skirts, Christmas stockings, fabric (by the yard or pieces), fabric bolts, upholstery fabric, pillow cases, cushion covers, throw rugs, hall runners.
Did we include clothing into this category? Somebody remind me!
September ends on a Thursday this year, so numbers must post on FRIDAY OCTOBER 1st.
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09/03/2021 at 12:32 pm #91887
I vote to include clothing…makes it more fair since some of us list quite a bit of fabric!
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09/06/2021 at 9:30 am #92956
27 new listings for me. 3 met the September challenge. I also vote for clothing to be included in the September challenge, although I list very little clothing. Clothing is made from textiles, so to me that meets the challenge criteria.
I’m hoping to find more time to work on eBay this week. I just got back up to 800 active listings due to a very busy August outside eBay. I’d love to get substantially above 800 and not always be chasing that same number!
Happy Labor Day to all!
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09/06/2021 at 9:37 am #92957
12 for me this week – had the store on vacation for several days as I had to go to Savannah mid-week.
IF clothing is included in Textiles, then all 12 of my listings met the challenge. If not, then 0.
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09/06/2021 at 11:38 am #92975
I listed seven items last week. None of them met the challenge.
I will be listing some soft back suitcases this week, which are made of a canvas material of some sort. So, I believe those meet the challenge.
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09/06/2021 at 11:50 am #92976
20 listings for me this week and 10 met the September challenge. The wedding is three weeks away and my show is not much further than that, so other things are taking priority now.
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09/06/2021 at 12:35 pm #92981
Happy Labor Day, y’all!
Wow, I managed 15 listing this week! O.O! How exciting. None met the challenge.
And yes, clothing is included! Which updates to hats and purses and totes and shoes as well.
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09/07/2021 at 10:15 am #92998
Well done, VT, for another great win this week!
Spreadsheet updated!
I want to introduce a Discussion Topic. Julie B mentioned that she was having a problem with getting distracted. This is an issue that I, too, struggle with, and I’ve been doing a lot of introspection and research. I stumbled across a book; The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, and have been working through it. Some of the information translates well to eBay and I thought for the month of September, before the true rush of the year begins, I would give you nuggets each week to chew on and discuss. I’ve love to get us really talking about these topics, because the input of the group leads to some true treasures!
Week 1
Habits are a 3-step loop:
1. a cue
2. a routine
3. a rewardYou can never truly extinguish bad habits…. Rather, to change a habit, you must keep the old cue and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine. … This is the Golden Rule of habit change.
Describing what triggers habitual behaviour is called Awareness Training. It seems ridiculously simple, but once you’re aware of how your habit works, once you recognize the cues and rewards, you’re halfway to changing it.
An example of the habit loop was given as smoking. A cue can be whatever makes you reach for a smoke; a stressful event, a fight with your boss, a phone call that made you angry. The routine would be to dig out your pack of cigarettes. The reward would be the rush of nicotine.
I’ve never smoked, but I understand the principle of it. Going to my bad habits (eep, getting personal here!) when I was married to my abusive ex-husband, I turned to comfort eating. It’s an incredibly hard habit to break! Anything that makes me feel down, lonely, bored, angry – and I want something to eat. I’ve been rid of that man for nearly 2 decades, but I still fight with comfort eating. Would that I could have divorced the habit with the husband!
This is both a horrible example, because there are so many cues that trigger it! And a good example, because life is never as simple as a scientific theory! LOL
So, pick a cue: I’m bored. Please note, being busy is not a cure for being bored! I’m ALWAYS busy, but sometimes I’m bored with what I’m doing. I go find a snack. I eat it and have the temporary serotonin flood (my reward.) An alternate routine that would have the same reward would be to go for a walk. It’s a fact that exercise releases endorphins, so I would have the same result (feel good hormones) without the downside of guilt and self-criticism, and hating my weight.
Now, the above is about changing a habit, but the same principle can be used to create a habit. A habit of listing, for example! What cue, and routine can you implement that would give you the reward of completed listings?
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09/07/2021 at 1:29 pm #93006
Great subject, Amatino! Food for thought (no pun intended).
I’m an advocate of KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) so I’d use getting up in the morning as my cue to list. That way I’d be sure to list every day.
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09/07/2021 at 4:25 pm #93007
Amatino, I’m going to have to think on that one for a bit. For “cue, routine, reward” am I supposed to pick a bad habit that I want to change or a new habit that I want to develop?
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09/07/2021 at 7:51 pm #93010
well I had a pretty good week with 12 listings. very busy week at work. I work from home and felt like I was sitting at my computer for 10 to 12hrs a day last week. I went to a few estate sales on saturday and scored a great pile of paper stuff. It was actually a few books, some old pics and some pilot and air force related items. I love looking through other peoples old stuff.
Grabbed a copy paper box lid and filled it up for 5 bucks. My almost amazing find was an envelope with about a dozen mint condition stock certificates from the Southwest Airmotive Company of Dallas. At first I was thinking maybe this was some early incarnation of Southwest Airlines…but no, no lottery ticket. Turns out they are “specimen” certificates, or samples. But good news is they still have value! and I sold 3 of them already for Twenty bucks each!!
so overall a great week of adding 12 listings and immediately selling 3 of them!
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09/08/2021 at 12:38 pm #93018
JB, whichever you need. This is a personal issue. Do you NOT have a listing cue at the moment? Then you need to create one. If you DO have a listing cue, but you’re using the cue to go down the rabbit hole of research, or end reading Facebook, you need to change it.
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09/13/2021 at 9:27 am #93082
I’m done with trips and back to listing, and I got 19 up this week. Eight met the challenge.
Right around the time that Amatino listed her topic, I saw a newsletter/email with the title “Habits are overrated”, so I did a quick read. The topic was saving and investing money and how you should automate the process. I tried to think of ways to automate eBay listing, and I’m not sure how that could be done. There are ways to improve listing time and use tools to make it simpler, but not automate it. Something to think about though …
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09/13/2021 at 9:34 am #93084
46 new listings for me, 5 met the September challenge.
Wishing everyone a great week!
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09/13/2021 at 10:33 am #93085
Back on the board with 3 listings, 2 of which met the challenge.
Maybe my new goal should be to list 10% of whatever VT lists 🙂
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09/13/2021 at 10:59 am #93086
LOL. JR, that sounds like a brilliant idea! Only… I guess it will be 10% of the previous week, right? So this week, you have to list 4 or 5, depending on if you’re rounding up! Love it!
I had a humdinger week, with my Bestie and I spurring each other on to get stuff listed! Listed 21 items with 3 meeting the challenge. Wow! I’m really lucky to have my own personal, pitchfork-wielding, butt-prodding bestie to make it happen. I guarantee I wouldn’t have listed so much if she hadn’t been challenging me, and vice versa! LOL
JR, perhaps you need to find someone for accountability?
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09/13/2021 at 11:04 am #93087
29 listings. 23 met the challenge.
The last few days I started going thru one of my death pile bins (aka Money bins, aka Unrealized Profit bins). The stuff has been in there since 2018! And there are some good items! My motivation is I am low on cash due to all of the travel and time off I took in Aug/early Sept so I need to get stuff listed that I already spent money on years ago. Plus, Covid is crazy rampant here now so I’m staying home as much as possible except for taking sales to the Post Office & occasional grocery store runs. May as well stay home and list!
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09/13/2021 at 4:36 pm #93091
10 listings for me this past week. it helped that a few were items that I had multiples on, sold one last week and relisted the next one.
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09/14/2021 at 12:43 pm #93095
Great week, everyone! VT rocketed to another win, almost double the rest of us! Go Rocketeer VT!
Spreadsheet updated. Nice to see almost everyone on board with the challenge!
Discussion:
Sharyn, I can’t figure how to automate eBay listings, unless you have one of those software programs like SixBit where it does end/relist and stuff. I’d love to know if you figure something out, though!
Topic #2:
“The brain can be reprogrammed. You just have to be deliberate about it. Replacement habits only become durable behaviors when they are accompanied by belief. A community creates belief. When people join groups where change seems possible, the potential for that change to occur becomes more real.
For habits to permanently change, people must believe that change is feasible. Belief is easier when it occurs in a community.
If you want to change a habit, you must first find an alternative routine. And your odds of success go up dramatically when you commit to changing as part of a group. Belief is essential, and it grows out of a communal experience, even if that community is only as large as two people!”
Serendipity or coincidence? Not sure, but I found myself laughing as I wrote this because I have experienced this very power just this last week – and commented about it yesterday when I posted my numbers! Maybe the universe wanted me to be able to affirm this week’s topic, or perhaps it was just coincidence, but it was due to having someone behind me, reinforcing my decision to improve my listing habits, that got me to have such a high listing number for the week.
Having a group of two seems to work for me, but I think part of the benefit is that my partner is very positive. She believes that we can do it, and she’s never rude, but she’s quietly insistent that I make it work. This belief factor is as important as the accountability, and the accountability is what makes it so effective.
When I first started this group, I called it Trash Elf Twins and each one of us paired off against a partner who listed very similar numbers. I noticed that the second year, when I dropped the Twins factor, my “twin” from that first round dropped out. I’ve sputtered along for a couple years, but in the last year when I got together with my eBay Bestie, I’ve gotten better at running my eBay store. I can quite honestly say, from experience, that it works!
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09/15/2021 at 2:07 pm #93103
10 listings for me last week. All counted towards the monthly challenge.
Sorry for the late response. The craziness around here went up to a whole other level.
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09/20/2021 at 8:51 am #93157
Good morning all! And happy Fall Equinox week! The Equinox falls on September 22 this year. Fun information if you want to read some trivia https://www.inverse.com/science/fall-equinox-2021-exact-time
Despite listing regularly this week, I only managed 10 listings. All the items were awkward, fiddly, complicated, which slowed me down. However, 7 of the 10 counted towards the Challenge, so.. yay!
I have a question! How do you measure your “listing time”? For me, the clock starts: I pick up an item, research it, begin a draft off research, take photos, edit photos, open the draft and upload the photos, fill in the I.S., add measurements, pack the item and measure and weigh it, then complete the listing; clock stops. Last week I was averaging 25 minutes per listing. This week my time went out the window, with about an hour, to an hour and a half per listing. I’ve spent 4 hours on a single listing, although that’s for sewing machines, which are a whole ‘nother ball game. I was muttering about speed when my Bestie said that when she measures listing time, it’s for the actual listing time! She has photos ready to go and has already done the research. Wait… what? So now I’d like to know – how do YOU measure it?
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09/20/2021 at 9:20 am #93159
38 new listings for me, 8 counted towards the listing challenge.
Wishing everyone a great week ahead!
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09/20/2021 at 9:57 am #93160
0 for me 🙁 I had to work both weekend days at my day job plus several meetings and a volunteer work morning and I had no remaining bandwidth for ebay.
I will be out of town this coming weekend so it will likely be 0 for me again next week 🙁
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09/20/2021 at 11:44 am #93164
I listed five items, none met the challenge.
@Amatino – I cannot easily measure my listing time for a single item. I do things in chunks such as organizing, photography, and draft listings.Yesterday, I photographed about 18 items in 1 – 1.5 hours. It didn’t take too much time because many of the items are jewelry that don’t need too many photos. I’ve been creating drafts for the past few days for about 28 items. That maybe took 2 hours with just a bit of research and mostly summarized titles. Yesterday and today, I’ve listed just a few of those items. The listing can vary drastically, from 5 to 20 min. I’m better these days at minimizing wordage and only adjusting the main photo. A few items will require testing or more in-depth research, but what I’m working on now doesn’t for the most part.
I did get a few vintage electronic items out, but I put them aside in favor of quantity, for now. My next couple of weekends are going to be busy, so my listing will be when the day job slows down.
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09/20/2021 at 3:09 pm #93170
66 listings, 48 met the challenge. I think this was my 2nd most productive listing week all year. I needed it!
I don’t time how long it takes for me to list. I can take 5 minutes for an item and another time that same type of item could take me 20 minutes depending on the interruptions and distractions that get in my way. There are some resellers I watch on Youtube or Instagram that claim to be able to photograph and list insane amounts of inventory in a single hour but I don’t see how.
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09/20/2021 at 11:29 pm #93177
17 items for me. really good week for listing and then for sales. I made two videos this week of what sold (the second will go up tomorrow)
HOW I LIST:
If it’s single item things I’ve bought, then I’ve probably already done the main research before buying (like standing around at an estate sale looking stuff up on my phone).
or
If it’s an auction lot (like the ridiculous closet full of books and magazines I recently purchased) I’ll get it all home and then start going through it. In those instances, when ready, I try to go through and find 8 to 10 things worth listing.So now I’ve hopefully got 8 to 10 things ready for pics. I’ll take pics of all of it at the same time.
Then when I’ve got time to list I’ll upload the pics to my laptop and do my listings. I generally will do my ebay research again checking “sold” comps as I do each item. At that point I can probably knock out listing an item every 5 to 10mins.
but adding up all the time for each part of the process I’d say it’s probably 15 to 20min per item. Some maybe a bit more.
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09/21/2021 at 12:29 am #93184
2 items for me this week and we leave tomorrow to get married at the beach so this week will most definitely be a listing zero.
I have this thing about listing in fives. And I list by category, so five books, five pieces of fabric, and so forth. As others have noted, some things list much quicker than others, but my average is about 5 items an hour. I count listing time as everything that’s involved, from research to photos to descriptions and posting.
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09/21/2021 at 6:56 am #93186
Congratulations to you…I hope your wedding day is fantastic!
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09/21/2021 at 11:33 am #93191
Thanks to everyone for your replies. It’s interesting to read how different we all are, but the same as well. I appreciate the input.
Spreadsheet updated and JB takes the win with an impressive number! Go Julie, go!
Only 13 weeks to Christmas, everyone, so you need to get listing! For those of you who plan your listings in advance, next month’s challenge is Paper. Only 10 days left for this month’s challenge of Textiles. Dig out your fabric, clothes, hats, bags and purses, totes, kitchen towels, etc. and throw ’em up there!
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09/27/2021 at 9:34 am #93258
First time in ages this thread wasn’t on the sidebar! Yay for uptick in chats!
Unfortunately, I bombed this week and only listed 5, of which 4 were Challenge.
I have another 5 drafts ready to go, but I didn’t get to them. I’m very excited for the reason though – I’m getting a bath! Yeah, yeah, snigger all you like! 😛 We have two bathrooms, both have showers. The master bathroom had a tub when we bought the house, but it was broken and the bathroom was horrible. We stripped the room back to the studs and rebuilt it with a gorgeous walk-in shower, 3ft by 5ft. As we usually shower, it was the perfect option. However, I like a bath sometimes and I’ve really been missing it! Our 2nd bathroom is tiny, seriously tiny, and we’ve put off the remodel for a while. We were going to build it with a smaller walk-in shower, but the Minister of Construction and I had a chat this weekend and I showed him my inspiration photo.
Yesterday, instead of listing, I spent the day searching for a 48 inch clawfoot tub and a window (there’s no window in the bathroom currently.) The tub has been ordered and will arrive in two weeks. The Minister will start work once it arrives. I’m SO EXCITED! 😀
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09/27/2021 at 9:51 am #93259
40 new listings for me, 25 met the September challenge.
I expect to report very few listings next week. I’m leaving for vacation tomorrow and I’ll be out of town for the rest of this week.
Wishing everyone a great week!
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09/27/2021 at 10:08 am #93260
0 for me as predicted, but it was nice to get away for the weekend for a first time in over a year.
Amatino, excited for you about your new bathtub! Our bathroom desperately needs an overhaul, too, but as we only have one, it’s kind of a logistical issue so we keep putting it off.
Hope everyone has a great week!
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09/27/2021 at 11:35 am #93266
I listed 38 this week. Quite a big number for me! None actually met the challenge.
@Amatino – Great that you have a Minister of Construction! Where do you get one of those? In my house, I only have a GI dilly-dallier. I have to wait years for an incomplete job to happen 🙂 -
09/27/2021 at 5:19 pm #93274
@Sharyn LOL! I have a Minister of Finance and a Minister of Construction and a Minister of Home Affairs. Sometimes he wears all his hats at the same time, sometimes he wears no hats at all and then he’s just The Naggerator! (Schwarzenegger is so jealous!) I guess I got lucky this round! 😀
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09/27/2021 at 7:55 pm #93276
Oh, he’s really not that bad (except for the den, which he started several years ago and hasn’t finished yet), but it sounded much more funny that way. To get anything done, we really need to hire someone, but we’ve been careful with spending lately. Like many things pandemic/post-pandemic, construction has gone up in price.
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09/28/2021 at 1:58 am #93281
Zero for me this past week, but that’s to be expected since I was at the beach for most of the week. The next four weeks are super crazy for me, even more than usual so my expectations are low, although my hope is to at least list a couple of things here and there.
Thanks JR for your good wishes….it was a perfect day!
Amatino, a clawfoot tub? Lucky you! How fabulous! I didn’t marry a Minister of anything…but I call him MacGyver since he can pretty much fix anything…quite the handyman extraordinaire!
Hope everyone has a great last week of September!
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09/28/2021 at 9:08 am #93284
53 for me, 25 met the challenge.
I’m jealous of the clawfoot tub. The house I grew up in had one and it was the most comfortable tub ever! I wish they still made them like that.
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09/28/2021 at 11:19 am #93288
Wow, first time ever that a Challenge total has hit triple digits! Well done, JB, you’ve made a new record!
Great week, everyone, well done. JB, you win the week!
VINTAGE LACY! Welcome back! Photos photos photos! We have heard SO much of this amazing wedding in the plans, now we HAVE to see the photos. Sincere happy wishes and hearty congratulations!
The Textile challenge ends on Thursday, please post your numbers on Friday. The challenge for October is Paper, for those who like to plan ahead. The November challenge is Death Box.
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09/29/2021 at 10:06 am #93292
Hello! Congratulations to Vintage Lacy on getting married!
I’m back from basically a big Ebay break. I didn’t shut my store down but basically didn’t list for months and months. My son was applying to selective colleges in the worst year ever to do so and I was serving as his counselor and took a deep dive into that world. All of the uncertainty about whether he would have a fairly normal college experience plus the arbitrary nature of 2021 test optional admissions last year was all consuming. Happily, he is at a pretty good school this fall and thriving. I won’t say it went completely perfectly but I’m happy he is in person, residential and able to socialize at a vaccine mandate school. Since we dropped him off I felt enormous relief. I haven’t even cried I was just so glad it worked out ok. Just when I started getting back into Ebay the podcast was canceled! Boo.
So I just glanced through the thread and noticed you were talking about the time it takes to get a listing up. When I started 4-5 years ago I was kind of trying to be fancy about it – not quite to the level of an Etsy shop – but being particular about photos and writing some brief descriptions. I also struggled a bit to price vintage items. With the awesome addition of Terapeak I have a year’s worth of sales and tend to price on the high side of that and take offers. Also the app is better than it used to be, but I still start on the desktop and then add photos on the phone. My strength is finding good items in my location I think so it’s just a matter of getting more things listed. During my break I continued to watch a couple of youtubers who barely describe the items and list simply.
Sourcing has become more competitive here during the pandemic but it’s still not to the level of other cities. I still have loads of death piles, about half of which I would not buy now but some cool stuff too. These days I am in and out of a thrift store almost as fast as the record hounds. I have made a dent in my original death piles for sure but there is a lot more to get through. So I’m getting on board again. My day job is busy and I still have my high maintence kid at home, but I’m not a person who sits around watching Netflix. I prefer treasure hunting and flipping.
Amatino, no need to track my numbers really. I’m just looking for a group to help motivate.
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09/30/2021 at 11:32 am #93315
Welcome back, ChristineR! I’ve often wondered how you were doing. Tracking numbers is just part of the fun and, if you look at the spreadsheet, you’ll see some of us (ahem… me… cough!) are pretty awful at it, but we keep going anyway! If you just want to check in and chat with us, that’s fine too. You’re always welcome at the TELC party! 😀
Yeah, I’ve still got those horrendous Death Piles too! Imma hit those once all my dance obligations are settled. I have a show coming up next Saturday and a Flash Mob on October 30. Then I can take a deep breath and get stuck into eBay! (I hope!)
So glad you’re back.
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09/30/2021 at 4:55 pm #93322
Thanks! It’s kinda cool because I did take photos for a couple of years of my death piles and they are a lot better than they once were. I also have a number of empty and half empty bins. Still plenty left, mind you but I’ve made a dent anyway. Hopefully we can put our heads down this fall and list away.
I’m also working on the tail end of catching up on all of my medical screenings from the pandemic. As a PSA I encourage everyone to do this. Had a friend get some serious news and had to have major surgery.
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10/01/2021 at 12:23 pm #93334
September challenge is DONE! Please post final numbers here today, results tomorrow.
OCTOBER CHALLENGE: Paper
Books, maps, sewing patterns, flyers, ephemera, posters, magazines, playing cards, recipe cards, board games (??? I think?), stickers, cardstock, greeting cards, paper banners, paper aircraft, origami figures, funny post it notes, envelopes, gift bags, paper fans, toilet paper.
Starts today, ends on Sunday October 31, post numbers on Monday November 01. (I do so love it when a month ends on a Sunday! LOL)
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10/01/2021 at 12:38 pm #93335
26 items this week met the September challenge. My Oct Challenge numbers won’t be quite as impressive. But it was nice getting some clothing death piles out of here during September.
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10/01/2021 at 2:33 pm #93338
8 items that met the September challenge for me.
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10/01/2021 at 11:06 pm #93344
Well, I’ve never entered the Challenge before, but PAPER! OK, you’re on! I have a lot of paper stuff, although there’s a lot of seasonal non-paper stuff I also need to get up. But I’ve been looking for an excuse to get some of this paper stuff listed, and here it is…..now I can tell Better Half I have to list it, cause it’s a Scavenger Life thing….LOL Do paintings count?
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10/03/2021 at 7:02 pm #93369
Welcome, MyCottage. Absolutely HAVE to list it for the TELC! This is Serious Stuff and we have accountability and everything! *wink*
If the paintings are on canvas, no, as that’s textile (last month’s challenge) but if they’re on a paper medium, absolutely. As do prints, watercolors, sketches, etc.
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10/04/2021 at 9:45 am #93380
Good morning, all, and Happy Monday. First of October. May you have a Boo-tiful week!
I’ll give the Challenge results tomorrow, when I update the spreadsheet for this week. Sorry – it’s been a crazy weekend!
Last week I didn’t do any new listings. Instead, I ended 18 old listings and then completely reworked them – changed the title, updated Item Specifics, rewrote the descriptions, did new research and adjusted pricing accordingly, and in some cases, new photos. That was pretty much my entire listing time over the course of the week, as I’ve been going nutso with off-eBay stuff.
I’ve also had a new spanner in my spokes. For the last year and a half I’ve been feeding a feral cat, a gorgeous gray tabby I named Oscar. One week Oscar disappeared and I was heartbroken, as cats are regularly food for the plethora of predators in our area. However, Oscar returned – with kittens! Only two kittens survived the perils of the predators and they have grown into beautiful cats, a brown and gray tabby boy that I named Tiger (yes, he has… er.. boy things!) and a black calico I’ve called Patches. I suspect Patches is a girl, because calicoes are usually female, but while Tiger allows me to occasionally get close enough to touch, Patches won’t come near me!
Not wanting a repeat, I scheduled to catch Oscar and take her in to the vet. She was kind enough to disappear again, so she didn’t get fixed and, when she returned, she was pregnant again! This time, when she disappeared for a week, I wrote he date on the calendar, counted forward 8 weeks and wrote THAT date on the calendar, and booked that date at the vet! When she came back, she had obviously been in a terrible fight, she was so beaten and had wounds everywhere! My heart broke for her. She must have been defending her litter in almost a fight to the death!
Five weeks later, she vanished again, and I heard a kitten yowling. For 4 days, I struggled to find that kitten, but on day 4 the little critter turned up on my front lawn, being terrorized by my dinosaurs that cluck. I scooped him up and brought him inside. He was skeletal and in bad shape – but utterly fearless! I tried to find someone who would take him, but there are so many kittens being offered round here, nobody wanted him. I was afraid he was too small to survive, but he’s a plucky little guy and he has beaten all the odds that fate has thrown his way – including Mr. Grouchy “get that kitten away from me! I don’t want another cat in the house!”
The kitten is now Mr. Grouchy’s personal baby and is called Felix, which in Latin means “lucky.” He is indeed.
For reference, the rat is 3 inches tall
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10/04/2021 at 9:49 am #93381
Oh! P.S. Oscar turned up a few days after we caught Felix. She was starved and very thin, so we think she was trapped somewhere. However, we didn’t think we should return Felix to her as he has settled here and I didn’t want to toss him back into feral life. Felix is the only kitten to have survived this litter – it’s tough for cats out here!
P.P.S. Oscar has been fixed, vaccinated for rabies, had her ear notched, and been on pain pills for the surgery. She has done very well and is now even more affectionate than before. Today she even stepped onto my lap for her morning cuddles! Next up, to trap and fix both Tiger and Patches before they produce any offspring. I’m happy to take care of my feral squatters, but I’m not keen to have a colony!
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10/04/2021 at 10:45 am #93385
55 listings, 0 meet the October challenge.
Amatino, My parents live in the country and their place is overrun with cats. They catch who they can to get them fixed but the super feral ones aren’t always catch-able which leads to even more kitties. While I hate it, there are predators in the area that keep the population somewhat in check, but there are still A LOT of cats. Making matters worse though is the local animal rescue makes it very hard & expensive to take animals to them, even if you find a stray and take it to them, they want you to pay at least $50. So townspeople dump unwanted cats in the country near farmhouses like my parent’s place so there are always refugee kitties showing up. I don’t even want to think about how much my parents have had to pay to get these cats fixed and fed.
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10/04/2021 at 11:02 am #93387
Only listed two items last week. Hoping for better this week. I have some Halloween stuff I really need to get up.
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10/04/2021 at 11:30 am #93390
Just 1 new listing for me. I left last Tuesday morning for vacation, returned on Saturday afternoon and only managed one listing yesterday.
I believe I had 41 in total for the September challenge.
I’m hoping to get back in the saddle re: listing this week but so far it’s been a struggle – it’s hard to get out of vacation mode!
Wishing everyone a fabulous week!
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10/04/2021 at 12:46 pm #93393
I listed 7 items this past week.
@Amatino – You have a heart of gold when it comes to animals. Someone started a TNR program in my town earlier this year. While I do see stray cats every once in a while, I don’t think we have a huge problem. I believe some have homes where the family thinks it’s OK to let the cat run around during the day. I have a friend who is responsible for at least one of those cats, but it is at least neutered.We don’t have quite the number of predators here, but I did see a fox cross the road while I was writing this up. Mostly, though, we have deer and wild turkey.
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10/05/2021 at 6:23 pm #93405
Great week, everyone. JB takes a convincing win this week, go Julie, Go! LOL
Julie also wiped the floor with her 134 listings in the textiles challenge. Say whaaaaat? Vt clocked an impressive second with her 41. Sharyn came in 3rd with 16. VL, JR and I all got a participation point. This was quite a good challenge for some! LOL. Good going, everyone.
Spreadsheet updated!
Right, paper, folks. Let’s get lots and lots of paper out of our houses/sheds/storage units and into someone else’s! 😀
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10/05/2021 at 6:36 pm #93406
Julie, Oscar cost me only $182 to spay, vaccinate for rabies, test for feline aids, and one set of painkillers. “only”… and they knew she was a feral! I would love to have a $50 bill to settle! So you can guess how many animals are dumped out here!
Thanks Sharyn! We have bobcats, foxes, coyotes, feral hogs, racoons, ringtails and mountain lions. And those are just the ones I’ve spotted. All of them are rather partial to a tasty kitty dinner. Sky pirates include kites, kestrels, and owls, as well as the ubiquitous buzzards.
Dumped animals don’t have a long lifespan!
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10/11/2021 at 10:09 am #93471
Good morning all, and happy Columbus Day! Remember, the post office is closed today.
Once again, the only reason I got any listings up at all this week is all due to my eBay Bestie. Seriously, you guys, I reckon half of my total listings for the year is because of her gentle, yet insistent, foot on my heinie! I highly recommend you find a “foot” of your own! LOL
12 listings up, all of them paper.
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10/11/2021 at 10:44 am #93475
I listed five items. None are paper.
I really don’t have much paper items, but I do have some prints. I’ll have to focus on those in the next few weeks just so I can be on the board!
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10/11/2021 at 10:49 am #93476
I listed 10 items, no paper. Amatino you beat me this week! Day job very busy but I really want to list my parents’ Gumps china before Thanksgiving and have a bit more Halloween to get up.
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10/11/2021 at 10:53 am #93477
Belated Wedding Congratulations to Vintage Lacy – I hope the day was exactly as you dreamed it would be! I’ve also been remiss on commenting on that cute new kitten rescue of Amatino’s. He is adorable!
30 new listings for me. I didn’t feel fully back in the swing of eBay work until yesterday. It’s really difficult for me to get back in the listing groove once I’m away from it. This week I’m going away for another 4 day trip, so most likely this week and next week will be light listing weeks for me.
Wishing everyone a productive week!
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10/11/2021 at 10:53 am #93478
Oops, forgot to say that 18 of my listings counted for the paper challenge.
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10/11/2021 at 12:04 pm #93485
Thank you VT! It was the perfect day….in fact it was perfect double weekends…filled with laughter and love.
Five listings for me last week, which was a miracle. I achieved one whole listing the week before that, but forgot to post. We fill two 26-ft trucks with Brookhaven show items today and unload them at the Grange, and so it begins for the next two weeks for me. Our first show in 2 years! Exciting and nerve-making at the same time.
Hope everyone has a great week ahead.
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10/11/2021 at 1:57 pm #93488
28 listings, 2 meet the paper challenge.
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10/12/2021 at 11:58 am #93498
Spreadsheet updated. VT wrangled the win with her “difficult to get back into it” groove. Don’t you all wish you could be as productive when you’re not feeling it? LOL. Well done, VT, your self-motivation is terrific.
VL – great news! I SO want to make it to one of your shows. Sending best wishes for a fantastic time and a great response to your show!
ChristineR – wanna challenge this week? It’s a tough week for me, I have a new Witches Dance starting this week, plus we’re in Flash Flood Warnings from today until Thursday/Friday, I have to finish quilts for the Quilt Show that starts this week, and I still have to work on our dance show coming up in 3 weeks, for which I’m learning a new Solo. Oh – and there’s eBay! So we’re going to be wading through the same bucket, it seems! LOL I’m game for a little challenge!
Anyone else wanna throwdown at another Elf?
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10/16/2021 at 9:42 pm #93541
Oof ok but you’re probably going to beat me!
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10/17/2021 at 8:54 pm #93555
I listed 17 this past week.
I delved into a bunch of tools that my husband went through first. Took him about a year.
I did list one framed print, so I’m on the board with one so far for the challenge.
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10/18/2021 at 9:55 am #93562
I listed 14. I’ll have to go back and tally my results for the paper challenge, I know I had at least 3 for the week but after that I lost track.
Wishing everyone a great week!
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10/18/2021 at 10:34 am #93563
well, I disappeared for a few weeks. travelled for work the last week of Sept. then helping my mother law move into our house the last few weeks and sick last week.
better now. I did get 6 listings done over the weekend and have 5 sales ready to ship so time to get back at it!
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10/18/2021 at 11:34 am #93566
21 for me, 1 met the paper challenge.
My dog had his 6th knee surgery this week so I’ve had to slow down listing. He is a big mama’s boy who has to follow me everywhere and he gets up every time I do so I’m trying to stay as immobile as possible by just sitting at my laptop. That means photo taking, organizing, etc has had to slow down. I’m thinking of spending some of my time crossposting to Depop, specially my vintage clothing items.
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10/18/2021 at 12:03 pm #93567
Only 4 measly items listed. Bummed
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10/19/2021 at 10:51 am #93584
Spreadsheet updated, JB takes the win.
Seems like it was a rough week for everyone. I see that VL hasn’t posted, but her show started this week, so she was probably gung ho getting it ready. If you’re reading this, VL, I wish you a wonderful show with tons of happy, cash-ready buyers and a glorious fun time!
JB, your dog had knee surgery? I’ve never heard of that! He has outstripped me, I’ve only had 4 surgeries on mine, but knees hurt real bad, so he has lots of sympathy from me! I do hope he gets better soon and won’t need any more work done.
ChristineR – you beat me! I had zero last week. It has turned absolutely loco around here and while I have a batch of items photographed and measured, they never made it to the listing stage!
Wishing you all a great week!
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10/24/2021 at 9:40 pm #93653
29 listings for me, 4 met the monthly challenge.
I’d like to average 40 listings per week for the rest of the year but that may be a bit aggressive, although it is do-able if I buckle down.
Recently I pivoted towards more hard goods because I’m burned out on clothing. The change has relit a fire inside of me. I’m enjoying sourcing a bit more and learning new things again. But this stuff also makes a bigger mess in my ebay space. I have stuff all over the place that need to be photographed, bubble wrapped, stored….
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10/24/2021 at 10:03 pm #93654
23 listings for me, 14 met the monthly challenge
@Julie B – I’m right in the mist of my hard goods mess. I purchased a huge group of paintings and frames at the beginning of the year. I listed maybe 70% of it by the end of spring. The mess has been sitting there since then. I did get through all the art this week, and now I have empty frames to organize and list. -
10/24/2021 at 10:53 pm #93656
22 new listings for me, 4 met the challenge. I’m normally a hard goods lister and I drag my feet on clothing, but I’m trying to list winter clothes right now – before they end up unlisted for the winter season again this year!
Wishing everyone luck with whatever you happen to be listing!
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10/25/2021 at 1:03 pm #93662
Hi Amatino, I had zero this week unfortunately, though I did make some drafts and just need to add photos this week.
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10/25/2021 at 2:12 pm #93665
Sharyn, how do you find frames sell? I’ve heard conflicting stories on they do/they don’t sell. I have quite a selection of frames, but I honestly can’t figure out if they’re worth shipping, considering the cost of shipping such bulky items!
JB, I’m with VT. I usually list hard goods and I absolutely find clothing frustrating to list. They’re awkward to photograph, they need a ton of measurements, and most of my returns are on clothes. I don’t get the attraction, to be honest! But I have a ton of coats and jeans and other clothing, so I too have been wading through mine to try and get them up THIS winter, having missed the last two .. or three… or mmmmffffff…. 🙂
ChristineR – you won last week as I had the zero! But you’ve got drafts up, so let’s give it another shot this week, as we’re now tied, one each!
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10/25/2021 at 4:46 pm #93668
Framed art is easy to buy for cheap. If you wait for the right buyer, they will sell. Unfortunately, the high cost of shipping does slow down sales in that area, so I don’t sell many.
However, I have sold several fancy frames at decent prices. Someone recently asked for a cheaper price on a painting because he wanted to use the frame. The frame was nicer than the painting, and I preferred it out of my house rather than wait for someone to meet my price. I got $65 for it, and shipping was $25.50 through FedEx. It was 31″ x 27″ and about 12 pounds, and I put it in a 38x28x5 box.
I also sold another fancy frame for more than that, but I don’t remember the particulars. I never know whether a painting or print was purchased just for the frame or not.
However, I now have lots of miscellaneous frames that aren’t that exciting or unusual, and I need to decide what to do with them. I’ve seen eBay listings where they sell a group of frames for decor, staging, and so forth. I am planning to try that. I will organize the frames into groups of 3 to 7, whatever makes sense (size, color, style), and see if I can market them like that. If they all sit there for a year or two, I might just get rid of them. It will be an experiment.
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10/26/2021 at 10:02 am #93672
Thanks Sharyn! Hmmm… perhaps I will join you in that experiment and we can both report back. I have a tote box full of frames of various sizes, from “barely fits” to small. (Of course, the tote doesn’t have a lid! LOL) I don’t think any of the frames are special, but a lot are wood.
Spreadsheet updated and JulieB takes the win this week. Only 10 weeks left until the end of the year. O.O!
October ends on Sunday, which is marvelous for the Challenge! So you have one week left to get your challenge items listed. Please post challenge numbers on Monday with your weekly numbers, and I’ll post winners on Tuesday with the normal update.
For those who like to plan in advance, the November challenge is Death Box. You have to empty a DB, of any size. Each box counts as one point.
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10/31/2021 at 9:38 pm #93707
I listed eight items this week. I’m working on more difficult items, so it is slow going.
Two of those items met the challenge, and my total for the month is 17.
I have plenty I can do for the death pile challenge. I’ve kept myself from buying, so I’ve gone through most of the newer stuff.
Yesterday, I went to get a pin I sold from my jewelry inventory, and I noticed a necklace that I don’t remember seeing in eBay lately. After a bit of research, I realized that it plus a dozen or so others were from a Mercari experiment two years ago. After the listings expired, I was going to relist them on eBay but never did. That’s a death pile I didn’t even know I had!
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10/31/2021 at 10:30 pm #93709
9 items listed. I might join in for the death box challenge. Certainly have some of those. I have a box of Thanksgiving death for starters.
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11/01/2021 at 9:42 am #93713
I managed 26 new listings last week, 9 met the monthly challenge. I believe I have 34 in total for the October challenge.
Yippee for the death box challenge this month! I’m determined to tackle my DP boxes and I’ve put a plan in place with my eBay buddy to hold each other accountable and get them done. Fingers crossed!
Good luck everyone!
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11/01/2021 at 10:41 am #93715
36 listings for me, 3 met the Oct challenge. Was aiming for 40 listings – maybe next week.
Feeling pretty blah today. I’ve reached the age where any overindulgence results in me feeling like garbage the next day. Last night it was too many salted roasted pumpkin seeds. I love salt, it does not love me.
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11/01/2021 at 11:14 am #93716
ChristineR, you win this week. (Are we tag-teaming it? LOL) But I have drafts loaded, so get listing, or I’ll getcha next week! 😀
Zero for me. I did get a bunch of drafts done, but I was too busy off eBay to actually get them listed. I have sold NIB lamps on RA for years now, quite successfully. Buy for $6 on clearance, sell for $30+, but with the combination of hiked shipping prices and the insane I.S. requirements, this year may be the last time. I cannot see myself spending so much time trying to input 1,529 specifics that I can’t even find for a $30 item. I don’t even feel that the $130 item is worth that much effort! Plus so many sellers are offering these with free shipping now, so the actual ROI is way lower than it used to be. Sad to lose what was a tidy little niche for a while. 🙁
This week is my belly dance Student Showcase, so I’m up to my eyeballs. I suspect the only listing I will manage is from the drafts already created, but as I do sometimes get fed up with the frantic sewing, or need to take a break to allow the blood to clot so that I don’t get it all over the costumes, I might manage a few easier items.
Wishing you all a terrific week. Hope you had fun with Halloween.
Oh, and for those of you who would like to avoid the Christmas lunacy, I invite you to join me in the Christmas Pledge. I’ve done it for about a decade now and can testify that it makes a huge difference!
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11/01/2021 at 12:00 pm #93717
21 items for me this past week. For a change, I moved my ebay laptop to the kitchen yesterday as it’s right next to the patio. then took a bin of things outside to take pics and immediately list them. The change of location was nice.
usually I’m in my office area in the upstairs of the house. I work from home so I spend my work days there as well. Moving the ebay set up to the kitchen was a great change of pace.
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11/01/2021 at 12:44 pm #93719
NOVEMBER CHALLENGE: DEATH PILE BOX
One Death Box = one point.
Size of DB is irrelevant, as long as you empty it, I don’t care how much you had in it. The idea is to clear your old stock.
This is an old challenge that we’re returning to, so I’m going to use the old information to explain it and (hopefully) answer all the FAQs.
Clearing: The Challenge is to empty a Death Pile box. Now, folks, it doesn’t say “list” a box. You may find that some of the items in the box just have no value and have to be junked, or sent to Goodwill. You could sell them on Facebook, or your grandson could stroll through and yell “Cool hat!” The goal is to empty the box. NOT by moving it to a new box, no cheating! But the items need to move out of your possession, either virtually, by being listed, or by physically leaving your property. Also “box” is a term to cover one batch of items that you have been storing for a while, whether it’s an actual box, or a tote, or a hanging rod in your closet. So, go ahead, empty one “box” and clear some space. You know the universe needs you to make space for it to fill again, right? *wink*
What IS a Death Pile? We use the term Death Pile for anything that is sitting in our to-list pile that has exceeded what may be reasonably considered an acceptable time frame for listing, plus a buffer. Each person’s time frame is different. Someone who works on consignment, for example, may receive a trailer load of goods at a time, so their listing time frame might be a few weeks. I buy stuff on sourcing runs, and enjoy our local thrift store which is only open on a Saturday. So it would be quite reasonable for me to say that my listing time frame would be one week: clear each week’s sourcing before I go out next week. However, as we learned during the pandemic, having a buffer of stuff to list for the weeks when we can’t go sourcing would be a good idea. How big of a buffer is also a personal factor. Consignment Seller might want two trailer loads as a buffer because they list high numbers. I have the space to rack up an entire month’s worth, but you might not have a lot of storage, so you only want to have a week or two. Therefore, each person needs to work out for themselves what is Current Inventory and what is Death Pile inventory. Not as helpful as an actual number, but hopefully the explanation will allow you to create an actionable time frame.
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11/02/2021 at 10:00 am #93727
Jaepete, you’re only 300 miles away from me! Yay for Texans! LOL
Well, it has been a busy week, has it not? JB wins again, well done!
For the October Challenge, we had some high numbers, great going! However, VT was clearly in the lead with 36, so she wins this month. Runner up was… oh! Me! Have I ever made it to the Top 3 before? Woot! 3rd was Sharyn and JB gets a participation point.
On to the November challenge, folks! Only 8 weeks left for the year!
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11/08/2021 at 8:47 am #93809
38 listings for me, 0 for the November challenge.
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11/08/2021 at 10:10 am #93814
I listed one item.
That one item was a big death pile all of its own! It is a child’s size Estey Organ from the 1940s that I bought in an online auction more than a year ago. So, one for the challenge.
@Amatino – May I say that your death pile timeline of one week is hilarious? One week? Holy cow, I measure my death piles in YEARS!!! I’ve got a few more things from the summer that I haven’t listed, but I consider that my backlog. At this point, I can consider the leftover frames from my art buy at the beginning of the year as a death pile, but that is about as young as they get 🙂I keep looking at the online auctions and seeing some good deals out there, but, THANKFULLY, I talk myself out of it. My part time job keeps getting busier, and I don’t have the time to list new purchases right away. I need to clear out the old stuff before I start buying again.
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11/08/2021 at 10:28 am #93817
I had 27 new listings but I haven’t finished the death pile box I started on yet, so zero for the challenge this month.
Sharyn, I hear you! I’ve been on eBay for 19 years and my deathpiles include many items I don’t even remember buying at this point. But I’ve stopped buying now and I’m determined to get through my backlog, either by listing it or donating it if it’s not worth listing.
Good luck everyone!
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11/08/2021 at 1:34 pm #93823
Hi all!
I have been AWOL far to long, and I hope you have all been doing well. I’m back and ready for accountability! I’m not going to try and fill in my missing weeks of numbers, but just move forward from here.
Last week I listed 29 items. I also hit an estate sale. So as always, the pile grows larger.
Have a great week everyone!
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11/08/2021 at 1:54 pm #93826
Sharyn and I are listing beasts! One for me too! 😀
However, mine was neither that big nor a DP item, so maybe I’m more of a beast and less of a lister! LOL
Sharyn, well, for some heavy listers, that is about how long their stock lasts. I’m with you, though. I’ve got stuff going back to 2015 when I started on eBay. Sad that I managed to build up a death pile in my very first year!
We had our Annual Student Showcase for the belly dance class this weekend. I worked like crazy the last few days of the week to get it all organized. We had it this year in an art gallery and what a gorgeous setting! Unfortunately, our photographer got lost, so I will have to grab stills off videos, but I did take one group photo before we began. Of course, *I* took the photo, so I’m not in it!
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11/08/2021 at 1:58 pm #93827
6 items listed for me. No textiles though I have many. I really need to get my few items of Thanksgiving up. It’s been hard to find time and energy to list.
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11/09/2021 at 3:01 am #93838
Coming back up for air after a wild month or two! I finally get to report that I listed items again, 10, to be exact. Considering the weeks of zero listings, it feels good to put some up again.
I had my show again, after a two year hiatus! The good news is that people were thrilled that we were back open, showed up by the hundreds and hundreds, and came to spend, baby spend! It was WONDERFUL.
However, this show was much more challenging than usual too. One of my main workers came down with Covid two days before we started set up. She and her husband fortunately had mild symptoms (probably because they were vaccinated) but we dodged an enormous bullet. Had she come to set up and exposed all of us, there would have been no show, as we’d all had to be quarantined for two weeks. So feeling pretty lucky about that, even though we were short handed. One of our two registers decided not to work preview night, we had problems with our Square reader, and a blustery storm came through on one of our busiest days, Saturday, and knocked out our power for more than an hour, so we had to hand write out sales, by flashlight. Whew. We were tested, but we came through. You should have seen customers shopping by the flashlights on their phones! They were determined too! 🙂
I’m going to try to get through some death pile boxes this month. I’m ashamed to say how long some of them have been around! My goal is 8, this month, 2 a week. I guess I better get going on it then…..but I have a fundraiser Holiday Faire I am head volunteer for this coming weekend, so we’ll see what happens!
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11/09/2021 at 11:57 am #93842
Terrific to have you all back at the wheel! Down to our last 8 weeks. Let’s go!
Spreadsheet updated and JB takes the win again this week. Only one person up for the Challenge so far. It’s great to see the goals coming in. Let’s make them happen!
Have a terrific week, everyone.
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11/14/2021 at 8:38 pm #93902
Wowza, what a week! I’m pooped! The week started on a downer, as I managed to put my back out at the end of the show by, would you believe, vacuuming and mopping the floor! Kid you not! I keep telling everyone that housework is dangerous! So I spent the early part of the week walking very, very slowly and moving very, very carefully! I’m not back at full speed, but it’s a huge improvement vs this time last week. I was a little concerned that I would have low listing numbers, but I managed to get in a whopping 16 items, nearly half of those today! Okay, whopping for me, alright? 😉
Only 7 weeks until the end of the year, but as the USPS has posted December 18 as the posting deadline, I have decided to close my store on that day. I have a mix of used, not unique items in my store, so I don’t tend to have a massive Christmas rush anyway, and it worked well for me last year to have a couple weeks for organizing time. I will probably keep listing though, so that when I open in the New Year, I can hit the ground at full speed!
Wishing you all a wonderful week. Hope you’ve all bought your turkeys ahead of schedule!
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11/15/2021 at 8:32 am #93903
35 new listings for me and 2 boxes emptied for the November challenge.
During our last death pile challenge I didn’t really participate but with the encouragement of my eBay Bestie I’m really getting into it this time. And it feels fantastic to move death pile items I’ve had for years into my listed inventory. An added bonus is that I should hit 900 active listings today. 🙂
Wishing everyone great success with this challenge!
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11/15/2021 at 9:58 am #93907
22 new listings for me this week.
Sales were strong for me last week. Maybe the legendary 4th quarter is starting to finally show up.
I also went to another estate sale and bought some good stuff. It’s amazing how much is out there, but I definitely need to pump the brakes on buying.
Have a great week everyone!
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11/15/2021 at 10:54 am #93908
After listing only one item last week, preparation, easy items to list, and slow sales all culminated to a superstorm of 44 listings this week!
I can also add 2 death boxes to the challenge.
Most of my listings were jewelry. To make the process faster, I didn’t obsess with the photos (it’s hard to get excellent photos for small items), I didn’t try to find the exact gemstone (“blue gemstone” was good enough for me), and I didn’t clean anything up (used the word “tarnished” a few times right up there in the title).
I still have one to two dozen jewelry listings to go, but I have to test the pieces that are marked as gold. I don’t like to ask for high prices without being sure.
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11/15/2021 at 3:17 pm #93911
43 listings, 0 met the challenge.
Amatino, I’ve thrown my lower back out 3 times in the last two years. And like you, one time it was due to housework – reaching for laundry. Best to avoid housework all together – its for our health, har har.
Saturday I went to two estate sales and both were surprisingly amazing. Now my eBay room looks like a tornado hit it. And the backseat of my car is full of heavily perfumed clothing from one of the sales. I have to clean the ebay room in order to bring in the other stuff – ugh
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11/15/2021 at 5:20 pm #93914
I hate using my car for a storage shed, which is its current status, but the estate sales have been very good lately.
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11/16/2021 at 9:52 am #93918
Wooo hooooooo! Sharyn, you took the win this week, you’ve got one win on the board! Go you! Although, you won by one single listing, sorry JB! LOL I love watching these close races, it’s such fun! Get me some popcorn, make myself comfy, and I’m ready for you guys to slug it out! It’s been a neck-and-neck year all year, the best entertainment! 😀
JB, it’s the worst! And the problem is, when you feel better and forget, you move and that mind-numbing twinge echoes around your brain! I’ve always been of the opinion that whomever invented ironed clothes should have been bludgeoned with his own instrument, but now I think that ironing is positively calming compared to the damage that a mop and broom can do! LOL
Wishing you all a fabulous week. I have half a dozen more items to list before I can claim my first Box for the Challenge, so I’m wishing us all a good, productive week and lots of cleared Death Boxes!
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11/16/2021 at 11:53 am #93920
Zero listings for me last week. Just WAY too many other things going on. I have my eye on 3 death pile boxes for this week. Fingers crossed!
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11/19/2021 at 9:55 am #93952
Amatino, you’re not going to believe this. I threw my lower back out on Wednesday! What are the chances?? I took Aleve and iced it within the hour which I think helped it from becoming as debilitating as prior episodes but it still is no fun!
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11/19/2021 at 12:47 pm #93954
Oh no! That’s just the worst and you have my ardent, heartfelt sympathies!
Do you have a good chiropractor? Mine really helped. He told me to take Aleve, and ice it, and to stretch it very gently by bringing my knees up and hugging them into my chest, one at a time. I have a TENS machine similar to the one linked and I use that once a day. But I think it all helped as well as it did because he put me back into alignment.
Sending you some warm and fuzzies!
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11/22/2021 at 3:16 am #93983
Sorry about your backs, Julie and Amatino…with healing thoughts sent your way.
41 listings for me…and more importantly, SEVEN death pile boxes processed and GONE. It was a lot of work, but man it felt good!
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11/22/2021 at 9:01 am #93985
Thanks for the kind thoughts Amatino and Lacy. And thanks for linking to a TENS unit. I have one that I use when PMS cramps get out of control. Wish I’d known about Tens units years ago.
35 listings for me – 0 death piles touched.
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11/22/2021 at 9:07 am #93986
25 new listings for me and 1 more box emptied for the challenge this month.
Vintage Lacy – you are an inspiration! This death pile challenge is really slowing me down as far as getting listings up. But it’s wonderful to see a positive effect on my death pile mess. Hopefully I’m also learning a lesson on what not to buy for resale in the future.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving week!
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11/22/2021 at 9:12 am #93987
Oops, I forgot to report that I did make it to 900 ative listings – although it was just last night that I reached that goal. I had expected to make to 900 a week ago. But better late than never!
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11/22/2021 at 9:42 am #93988
12 listings for me this week, and I’m still working on 2 death piles. I started one two weeks ago, and the 2nd last week, and haven’t managed to finish either! I’m with VT, it’s really hard work to slog through DPs. They’ve been set aside for a reason! What I am learning, though, is that having focus is the key. Being able to focus, I mean really, deliberately focus, is incredibly hard for me. I have “off the charts” (to quote the psychiatrist) ADHD and my attention span is minuscule. I can’t sit still in one place for longer than maybe 20 minutes. I can’t sit still for that 20 minutes, now that I think about it. Something is always twitching or tapping or wiggling. Drives family members nuts! LOL. I’m one of those people who drums on the back of a book that I’m utterly absorbed in! Aaaand…. back to the subject. (See?)
I’ve been learning to deliberately focus on one listing, get it complete, move on to the next, and working only out of one box. It has been difficult for me. So difficult! What a great lesson, though! And I’m clearing death pile items. I love it! This week’s goal is to finish both DPs, so I hope to have 2 up for next week.
Congrats VL for being a DP wizard, and VT for making it to 900! Woot woot!
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11/22/2021 at 10:25 am #93990
I had 13 listings completed this week. I have lots of drafts, but I just couldn’t get to them. Too busy with the part time job and family. I have no additions to the DP challenge yet.
I’m still working on the jewelry, but I really need to get to the frames I discussed a few weeks ago. Just empty frames where the art was damaged or not valuable enough. I hope to start them Friday after our family Thanksgiving dinner. One issue is that my husband took the week off and wants to do some home improvement, so I may not get to it until December.
I’ve had my back go out on me in the past. Years ago, I started going to a chiropractor, but I found it difficult to go on a regular basis balancing kids and job and whatever else. However, when my back went out again several years ago, I was able to stay with the chiro after my main issue was resolved. I go every other week for a correction. I also have a set stretching routine in the morning. I don’t think I’d be able to operate as a normal human being without doing those two things.
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11/22/2021 at 10:48 am #93991
23 listings for me this week.
I also spent time cleaning and organizing my office. I am not done yet, but I have made quite an improvement. I think the clutter and mess are the biggest downside to selling on eBay, perhaps that’s a self inflicted wound? It will be tough to get a lot of listings done this week with holiday travel and my daughter coming to visit. I am going to try and list at least one thing each day.
Sales have been good this past week, with some higher priced items selling.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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11/22/2021 at 3:14 pm #93994
Hey guys, I’ve got an early Thanksgiving/Christmas gift for you. A Thanksmas gift? LOL
https://www.dropbox.com/s/917x3bv0gaew10e/Weekly%20Goals%20%26%20Listing.pdf?dl=0
For a challenge I’ve been working on, I created a document similar to this. It has proven really useful to me, and I’ve amended the document for future use on a monthly basis. And I thought I would share it with you!
On the left are 5 weekly boxes, one for each week of the month (5 because some months start or end in the middle of a week.) The Challenge Area is one area that you want to challenge yourself to work on for the week. This can be a physical area, like Hall Closet Shelf #3; or an online area, like creating your eBay store front or redesigning your work flow system. Or, it can be an area that you want to organize, for example, shelves that need to be restocked. The Project line is for you to work on a particular project. Again, this is all subjective, it can be anything you personally want to focus on for that week. (Psst: I use this for my sewing projects, not for eBay! But then, I’m not normal. *wink*) Below those sections are days of the week. Fill in the date of each day (the month is at the top) and then write in each day’s number of listings. On the right you have a TDL for the week and a space for any notes you want to make.
It’s a single page, so you could actually file these away and then have a full year’s record of your listings, your challenges and projects, and your progress.
LMK if this works for you and any proposed changes that might make it better for all of us.
Enjoy! Happy Thanksmas!
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11/29/2021 at 2:13 pm #94066
Thanks for posting this Amatino. The link works for me and I find the form to be very useful. For me, there is just something about putting my plans and ideas on paper that is more effective than working on a screen.
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11/23/2021 at 10:48 am #94008
Good morning! Spreadsheet updated!
Vintage Lacy wins the week with an excellent number of listings and a stunning number of Death Piles cleared! Go Lacy!
Please remember this is the last week for the Death Pile Challenge, which will end next Tuesday. For those who like to plan ahead, the December challenge theme is Travel!
Have a great week, everyone!
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11/23/2021 at 4:44 pm #94012
Goose egg for me the last two weeks. I have a lot going on and I’m pretty overwelmed. Luckily I don’t have much unlisted Christmas. Unfortunately I had a couple handfuls of Thanksgiving that didn’t make it on to Ebay. Oh well.
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11/27/2021 at 7:11 pm #94033
Hopefully I’m not posting this twice, it looks like my post disappeared… I’m posting early because I’ll be out of town starting Sunday and gone until Thursday night.
I had 29 listings this week and emptied another death pile box. I think that gives me 4 for the November death pile challenge.
Wishing everyone a great week ahead!
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11/28/2021 at 11:04 am #94042
Goose egg for me again. I’m under water with outside life. Luckily, I have not much Christmas to list but loads of other stuff.
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11/28/2021 at 9:44 pm #94052
I had computer issues this week that prevented me from listing, but I did manage one item before it started dragging its feet around slowing everything up to almost unusable. It’s managed to get back to normal now, so maybe I can get one more deathpile listed by Tuesday. In the meantime, I have a new PC, but it will take me some time to get it setup.
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11/29/2021 at 8:36 am #94057
26 listings, 0 death pile. Hoping to be a listing fiend this week since my distractions should be at a minimum (hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself).
Been doing tons of shipping the last 24 hours and so far I have 21 items to take to the post office today. That’s all items that have sold since mid-morning Saturday. 1 on Mercari, 0 Poshmark, 20 Ebay. I’d say 2/3rds of it is hard good items I started purchasing recently to get away from clothing. I guess that was a good decision.
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11/29/2021 at 10:08 am #94060
Good freezing morning, y’all! Yup, frost on the ground this morning, our lawn is white. Brrrr… I’m so grateful to be in Texas, though. We’re forecast 70s for our daytimes this week. Yippeeeee!
Managed an acceptable 15 this week, and finally cleared one death box. One! Sigh…
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11/29/2021 at 2:10 pm #94065
16 Listings, 0 death piles.
My listings were down a little this week, as I expected with the holiday commotion. However, I was happy to finally break the 600 listings mark. 🙂 Sales slowed down last week, but several higher dollar items sold.
I need to get a lot of listings done this week, since I am traveling to Virginia to visit my brother next week. Depending on our schedule while I am there, I may make it over to Luray and visit the coffee shop in person.
The road to 1000 is a long one….
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11/29/2021 at 9:08 pm #94069
I really put the pedal to the metal this week, especially this weekend, and listed 50 items for the week. Still playing catch-up but feel good about my progress. No more death pile boxes to report.
Hope everyone has a great week ahead…there’s only 5 weeks left this year!
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11/30/2021 at 12:01 pm #94076
Great week, everyone! Spreadsheet updated and VL rolled in for a deserved win!
Today is the last day of the November challenge. Please post final numbers by tomorrow.
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11/30/2021 at 10:03 pm #94081
I have my new computer up and running. So nice to have a computer that prints quickly and doesn’t slow up. However, I was not able to list another death pile. I’m still at a total of 3 for the challenge
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12/01/2021 at 1:51 pm #94083
December Challenge: TRAVEL
Maps, photo books, destination coffee table books, backpacks and luggage, car/train/plane related items, RV linens, city name magnets or curios (Statue of Liberty made in China – really get the world in one!) Tea towels with destinations on them. Starbucks city mugs. Hoodies with names of places. Eye masks, neck pillows, car rugs. Folding chairs, folding tables, camping equipment. Digital hand held scales, portable gaming systems (like the old Nintendos!) Garment bags, portable laundry bags, car coats, car driving loafers. Passport covers, plugs and international plug converters. Jewelry wallet, luggage locks.
That should give you a good starting point! If you have something that doesn’t sound like a travel item, you’re welcome to justify!
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12/02/2021 at 11:05 am #94088
November Challenge Winners.
Well, this was a bit of an underwhelming response this month. Only 4 people participated. :'(
VL managed the sum of the other two winners! 7 Death Boxes cleared for 4 points. VT clocked 4 boxes to earn 3 points. Sharyn did 3 for 2, and I logged one to get my participation point.
Well done, ladies!
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12/06/2021 at 10:46 am #94141
Bah humbug! One whole listing and it was NOT travel related.
Bummed!
Even worse, I had a buyer who said the item does not work and wants a refund. It’s a knife sharpener. The manual kind, not electronic. In other words, he doesn’t know how to use it. He blew up my phone with rude messages telling me he wanted a refund, at night while I was in my dance class, so I didn’t reply. The next morning I woke to a return request. It was auto-accepted, as I do hassle-free returns. Later he messaged me again that he couldn’t ship the return, he was out of the country and he wanted a refund. Per J&R, radio silence, as I had already accepted the refund. The (censored) put in a payment dispute! In the old days of PayPal, sellers were protected. Now, we have no recourse whatsoever. I hate the new system! I’ve had more returns, more hassles with payments, and fewer sales since eBay started “improving” everything.
I’m NOT feeling the e-mojo today!
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12/06/2021 at 11:04 am #94142
Amatino, I think your buyer is liar. He opens a return for an item but also happens to be out of the country so he can’t return it? My husband and I would call that a BOFBS which is how we text each other when we mean “Bunch of F—ing Bull S—” Kinda crass but it makes us feel better. We started using it after a Dana Carvey stand up special where he joked his teenage son would mumble it so often it became his catch phrase.
27 listings. 0 Travel related.
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12/06/2021 at 11:13 am #94144
I had 22 new listings this week, but none were travel related.
Sales have slowed down, and I will be out of town most of this week with extended handling time on my items, so I expect that trend to continue. This will certainly impact the number of new listings I post this week, but I intend to make certain that I don’t end up with a big fat zero.
Have a great week everyone!
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12/06/2021 at 11:25 am #94148
Amatino, I’m so sorry to hear about your bad buyer! That’s a real bummer.
I was out of town from Sunday morning 11/18 until Thursday night 12/2 so I only had 3 listing days last week. And I squandered one of those days recovering from the 7+ hour drive home. My husband and I had a great little vacation but it sure put a dent in my available listing time. In the 2 days I had I managed 16 new listings, 3 were travel related.
I’m going on another trip with my sister this week so I anticipate another low listing week. But I’m looking forward to the trip – I missed a lot of trips before the vaccines were available.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week!
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12/06/2021 at 11:48 am #94151
@Amatino – A few weeks ago, someone opened a credit card payment dispute through eBay. All I had to do was confirm that the shipping information was correct, and then eBay is doing the rest. It is still open, but I think I’m covered. I don’t think that your bad buyer has won yet. Wait it out and see.
I listed 19 items this week. I finished up the death pile I was working on last month when my computer starting slogging through internet sludge. I now have a new PC up and running well. I’m not sure that I have anything travel related to list, so I’ll have to search through my piles. I do plan on going through the empty frames I have lying around.
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12/07/2021 at 2:37 am #94161
55 listings for me last week. I received a large wholesale shipment that was supposed to have arrived in August. It came last week, due to all the container issues and it had plenty of Christmas product so I had to scramble to get it all listed. Fortunately, it has already started selling briskly.
Amatino, so sorry about the crummy customer. I like the term BOFBS, Julie. And I agree…the buyer sounds like a liar.
My current beef with Ebay is that my sales were sluggish after I put my shop on vacation for two weeks in October so I could do my show. It very much felt like I was being punished! My daily sales were at about 20% of what they were before I turned my shop off and it was slow to return. They are FINALLY back up to where they should be for this time of year, but it was a long process and very nerve-wracking. I had the same issue with Amazon but it came back quicker. I didn’t have this problem with either one of them in the past so this is a new unwelcome twist.
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12/09/2021 at 11:05 am #94178
Okay, round 3, ding ding!
For some reason, since my BitDefender antivirus started running a VPN, I’ve had a lot of problems. Facebook doesn’t like it, and the Scavenger Life bots have advised me that I’m a “recognized scammer.” Wait, what? Generally it takes about 4 days for me to be removed from the naughty list and I usually have to change browsers or computers, and clear caches and all sorts of stuff. So now I’m going to try again.
Spreadsheet updated, Lacy takes the win!
Please post please post please post!
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12/13/2021 at 9:35 am #94220
Good morning, everyone!
Despite my best efforts, I have a big, fat goose egg for the week! I have a dozen drafts, close to 100 photos, but still no listings up. Bah humbug!
Hope you all had a better week!
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12/13/2021 at 10:20 am #94222
Grrr, I have what I believe is my first zero for 2021. Darn it! No listings last week at all. I got caught up in getting ready for vacation and then I got on the plane with zero listings completed.
The upside is that I had a wonderful vacation. And I have no additional trips planned for the next 5 weeks so I’m hoping to get lots of listings up during that time.
Wishing everyone a great week!
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12/13/2021 at 11:47 am #94225
I listed six items. They were all the wood frames I’ve mentioned in the past. Four of those listings are for groups of frames. A big plus is that these greatly help clean up the area where I have all my unlisted stuff.
For anyone thinking about listing a group of frames rather than one at a time, the key word is “gallery wall”.
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12/13/2021 at 12:35 pm #94226
53 listings even though I was away for 3 days! I parted out a 35 piece Bethlehem Village Set which made listings go pretty quickly since a lot of items I was able to sell similar and then just change the photos and a few words.
I’m trying to get my sales numbers up this month to end the year strong so I’ve been pretty motivated to list. It also helps that my husband is traveling for work a lot lately and I don’t have many family obligations over the holidays so my distractions are minimal.
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12/13/2021 at 11:29 pm #94233
I listed 3 items. At least I avoided the dreaded goose egg.
I spent most of the week out of town in Virginia. I actually made it to Luray and visited the caverns, which are awesome. Afterwards, we went into town and passed by Jay an Ryanne’s coffee shop, unfortunately it was closed for the day. I did do a bit of sourcing in Fredericksburg and was able to find some good items at an estate sale. The coolest thing was a 1960’s Skyway suitcase that I had to buy to bring the loot home in. Thankfully, I was flying on Southwest so there was no charge for the extra bag. Sales were slow last week, but some higher value items sold for me today, and I am hoping for a good week.
Have a great week!
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12/14/2021 at 12:53 am #94234
25 listings for me, which is a miracle, quite frankly. I’m spending 7-8 hours a day just shipping. Tis the season…today I had 137 orders to ship!
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12/14/2021 at 5:35 pm #94242
@vintage-lacy – 137 orders!! I thought I was busy with my measly 16 orders this morning. I bow to the master!
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12/15/2021 at 11:17 am #94245
Good morning, all, and apologies for the late posting. SL bots still don’t like me!
Wow, Julie, you hit it out the park this week! Great win. And we’re still in a neck-n-neck race! Such fun!
Thanks for the tip, Sharyn! I’ve got frames to move!
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12/15/2021 at 12:30 pm #94248
sonova…..
My crappy buyer won his payment dispute! The item was delivered, he refused to return it with my no-quibble return policy, and he WON! This would never have happened under the old PayPal system! I’m disputing this with eBay Seller Protection now. Will keep you updated.
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12/17/2021 at 5:21 pm #94282
Howdy y’all!
Well, I’ve been giving it some good ol’ rumination and I have decided from next year to scrap the Monthly Challenges. I’ve been seeing consistent drops in participation. You know how, when you live near the beach, you never go to the beach? When I first started adding in challenges, it was to give you a boost, something new to motivate you. Now, it’s a monthly thing and you’ve gotten used to it, so the motivation is gone.
For 2022, I’m going to give you a new Challenge. The Designated Challenge! This is how it is going to work.
Over the next two weeks, go through your business and decide what you want to work on. Identify 10 items. Do you want to revamp your store banner in eBay? Do you finally want to sign up with List Perfectly and move to other platforms? Do you want to unpack that gosh-darned shelf that keeps falling down and buy a new one? Do you want to get rid of those piled up boxes of death pile items?
Did you notice there’s a mix of options in there? There’s digital and physical, there’s working ON your business and working IN your business? Now you can choose any one category, or mix and match to your heart’s content.
Next up, you are going to write down a clear descriptive of each goal, and you’re going to number each one. Try to keep it to a single sentence, and make it something you can do within a month. So, using the examples I gave above:
1. Revamp eBay store banner
2. Sign up with List Perfectly and move to Mercari, Poshmark, and Etsy
3. Unpack 3rd shelf that keeps falling down, buy new wood and build a good frame.
4. Empty Death Box #284The numbering system you use is irrelevant. You need 12 numbers in total, and any two of the numbers will say “Challenger’s Choice.” So you can choose to make #5 and #7 your CC, and I can make mine #3 and #11.
When I create the 2022 Challenge Thread #1, you must post your list of 12 items (2 of which are Choice lines) for the group to see. Each month I will post a random number (from 1 to 12) and you will then spend that month working on whatever that number was from your challenge. At the end of the month, you will report back on your success/progress/failure (hope not!) and we will cheer each other on!
The Challenger’s Choice items are there so that you have a break, because we all know that life happens. So if your number drawn one month is a Choice month you can choose what you want to do. Do you choose to work on a different area than one of those you put in your challenge? Or to catch up on a previous month’s challenge? Or to merely take the month off from challenges? It’s your choice, and there are no wrong answers! Well – there’s one wrong answer. You can’t choose to do an upcoming challenge already identified.
You have two weeks to identify your 10 items or areas, and post in the first week of January! Ready… GO!
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12/18/2021 at 11:49 am #94299
Amatino, I love love love the new Designated Challenge! How inspiring AND motivating! I started working on my list this morning and I can’t wait to start!
thanks for putting so much thought into it…..it’s brilliant!
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12/18/2021 at 12:41 pm #94302
I never made much headway with my listing goals, but I like this new idea a lot….starting work on my list!
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12/20/2021 at 11:41 am #94333
Good morning, All! Glad you like the new challenge. I was worried some of you would be mad that I canned the old one! 😀
This week I managed a satisfying 15 listings. Yay!
The last two weeks I’ve been struggling with my knee. I thought I had mentioned it back when, but it must have been one of the posts that the SL bots deleted when I couldn’t get onto the forum. (Back story, short version: knee smashed in motorbike accident, rebuilt, ongoing problems. No knee replacement yet.) The knee gave out a couple weeks back and I’ve been on crutches. The latest news is that I have found a brace that supposedly helps my particular knee problem and, skeptic though I am, the pain leads one to spend money in desperation. And it is working! Color me delighted! And surprised, because this is brace #4 or 5 or ridiculous-number-of-useless-items. It’s not the most comfortable thing to wear, but I was astonished to discover I had no knee pain yesterday while carrying out cat litter to my usual dump spot. Wheeee! Crutches have gone back into storage and fingers crossed I can get a whole passel of work done before I need them again.
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12/20/2021 at 12:06 pm #94334
Amatino: Thanks for for doing the work to put the new challenge out there for everyone. And I’m glad to hear you found something to help with your knee pain. Wishing you and everyone else good luck on getting a whole passel of work done!
I also managed 15 new listings last week. I notice that I always slow down on listing in December (I’ve been on eBay for 19 years now and it’s a definite trend) but unfortunately it’s not because I’m shipping a lot like VL or Julie B. I think I just get tired of listing by the time December rolls around. So it’s good to have a new challenge as motivation to get back to business in January.
Wishing everyone a great Christmas week!
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12/20/2021 at 2:22 pm #94341
@Amatino -I’ve told you this before, but you appear to be falling apart. One body part at a time :). Good luck to you, and I hope you recover soon.
I listed seven items this week. I’m getting down to the bottom of my death piles, but what is mostly left is electronics. Stuff that has to be tested or trashed. It seems to multiply and never go away.
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12/20/2021 at 3:55 pm #94343
Amatino – I just got around to reading your Designated Challenge post. You have the best ideas! I’ll start working on my list.
24 listings. My busiest listing days are Sat and Sun but I got the Moderna booster on Friday afternoon and it kind of depleted my energy for the weekend so I didn’t accomplish much.
I hope everyone enjoys this week leading up to Christmas!
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12/20/2021 at 9:14 pm #94347
I’m still here! Not dead yet, but you wouldn’t know it by either my listing or my sales. Amatino, I like that challenge and I’m on board for 2022.
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12/21/2021 at 12:46 pm #94350
2 whole listings for me last week. I’m grateful for the orders pouring in, but also grateful that it will soon reduce down to a manageable level. I’m shipping 50-60 orders every day and not getting much else done. I did manage to get my 2o22 personal challenge list made, and am excited to share it.
I’m envious that you have almost eliminated your death piles Sharyn! I hope to make great head way on mine next year. You are an inspiration. Julie, thanks and I bow down to the queen of listing this year….you certainly have been consistent and diligent….kudos to you. I’m planning my strategy for next year. I need to expect that my 2nd half of the year is always going to be more challenging, and split my listing goal into 2 parts, first half of the year and second.
Glad about the brace Amatino….sending wishes that 2022 is a non-eventful health year for you!
Happy holidays everyone!
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12/21/2021 at 12:58 pm #94351
@Sharyn, my body parts are holding together… mostly! LOL
Spreadsheet updated and Julie takes the win! There you go, Jules, hope that makes up for a listless weekend!
I was chatting with a friend about the new Trash Elf Designated Challenge (TEDC) and she said it’s great, but… (Isn’t “but” the most dangerous word in any language?) But it has a major flaw. I thought about it, and she’s right. Dang it! I’m going to make an amendment to the challenge.
My neighbor’s son sells gun parts, for those old ball and powder guns. He wouldn’t mind putting up something like “Tidy Area 51” but he definitely won’t want to put in the detail about how he weighs the gunpowder and stuff. (Not sure if that wouldn’t spark a terrorist notice or something!) Now I would happily say “Negotiate new prices with Agape Thrift Store” but some folks sell new items and either wouldn’t want to identify their source, or have to sign an NDA and so couldn’t mention details. Or if you sell potentially embarrassing stuff, you wouldn’t want to describe, for example, “sort dildos and butt plugs into separate boxes.” O.O! 😛
While I do try to think through the implications of my challenges, this one missed me, and for that I apologize. I will be amending the challenge as follows:
Create your list of 10 items. Add in your two Challenger’s Choice numbers. Then you can either:
1. Post your full list of 12 items in the group to share (next year, in the new thread)
or
2. Post your list of 12 items, but in the months where you can’t/don’t want to share information put in REDACTED.
or
3. Just say that your list is ready. No sharing required.
There are no wrong answers, folks. We’ve always operated on an honesty basis, and there’s no reason to change that now!
For those of you who are old fashioned (ahem.. me!) I have created a worksheet that you can print, fill out, and share a snapshot, if you wish. Find it here.
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12/21/2021 at 1:59 pm #94353
@Amatino – Are these challenges supposed to be specific to a month? I originally thought that they were non-specific, and you picked one at the beginning of the month. On the other hand, the few that I’ve put down so far are for specific months. Just want to clarify. I probably read your explanation too fast.
@Vintage-Lacy – My death piles are only getting low because I haven’t been buying. Because prices are higher this time of the year, I usually do back off, and this year more than others. Part of it also is because my part time job is busier than before. This will all blow up in the early spring when prices get better unless I can really tackle those death piles at the beginning of the year (actually, I’ll make that part of my January challenge). -
12/21/2021 at 6:31 pm #94359
@Sharyn No, they’re not specific to a month. You choose 10 projects that need to be done, but they can’t be time-specific. On the first of each month, I’ll randomly draw a number 1-12. That number will correspond with which number project you work on throughout the month. Have a look at the sheet I attached in the last post, it might explain it better? Sometimes seeing it helps.
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12/21/2021 at 10:01 pm #94361
The sheet has a column for month. That is what threw me off. Thanks.
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12/21/2021 at 11:41 pm #94362
Posting late, but I had 22 listings last week.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
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12/22/2021 at 8:50 am #94369
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12/26/2021 at 5:27 pm #94398
2022 thread is open for you to post your Designated Challenge posts IF YOU WANT TO! Please don’t post your numbers there (yet.) We still need to finish 2021 here in this thread.
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12/26/2021 at 5:52 pm #94401
Hi Everyone – I hope you all had wonderful holidays!
I’m psyched for the new challenge, but even though I don’t sell sex toys or guns I’m keeping my list private. I promise I will be honest about whether or not I’ve achieved my monthly goals. I can’t wait to see what the first number pulled is, I’m excited to get started!
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12/27/2021 at 10:26 am #94408
Happy Monday, y’all! I hope you all had wonderful days on Christmas Day and spent time loving up on some family. I managed to visit with most of my family via phone and/or video calls, although I only got to talk to my Dad the day after Christmas. For some reason, my rural phone system isn’t allowing me to call overseas. Bah humbug! It was good to see the family, though. They were all snuggled up in cozy winter jammies (it was night time over there!) talking about the cold, while we were in short sleeve t-shirts and complaining about the heat! LOL. Gotta love Texas!
And, I’m thrilled to report, I have listings to post for today, despite it being the Christmas week! This Challenge I’m on with my Bestie has totally gotten me moving. I got only 8 listings up, unfortunately, but I guarantee I wouldn’t have done them if I hadn’t been in a challenge!
This is the last week of the year, go for the final push, and I have already got a couple items out that are travel related so that I get to put my number on the Challenge board one more time!
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12/27/2021 at 3:27 pm #94411
17 new listings for me last week. With my birthday and Christmas last week I totally forgot about the travel challenge – but I doubt I listed anything travel related anyway.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year later this week!
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12/27/2021 at 3:56 pm #94412
I have to log the dreaded goose egg today, 0 new listings last week. 🙁 with holiday activities and my daughter visiting I thought I might get a few done, but that was not the case. On the bright side, sales remained strong with higher dollar items selling.
Regarding the new challenge, I really like the idea but some of my goals are date sensitive, for instance I need to create a spreadsheet to track mileage and other expenses in early January. This will allow me to dump godaddy bookkeeping which has become more trouble than it’s worth.
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12/27/2021 at 5:19 pm #94414
@Utahbill You will need to come up with stuff that is not date sensitive. Try to find stuff that you’ve been meaning to get to, but that you just keep putting off.
Re the new spreadsheet, have you looked at Easy Auction Tracker? It’s absolutely brilliant. It IS a spreadsheet, but it pulls all your eBay stuff for you. You manually add your expenses, such as mileage, electricity, etc., but it auto pulls all your eBay stuff. They also allow a free trial period, but at only $60 for the entire year, you can’t go wrong. I’ve used it for about 4 years now and buy it every year happily, because it’s the best. I only sell on eBay, so it’s not a problem for me, but if you sell on multiple platforms, it may be a problem. That is the only negative about this program. I’ve heard that they’re going to be adding, but I’ve not investigated because I only sell on eBay.
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12/27/2021 at 11:14 pm #94418
I use Sixbit so all of my eBay data is already being imported. How does easy auction handle expenses such as mileage, travel, meals, COGS etc.?
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12/27/2021 at 5:19 pm #94415
@Utahbill Sorry! Here’s the link https://easyauctionstracker.com/
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12/27/2021 at 8:20 pm #94417
Five listings for me last week. Had a wonderful time with my family up in Seattle and beat the snow back home, if just barely. I’ve already listed more than 5 items today and hope that my last week of the year is extremely productive. I’m really looking forward to the new challenge!
Amatino, not sure when you want us to give you our 2022 year goal, but please put me down for 40 a week, because this will be the year I finally reach my goal! My plan is to strive to list 60 items a week the first 6 months, knowing that the second half of the year is always much more challenging and if I’ve managed 60, then I can have a goal of 20 a week for the second half of the year. It’s a new strategy and I think it will work for me!
Hope everyone stays warm and cozy and safe!
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12/27/2021 at 11:27 pm #94419
I listed 19 items last week.
I am currently visiting family so I will have to post my challenges on the weekend. I forgot to bring that with me.
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12/28/2021 at 11:20 am #94423
Utahbill, it’s an Excel spreadsheet. You just input your expenses under the expenses tab. It auto adds them to the other fields in your profit and loss sections.
Gosh, Lacy, I hadn’t even thought of that! Thanks for the reminder. I’ll get to work on the New Year this week. Everyone else, please also give me your goals for 2022!
Spreadsheet updated, Sharyn gets another win! Well done!
Last week of the year, last week of the TELC, last week of the Monthly Challenges too. I’m going to be a little late with the prizes this year, my printer is busy with other projects and needs to squeeze me in. Also… I haven’t decided what the prizes are going to be! If it wasn’t for the last minute, would I get anything done? LOL
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12/29/2021 at 5:46 pm #94443
Amatino, I ended up buying a spreadsheet from a person I follow on youtube (produoflippers) for a one time cost of only $9. It doesn’t automatically import eBay data, but right now I only sell around 40 items a month, so the data entry isn’t too bad. I am trying to cull as many reoccurring subscription fees as I can in 2022, and avoid new ones unless they have a strong benefit to me.
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12/30/2021 at 11:22 am #94447
3 listings last week. I’m posting late as I had a family emergency back home in Iowa. Dad had a scary heart/lung event that has completely stumped 4 different cardiologists. We got him back home but I’d feel better if they had some answers and a treatment plan. It feels like now we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop. He’s had a bad heart for 25 years so the fact that he is still around is a bit of a miracle.
Turned my stores back on last night while at the airport and woke up to 3 sales. Time to get back into the swing of shipping.
I’m looking forward to figuring out my 12 challenge items. I printed out the form you created Amatino, it’s perfect!
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12/31/2021 at 1:08 pm #94454
Oh, Julie, sorry to hear about your dad. Hope he continues to improve now.
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01/01/2022 at 12:51 pm #94468
December challenge is over! Please post final numbers today.
At the very last minute, I managed to get 3 travel related listings up, one a map, one a book on mountain biking trails, and one a pilot’s radio handbook (if that doesn’t count for travel, I have no idea what does! LOL)
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01/01/2022 at 1:06 pm #94471
2 more travel related items for me. I believe that brings my total to 5?
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01/01/2022 at 8:22 pm #94479
I did not list any travel related items. I didn’t have anything in ye ole death piles.
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01/03/2022 at 10:20 am #94518
I ended with a bang, 18 listings up, which included my travel ones.
Post all your numbers here for last week, and tomorrow I will list the final winners and close the thread, and we’ll all move over to the new 2022 thread.
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01/03/2022 at 10:39 am #94519
I didn’t get a lot of listings done with a lot of holiday activities still taking place, but I do not have to report the dreaded goose egg. I had 10 listings last week. Things are settling down now and I will get back in to a more steady routine.
Have a great week everyone!
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01/03/2022 at 10:42 am #94520
I was out of town visiting family, so I did not list anything.
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01/03/2022 at 10:53 am #94522
46 listings for me last week. I didn’t have any travel listings for the month.
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01/03/2022 at 11:22 am #94524
I listed 28 items last week. I think I would have had a higher number but I spent quite a bit of time watching the devastating fires in Colorado from my 3rd floor deck on Thursday. The fires were about 9 miles away from my house in my two neighboring towns. 991 houses burned to the ground, and around 125 were damaged.
Luckily for us the 110 mph winds we had on Thursday were blowing in the opposite direction of my home, and the fire spread away from us rather than towards us. But my husband’s car had a service recall from Tesla and he brought it in to Tesla on Thursday morning. The Tesla service center is right in the burn area. Of course when he dropped it off no one was yet aware of the fire.
We assumed his car was destroyed when we saw footage of the hotel across the street from Tesla burning to the ground and one side of the Tesla building on fire. But recently we saw a video from a news helicopter showing that Tesla only had one wall of their building catch fire. And we saw my husband’s car sitting in Tesla’s parking lot where he originally parked it. His car will probably need smoke remediation but we were glad to see it didn’t burn up. But it’s difficult to feel happy when so many people in my community have lost everything.
I am feeling grateful for eBay since I can donate more $ with my eBay profits to the people I know of who lost their homes, all their belongings and even their pets. The stories we’re hearing from friends and friends of friends are so incredibly sad.
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01/03/2022 at 12:16 pm #94526
Wow Vintage Treasures! 9 miles is way too close for comfort for a fire storm such as that!
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01/03/2022 at 11:28 am #94525
No listings for me last week.
VT, so glad you’re okay. Such a terrible time Colorado is having.
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01/03/2022 at 12:17 pm #94527
23 listings for my last week.
Stay healthy, Everyone!
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01/04/2022 at 10:46 am #94541
What a year! VT, I’m so sorry to hear about the fires in your area, but my respect to you for donating your eBay money to those impacted.
The December challenge was a bust, with only VT and I listing anything. VT listed 5, so she gets the win, and I listed 3, coming 2nd. No third or participation points.
The final totals for the Challenges; in 3rd place with an excellent effort is VL with 34; in 2nd place is last year’s winner, Sharyn, who clocked in with 38. And our 2021 Challenge winner is Vintage Treasures, with an impressive 41! Very well done, VT. I will be contacting you regarding your prize shortly. This is the last year with a Challenger prize, so I’m giving some thought to what it should be!
Now, for our listing winner… drum rollllllllll….. (or should that be rrrrrrrroll? 😉 ) we have something that has never happened before! We have a TIE! Both Julie B and Vintage Lacy clocked 19 winning weeks! These two have raced neck and neck the entire year! Wow, what a tennis match it has been and now, even the photo finish doesn’t reveal even a nose ahead (I can mix sporting metaphors with the best of ’em! LOL) Well done to both of you, a great achievement! JB, please will you email me at snratoni@yahoo.com with your address?
Well done to everyone for a great year’s work. I actually listed more this year than I have in the previous 3, so I’m very happy. Can you believe we have been at this for FOUR YEARS? Yup, we start year 5 now! Amazing! You can view the spreadsheet at the usual link, and you can access previous years by hitting the tabs at the bottom.
Time to move across to the new thread. Thank you all for your participation.
THIS THREAD IS CLOSED!
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