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Did you all have a happy Thanksgiving?
Winner for last week was VT again. Congrats on great numbers!
I’ve not shared the link to the spreadsheet in a while, so here you go: TELC
As you can all see VT won this year! I know we still have 3 weeks to go, but it’s no contest! Congrats on a stellar year, VT!
Only 4 weeks to go in our DP Challenge and I am so far behind! BUT… I have a secret weapon. My husband is a machine when it comes to work like this and he has agreed to help me sort through my DPs. Of course, he has an ulterior motive – he wants the garage back! Whatever his incentive, I’m just grateful for the help. We’re going to tag team, with me doing comps on the computer while he sorts. Stuff that is less than $30 will go straight into a Goodwill box. Stuff that is over $30 will be put into separate boxes depending on whether they can go straight to photos or if they need cleaning or some other prep work before photos. I’m fairly certain I can wipe out the entire 210 item in one day with his help.
As a precursor to this activity, he suggested I put my entire store on sale to try to reduce my inventory at the same time, as it hasn’t sold and I have a lot of low dollar stuff. So my entire store, both listed and unlisted, is going to get a massive overhaul. It will be interesting to see my “new” store afterwards! 2025 is being set up beautifully!
@Sharyn – to be honest, I’m still not keen. Actually, another member of our local quilt guild approached us on Saturday and asked if she could participate in “next year’s one.” That would take us up to 5 participants, although the lady who did the worst out of our trio (because she’s exorbitantly overpriced) wants to pull out. My partners pointed out that I have an entire year to sew for it, rather than the 7 weeks’ notice we got this time. As the venue has not yet confirmed if they want to repeat, I’m not sure it’s even up for discussion! LOL. Although I’m 100% positive that we can find an alternate venue in town, so that’s not a good excuse. I don’t know. I love sewing items and I’m very good at the display and chatting to customers. I just really didn’t enjoy the pressure of the deadline and being suddenly voted Fearless Leader. I ended up doing all the display, buying the racks, bringing my own Christmas decorations, etc. If I was doing it on a regular, this would be assets for the next one, but to be suddenly responsible for all this extra purchasing and set up when I’m not even sure we’re going to have another was a bit much. Perhaps I’m just feeling burned out from all that I’ve been expected to do in the last quarter and I’ll feel more enthusiastic in the new year? They’re already talking about a Spring Show and I’m thinking heck no!
That being said, we will be at our local Second Saturday Market to offload the remainder of our stock. It has only two rules: you must live in the area (i.e., have an address at the local post office) and it has to be all home made/grown/reared. It’s free, no fees, and only two hours, so it’s a great opportunity to clear the last of the items we made and also the last of the supplies we bought and didn’t get to make, which gives us 3 weeks to make and sell. I’m happy to do that because in our local Market, if you only have 2 items left on the table, it’s not a problem. We don’t have to have a “full” booth as we would at a craft fair or similar.
But another full show like the boutique we just finished? Still not keen. Nope.
Winner for the last two weeks with some seriously impressive numbers was VT. Go Treasures, go! 😀
My red truck quilt in the last photo I posted sold immediately. I could have sold that thing five times over if I’d bought multiples of it!
Wishing you all a fantastic Thanksgiving week!
Christine, do you find selling mugs for $4 is even worth it? When you knock off all the fees and charges, the cost of packaging materials, and the time it takes to photograph, list, pull, and ship, it seems to be a loss. When mugs sold for $12 upwards, it was worth it, and I even went as low as $7 to clear stock that was already listed. But I won’t do any new listings with such low returns. Unless there’s some secret on Mercari that I’m missing.
My pop up challenge work will only start next week. I am both thrilled and terrified that today is the day we set up the Christmas Boutique I’ve been working so hard on. Terrified because I don’t think I’ve ever been so unprepared for an event, and thrilled because after this weekend, it will be over and I get my life back. And that sentence is why I believe I will not do one of these again. I don’t think I enjoy it and I don’t want to repeat it.
Here’s one of the quilted throws I finished for the Boutique. I like this one a lot!
Hey folks. Yet again, I’m behind with updates, but I’m glad y’all don’t need me!
Winner for week 10/28 was VT, winner for week 11/4 was a tie between Sharyn and Christine. Well done to all of you.
We have 8 weeks left in the DP challenge. I have one week left until my Christmas Boutique. I’m sewing like a crazy lady, but it’s all going much slower than I’d like. Running multiple businesses at the same time is a recipe for insanity, I tell you!
However, I have been stockpiling boxes. When the Boutique is up and done, I’m going to be going through all my inventory and catching up with the entire DP challenge. The total number of donations for the entire challenge is 210 items. I’m going to fill those boxes with everything that I don’t want to list. I’ve reached the point where it’s more important for me to have the space cleared than to spend the time listing low dollar items. Give it up, give it away!
So here’s a Pop Up Challenge for you! There are two weeks left in November. What items are you hanging onto that you should really just give it up, give it away? You know the ones; you spent money on them while they were trending, but you’ve had them so long they’re not trending any more and now you’ll only just cover your costs. Or they’re pretty, so they should sell! Vintage glassware that nobody buys any more? Cute mugs that only sell for $7 nowadays but would have fetched $20 if you’d listed it 2 years ago? That coat that is pure wool, FFS, but they’re selling on eBay for $15 each because Walmart stocks them? Give it up, give it away. Nature abhors a vacuum, I’ve been told. So get rid of that stuff to make holes for the good things you’re going to find next year! When you list your numbers for the week, don’t forget to note how many items are GI UP & AWAY!
Howdy y’all! You continue to amaze with great numbers and so much enthusiasm. I’m really privileged to be part of this happy little corner! 😀
VT won last week. You’ve done some great work, T, your numbers are fantastic. Congratulations.
I’m frantically sewing for my Boutique which is in only 3 weeks, so I’m doing nothing else but shipping an occasional order. However, I’ve been reviewing my stash which is pretty much ALL old, old, and older items. I don’t think I’ve bought anything for resale in over a year! So my entire stock is all DPs and I’ve been giving it the hairy eyeball! Stuff sells, it all sells eventually, if the price is low enough, but I think I’ve lost patience with low-priced items. So much work, so little return. After my Boutique, I’m probably going to turn this focus into my inventory and clear out as much as my Scrooge-like heart will let go. I would be happy to empty that entire bottom shelf of my storage wall and use that for storage for the stuff I have in my attic, so that I don’t have to climb up that rickety stair and clomp around with the wasps and stuff!
All this to say that I’ve not kept up with the DP Challenge (10 weeks to go!) but that in 3 weeks when my Boutique is over, I’ll probably knock it out of the park!
Wishing you all a great week.
I have no idea, on any of those questions.
There was a discussion just beginning in the FB group but I have been too slammed for time to investigate it deeply. I figured it was enough of a concern to just notify my peeps. As more information surfaces, I promise to pass it on.
Learned about this today from a FB group I’m in. A seller’s item was returned, buyer pays shipping, all good. Then she noticed it was scanned and eBay automatically refunded in full. She didn’t get to check condition or anything as she hadn’t received it yet, and she was just a tad horrified. I thought I’d let y’all know about this so that you’re not taken by surprise too.
Yikes! I’m two weeks behind! This new whole-week-to-post has really thrown me off. Sorry everyone! I’m just grateful you’re all here for the community and not for the numbers! LOL
Okay, week of 10/07 winner was VT with a great number. Week of 10/14 we had a tie! Congrats to Christine for pulling through so well to tie with VT! And I think a special note of congrats to Sharyn for actually clocking the DP challenge every week. Go you!
Lacy, so sorry to hear about Charlie, hope he’s getting better.
Christine, you seem to be doing so well. Hope you continue to improve.
My new machine arrived just before the weekend and I am thrilled with it. I’ve not had much time to play, however, as I’m frantically sewing for a Christmas Boutique in only 5 weeks.
Wishing you all a fantastic week.
Happy Monday, everyone!
Congrats to VT for her win for last week.
Well done on getting 2 listings up, Christine. I hope that you continue to get better.
Thrilled that everyone is doing so well on their DP items. I managed to get my 18 items out and started on my 17 but failed to finish. Boo. Well, I’m still progressing. I’ve got to finish my 17, 16, and 15 and then I’ll be up to date. Of course, by then it will be next week, so I’ll still be one week behind BUT… I’m getting my DPs out of the house so I’m taking it as a win!
Still no listings for me, unfortunately. I had hoped that my quilting business would have settled down by now to allow me to return to eBay, but it has not. The machine I was working on declared war, full out combat mode, and the hubs, who is a sewing machine repair tech by trade, lost his temper with it. Fortunately, I was given a replacement machine. Same machine, newer model. When this machine started acting funky on its very first day, Himself told me to research getting another brand. Serendipitously, a brand that I’ve been following for a long time had a Road Show this weekend and I scored a new machine with over $4,000 in discounts plus another couple thousand in additional freebies. I’m horrified to report that a longarm machine costs the same as or more than a small car! They know this, so they are kind enough to do an estimate of how many quilts you have to do per week to pay for it! They don’t tell you how to find this much business, though. 😜
The machine is expected to arrive within a week, so I have a few days to list and sell the new (working) machine as well as sell the older machine for parts, to get them out of the house. Then I have to clear and set up the room for the new machine to come in and to allow me to start working as soon as possible so that I can get those quilts out to pay for the machine! Oh, and I have to make all the stock for the Christmas Boutique I have in 6 weeks. Yikes!
Perhaps I should plan to return to eBay in the New Year?
Wishing you all a wonderful week.
Apologies for my long absence, ladies. I had the quilt show this week and it was one incredibly hectic week! I have created an album with photos from the Show so that you can enjoy the fantastic artwork our little town creates: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KBxKZc75sZfybPiU6
Winner for week 9/9 and 9/16 was our industrious VT! Go you! You have really been putting your foot down and cannoning down that finish line! Congrats, VT!
That brings me up to date, I think. Now for last week’s posts… I am going to miss Julie. I hope she gets herself organized as much as she wishes and visits us often.
@Sharyn, I’m in. In fact, last week I got rid of 19 items, putting me at week 2 of the challenge. I plan to try to catch up with several weeks this week. I’m hoping I’ll do the 18, 17, and 16 items to get me almost up to date, and I’m getting up at 6 AM every morning so that I can put in an hour or two before my day begins. How’s that for dedication? 😉@Lacy, so sorry to hear you’ve been sick for the summer. Sending healing wishes your way. And absolutely count donations. That’s pretty much my entire operation right now. I don’t have time to list, but I do have time to get rid of the duds so that when I start listing, I know I have the good stuff!
@Christine, goodness! I definitely send healing wishes to you! I hope that your recovery is swift and uneventful.
That makes last week’s winner Sharyn! Congratulations!
Last week I listed zero but I got rid of 19 DP items. I’ve not worked it much yet, but I’m loving this challenge. I’m working on the stuff that is NOT in totes or bins, so it’s very visible when I’m clearing spaces and even Himself is impressed!
Wishing you all a fantastic week. Don’t forget to use your shipping supplies coupon today!
Oh, Julie! We will miss you, and send you on your way with our very best wishes. It’s a revolving door on this thread, you can come back any time!
Thanks for all your kind words, everyone!
Forgive me bragging, but I’m so proud of this work. Here’s a close up of the center. I had a little giggle when I quilted “kitty kitty kitty” on the large grey “book” on the top shelf.
Winner for week ending 09/02 was Lacy with some great listings. Well done!
Sharyn, I missed two weeks in a row, now, so we’re both playing major catch up!
Christine, our HVAC went out this week too. I’m so grateful we’re not in triple digits any more! Still, when it’s in the 90s it’s a little hard to find the energy to do much. I’m super lucky that I have the mini split unit in my sunroom where I’m doing all my quilting work.
Just got another quilt off the frame yesterday. We have a Crazy Cat Lady challenge this year and this quilt is one of my faves. The custom quilting took 12 hours over 3 days, and the customer is thrilled.
