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bcfol440 – I used to use my bin number as a SKU, but then you have (x) number of items all with the same SKU. This was a problem, for example, when I had two shoes that were the same color and the same brand, but a different size. Also, if 2 bins got down to the point where I wanted to combine them, I had to log in to each item and change the SKU.
All my bins are labeled with the SKU range and I try to keep them together, so all the S bins (shoes) go on the same set of shelves, all the K bins (clothes) go together on another set of shelves. I keep all my hard goods in filing cabinets. Clothes tend to slide around, so I like to keep them corralled in the large plastic totes, but hard goods are all packed into filing cabinets and loaded to the hilt! I load from the bottom up, so that the cabinets are base weighted. All my breakables are pre-packaged in bubble wrap and protective covers so that I can just pop them straight into a box for mailing (bc it is more accurate to get shipping) so there’s no issue with breakage.
I sold a hat with a broken snapback for $170, with full disclosure. Include the part as a nice gesture, but don’t do the repair.
11/14/2018 at 9:18 am in reply to: Trash Elf Twins Challenge 2018 Thread #3 From Week 31 August #51664Holey Toledo Molly! Well done!
Split the Quads into Twins, reworked the points. Tried to match y’all up as well as I could. Your numbers have been all over the place lately! LOL. Next year, for the Listing Challenge, I’m going to work out how to create a weighted average, so that it’s an even playing field and I don’t have to rework points. I’ll be posting a notification of the new Listing Challenge soon on the main thread.
While ChristineR has roundly beaten me on numbers AND points, itemsfromthesouth and Vintage Treasures could swing either way. VT has said she doesn’t anticipate listing much, so IFTS could catch up those 2 points and hurtle into the lead… or …. VT could get a new wind and the two could race neck and neck down the finishing straight.
We’re down to only 7 weeks left, and Sharyn, you’re in the lead on numbers, but there’s one teeny point between you and Vintage Lacy. Ooooh… I love me a nailbiting finish! 😀
11/13/2018 at 11:27 am in reply to: Trash Elf Twins Challenge 2018 Thread #3 From Week 31 August #51632ChristineR – you beat me. Again. 😉
Sharyn – don’t be embarrassed – it’s terrific! That’s pretty much how I got my big listing number couple weeks back. Congratulations. Keep going! We’re into the home stretch!
VT – easy pattern + deadline. I don’t usually do so much! Glad you’re feeling better about the business. I’m working on a deadline to get everything done before I go overseas, so I’m not putting myself under any more pressure on either side – listing or selling. If I list, great. If I sell, whoopee! If not, well… I’ve got other things done that really need to be so I still consider it a win.
VL – you’re an Energizer Bunny on Crystal Meth, you know that?
Giving itemsfromthesouth today to post her numbers before I put up the spreadsheet.
11/12/2018 at 10:29 am in reply to: Trash Elf Twins Challenge 2018 Thread #3 From Week 31 August #51513Oooh ooooh oooh – listed…. ONE! 😀
Nicely handled, Mickdog.
Terri – thanks. I actually am a bit CDO (that’s OCD, but in the correct alphabetical order!) No matter how much I convince myself that it doesn’t matter, it drives me nuts not having perfect photos! LOL. So lame! I know.
My photography tools are really cheap; an old Nokia Coolpix camera that has the worst white balance on the planet, some LED tubes mounted on stands, and my spare bed. The spare room has two windows, so I choose the time of day for maximum light. I use MS Picture Manager (the old version) for basic white balance, and also opened a Bonanza account just so that I could use the free burner tool, but I only use that in emergencies. It’s waaaay too slow on the free program for many items. I try to use standard backgrounds like white or black (well, my “black” is actually blue, but it usually comes out black) with no texture, and use MS Paint transparent selection tool if I really need to clean out a background. For smalls, I recently purchased a lightbox when Amazon had a Gold Box deal and it has been the best buy ever. It’s now on my list of “what to buy when you’re starting out.”
The experienced hands on this forum will tell you that I list way too slowly and can increase my speed of listings by not being so anal about my photos. If you browse my store, you’ll see a few that I allowed to bypass QC, but they’re usually items that are low-ticket. For those, I used my phone and took photos in the eBay app. I hate them and, if they don’t sell, they’ll be redone when I’ve cleared my death piles.
I don’t label my shelves, I label my items. I created categories and assigned a letter to them, then printed labels in alpha-numeric sequence: A1; A2; A3, etc. I only have about 6 categories, so it’s not overwhelming. I print out the letter page size label page, which has 30 labels per page, and keep them in one of those slip-in-sheet plastic books at my listing table. Each item I list gets a number slapped on it which goes into my SKU field. The items are then stored by the alpha reference (all A items together, all F items together) and the bins labeled with the sequence. So the first bin has A1 to A36, for example. When bins run low in the same alpha sequence, I combine them and just relabel the bin.
Using this system, I don’t have to think about anything at all. The label pages are pre-printed, so I don’t have to remember the last number. The shelves aren’t numbered, I don’t have to remember where they go, or change the numbering sequence if I move shelves around. A simple piece of packing tape slapped onto the front of the plastic storage totes or drawer has the number scrawled in Sharpie, and a new piece of tape slapped over it if I need to change the numbering.
As a person with severe ADHD, this is the easiest, no-brains-needed system I could come up with and it has worked for me now for two years. Not a single item lost yet – touch wood!
Also, if I ever want to check inventory bc I don’t trust eBay, I can do it by alpha category (e.g. all the A items) or within a group in an alpha category. For example, the other day I wanted to check my projector listings against what I actually have in stock. The projectors are all listed in the range F145 to F156. So I just needed to count up what I had in that range, and then compare to eBay. It’s such a simple system, but it really works.
A final advantage – I never send the wrong item because EVERY item has its own unique SKU. So if I have two identical black shoes, or two pairs of same brand shoe but one is navy and one is black/one is size 7 and one is size 8, each one has its own SKU.
The only mistake I have made to date was sending two caps to one person because I was rushing and not paying attention when I picked them up. That wasn’t an inventory error, it was an ID ten T error.
On a whim, I browsed the fake site. They’re definitely mining eBay. I found several other photographs of items that are current on eBay.
Here’s one example:
Genuine for $0.99 Auction
vs
Fake for $29.00I think that this should be reported to eBay as a security issue.
It’s a scam. Fake sites are set up and steal photos from genuine sites. I can’t find the original article where I read about this, but Google scam clothes website and you’ll see a mess of information. Here’s a Buzzfeed article about it.
Dunno if this information will be of use to you, but it lists remedies for photo theft. However, it’s geared towards folks who have their own websites. This one is far more comprehensive, but you might find it more helpful in terms of stuff you can do.
You’re wired different to other folks, you know that? 😉
But so am I, and I think this is such fun! I’d add a Make America Great Again cap, the front page of a variety of newspapers, local if possible, and the body of the head builder. Oh, no, wait…. that’s a Chinese tradition. Don’t bury your builder. 😀
Also… how about writing your name in glue?
11/06/2018 at 6:34 pm in reply to: Emails from ebay – Eyes on your item – Your items are waiting in carts #51315When they started coming out with these emails, I reduced the price, and noted in my calendar to up the price if they hadn’t sold. None sold.
Next round, I put all the items on sale, with an expiration date, so that I didn’t have to go back and change all the prices again. None sold.
Now I just delete and ignore them. I posted in the How Can eBay Improve? thread a suggestion to allow us to put prices up = my reply to eBay’s race to the bottom. https://www.scavengerlife.com/forums/topic/warning-24-hours-until-prices-go-up/
11/06/2018 at 11:45 am in reply to: Trash Elf Twins Challenge 2018 Thread #3 From Week 31 August #51291It looks like bingbong has dropped out. Next week I’ll split the Quads into Twins.
Vintage Treasures – after I took the pressure off myself, getting sales in was an exciting update, rather than a stressful concern. I really could use the extra cash, but everyone’s complaining of bad sales, even brick & mortar stores, so I’m not going to take it to heart. IMHO, eBay has been doing too much tweaking and buyers don’t like it. But… I have just over 500 items listed, and probably another 500 in death piles, so I’ll just plod along. I’ll plod with you – while we’re sewing! I’ve created one Twin quilt, one King quilt, one Full quilt, a tablerunner with matching placemats, and a bellydance costume – all in the past six weeks. eBay until 8PM, sewing until I fall asleep or sew over my finger. 😉
😀 😀 😀 What a fun thread this turned out to be!
Jay – my model is cropped out. Here’s the listing he was asking about – there’s no fetish input. I’m always careful not to include bust cleavage shots or anything like that. It all stays very professional. That’s why I didn’t consider the “creep” angle. I use a live model (a size 4 friend) for things like coats bc it just shows better. She comes to visit for an afternoon when I ask, we generally do front, back, side, and possibly a particular detail that I might be looking for, and then I add flat photos for details later. We can get through about 30 items in one afternoon – and that includes laughing and talking time. And lunch. She might be a size 4, but she can pack it away! She has one of those metabolisms!
ChristineK – not yet, nor responded either. No loss. It only took me a couple minutes.
Retro Treasures – I’ve been to Australia. My eyebrows turned into caterpillars and tried to crawl into my hairline. Wow, those folks can cuss!
ebaymom – 😀 😀 😀 😀
I’ve had the worst October since I first started selling. A friend commented to me that sales generally drop around election time – the bigger the election, the bigger the drop. Made sense to me. I’m going to wait until next week and see if it picks up.
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