Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Also, I just now read your misfortune Doubly Thumbs. I am sure if you need some packing supplies or anything to get by for a while, some of us could help by mailing you some, just let us know.
Had a good week, finally. It has been really slow, the slowest June and early July I have seen. I made 1200 this week on eBay, so hopefully the back to school crowd will help things along. I have used the slow month and a half to work on my Etsy store, which is starting to really come along. I can now count on several sells from Etsy every week. And in many ways it fits me better than eBay, no Cassini to penalize me for not listing daily, no need to ship within 1 day to maintain TR status, no low ballers and best offers, and in general a more easy going atmosphere with less competition. I have several ideals I am working on, and 2 main niches which are vintage trucker hats (find them in abundance at my city outlet) and something else which has helped also. Hope everyone in the SL forum has a good week!
I am in the same boat. I have numerous items that I am only making nickels and dimes on, especially after the fee increases a few months back. Video games and books are now a no go unless I find one I can get at least 20 dollars on, which is rare. I gave up on the volume / make just a dollar game. Prices are too competitive and there are too many sellers like Jenson books or Amazon itself who will swoop in and drop prices to levels I just can’t compete with.
I am ungated in shoes but there is only a few brands I can sell. I have made some good money with Marshalls shoes like Joe Abboud, getting them on sell for 20 bucks and selling them for 100 fba. I do find some bigger ticket items at Goodwill to send in, usually electronics or cooking / baking style items. It is a good supplemental income for me, but no where near eBay.
Nice store. I am surprised you do not make more. I get paranoid too when my sells slow down, it is like a roller coaster sometimes. Some passing comments after looking at your store would be: brand names sell, and you could use more of them. I do a lot of clothes, so things like Prada, Coach, Nike, Brioni, Canali, Zegna, Harley Davidson, etc. come to mind. These names are what many people are searching for. With the vintage items, I would think key words would be even more important to help people find your things. Also, you have plenty of good pictures, but some of the back grounds look a little rough. Like the green. I usually like to keep back ground to a minimum, just plain white or maybe a light tone wood if it is a collectible or vintage item. Finally, you could try to do a little social media to help buyers find you. Probably won’t help much, but couldn’t hurt either. I do twitter, and am careful not to over sell. Most posts are normal, then I sell something once in a while.
I noted a seller selling Paul Parkman handmade shoes on Walmart’s site, and was quite surprised, as these are high end and cost from the $ 300 – 1000 range. It is maybe something to consider if you could find the right item.
The amount was for the net income I reported. I made over 30k gross but after all the fees, expenses and write offs that was my net income I reported. I actually thought I was going to get a refund of 30 dollars. Somehow I got confused and thought that if you owe less than 1,000 dollars you are not liable for SE tax, which is why I never have paid. Lesson learned = never do your own taxes! I have an appointment to meet with my uncle’s accountant tomorrow so hopefully she can help me sort it out. I will survive, but I am going to have a rough quarter or two trying to catch up.
Its been a slow but sure couple weeks. Sells are down some, but I just keep listing. Sadly, I had some bad news this week. The irs sent me a letter saying I did not pay up on 12k plus of net income for SE taxes for 2016. Moreover, I never paid it this year either. I knew I was doing something wrong with taxes, but I guess I am clueless. I barely have 400 in my Pay pal, much less the 4,000 I will likely owe, so it is a bummer indeed. Not sure if I will sell my store or just get a job and send all eBay profit into the irs for the foreseeable future. I am trying to stay positive but it gets rough sometimes lol.
Interesting podcast. I have been thinking about trimming the fat from my store lately as well. With numerous old listings piling up I think it is hurting my sell through rate which in turn may cause Cassini to drop my listings in rank. Most of my dead listings are old cheap mall clothes and shoes, not one of a kind vintage items, so I think it is time to clearance and cut some listings. Thanks for the podcast!
Fairly good week, I hit the thousand dollar mark again with several good finds. They include some diesel leather boots, nascar radio scanner (awaiting payment but I can be patient while someone transfers $ to Pay Pal), a couple pair of Nike’s, a couple bigger size men’s blazers (these sell great and for decent money if you can find 48 or bigger in a brand name) and some men’s shirts. I am getting better at knowing which brands sell and for how much I can sell them quick or long tail. I usually go for the quick money, but not always. I am over 4000 in a month for the first time ever, so I am happy with that. FBA is rolling along well also, I sent in 7 shoe boxes of Joe Abboud dress shoes and Lacoste leather sneakers all purchased on clearance. Now if I can finish taxes before 4/15 ;(
Had my first 1000 dollar week of 2017 March 5 – 11. I am up 40% over the last 30 days. The biggest difference is I have begun to introduce more new shoes into my listings. I have also had a string of better finds at the thrift stores as of late, I think people have begun spring cleaning. Hopefully I can stay on this wave and keep things moving up the graph chart. Also, now that I am digging into my taxes, I am finding maybe I am not as bad off as I thought. By the time I write off ebay and shipping fees, miles, cogs, and supplies I shouldn’t have to pay too much, and maybe I can escape not paying SE quarterly taxes up to this point as well based on these numbers.
Thanks everyone, good suggestions. I have never thought of using the auto replier. I have also never put the auto alerts on my phone. I guess I am slow when it comes to certain things. I always learn when I come on here, so thank you.
Thanks for another podcast, hope you have 300 more. It has been rebuilding mode for me lately, trying to focus on higher end stuff now that I have enough volume to coast a little on listing. Sells seem to be slowly improving after a slow 4th and early 1st quarter. Unfortunately, I did a rough estimate of the taxes I am looking at and at 15% of net profit it is going to be a huge buzz kill. I don’t know if I will be able to pay up on time, but I am going to get busy selling everything in sight and finding every possibly deduction. I have never paid any SE taxes and now I know I need to pay up for 1st quarter this year as well. Makes one think about going stealth / underground to try to avoid the blood suckers er I mean IRS.
I had a pretty good week of sells. Sold a vintage butcher block locally, a sony receiver, a london fog trench coat, some ariat hiking boots, a couple vintage hats and a couple employee uniform hats, and some air jordan sneakers. I sold some books, software, and video games on fba, and I sold a hat and tie on etsy. I like having 4 different platforms working as cash pipelines (craigslist, ebay, etsy, and fba)!
Thanks for the responses Ryanne & Jay. I think most of them are real bags, but I am no expert. I think becoming an online bag authenticator would be a good p/t gig lol.
I think I will err on the side of caution with my prior vero record, I already have 2.5 strikes. I was thinking maybe I could throw some of the vintage coach ornaments in my new etsy store, but then again I will probably not. I so far have 3 chanel zippers, several coach wagon ornaments, a prada upside down triangle ornament, a Tory Burch logo charm, and a gucci zipper. Maybe my best bet is to use Craigslist. Thank you for the information and videos!
I agree about the race to the bottom on clothes. It seems the sellers who are doing well are either selling the clothes super cheap for tiny profits or are selling very high end brands with tons of demand. I will continue to seek out other items to sell and gradually move away from clothes unless it is nwt or higher end.
As for FBA it seems everything I send in sells. I live in a wealthy suburb so my Goodwills are packed with items that are new and still in packaging. I also have been lucky to find some good items like a foodsaver and some nib board games and wii games. Recent sells included a Nintendo Nerf DS case for 75, washing machine noise reduction pads for 25, a manchester united nwt trucker hat 25, and so forth. I sent in a new shipment this week so I hope everything continues strong. I have only sent in a few books, only the ones that have high profit margins and rank well under 1 million. The fba seller app is what I use and it lets me know if it is a slow seller.
