Showcase your new items when as soon as you list them.  If you have an eBay store, there is an option in your Store Manager that will showcase your store front.  This will show your newest items as soon as you list them.  If you need help with your custom pages you can read up on it here – Managing your Custom Pages.  eBay allows up to 5 additional pages that you can create!

Your About Me page – Highlight your specialties and anything that will entice someone to be drawn to what they are looking for.

Your own personal blog – Yes, your very own!  Not the one that eBay provides, but one that you can create using WordPress.  Don’t be scared – I know what you’re thinking.  It’s easier than it looks – TRUST ME.  If you need help, there is a wordpress orientation coming up that you shouldn’t miss!

When you’ve mastered the first three tips, let me know – I have a ton more! 

Have fun!

There is a method to the madness!

The answer is this: Watch & Learn.

Watch when the local retail stores mark down their items week by week and season by season. For example, toys may be marked down every Wednesday and at the end of the Spring and Christmas seasons they may hold a huge 75% off sale. It’s usually the same week every year. Keep a calendar marked with the previous years weekly and seasonal sales. This will have you one step ahead!

Learn when items start to peak at the highest price on eBay. Right now, Halloween costumes are in full swing! Want to know a little secret? Costumes start to sell well in August. By knowing this you’ll be able to set your prices accordingly and stock your store ahead of time giving you the advantage to be first pick. This will ensure more store sales, keeping listing fees down.

Watching the trends and learning what does well can take some getting used to. It’s what I do, so if you’re ever in doubt – just ask!

Happy Selling!

Jennifer Cangelosi is an eBay expert dedicated to providing networking and mentoring advice to others who want to find children’s clothing, toys and more to sell on eBay and other auction sites. Visit her and other eBay loving moms at Boutique Bargains.

How did you make out last week with your Monday Motivation? 

Here was last weeks list:  COMPLETE!

1. Work on mailing my list the latest and greatest of what is selling on eBay right now.
2. Take pictures of ten items to be listed on eBay. Crop, edit and upload to picture host so they are ready to be listed on Tuesday.
3. Prepare a ‘back to basics’ coupon & email my affiliates to send out this week.
4. Pack up sold eBay items & ship out first thing in the morning.

It’s motivating to say the least and it really keeps things moving along.  This week is all about streamlining my eBay listing process.  This is what works for me.

1. Email my list the latest and greatest items selling on eBay right now – Daily
2. Take pictures of 10 items to be listed on eBay – Monday
3. Edit, Crop and upload to picture host – Monday
4. List 10 items to my eBay store and/or 5 day auction – Tuesday
5. Prepare Blog Posts – Tuesday & Wednesday
6. Prepare Hot lists for my new joint venture – Wednesday
7. Prepare and drop off 15 items to the consignment shop – Thursday
8. Day off ! – Friday, Saturday
9. Prepare for Monday! – Sunday

Of course, my weeks will vary, but that just the beauty of working from home! 

How are you going to streamline your week?

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called Spark an idea Thursday. As part of this tradition, I will be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each weeks topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right -> and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea About Something You Want So Bad You Can Taste It.

Who’s hungry?    Hungry for an accomplishment.  Hungry for something that you just HAVE to do.  Something huge, that puts a fire in your eyes like no other.

I have something that I am working towards (again).  It’s so important to me, but admittedly, I really feel stuck at times.  You see, it was two years ago that my husbands job was starting to get unpredictable due to the fluctuations in the economy.  It was scary.  Naturally my instincts are to protect my family.  We thought long and hard on what we had to do in order to survive.  Working online certainly helped a ton with the expenses, but bottom line, we need health insurance more than anything.  So, it was off to work I went.  Granted, I hadn’t stepped foot into the working world for over 4 years since my daughter was born.  It was very hard leaving her behind even though I knew she would be in good hands starting Pre-K.  And, I knew we would be prepared if anything were to happen to my husbands job. 

His job wound up closing, afterall.

Fast forward 2 years later – it’s been a rough ride!  We’ve added one more addition to our family, I’m still working outside the home part time for health benefits, my husband landed a job, but is making half of what he was two years ago.

I keep plugging away at eBay and Boutique Bargains.  I want to be home again so bad!  What am I doing to accomplish this?  Late nights, early mornings, outsourcing, joint ventures, anything to keep my business growing.  Plus tending to a now 6 year old and my new baby girl who is 5 months old.

I love what I do, I want to be home with my girls again and I’ll keep doing what I have to – to make it happen.  I know in my heart that my time will come where I can leave my job and feel comfortable that my family has what they need. 

Good news – My husband will get his new health insurance through his new job starting in December.  This is really what we needed to get me home again!

My goal is to be home again full time starting in 2010. Are you with me? 

Of course, now with a 6 year old and a 5 month old – things have changed!  With a new baby at home again, I’m trying to remember how I did this when my oldest was this young!  I don’t work when my kids are around, for the most part.  I need to concentrate, so it’s just better for all of us if I focus on them.

Now, I have two to occupy. 

Thankfully soon, I will have one in school full time – so it will be a little easier to manage. At nap time I can get through email and make any phone calls, plus run around and do housework.  I’ll also be able to take pictures and have them edited and ready to use in my eBay listings.

When my oldest is home from school, I’ll be helping with homework, cooking dinner and getting them into a night time routine.  Working will not be on my mind again until they are in bed.  That is when I’ll be able to list anything I’ve taken pictures of, write some blog posts, and check email one last time before I head to bed!

My oldest is also getting to the point where she can help me get eBay items ready for pictures and help me organize inventory for a couple bucks.  She’s also a great mommies helper when I have an important phone call to take or an urgent email to answer.

This is just what works for me ‘most’ of the time.  I’ve been able to keep up with things.  It’s much easier to try to do a little bit each day than totally fall behind.  I find it’s much harder to catch up once you completely stop.

I’d love to hear how you manage your eBay business with kids in tow!

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called Spark an idea Thursday. As part of this tradition, I will be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each weeks topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right -> and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea About Being a Lifetime Learner.

Don’t you love to learn new things?  I think it can get some of us in trouble at times!  I like to learn toooooo much, and I tend to get overwhelmed, then have to take a step back and sloooooww down!  I keep my eyes peeled for more ways to earn money both on eBay and off.  But I have to remember that the end result isn’t going to happen over night.  Keeping my eye on the prize is what is going to help me succeed.

I’ve learned that in the eBay business it’s only going to benefit you more if you keep an open mind and be willing to try different things.  Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I could sell a car or two on eBay – but by keeping an open mind…I did it – not just once, but a few times!  (One time, just recently.)  The feeling of being able to say I DID IT – keeps me yearning to do MORE.

It’s my own natural high, what can I say! 

How do you expand your knowledge base to learn more?

Another option is to check the Want-It-Now posts and do a completed listing search on eBay, you’ll be able to narrow down your price point this way. If you see the ending price for an item you have in your store going high on auction, then that is the time to switch if from a store item to an auction if you like auctions.

If you specialize in a specific brand study their sale prices from season to season. For example, on some high end clothing lines, you’ll see a drop on some items, but not enough make a set. What I mean by that is, the pants will get marked down one week, then the matching shirt another. Do I wait to purchase the shirt and pants together? Nope. Because I know I can sell it as a complete set! I will pay 50% off retail to complete the set or I may lose the oppurtunity to get the size I want. Always buy accessories to make the lot more appealing – don’t forget the matching socks! Usually this means you will need to sell your completed outfit for about 30%-35% off retail.

The key to selling items high end items is your eBay store. That is where I make a ton of my profit. Doing research on the items in your store and knowing when to launch them is key to those super high auction prices that you see other sellers getting.

There are so many factors into listing to your store, auctions, and fixed price – it’s best to find out what is working for you. This could differ for each of us.

Once you find your groove, you won’t look back!

I started out by selling toys that were sitting in my attic from when I moved out of my parent’s house. We’re talking toys that were 10-15 years old at the time. A little bit of research on eBay showed they were pretty valuable! Next, I moved onto novels – they sold really well in lots of the similar author. Same with children’s books. I also sold pieces to games and toys that weren’t complete – can you believe they sold?! I’ll never forget when I sold my old Monopoly pieces. I think it was the race car, thimble, guy riding a horse, and a couple more I can’t remember. You’ll never know until you try!

What do you do when you’re house is cleaned out and you have nothing left to sell?

A big, BIG option that really helped launched my career into buying new items to sell on eBay, is selling for other people. Mostly friends and family. I had quite a few people who were interested in making some extra money, but had no clue about eBay or just no time and no interest to learn. Hey, if there was a treasure of items that I could make money on and help someone out at the same time – it was a win, win! On the other hand, this is a lot of research and work on your end – just make sure you are upfront and honest with your fees and options if the items do not sell. I was motivated and ready to make some extra money for people and they were willing to help make me money as well. Without realizing it, this was helping me learn what was desirable on eBay and what wasn’t.

To this day, I still sell for my friends. Their kids are always outgrowing their clothes, as are mine. I offer a set price for clothing only in excellent condition, and toys that are only complete and in working condition.

If there is something you would like to share on how you make money on eBay with little or no money – I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Selling!

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called Spark an idea Thursday. As part of this tradition, I will be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each weeks topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right -> and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea About Following Your Gut.

Happy Thursday!!!  I hope to find you well.  I’m sitting here in a pretty good mood – thinking to myself, “this has been such a great summer”.  My daughter is now 6, and will be starting first grade in a couple weeks. My new baby girl is 5 months old already!  I took time out to spend quality time with my girls ALL summer, and it FELT GOOD!  It’s time I’ll never get back.  In my heart, I just knew it was the right thing to do.   

It took some time for me to realize that I should be applying the same gut feeling I get about my family, to my business.  I mean, my business is my ‘other baby’, isn’t it?  Unfortunatley, when I was just starting out it was a lot of trial and error.  Admittedly, I got caught up in the “next biggest thing” that came out every week and ended up with a lot of useless information that didn’t really apply to anything I had been working on.  And after working on a few of the projects from the information I’d received, the results were just a big let down.  How many times am I going to set myself up for yet another dud at someone elses benefit?

I got smarter, and more focused.  The latest ‘get rich quick’ email, had soon become a BIG waste of my time and I was ready with the delete button and unsubscribed from every one of them.  There is no such thing as ‘get rich quick’.  Lesson learned.

Following my heart was much easier. Being in tune with my feelings about business decisions was makeing things flow so smooth!  It just made for a happy, FUN day to work from home.  The way it should be.  A good thing that comes out of ‘failing forward’ is being able to improve and move on.  Fortunately I have the oppurtunity to share my trial and error(s) with you by offering sound advice.  I would much rather someone learn from my mistakes than have the sinking feeling of wearing cement shoes.

If there is anything you would like me to follow up on in a future post regarding eBay life, please don’t hesitate to reply.  I look forward to hearing from you! 

We are work at home moms who still have a responsibility to uphold a house, as well as our business!

If you are still required to maintain your eBay Store during the summer vacation with the kids at home - have you thought about “How about acquiring an associate?” It doesn’t have to be an overly-expensive paying option. Just someone to help get you through the hectic times so you don’t completely unleash your sanity, while still juggling things to ensure organization with your children during summer break!

Here are a few ideas to help ease your mind:

Are your children at an age where they can assist with keeping track of inventory or take pictures?
Most children love to help, most importantly if you construct it fun and interesting for them.

Are your school age children able to care for their younger siblings?
If you have older children, try leaving them ‘in charge’ while you’re busy sifting through emails and listing items to your store.

Can you reach out to a local church or college for volunteer help?
Check into finding a student or church member who will put in service project hours as your ‘eBay Mommy Associate’.

Do you know any High School students?
Ask if any of them would be interested in becoming an ‘eBay Summer Intern’ to learn about Internet Marketing and the eBay Business.

Know any other Work At Home Mom’s?
You may know someone who has been struggling on how to get started with eBay, but would like to learn. You could help set up a consignment store for them, selling your inventory as your Personal Trading Assistant until they are set up and operating! Just be sure to lay out clear course of action so there’s no misunderstanding later on.

I’ve gotten a few email in regards to MORE organization and how to keep things tidy while ‘ebaying’ blog posts.  If you would like something specific, just leave a comment and I’ll be sure to follow up!