posted on April 16, 2001 07:13:05 AM new
I've been selling full time on eBay for two years now. I had a pretty good system and things went pretty well most of the time. Take pics, list stuff, answer email, get paid, ship, leave feedback, transaction complete, go on to the next.
Something seems to have gone crazy along about January. Suddenly, everything that could go wrong did. I can't get caught up no matter how hard I try. I'd like to take a day (even a few hours!) off occasionally, but it seems more packages are getting lost or arriving late, more buyers are being picky, etc etc etc.
I desperately need to reorganize and schedule my day/week so I can have at least a little time off. But there's always a pile of email that needs to be answered or packages that must be mailed right this second, or something all the time. I feel like I work 24/7, and I'm getting old before my time trying to keep up with it all. Any advice? Hints on scheduling/organizing? Please?
posted on April 16, 2001 07:20:38 AM new
I work from the moment I get up till I go to bed ... if I go to bed. It's the life. It sucks, but it beats answering to some self-important a-hole called a "boss."
The only advice I can give you is there is no package that needs to go out immediately, there is no e-mail that needs to be answered immediately. Sometimes I take up to two weeks or more to mail out items. And I don't sweat it. Never got a negative for it either and I've done more than 2000 transactions. If the day comes that I do get a negative for slow shipment, I'll laugh it off because in another couple weeks it'll have scrolled off my front feedback page and it'll be forgotten. Once you get past the myth of fearing negative feedback and demanding customers, life gets a little easier
posted on April 16, 2001 07:22:39 AM new
kyms, it's nice to know I'm not the only one. I took a week off from listing, but it didn't really help much, plus I lost money. I got caught up a little, but the problems just seems to be streaming in faster than I can take care of them! I hope we both get some good advice here.
posted on April 16, 2001 07:33:06 AM new
I agree with spaz on this one! Although I do ship items 2 or 3 times a week... my post office is nearby and I like to get the items out of my way.
It IS important to remember WHOs Auction it is. The SELLER sets the terms, including Shipping Schedule, S&H charges etc. Do NOT be intimidated by bossy bidder/buyers for fear of negative feedback... that will only perpetuate more of the same.
As long as your terms are clearly stated within your listings... you should feel confident that buyers will know what to expect and that your business will remain YOUR Business. *smile*
AND... don't be afraid to leave Brief, Factual, Sincere feedback (good or bad) regarding the experience you have with your trading partners. Bidder/Buyers can LEARN from these reminders that they are responsible for communicating with sellers BEFORE bidding regarding issues that concern them and bidder/buyers are responsible for adhering to the sellers terms by honoring their bids with due payment in a timely manner.
posted on April 16, 2001 07:46:00 AM new
I think one of the best decisions I made was to only have auctions end ONE day a week, and to ship only twice a week.
Auctions end Sunday night, end of auction emails are sent.
Monday is spent doing all the packaging of that batch, plus answering emails, sending Billpoint invoices, etc.
Tuesday, post office run.The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday are spent preparing auctions (photos taken and descriptions written and saved).
Thursday night I list, auctions are 10 days.
Friday another post office run.
In between is enough free time to attend auctions and shows and have some fun and still feel I have a life! I hated it when auctions were ending every day and I always felt like I was wrapping something, or needed to erap something, or was running to the post office every day.
The advantage to having auctions end only once a week is that I have a box for each week and it's really easy to see if payment is getting a bit late.
I only list between 35-50 auctions a week though, so this little system maybe wouldn't work if you list a LOT of auctions.
posted on April 16, 2001 08:33:34 AM newspazmodeus, Thanks for the quick lesson on keeping things in perspective. I must remember that my main goal is to avoid being an employee.
dottie, Thanks for the reminder of who's in charge. That's a fact that's easy to forget.
misspider], Your system sounds great. Wish it would work for me. But I sell low dollar items and volume is key. Have to list a lot, have to sell a lot. I'm looking for higher end items in hopes of lowering the volume I need to do just to stay afloat.
posted on April 16, 2001 09:02:10 AM new
Dellastreet,
I have been there myself-- I totally know what you are going through. One thing that I do that REALLY helps is when I find myself feeling overwhelmed I get my youngest daughter into the baby jogger and we head out for a long walk. Exercise is really great for clearing your mind and by the time you go around the block a few times (or to the park or wherever) and get back home you will probably find that you have things in a better perspective. Sometimes if I take an hour or two off I find that when I get back to work I can get a lot more done in a lot less time (and if I am REALLY lucky my daughter will fall asleep too). :0)
Try it-- I find that it helps me prioritize things better and I feel a lot better too.
