posted on September 22, 2003 05:13:04 AM new
I do ebay as a hobby but I am experiencing some ebay "burn out" The daily box hunt....the daily trips to the post office/UPS...the absolute mess in every corner of the house....the garage packed with stuff I may never list but wont throw out...The mess in my Toyota Tacoma...the 6am Friday/Sat/Sun alarm clock....the competition (hate them)...I do like the money but half of me is ready to walk away from all this!
posted on September 22, 2003 05:43:39 AM new
why dont you reclassify it as a full time job and run it like a business.
-sig file -------The thrill is gone!!
posted on September 22, 2003 05:49:50 AM new
Don't forget the countless hours writing listings when you could be doing something meaningful with other human beings.
posted on September 22, 2003 06:14:41 AM new
Good morning, I am going to offer my 2 cents and trust me, that is probably all it is worth this morning.
The main question is, are you making money and it is enough per hour that is comparable to other part time jobs you could have? Yes, there are hassles with listing on ebay but the hassles are better than most other jobs out there. Especially part time gigs you could find. Plus you have the benefit of doing it on your own terms. If you are sick for a day or so, you don't have to call in to a boss, etc.
I do it full time and wouldn't do anything else at this time but it has taken me over 4 yrs to figure out how to do it successfully and I learned a long time ago to work smarter, not harder.
Don't throw in the towel just yet. Try taking a week off or even two and trust me, you will be back,,, it is addicting.
posted on September 22, 2003 06:15:45 AM new
A part of me would definitely love to reclaim my house and park my car in the garage again.
Last week I did a major overhaul on my downstairs. Moved a bed into storage, moved the other bed out of my office, and tried to corral most of the ebay stuff into my office. I moved everything that wasn't currently being dealt with into the garage and I'm trying to bring just ONE box of new stuff to deal with down here at a time. Less confusing and overwhelming, and I feel a little better about the situation.
Maybe try reorganizing/changing up your system a little to get you out of the rut? Or, since it's a hobby, take a break! You'll be in a better mood for the upcoming rush.
posted on September 22, 2003 06:40:13 AM new
alwaysfun,
I must admit NO WAY could I make more money working part time somewhere....NO WAY. I just got home from the Salvation Army, just now. I got an IDEAL Titanic game from the 70's. Just found a completed one for $100. Paid $1.....granted I havent counted all the parts, but if they are all there I will make some money on the game.
posted on September 22, 2003 07:16:12 AM new
micmic66 ... that is what I always had to remind myself.. I always think of past bosses and know that no matter how annoying the things can get with ebay... it is nothing to the crap I have put up with in the corporate world. Plus when you do find something that gives you a sizable profit on something you paid squat for..that is the best feeling. Not to mention you don't have to dress up to make money on ebay ..on of my favorites. I haven't put a pair of pantyhose on in almost a year!! And that was for a wedding then
Here are a couple things I do when I am getting a bit burned out... they make me feel better and more jazzed to get going.
* Clean my desk.
* Pull my sales reports from vrane.com and see how much I have sold in the past... that is a great way to see that I am not just spinning my wheels.
*go to lunch with a friend or family member and listen to their complaints about their jobs... you don't even have to tell them you want to hear their problems, they will tell you anyhow and when you leave.. you will be more than thrilled to come back to ebay.
*Sneak off to a movie.. get away from the problems and emails.
* I sometimes don't check email for 24 hours..just to take a break.
* do some volunteer work in the community.. working with small kids makes me realize I enjoy what I do and when I come home I am glad that I was able to take that time with them without feeling guilty about my job.
*I also have a TON of self help audio tapes I listen to... I personally like Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins..they make me feel empowered.
I hope your burn-out passes quickly because the holidays are upon us and sales are going to pick up in the next month or so.
Just keep smiling and laugh at the things that drive us nuts... trust me the emails from some of the dingier customers are great for a laugh.
And
posted on September 22, 2003 07:20:27 AM new
daily hunt for boxes??
boxes for shipping?
you can get them free from usps -priority boxes you can order online.
or get enough from brick and mortar stores,you have to pay,but they are cleaner and more professional looking
-sig file -------The thrill is gone!!
posted on September 22, 2003 07:34:19 AM new
MICMIC,
Must be something in the air. I too, felt a drudgery doing my packing etc. this am. And of course, I am out of packing materials (again), so finally broke down and bought some from ebay! I am trying to stick to "smalls", because I get burned out on the packing end of it all mostly; but you don't then you dont make too much money on them, so you have to do volume. And I still cant get friggin ENDICIA to work! ::sigh!::
It occured to me this am, the old adage still applies; it takes money to make money and if you try to cheap out, you'll spend your time or energy at the expense of convenience.
posted on September 22, 2003 07:38:28 AM new
I agree that you shouldn't have to be hunting for boxes every day.
Go talk to a manager at walmart or kmart and ask them if they'll save a bunch of boxes for you the next day. Yes, purchased boxes look nicer, but they are pricey unless you can buy them in huge quantities. Clean "recycled" boxes have always worked great for me..no complaints yet. A lot of times when I run short on boxes from not alerting my sis to save me some (she's a kmart manager) I just go take a stroll through walmart and there always seems to be someone stocking and I take home a trunk full. The clerk doing the stocking is always more than happy to give them to me..it means he doesn't have to break them down and take them to the back. Of course..my ten year old is mortified when I do this and he's with me I can see him in 20 years sitting in a circle of people getting group therapy.."Hi, my name is Aaron and I'm the adult child of an ebayer.."
posted on September 22, 2003 07:43:25 AM new
Maybe you just need a "vacation". When I find myself feeling the same way, I take a few days off. Get a room at a resort somewhere for the weekend if you are able. We took a weekend camping trip. No computers, no mess, no boxes, no PO and no Ebay. It was great. We are doing it again on 10/10. We've rented a cabin for the weekend. It does wonders.
posted on September 22, 2003 07:48:23 AM new
Alwaysfun...I havent worn pantyhose in 37 years...lol!! I think that would be considered cross-dressing... Anyways, great point, most of my time is spent in t-shirts and shorts (until winter slams in) There are alot of good points mentioned here, keep them comming. I do have 100 or so items stashed for the Xmas season so I better pull myself out of it...
posted on September 22, 2003 07:54:39 AM new
Another thing to do if you have a lot of pictures to take, etc is invite a friend or family member over and buy a pizza and have them help. They will get a kick out of it and you can get a lot of pics taken. I did that last year in October when I had several hundred pict to take and wanted to get it done. It was a blast. Then she left and I was stuck with the rest but it was good for a little burnout I was experiencing then.
posted on September 22, 2003 07:56:14 AM new
Deana and stop:
I dont know about the others; but I dont want a lot of boxes laying around here either. Got enough junk to deal with and literally running out of space. I dont have a set plan and kind of list how my mood hits me(haha, I know the Q&A business people type on this board are rolling their eyes at that one!), but for right now thats the way it is, until I find out where I am with this "business". So going to the store and loading up on boxes is not an option for me either.
posted on September 22, 2003 08:20:34 AM new
Actually, my boxes take up one corner of my office. I break them down, lean them upright so I can sort through them, and have them tucked between the wall and my packing table. About a 4 foot square area is all, and there are probably 50-75 or so of them I'm not talking pallets, here. I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm packing, it's all *gotta* be right in the same spot or it takes forever. It still amazes me how scissors take approximately 5 seconds to go from my hand to the abyss..
posted on September 22, 2003 08:48:17 AM new
I do know how you feel! I think we all do. But no panty hose and uncomfortable heels in 3 years now (including parties and funerals, too!) makes it all worth while. Sometimes I get sick of it all, but then I get my second wind and am ready to roll.
Being home all the time, working when I feel like it, is wonderful.
I'm with the others here on the boxes--either break them down or order from the P.O. And I am always scrounging when out shopping. I have gotten bubble wrap, peanuts, and boxes that way. Good sources are health-food stores (just look in the aisles or tell them you need some), hardware stores (look near the nails and screws, which come in very sturdy little unmarked boxes which are thrown into a bin here in our town's hardware store), gift shops. I did have to buy a roll of bubble wrap about 8 months ago and it nearly killed me, but I've used almost none of it because of my creative scrounging.
___________________________________
posted on September 22, 2003 09:00:29 AM new
Mic - for boxes depending on where you arem try your local Kelly Paper or printer supply store, if you can't find one, call your local printer and find out who they use then purchase boxes in bulk. Yes, you have to pay for them but put the cost in the shipping and rejoice over the amount of time and frustration you save by not having to go on the box hunt.
BTW - yes, you can buy just 1 or two of a size, you do not have to purchase whole bundle.
And by all means... take a day or two off. Everyone gets burned out. It doesn't take much more to take a weekend vacation. My favorite break is to just check into a local hotel and enjoy the amenities, the room service, and the absense of a computer for two days.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on September 22, 2003 09:00:34 AM new
Something to consider as well is to take a break from ebay. While I was selling this summer on half.com, I took almost the entire summer off from selling on ebay. I was pretty busy, I went on two vacation for about 5 weeks, and I moved too. When I was still in town (and even out of town!) I did my usual thrift stores/garage sales, and built up quite an inventory. Now, I am running 150 to 200 auctions a week to sell stuff. That break really helped me, plus my wife is off in the summer, as are the kids, so it is nice not to work so much then. I will do the same thing from Thanksgiving until after New Years, not really selling much on ebay.
posted on September 23, 2003 02:16:54 AM new
The quickest and easiest way to burn yourself is disorganization.
Kmart/walmart has metal shelving units (intended for a garage cuz they're ugly) for $20-$25 get a bunch of them and shelve everything.
Nothing should simply be in piles on the floor. If you ask yourself daily "Oh God Where should I start?" while looking at your piles then shelving everything saves you time and stress.
If you have to ship in used boxes do what others have suggested get lots of them at one time and flatten them.
If you look around and everything is messy then you'll burn out quickly and definately.
When you are having a rough day online.....
Go to neopets.com get a free account and play some of their games.
When I get stressed I play those slot machine style games and forget about everything else for a few hours.
posted on September 23, 2003 05:56:47 AM new
Burn out is a lot of ebay's fault. You sellers all know what I am saying, ya bust your butt and some fool comes along and gives you a negative for no good reason. Ebay's feedback system is worthless. Every time I turn around ebay has put a zillion new categories in place so no one can find your item, how about all the new rules no one can understand. New and improved listing programs, new photo housing programs, new charges and I could go on and on. Ebay burns me out as much as all the work you guys have already talked about.
posted on September 23, 2003 07:49:02 AM new
I totally agree with LovePotions. That applies to all areas of my life, too.
When things are in a mess, I don't know where to start, so I don't start at all. Of course, there are many definitions for the word "mess"
I have exactly those same shelves in my office, 4 of them, but I got lucky and found them at a garage sale for 10 bucks for all of them.
If you have a set system in place, and everything is all set to go, you're going to have an easier time of it. If your work area is neat, it's going to be more pleasant to work in.
And..sometimes the process of getting everything to that point is refreshing. It doesn't seem like it will be, but when you're finished it's *such* a relief. Make a list, pick something on it, and get busy
posted on September 23, 2003 07:56:44 AM new
My ebay "room" is a large portion of my basement. So it's easy to walk away from when need be. But, unlike some of you, I actually enjoy the packing. I have a tv and vcr in front of my packing station. It's relaxing down time for me.
Mimic66 - there's got to be some part of this that you like (or else you wouldn't have started doing it in the first place) - try focusing on that part. It's trite I know, but I really think it's about counting your blessings. Hope you get past this soon.
posted on September 23, 2003 08:24:07 AM new
cherishedclutter
I do the exact same thing. I watch TV (usually sports center) in the AM while packing everything up. I do try to enjoy the whole process. The funny thing is the room when I am done! Hurricane Isabel! I am getting over the burnout I think....winter is comming so there will be a lot less to come home with and a lot less to do.......
posted on September 23, 2003 08:40:54 AM new
I really got a mess this morning, I was testing all my Nintendo games and units last night and I have them every where this morning. I'm going to sort them and list a few and get them to the flea market this week,T.V and all. I'm getting ready to move into my winter booth.
posted on September 23, 2003 09:00:43 AM new
I love this post because there are some good ideas out there. Last night a friend called me and was complaining about her boss (as usual) and she said she wished she could do what I do...because I get to watch tv all day and she says she is missing the good talk shows. It really got me thinking how lucky I am (we all are who do this fulltime). I have finally figured out how to profitable and do what I want. I went to breakfast with my mother this morning and plan on working all day and early evening but I can watch the new Ellen show today and listen to some new cds I got off cdnow.com (great prices and free shipping.) So, no matter how burned out we may get from time to time...think about all the perks that we have that other's don't.
I do agree about ebay and the lack of compassion they have for us when it comes to feedback. I usually get some yahoo idiot that will buy 5 or 6 items from me and leave a neg before even paying because I filed a NPB a month after he wins. It is unfair to us and if ebay gave a rats behind they would back us on this. I agree with Jack on this one that we all need to get behind this and start plastering ebay with emails and suggestions on this particular matter.
ON A GOOD NOTE. I spoke with ebay yesterday and happened to ask the customer service rep where the next ebay live will be (I keep wanting to go but not wanting to shell out the cash) and it will be in New Orleans next year. I am jazzed because that isn't too awful far from me but I haven't ever been.
I can see him in 20 years sitting in a circle of people getting group therapy.."Hi, my name is Aaron and I'm the adult child of an ebayer.."
