EVERYTHING MUST GO! Exciting News & Advice from Readers

Hi Readers! No this is not a Mattress Sale!

We will be moving back to Japan in January 2017 for my husband's job. This is exciting news for us, and we are looking forward to the adventure. Upon getting the news I had about two seconds of excitement before it hit me: "I have so much to do!" Besides the "normal" moving stuff, I have my eBay business to consider.

The lease on my eBay office is up in October 2016. Leaving me about 6 months to dissolve my eBay business.

I'm sitting here brainstorming and the overwhelm is hitting me.

Here's what I know:

I must pay rent and eBay fees every month for the next six months. So I still need to make about $850 minimum/month to tread water.

I need to stop acquiring but still sell. I like to list a little every week and find it helps with sales. How to keep sales going without listing?

I need to get rid of all of my inventory by October.

What I'd like help figuring out:

What's best way to liquidate my inventory with still making money?

When should I turn "off" my store, and have a giant estate sale?

Keep in mind I have about 1060 items in my store right now ranging from small flatware to some largish furniture.

How to do it all without losing my mind?

Any tips or ideas would be much appreciated!!!

5,000+ Sales on Etsy : Interview with TeaStainedMadness

Today I interview Elliott a Virginia Beach native and owner of the Etsy Shop; TeaStainedMadness. Elliott and I met in college where we were both getting art degrees. Through Etsy he's turned the idea of starving artist on his head. He is successfully selling his art in a way that is manageable, sustainable and best of all rewarding. Elliott opened his shop in May of 2013 (just under three years ago), and has currently 5,000 sales.

How did you get started on Etsy?
As a person with a visual arts background, I heard about Etsy as a platform for selling art, but I never produced much artwork post-college so I always put off the idea of starting a shop. And in general, with each new drawing or painting I deemed a success, I would write off/ hate the work I had made previously- so curating a shop with 10-20 required pieces was daunting. Then I actually went to the Etsy site and looked at what some successful shops were doing; a few shops were printing found imagery over antique dictionary pages - things like medical anatomy or hot air balloons.  I knew I could do something like that, but with my own twist.

At this moment, my perception of what Etsy was /could be shifted from a site where I could sell some of my art to a platform for a new business opportunity.  In the following weeks, I spent a lot of time building my shop and creating products before finally going live with my Etsy shop.  I thought I was going to be really busy initially, but I was wrong.  Partly because it was the summer (generally a slow season) and partly because I hadn’t honed in on the right subject matter, I didn’t get my first sale until almost two weeks in and only three sales total in that first month.  It wasn’t what I expected, but I followed the pattern of what was selling and listened to buyer’s requests. After my first holiday season with about 30 product listings, I was encouraged and had a real sense of what I needed to do to make the shop more successful, and two years later, I had my most successful month to date with over 300 product listings and more than 650 orders in December 2015.

What do you sell?
I sell tea-stained prints featuring digital creations of manipulated imagery and some original drawings and paintings.  The majority of my sales are pet related prints like "Pug Riding Whale" or "Corgi on Narwhal.”

What is your process of making the prints? 
I tear down sheets of Rives BFK to size and then stain them in a tea bath for 6-8 hours generally. After they are thoroughly dried (usually another 6-8 hours), I print the images on the paper.

Is Etsy your full time job?
Etsy has become my main source of income, but I still hold a part-time gig as a sign artist.  Here’s some samples of my sign art:

 

 

Do you foresee it becoming your full time job at any point? 

Yes, definitely.  I think it’s sooner than later, but right now I’m able to keep a part-time job for a steady income and insurance. 

 

Tell us about your shipping process:

The prints are made to order and ship within 3-5 business days from the date of order.  I generally ship 2-3 times a week. Each print is placed in its own plastic sleeve and I mail using rigid cardboard mailers.

 

 

 

Do you use Etsy labels exclusively?

Yes.

 

Do you have a label printer?

I have a DYMO label writer 4xl and it was one of the best purchases I made during my second year in business.

 

Do you go to the post office or have them pick up? 

I always go myself.

 

How has your shipping process evolved since you first started selling on Etsy? 

I used to save cardboard from work and cut it down to size so that I could sandwich prints in between and then mail in a yellow bubble mailer.  And then I would cut and paste labels on plain white typing paper. Yikes- that was a painful and time consuming process.  Now, I just order 9x12 rigid mailers and slap the pre-printed adhesive label on there.  I also throw “PLEASE DO NOT BEND” stickers on there because I’ve had some that have been stuffed into mailboxes. 

 

Are the buyers generally easy to deal with on Etsy?

For the most part, yes.  Sometimes they have requests for notes or wrapping, and I try to accommodate their requests.  Recently, Etsy has added calculated shipping so buyers can choose between standard, priority, and priority express shipping methods and rates are calculated automatically based on their location- this is extremely helpful as I don’t have to field email questions if someone wants to upgrade their shipping.

 

 

Let's talk numbers.

Here are some of my favorite stats:

•Business increased by 500% from 2013 to 2014, and 300% from 2014 to 2015

•329,000+ views all-time for TeaStainedMadness
•430+ orders to locations outside the US

How do you do your bookkeeping?
Etsy has great resources and tools for tracking sales, revenue, tax, shipping cost, etc.  That’s where the majority of my sales/stats are made and kept. 

How do you do your taxes?
Mainly locking myself in a room for a day or two with TurboTax.  I pay quarterly estimated taxes and that keeps me on track.

How much is your overhead?

As a percentage of sales, around 20-25%

 

 

How much marketing do you do? Are you very active on social media and how much does that drive sales?

I use Etsy’s Promoted Listings mainly during the peak holiday buying time from Black Friday through Christmas.  Other than that I don’t market nearly as much as I should.  I created Instagram and Facebook accounts specifically for Tea Stained Madness but haven’t really kept up with them.  I think online social marketing is a powerful tool especially for Etsy shops and plan to increase the content and activity on social platforms this year. 

 

Advise for any new artists or sellers on Etsy?  

"Ready, Fire, Aim!"  If you’re thinking about starting an Etsy shop, I’d say go ahead and start.  I’m familiar with the notion that you want everything to be perfect before you launch, but I guarantee that things will change no matter how ready you think you are.  So go ahead and fire and do the aiming as you go along. 

 

Anything else you want to share? 

I try to do a few art fairs/shows a year.  It’s fun to see how people react and what sells in person vs. online.  I don’t want to limit myself to only Etsy and I think sellers should try to find as many ways to get their work out including online, wholesale, shows, and consignments.

 

 

Elliot will be at CraftedVA on April 23 at O'Connor Brewery in Ghent in Norfolk.  He says; "It's the first Spring version of the popular Fall CraftedVA event- beer, food trucks, live music, tons of arts and crafts vendors, and hopefully beautiful weather."

 

Click above or check them out on Facebook for more info.

 

Thank you Elliot for sharing your Etsy experience with us.

Like TeaStainedMadness on Facebook or follow on Instagram @teastainedmadness

 

 

 

 

 

Recent Sales 3/6/16

Thank goodness February is over! Not only is nicer weather setting in, but people seem to be finally buying again on eBay. It was my slowest month since the previous February, it's also shorter which mean less time to make money to pay the bills. Here are some of my recent sales.

This is some department store wrapping paper on a large roll. It sold for $110 - my best sale in awhile. I paid $10 at an estate sale.

I took a best offer of $35 on this vintage stainless and wood flatware.

 

This vintage Scotch tape dispenser sold for $19.99, paid $2 at Family Thrift

This cute handmade tissue box cover for Easter sold for $12.99. I got it at the GWO so I probably paid $.10 as it is very light.

This Lands' End garment bag sold for $34.99. It is embroidered LBD - which could be Little Black Dress. Paid $3 at the GWO

 

How was February for you? How is March starting out?

Recent Sales 2/22/16

Here's some of my better sales lately. February hasn't been great sales wise, but it did pick up this past weekend.

 

This amazing 80's charcuterie platter sold for $52. I paid $6 at Family Thrift.

 

I got these rollers at and estate sale in a garage. They've been listed for about a year, but finally sold for $26. Ha! Unbelievable.

This Breville Juicer filter sold for $29.99 - I got it at the GWO for maybe $.10

This Eddie Bauer sweater was another goodwill outlet find. It has very cute clouds and cows across the top. Paid maybe $1, sold for $24.99

These Studio Nova Yacht Race Pasta bowls sold for $24.99

I paid $.99 each at CHKD

 

This Dish network set sold for $99

I paid $2 at an online estate sale. It was in a box with a bunch of junk!

 

Other than this it's been lots of $9.99 type sales. How are things going for you?

Listing Toolkit

Here's the tools I rely on when preparing items for photos and listing in no particular order

 

Fabric Refresher

I use this very rarely but it's handy nonetheless

 

Fabric Wrinkle Releaser

Again I use this very rarely but it's worth having around

 

Simple Green

Great safe cleaner

 

Alcohol

for removing price tag goo, and sharpie marker

 

Lysol Wipes

for removing other kinds of goo

 

Paper Towels

 

Scissors

 

Sharpies

I use them more in packing to mark out barcodes on recycled boxes

 

Screwdrivers

for opening battery covers

 

Batteries

for testing electronics

 

Tape

 

Glue Gun

for fixing things every once in a while

 

Pens

 

Ring Sizers

 

Light Bulb

for testing lamps

 

Lighter

for doing fabric tests

 

Cassette Tape

for testing the record or play function

 

Extra Camera Battery and Charger

very handy

 

Lint Roller

 

Measuring Tape

for taking measurements of clothing and items

It all fits nicely here

 

One more important tool, a plug and extension cord!

 

What do you keep in your tool kit that I've missed?

 

Super Find

I found this hat in a Goodwill Outlet bin yesterday.

I immediately texted my husband who is from Colorado,

to let him know that we were going to win!

 

Click here if you missed yesterday's post which was A Little On the Trashy Side

A Little On the Trashy Side

Here are some garbage related sales from the last month:

 

Salvage lot of flatware. Many of these has disposal damage, stains and discoloration.

Most of it came from a large lot I bought from Craigslist, which had some great pieces in it, but also lots of low quality stainless.The rest came from smaller lots here and there where I've listed the valuable pieces and the rest isn't worth it. The box weighed 30 pounds. Sold on auction for $19.99.

 

Someone in my neighborhood was throwing this martial arts uniform lot out. Sold for $13.00 - 100% profit.

 

Salvage lot of 100% cashmere sweaters for crafting. They were full of snags, holes and piling. Sold for $9 but they all came from an estate sale awhile back where I bought an entire closet of women's clothes for $2.

 

A neighbor was throwing this out along with two others and the Bio Orb. I kept the Bio Orb and it's functioning as a fountain on my patio. This pump sold for $24.99.

 

While none of these sales made me a millionaire, they were all on their way to the landfill one way or another, and made me 100% profit.

Have you sold anything a little on the trashy side lately?

 

How to Print Your eBay Store Listings

Recently I needed to print my listings in order to do a storage inventory. I'd lost an item someone bought, and then a few other items took me WAY too long to find. Once I hit about 900 items in my store the inventory kind of got away from me, and I've since gone back through little by little to figure out a better way.

After some messing around and googling I found out, its actually super easy to print all your listings!

First click on Active under my eBay. After your active listings come up, decide what order you want them printed in. Title will do alphabetical, price will do high-low, click again and it will do low-high, etc.

Or just print one category by clicking on "store category" and choosing the one you need to print.
(Variation - Another way to access your store categories click here and then click on the number in your category NOT the title)

Categorized by number of watchers high-low

Next find the print button, you may need to "CTRL + scroll out" here in order to see it. I couldn't find it at first because I was too zoomed in.

 

From there it will take you to a web-print page, which you can easily print using your favorite method.

 

Today I needed to print my flatware inventory because it's time to take stock. I sold someone two teaspoons that were actually serving spoons:/

 

Hope this helps!

Efficiency

Listing measurements, flaws, and general info can be done more efficiently if you take your notes in your photos. What I mean is, there's no need to write it down.

 

Take these pants for example.

 

My listing starts here, I look at this photo to start my title

 

and this one for a few more details.

 

Now I have plenty of info for a descriptive title:

 

Talbots Signature Flare Women's 12 Wool Blend Tweed Pants Gray

Uh oh, these pants are missing a button on the pocket:(

I'll add that to the flaws in my listing

Rise 11"

I take my measurements in the photos too

 

I do keep a notepad nearby and if I do need to write myself a reminder I take a picture of that too

 

It's all with me when I sit down to list

 

I hope this helps any beginners who are trying out different eBay listing methods.

What are some ways you stay efficient?

 

 

 

BOLO CELINE

I'd never heard of this brand until researching something else today.

Wow!