by Kathy Terrill | Oct 25, 2015 | eCommerce Selling Tips, Selling on eBay
One of the greatest costs to running a successful online business whether on eBay or Etsy or your own website is the cost of inventory!
I am reminded by this weekly on the hit ABC TV series Shark Tank! Entrepreneurs regularly arrive on the show to ask the sharks for funding for their inventory!
To be a success selling on eBay and Etsy it’s crucial for sellers to watch costs.
Keeping costs under control is always a crucial element for the total health and continual success of your online business.
Sellers ask me “Kathy where can I get free stuff to sell?”
Well sellers, I’m going to tell you!
1- Go in your closets and drawers!
Though technically not “free” unless everything in your closet was given to you, your home is full of potential items to sell. Make a pile of items that are still in great condition but that you and your family no longer use! Now you have plenty of products to sell on eBay. If you also have vintage items in your pile you can also list it on Etsy!
2- Offer to take unwanted items from friends and family.
Many times if you offer to help people clean out their garage or attic you’ll find that they will end up with boxes of items they are ready to get rid of ! Many of these unneeded products are still in great shape, it’s just the owner doesn’t want or need them anymore! Well online sellers volunteer to take the boxes!
Volunteer to take the boxes!
3- Check Craig’s List and Free Cycle papers in your area.
There are great items offered for free for you to pick up from someone downsizing and/or moving.
Some free cycle groups have strict rules against re selling so be sure and check your local free cycle guidelines.
Do a little research online and you’ll quickly know if the free item is something you want to pick up to sell on eBay or Etsy!
4- Be at yard sales, estate sales, auctions at the end of the event!
Yes you heard me right at the end and I’ll tell you why! Often there is still lots of great items as the sales are ending. The people running the events DON’T want to have to rebox and haul the inventory home and or throw it out! Again sellers you are there to help! Volunteer to pack the items and take them off the tired seller’s hands. They are happy to not have another task after along day, and you just scored more inventory!
So sellers volunteer! Volunteer to help friend’s clean out attics, volunteer to take unsold inventory at sales and auctions and keep an eye on you own home for inventory on your shelves!
Next week, more sources of free stuff to sell on eBay and Etsy!
by Kathy Terrill | Oct 18, 2015 | Selling on eBay
Ebay small business sellers it’s less than 70 days til Christmas!
Christmas is coming fast!
OK, take a deep breath.
If you have an ebay store you have access to an ebay store header!
In less than 30 minutes you can decorate your ebay store to give it a festive feel just as if you were Macy’s or Target!
Decorate your ebay store for the Holidays!
You can add a Holiday touch to your ebay store header including a Christmas tree or some ornaments! Decorating your store header helps communicate the joy and fun of the Holidays to your online shoppers!
This can be done for free or low cost with Fiver or Canva.
You can hire a professional designer. I use and recommend Kathy Keefe and her excellent and reasonably priced graphic services for online sellers.
Doing an ebay Holiday header is a quick and effective way to move your ebay store up a notch! ebay Holiday headers are a great way to attract shoppers during the hectic months of November and December!
I speak to this underutilized ebay sales booster in my recent presentation for Top Rated Seller Webinars.
Enjoy watching this Youtube and learn Is Your ebay Store Ready For The Holidays?
Watch, decorate your store and you’re that much more ready for maximum profits this 4th quarter for your ebay business!
by Kathy Terrill | Oct 9, 2015 | eCommerce Selling Tips, Pinterest Tips for online sellers!, Social Media Tips
With the Christmas Holiday Shopping season starting many eBay, Etsy, Amazon and all eCommerce sellers are busy pinning their products to their Pinterest Fall and Holiday Boards!
It’s time to Pin on Pinterest!
Pinterest is an excellent choice to engage shoppers!
Pinterest reports that 93% of male and female Pinterest users shopped online in the past six months! Clearly Pinterest attracts shoppers!
Wow, so sellers when you pin your products on Pinterest you are putting your products on a social media platform where the users that love to shop! Clearly this is great news!
Pinterest Attracts Shoppers!
Pinterest Hot Tip: Long keyword rich descriptions engage your potential customers!
It’s true!
In addition eBay, Etsy, Amazon and all eCommerce pinners should look to craft pins without hashtags! Yes that’s right, no hashtags! Rather than hashtags great descriptions will engage Pinterest users!
Watch this video from Pinterest to hear their great tips on descriptions that will engage Pinterest users and lead your pins to being liked and repinned!
Pinning now on Pinterest is perfect timing for eCommerce sellers!
Time spent on Pinterest now helps sellers reap rich rewards all through this year’s busy 4th Quarter and Holiday Shopping Season!
Here are some of my best Pinterest tips for you to use to maximize your sales on eBay, Etsy and Amazon.
See you on Pinterest and prepare to greet your customers!
by Kathy Terrill | Oct 4, 2015 | eCommerce News, eCommerce Selling Tips, Pinterest Tips for online sellers!, Selling on eBay, Social Media Tips
It’s October ebay, Etsy and eCommerce sellers and you know what that means don’t you?
Halloween should be selling now!
It means if you are selling anything Halloween related it better be flying off the shelves NOW!
If your Halloween sales on ebay, Etsy and your website are on target, great! If they are not and or if it’s time to take your online business up a notch, look to Pinterest!
Pinterest is social media that is online scrapbooks created by users that boasts 100 million users as of September 2015!
If you’re not familiar with Pinterest or want to brush up on your pinning skill here is a video I did to help sellers optimize their Pinterest pins and boards!
You may think to yourself, “Kathy I have Halloween boards already on Pinterest! I’m finding that my Halloween boards are not getting repins and likes!”
Online seller you have come to the right place!
I find on Pinterest that you need to micro niche your boards and that as a seller you need to be social.
If you sell Halloween costumes don’t have 1 board with all your costumes. Break your costumes down by age. For instance create Pinterest boards for Halloween costumes for adults, Halloween costumes for babies etc.
Micro niche Your Pinterest Boards for Halloween!
Remember Pinterest is social media. So on Pinterest as on all social media platforms you want to be social.
So you say to me, “Kathy I have no idea how to be social about Halloween on Pinterest.”
As a business owner you should have a Pinterest business account. Business accounts on Pinterest are free.
Link to set up/convert for a free Pinterest Business Account!
One of the great free services that Pinterest gives business account holders is a list of interests of your followers!
Under the audience tab in your analytics dashboard you’ll find a tab for interests. Click the tab and voila free from Pinterest you are given awesome ideas for social and product boards!
Pinterest’s personalized statistics tells you as seller in your business dashboard what Pinterest specifically found that your people like to see and pin!
Pinterest Business Account Free Board Tips!
ebay, Etsy and eCommerce sellers jump on Pinterest! Be sure and check your free personalized business analytics!
It’s time be social, get pinning and welcome Halloween shoppers!
by Kathy Terrill | Sep 24, 2015 | Social Media Tips
So ebay, Etsy, eCommerce sellers you’ve read about the amazing video app Periscope, you’ve watched other Periscopes, you’ve read blogs on Periscopes but you haven’t Periscoped, yet!
You Haven’t Periscoped Yet?!
Why haven’t you Periscoped?
Many sellers are full of ideas to Periscope that they’ve gathered from watching other people’s Periscopes but they feel awkward about the various things you have to keep in mind before and during your Periscope.
Unsure of how to prepare before you Periscope?
Having done theater for over 2 decades and appearing live as a guest presenter on the QVC shopping channel for over 6 years I’ve taken my theatrical expertise and I have developed a simple and thorough checklist for you. This free list will clearly walk you through preparing for your Periscope.
Are your ready?
First you develop a mini script of what you want to present and practice it.
Develop a mini script of what you want to present and practice it.
Once that’s done you want to write a cheat sheet with the highlights of what you plan to Periscope.
30 minutes before you planned Periscope you want to announce your Periscope on your Face book Business Page to your fans and followers!
Click here to download 8 more easy to understand tips from me to rock it on Periscope!
Click the image to get your copy!
With this tip sheet you’re ready to go!
