ReSeller's February Listing Challenge - Completed

Today is the first of March and the ReSeller's February Listing Challenge is Complete.

I started out with a bang and finished a little tired and without much energy. I didn't reach my goal but my numbers are better than expected.

Here are my Final Numbers:

Goal for the month: 100 items listed in my Ebay store.

eBay Store items listed since Feb 1st: 55 (short 45)

eBay Store items (from listing challenge) that sold in the last week: 4

Value of Store items sold: $ 98.99

Total Sales of Auctions & Store items in the last 7 days: $ 173

Total Sales of Auctions & Store items in the last 30 days: $2492.92

Sales from other venues: $1646.10 Amazon, Little Shop $189, Etsy $104.

Total Sales for February: $4432.02 - this is actual sales and doesn't include fees, shipping cost and cost of goods.

I'm really pleased with my numbers overall. Remember that February is considered the worst month of the year. It's usually when reality kicks in for a lot of people when they have to pay their credit card bills from Christmas. Spending usually drops both in the retail world and the on-line world.

How do I feel after the challenge? Exhausted. I also had a $504 sale last week which was fabulous but the odd thing is that it is hard to work after that. My auctions this week pale in comparison so I've found my motivation to list auctions lacking to say the least. Yesterday I listed $1000 worth of inventory into Amazon which took time away from listing auctions. With any venue, once you stop "feeding" it sales slow down. All my venues across the board slowed down last week  and ironically it was the week of the challenge where I worked the least.

What have I learned? It's really challenging to stay on top of ReSelling when I sell on so many venues. I sell on eBay, Amazon, Alibris, Biblio, Etsy (2 stores) and Little Shop. I think I would be more successful if I only focused on one and if I only bought for one venue. But I can't and I won't. Little Shop is where I adore buying inventory for it and I love selling there. If I had to pick my favorite venue for all around "ReSelling Happiness" it would be Little Shop. I also love buying for Etsy but sales are here and there. Unlike eBay where I know my chances of a sale going through is pretty good. This last week I've had three emails from buyers on eBay that were so rude. One person wrote to me "So where my feedback?" Seriously? Who talks like that to anyone? I was dreaming of an Etsy environment but an eBay style of auction and store items. I've yet to ever run into a rude person at Etsy. Have any of you?

I'm going to slow down a little in March and try to get on top of everything else that I ignored in February, especially tax preparation.  I also need some time to work on the Challenge Ebay list of Hot Items that I promised you. I will send it out but please give me a couple weeks to catch up.

Some of you have expressed that you'd like every month to include a listing challenge. I'm happy to continue but I'd like your feedback on it. Do you want it every month? Would you want a post about it every week or just in the beginning of the month and at the end of the month? How would you like it to work? Please share your thoughts.

The Challenge is complete. Please share your inital goals and if you've met them or not? You are also welcome to share your numbers if you wish and any thoughts you had now that the Challenge is over. Thanks so much for taking part. Although this is a rather lonely job working at home, I always felt that I was working along side all of you. I felt in a way that you were my co-workers.

Also as a little treat I've started a Yahoo group for ReSellers. It's similar to the Thrift Guild but it's on Yahoo since I think that is easier for people to join. If you want to join here the link to ReSellers Guild. It's for anyone to join that is interested in ReSelling. We can motivate each other and learn from each other.

Comments

[Van]

Your numbers are inspiring- I can see why you're exhausted!

I would definitely be up for another challenge if you made one! I didn't meet my goals, but that just inspires me to work harder for the rest of March.

Goal 1) Stage booth with banners: decided not too, it would clutter things unnecessarily for now.

Goal 2) Add all items in house into shop: I got a lot out of the house, but not all of it.

Goal 3) Make $106 gross: I barely made my rent this month! I just didn't get to add enough new merchandise.

Situations/emergencies beyond my control held me back for Feb, but I'll tackle it all again with ferver this month.

[Van]

Your numbers are inspiring- I can see why you're exhausted!

I would definitely be up for another challenge if you made one! I didn't meet my goals, but that just inspires me to work harder for the rest of March.

Goal 1) Stage booth with banners: decided not too, it would clutter things unnecessarily for now.

Goal 2) Add all items in house into shop: I got a lot out of the house, but not all of it.

Goal 3) Make $106 gross: I barely made my rent this month! I just didn't get to add enough new merchandise.

Situations/emergencies beyond my control held me back for Feb, but I'll tackle it all again with fever this month.

[Renee]

I only ever made it to twelve items out of my 20 goal. Of those I sold three of the items but one of them was a special order commission so a guaranteed sale. SO MUCH WORK. The worst for me is getting things photographed which I did pretty good at but then I fell behind with the actually getting them loaded up. I think i need a new system where I write down all the details about an item when I photograph it then I won't have to go back and take measurements, etc. when I'm ready to list.

I loved doing the challenge though it was great to have a goal and people to talk things over with. I'd happily participate again. If you're going to do it on a monthly basis maybe just a Day one, midway point, and final post instead of the weekly? I do love how much my page views jumped every Tuesday this month. Thank you Selena for inspiring all of us!

[Andrea]

Hi folks. Wow. I am really amazed ATG. I have been struggling to find work that I am motivated to do (after getting an acting degree and waiting a lot of tables) and I am really excited for this. I love working even though it is a lot of hours. I feel this is a sort of creative outlet for me. Thank you!

Ok...

My goal: 20 listings (Etsy and Ebay combined)

Actual listings: 18 (17 Etsy, 1 Ebay) not bad.

Sales from challenge: 0. Oh well...

I have learned that I need to discover what will sell well on Ebay since things are not moving fast on Etsy. I like shopping for Etsy better though.

ATG: I love that you are creating a community for resellers and would be interested to check in on your blog every so often. Once a week is probably a lot of work for you (and hard to keep up with for me too...) I think checking in at the beginning and end of March would be a nice start. I want to set the same goal for myself this month.

Thank you for all your time and helping us start businesses!

[A La Modern]

I'm pretty exhausted in general too - We actually hit our goal, but just barely. We listed 100 items on our Etsy and Main A La ModernShop for February. About equal number on each. Listing the last 10 were painful! I don't want to list anything a few days now =)

I didn't have a chance to go thru any sale numbers, but I think we did OK this month, and certainly better than usual.

It was a great learning experience. I'd love to participate again - but probably couldn't afford to do it every month. Well, either that or I'd make a lower goal - I'd purposely set a higher goal thinking we might not hit it.. otherwise it's not a challenge right? Oh, I definitely like the weekly check-in though.

Setting higher numbers for the challenge was helpful to see what kind of things are possible - it became very clear that it was physically impossible to list above a certain number of items. In addition, life gets in the way - taxes, home repair, social life, family, etc. Something has to give, in order to make more time to list things. I was listing items up until 12 midnight on Sunday night - almost felt like cramming for college again!

I actually found that having more than one venue to list helps, and as crazy as it sounds, I'd like to try and ADD more venues (Ebay, Amazon). One reason is that when things don't sell, you sometimes can move them around. I've found that listings that didn't sell on Etsy for 6 months (through 1 renewal), when moved to our Main Shop, sometimes sold in 2 days. The initial work, which is the research/photos/descrip, can be re-used so it's not that time consuming. But I hear you on wanting an "Etsy" with the reach of an "Ebay" - that would be ideal I think.

[Jackie K]

I'm happy.

Setting the goal of 100 ebay listings in Feb, and reporting in on the challenge weekly, allowed me to create a bit of working structure in my week.

I listed 72 items, just a bit shy of goal, and sold 38. Gross sales just under $300. Very low margin stuff here - and I'm improving on that!!

More importantly I was able to truly evaluate how much time I invested in producing my sales.
And make some decisions about how I'd like to move forward with ebay, or etsy, or Amazon.

What took a hit was my blogging.
So I'd like to expand my thrifty talk into my more creative talk blog.
(I could start a series on thrifing oops!)

And I'd love it if some form of challenge would continue to happen on a weekly or monthly basis.

[Jim]

Plus, you will have the sales on the eBay listings that didn't moved in Feb., but will move in the future --all due to the listing challenge! Congratulations!

I was going to ask you about the Little Shop for awhile (low prices vs. photos and elaborate descriptions never seemed to work in my mind), but it seems like you are fully aware the situation. I wonder if there's a way to keep the elements you like, yet turn it into a more viable venue.

[Alyssa]

I'm really thrilled with how this challenge has gone. It's been a learning experience and a real kick in the pants, too. ;) I'd absolutely be interested in another one!

Goal #1 for Feb: Start up my Etsy shop.
Result: Got it all set up, it was both more & less work than I expected.

Goal #2 for Feb: have 35 items listed in the Etsy shop
Result: Have 37 items currently listed and 2 sales! Yay! :)

I am finding it difficult to get a handle on juggling things, so I'm working to get to a 'caught up' sort of point on the Etsy shop so that I only have a manageable portion of inventory to list there & on eBay each week.

[nicole]

my goal was 28 new listings in my vintage etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/DigVintage) in the month of february. the vast majority of my finds go to my brick and mortar shop, while i choose specific items to go to my etsy shop where i feel they will do better. i ended up listing 16 items. i had two sales plus two trades, and that pleases me.

ultimately the challenge was a nice learning opportunity for me. i had a month filled with a stubborn head cold, many hours (and dollars) spent in the dentist's chair, and--most significantly--the loss of a beloved grandparent. it was a really difficult month, but also one that was ripe for giving me perspective and motivating me to find balance. i enjoyed listing items when i could, and like seeing more items listed in my etsy shop than have been there for well over a year. i will continue to list items more regularly on etsy, but not at the expense of my health or too much time away from my family. i am not sure i would do a challenge every month? i am going to see how march goes, sans challenge, and go from there.

thanks again to selena for the challenge, and to everyone for sharing their journeys!

[Julie]

Wow! You did an awesome job! I, on the other hand, did not. I did list a bunch of books on Amazon, but that's it. I only sold one book -- ack! I'm blaming the kitchen remodel which has taken up so much of my free time. I would love to have a monthly challenge -- maybe there could be a different focus each month. I'm planning on doing an etsy listing challenge for myself in April when things settle down here.

[Shara]

I took this months challenge & used your tips on reselling. I listed auctions at higher starting prices, re-listed (BIN) if they didn't sell & kept adding stuff to my etsy shop. Over the past month I have listed 149 items between etsy & ebay (12 file boxes of stuff). I have two boxes left. I was either listing or shipping. I am banking on March picking up & getting a good return on last months effort (:

I agree with you about ebay--it can be a funny crowd. It seems the cheaper the item (+ best deal), the pickier the buyer!

Thank you for hosting this challenge. I'd love to participate in the next one!

[Jeanie]

OK, glad February is OVER! The listing challenge went topsy-turvy on us. Original goals: list 3 items each day on Ebay, reality was far less. However, original goal for Amazon was to list 30 for the month, and we actually listed 176!!!!
Gross numbers:
Amazon, week 4, listed 81, sold 14, wk 4 total $294.36, February total: $648.76!!
Ebay, week 4 listed 2, sold 7 for $160.62. Sold 19 February items, total February sales, $1,461.38!
Total sales from both Amazon and Ebay: $2110.14 NOT TOO BAD!!

We found ourselves much for involved with Amazon this month, so Ebay suffered a lot. We are down to 17 items as of today (with one sale already for March!). We will continue to challenge ourselves each and every month, and if there is an ATG challenge, we will probably participate. It really helps to read everyone's comments.
Thank you so much for the kick in the pants!
xo

[Let's Go Thrifting!]

Wow, those are impressive sales! Thanks for all the info and inspiration. I met my initial goal of opening an Etsy shop. Soon I'll be opening a shop of kitsch and oddities directly on my blog. Now hopefully I'll make some sales.

[Rita]

This was a great challenge for me because it got me serious and motivated about my reselling business. It was one of my best months selling online. Here are my numbers:

Goal for the month: 100 items listed in my eBay store and 20 auction items
eBay items listed since Feb 1st: 20 store and 150 auction
eBay Store items (from listing challenge only) that sold: 3 (so sad)
Value of Store items sold from listing challenge: $ 28.97 (a pitance)
Total Sales of Auctions & Store items in the last 7 days: $ 335.50
Total Sales of Auctions & Store items in the last 30 days: $1531.28
Sales from other venues: Etsy $130.
Total Sales for February: $1661.28 - this is actual sales and doesn't include fees, shipping cost and cost of goods.

My clothing auctions really helped this month and were about 44% of my sales. Of the 130 total items sold in Feb, 72 were from my store and 1 from Etsy. Average price per item was about $13. Better than in the past, but need to do better. I'll post more of my thoughts on my blog. Thank you Selena for hosting this and all your advice ... it has been a big help! Everyone else, too, thank you. I will check out the yahoo group, too. Thanks much!

[Tammy]

Wow! I'll bet you ARE exhausted! But I'm so impressed by your accomplishment. So awesome!

[Ashlie]

I can't thank you enough for the motivation. My Etsy shop is only 7 weeks old and this challenge really helped me commit to the shop. I made my goal by the skin of my teeth. I wanted to list 50 items in my shop, I did that and am now down to 41 because I've made some sales! I believe the key for me has been new listings every couple of days and getting quality photos of my items.

Thanks, Selena!

[J]

I didn't participate in the Feb listing challenge because I spent the last few months listing the stuff I want to sell and I am going to start spring cleaning next weekend.

I wonder if you all have heard of Bonanza.com, it is the site that I sell my stuff on. It is a Seattle-based company and they acquired 1000 Markets last year. I like selling here, it's pretty low maintanance and easy for first time sellers.

These are some of the reasons that draw people to buy and sell here:
1. There is no listing fee so basically you can just list your items here and not have to worry about relisting them, you only pay when your item has sold
2. The FVF is really low. Eg: If your items are from $0.01 to $9.99, you only pay $0.50! $10-$49.99 is $1!
3. It's a wonderful community, people share tips on selling and encourage one another
4. You can import your items/feedback from ebay, CL etc.
5. The management is quick and responsive to comments, questions, complaints etc.

I have never sold on ebay before this so I don't know for sure but I've heard that the fees are high and customers are getting nasty so there are a lot of people on Bonanza who are from ebay.

[angelika]

i'm not a reseller - yet - but this is such fascinating reading. Selena, i'm FLOORED that you brought in over $4000. holy cow! and the rest of you are also inspiring! but i'm also so glad that you're all so honest about the serious amount of work you have to put into this to make it successful. well done all of you!

[megan]

This has been a great challenge, despite the difficult month. I think everyone was sick this month! Sure slows everything down.

I accomplished my goal of setting up an Etsy shop and listing things on eBay, and am really working out the kinks with those two venues. Your advice and comments from this challenge have really helped a lot!

I listed 37 items (18 Etsy, 19 eBay) which was more than I expected! I didn't have a specific goal, but I wouldn't have guessed that much.

I sold 9 items (1 Etsy, 8 eBay) for $122.00. I'm starting to cover my expenses, which I feel is good progress.

I'm really starting to figure this whole resale thing out, and this is great inspiration. I would be interested in at least a monthly challenge or check-in. Thanks, Selena!

[Michelle]

I am so happy you decided to host this! It made me stop talking the talk and start walking.

I opened my shop which has been a huge, exciting, stress-filled (but fun) learning curve.

I made almost daily sales. I am almost up to 30 on Etsy and I did sell some locally.

I initially wanted to list 50 items, but I increased it to 75 and barely made it.

And finally, I made it to the front page of Etsy for the first time yesterday. What a way to end the challenge!!!

I would love to do this in the future. I have enjoyed watching everyone's progress and knowing that I'll need to "report back in" keeps me motivated.

Thanks again for hosting this!!!

Michelle

[Monica]

What a month. :)

I didn't meet my goal of having 100 items listed in my eBay store. However, I have a cleaner workspace, organized inventory and a better routine when it comes to processing things to get them ready for sale. I would have met halfway met my goal at 50 items but my laptop died.

I would really like to do this challenge for March. I'll be going at a slower pace as I'll be working from 2 computers until my laptop is fixed.

Thank you for hosting this challenge. :)

[Sarsaparilla]

Great job! You had AMAZING numbers, but I think we all deserve a pat on the back...

I ran out of steam this week, and only listed 4 items (my goal was 10). I sold 5 items this week (4 Etsy, 1 eBay) - but they were all small items, totaling a whopping $47! I haven't figured out my totals for the month yet - but I'm guessing it was only about $200.

Selling $10, $15, $20 items is fine - but my next goal is to figure out how to make some real money. Like you!

Thanks for the challenge! - I think we all learned something this month that will pay off for us in the future.
- Susan

[Lynda]

Your blog is always helpful, inspirational and interesting. I just awarded you a Stylish Blogger Award, here's the link: http://somethingcreatedeveryday.blogspot.com/2011/03/stylish-blogger-award-wow.html

[Kim]

First of all..I agree with Susan..I certaintly don't mind my $10, $20 sales..but I would love to get the knowledge on bigger ticket items. My goal is to start branching out into other areas. I think I'm passing up good stuff out there because I don't know about it.

I loved this challenge. Mostly becuase it motivated me to list things that I've had sitting around. I got my workspace pretty cleaned up and ready to hit it hard now that spring is approching. I listed around 40 items. It's below the 75 I wanted too..but I ran into problem the last few weeks, so I'm satisfied. I have a group of auctions ending at the end of the week, so I don't know my dollar amount. But, considering what I listed, I'm happy.

[kristen]

Hi Selena,

Thank you so much for having this challenge. This last week I didn't meet my quota of listings due to a house full of sick kids, but the other weeks I met my goal. I sold a total of $185, which I'm very happy about. The bulk of the things sold in the first week and a half, with nothing selling the last 3 1/2 weeks. I'm going to try to keep listing items every Friday, though.

I'd love to see another challenge and I'm soooo excited to read your list of 50 things to search for when thrifting. This will really, really help me.

xoxo