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TCM_3

Am turning into an ebay stalker/obsessive. The OH asked the question this morning "what happens when you have cleared out the house and sold everything on ebay, what will you do then" to which I replied "but my dear, I have lots of your stuff to sell then" he was not impressed.

Blue, I sell horsey and outdoorsy stuff and am finding that although i really have great customers, everyone is shopping about for cheaper stuff and i really can't sell a saddle a second hand saddle for £300 when someone on ebay is selling theirs for £30. I am useless at running the place as I struggle to keep on top of everything and I have cut back on my stock levels to keep costs down and pay the overheads but sometimes i get it wrong, well, quite often if truth be told! We don't have a web site but I would like to have one but its something else that i would have to do and my time is so limited its unbelievable. Much as i love my work, i want a life too away from it and working in the shop 6 days a week, 51 weeks a year (we only close Christmas) and spending sunday playing catch up is not easy. However, we are breaking even at the minute but certainly no where near as busy as we were this time a year ago.

Horace - you do know how to do it girl! The very thought of having bits and pieces waxed is enough to make my eyes water!

blue_monkey_2

I see TCM, yes it is hard, I think people are selling everything that is not nailed down these days. My husband used to tell everyone that if she stood still too long I'd list him on eBay!! LOL!! I do not get the time these days tbh and my cupboards are full with. stuff, I think a car boot might be easier but I think we have too much to sell. Just lots and lots of kids clothes, but they are good, some new, because my kids are so fussy about the clothes they were and some never even get worn after they say they like them. I refuse to take them to the recycle bin or charity shop but then they are clogging up everywhere around the house.

I've started watching things that are seling locally on eBay. I am going to collect a cabinet tomorrow. I was after one on eBay as seems to be the only one I can get to fit the weird gap we have, it is £650 in JL, but one sold and I missed it but it did not meet the reserve so I checked the finished items and there was one up the road that did not sell, I emailed and she had it and asked what I would give her for it so I offered the start price which was £100 and she said yes. So we are paying £50 for a man with a van to go collect it tomorrow. It is gorgeous. So TV is going up on the wall.

And the day after there is a matching one, but slightly smaller that fits into the other weird gap we have got, finishing that is a few miles up the road so I have that in my watching page as well. It is fate. And then some other wooden draw units ending a few days after that. I have got so many files and stuff now I need them as the ones we have now are falling to bits.

I think you can get some real gems on there but to run the business, no, not any more. That ship has sailed, just lucky I was one of the first to get in there and made enough money to be where I am now, not having to borrow to work now.

I am sure I do have something more important to be doing this afternoon. Almost time for doctors and DM!!

blue_monkey_2

Oh, TCM, I have cut down what I am keeping in stock too. I just ask the suppliers if I can sell the items on my website and order them as customers want them. This is why there is 3-10 days for delivery. A lot of the other companies are doing the same thing, some bras I have never ever sold so this would be an item that is needlesly sitting in stock - but I have noticed that others are also doing this.

They has fashion colours that come out every 6 months but I get them in and 3 days later they are on eBay at cost price and I cannot - or should I say I refuse - to give the stock away just so I can pay the invoice at the end of the month when it is due. I used to do this, order knowing I could sell the things and have the money to pay the invoice, but that does not happen anymore and stuff is just not selling.

A few months down the line this 'fashion' colour will be discontinued and the suppliers sells it at a discount and then the likes of Br*sto* get it and sell it for less than I have bought it in at cost. So now I say that I will not sell fashion. These companies can also afford the 5k plus advertising in the glossies and there is no way I could do this unless I win the lottery - which I do not do anyway.

That being said I've ordered one style of a new range and I just have the money for that, I've put an email out but so far there has been no interest. In all honesty, I would need over £400k to stock every new fashion range in each colour and size every 4-6 months and the little person just cannot do that, especially if you know it is not going to sell so this is why I offer it on the site to order. It is a really hard game as after VAT the profit is quite low so you have to sell 1000's of items to even think about having anything left after expenses. I really have no idea how shops manage it with rents and Insurances on top of everything else. I just say that I am lucky right now, the expenses I have are affordable should I never sell anything and I would be able, personally, to cover the costs I have. The stuff I have in stock is all bought and paid for in the past. I do think I'll come out the other side but only because I've not borrowed anything and only because of the start I had in the early days when it was just me selling on eBay. But I do think it is very hard right now, hence my winge last week, after being really busy we have not sold a single thing for 2 days, I have enough to pay my bills now though so I'll not be whinging for a bit.

sammy115

Ha TCM if you are selling girls clothes aged 3-4 I will buy them...:rotfl:

TCM_3

Sorry Sammy, all boys in my household I'm afraid and i would get hung, drawn and quartered if i dared to put anything of theirs on ebay! Worth a try though... my stepson would not notice anything missing i don't think... it took him 6 months to discover his budgie was dead (was murdered by Odd George the cat who looked very pleased with himself one day) we decided to say nothing to see how long it would take him to ask where the bird was!

moneymabel

Lol! Must ask though..why 'Odd' George??

Have had quite a productive few days, designed and ordered flyers, a banner and posters through vistaprint. Printed out some prize draw entries for a draw I intend to do at the wedding fair and set up a email organising programme jobby (technical term!!) that sends the emails to the 3 different email addresses I have the same place- brill idea and will save time keep logging into different accounts.

blue_monkey_2

I just spent the afternoon covering up the kids planters a cat keept son digging them up! Very annoying, would like to see them get in there now though, we have this mesh stuff over our lawn and the grass grows through it, it is now over the planters so the plants can grow through and the cats can't get in as if they stand on it it is firm stuff. Took me ages to cut it though.

Hubby is home, hope it lkooks like I've been busy. Ha ha!! Bye!!

Horace

I never noticed the smell of spam..my tummy was rumbling too much so I had to go and have my fix of neighbours with some bread and cheese (I save the tins of spam for when I am in dire need of comfort food or I am too skint to go to the shops:rolleyes:).

I have caught up with some emails today, I am also toying with the idea of getting a new car mainly for cheaper insurance and cheaper road tax - I am only thinking about it, I haven't done anything about it yet:D I like window shopping for cars.

I have a pile of shredding to to as well..my office is in a right old mess at the mo:rolleyes:

nzmegs

Speaking of smells - came into the house this afternoon to a really rotten smell. Like something has died.... It is mostly in the bathroom but filtering downstairs too. Toilet is clean, bath is clean (ish) but perhaps it's the drains. Doesn't smell like numbers twos tho - just like a dead animal. Sorry if anyone is having a snack!!

Appraisal went ok - talked about how i wasn't very happy right now etc. As usual (and this is almost word for word what they said last year) "lets see how things go and hopefully something will come up." I asked if my title could be changed and she was adamant that the MD would refuse it based on current economic climate etc. I said that is wasn't so much the money - just recognition of my efforts and she said that lots of poeple int eh office do more than their job title indicates...blah blah blah. But at least i got my point across and made sure that when i do finally find a new job the reasons will be clear.

Blue Monkey - looked at the site. Like the bright pink and the greeny pinky set. Gonna show hubby as he is the cheif when it comes to my undies!

With regards to your running - of course you will start to notice changes in your body. that i promise but got to be consistent. I have been running 4 times a week and do 2 aerobics classes every week. If you are at a stage where you can run for 30 mins then the times has come to start adding hills or speeding up ocassionally this will give your body a shock to start making changes. As far as your painful knees etc go. The rule of thumb apparantly is that if it doesn't hurt when you are doing nothing and doesn't affect your natural running stride then keep going. Slow down if it begins to hurt. You need to strengthen your legs to support your kness and the only way to do that is to keep moving. I started with a very painful hip but it went after about a month as my body started to take more of the strain. Also be very aware that your shoes are the be all and end all of injury. they must be properly fitted and good quality. This is my problem at the mo as I can't afford new shoes right now. Hope that isn't too much info in one go? I.m no expert but i have been reading alot about the subject. i love getting my teeth stuck into stuff like that. Oh and eat enough carbs to fuel your runs or you will become ill and run down.

Workwise i am having another day off. Catyching up over the weekend. Feeling a bit demotivated, but looking forward to a nice bottle of wine with hubby.

Horace

Megs - get yourself to Wilkinsons and get some stuff for your bath plughole - you pour it all in (granular stuff in black bottle), and it clears it out and helps it smell nicer. Failing that, you need to take the bath panel off to see if something has died:eek:

Well judging by the weather forecast for tomorrow it looks like I will be wearing trousers as opposed to a skirt (I dont want goosebumps on my legs:eek:).

I havent looked on fleabay for any office furniture - do folks deliver?

Blue - try pilates that is supposed to give you a flatter tummy - not tried it myself as I doubt that after the op on my tum that it will ever be as flat as a pancake ever again:rolleyes:

Megs - at least you tried with your appraisal, keep looking for another job something is bound to come up.