301k in debt and morbidly obese - things aren't great!

MrBloater

The ecowarriors and money saving experts amongst you would be dead proud of me - having to pop into the local Co-Op for some milk I spied a stack of fresh cardboard that I thought could be useful for packaging the darn records - the shop assistant was happy to for me to have some - I told a little white lie that my daughter was making a giant cardboard dinosaur for a school project. I then had to make a return trip to the Co-Op, with said daughter, and having briefed her on if anyone asks - tell em you're making a giant cardboard dinosaur, had to then go and get some more cardboard - from the bins out the back of the store, because DD decided that making a giant cardboard dinosaur would be a fun thing to do. End result being I have enough packaging for about 30 records, plus some left over for a dinosaur having spent a happy hour with the scissors. Ebaying is just awful, its frustrating and time-consuming, has stopped me running, has meant I've got 1/4 of the money I should have for my much-loved records, entails me lying to local shop staff and having to work out how the f to make a dinosaur out of cardboard. Am just about ready to pull the plug on it.

miggy

MrBloater wrote: »

The ecowarriors and money saving experts amongst you would be dead proud of me - having to pop into the local Co-Op for some milk I spied a stack of fresh cardboard that I thought could be useful for packaging the darn records - the shop assistant was happy to for me to have some - I told a little white lie that my daughter was making a giant cardboard dinosaur for a school project. I then had to make a return trip to the Co-Op, with said daughter, and having briefed her on if anyone asks - tell em you're making a giant cardboard dinosaur, had to then go and get some more cardboard - from the bins out the back of the store, because DD decided that making a giant cardboard dinosaur would be a fun thing to do. End result being I have enough packaging for about 30 records, plus some left over for a dinosaur having spent a happy hour with the scissors. Ebaying is just awful, its frustrating and time-consuming, has stopped me running, has meant I've got 1/4 of the money I should have for my much-loved records, entails me lying to local shop staff and having to work out how the f to make a dinosaur out of cardboard. Am just about ready to pull the plug on it.

Mr B - you are wasted on here! People pay good money to be entertained like this and you are giving it away free!

By the way - if I were doing a dinosaur I would be using balloons and papier mache and before I duck and run... just tell the shop assistants you needed some cardboard for packaging, what's wrong with that? Or maybe I've just lost all human sensibility?

Anyhoooo... I reckons you should be doing a column in something and getting paid, because they would pay you, you know. Real money.

And talking of which... well done on successful sales, the first of many.

wishicouldaffordit

once you get some good feedback as a seller on eBay am sure your prices will improve. Also if you are relisting any unsold items, do it tonight so they end at the right time of day.

Other things to suggest are leave feedback for buyers on dispatch 'thanks for your payment, item on its way' or suchlike, enter the tracking info into PayPal immediately so it is all there if there are queries, if possible offer combined postage discount on multiple purchases oh and my pet hate, never say 'no returns' on your listing. I know this is the default setting on eBay but it is wrong, and if a buyer is unhappy they can return for a refund.

I always put 'returns accepted within 7 days, please contact me to discuss', or something like that. Makes you look approachable and decent.

Any other queries then please ask, there are many here with heaps of eBay experience.

Also, why don't you try buy it now for some items with maybe a best offer? You are more in control of the final price then, but of course eBay fees are added for buy it now items. And also they can end any time of day then.

Shower-of-roses

I'm with you, I despise ebay. :mad:

Can you post a piccy of the dinosaur? :rotfl:

firesidemaid

I love selling the 'easy' stuff on ebay, but NOT so much the hard-to-pack or high-value stuff - am always on edge until i get good feedback.

depends on who you sell it to - u can't really choose. i once sent the wrong item to the wrong person and they both helped me sort it all out and were really lovely.

sold my phone last week to someone who has turned out to be a right muppet:mad:

hollieinbloom

new to your thread MrB. your so funny

i too feel your pain on the ebay front. trying to sell some things and then getting excited when 20 people are watching it to only be totally let down by the watchers....obviously just taunting me of a "hmm maybe".

i also did the music magpie thing, and its such a pain!! i waited 2 weeks for the stupid cheque! for the grand total of £7.01. i got TONNES with that.
701 penny sweets.
well, not even penny sweets are they anymore. more like 10p sweets.

MrBloater

Just spent 2 hours packing up the 10 records I have got the money for today - am still owed money for the 11th but am on £103.50 for today's sales which if I allow a couple of hours selling and couple of hours packing works out at £25 an hour so well worthwhile. Homemade packaging will have kept the costs down but until I walk into that post office tomorrow and get them sent I won't know for sure how accurate I was guessing the postage costs. Oh well, tis all a learning curve and at least I know what to expect. I also have to put into perspective that despite the odd closing times of the auctions, the items I was comparing against were mint whereas I have made no secret in my item descriptions that all of mine are used. I really need a little office or something to co-ordinate all this from - another excuse to reconfigure the shed to allow me a desk in there. Although to my surprise having just done a count, aside from the 60 currently listed, there's only about another 200 items left to sell, so I could have the whole lot sold off soon. Am wondering if there is another box of records somewhere - will have to investigate. Cardboard dinosaur has yet to rear head but I'm sure it will resurface. Running tomorrow has to happen surely.

Frodobaggins

Well done on your ebaying results. :T I am yet to get started.

thevinternet

MrBloater wrote: »

Just spent 2 hours packing up the 10 records I have got the money for today - am still owed money for the 11th but am on £103.50 for today's sales which if I allow a couple of hours selling and couple of hours packing works out at £25 an hour so well worthwhile. Homemade packaging will have kept the costs down but until I walk into that post office tomorrow and get them sent I won't know for sure how accurate I was guessing the postage costs. .

This is great news. When you break it down to an hourly rate, it's a great result - especially when you factor in the extra space you will have once you have sold them all. And of course the bonus cardboard dinosaur.

MrBloater

Woo-hoo! Over 1000 posts on the little corner of the internet that this diary has taken over. Didn't go out running again (which makes it a nice round 7) cos I woke up at 4 and rationalised that I was on holiday and hence had to have some relaxation - whilst lucrative hourly, the ebay stressed the hell out of me - because it was new, as did the previous day's driving around the wharfs - because it was new to me. Am certainly a creature of habit. Today's exercise is going to involve a healthy walk later on with the family. Haven't weighed myself for a couple of days - I'd best get back into that habit else the whole weightloss thing will totally go off the rails....
22-09 is just about at the top end of what I promised myself I would consider acceptable, at least I haven't ballooned totally back up but I must get out there tomorrow. Guess this just proves there is not enough hours in the day to do everything - weightloss and moneysaving both take up a lot of time, and the strange thing is, whilst I'm pleased with £100 odd quid sitting in my paypal, I think I'd be happier if I'd hit the 22-00 mark I was so close to the other week. God I really am turning into a hippie. Or someone with a weightloss obsession.