Throwing all of my inventory away

[haute_again]

I wish there was a way to know how many sellers throw away/donate their inventory.  Do you throw yours away ever?  Donate it?

I have donated some of mine but if I can't give away my inventory in front of the worlds largest audience here on eBay,  there is absolutely no point in donating what no one wants.  It's a sinking feeling but I've made my profit and what remains is garbage.

Opinions?

[klassic*kids]

@haute_again Kirsten,

I know what's it like to feel like some inventory is dragging you down.  I went through it recently myself and what I decided to do was move it out of my store and sell it on what was my buying account.  I put it in lots for very little money.  I still have some more things that I want to move over which I will take care of once the roll off again on this account.

However, my inventory is not nearly as high-end as yours.  You have a few extremely nice pieces. Instead of just dumping it have you considered putting some of them up at auction and starting the price off at an extremely bare bones figure?  I'd bet some would sell and at least you could make a little something whereas by donating you make nothing.  Just a consideration.

[retrose1]

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@haute_again wrote:

Thanks for all of the reply's, even the mean spirited ones.  I don't have anyone around here that I can discuss my eBay issues with so I enjoy the feedback, views and responses to my post/question.

One of the other things I wonder about other selling habits is how often do you take a step back and look at the whole picture? 

I know there are sellers who  believe eBay is just a numbers game and try to hit the "magic number" of listings.  Do you still believe this approach is a viable one?  I personally do not and I'll site many a seller here on that with the mention of international duplicate listings.  I don't believe it gets them more sales.  I think it only makes for a frustrating shopping experience weeding through it all.

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I don't step back, I spend a little time researching and then doing some cheap experimenting to see if I can duplicate my conclusions.  If I can, then I steer into the skid and start buying more of the sucess and less of what takes a long time to sell.  Example, mens clothes always do well and petite and Small womens clothes take years to move.  I analyze why it works and once I have a justifacation that makes sense, my stock is changing.  Reason to get rid of small clothing - petite women can get away with buying juniors clothing which is cheaper and trendier, and according to statistics, people are taller and heavier now.  So I am going to walk past the small stuff unless I am getting it so cheap, it's worth a try.

[klassic*kids]

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@retrose1 wrote:

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The manager of the Goodwill in the poorer neighborhood drove a Jag to work (it was parked in back for everyone to see if the parking lot was full enough) until one day I heard a higher up tell him that it isn't a good idea to display wealth to the potential donaters.  There is a 10 year old BMW there now.

The Goodwill here brags to reporters that their merchandise is supplemented with new store stock, and that any donation more than a few years old is not put out on the floor.  They hint around about what they do with it, but I know several people who have worked there over the years and all of them told me that it goes in the dumpsters. 

Our Goodwills keep one slightly handicapped person on the payroll to sweep in the back room in order to keep their not for profit status.  They are never let out on the floor, they hire trendy teens for that, especially the Goodwills in the high end strip malls.

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Geesh.  The Goodwill sounds like one big scam.  I wish the general public knew about this and would stop donating their things to them.  As far as them just throwing away clothes that are more than a few years old -- that is just awful, there are people in 3rd world countries who need clothes, any clothes and here the GW is chucking perfectly good clothes that could cloth starving people.

[dbmm-media]

donate = tax write off 

[rixstuff]

Our Goodwill DOES hire the handicapped and others (rehab, retired, etc) to teach job skills.  Some are better than others.  I do know that our GWs around here (northern Virginia outside Washington DC) take stuff in but send it all over to different stores outside the area (I guess so your roommate doesnt end up buying "another" hideous lamp to match the one you donated - yep same lamp! Or your aunt doesnt see you donated that hideous toilet paper cover she made you...)  Some of ours are seriously nice - but also have nice prices to go with.  Not outrageous but not 99 cent bin either.

[rixstuff]

The ones to watch out for are Planet Aid - they also have bins for "donations" but they are NOT a charity.  You are just giving them stuff to resell for profit.  They help nobody.

[coolections]

It would be nice if many more sellers would follow suit. There is too much junk cluttering Ebay. It is becoming the worlds largest landfill. If you cannot sell something then yes, throw away the worst and give the rest to Salvation Army.

[haute_again]

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@klassic*kids wrote:

@haute_again Kirsten,

 However, my inventory is not nearly as high-end as yours.  You have a few extremely nice pieces. Instead of just dumping it have you considered putting some of them up at auction and starting the price off at an extremely bare bones figure?  I'd bet some would sell and at least you could make a little something whereas by donating you make nothing.  Just a consideration.

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I hve both eBay & Etsy going at $9.99 right now.  Nothing is moving.  I had 2 small sales on Etsy, 1 bid  on my ebay auctions this week.  It's all just sitting there.  I've been turned, "off" for a good couple of weeks now.

[robot-hands]

Half of what I sell is dead people's garbage.

[haute_again]

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@robot-hands wrote:

Half of what I sell is dead people's garbage.

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I'm pretty sure this applies to many sellers on both Etsy and ebay... but when you put it that way it sounds so morbid!

[sandozexquisitelyyoursboutique]

Donate and use for tax right off

[haute_again]

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@haute_again wrote:

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@klassic*kids wrote:

@haute_again Kirsten,

 However, my inventory is not nearly as high-end as yours.  You have a few extremely nice pieces. Instead of just dumping it have you considered putting some of them up at auction and starting the price off at an extremely bare bones figure?  I'd bet some would sell and at least you could make a little something whereas by donating you make nothing.  Just a consideration.

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I hve both eBay & Etsy going at $9.99 right now.  Nothing is moving.  I had 2 small sales on Etsy, 1 bid  on my ebay auctions this week.  It's all just sitting there.  I've been turned, "off" for a good couple of weeks now.

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I'm convinced that it's because Devin Wenig ignored me on Twitter.  I asked him not so politely about his love affair with a certain notorious international selling community.  Oops!  🙂

[autopartspuller]

I do frequently evalute my sales, listings, options.. so on.  The big picture is important to look at.  

I actually ended up switching my product direction after doing exactly that.

I used to sell Vintage and antique collectables, mostly china and glass. (The reminents of which you can still find in my store)  Now I sell car parts.

Let me add that it is important to do your research ahead of time and do some "testing" of what you want to sell.   Each type of item is going to have it's own costs.  You have to weigh every aspect of the change before you do it.  It's a HUGE undertaking to switch what you sell in Ebay.  Stagnation is the death of 90% of retail.  Ebay is no different!

[stonevintage]

Your post and the replies to your post really hit home with me yesterday and today. As far as I can tell, at this point - it's not so much if you will put it in the garbage can or donate it.

I don't know if you've read any of my posts in the last month.  It's a process when the day finally comes that you realize you have to make a change to what has been working for you.  Confusion, anger, resignation, acceptance all have to be dealt with first.  I just came out of that. 

The first thing to go, with me - when I know I need to make a major change is my sleep. It's almost as if my subconsious and consious finally get together and have the big sit down talk, regardless of what my wants and optimistic attitude have been telling me.

You are your own worst enemy sometimes.  People outside your "personal storm" can see things so clearly but they have their own times in this too. 

Forgive me if I'm wrong, I think you haven't worked thru this yet, but you will... soon. You are talking about throwing stuff in the trash but still have active listings.....   Just hang in there and don't try to push the process "cause it just don't work that way".....  I don't think anything has been said here today that is brand new information to you - but you need to hear it.  When the time comes for you to try again in a different way or to liquidate - you'll know soon.

Hang in there and be patient.  My biggest **bleep**'s in life came when I didn't give enough time to mellow so I could see clearly again.  You have some time to decide.

[stonevintage]

Things run a little differently with in my area.  Idaho's a pretty weird place. If they had their way, there would be no federal govt and that's no fad, it's been that way forever with them.  Of course, that would leave them with no roads or health care but the politicians like to brag while grabbing every grant/allowment from the fed's out of public view.  Didn't mean to get political, but here's what that's brought....

Who handles adoptions, long term housing for troubled teens, no cost local counceling services for parents and troubled kids?   The Idaho Youth Ranch - with 35 thrift stores thru the state.  The thrift stores generate 38 million in revenue (avg) each year and has been for decades every step of the way with our state in helping/housing/adoptions.  If you are a child with drug adict parents you go the youth ranch to live, if abandoned same, if trouble teen and made ward of the courts... same place.

Our Goodwill stores in Idaho - Laws in Idaho require that if you are of working age and are on unemployment or foodstamps for more than 6 months - you shall be required to go into a work training program.  You will begin the rehab training program co-sponsored by the Idaho Department of Health & Wefare/Depart of Employment.  This program and subsiquent training and job placement are run by Goodwill. 

For those local county residents that are disabled and not able to manage their financial affairs... Well, there was a local bank dedicated to providing service to them and their assignees/caretakers to get their monthly checks cashed... Till the manager took a flight out of country with all the money last fall... Goodwill stepped in and ran that service out of a cubby hole off their sales floor for 8 months - our state had nothing in place for a handling agency in emergency.

If my place were to burn down tomorrow - PD would put me up in a hotel via Red Cross rep.... but it would be Goodwill I would go to for long term planning and clothing/food/shelter/work.   That's just the way it rolls here - and it works.:)