What are your Goals, Plans, and Hopes for October 2021?

[rosachs]

Each month, we all try to set goals, make plans, or just put together a quick list of the things we want to accomplish, resolve, achieve, or finish during that month. This thread has been a tradition of the Building/Starting An eBay Business boards for as long as I can recall. It's also a chance for those participating to socialize a bit without violating board rules.

So...

- Christmas shopping is beginning.  Do you have 4th quarter plans?

- Covid-related shopping seems to be slowing as more businesses continue to open/get closer to normal.  What impact do you expect from this?

- How do you plan to accomodate the annual shipping rate increases?  Do you think they will be just seasonal or will some part or all of the increases become permanent?

Welcome to all our newest posters!  If you have a specific question, try using Board Search to see if it's been discussed, or is still currently being discussed.  If not, why not start your own discussion and see what the group can come up with?  Remember, no personally identifiable info, for yourself or any other member involved, and not all problem will have reasonable solutions.

So let's take on October 2021 and make it our own!!

-Bob.

[rosachs]

Not much will change for me in October.  I don't really do a lot of Christmas-specific listings, but I do have a few held over from last year and maybe another dozen to add for this year.  Mostly old retail software I purchased and never used.  I've been sorting my Hot Wheels collection, but I'm still working out whether I want to do singles, small groups, large groups, or a mixture of them all.

I'm hoping to increase local sales to at least a half-dozen PCs this month, altho I'd be happy just moving 3.  I've put off any more decomposition of older systems and have been focusing on refurbishing/refreshing the best of what I've collected/purchased - ensure they are fully working, that they have decent performance for current use, and that they are sellable for a comfortable sum.  I'm not trying to get rich, just clean up some accumulated 'stuff' and bolster my bank account at the same time.  🙂

At work, we're continuing to expand the new venues while trying to maintain our eBay sales.  It gets hard to do when eBay 'glitches' (I hate calling them glitches when they've been going on for years) and we end up having to move inventory away from eBay and onto these new venues.  eBay's 'glitches' and sometimes-draconian rules are slowly reducing how much of new inventory goes on their site and how much goes elsewhere.  With 24yrs of selling on-site, eBay's been my go-to for a very long time.  But I have to agree with the boss -- we're in the business of selling, not testing software and reporting glitches.  And we certainly are not in the business of giving away product... with free delivery even!!

Personally, my wife and I are hoping to get rid of some "investments" we were talked into, get youngest out of our house and into his own (allowing us to sell our house while the market is still hot), and plan another long weekend (4-5 days) get-away to just enjoy being us.  Especially important before Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings come around.... 🙂

-Bob.

[route66gif76]

I SOLD ONE YESTERDAY.....SO I AM AT 1/10.

CLAY

[carolynnq]

I'm a procrastinator. I have to get our 2020 taxes done. I want to get a lot of stuff listed soon because if delivery slowdowns are as bad (or worse) than last year, I'll put my items on vacation rather than deal with buyers angry that their stuff doesn't arrive on time - so I want to sell as much as I can before delivery issues start.

[dhbookds]

Bob, you also sound sooooo organized, inspires me!  and Clay, I'm up with you.......sold one today which is alot better start than last month.....  Carolyn.....I wonder what deliveries are going to be also.......but thankful we aren't in Great Britain where they are lined up for gas partly due to not enough drivers....

We cleaned out a couple of piles so a few boxes to go to consignment shop.........don't make much.....50%...and she prices things cheaply.....but the stuff is OUT of here.  Did find some treasures to list including a box of Christmas stuff......so that's good and even uncovered a rolling rack still in the box.......time to get it up!!!

Heard a story on one of Better half's groups......Guy deals in furniture, hauls it in a pickup truck and when he has some "unsolds" goes and parks opposite a big estate sale, piddles around loading and unloading and sure people stop and try to buy the stuff which he reluctantly "lets go" to lighten the load or "saves me hauling it home"..........lol  Talk about entrepreneurship!

Mucho Sales for Everyone this month.......time for those Christmas Shoppers to start BUYING.......

[moondogblues]

Just hoping to live through another month...

[debbiet22]

Did end up meeting last months goal of 15.  I will increase my goal to 20 this month.  However no sales yet.  So 0/20.  So far I have about 3 totes of Christmas to list.  I know I still have more in the garage but will list what we have found so far.  The only Christmas item I have sold are a pair of ruby red glasses that I tried to sell last year and didn't.   

It sounds like many of us continue to "downsize"  Old shed is emptied of anything sellable.   If it was sellable, I had hubby bring it into our sunroom.  The sunroom we can now "see" the floor and have room to set up a couple of chairs.  I have just a couple of more totes to go through and what is left are Christmas totes and 3 shelving units with glassware and Corelle.      I continue to sort and purge.  Bad news is, we have made 2 stops at GW this month and came home with items both times.

Bob-your long weekend sounds nice.  Hubby and I have talked about doing the same, but I think that won't happen until the Spring due to finances.  Seems everything is due, property taxes, car plates, car insurance and homeowners insurance.  Plus we have 2 birthdays this month and then Christmas.

Not much else going on.  Just continue to sort, purge, list and hopefully sell.

[postcardcountry]

DH's ultrasound came through as "fantastic".  No blockages.  Go back in one year.

Worked Thursday / Friday / Saturday on my feet as floor worker or manager.  (usually I cashier and get to sit all day).  Did not sleep well last night.

September sales were slow....did not pay as much attention as I should have.  Goal for October is to get more listings done.

One little goal.....I have 3,000 positive feedbacks!  Yeah me.

Hope everyone's first week of October is Spectacular!

[sin-n-dex]

In September I succeeded in getting all my jewellery listed (that was already photographed). I have some left to assemble but I don't see that happening until I get some time off (November and December I've got a few days off each month). I still have around 12 purses to list, but I'm occupied in getting my stamps listed.

October doesn't present very many plans, except getting some jewellery listed elsewhere (the listings are done, but they are bad and need improvement along with new photos). I hope to get some of this worked on this week.

Next plan is to process some of the stamp albums I got. The one I paid $60 is turning out to be very great with lots of stamps. Nothing too valuable, but I often said "$5 a lot and 100 lots, is $500 in sales". Some of the lots will go for $20-25.

C.

[kensgiftshop]

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@moondogblues wrote:

Just hoping to live through another month...

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Same here.

[debbiet22]

Sold 2/20 over the weekend.  Finally sold some Christmas snowball replacement lights.  I have been adding more listings here and there.  I have to be careful about what I get listed because I am "junking" up my kitchen and dining room and I don't want to do that.  I always want to get my one set of listings put up before I start the next set.

postcard-Glad your husband is doing good.  I just went to the heart doctor with my husband today.  He has Afib, his heart beat was off.  They put him on a pill to regulate it but I guess it has several side effects and the doctor wants to send him to a electrophysist to clear out some scar tissue so he doesn't have to depend on the pill.  The pill did regulate his heart beat but he also has a low heart rate of 45 at night.  So we have to make sure Humana covers the doctor and the procedure.  

Also-congrats on your number of feedbacks.

Everybody have a good week!

[route66gif76]

4/10 SOLED SO MUCH.

CLAY

[summersails4u]

I haven't had any sales for October on ebay. I have had two local sales. I have some items that I need to list locally, but I don't have any ebay inventory to list. If I don't jiggle the account daily, things go stagnant on here. It has finally cooled down a little in Florida, so I have been getting outside more (walking and gardening). I do have my holiday items listed on here. Some have sold, others get a lot of views, but buyers are holding off.

[chapeau-noir]

@rosachs  eBay's 'glitches' and sometimes-draconian rules are slowly reducing how much of new inventory goes on their site and how much goes elsewhere. 

I'm in the same boat, though sales are down for me all over, even the sites which used to out-sell eBay - I'm more surprised that I've lasted this long than that sales are dribbling away.   As usual I'll shut down about December 10-12 until December 26 - I don't have Christmas items or things that people have to have for Christmas. The DH wants me to keep selling but after 20-odd years I'm getting pretty tired of it.

[bokhoma]

All is well.   September was OK.  Like all the Septembers since I have moved down to FL.   Just OK.  Trouble is that August and September are the off season for yard sales down here and I get most of my stuff at YS.  But the past couple of weekends have been good to me.   I made a really great find a couple of weeks back that netted me several hundred dollars.  Like Summer stated the weather is cooling some (lower humidity mostly) and YS shopping should heat up with the cooler weather.

Some may recall me stating that I would never do any consignment selling on line for other people.   Well, I have to eat my words and take all of that back.  My church had a building full of stuff....chairs, a bell, spa heater, etc. ...and they ask me to dispose of it.   So, I am consignment selling for the church.   Not really like selling for an individual though, is it?  hmmmmmmmmmmm

Family visits frequently anymore.   Someone is always coming and going.   We have four here now....we enjoy the company.    My wife and I are aging but we keep going the best we can.   Abigail the Yorkie is showing her age also.   I think she really misses Thomas the Cat.  I know I do.

I do not want to jinx them or anything but IMHO this eBay selling thing really works great if you have a good business plan.   They have things running really well.   They had some issues and growing pains in the past but all of that seems to be worked out for the better.

Onward and upward....

Joe