not enough time in the day...

[sin-n-dex]

So I undertake some time consuming types of items to sell... lately it's Stamp collections, next month it's going to be junk coins assembled into auction listings, and there's a box of buttons of military uniforms that are in my office for my next experiment - this I can't lose on, they belong to the B&M store and very little was paid for them.

Maybe it's because I work full time, maybe it's because my job is stressful and dealing with making listings and organizing inventory isn't at the top of my list when I get home from work, but I just find there isn't enough time to do it all.

As I understand, some of you sell very time consuming items too (like clothing, lots of pictures, lots of measurements), I don't envy you, it takes time, and clothes take up a lot of space and are susceptible to poor climate conditions, stamps take up less space, but need to be stored in a climate controlled place.

So I'm wondering how you juggle and manage all the maintenance that's required to keep your eBay store open (sourcing, listing, photographing) on top of your every day life.

I don't think I had this problem until a few months ago... but last October work introduced an automation system that eliminated the need for a human to be supervising our work group. We now have software that keeps track of every second of our day, including how long we spend in the bathroom. Knowing a report is being created every day of my activities has made life extra stressful and less fun when I come home.

C.

[upgradedendmills]

I think any fun factor has gone out of eBay and it gets harder by the day to stay motivated. Coupled with the fact that sales volume and profit are decreasing for a lot of us, listing can turn into a chore or low priority very easily.

     I have taken to arranging and sorting during the day and hoping it gets cold or rains so that I am able to get more done. I keep notebooks of similar items and describe them and assign inventory numbers to them while I am watching TV in the evenings. Just have to be careful so as not to make distracted mistakes. My hold up is pictures because I like good light conditions and don't like to use flash. Right now, I have over 1500 listings ready to go except for pictures, Thinking of putting items in numbered envelopes and doing pictures as the first step and then doing descriptions as I find time. 

     My last job was pretty much stress free other than what I inflicted on myself but the petty details convinced me to retire. If I was on camera or having to justify bathroom breaks, I don't think I could last 3 days. Employers don't seem to realize what they are doing to their employees. Maybe you should have a heart to heart chat with them.

[membersinceaug2001]

I'm pretty much burnt out from doing this ebay gig since 1997.  When I finally get some fresh listings on, things do sell a little.

[steelernation2007]

Try giving an LED camera light a try. You can  mount it on a stand and adjust how bright you want it. Or direct it where you want it.

[steelernation2007]

You have to do it when you are the mood for it or else you'll notice that you might be making more mistakes or not paying attention enough on the little things that make good ads. You could make drafts first, and have them ready ahead of time, for when you decide to take photos. Regarding your job, it sounds like you work for an employer that does not trust its own employees. When that happens it's the beginning of the end.

[luckythewinner]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

So I'm wondering how you juggle and manage all the maintenance that's required to keep your eBay store open (sourcing, listing, photographing) on top of your every day life.

---

The first thing I do is choose items that are NOT time consuming to list. 

The second thing I do is list them efficiently. If I am listing vinyl singles, I first sort them by country, genre, artist, label, year, and and condition - so each listing becomes a "template" for the next one. Often times I can copy a listing and the only things I have to change are the artist, title, label, and catalog number. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

I am outside from pretty much sunup to sundown starting in April and through to the end of October. I would be outside now if it weren't so dang wet outside. I want to expand the mini-farm, and I have tilling  I need to do NOW and can't, stupid rain.

I pretty much let the store run itself during that time. I check on it a few times a day, but frankly when I come in after being out all day the last thing I want to do is list stuff.  I try to load up as much as I can during the winter months, but sometimes that just doesn't happen.

My priorities have shifted over the years, and selling stuff - while still important - has to take a back seat to the mini-farm.

[chapeau-noir]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

So I undertake some time consuming types of items to sell... lately it's Stamp collections, next month it's going to be junk coins assembled into auction listings, and there's a box of buttons of military uniforms that are in my office for my next experiment - this I can't lose on, they belong to the B&M store and very little was paid for them.

Maybe it's because I work full time, maybe it's because my job is stressful and dealing with making listings and organizing inventory isn't at the top of my list when I get home from work, but I just find there isn't enough time to do it all.

As I understand, some of you sell very time consuming items too (like clothing, lots of pictures, lots of measurements), I don't envy you, it takes time, and clothes take up a lot of space and are susceptible to poor climate conditions, stamps take up less space, but need to be stored in a climate controlled place.

So I'm wondering how you juggle and manage all the maintenance that's required to keep your eBay store open (sourcing, listing, photographing) on top of your every day life.

I don't think I had this problem until a few months ago... but last October work introduced an automation system that eliminated the need for a human to be supervising our work group. We now have software that keeps track of every second of our day, including how long we spend in the bathroom. Knowing a report is being created every day of my activities has made life extra stressful and less fun when I come home.

C.

---

OMG, how old rusty Industrial Revolution is that?  That's so backward - I'm not surprised it's stressful.  I spent a large portion of my career cranking out copy being paid by the line, and it still wasn't as stressful as being mapped every second of the day.

As for sales - I block tasks.  I sell mostly clothing, some computer parts and sports stuff, CDs, etc. but a lot of clothing.  I work in groups of 10-12 items. For clothing, I always clean things when I get them in.  After that, I prep 10-12 items, photo them, put the photos through post and measure them. Then I'll list 5 one day and 5 the next.  That way I always have a group of listings ready to go if I get short of time one day.  If you get a rhythm going, you can see how to block your own particular items.  Blocking tasks is the greatest time saver for me.

I worked in high stress situations for years - the best stress-buster for me was some brisk exercise after work.  At one point I had 20 contentious staffers who  used to stuff my cubicle and yell over things like the Oxford Comma (I was a chief editor) and there was always some dayum problem, so I understand stress.  I used to run stairs after work.

[byrd69er]

Knowing a report is being created every day of my activities has made life extra stressful and less fun when I come home.

This sounds familar to how my workplace became over time. Numbers numbers numbers.....not quality. Obigate that money. Write contracts before the end of the fiscal year.  We don't want to send money back. No way.  Spend spend spend at the end of the year. Buy those printers you've been wanting. How's that truck running?

I retired much earlier than anyone in that office ever expected.  Seeyalaytur!!!!  It's all yours.

[byrd69er]

Actually, consider using incandesent flashlights (old style Mag Lite). An LED will cast a blue light. Incandesent is warmer, more natural.

[steelernation2007]

LED does not make blue light if you use the proper camera settings. There is a setting called "Fluorescent Light".  I know, someone is going to tell me cell phone cameras don't have that. People should not be taking Ebay photos with a cell phone anyhow.

[sin-n-dex]

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@upgradedendmills wrote:

I think any fun factor has gone out of eBay and it gets harder by the day to stay motivated. Coupled with the fact that sales volume and profit are decreasing for a lot of us, listing can turn into a chore or low priority very easily.

     I have taken to arranging and sorting during the day and hoping it gets cold or rains so that I am able to get more done. I keep notebooks of similar items and describe them and assign inventory numbers to them while I am watching TV in the evenings. Just have to be careful so as not to make distracted mistakes. My hold up is pictures because I like good light conditions and don't like to use flash. Right now, I have over 1500 listings ready to go except for pictures, Thinking of putting items in numbered envelopes and doing pictures as the first step and then doing descriptions as I find time. 

     My last job was pretty much stress free other than what I inflicted on myself but the petty details convinced me to retire. If I was on camera or having to justify bathroom breaks, I don't think I could last 3 days. Employers don't seem to realize what they are doing to their employees. Maybe you should have a heart to heart chat with them.

---

I have a notebook too, but it's all mixed together. It basically contains inventory items and cost, and the date it was added (which might not be the date I got it, it might have sat in a box for a few weeks). To do pictures of coins I need daylight, but sunlight is too harsh. Needs to be overcast but bright, and then I photograph on my blanket (so long as the item isn't getting lost in the pattern...) I work 3 miles from home, so I return home for 30 minutes most days and take pictures. It's dark when I leave for work, and it's getting dark when I get home, so until summer comes again, I'm stuck with lunch time photography. I would do it on weekends, but I have responsibilities and sometimes can't be home during the day to take pictures. I've scheduled a few days off of work to do eBay stuff and help myself get caught up (so it's one less stress). I have lots of vacation days, and am only planning a two week trip this year, so I need to space out the other days and take them when I can. we're short staffed, so lots of times I can't be off of work.

As for talking to management... it's not my boss, it's her manager who runs all admin lines in our business. He was hired as an efficiency expert to transform the company, and micromanagement is what he's decided he's going to do.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@steelernation2007 wrote:

You have to do it when you are the mood for it or else you'll notice that you might be making more mistakes or not paying attention enough on the little things that make good ads. You could make drafts first, and have them ready ahead of time, for when you decide to take photos. Regarding your job, it sounds like you work for an employer that does not trust its own employees. When that happens it's the beginning of the end.

---

I write drafts when I feel sharp mentally... it's a template, and the important part is the little details I need to share to avoid disappointment (like stamps with flaws, condition of coins, damage, etc). I have templates set up for all similar stuff when I get a new thing (for a while it was Caribbean proof coins). I change the title, but the description is the same because it's 1 of 100 similar items. There's a basic template for everything else that doesn't fit into regular stuff. I also give a lot of thought to what the template should say to describe the item until I'm ready to write it down, and then I can use it to list.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

So I'm wondering how you juggle and manage all the maintenance that's required to keep your eBay store open (sourcing, listing, photographing) on top of your every day life.

---

The first thing I do is choose items that are NOT time consuming to list. 

The second thing I do is list them efficiently. If I am listing vinyl singles, I first sort them by country, genre, artist, label, year, and and condition - so each listing becomes a "template" for the next one. Often times I can copy a listing and the only things I have to change are the artist, title, label, and catalog number. 

---

I mentioned my template strategy in a previous post.

I was focusing on single coins (the kind that I just scan), they are quick to scan, and reasonably quick to list because I don't need to consult my notebook for additional details on the item. However doing this has resulted in a backlog of very difficult items... so I'm trying to do a few of those every couple of days to get caught up. I've made progress. The crux of the problem was obtaining 200 items all at once, and none of them easy to list. Normally I get about 10-15 every two weeks.

C.

[chapeau-noir]

You mention a notebook - is this hard copy?  I'm thinking it might be worthwhile to just start transferring stuff to a spreadsheet if you don't already - that way you can sort items by any sort of criteria.  I use spreadsheets for my computer peripherals and A/V stuff I sell - it has SKU, title, description, price, shipping and date sourced and listed. 

ETA: It's a big time saver.  You don't have to transfer current stuff, since you already have a backlog and that wouldn't be efficient, but you can start from here on in.