posted on March 18, 2001 09:27:13 AM
ebay...My lifes a MESS...Literally!
I've been a seller for nearly 3 years now. I started out buying to fill in the missing pieces of my collection(s).
By nature I am a collector. I LOVE COLLECTING THINGS!
I go to RL auctions to buy... to resale on ebay and as it turns out I only buy the things I LIKE.
BIG MISTAKE!
I want to keep it all!
As I look over my treasures trying to find something desirable to put on ebay I find I DON'T want to part with it.
I have Thousands of dollars in inventory which has cluttered my house to the HILT.....BUT......I don't want to give it up.
Remember that thread where(it was the home schooling person started it, I don't remember her name) she showed pictures of her CLUTTERED rooms of stuff to sell on ebay? That thread was HILARIOUS!
Well.....thats where I'm at, What to do? What to do?
Every room & the basement of this house is CLUTTERED with STUFF. I've got packing crap piled to the ceiling. I've got one room I can't even get into anymore. My 4 car shed is 3/4 full of empty boxes and more STUFF. I have so much I forget what I have. We've had one of the worse winters in three years and all our cars have to sit outside.
Its a Nightmare when my daughter visits from college. I have to make a path to her bed then figure out what I'm going to do with the stuff on her bed.
Yikes! How does one take control of a situation such as this one?
It has gotten so OUT OF CONTROL how does one even begin to organize this mess?
How many of you find yourselves in the same situation?
I just want to know that I'm not alone.
eBay has turned me into a collecting MONSTER.
Divorce may be on the horizon!
packer ~ Having a BADHAIR day!
[ edited by packer on Mar 18, 2001 09:35 AM ]
posted on March 18, 2001 09:39:17 AM
packer--hang in there. It was like that around here for a while last year. I finally had to make a rule for myself that I would NOT buy anything more until I had listed everything in my back stock. Well it didn't completely stop me (i can NOT pass up a thrift store or yard sale) but it did make me think twice. I got my house down to a manageable level in about three months and now my back stock fits into a large closet. I am MUCH happier this way although I hated parting with a lot of the stuff. and i was able to pay off some bills with the$$$$ too!!! look at the stuff around you and see DOLLAR $ign$!
posted on March 18, 2001 10:40:44 AM
Packer ...
Here's some tips:
1. Prune your "collection" ... be ruthless about it and keep only the stuff you truly enjoy having visible out on the shelves.
Sort the stuff you don't want to see into boxes of similar items. The boxes stack nicely and you can pull a whole box to list in one session,then put the box in the "listed" area.
2. List big stuff first! If you list a 3-volume set of books, or a bulky widget, it clears off more shelf space than a paperback or tiny object.
3. List tweo items for every item you buy for the next 6 months.
posted on March 18, 2001 11:23:32 AM
We just bought a bigger house. That seemed to help! Know what ya mean, though! My husband had to almost force me into throwing some stuff out & finding ways to otherwise dispose of stuff that cluttered up the place. Now I can even get my car in the garage! Yippee!
posted on March 18, 2001 11:26:43 AM
Well Packer, maybe we should call you Rat-Packer. I think it is time someone starts a debay ebay group. Here's is an idea.Maybe there is someone in your area that will help you organize. That way there would be two of you and the job would get done faster. By the sound of it you could be sitting at your computer 24/7 just to list your items. Then maybe you can hire someone just to help you list. If you lived where I do I certainly would help and I also have a friend that would help to. I also have quite a bit of inventory but it is small stuff so it will go into large plastic bins. Remember if you put things in cardboard sometimes the smell of the cardboard hangs around. Well I am sure we all can sympatize with you but instead of posting here start listing. Now get going.
posted on March 18, 2001 11:39:21 AM
I like to collect also but I have sold a lot of my things on the internet and in my shop in the past few years.
When you like so many things and you have them all in your house I think you start to lose focus of what is special and what isn't. It gets to where you don't even see the individual pieces anymore.
I found that when I sold something I liked I soon forgot all about it because I had so many other things. I always tell myself if I am really going to miss it all that much I can probably buy it again--on ebay.
posted on March 18, 2001 05:04:15 PM
Packer, when collecting overwhelms the house then it may be termed an obsessive compulsive disorder. Here is my advice:
1. Pick a few categories to collect in which the items are difficult to obtain;
2. Keep the items in those categories;
3. Pack everything else up except for two months of eBay inventory;
4. Take the boxes to the real live auctions you go to, peferably an antique auction gallery that specializes in collectibles also;
5. Consign everything to the auction gallery and see how much the eBay dealers, mall space owners and antique shop owners will pay for your stuff;
6. Get a nice big fat check in the mail and invest it or pay bills.
7. Plan a dinner or luncheon party in your new cleaned up house and invite some of your friends whom you've neglected because you haven't wanted them to see your cluttered house.
posted on March 18, 2001 05:07:55 PM
I understand exactly what you're going through. My garage is COMPLETELY full.(That was JT with the cluttered rooms).
My incentive to sell:
I am moving from California to Ohio within the next 6 months. I vowed I will only take what will fit in a large UHaul truck.
I bought a simple bookcase and catagorized items on each shelf. Then list one shelf at a time. It has worked so far.
posted on March 18, 2001 06:12:13 PM
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for your responses to this mess I'm in.
Some good ideas here.
I've been working all day taking pictures.
I aquired about 6 flats of costume jewelry some time back and its a lot of work dealing with it.
I've been at it well over a week and have taken 120 some pics so far. For anyone that has perused the "jewelry lot" categories knows that only GOOD, CLEAR, CLOSE UP pictures will do if you want to get a good price. Plus I've been writing a brief description on each picture. That should save some time when I go to acually list them.
I have to tell ya, if I wasn't a Blue Jean & Sweat Shirt person, I would be keeping many of these pieces myself. CRAP...there I go again, wanting to KEEP.
Anyway, with spring coming, now is a good time to start that spring cleaning. Only problem is, I haul everything to the garage thinking I'll sort and then bring in just what I intend to sell for a batch. Ya Right, I end up going to more auctions, start filling the house back up and forget about the stuff in the garage.
"I do so solomly swear NO AUCTIONS till the house and garage are completely JUNK free."
Last summer I took a pic-up load to the Goodwill. Goodwill.....HERE I COME!
posted on March 18, 2001 06:13:13 PM
take pictures of everything and put it in an album. I had to move to a smaller house and the photos of the things seem to satisfy me as much as the things themselves did.
read Clutters Last Stand.... get rid of it!good luck!
posted on March 18, 2001 06:26:23 PM
aaaahhh tasman,
Thats a good one, LOL. I will have to concider that.
Oh ya, I forgot to mention that we have a big walk up attic in our "BIG SHED/GARAGE" that is FULL as well. Most of that stuff however is also things I want to KEEP. That stuff is what I originally collected. BEFORE EBAY. *HEAVY SIGH*
Really....I have stuff up there from when I was in grade school...whew, that was a long time ago.
Read Steven Levine's A Year to Live
I won't say earth shattering, but it will help you get perspective on the nature of life and death. Cling to loot is part of that conundrum. (I mean come on, here I am in a 6.8 magnitude quake and I am thinking about my widgets....holy crust!)
Rent Blade Runner (director's cut, natch).
Listen to someone who has lost a loved one, read an essay, account etc. Realize that stuff is stuff. Human, humane connection is where it's at.
Finally, how many people die happy alone with their stuff?
I am a former packratter...I still have moments of "oooooh drats" when I see something that I used to have, could have bought, should have bought etc.
But, livin' light has it's rewards:
Travel, relocation, focus (truly enjoy those hobbies/sports with deeper appreciation) and peace of mind.
I am down to a small collection of widgets. But it's not easy. You think about adding to those, or what you paid compared to the marketplace, or gee, what if 1 (5, 10, 25) years from now you will need it.
Sometimes giving things away is a lot lighter on the old guilt chip than muscling through sales.
Good luck!
ps...the Blade Runner part? Well I just like the movie! hee hee
posted on March 18, 2001 08:04:33 PM
If you find yourself unwilling = unable to sit and actually sell something because you can't stand letting any of it go it is time to see about some medication for compulsive obsessive disorder. My good friend and business partner got such treatment and noy only is HE happier we all are! He is still a
control freak which was his manifestation of OC, but it took the edge off enough to help.
posted on March 19, 2001 04:53:42 AM
I can truly relate; I also have auction items stashed all over the place. We rent a small off site storage unit - and stuff is stacked in there, too. However, I have made a Spring cleaning commitment to list one item per day - that way, I guarantee that around 30 items per month leave my house!
Start small and achieve those goals and they will add up! I CAN handle one item per day (or do two in one day and take a day off!)
Rather than donate to goodwill, I recommend donating to a church or school for them to use in a rummage sale to raise money. That way your donation really goes to help someone. I believe most of Goodwill and Salvation Army donations get spent on overhead and very little actually goes the way of the needy, in my humble opinion.
posted on March 19, 2001 07:40:05 AM
Some really good ideas here. I like the one to list at least one auction a day. I have decided when I get up in the morning I will list at least two, depending on the time it takes. Mornings are best because AW isn't so busy. I only do auction listing for Sundays so I will list and schedule. If I wait until Sundays to list it takes forever. This also leaves my Sundays free to do something else. Thanks
I too like the idea of listing at least 1 or 2 a day. I usually list batches on Tues & Sunday nigths and sometimes on Thurs. nights, but not consistantly. I think I could do better maybe keeping a CONSTANT 30 or 40 auctions running rather then 30 or 40 here and there.
The one problem I do see for me is the packing end of it.
I have no packing station, so I have to drag everything out to my kitchen table to get the job done. I sure hate to think of doing that everyday.
For now I probably could make it work.
My packing station was in the garage, but with the snow and the cold it is impossable to work out there.
Thanks for the ideas and incentive.
Yup! Its time to take CONTROL of things around here.
posted on March 19, 2001 08:04:44 AM
Another thought about listing only 1 or 2 a day.
I run things in related batches. Such as, I had a lot of Frankoma, so I want to put them all up at the same time, this encourages people to bid on more then 1 piece to save postage, also goes for Fostoria, Fenton, dolls, miniatures, marbles, jewelry, ect. See what I mean?
posted on March 19, 2001 09:33:33 AM
This is the ONLY solution.
Empty your underwear drawer...put it in a suitcase...hand the keys over to an estate sale person as well as a PO Box # to send the proceeds.
And then just walk away.
posted on March 19, 2001 11:37:52 AM
I recommend you use an auction managing tool (like Auction Manager) or more simply a few word doc templates where you can save your auction text. Saves a lot of time. For example, so you have 12 plates, 12 cups, 12 saucers of same type pottery or pattern. Take three "large" panoramic pictures and one represenative close-up. Just write up the master description for one lot of, say, 6 plates. Highlight and paste the auction text into a word doc or wordpad doc saved on your hard drive. When you pull up a new auction posting form, simply paste the same text into the box; and substitute the words "cup" for plate and sizes etc. Retitle each listing "Stangl Pottery 1, 2, 3, etc. so you can keep the lots apart on paper. Just be careful that your auction titles match your description and measurements! Make a special picture caption in your text that reads, THESE PICTURES SHOW A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF DISHES; YOU ARE BIDDING ONLY ON THE SET OF 6 DINNER PLATES ON THIS AUCTION #.... This can help you post a large quantity of items in a short time.
posted on March 19, 2001 12:57:58 PM
packer-Here is another idea. After you list your items pack them and label the box with the contents, but besure that you have the correct label on it. That way your packing is done and you only have 2 of them to do. If you don't sell something, copy the auction listing and fold it and stick it to the box so you have it and that also will be a reminder that the item didn't sell. You will probably be a millionaire when you get done. This is an interesting thread, please keep us posted.
posted on March 19, 2001 05:08:41 PM
packer, I have found that flats of costume jewelry do MUCH better at live auctions around here than the pieces would do on eBay, unless there are a lot of desirable designer pieces. That way, I get to unload a whole lot of inventory at once and I don't have to pack it, and I get a good return on my money at the same time.
I was cured of the collecting bug by a terrible fire we had in our home. I DON'T recommend this method of "cure" for anyone, but it sure made me realize that "stuff" is so unimportant. After the fire, I got rid of lots and lots of stuff, and I haven't regretted it for a minute. 6 years later, I still don't have the urge to collect.
