posted on May 8, 2001 06:56:33 AM
It was a proud moment for me.......a thread I started was actually locked! I know I have come full circle now........I have a purple star and a locked thread at Auction Watch........thanksExec.Girl I could not have done it without you!
Is anybody else just tired? I bust my butt making a living on Ebay ~ I work long and hard hours. It works for me ~ it allows me to stay home with my kids and pay my bills ~ and most of the time I love it...........but my auctions have not gone well lately ~ and while I am working so hard to make my living this jerk is making $50.00 on a hundred rolls of tape that he is stealing from USPS!
I need a quick cure for burnout. I can't take time off right now, as I need the money ~ and getting another job will not work because of my kids ~ but any other suggestions would really be appreciated!
posted on May 8, 2001 07:11:32 AM
I'm sure this will be locked momentarily, but to answer your question Katz:
Yes, I'm tiring of eBay.. I sold over 1500 items in 4 years there, only ONE NEG (stupid retalitory neg from a 12 year od) in that time.
This last Christmas season killed me with deadbeat bidders, 14 day delivery of "priority" packages, 20% Priority postal increase, PayPal account problems, ExchangePath account freeze (no, I didn't accept a stolen credit card) and email problems made it NO FUN anymore.
I am now down to simply dumping the extras from my collection and am not looking at stuff the same anymore ("humm.. can I ebay that?".
As far as buying... I never bought up until March. All of march was fun, then less and less things got listed in April for what I look for, plus then I ran into some problems with broken items that sellers didn't have a clue how to pack right and walk away just saying "sorry you wern't happy", or those that didn't divulge (or outright LIED) important information in thier listing (like things being yellowed and the pic "brightened" to remove it, or things being dulled, but that was the one NOT in the picture, etc..
It's been draining. Will I still use eBay to buy and sell? Yeah, but with more increase in shipping, I will do less buying, and probably see less income from sales as others buy less. I definitely won't be selling another 1500 items over the next 4 years..... THATS FOR SURE.
posted on May 8, 2001 08:55:29 AM
Well, the fun has gone out of it for me, that's for sure.
I lost my hard drive completely, and every blessed thing on it in early April. It was like a kick to the solar plexus to lose all those photos -- and I haven't listed anything since. This came at a time when I was just getting re-enthused and really starting to dig into developing the business.
The break has been refreshing, and has given me time to think about and get some other ideas. When I get back to it, things will be a little different. I'll be listing other stuff in addition to my regular category, thanks to some of the threads here (bookselling) and elsewhere on other subjects. AND I'll be uploading ALL my pix to PhotoPoint for a backup, in addition to my regular photo hosting site.
I literally cannot imagine doing this full time and my hats are off to those who do. When it works, tho, it's great fun. The problem is -- it's a little like the slots or the lottery, isn't it? Just enough of a pay off to keep you interested and playing longer.
posted on May 8, 2001 10:37:02 AM
Katzname--
Re: Preventing burnout--
I can relate. It is hard to take time off, but instead of taking a few days off why not take the afternoon. Take your kids for a walk or go play in the park. This ALWAYS makes me feel better and I hope it helps you too. Sometimes you just need to get outside for awhile. Gives me a better perspective anyway. :0)
posted on May 9, 2001 07:08:20 AM
Well, yesterday afternoon I turned off the computer and put away the camera and spent the afternoon playing dollhouse and then took the kids outside. My daughters discovered the Little Tikes washer & dryer I had purchased on Saturday and the three of us cleaned it up together and then I helped them wash all their dolly clothes. Then the camera came back out ~ I just had to get a picture of them ironing their dolly clothes! My husband joined in on cleaning the washer & dryer ~ then after we all came in ~ he went back outside and cleaned all my other Little Tikes big toys so I could put them on ebay!
Thanks for the suggestion, the afternoon off was just what I needed!
.