posted on August 22, 2001 10:18:18 PM
Greetings all,
Just curious, been selling vintage clothing since June. What's in store for me for the next 4 months before the Holidays? Does business really pick up noticebly along with bids and page hits?
posted on August 23, 2001 10:15:40 AM
If you plan to sell through the holiday season, get prepared NOW.
If you use priority boxes, order them NOW. Don't wait until the height of the busy season. I can't even get most of them at my local USPS office. I have to order extra for them when I order.
Have a plan for getting your mail out. Lines at the post office will be out the door and waits of 30 minutes aren't unusual. If you sell a lot, you might want to consider one of the companies like Endica.
Be prepared to set a cut off date for shipping. Remember to advise your customers, UP FRONT, that shipping CAN be slower, so allow more time. (this advice from someone who's been at the PO shipping out stuff overnight the week of Xmas!).
Be prepared to move your stuff out the door fast. During the holidays, buyers get more grumpy about when you ship.
Get YOUR holiday shopping done now because, if you have a good season, you won't have time to do anything else in December.
posted on August 23, 2001 02:11:37 PM
The big retailers are announcing that they expect this holiday sales season to be TERRIBLE, a total bust, so don't get your hopes up too high.
Auction sales generally go up and down seasonally, and with the highs and lows of the economy, just like retailers' sales do....and vintage/antique collectibles are usually bought by dealers (for resale) or by collectors buying for themselves, not as gifts for others (as a general rule). New items do better pre-Christmas, then vintage collectibles pick up in January (knock on wood).
As auctionee advised, don't get your hopes up too high. Most auction sales now aren't what they used to be, and the economy is still sluggish.
