posted on April 15, 2001 12:10:11 AM
Hi,
I lurk alot around AW. Never posted in the round table before. But I know this is an interesting place.
I was just wondering if your kids help you with your auction business. I have 2 girls -1 is 9 go on 15, the other is 11 going on 5.
The both like to help. But I can only find so much for them to do. (That I trust them to do.) I was wondering if others have their children help out and what they do.
I do ebay full time. The girls will be out of school for 3 1/2 months before you know it. I really need to keep them busy so I can get things done.
If I am organized enough, they help me pull the paid items and close up the package.
Ocassionally, they key the days listings into my spread sheet. Which takes them 5 times as long as it takes me, so somedays they are in my way.
So do your children help out and what do you let them do?
FUN THINGS TO DO:
I think I am going to get a huge map of the US and some pins and this summer they can pin where our customers are from.
I also thought about asking members of AW to send them postcards and having them make a postcard from around the world book.
Thanks for any ideas. I look forward to reading any and all your ideas.
posted on April 15, 2001 12:17:34 AM
Welcome to the RT we are a lot of fun in here. LOL
I do not know what to tell you with regards to your girls' helping with your auctions. It would really depend on what you are selling, and how breakable your items may be. Could you get them to perhaps get the correct boxes to pack your sales in, or maybe they can cut they bubblewrap for you to the right size for each item.
Now as for the postcard idea, I think that could be a winner. My daughter is now 18, but when she was younger and very sick, we wrote letters and sent them all around Australia to various companies and asked for fridge magnets. She got something like 700 + and one company even made one with her name on it. This used to keep her occupied for many hours and she happily catalogued each and every one she received.
Your girls' could do the same sort of thing with the postcards or maybe they could get both, postcards and magnets. I for one would be happy to send some of each to start them off.
I really need to learn to spell. LOL
[ edited by nettak on Apr 15, 2001 12:26 AM ]
Let me know the address and I will send a postcard for each girl from here in Pa. I have two daughters, aged 3 and 10. The 3-year-old helps by watching Barney as I work (keeps my stuff safe) and the older girl helps to clean and mark items in. She is also great at spotting items at garage sales. She is so cute picking out things for "Aunt Edna". LOL!
She is a big help preparing this for pictures, too.
I pay her a percentage of what something sells for. She is earning spending money and the value of a dollar at the same time. I think a map might be a good addition for us this summer. That might peak her interest in Geography.
posted on April 15, 2001 12:55:48 AM
Gosh, you guys are fast. I thought most everyone would be sleeping by now and in the morning (after the hunt so I guess it will be afternoon) I would have to hunt for this post to see if anyone answered.
I sell new large size clothing mostly. They get tired of shopping. They know this summer one day a week is shopping day. But they love to find that super dooper deal!
I like the magnet Idea too! They could hunt for address on the internet and write the companies asking for a magnet. It would be interesting to see what they get. I work enjoy that myself!
I think in May we will start our postcard request.
Does anyone know can I post my address on here? Or They can get one of those free email services and have to respond to each of them. That could get them busy for a while. And then they would love to go get the mail every day. Another job done.
Please keep the ideas coming. It is going to be a long summer. We have lots of time to fill.
posted on April 15, 2001 12:05:58 PM
Have you considered letting each of them start to learn how to do their own business?
Or the two together if they would not argue.
I would tell them they could list up to 10 items per week with your help under another eBay ID - not your usual business ID.
I would make them submit a written proposal
limited to one page of what they intend to sell and why they think they can sell it for more than they can buy it for.
They may surprise you. When I was 14 I was making more on my summer vacation than my Uncle with 6 years of collage. Really frosted his cookies. When I was 9 I had my own bait sales for the fishermen driving past our house.
They might buy something found locally like clothing but not YOUR type. They could look for their stuff when on the shopping day. Or they might sell something they could collect locally that is not easy to find other places.
If you are on the coast maybe seashells or if in the woods pine cones or in the south spanish moss. Fossils if there are road cuts that expose them. All these sorts of things are used by crafters. Or they might make a craft item themselves like famo buttons or beads, greeting cards or a how to booklet or minicookbook. I have actually bought things at dollar stores because we are in a big metro area and resold them for 3 to 6 times what they cost because many people live out in the country and have never seen a dollar store. Everything is over priced where they are. I have sold artists brushes/calcuators/batteries/diet scales/ yo-yos/ printed tins and other things. Once I got a chance to buy maple syrup cheap. A one time deal but it went fine.
They could learn a lot.
posted on April 15, 2001 03:54:56 PM
Our family auction business is definitely something out entire family works on -- we also homeschool, so our kids are here all the time -- it only makes sense for us to work together so that we have more time to play/learn/etc together.
My children are 13 and 10 -- they each have a particular area of inventory for which they are completely responsible. They catalogue, store, and then locate when its time to ship. As they choose, they also write up auctions for things they've bought and list them. I do charge a 10% commission plus fees; accordingly they choose carefully what they prefer to list.
We keep intending to get a large world map and keep track of where our shipments go -- but somehow we never get around to it. Thanks for the reminder!
posted on April 16, 2001 12:36:01 AM
My family all work on ebay in one way or another also. My husband says he is the CEO! Of course that means, he does none of the work. That is not entirely true, if it ia a weekend and we go ebay shopping he carries the bags.
Like I said originally the girls help out a little. I am afraid to let them do to much.
I talked to my 9 yr old about them selling themselves on ebay this summer. She says it would take her one whole day to type one ad because she can not ever find the letters on the key board. I explained the one a day would be good and she would learn where the letters are. She thought about it for a while and then told me she would need a credit card! (LOL).
I think I am more excited about the mapping of the bidders then they are! Now I need to find wall space for the map.
posted on April 16, 2001 02:22:32 AM
Hello RR, just let us know when you are ready to start receiving the postcards and magnets, because I have a heap to send already. Why don't you get a free special email address to put up here so that we can email and get your address, that way you do not have to worry about having your real email addy up for grabs by anyone else who may decided to copy it for spam or whatever.
posted on April 16, 2001 05:14:58 AM
>>>I talked to my 9 yr old about them selling themselves on ebay <<<
is that legal?
teehee! good morning!
I LOVE the idea of letting them choose a category to sell in! It might make the shopping more fun for them too!
We have a map of the US with little circle stickers on it for the cities/states we have shipped to ~ it was fun at first but they lost interest after a few months. The summer sounds like a good length of time to keep it fun. If the girls list items, they could each have different color stickers ~ might keep it interesting (two boys keeps things competitive around here!)
Best of Luck!!
