Something in the water

[Corey&Xu]

My Tai Tai was in buisness for herself in China and now Like Giz's wife is wanting to go into buisness here. I have been following Griz's post and it has been very helpful.

My wife is researching different factories to purchase earrings, braclets and necklaces. She wants to buy them and ship them here then sell on Ebay or set a website up.....or both. This is all out of my realm of knowledge so I am hoping others here could offer advise as to selling on Ebay or an Ebay store.

The other thing is setting up a website for buisness......totally lost in this area. Are there web services that can do this without paying major amounts?

Once we do start a site or list on Ebay how do you get your site up the list so that you get hits?

 

She has made her mind up to do this so I am trying to be as helpful as I can but need some advise where to start as far as webites and getting traffic.

 

Thanks,

[dnoblett]

My Tai Tai was in buisness for herself in China and now Like Giz's wife is wanting to go into buisness here. I have been following Griz's post and it has been very helpful.

My wife is researching different factories to purchase earrings, braclets and necklaces. She wants to buy them and ship them here then sell on Ebay or set a website up.....or both. This is all out of my realm of knowledge so I am hoping others here could offer advise as to selling on Ebay or an Ebay store.

The other thing is setting up a website for buisness......totally lost in this area. Are there web services that can do this without paying major amounts?

Once we do start a site or list on Ebay how do you get your site up the list so that you get hits?

 

She has made her mind up to do this so I am trying to be as helpful as I can but need some advise where to start as far as webites and getting traffic.

 

Thanks,

Been there done that, lost over $500 because the product got hung up in US Customs because the shipper did not include a proper proforma invoice listing exactly all the scientific names and where shells in items were from. US Fish and Wildlife can be very strict in this area. We ended up abandoning this shipment rather than risking a hefty fine from fish and wildlife.

 

Best way to do this is to use eBay and use a family member in China to direct ship items from China to the customer.

 

Note, it is quite tempting to try this considering cost differences, but can be very discouraging, I have bought many items out of China, clothing mostly and the prices are practically give away pricing, as in less than $1.00 for items. I can see no profit margins at that rate.

 

Do more research on eBay for costume jewelry and Chinese clothing.

[Corey&Xu]

Thanks Dan,

It appears to me also that in looking through Ebay that the margin you would have would be a problem. The shipping direct from China to the customer is also very common but i did not understand why they did it this way........with you response i understand now.

 

Thanks for your reply.

[slw268]

You might consider having the merchandise shipped

directly to you through a family member and open a small shop

or do farmers markets, flea markets.

[dnoblett]

You might consider having the merchandise shipped

directly to you through a family member and open a small shop

or do farmers markets, flea markets.

Preferably in small packages by mail. NOT in a large box shipped by and exporter like my wife did.

[slw268]

Preferably in small packages by mail. NOT in a large box shipped by and exporter like my wife did.

I don't know, Dan.

We get 4 - 5 large boxes at a shot.

What are we missing (or not)?

[Corey&Xu]

You might consider having the merchandise shipped

directly to you through a family member and open a small shop

or do farmers markets, flea markets.

 

Thanks for the reply. We have talked about this also and will look into it more as an option. The biggest problem with a store or flea markets is that we have two active teenage boys and with all of their leagues and events we stay pretty busy. We were considering selling online or having a website as we thought this would allow more flexibility and she could do this from home. I guess we just need to jump in with a small purchase and see how it goes from there.

[slw268]

Thanks for the reply. We have talked about this also and will look into it more as an option. The biggest problem with a store or flea markets is that we have two active teenage boys and with all of their leagues and events we stay pretty busy. We were considering selling online or having a website as we thought this would allow more flexibility and she could do this from home. I guess we just need to jump in with a small purchase and see how it goes from there.

Now, we haven't done it yet but my guess is that making a serious

effort at an online venture would eat up more time than you might think.

Especially if you're like me - technologically impaired.

[Yuanyang]

BTW you might want to think about stamping packages as "Samples"

WIfey came over with about 700 pounds (yes, 700#) of items necessary to open a bead and jewelry store. It cost over $1,200.00 to clear customs along with 100s of questions that I had to obtain an answer and relay.

[Corey&Xu]

Now, we haven't done it yet but my guess is that making a serious

effort at an online venture would eat up more time than you might think.

Especially if you're like me - technologically impaired.

 

Me to.........I have been in buisness before in construction but setting up a website and keeping it updated I know nothing about. I guess i will need to figure it out. I will talk with her more and see what she wants to do.

Thanks.

[Corey&Xu]

BTW you might want to think about stamping packages as "Samples"

WIfey came over with about 700 pounds (yes, 700#) of items necessary to open a bead and jewelry store. It cost over $1,200.00 to clear customs along with 100s of questions that I had to obtain an answer and relay.

 

That is certainly a fear we have is to do everything legitimate and know what our costs will be upfront so we don't have any surprises. So how has it worked out for you with your bead and jewelry store? I would value your insight.

 

Thanks.

[Yuanyang]

That is certainly a fear we have is to do everything legitimate and know what our costs will be upfront so we don't have any surprises. So how has it worked out for you with your bead and jewelry store? I would value your insight.

 

Thanks.

Thanks, but lao po has been scattered all over the place. Wanting a physical store (around here that's $3K per month + triple net which I've nixed), internet, eBay, even doing on the road shows. But no strong effort in any of them. So the only thing that's happening is a small cabinet in a "mall" setup for small business types. Rent is very cheap and we don't have to be there every day. The management charges 6% of the sales, very reasonable. At least this forced her to unbox all this stuff (after 4 years). This place, Frisco Merchantile, is in what was a big box store and the lady running it sectioned off areas. Pretty cool setup actually and there's not a big empty box setting on the roadside.

[Corey&Xu]

Thanks, but lao po has been scattered all over the place. Wanting a physical store (around here that's $3K per month + triple net which I've nixed), internet, eBay, even doing on the road shows. But no strong effort in any of them. So the only thing that's happening is a small cabinet in a "mall" setup for small business types. Rent is very cheap and we don't have to be there every day. The management charges 6% of the sales, very reasonable. At least this forced her to unbox all this stuff (after 4 years). This place, Frisco Merchantile, is in what was a big box store and the lady running it sectioned off areas. Pretty cool setup actually and there's not a big empty box setting on the roadside.

 

This does look like a good setup. I will look in this area to see if they have anything similar. This would allow us a chance to try it without getting in deep financially. Thanks Bob

[shanghaigale]

Hi Cory,

There are so many ways to go thats is hard to even decide where to start. It depends a lot on where you live and the population base you have. Is it a tourist area? If not then what you sell would probably be a lot different then if you are selling in a tourist area. It also depends on the employers in the area (are salaried low, medium or high). It also depends on location where you start the store. You could be in a great tourist location but pick a lousy selling area where the people don't come. Great walk in traffic is needed and sometimes that don't matter.

When I came back with my wife on a CR1 back in 2002, I got laid off the after I returned. The company no longer needed me since I had set up their manufacturing operation over in China over a 5 year time period. I did get a large severence payment and also was able to draw unemployment for 65 weeks so we never worried about life money. We brought back a huge amount of different arts and crafts, jewelry, etc. because the company I worked for paid for a container shipment of all my household goods which was delivered to my driveway and unloaded and unpacked for me. At first we didn't know exactly what we wanted to do. We started out trying out a large flea market for about 9 months. This showed promise for a while but it just never got to the volume we wanted it to. So then we opened a storefront in a strip mall, thats primary store was a donut shop. I drove by this shop most every day and it was close to home and it was always busy. A shop was blank right next to it and we though that we should attract a lot of business! Wrong, people feeding their stomach don't buy arts and crafts at all. We only did one month of over $2000 in sales and that was December. We stayed open for 18 months (covered 2 Christmas seasons). The trend didn't improve but we had started doing arts and crafts shows and summer festivals about 8 months before we closed. We started noticing that we did more sales doing a couple shows a month then we did in most of the months of storefront operation plus our costs were way lower than the storefront was. So I started researching more and more shows. Plus I also decided to give ebay a try starting in 2004. We spent the next 3 years sorting out the shows that fit us and eliminated the ones that didn't. I also refined what I was selling on Ebay and noticed that in both cases our sales continued to grow and are still doing so at this time. Ebay does take a lot of time to do though. I probably spend about 40 hours a week on it alone but the nice thing is that I can pick whatever hours I want to do it. As far getting far up in the search on Ebay, you need to structure your titles right for what you are selling. This is easy to do, just type in keywords and see how many hits you get then try to pick the same keywords. I really stay away from keywords that get to many hits because then you could be so far down the list people won't find you or even see you until it is maybe only a few minutes until the auction closes. You also need to pick the best days to have your auctions close. Different products work best on different days. Jewelry is extremely popular on Ebay. So I really don't sell any jewelry at all on Ebay. Its difficult to get noticed in many thousands of ebay sellers. If you are one of a few selling a popular product that will usually work the best. I also have an ebay store and generate a lot of sales there to. I don't use ebay though for any of my listings, I use a third party service because ebays tools work so slow and are really a pain to use. I have noticed that ebay is a long grind. I have been selling now for going on 7 years and each year gets better. Your customer base continues to grow each year and I continue to get more and more repeat customers. So my business is getting pretty good now. I have been a power seller for 5 years now and am a top rated seller which also helps to keep costs lower. However, Ebay does really nickle and dime you to death so it definitely is not free to do. Paypal also takes about 3% to. I should also mention that we still do around 35 arts and crafts and summer festivals each year but they are almost all on the weekend and we do real good at them but we don't import anything now and haven't done so for the past 2 years. We now do many juried shows because we do all our own designs and construction. We really love doing the shows. Our daughter who was born while we were still in China is now almost 9 years old and she loves going to the shows with us. My wife also has made so many friends and loves doing the shows to. We get along great together so even though the shows can be tiring we enjoy them greatly. I might add that I also now have good retirement pay coming in so we really don't feel any pressure to sell a lot at the shows although we do quite well. Well my fingers are getting sore, besides I need to get some work done for a show this weekend. If you have questions, you could PM me.

Gale

 

My Tai Tai was in buisness for herself in China and now Like Giz's wife is wanting to go into buisness here. I have been following Griz's post and it has been very helpful.

My wife is researching different factories to purchase earrings, braclets and necklaces. She wants to buy them and ship them here then sell on Ebay or set a website up.....or both. This is all out of my realm of knowledge so I am hoping others here could offer advise as to selling on Ebay or an Ebay store.

The other thing is setting up a website for buisness......totally lost in this area. Are there web services that can do this without paying major amounts?

Once we do start a site or list on Ebay how do you get your site up the list so that you get hits?

 

She has made her mind up to do this so I am trying to be as helpful as I can but need some advise where to start as far as webites and getting traffic.

 

Thanks,

[b.c]

Hi Cory,

There are so many ways to go thats is hard to even decide where to start. It depends a lot on where you live and the population base you have. Is it a tourist area? If not then what you sell would probably be a lot different then if you are selling in a tourist area. It also depends on the employers in the area (are salaried low, medium or high). It also depends on location where you start the store. You could be in a great tourist location but pick a lousy selling area where the people don't come. Great walk in traffic is needed and sometimes that don't matter.

When I came back with my wife on a CR1 back in 2002, I got laid off the after I returned. The company no longer needed me since I had set up their manufacturing operation over in China over a 5 year time period. I did get a large severence payment and also was able to draw unemployment for 65 weeks so we never worried about life money. We brought back a huge amount of different arts and crafts, jewelry, etc. because the company I worked for paid for a container shipment of all my household goods which was delivered to my driveway and unloaded and unpacked for me. At first we didn't know exactly what we wanted to do. We started out trying out a large flea market for about 9 months. This showed promise for a while but it just never got to the volume we wanted it to. So then we opened a storefront in a strip mall, thats primary store was a donut shop. I drove by this shop most every day and it was close to home and it was always busy. A shop was blank right next to it and we though that we should attract a lot of business! Wrong, people feeding their stomach don't buy arts and crafts at all. We only did one month of over $2000 in sales and that was December. We stayed open for 18 months (covered 2 Christmas seasons). The trend didn't improve but we had started doing arts and crafts shows and summer festivals about 8 months before we closed. We started noticing that we did more sales doing a couple shows a month then we did in most of the months of storefront operation plus our costs were way lower than the storefront was. So I started researching more and more shows. Plus I also decided to give ebay a try starting in 2004. We spent the next 3 years sorting out the shows that fit us and eliminated the ones that didn't. I also refined what I was selling on Ebay and noticed that in both cases our sales continued to grow and are still doing so at this time. Ebay does take a lot of time to do though. I probably spend about 40 hours a week on it alone but the nice thing is that I can pick whatever hours I want to do it. As far getting far up in the search on Ebay, you need to structure your titles right for what you are selling. This is easy to do, just type in keywords and see how many hits you get then try to pick the same keywords. I really stay away from keywords that get to many hits because then you could be so far down the list people won't find you or even see you until it is maybe only a few minutes until the auction closes. You also need to pick the best days to have your auctions close. Different products work best on different days. Jewelry is extremely popular on Ebay. So I really don't sell any jewelry at all on Ebay. Its difficult to get noticed in many thousands of ebay sellers. If you are one of a few selling a popular product that will usually work the best. I also have an ebay store and generate a lot of sales there to. I don't use ebay though for any of my listings, I use a third party service because ebays tools work so slow and are really a pain to use. I have noticed that ebay is a long grind. I have been selling now for going on 7 years and each year gets better. Your customer base continues to grow each year and I continue to get more and more repeat customers. So my business is getting pretty good now. I have been a power seller for 5 years now and am a top rated seller which also helps to keep costs lower. However, Ebay does really nickle and dime you to death so it definitely is not free to do. Paypal also takes about 3% to. I should also mention that we still do around 35 arts and crafts and summer festivals each year but they are almost all on the weekend and we do real good at them but we don't import anything now and haven't done so for the past 2 years. We now do many juried shows because we do all our own designs and construction. We really love doing the shows. Our daughter who was born while we were still in China is now almost 9 years old and she loves going to the shows with us. My wife also has made so many friends and loves doing the shows to. We get along great together so even though the shows can be tiring we enjoy them greatly. I might add that I also now have good retirement pay coming in so we really don't feel any pressure to sell a lot at the shows although we do quite well. Well my fingers are getting sore, besides I need to get some work done for a show this weekend. If you have questions, you could PM me.

Gale

 

Ever heard of paragraphs, Gale? btw Gale, what 3rd party tool you using? We have used Channeladvisor for years but looking for a change.

 

Corey, dont let anyone ever convince you that you cannot succeed. When I started my business 8 years ago, primarily selling on ebay, many told me I could not make a go of it. Since then, I have done over 250,000 ebay transactions. Determination and dedication goes a long way. With that being said....

 

eBay (aka FeeBay) is a really tough marketplace these days. The barriers to entry are virtually nothing. This works for you in the beginning but works against you as time goes on. Almost anyone with a couple bucks and access to a computer can sell things on ebay.....and most have done so. The supply/demand ratio is at a point where there is no equilibrium advantage for the supplier. And if there is one, it will not last for long. An example is the category that we sell in on ebay. There are a handful of suppliers that are basically selling items at delivered cost. I question how they continue to survive, but they do so. Due to this and some other factors, our ebay sales are only about 10% of what they used to be in 2007 and 2008.

 

Back then our ebay sales were about 80%+ of our sales. Now they are roughly 20% as we have focused more on our website. We basically use ebay for customer acquisition. We make no money on ebay despite being higher priced than some of our cut-throat competitors. But we then try to route them to our website for future sales.

 

eBay has also dramatically raised their fees for most categories over the past few years (although they did finally reduce them a bit this spring). And it is a fairly cumbersome system to operate effectively. Frankly, its a pain in the @ss. As Gale eluded to, you really have to stay on top of it and analyze many things on a regular basis.

 

But worst case scenario, you can use it for what it is: a cheap easy way to get started and get your feet wet and see if you can make a go of it. If you can make it on ebay in 2010 then you can make it anywhere, imho.