Happy Memorial Day!
Thank you doesn’t seem like enough…but Thank You All!
We are blessed to live in this great country.
Wordless Wednesday on Thursday – Listed vs Unlisted
OK, since I’m already all mixed up and doing “Wordless Wednesday” on Thursday…I might as well totally blow it and add words. 
First Photo: Listed Inventory- neatly stored and easy to find things.
Second Photo: Unlisted mess!
Just another reason to keep listing!!!
What I Learned This Week: It’s OK To Take a Break
Sometimes you need a break…and that’s OK!
For the past few weeks my “To Do” list has been longer than my days.
- 3 kids with end of school year projects
- music lessons
- baby showers
- singing practice for church
- managing a web site
- shipping orders daily
- laundry, laundry, laundry
- cleaning house
- grocery shopping
- meal planning
- cooking
- planning end of school year parties
- teaching classes
- fundraisers
- etc., etc., etc…
In addition to all those things and more, I have been trying to find time to list more inventory into my eBay store. Well, last week I didn’t even try. My eBay store was not on my list at all. I decided to forget about it for a week or two, and you know what? It was fine!
Part of the beauty of eBay is that you don’t have to treat it like a full time job. You can put it on the back burner for a week or two or more, and it will be there when you come back (just don’t forget to check if you need to ship something!). It’s also very easy to put your store on vacation if you need a break from shipping, too.
When you need to, don’t hesitate to take a little pressure off yourself. Even Mom’s can’t do everything!
Need some tips on working smarter instead of harder?
Consider a membership to
We are a community thousands strong of online selling success. Our members share tips and information daily as we grow together and help each other along the way.
Don’t Stop Now!
Let’s get busy!
It’s nearing the end of the school year. Soon the kids will be home wanting all of your attention and warm weather will be beckoning you outdoors. You know there won’t be as much time for you to devote to your eBay store or other online business.
Now is the time to list, list, list! For the next few weeks work to fill your store with all your unlisted inventory. Summer can be a slow time for selling, but you will continue to get sales trickling in…if you have fresh inventory in your store.
Need some motivation?
Reasons to list now:
- If your store is stocked now, you won’t feel guilty about enjoying some time off with your kids this summer.
- The money from your summer sales can help fund more fun activities (bowling, putt-putt, pizza, vacation!).
- There will be less clutter in your house, and you will be able to relax!
So, put in a few hours a day now so you can better enjoy the weeks to come.
Got a tip for listing? Leave a comment and let us know!
Consider a membership to
We are a community thousands strong of online selling success. Our members share tips and information daily as we grow together and help each other along the way.
Join us! We can never have too many friends!
5-a-day-in-May contest….only 10 days left!
Has the month of May flown by as fast for everyone as it has for me? It’s been a whirlwind month so far and here we are with only 10 days left in the Eat 5 List 5 challenge.
So, how are you doing? Are you listing 5 every day or cramming them in at the end of the month (ahem, like me)? How ’bout the fruits & veggies (no cramming there, you have to eat those daily!)?
The final stretch of any challenge can be the hardest. The motivation sometimes dies down, you get tired of the “same ole, same ole” routine and it’s hard to keep up.
But don’t quit now! Remember, everyone who gets their 155 listings in the month of May will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Target gift card. And as a reward for eating so well through the month of May, everyone who gets all their fruits & veggies in will be entered into a drawing for a $10 Starbucks gift card.
So finish strong and stay motivated!
// 
13 Signs You’re a Stork
1 – You grab you cup of coffee and head straight for your ‘puter to log onto HCTS every morning
2 – Your husband/boyfriend/significant other knows about HCTS and refers to them as “your online girls” (or something to that effect)
3 – While out garage-sale or thrift-store shopping you pick up things and think to yourself, “Would my Stork gals buy this?”
4 – You have HCTS forums bookmarked on your ‘puter and you always stay logged in.
5 – You’ve met one (or more!) fellow Storks in real life
6 – You have one (or more!) fellow Storks phone numbers programmed into your cell…..just in case you need some right-at-that-moment advice on whether you should buy something while out shopping
7 – You’re browsing Ebay, doing a little shopping for some kids clothes and you start seeing lots of familiar user names / store names and realize that you actually know many of the people selling these clothes because they are HCTS members too!
8 – If you have an unidentified clothing item, baby item or baby toy, post a picture on the forums you’ll have someone who knows exactly what it is.
9 – You log on to the forums on Saturday afternoons just to see what fabulous yard sale and garage sale finds your Stork sisters have had that day.
10 – When you find a pile of treasures at a garage or yard sale, the first thing you do is post on the forums ’cause you know that everyone else will be just as excited as you are!
11 – You have a group of ladies who you really consider your friends, even though you may never have met them in person.
12 – You have a Lifetime subscription…..’cause you just can’t bear the thought of life without HCTS 
13 – Whenever anything goes really well (or really poorly) with Ebay – or life in general - you head straight to HCTS to post about it ’cause you know your Stork sisters will be there to celebrate life’s good times and lend support for the tough times.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!
Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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We’d love to have more fellow Storks in our group. Just click the link below and start exploring all HCTS has to offer you today!
Wordless Wednesday – an office disaster
(please tell me that my office is not the only one that looks like this on occasion, sometimes, ok fine…..with more frequency than I care to admit?)
Check out more Wordless Wednesday from 5MinutesforMom.com
Less than 2 weeks to go for LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS and a chance to win a great CASH PRIZE!
We only offer this once or twice a year, so now is your chance. This option will only be available through May 31st, 2010.
I am so grateful for all of our members who have made HCTS a wonderful resource and support system for Ebay sellers and moms. I am happy that so many of you want to stay with us “for life.” You are what makes this place great! Things have gotten really exciting around here with all of our challenges and contests!! The money raised from the sale of these lifetime memberships will be used for further contests and games. I have some really great ideas, and I can’t wait to make it all happen! ~ Rebecca
The Premier Lifetime Membership will be available for only $129, a significant discount if you plan to be with us for a while. Each person who registers as a Premier Member will also receive an entry into a raffle to win GREAT prizes! You all know we love a good raffle here at HCTS! This time it’s a little bit different-you get to pick your own prize because all the prizes are cold, hard, PAYPAL cash gifts!!
1st Prize – $100 CASH!!!
2nd Prize -$50 CASH
3rd Prize -$20 CASH
4th Prize -$10 CASH
** Drawing will take place on Tuesday June 1st. Rebecca will email the winners for their preferred paypal address. All current Lifetime Premier Members are also entered into this drawing.
If you would like to become a Premier Member and enter our raffle, please take the following steps:
NEW MEMBERS:
Easy-peasy…just log into http://www.herecomesthestork.com/amember/signup.php and select Lifetime Membership.
EXISTING MEMBERS:
1) Login using your current user name and password here:
http://www.herecomesthestork.com/amember/member.php
2) Use the “Select Product” drop down menu to select the Lifetime Premier Membership. Follow the steps to pay through Paypal.
3) Go back to your membership page here:
http://www.herecomesthestork.com/amember/member.php
Cancel the current membership that you are signed up for in order to prevent future billings. Because of the deep discount on these memberships-current memberships are not eligible for a prorated refund.
Enjoy!
We’ve got an app for that!
It seems like there’s an app for everything these days….groceries, restaurants, nearest (and cheapest) gas stations, exercise, weather, well…..you get the point. Well, guess what? If you’re an HCTS member, we’ve got an app for you!
Tapatalk iPhone (also works with iPod Touch) connects to HereComesTheStork.com (with Tapatalk support activated), allows you to participate the latest discussions, post topics and responses to topics all on the tailor-made iPhone interface. So you no longer need to pinch-zooming with Safari, not to mention it uses much less bandwidth.
Just search for “tapatalk” in the app store. The cost is 2.99 (that goes to the app developer not HCTS) and is a one-time fee.
Once you have the app installed, you can find us in “business”. Click on the HCTS logo, log-in at the bottom-and you are good to go!
Some Sacrifices Are Not Worth Making
More listings mean more sales, right? Of course! However, in our haste to get stuff listed, sometimes we find ourselves sacrificing steps that were once very important. We start to become less and less “picky” with our pictures and our descriptions. We might even become careless with our titles. I truly believe, from experience, that these things can really affect our sales. Clear, detailed pictures give buyers a much better look at what they are wanting to purchase. Detailed descriptions help to make it clear as well. Well thought out titles are probably the most important way to drive sales. One keyword can make all the difference.
With the new changes on EBay, it is possible to include all your item’s pictures without using an outside host like Seller Sourcebook (for free). Some see this as an improvement. I myself thought it was great, at first. Then, I started looking at it from a buyer’s perspective. I disliked looking at pictures EBay’s way. I found myself more drawn to listings that still use templates. The look is more professional and the pictures seem to be larger through these other services. I am more likely to buy from one of these sellers! Therefore, I want to be one of those sellers. I’ve decided to go back to using my pretty templates. It might take me longer to take better pictures, write better descriptions, and use a hosting service, but I think the time is well worth it.
Join us in the HCTS forum, where we are happy to give tips on increasing sells by making minor changes to your listings. See you there!
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