So last week Xochilt asked you to make a list of listing goals for yourself, and yesterday I challenged you to post a picture of your own personal Mt. Unlisted.  Is it working yet?  Do you feel ashamed of that pile?  Are you motivated to dig into it?

Today I challenge you to dig in – in a very big way!

If you’re like most of us, Mt. Unlisted can contain things that give us pause.  Make us wonder why we bought them in the first place.  Things that we just don’t want to list, for whatever reason.

Those things are holding you back!

Today we put an end to that. Make yourself three bins

and get busy sorting!

You might not have a throwaway stack.  How about a ‘Take to the consignment store’ bin instead?  Or a ‘Craigslist’ stack?

If you sort through your unlisted inventory with an eye for what is really worth listing on eBay/Amazon and what will sell, but just not there, you will be creating smaller, more manageable groups.  And then we will tackle those!

Get cracking!  Today your task is to go through your inventory and divide up what you will keep and what will go elsewhere.  Make sure you post in Challenge Chat to let me know when you’re done!

Not a member yet?  Click this logo to get in on all the fun!

And again, we’ve got a month-long comment contest on on the blog, so sharing some comment love could pay off!

Filed under: Freebies, Giveaways and Prizes, Listing Challenges by BellaBuggy
6 Comments »

Do you ever feel like you just can’t get it together?

That’s the mode I’m in right now, and that’s why this blog post is going up at 6 pm instead of 6 am.

Okay realistically, I’m never up at 6 am.  Say 9-ish.

The problem is that even though I’ve ‘known’ I need to do this for weeks, I didn’t write it down.  I didn’t make it my priority.  And I didn’t plan ahead.

Which means that when the day rolls around, I’m unprepared.  I’m running late.  Sometimes, I forget altogether.

It’s White Rabbit mode.

I’m late, I’m late! For a very important date!

Now with a blog post, thankfully I can catch up in a few minutes.  But with our businesses, well… it’s rarely that simple.

Where do you stand?  Are you on track, caught up, ready for the next big thing?  Or are you like me, a day late and a dollar short?

Its easy to fall behind and hard to catch up.  Believe me, I know.

But catch up we must, and there’s no time like the present.

Right now, I need you to take a picture for me.  Get brave, and snap a photo of your own personal Mt. Unlisted.

Except that sign?  Not so much.  We are climbing this mountain, together.  And we’re starting today.

I’ve started a photo thread in the forum, in the Challenge Chat category.  Join me in posting your own personal disaster area unlisted inventory and you will have completed part one of this weeks’ challenge.

Each day for the next 4 days, I will give you another task to complete.  If you complete all 5, your name will be entered in a drawing for some cold, hard cash!  That’s right, PayPal funds, straight to you, so you can choose-your-own-prize.  A dent in the mountain and some moolah?  That’s a win-win!

Not a member yet?  Click the banner below and join us at HCTS so you, too, can start clearing out your home and making money in the process!

PS) Don’t forget the month-long comment contest on the blog!  Keep your comments coming, and you can win a prize for that, too!

Filed under: Freebies, Giveaways and Prizes, Listing Challenges by BellaBuggy
6 Comments »

Wouldn’t you love to go toy/holiday shopping without the guilt? I mean the kind of guilt only Mount Unlisted can make you feel. For some of us, it would be unrealistic to plan on listing all the inventory we have. You know who you are! I’m sure we would all feel better when we are out buying, though, if we know that we at least put forth a genuine effort towards making that mountain more of a hill.

There are a few ways we can approach this dilemma. You might be in a position where you can actually count all of your unlisted inventory and then divide them into however many you are willing to list a day. Then, figure out from there how long it would take you to either have everything listed or at least how long it would take you to get to where you are comfortable. It might be easier to divide tubs or go by categories. Our Serious September challenge currently going on in the HCTS forums is perfect for you to use as extra motivation!

Tackling that unlisted inventory will not only help you feel less guilty when shopping this season, but it also means more money in your pocket for you to invest in new inventory! What more motivation do we need?

Homework: Catch up on all your unlisted inventory (just kidding!).  Make a plan. Be very specific. Tell me how many listings you plan on doing a day/week/month. Also, I want to read what would make you feel accomplished in this area. For example, would listing fifty percent of your inventory satisfy you? If you can physically sort what you plan on listing before major holiday shopping, I’d love to see a pic of that!

I’m loving the posts and pics everyone is posting in the HCTS forums! Keep them coming!

If you are not yet a member, join us in the forums for some more tips. We’d love to hear from you!

Filed under: The Daily Stork by Xochilt
No Comments »

Most sellers would agree that an overwhelming part of holiday selling is shipping. Preparing hundreds of packages for shipping can get pretty hectic. Personally, I would find packing peanuts inside the refrigerator! I couldn’t find the right box and was in such a hurry to get everything done, I would just toss the ones I didn’t need aside. At the end of the day, I had such a mess! I promised myself I would have a better system this year.

In my mind, a better system consists of having the necessary materials on hand. Plan on buying plenty of packing peanuts and using some sort of pitcher to transfer them into the boxes. Last year, I was throwing peanuts in boxes with my hands and half of the ones I picked up would go overboard and end up all over my living room!

Also, I have quite the collection of boxes I’ve saved throughout the year. I plan on measuring them and labeling them with the measurements so I am not having to do that to each box looking for the one I need. If you don’t have plenty of boxes yet, start collecting. Let friends and family know you need some boxes!

Finally, I plan on buying (or making) myself a drafting table with plenty of clear space for me to work on! Using the coffee table doesn’t work well because someone else might need it and/or spill coffee on your stuff!

Homework for today: Set up your shipping space! I want to hear about and/or see a designated, organized space for you to prepare your packages. Even if you don’t have all the supplies yet, show me where you plan on putting them. Comment here and then post in the HCTS Challenge thread I posted yesterday.

Remember, I’ll be tallying points for a prize at the end of the week!

Join us in the HCTS forums for more tips! We’d love to hear from you too!

xgirl

Filed under: Freebies, Giveaways and Prizes, The Daily Stork by Xochilt
3 Comments »

You know those instances in life that are so overwhelming and hectic, you promise yourself that you will do everything in your power to prevent it from being that way the next time it comes up?

I know as a kid, I walked out of the dentist’s office after having cavities filled, telling myself I would floss and brush ten times a day from now on. While in school, how many tests did we regret not studying for earlier than the night before? When tax time comes around, you are certain you are going to be a pro-bookeeper next year after the chaos this year, right?

We all have things we easily procrastinate about. Whether it is because we are not looking forward to doing them or we just put them off because they are not urgent, we tend to put things in our “to do later” pile. Unfortunately, things might get lost in between all the other tasks we put off and the consequences can be, well, serious.

As an Ebay seller, one of the things we might put off is preparing for our busy season. If you are a toy seller, you know what I mean. No one wants to wait three days for shipping labels or drive to the store every time we need a box for that toy the customer wants tomorrow. You certainly don’t want to be caught with no tape when you have fifty packages to ship! If you don’t prepare, not only might these things happen but you will get home from buying those labels, that box or that tape, only to find you are completely out of ink for your printer! Not being prepared can be a total nightmare during this season.

This week we are going to go over some of the things that MUST be on your list of things to do ASAP. If you are not a toy seller, you might also benefit from these tips, as you will most likely also be very busy during this season and it would be great if you were also prepared so your business will continue to run smoothly.

This week I will be running a contest for those who are on board and committed to getting “serious” this September. Each day I will post “homework” and I’d like you to comment if you are “in“ for the day. Then, I’d like you to go here and post when you complete the task:

Week 2 Contest thread

That will get you one point. If you make a suggestion for getting organized to others (related to the day’s homework), you will get a bonus point. If you post a pic of your accomplishment, you get another bonus point! At the end of the week, I will tally the points and if there are ties, I will draw a name for the winner. The prize will be a surprise but, come on, you ladies know we give away cool prizes!

HOMEWORK DAY 1: Make a “to-do” list, strictly for the season. I’d like you to list the things that you need to take care of because either it worked well in years past or you struggled with it and want to work on it so that doesn’t happen again. Next to it, write how long you think it will take you to do that specific task and by what date you’d like to have it done. You would be surprised at how quick we can accomplish things and you might even be inspired to just get them done!

If you are not yet an HCTS member, join us in the forums for some “serious” fun!

xgirl

Filed under: Freebies, Giveaways and Prizes, The Daily Stork by Xochilt
No Comments »

Serious September means…getting serious about toys!

Selling toys during the holiday season can be big business.  Selling them on Amazon can be even bigger.  But don’t be fooled – this is not an easy undertaking.  You can make fantastic profits, but you must be prepared to work your tail off to make it happen.

And you look a little crazy in the process.

Picture this, only with toys:

If you’re not scared off yet – good! You can do this!  But you must be prepared, and you must start right now.

Why?  Because you must sell at least 25 items between now and November 1, 2010 in order to qualify.

Every year, Amazon releases their selling guidelines for holiday toy sales.  Here they are for 2010:

Effective September 20, 2010, we will stop accepting new non-FBA sellers in Toys
& Games.*  Effective November 15, 2010, only those sellers who meet the
following performance criteria will be eligible to sell in Toys & Games from
November 15, 2010 through the first week in January 2011:

- Seller’s first sale on Amazon.com must be prior to 09/20/2010 (sale does not
need to be Toy-specific).
- Seller must have processed and shipped at least 25 orders (do not need to be
Toy-specific) during the 60 consecutive days preceding 11/1/2010.
- No greater than 1% short term order defect rate as of 11/1/2010,
- No greater than 2.5% pre-fulfillment cancel rate for the trailing 30-days
preceding 11/1/2010.
- No greater than 5% late shipment rate for the trailing 30-days preceding
11/1/2010.

*Orders fulfilled by Amazon will not be subject to the holiday season
restrictions provided your account is in good standing.

There is lots more to be said on this subject…but I can’t give the milk away for free!  Visit the Amazon section of the HCTS forums for more information on holiday toy sales.  Not a member yet?  ‘Buy the cow’ and join HCTS today!

Filed under: Amazon, Listing Challenges by BellaBuggy
8 Comments »

Have you heard about our September Challenge yet?  It’s time to get serious!  But serious work requires serious preparation.  Are you ready yet?  Here are 13 tips to help you get there!

Don’t be overwhelmed!  I don’t expect you to do all of these today.  In fact, over the next few weeks we will be covering these topics (and more!) in depth.  This is just a sample of what awaits!

1)  Clean your workspace!  A tidy, organized space makes for a more productive worker.  Remember to take pictures of your work, too!  We’re running some contests this month, and I happen to know that those before and after pictures could be lucrative for you…

2)  Organize your shipping supplies.  Group like items together, and find a home for them where they can be neatly displayed and easy to access.

3)  Take inventory of your shipping supplies.  While you’re straightening up, make note of what you are low on and order them now.  It really stinks to be out of your favorite size of polymailer, or the free priority mail boxes.  Stay ahead of the game!

4)  Think about the shipping ‘extras’.  Tissue paper, plastic bags, business cards, stickers.  Is it time to re-evaluate your methods?

5)  Along with re-evaluating comes re-pricing.  Have you compared prices recently?  Look around to make sure you’re still getting the best deal!

6)  Think about where you spend your time each day.  What is the hardest for you?  What takes the longest?  Where are you most in need of improvement?

7)  Go through existing inventory.  Before you list another thing, look at what you’ve already got listed.  Compare your physical inventory to your eBay/Amazon/website listings, and make sure everything is accounted for properly.  It is *so* easy to get off-track!

8)  Branch out!  If you’ve never sold on Amazon before, this is a great time to give it a try.  If you’d like to be able to sell toys at Christmas, you must meet Amazon’s sales requirements now (more on this tomorrow).

9)  Get your ducks in a row.  Your paperwork *must* be in order before the busy fall and holiday season is upon us.  Trust me – if you get it together now, you will be very glad you did come tax time!

10)  Consider your image.  Does your store represent you in the way you want to be represented?  Is it time for a makeover?  A new listing template or a new storefront design can bring a spark of energy to your store, and motivate you to take your business to the next level.  I don’t for a second believe that my cute storefront increased my sales.  But I definitely believe that it made me happy, thus inspiring me to list more and work harder.  And if you list it, they will come!

11)  Give us your feedback.  What do you need to change?  What are you looking for in this month’s challenge?  Please share below and we will use your input to tailor our blog posts this month.  We want to help YOU!

12)  Encourage your fellow storks!  We’re all in this together, and we ALL benefit from a positive, encouraging atmosphere.  HCTS is known for being friendly and helpful, and as Emeril would say, this month we’d like to kick it up a notch!

13)  Comment!  Every comment you make on our September blog entries will earn you an entry into a prize giveaway!  By reading the blog you will gain motivation and inspiration.  By commenting on the blog, you could gain even more!

As I mentioned earlier, don’t let all of this scare you off!  We will be writing about all of these topics (and more!) in depth over the next month, and we will be here to help you every step of the way.  We’ve got fun games along the way, and prizes that I know you’ll love.  It’s gonna be a great month!

And if you aren’t a HCTS member yet, what are you waiting for?  Please, click the link below and join us now – you won’t regret it!

Filed under: Listing Challenges, Tips and Tricks by BellaBuggy
22 Comments »

!

Welcome to SERIOUS SEPTEMBER, ladies!!

We are heading into the busiest part of the year for most of us, so we will spend September getting our businesses ready to go.

Details are forthcoming, but for right now, all you need to know is that you will only need to do 75 listings this month to qualify as completing the event. There will be month-long games and prizes, and a $50 prize will be given by random drawing to one of the people who list 75 unique, individual listing, ebay items this month!

All aboard the SS HCTS!
Bon Voyage,
Rebecca

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Filed under: The Daily Stork by Rebecca
No Comments »