Most of you are aware that our mod Heather has a very successful tea business, called Garden Party Teas. She wanted a forum added to her site, in order to allow her customers share tea party planning tips and photographs. She asked for my help, and I was so happy to do it, I set it up for her, and designed her logo. Yep…I know, braggy of me to say that. But I just love how it all came together!!

http://www.gardenpartyteas.com/forum/

The girl needs some members. Let’s register, to help her out. What do you say? We love you, Heather!! Best Wishes with your Tea Party business and thank you for including me in the process-it was fun!!

Rebecca

Filed under: The Daily Stork by Rebecca
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As I announced a few weeks ago, Lifetime Premier Memberships are for sale again.  An ‘early-bird’ discount is available for those who are ready to take the plunge, but today is the last day!

If you are ready to join today, October 18th, you can still save $15 on a lifetime membership!

If not, never fear!  You can still become a lifetime member for $129 through December 14th.  Even at ‘full’ price, this is a big savings over paying monthly bills, and you are sure to reap the rewards of membership for years to come!  Many of our Lifetime Members have found that they easily make their membership money back in the first month using a tip they found in the forums!

So what are you waiting for?  Become a Lifetime Premier Member today!  Not only will you save money and gain business knowledge, you’ll be entered into a drawing for great prizes, too!

Filed under: Freebies, Giveaways and Prizes, General HCTS Info by Rebecca
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As I told you on Friday, we recently bid farewell to one of our moderators, Melisha.  And as I announced in the forum on Saturday, I have hired a new mod to take her place.

So Linda…

(I’ll let you guess who is who up there^!)

Linda is a wife, mother, cancer survivor, eBay seller, and motivator extraordinaire.  Linda is the brains behind many of the listing challenges we do!  She’s been an UN-official stork cheerleader for quite some time, and it’s great to have her officially on staff now.

If you haven’t ‘met’ Linda already, please pop into the forum and wish her well!

Filed under: General HCTS Info by Rebecca
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As we head into another busy and [hopefully] fun-filled weekend, I’m keeping it short and sweet today.  Let’s do a weekly wrap-up, shall we?

If you’ve been reading the HCTS forums this week you may have already read the following.

If you haven’t, you should now.

And if you’re not a member yet, you need to be!

1) Are you still selling Halloween costumes? Many of our members have posted their best-sellers in the hot auctions forum.  Check it out for ideas on what to look for, and if you’ve found a great-selling costume, please feel free to share yours as well!

2) Member Julieanne is having a yard sale this weekend and needs advice on how to price video games and gaming systems.  Could you offer some input?

3) Looking for a good deal on a great gift?  Everyone loves gift cards, and a few members have shared websites that they use to get discounted gift cards, both for personal use and for gift-giving.  Check them out and start saving today!

4) Are you trying to qualify for Amazon toy selling this year?  The clock is ticking and you only have a couple of weeks left!  Check out this thread started by Cindy if you are not quite there yet!

5) Finally, we are bidding farewell to one of our moderation team.  Melisha has resigned from her position, and we wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors!

If you aren’t a HCTS member, you won’t be able to access the above links.  Want to see what you’re missing out on?  Sign up today!

Have a great fall weekend everyone!

Filed under: Forum Friday Five by Rebecca
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Longtime eBay sellers such as myself have seen numerous changes in the market.  We’ve watched eBay’s business model change and grow, we’ve seen major shifts in the way business is conducted, and even in whom is doing the buying and selling.

Now, for example, there is no shortage of shops that will sell your item on eBay for you, if you don’t have the time or inclination to do it yourself.  Generally they charge a fee – a percentage of the item’s selling price – and in my area that is about 30-40%.

Many of our members work as trading assistants (TA’s) who also take items in on consignment to sell, charging a portion of the sales price as a fee.  Each TA sets their own fees, but in my experience 20-30% (before fees) is standard.

In reading a few days ago, however, I found an interesting article about flat-rate fees.  ISoldIt4U.com is charging flat-rate fees for items they sell for you on eBay, starting as low as $9.95 for a $100-$250 item.

Interesting concept.  However, most of us sell items for under $100, and we take a higher percentage of the profit as our cut.  What does that mean for traditional consignment and TA’s?  Maybe nothing yet, but it’s definitely a trend worth watching.  If this takes off, it will require major changes in the way we do business.

And so I have to ask…WWYC?

What Would You Charge, if you were to implement a flat-rate pricing structure?  How would this affect the way you do business?  Would you continue to be a TA?  Would this make you want to start?  I can see it being frustrating for a TA’s ‘cut’ per item to go down, but I can also envision a huge increase in the number of people willing to consign their items with a lower fee structure.

Part of our business is being able to roll with change and find new ways to stay competitive, and this article gave me much food for thought.  I hope it will do the same for you, and I’d love to hear some of those thoughts in the comments!

Not a member yet?  Join HCTS today and get in on the action!

Filed under: Better Selling Techniques, Ebay Listings by Rebecca
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Or is it just that way for me?  I’ve got a mile-long to-do list and a serious shortage of time in which to accomplish it all.

I was talking to an old unmarried, childless friend the other day and realized that every time I do talk to him, he asks me how I am, and always my response is the same:  Busy.  Tired.  The usual.

It’s a mom’s lot in life, isn’t it?

But between the schooling and the swimming and the church events and everything else we have to do, we’ve enjoyed squeezing in a few fun fall activities.  I hope you are enjoying the cooler weather and the change of seasons as well!

Just a couple of things to keep in mind going into this weekend. First is, of course, the Lifetime Premier Memberships that are currently being offered.  If you can buy yours before October 18th, you’ll snag additional savings to make this an even better deal than we know it is already!

Second, if you’ve not already listed your Halloween costumes, you must do so this weekend!  This is crunch time so get on it – you know you don’t want to hold them until next year!

[Note to self: List costumes that I have been holding since last year]

Shame on me!

Third, did you know that Pumpkin Spice lattes and (my personal favorite) pumpkin scones are back at Starbucks?  Yum!  I think we’ll have a game in the forums next week with a Starbucks gift card prize.  We can arrange a long-distance coffee date!

And finally…have a great weekend!

Filed under: General HCTS Info by Rebecca
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Hi All!

It’s that time again! We only offer this once or twice a year, so now is your chance. There are some changes to the LPM this time around…so read on and see the red lines especially.

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 Premier Lifetime Membership will be available for only $129, a significant discount if you plan to be with us for a while. Lifetime Premier Members NEVER get a HCTS monthly, quarterly or annual subscription bill again. Ever. Also- each person who registers as a Lifetime Premier Member will also receive an entry into our annual raffle to win GREAT prizes! You all know we love a good raffle here at HCTS! This time, I’m doing things a bit differently-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 December 14th. I 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 Lifetime Premier Member, please take the following steps:

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 Paypal and cancel the other membership that you previously signed up for in order to prevent future billings. Because of the deep discount on these memberships-I am unable to offer a prorated refund. If you have any trouble with this step, just PM me.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
You may ask why I am offering these memberships earlier this year, and leaving the window of opportunity to purchase them longer. The reason is that many of you have told me that our present November and May offerings do not coincide with your existing Annual or Quarterly subscription renewals. Selling the Lifetime Memberships for 8 weeks in the fall and 3 in the spring will give everyone a chance to buy them at a time that maximizes their existing subscription renewal.

and the other reason…aka…My “Selfish Special”…or the “Anne Needs Braces Promo”, lol…
Now until October 18th, I am knocking $15 off of the Lifetime Premier rate. Yeppers. I have to put the down payment on a new smile on October 19th, and I decided to try to raise some funds in a way that benefits you, me, and our Harvard-Educated Orthodontist. If you can get the money together by the 18th, you can save a bit on an already great product! The Lifetime Premier Membership will be around through most of December, but it will only be $15 off-$114.00 until October 18th!

Enjoy!

Www.HereComesTheStork.com

Ps – If you are an HCTS affiliate, you can sell these memberships and earn commission! Please note that affiliates only earn commissions for NEW members. You will not earn commissions for existing members that upgrade. Just use your affiliate link!

Filed under: The Daily Stork by Rebecca
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So we’ve reached the end of our Serious September challenge.  How did you do?  Did you shrink your Mt. Unlisted?  Are you feeling motivated and ready to continue making progress?

A couple of things to keep in mind for this month:

~ Halloween!  Get those costumes, decorations, and any other Halloween-related items you may have listed PRONTO!  This is the time to be selling them, and you need to allow yourself ample shipping time as well.  Also consider listing any team gear you might have – many kids love to dress up as football players, cheerleaders, or even just super-fans!

~ Amazon!  If you want to be eligible to sell toys on Amazon this holiday season, you only have 26 days left to do it!  You must have 25 sales by the end of the month, so get busy listing!

~ Speaking of holiday selling, now is THE time to stock up on your shipping supplies.  During the holiday rush, you can’t afford to run out of anything.  Take inventory now and order what you need, so you won’t get caught in a lurch.

~ You’ll also want to start scoping out those ‘hot toy’ lists for the holidays.  It’s still too early to make major investments in a ‘possible’ hottie so proceed with caution, but definitely start doing your research and watching items you think might take off.  Speed is key when selling toys, so you must be ready to buy, list, and ship in record time!

~ Finally, prep for your own family holiday.  Do your Christmas shopping, make some meals and stock your freezer, and get those Christmas cards ready.  If you want to be a gung-ho toy seller, the more you can do in advance the better off you’ll be!

What did I forget?  Do you have any other great tips for this month, or for preparing for toy season?  We’d love to hear them!

Filed under: Better Selling Techniques, Tips and Tricks by Rebecca
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The winner of this week’s mini-challenge to organize already listed inventory is mom2gymgirls. Congratulations on your hard work this week and I’m sure your work will pay off having a nice, neat space to store your inventory.

And to everyone who is still working to complete the SS HCTS challenge, you’ve got a few days left, so keep on listing!!!!

Filed under: Freebies, Giveaways and Prizes, Listing Challenges by jmk_akk
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Last week during one of the mini-challenges, Heather asked you to list 3 items that you dreaded to list….a few items that have been sitting in your “to list” pile for way too long.

Well, even though you maybe didn’t enjoy listing them, I bet you could get excited if they sold and made you some extra money, right?

Yesterday, fellow Stork Kim posted that ALL 3 of her “dreaded-to-list-them” items sold for her on the SAME DAY! This is from Kim’s post on the HCTS forums:

Thank you so much HCTS for the mini-challenges that have gone along with this Sept. Challenge!

Two make-up mirrors and a set of flocked hot rollers! That’s the real prize, them selling! I cannot believe all three sold on the same day, maybe I should list the rest of the mirrors and rollers!

Congratulations Kim on listing and selling those “dreaded” items!

I hope everyone is having much success with the SS HCTS challenge.

If you want to be motivated to get your items listed and make some extra cash, join HCTS by clicking the banner below and get started making some money – today!

Filed under: Listing Challenges, Motivation by jmk_akk
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