eBay Anniversary

Woo hoo!  I got this message in my email inbox today:

Congratulations!

It's your 13-year eBay anniversary


starjewelr8,


We want to say thanks and let you know how much we value having you as an eBay community member. All of us at eBay wish you the very best in the year to come.


Thank you!
John Donahoe
President and CEO, eBay Inc.
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Online Venue #2 -- eBay

The place I've been online the second-longest is eBay. I've been a seller there since 1999. Although I have "unloaded" some personal stuff from time-to-time, I mostly sell little mini-sculpted pendants. Some one-of-a-kind, like made with dichroic glass cabochons, and some with semi-precious gemstone cabochons. Sometimes I list matching drop earrings. Yes, it's a limited inventory, but I use eBay as sort of a "loss leader" for my regular website. The mini sculptures and drop earrings are small and quick to make, so I don't have a lot tied up in production costs. I can sell them for lower prices than I can in my store or on my website--after all that's what shoppers on eBay are looking for, right? A bargain. Then when I ship the item, I include a newsletter and a flyer about my full product line on my website. Once in awhile I get a nice order from that, so it's definitely worth it!

Unfortunately, this past year, and especially the last few months, my sales on eBay have been severely declining. In fact, for the last two months--for the first time in almost 10 years--I spent more in eBay fees than I made in sales. Sad. So I've curtailed the number of items I've been listing. I can't bring myself to give it up completely, but it certainly doesn't make sense to spend more than I'm making! Check it out here if you're interested in some super deals!

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What I Made Yesterday, 11-18-08

Nothing. That's right--not a thing. Tuesday is my day off, so I didn't even set foot in my shop. After I dropped my son off at school, I went home and worked online awhile, so it wasn't a totally "wasted" day. I have several online venues where I sell my jewelry, so I've got to keep up with them. My Contemporary Concepts website, and Etsy, and Ruby Lane, and eBay (some great bargains there!). All need a little "love" most every day. Plus there are the social networking sites that have to be maintained. Facebook, Indiepublic, Flickr (although I have to admit I'm not very good about keeping up with all of them!) I did take a nap yesterday afternoon, and I didn't get the dishes done, so I guess I was a little bit worthless.

That's probably because yesterday will likely be my last day off until the holidays. I usually start my holiday hours Thanksgiving week. No Tuesdays off, open until 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays, and until 8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. I'm always open noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by! Even with all those online venues, there's no way I could post pictures of every single thing I make! Plus it's fun to fondle everything in person, isn't it?

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What I Made Today, 9/15/08

Today I'm restocking my eBay auctions. I list a variety of little gemstone pendants, some with matching earrings, and I had sold a lot of the more popular colors. Hence the "restocking". These four little guys went up today, all with matching drop earrings. Starting to think about holiday gifts? Want a good deal? Check here.

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