what this blog is all about...

Do you sell stuff on-line? Interested in it? Well, this blog might be for you. Don't expect lots of news stories or other stuff you can easily get. I want to give you the ugly side...the practical, the-stuff-they-don't-warn-you-about side of on-line retailing for the small seller.

I've been selling on-line for about 9 years. And I'm happy to share some of my experience and knowledge with anyone who has the patience to trudge their way through my random ramblings!

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Monday, March 15, 2010

Wowsers! I am REALLY behind on updates

According to my friends at Google, I haven't posted anything here in 115 days! That's like 2 years in dog time!

And there's so much I'd like to talk about (of course, what you'd care to read about is another matter):

1. bonanzle: I have officially given up on Bonanzle. Nothing against them at all. Sales were slow but they were still sales. But as I mentioned before, you need to have time to dedicate to building your business there...and right now, I have very little free time.

2. books: For some reason, Amazon has allowed 3p merchants who originally had non-media accounts to now...well...sell media! So basically, I can now sell books on one of THE biggest book sites in the world. I have already listed a few and made a few sales. So far, book sales won't get me that home on the Riviera, but I am impressed so far with the start.

3. xmas sales: Sales for the 2009 xmas season were flat compared to 2008. But that's not necessarily bad news. Sales for 2009 were fantastic and didn't taper off until about the second week of January! Of course, toys and games made up the majority of items sold. Thankfully, throughout the first half of 2009, as well as from the start of 2010, we...

4. built up inventory for 2010 xmas: I rhetorically asked my business partner "When do you start planning for next Christmas?" Well...this Christmas! And we have! We started bulking up on inventory the first week of January, a great time to do so, since most people are spent out and aren't in the mood to part with more money.

5. buying trends are clearer: Most xmas items we sold fell into one of the following categories: nostalgia, family or practical. Items that brought back fond memories (what middle-age man doesn't remember owning one of these), provided fun, safe family fun time (this game sold out literally in minutes whenever we got more in stock) or provided practical functionality (such as this throw) were the hottest items.

Well, that's enough for now. But I really do have to make sure I keep you posted on what I've been doing as just one of the many micropreneurs of Ohio.
Posted by Rich D.

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