Boutique Bargains & Beyond {Blog}
The Latest News On What's Selling on eBay & Amazon | Recent eBay & Amazon News and Updates
Christmas is this weekend, already! Anyone else feel like it came a bit faster this year. I am almost ready, just need to finish wrapping presents. I’m going to enjoy the weekend with my family and then start setting my goals for the new year.
I hope everyone had a successful and profitable Christmas season on eBay. Any particularly successful sales? Would love to hear about them, leave a comment below.
Who doesn’t enjoy a good accomplishment? An accomplishment I just HAD to reach. A huge accomplishment that put a fire in me.
I had something that I was recently working towards. It was so important to me, but at times I felt stuck. A few years ago my husband’s job became unpredictable due to the fluctuations in the economy. It was a scary time, and as such my natural instincts were to protect my family. We spent a lot of time considering what to do in order for us to survive. My work online helped a ton with our expenses, but it came down to needing health insurance. So, I went back to working a “normal” job. Even though I had not been in the working world for over 4 years, since the birth of our first daughter. It was incredibly tough to leave her, even though I knew she was in good hands as she started Pre-K. I also was secure in that we were prepared if anything should happen to my husband’s job, and that did wind up happening.
Jump ahead a few years – it was a tough ride! We added another addition to our family, and my husband landed a job but makes half what he was making before.
That whole time I kept working on Boutique Bargains and selling on eBay. I wanted to be back home so bad! What did I do to accomplish this? Late nights, early mornings, outsourcing, joint ventures, anything to keep my business growing. Plus keep up with my two growing girls.
I love what I do, and I wanted to be home with my girls again and did anything I could to make it happen. I knew in my heart that I would someday be able to leave my job and still feel comfortable that my family would have what they needed.
The biggest step to my being home full time again was my husband getting new health insurance through his job.
My goal was to be home again full time in 2010, and I made it!
I have an email that I want to share with you. This email was from Phil Dwyer of Lifestyle Investors. I was a guest on their podcast a while back and had a great time! The question Phil asked has inspired me to share.
His Email
Hi Jenn,
Jake and I just returned from a conference in Atlanta and met a couple of eBay sellers, both into antiques. These guys both expressed a little frustration with eBay in general and are looking to branch out into other online auction sites. What is your take on that?
Anyway, thought about you so I figured I’d drop you a line and say hello. I hope business is good, take care!
Sincerely,
Phil Dwyer
My Response
Hey!
I think the more streams of income, the better. Without eBay I wouldn’t have been able to branch out into other areas. I would have never acquired Boutique Bargains, or be where I am today without eBay. Some people like Craigslist, or blogging for example. (Did you know eBay owns half of Craigslist?).
It’s totally normal to start out with eBay and “graduate” into something more. Some people are die hard, devoted eBay fans and are perfectly content with sticking to eBay. Why? Because eBay provides so much for them automatically that you don’t get with your own web-site. Let’s face it – a web-site is WORK! Some people can do it, some can’t – or just don’t want to.
A few of my readers started out with eBay and now own there own Clothing Boutiques. 
It’s a proud day when I can say “I knew them when”.
I hope you guys are doing well!
Jenn
This really made me stop and think about where I started, and whether I would have gotten where I am today without eBay. I would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you started on eBay and have grown in your success.
Get the complete story of how I started and grew my business here.
This eBay success formula developed by Derek Gehl and Brandon Dupsky is an in-depth study on how to be a Power Seller on eBay. Every tip and trick that Brandon has used on eBay to generate 8 million dollars in sales last year, are revealed to Derek Gehl.
“The Insiders Secrets of an eBay Millionaire” is a thorough study of the techniques to making a generous living on eBay. Derek Gehl and Brandon Dupsky have teamed up to produce a detailed eBay success system on how to navigate eBay, find the right products and enjoy profitable online auctions.
The only part that was difficult for me is the length of time it took to study and digest the material included. There is so much information you will probably have to revisit the books until they become second nature. Derek and Brandon’s claim that you will be up and running on eBay in the next 24 hours is a little ambitious. Take your time and really let the information sink in.
Let me supply a little background on Derek and Brandon. You may have heard of Derek Gehl CEO of The Internet Marketing Center, a company with over 40 million dollars in internet sales. Brandon Dupsky on the other hand tends to fly under the radar. He is a regular guy from Nebraska that started selling a few odds and ends from his garage. Brandon then turned the internet business into one with sales last year of 8 million dollars. These two guys know what they’re talking about. Derek convinced Brandon to spill his secrets on how to become an eBay entrepreneur and I found this a very enlightening learning experience.
This work is loaded with tips and tricks that anyone interested in eBay auctions as a hobby or a home business must have. It will show you how to start from nothing and expand into a profitable eBay business. Many people spend years learning what works and what doesn’t work on eBay. Derek and Brandon have drastically reduced the timeline it takes to become an eBay success.
The course materials are vast. Their heart is a 237 page manual and four audio-CD’s, all filled with useful tips on building an eBay business from scratch. Each audio-CD has a read along transcript with margin notes to build on key points. The margin notes are excellent since they highlight the most important topics that were addressed on each page. There are also four bonus CD-ROMs with tips on more advanced eBay buying selling techniques. These CD-ROMs answer the questions of how to attract lots of bids on your products, how to create stunning listings that bring bidders to your auction, and how to set up foolproof payment and shipping systems. These steps are crucial to establishing yourself successfully on eBay. If you already have an internet business, Derek and Brandon will show you how to tap into some of the 2,000,000 visitors who come to eBay each day.
“The Insiders Secrets of an eBay Millionaire” delivers on its promise to teach you all of the fundamentals needed in order to grow into an eBay expert. It logically and easily takes you through the steps, from finding a product to completing an auction. This resource will be something that you refer to time after time and I suggest you take notes as you go along.
If anything, you may have to read all of the books again before you will be able to absorb the subtleties of using eBay profitably. Brandon and Derek go into so much detail that I was amazed at what they revealed.
In Derek’s introduction, he tells you that you can’t afford not to have this information and I totally agree with him. For me, this was the ultimate source to learn more about eBay and I am making the most of it.
Some people have asked me if there was some way to improve on this product and I can honestly say NO. I was astounded about the secrets that I learned from Brandon because I have been selling on eBay since 1999.
The only question I have is how Brandon manages his various weekly auctions. I would have preferred an in-depth study on how he accomplishes this very involved task.
If you are interested in growing an eBay business, this is the comprehensive course you should have. I give it my highest rating. For more information on this subject please visit www.ebay-insidersecrets.com.
Copyright 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
Find out how I manage my daily tasks by reading my post about it.
Are you happy with your month so far?
I had a great October, and November hasn’t started out bad either! I think it’s important to share success stories – and even the not so successful eBay sales every now and then! I still remain active on eBay even though a lot of my time is dedicated to Boutique Bargains helping others build their eBay business.
Probably a common question that I get is how MY eBay sales are going. There is a lot of behind the scenes work on my eBay blog. This builds a lot of incoming traffic to my eBay items. Like everyone else, I have good days and bad! I have the most wonderful customers, and yes – the grumpy grapes as well. Thank goodness, not too many grumpy grapes!
Here are some of my sales over the past couple months:
Robeez Pink Snowman Shoes Booties - These were a great buy! I purchased them on sale, then received an additional percent off when I purchased a fair amount of the, AND received free shipping! I sold a couple pairs this month already.
Olive Kids Window Valance - My Olive Kids orders are picking up. This brand is a new addition to my store – I’ve had really good luck with them.
Juicy Couture Booties – Oh My Goodness – these are too cute for words! I have one more pair of these left. I picked these up at an overstock store. They’ve attracted a lot of watchers.
Talbots Sweater – I picked a bunch of these up on an end of season sale. I don’t think I have any of the sweaters left! Get those Holiday items listed!
Babystyle Costume – I had a couple of these left – and they both sold really well. Again, these were purchase on and end of season sale.
I have quite a bit more. I also sell my daughters gently worn items. It’s a nice mix of items, and that draws a lot of diversity to my store. It’s important to KEEP LISTING – because, the more you list, the more you sell, period. 
Would you like to see a small sample of where a lot of my subscribers get their items from, including myself? I have just updated the sample email alerts with fresh items. Take a peek, it’s f-r-e-e for a week. >> Sign Up Here <<
Happy Selling!
Wow! Where has the last couple weeks gone?! I’ve been so focused on listing my eBay items, I have fallen a bit behind on keeping up with my blogs. Now that I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I can get back to keeping in touch with you!
I’m so excited about a note I just received from a buyer of one of my items. It really proves that consistency pays off. I like to ship my items same day, if not the very next business day. Here is what one of my buyers had to say.
Dear hobbyfund,
I just want to thank you for shipping so promptly.
My very tall 5 yr old granddaughter is counting the minutes until she gets her ‘kitty clothes’ even though I told her they will take a couple of weeks to arrive. Abby was thrilled when I sent her a link to the auction so she could see the dress and especially the kitty tights.
She has been in love with kitties ever since she started playing with toys and she would wear a kitty costume all the time if she could.
Thanks for offering the dress and tights for sale. They made her day at a time when she is recovering from a bad cold (not the flu, thank goodness) and feeling pretty miserable.
Cheers,
Linda (ceel1986)
It makes me happy to know they are happy! That was such a pleasant note and so thoughtful to take the time to write!
I recently had a great interview with Phil and Jake of Lifestyle Investors. These guys truly have Lifestyle Investing nailed down! We had a great time discussing Boutique Bargains and relating to how precious time is in today’s standards.
Phil and Jake are very down to earth and I love their ‘keeping it real’, relaxed business attitude. I think we could have talked more about how spending time with family while enjoying other things that are passionate in life are so important.
Enjoy the podcast! Thanks, Phil & Jake!
This week’s Spark an Idea post is about Making Real Life Connections with people you know online!
Have you ever met up with someone you’ve been communication with online for a long period of time? Does it make you a little nervous to step outside of your home office?
I know it can be nerve racking sometimes when you are wondering if the person on the receiving end of your email even knows what you look like or vise verse. Sometimes, it’s just not possible to meet face to face and that’s OK. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet in person with my subscribers. However, some have chatted on the phone with me several times. I treasure those phone calls because it’s great to put a voice with a face and really connect, building a lasting friendship.
Other times, when the oppurtunity presents itself – it should be a no brainer to connect in person. When I met Heidi, previous owner of Boutique Bargains – we had a blast. Heidi lives all the way on the West Coast – I’m on the East Coast! It was definitely a once in a lifetime opputunity that she was in my neck of the woods visiting family. It was a great way to build our business relationship and expand Boutique Bargains into what it is today. I couldn’t have asked for a better business partner and close friend!
Do you have a Real Life eBay connection that you’d like to share? Let me know how it turned out!
It’s already week 6 of the Hot Seminar Series! Last week was smokin’ hot, with Tawyna Sutherland
This weeks Hot Seminar Series guest is Alice Seba! I am getting my spot in the conference room early, because I’m sure the room will fill up in no time. Alice is an Information Marketer who works smarter – not harder. I love to follow her blog, and love her down to earth, straight to the point, no fluff attitude.
There is no need to sign up again, if you’ve already joined. You should already have your log in information. If you didn’t join, it’s not too late!
Kelly McCausey will introduce you to real people running profitable businesses entirely on the internet. You’ll find out how they got started and what first steps you can take to get rolling with with your own virtual business this fall!
Join us Tonight, (July 15th) 9pm EST, to learn about Alice.
See you on the inside!
So what’s your opinion on this? Stop by Boutique Bargains and let us know! Personally, it’s never been an issue with my buyers. About 99% of them pay right away with paypal. I’ve been very fortunate. It’s so much easier to go paperless, don’t you think?
Beginning late October 2008, all items listed on eBay.com must be paid for using one of the following approved payment options:
Paper payment methods such as checks and money orders will no longer be accepted on eBay.com.
Read the Full story >>> HERE <<<
They even have some FAQs
What do I have to do to comply and when will I need to make these changes to my listings?
What will happen to my listings after October if I don’t remove prohibited payment methods?
What will happen if I ask a buyer to use prohibited payment method?
Other FAQs for buyers and sellers
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