Our First Gallery Display!

I am so very excited to announce that we have our first PHYSICAL display at the Westminster Station! Can not wait to take more pictures, rearrange, and all o' that good stuff!!!!!!

Now instead of just Online items, People can touch the items and see the awesome detail!

Selling on Etsy is nice; but this display makes it so much easier to put items on CLEARANCE!!!!
Yup; we've got a clearance section at the gallery- I'm talkin 50% off Clearance!!!

So if you're ever near Westminster, Maryland, come check it out!!!!

New Inspiration

So these last few months; I have been fighting between interests. Knitting; creating unique accessories; new business plans; new musical inspiration; and on and on and on.

I've made some new creative friends, and discovered some old friends who were so very creative. A friend and co-worker has become a very good friend of mine, and we may one day come together and take over the world.

Until this happens; we are content with working together on awesome projects.
Like this one: a beautiful scarf with fun tassels, and funky toggles.

Turns out this chick is really talented; yes the one who is dating my ex "insert angry hate filled quote here". Its funny though- we all get along SO well. Very usual for females ;)

So now I am obsessed with her etsy store. It is growing and growing; with more hard work and determination; I plan to double her inventory- we'll see how that goes :)

It kind of reminds me of my eBay days- when eBay was my obsession!

It's a good obsession trade off.

Best Time To List on EBay

I have been researching this topic for weeks now, and many sources seem to be on the fence about when to post on EBay. Many sources say Sunday evenings will get your listing the most views; although it has been said that this can also decrease your potential sales. Buyers can get easily distracted from your item, when similar items are being thrown at them. Let's check this out.

 First of all, the best time of day to post greatly depends on what you are selling. I sell mostly clothing, so we will dig into this category. The following will probably not work as well for say- antique paintings.

Tips on getting traffic to your shop RIGHT NOW!

1. I can not count how many posts I have seen stating that Sunday is the best day to end an auction! Either you can make a seven day listing on Sundays to maximize your sales, or "start a 10 day auction on a Thursday." (Mike Steben, 2010) The 10 day duration will give you two weekends to maximize your views.

2. kruser11 says "I like to end mine between the hours of 8 pm and 10 pm CST".

-Many Ebayers agree with this time- mostly because this is when everyone is settling in and relaxing in their "Me Time".

3. "I've found that many of my buyers are using sniping tools so they just bid what they feel the value is to them and don't worry or care what time it ends, about staying awake or even watching the auctions"- prying1

-This is a great point- Sniping sites are getting very popular, and make it easy for people to shop on a budget.

4. Some believe that there is no "time to post" that will get you more sales. aaana, an Ebay Seller, says that,"[she is] not convinced that there is a best time ... Bidders can use the search functions, as well as browse and if you have items that are well described at a decent price - they will find your listings".

-I think I agree with this opinion above the others. If your item is in high demand, it will most likely sell; of course, it is up to you to optimize its keywords, photos, and description!

No matter what you read- the best way to find the best time to post on EBay is to experiment yourself!
Play around with Auctions, times, Buy It Now, and keywords until you find what best suits YOU!



References:
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Business-Industrial/Best-Time-Of/2315417

http://www.compunoodle.com/how-to-sell-on-ebay-the-ultimate-tutorial-for-beginners/

Goodwill Outlets

I recently found an article on About.com that lists the locations of the Goodwill Outlet stores in the US. This is a wonderful resource for bargain shopping, and a fun experience! Most of the time, the items are not sorted, just placed in pins, and you sort through it.

"In most cases, merchandise is moved to an outlet location, if it fails to sell within six weeks", (Huffstetler, 2011). So these items are marked way way down!! What a deal!

P.S. Goodwill is a great way to make money off of reselling items! Check out how!

Already have an ebay shop, amazon store, or blog? Get a burst of traffic, RIGHT NOW!

Check out these smart shopping tips!

Maryland

Goodwill Retail Outlet Center
Crystal Plaza Shopping Center
12655 Laurel-Bowie Rd
Laurel, MD 20708
Phone: (301) 490-5926
Store Information

There are a lot more in Pennsylvania; which is great for those near me!

Pennsylvania

Goodwill Country Thrift Store
1367 Weaverland Road
East Earl, PA 17519
Phone: (717) 445-6016
 
Goodwill Store-Cameron
627 North Cameron Street
Harrisburg, PA 17105
Phone: (717) 232-5876
 
Goodwill Fashions Etc.
2353 Lincoln Highway East
Lancaster, PA 17602
Phone: (717) 509-4015
 
Goodwill Fashions Etc.
Clock Tower Plaza
2846 Main St
Morgantown, PA 19543
Phone: (610) 286-6676
 
Goodwill Fashions, Etc.
Shillington Shopping Center
602 Lancaster Ave.
Reading, PA 19607
Phone: (610) 777-5250
 
South Philadelphia Outlet Store
Front and Oregon
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: (215) 755-1320
Store Information

References:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/bargainshopping/p/GW_Outlets.htm

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/bargainshopping/qt/Goodwill_Outlet.htm

Two Great Stores For Deals

I turned 22 today. And it was a great birthday! My family and I went out to get a printer in Timonium, and I found a few new places to shop!
1.) "Uptown Cheapskate"

GREAT store! They had many popular brands- but they were a bit pricey for me to resell for a profit. They have great deals on handbags like Vera Bradley. And everything was in perfect condition. You can give them cash when checking out; or trade them clothes. I fell like they are going to get A LOT of business!

2.) Goodwill in Timonium

I am very loyal to my local Goodwill; but this Goodwill has got it goin' on! Their selection was amazing- in fact- I only went through the handbag section! I walked out with about 15 brand name handbags for under $70. This store is a bit too far for me to shop there daily, but it is a definite weekend hit!

By the time I was done with my handbag shopping spree, it was pouring- so we decided to cut the day a bit short. All in all, I had a great birthday, and I can not wait to list my Nine West, Isaac Mizrahi, and Fossil bags! There are many more- I just can not remember them all right now!

Also, I'd like to thank Hurricane Irene for showing up for my birthday. Hopefully we do not get hit TOO hard- please be safe everyone!

Smart Shopping

1. Strategically.
Start in one section, look through each item, then work your way around to all of the sections of the store. Sure, it is tempting to jump from the women's sales rack to the children's sales rack, but this can cause you to miss amazing deals that aren't even on the sales rack.

2. Timing.
If you are able to, go shopping very early or very late. These off times allow you to beat the crowds; you won't have to fight others for a $2.00 item! In our local Goodwill, I try to be the first one there- this puts me an hour ahead of all of the others. Also, strategic shopping can also help you here- I start with the section I usually find the most deals in (handbags) then work my way around. This gets me all the handbags I want before everyone else sifts through it!

3.Sale Days.
If you have a local Goodwill, go on their sale days! This sale day clears out a lot of their inventory so they will not be overloaded throughout the week. Plus, new donations are flooding in on weekends; so everything being processed and brought on to the floor is "new"! My Goodwill sale day is Sunday- all of the clothes are 50% off!

Rue 21 also has some amazing seasonal sales- at the end of  winter, they usually have racks of jeans marked down to $7 or $10. I try to get stretch jeans in case I gain a few pounds over the winter (darn that irresistible Thanksgiving turkey!). Shop for off-season items- it will save you so much more in the long run!

So there you have it! 3 ways for smarter shopping!

Please visit my eBay store to see some of the deals I have found recently!

http://stores.ebay.com/Fashion-In-Full