DOUA is part of the latest eBay Giving Works event—Spotlight on Empowerment through Entrepreneurship! Every live listing in June that benefits DOUA will appear on a special site www.missionfish.org/empower and receive extra traffic. List to support DOUA!
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Do you Squidoo?
Squidoo: SKWID-OO, n. v., adj., addiction.
1) thousands of people creating a handbuilt catalog of the best stuff online.
2) a free and fun way to make your own page and get traffic
Compared to other businesses, eBay is an "anyone can do it business".
I own my own business and there is a lot of background stuff to do just to get started - licenses, laws, etc.
With eBay it was sign up and you're good to go ... you can make your ads as good OR as bad as you want BUT, you're up and running. What you put into it determines WHAT YOU GET OUT OF IT.
Define PROFIT ... profit, as in making ANY money, or a specific amount - like double what you paid for an item + FEES.
When starting a business, you should PLAN to lose money for the first year or two because of overhead. In a brick and mortar store you have rent, electric, insurance, stock and numerous other "overhead" expenses. Plus, the learning curve - what's going to sell and what's NOT. What your customer base is, what they want and what they will pay for it. So ... IF you make a profit in the first couple of years ... ANY profit, that's good.
While you DON'T have most of them on eBay, you still have the learning curve - what will sell and what won't. What does well at auction, what will do better as a store item with lesser fees. What features of eBay to use, what is too expensive to be worth using.
I've been selling on eBay since 1999. It's only been the last 3 years that I have made decent money ... decent being defined by ME of course. And I spend over 40 hours a week to do that. It is a full time job - finding items, listing items, packing items, going to the post office, ordering stock, taking inventory, etc.
Some things that I list, I only make $1.00 after all costs including fees. My theory is: it's easier to sell a bunch of stuff and make $1.00 on each one than it is to sell one big item and make $1500.00. I sell, on the average, 300 - 400 items per month. A lot of craft supplies, some jewelry, some household and some miscellaneous.
About half of my gross is profit. I can't say for sure because what I sell varies. Some stuff I have had and I am getting rid of. Some stuff is new and is priced at twice my cost roughly. Some stuff are things I bought for my craft business and I have MADE my money from it that way. I'm just selling the extra supplies to get them out of the house. Since I've made my money on them by selling the crafts I make, anything I make on them on eBay is pure profit - minus any fees. Because of this, it's hard for me to say my profit is half of what I made. Some months it's way more, some months slightly under, so I average it at 50%.
I started out as a one woman business and still am. I don't plan to change that because it would cost me. BUT it also means I don't have much of a life ... by MY choice. EBay is the main focus of my business.
Things didn't start out that way ... I just figured eBay would be an "additional" income, a fun place to play and make a few dollars. Within just a couple years, my income from eBay was more than from selling crafts. So I added a web site, trying to keep within my "crafts are my business" theory. And my web site does okay, better than my actual craft show business but eBay still was beating them BOTH.
Because ... I WORK at my eBay business. Part of my days are spent at online auction discussion boards such as OTWA, the eBay boards and at eBay in general most especially cruising the site map. I get Skip McGrath's newsletter monthly and have purchased some of his publications.
I read my competitions ads to see what they are doing. I check their completed auctions to see past performance. Then I go back and make adjustments as needed to MY items.
I Google items I want to sell to see what they are going for on the net.
I've learned what needs to be described WELL and what can get by with a minimal description.
I find new sources for supplies. Most recently, it's been PoshPoints.com. I'm trading there. No money exchanges hands. SELLER PAYS SHIPPING. But I've been trading things that haven't been selling well on eBay for stuff that will HOPEFULLY SELL AND MAKE ME MORE THAN THE STUFF THAT WASN'T SELLING ON EBAY.
Admittedly, they will most probably sit in my eBay store for awhile before they sell but that's what the beads and stuff I traded for were doing anyway. It may work out, it may not BUT with EVERY PACKAGE I ship out to a Posh customer I send my business card for eBay as well as my web site, so I'm ADVERTISING with PoshPoints. Again, I don't know how this experiment will work out but it's a way to TRY and bring more business to my other selling venues.
I DON'T rely on eBay to survive but I ALMOST could if needed. BUT if eBay closed down tomorrow my world would NOT end. (However, I would have NO CLUE what to do with my days....) BUT it has taken me 8 years to get to this point. It wasn't an overnight thing like the infomercials would have you believe.
For me personally, I didn't get SERIOUS about eBay until after I attended eBay Live in Orlando in 2003. It wasn't so much eBay's input as it was the input of the other attendees. I spent a lot of time talking and listening to Powersellers. How they did things, how they got their items and how they sold them. As well as what strategies they used in selling.
It was sort of like the Training Center here at DOUA. I just sat and soaked it all in. I spent every evening in the hotel lounge with Marjie and about 12 - 15 other people we knew from the industry. Several of these people were Powersellers. I felt like the lowly peon in the group but I soaked up information like a sponge. Plus I talked to other sellers on the eBay Live conference floor ... regular sellers and Powersellers, to find out how they did things. Have you tried xxx auction service? Do you use Paypal etc.?
I came home and immediately opened an eBay Store utilizing some of the things I picked up from other sellers.
I'm not disabled and it took me that long to "figure out" eBay. I was getting there on my own, but seeing it in person made it more real for me and a lot more things "clicked". I still haven't "figured it out" so much as I've figured out "work arounds". Find the "work arounds" that work for YOU ... for your life and for your business. If eBay is your business, then figure out work arounds.
If you can't figure out the fees OVERALL then just deal with one item at a time and if you can't get it, have someone else do it for you. One item might take a week to figure out, but write it down in a note book, then start on the second item. Store items are the easiest because fees are fixed.
Some people selling on eBay think it's not worth doing if you are only "making" $1.00 on an item. BUT those 1,000 items add up to a nice profit if you sell enough of them. Maybe you think I’m bassackwards BUT if I sell something and MAKE ANY MONEY after costs and fees and shipping then I'm grateful and happy.
Yeah, it would be EASIER to sell one item and make $1500.00 on the sale but it would be a much more boring month waiting for that one sale as opposed to a bunch of little sales!
I used to be really smart. Not just the kind of smart where I had to study to get good grades in school. The real smart. I could take a test without much studying, write a paper off the top of my head, speak well, etc. Sorry, I’m not bragging. It’s just that with all of my health stuff, I’ve lost that.
Along with losing that I at one time lost my confidence, especially because my chronic illness hit me at the prime of my life - 40 years old. I was working a full time job, two part time job, was married, had 2 children to raise (a teenager and a toddler) and was very active in my church. Imagine what it felt like to have trouble remembering how to balance my checkbook, how to follow directions to patients’ homes for my work or how to cook dinner.
Since joining DOUA and then becoming a mentor I gained back a great deal of my confidence. Knowing that I was capable of teaching someone else how to sell on eBay helped me to feel that I could retain knowledge. Knowing that I could help others helped me not to focus on me and my problems all the time.
People who have chronic illnesses such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diabetes, etc. may have a condition called “Brain Fog”. This state of forgetfulness can be made worse by lack of real sleep, your medications, your neurological problems, depression or not using your brain that much. This is a real condition. It affects many of us who are disabled. It is difficult to explain especially when you have an “invisible illness”.
So excuse me when I forget things. I do it a lot. I’m not disorganized, or ditzy, just sick.
My name is Dinah.... I am disabled with a variety of disabilities from mild to severe. My biggest challenge was not the disabilities, but finding a way to make a living when I could no longer work in the outside world. Then I discovered eBay and this group .. DOUA The Disabled Online Users Association.
Having no real computer skills, much less eBay knowledge, it was through DOUA that I learned how to do many things with eBay. Even though my brain couldn't retain much information at times, I jumped headfirst into selling. It started with a pin cushion and ended up being a PowerSeller within about 5 months. I actually thought it was a joke when I received the letter from eBay.
I was excited, of course, but there also is a down side to being a PowerSeller...it means keeping up those sales. It meant long hard hours at the computer along with daily responsibilities to my family. I made my mistakes along the way and still make them. But I had been blessed with finding my niche also. I was blessed with the right product at the right time too. I researched and saw that hardly anyone was offering a package arrangement of educational systems.
I also was known to make midnight trips to the post office as I wanted to keep my shipping policies of 'same day no later then next day'. I also made sure that not one buyer ever received an automated message from me....I would take the time to write a personal email and many buyers became friends. Each order would have a handcrafted card with it, no two were ever alike.
I have a wall of pictures from buyers with their children showing them with their items bought from me. Two even came to visit and stay with us as how close we became.
I would not have accomplished this had it not been for DOUA. They became my second family, my teachers, my whole world. It is because of them that I owe my PowerSeller status. That and a whole lot of hard, hard work on my side.
Being a PowerSeller also has its downside. It means always trying to find those right products, it means many hours at the computer. It meant tons of pressure that I really didn't want. One can only stay up there as long as one is constantly selling. I also got burned out with the pressures of life, and the constant changes from eBay. I had to walk away for a time, yet the lure of eBay was always there.
I don't know how much longer I will be able to maintain my status and I really don't think of it. If I loose it, I do. The fact that despite all the odds against me, I managed to do it with a very limited amount of knowledge as with the type of disabilities I have . It meant many sacrifices and a constant challenge to try to balance my "job" and my home life.
The only advice I can give is take the plunge ... be willing to spend hard hours, find your niche, give personalized service, learn all you can, trust in yourself, be willing to ask for help and never give up a dream because dreams do come true.
Summer is here and buyers are everywhere!
We just have to do a bit more work to seek them out!
Competition can be tough in the world of selling. Ebay sellers, Store owners many other auction sites reported a bit of a decline in sales in April and the beginning of May. I've gotten many emails full of complaints about slow sales in April and the beginning of May.
Well, I hate to admit it but my sales were very stable during this time and were even up a bit compared to February! I am not telling you this to brag, BUT I am telling you this because I was DETERMINED to not let my sales decline!
I am going to eBay live in June! I can not afford to have a decline in sales. I have been 'Peddling My Goods' & 'Sharing my Wares' EVERYWHERE I can think of! I tend to work a little harder when I am need of some extra money and today I wanted to encourage YOU to get in the same mode!
The fact is that sales will reflect on how hard you work to get them. As I stated before: Competition is Tough! It's not like the 'Old Days' where I could list all those beanie babies and watch the bids and sales roll in. (Oh how I miss those days)
The reality is the Internet is growing HUGE everyday! This is to our advantage if you use it properly!
If we just SET our items out there in the net and tap our fingers 'Waiting' for the customers, chances are slim that they will show up. BUT, if you get out there in the world and 'Share Your Wares' in different Hot Spots, your odds will increase for MORE SALES!
Yes, this may mean a bit more work but I promise you it will pay off in the end!
Few suggestions I have (and yes I am going to promote my website because it's FREE and easy to use)
1) www.PowerSellingMom.com
I have a very easy to use system where you just click the box and you can insert your eBay item number, your photo and the title of your item! If you are not an eBay seller, then I offer a free Banner Swap! You add my banner to your site and I will make you a banner to add to my rotation bar!
2) Guest Books!
Stop by different sites and sign a guest book! When you sign the guest book, include a LINK to your Store and/or Website! The great thing about Guestbook's is, they not only show up in the search engines, they stick around for YEARS! You can especially find guest books in family websites and Christian sites!
3) MySpace!
Did you know that MySpace has MORE members than eBay? WOW! And the best part is, its FREE!
You can market your items very easily in this #1 Hot spot!
I could go on and on, but I'm not writing an eBook today! Other quick suggestions are: Groups, Blogs, Message Boards, Forums, Me pages, etc. etc.
Yes, Summer is here and there are customers out there looking for YOU!
I challenge you to increase your sales this month!
Don't be shy and enjoy!
Blessings, Danna ..<><.
When I first joined the Disabled Online Users Association (DOUA) two years ago, I had been disabled and receiving Social Security Disability Benefits for about five years. Any
self-esteem I had, was almost totally gone.
Because my primary disability is Fibromyalgia Syndrome,
an illness of unknown cause or cure, I appear to look well.
Aha! An invisible illness, affecting all parts of my body,
especially comprehension and vision. I'm not able to sit at
a computer for hours. I had worked in newspaper publishing
for 20 years before becoming ill.
After I couldn't work out in the world anymore I didn't know
what to do, and refused to accept this illness. At first I tried
to do freelance work for local graphic designers. Didn't I
just say I couldn't sit at a computer for hours, let alone
work with blurry vision?
It was the beginning my acceptance of living with a chronic illness. To me, acceptance does not mean giving up, but is an
important part of learning to live with the many limitations
that come with chronic illness. Acceptance helps me to
keep depression at arm's length, and to do what I can, when
I can.
I came here with a little experience from selling at Yahoo!
auctions. But eBay!! Me? Holey Moly!! I was totally intimidated. Although I had checked eBay out, I always
found it to be so ~ well ~ big!
After two years as a member of DOUA I have learned that
no matter what, I am always welcome. The mentors and
members are always kind, and I have found it surprising
that they remember me. I hardly remember myself.
Like many people, I have down time when I'm unable to use
the computer and don't visit or reply to posts. It's totally
heart-warming to be absent for a month, come back and
have people tell me I've been missed.
There is always someone ready to reply quickly to any
questions I might have. I have lots of questions, because
I'm not able to list auctions consistently, and I forget what
I've learned. No one has ever embarrassed me about
forgetting or for having to ask the same question many
times over, because I don't comprehend. There is constant encouragement and compliments.
When I was still able to work outside the home, I didn't realize how much the daily interaction with co-workers meant. The human contact was a big loss for me. I found that again at DOUA.
Throughout the learning process here, I've come to realize
that I will try to sell at auctions from time-to-time, but I don't
aspire to have my own business. I know this isn't something
I'm going to be able to do.
No matter what a person's limitations are, DOUA mentors
and members will help you go as far as you're able. I
couldn't be more grateful, and wouldn't ask for more than
that.
We all try to build a business using our basic abilities. But the harder we work the more money we spend and sometimes we seem to go backwards. You may say I have researched what others are selling, and this is good. I find that I do this a lot, but is it the best way? Many companies spend thousands of dollars tying to find out what they should sell to their customers but fail. Others spend millions of dollars talking to their customers.
Think about these few things.
- What do I want my the people I buy from. Will this work if I do this?
- Do my customers want what I am selling? Would I want to buy the item?
- Is my pricing fair for the item I am selling?
- Would I buy this item at this price?
- Who is my customer?
- Am I the customer?
Marketing is an important part of selling anything, Stop asking yourself these questions and start asking people what they want to buy, what price they want to pay, and what products they are going to buy. Don't ask one or two but ask several hundred if possible. If you can supply the items that the customer wants, your sales will increase. This is a fast moving business so don't buy too much and keep your listings fresh and your business will grow.
Voice of the Customer is sure to work if you can keep up with it. Business is not easy, but you can be a winner.
The author, Ed Steele was a consultant in the auto industry. He owned a small company with about 150 employees working in 3 different plants. He was Vice President of Sales with a sales force of about 120 staff members. It was one of the first companies in the United States to add full automation that was designed and manufactured by them.
He was hired by the 'Big Three' to help change the auto industry in Detroit. Voice of the Customer was one of the changes implemented by Mr. Steele and his staff.
Mr. Steele states that "...e-Mart Supply is surely not my biggest achievement in my life. But I keep moving forward with a brain injury and now cancer because of some of the things I remember prior to my accident. It was that thinking that made changes in the design of cars to meet some of the things women wanted in a car and not just things men wanted. Voice of the customer can help every one in DOUA that is trying to sell on eBay."
Infinite Potential Through Assistive Technology - Infinitec.org
I stumbled across this web site and was amazed at the amount of information available online through their organization. Here's one article in particular that I thought might be appropriate as we begin to enter the growing season.
Gardening is something nearly anyone can do. You set the goals how hard you want to work and how lavish you want your garden to be. Start with one pot of easy-going geraniums or challenge yourself with fastidious rose bushes. Try a diverse vegetable garden for all the freshness of delicious summer eating. Choose peaceful solitude when you work or share techniques with other gardeners. It's all up to you—that's what makes gardening such a satisfying activity!
For more information and additional resources, enter their web site Infinitec.org
What a hoot this eBay buyer was!.................................................................................................................by Debbie
The auction closed and I sent my well thought out, and hopefully, grammatically correct, end of auction notice and this is what was received in return!
Hay thur miss Debbie jest got in frum square dancing ifin yea al tell me
where yea at and how much I ow yea I'll gather yea up some money ar some
frash eggs we thankee:
xnamex and xaddressx
Well ... I thought about it for awhile and then sent the following:
Hey there! Ya'll must be frum our neck-a-the-woods! Least wize ya'll sound
sumpin' like us and our youngins! Well anywayz, here's all o the numbers
and impotent stuff ya need ta no! etc. etc.
A few days pass and this arrives:
Hay thu mail man jest rode up thu hollor bout sundown bout thu
time he givme thu little box one ove my coon dog cum frum under thu house
scared thu livin hell outa that dam mule he bucked fur au spell strode stuf
over hell and half acre we jest sat down had au sip ove some good shine we
do thankee gota get outa hear go coon huntin got yea some fine feed back
cumin
xnamex & thu old Woman
To top it all off .... this is what the feedback they posted says!
Praise: very good ant nothing wrong with this gal give um a bunch of them thur A’zee
Wouldn’t it be great if all buyers had this type of attitude?
Chicken Cacciatore alla Salvatore...................................................................................................................by Vicki
Hello my DOUA friends! I learned this from our old friend Sal Battaglia........a down to earth, wonderful friend and a great Italian cook, learned the craft from his mama and papa! I hope you will try this dish and enjoy it as much as I have!
Chicken Cacciatore alla Salvatore
Please read this entire recipe all the way through before you attempt it...:^)
Easy and delicious!
Ingredients:
1 whole cut up chicken (skin on or off, according to your preference....skin on is more flavorful)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 head of celery, chopped into large pieces (2 inch or so)
1/2 cup kalamata olives from a jar (drained)
1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives from a jar (drained)
1/2 cup capers from a jar (drained)
1 - 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 cup of red or sweet wine (marsala or cream sherry are recommended)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Saute chicken pieces in half of the olive oil in a large skillet until browned evenly on all sides, remove from pan and place into a deep casserole or baking dish.
2. Drain the oil from the pan and wipe it out with paper towels.....(not completely, you will want a little of the chicken flavor in the sauce).
3. Once again coat the bottom of the skillet with the remaining olive oil and heat it up on medium heat.
4. Once heated, add the celery, kalamata olives, green olives and the capers. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the wine, continue to saute and stir occasionally for 10 minutes.
6. Add the tomato sauce, fill the can with water and add it too. Let it come to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes. (Not a very thick sauce, yet...)
7. Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Serving Suggestions:
You can serve this with either pasta or potatoes.
I worked with Sal as he made this dish. Regarding the potatoes, he peeled and chopped them (large pieces) and parboiled them. Once they were tender, he set them aside until the chicken was done. After removing the chicken from the oven, he removed the cover and placed the potatoes on top of it. Then he placed it under the broiler until the potatoes were slightly browned. This, according to him, is the authentic way to do it. Believe me, the potatoes are a nice addition to the sauce!
Another option is to cook some pasta....(spaghetti, fettuccine, macaroni, shells or rotelle....whatever floats your boat...) and serve the chicken with it's scrumptious sauce on top of it. (And I do mean scrumptious!! We served this at a gathering, many came after eating all the chicken to just get a cup of the sauce to take home for later!)
M - M - M!!
We recommend rounding this meal with a nice Mediterranean Salad and some hearty Italian or French (or garlic bread).
A nice dry red wine also nicely complements this meal. (Cabernet Savignon or Marsala work nicely!)
A Thought - Author Unknown.....................................................................................................(submitted by Michael)
A THOUGHT
If I knew it would be the last time....that I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly...and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time...that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss...and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time...
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would video tape each action and word...so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time...
I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say "I love you,"...instead of assuming you would KNOW I do
If I knew it would be the last time...
I would be there to share your day, well I'm sure you'll have so many more....so I can let just this one slip away.
For surely there's always tomorrow...to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance...to make everything right.
There will always be another day...to say our "I love you's,"
And certainly there's another chance...to say our "Anything I can do's?"
But just in case I might be wrong...and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you...and I hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone...young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance...you get to hold your loved one tight
So if you're waiting for tomorrow...why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes...you'll surely regret the day,
That you didn't take that extra time...for a smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone...what turned out to be their one last wish..
So hold your loved ones close today...and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them...and that you'll always hold them dear
Take time to say "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me,"..."Thank you," or "It's okay." And if tomorrow never comes....you'll have no regrets about today.
Sometimes - Author Unknown...................................................................................................(submitted by Michael)
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.
You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate, neighbor, professor, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger), but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.
Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck.
Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul.
Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become.
Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious when you open your
heart.
If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.
Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen.
Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to.
Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.
You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.
Most importantly, if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.
And learn a lesson in life each day you live. Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday. Was it worth it?
Shortly after I got my Mercedes (wheelchair) they sent me to school (rehab) to learn how to be a crip. Now ... I have often thought that they should teach you this BEFORE you become a crip - that way, you can decide if you want to be one or not.
Anyway ... I am up at this huge medical university for a few weeks learning the basics - like how to stop my chair on a steep hill (like, WHY would you want to stop on a steep hill anyway?) and how to squeeze into places that weren't designed for small humans - nevermind humans on wheels and how to pull yourself back up into your chair should you go flying down that steep hill too fast and fall out into hedges ... hehehehehe.
In the evening, after classes, I used to go roaming around the hospital (seeing if I could maybe pick up hubby #4) and checking out the sites. I'm cruising down the halls on my sixth night, and as I usually do, I stick out my working leg to open doors that had been closed for the evening. I get to this set of fire doors (which, by the way, are NEVER locked), speed up the chair, stick the leg out and WHAM!!!! I guess that's why we are told to NEVER say NEVER. My leg jammed so far up my butt that I broke it. My leg, not my butt.
I went back to my dorm (ward) and with tears rolling down my face tried to tell them that I had fallen down the stairs. (Good one, yea?) Another student (patient) saw everything that happened and told on me. (I ran her over later that week). For the rest of my visit (stay) people would actually come to my room asking if I was the lady who broke her leg while IN a wheelchair.
To this day, that little incident still haunts me. I think they have added a new class called - "Don't try to open locked doors with your leg while in a wheelchair."
