eBay Guide: So you want to sell used clothing on eBay - What Next? - Part 2

So you have read my guide "So you want to sell used clothing on eBay - What Next? - Part 1" and are now ready to get the inventory processed. What tools do you need, what steps to take, how can you do this efficiently and effectively.

1. Storage - If working out of your home:

• Spare bedroom - good for just starting out when you have 100 items or less. 
• Basement - good transition for expanding into larger inventory numbers. 
• Storage Shed - invest in a LARGE storage shed that you can have on your property. Should be at least a few hundred square feet. You will also need to invest in jet rails or if like me have your handy dandy husband build you your own rails. 😊 This size shed if utilized properly will hold several thousand hung items and even more items on shelving if you choose. 

2. Organization

• Determine a sequential numbering system and assign each unique item its own number. You will hang/store your inventory by number. When creating a listing you will place this number in the "custom label" section. When the items sells you can easily jot down this number and go to your "warehouse" to find the item. 
• Invest in a pricing gun and hang tags. In the beginning when we just had a few hundred items I hand wrote each "custom label number" on the tags. Now that we have thousands of items I have invested in a label printer. I print my labels and stick them on the tags. Makes quick work of numbering them. You can find the pricing gun, hang tags, and barbs at fireflysolutions.com 
• Hangers - you are going to need A LOT of hangers! Find them cheap. Garage sales, craigslist, or discount stores. Hanging your items will make them so much easier to find when they sell and it keeps the item from getting excessively creased or wrinkled. 

3. Accounting

• Always know what you paid for your items! When garage sale shopping an easy way is to simply count the number of items purchased and divide that into the total spent. You need to know what you are making money on and what you aren't. This will help you make better buys in the future. 
• Pricing can be overwhelming, but don't let it be. eBay fees for clothing are 9%, PayPal fees are 6%. Just make sure your final selling price covers your item purchase cost, your fees, and shipping, and hopefully a little left over to pay your salary. Hey, ya gotta eat! 😊 
• I'm an accountant in a previous life so I do all our bookkeeping BUT if numbers aren't your thing hire someone. NO REALLY HIRE SOMEONE!! You need to focus on the selling and not stressing about the books. Let one of us number nerds worry about that stuff. 
• If you plan to grow big think about a POS (point of sale) system. Do your research. It's all about your comfort level, but make sure you track your inventory and your sales methodically. This information is what will drive your future decisions and are absolutely key to growing your business. 

4. Security

• IMPERATIVE!! I cannot stress this enough. If you are going to have vast amounts of inventory laying around you need security just like a brick & mortar store would. Alarm system, cameras, the works. Treat this like the business it is and protect it. After all hopefully you can quit your day job right? 😊 
• Insurance - You need a small business policy to cover any equipment (computers, cameras, printers, etc) and to cover all the inventory. Shop it around and keep in mind homeowners insurance won't cover business loss. 

Until next time ~




Have a blessed day loves! †




JS 💋




http://stores.ebay.com/FlameandFlairLLC