Monday, June 23, 2014

Sales & more Mug shipping talk

I am still trying to slowly (but surely) ramp up my listings.
Its so hard when you have, zero, zip, energy. Pregnancy kicks my rear end.
I have sold a few things recently... Mostly items that have been sitting for awhile.. with lowered prices in hopes of getting them moving. (I guess that's a good thing).

 Starbucks Pumpkin Bearista Paid: 50 Cents Sold: 11.95 Fs
 Doberman Mug Paid: 25 cents Sold: $14.95
 Boyds Plush Bear. Sammy the Slugger Paid: Free (My mother in laws) Sold: 10.95 fs
 Gamehide hunting jacket. Paid: Free (from a local auction my brother won) Sold: Best offer $45.00 fs
 Sugarloaf Chiki Tiki. Paid: 80 cents Sold: 14.95 fs
 Another Robert Graham Shirt. Severely stained around the inside collar. Paid: Free Sold for: 26.95 fs within hours of listing.
BCBG Maxazaria Red Dress. Paid: $3.25. Bought it for myself, wore it a few times and then got tired of it. Sold for $29.95 within hours of listing. (THE BEST KIND OF FLIPS). 

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So on the eBay facebook group I am in, I recently was reading a thread about shipping mugs. A lady had posted a question about how to ship a mug... I was about to chime in with a "Jelly roll method, all the way" comment.. but then I read a few comments saying how people didnt trust that method. The group owner, who is a big blogger herself, (Suzzane Wells- eBay selling coach)... mentioned how unprofessional the "Jelly Roll Method" (Or also known as FOMO method) is. Hmm.. I was actually completely disappointed. I love the jelly roll method. AND- I have gotten feedback and emails from customers saying how my mug packaging is GENIUS! 
What do you think? 

25 comments:

  1. I still think it's genious I have yet to have a break and it saves me SO much money on shipping, unprofessional or not I'm sticking with it!

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    1. Thanks Samantha.. As I was about to ship a mug right now I read your comment and went ahead with Jelly Rolling. I have probably shipped out over 100 mugs this way without a single complaint. Sticking with it too!

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  2. That dress is so pretty! I also will wear something a while then sell it. Sunday someone complimented my dress and as I thanked them I thought. $2 at a yard sale! lol

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    1. Love it! Anything that I can buy and wear for a little while before selling.. makes it totally worth it! ;)

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  3. I think the FOMO saves you and the buyer $ and I don't think anyone cares. I am not a fan of Suzanna Wells for various reasons. She said once its unprofessional to reuse packing materials. I personally like an ebay seller who makes enviromental decisions....like reusing packing. And if I bought a mug from you and it was adequately packed and saved me a couple dollars I wouldn't care.

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    1. I have to agree with you grace. If I can send something by reusing packaging materials, and save my buyer money, and sell my items at a lower price because of it... I am all for it. I have ordered numerous things from eBay.. and have never cared when my sellers send me used packaging items... I also dont think I would care if a mug was shipped to me via FOMO as long as it didnt break ;)

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    2. I haven't done the jelly roll method (wasn't that coined by Tina Shake) with my mugs but I have shipped other items in those padded mailers. Sometimes when im squeezing a blanket in there I wonder if it looks professional?

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    3. Yes, I have squeezed some things in there... I guess this is my dilema.. How far am I willing to go to be professional, or save a few bucks.

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  4. I don't trust FOMO because my stuff in boxes breaks! Awesome sale on the dress - you are right about those being the best flips :D

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    1. Anny.. I like the FOMO because it is seriously wrapped up in bubble wrap and paper... So its not only the box protecting it ;) I have had stuff in boxes break also... but never a mug! ;)

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    2. Some folks are now using boxes to fit into the padded mailers. Two sizes I see used are 9x6x3 and 6x4x4 for mugs. I'm thinking of giving these a try. I love the FOMO way but a box may be easier and faster. I would still wrap my mug in bubble wrap.

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  5. I didn't know that's what it was called, but that's how I sent my Batman and Superman 1975 tumblers that I recently sold. I checked out every way of shipping (I offered free shipping, thinking they didn't weigh very much) and it was going to eat up almost 1/2 of my profit, and this was an exciting flip for me!! So I had vaguely heard of this method for mugs, and tried it w/the cups. It was delivered several days ago and I have heard nothing, so I'm assuming that they arrived safely!!

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    1. Kay- I bet it arrived safely. I am glad you found that method.. it sure does save on $$!!

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  6. I love that method. I include a note about how I like to reuse packing material, to save costs and stay environmentally conscious. There is nothing unprofessional about that. Being professional doesn't mean using all new shipping materials it means providing honest, good, quality service, at a fair price! I used to get so worked up about "stuff" people would say on FB that I finally cancelled my account and haven't looked back. So I totally get why that rubbed you the wrong way!

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    1. Such a good idea on including a note in your packages. I bet your buyers appreciate it. And you are SOOOO right about what it means to be professional...
      I also have to add.. that as sellers we kind of have to define what our own professional is. I feel like sometimes eBay does not treat us like professionals... but then again sometimes they do. But I totally agree with yout about being professional means being honest..with good customer service.
      I know I really like the eBay group... but sometimes it does make me a little bit frustrated ;)

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    2. i also deleted FB eBay group. I used to LOVE it but there was so much high-school-esque "drama" that I quit (heck half the reason I do this is to avoid coworkers LOL). I also eventually gave up my FB account

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  7. I haven't used FOMO myself, but I live in the middle of the country and with my USPS discount, it doesn't cost more than $6.00 to ship a mug almost anywhere in the U.S., and I make my customers pay the shipping cost anyway. I know lots of people do use the FOMO method, though, and haven't had any issues with it, so if it's working for you, I say keep doing it! :)

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    1. Kimberly what kind of boxes do you use to ship your mugs?

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    2. Ashley, I use the Priority Box #4. Here's a link to it
      https://store.usps.com/store/browse/uspsProductDetailMultiSkuDropDown.jsp?categoryNavIds=shipping-supplies%3apriority-mail&categoryNav=false&navAction=push&navCount=0&productId=P_O_BOX4&categoryId=priority-mail

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    3. Love those boxes. I use those alot. If I have a mug that sold for over $50, I usually do ship them in those boxes. I was just curious what you used :) thanks for sharing!

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    4. You're welcome! I love all those free USPS Priority boxes :)

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  8. I love FOMO! I live in California and shipping mugs to the east coast was way too expensive. I actually stopped selling mugs but then I found the FOMO (or jelly roll) method. I hesitated at first and then had an inexpensive mug to ship so gave it a try. I have been shipping mugs that way ever since and not one has been broken. I'm in agreement with others about the FB comments - in particular Mz. Suzanne. Her comments have turned off quite a few folks; and I don't particularly agree with everything she says. She is just one of many who offer advice. I prefer to read Lynn Dralle, the Queen of Auctions. She is great! I agree with Beach Thrifter in that there is nothing unprofessional about it - it saves my buyer money and that's always a good thing!

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    1. I love Lynn Dralle, too! I have learned so much from her, and I appreciate the fact that she's making a six figure income from eBay. Many eBay teachers spend so much time training that they don't sell very much. I want to learn how to sell a lot from someone who actually does it.

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    2. Wow. Thanks for the tip! I have never heard of Lynn Dralle. Going to look into her right now. I like the FB group, and suzanne has good advice at times.. but she seems to always put the plug in for her blog or ebook which gets kind of tiring.
      Glad You also have good experience with FOMO. I live in California as well so it benefits me alot!

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  9. I love the jelly roll method! I sell a lot of mugs and this is how I ship them!

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