Online Sales Summertime Sales Slow or None
Welcome to LilacsNDreams, and glad to have you visiting!:) For those who do sales whether online, or in a brick and mortar store have noticed sales being slow, or for some they have not really had any sales to speak of. When this happens, many of us will question ourselves about what are we doing wrong, do I need to change something, is there more I could do, and so on.
In all reality sales during the summer generally are slower for many. Depends on what you are selling, supply and demand, etc. Many people, and families during the summer spend time vacationing, traveling, spending more time with family and friends, and their focus is not with buying too much of anything. Sure, they will buy when they are traveling, visiting out of town, and vacationing for different little things. The majority of their time is not spending all their time online buying, but maybe emailing, researching with travel plans, some take the summer to prepare for winter months themselves, and things like that.
Me? Selling vintage has usually been slow for me during the summer time which I have adjusted to. I have adapted with the sales being very slow, or if any at all. This summer plans worked out for me being slower during this time. I have taken the opportunity to work more with my blog, spend some time with my website, researching some things I wanted to do with a few changes I wanted to make, and taking the time to repurpose different items. I have also been able to go through some of my inventory, review what has been selling and not selling, and making decisions of trying to keep selling what has not sold, or to let it go.
With some of the pieces I have tried to sell with more than one venue, and they have not sold. I do not desire to donate them, or give them away. So, some of them are being repurposed also. Not all of them, but some pieces. I have also been able to experiment a little bit with like the glue I choose to use, and if it will work for me. I have been working on painting just a few things, not all I had planned on, but some of them. Do I spray paint, or do I brush it? I have also been able to take a little time to go thrifting for different pieces knowing more of what will sell for me, and also as I walk around seeing if I reimagine any of the pieces in other ways. It has been an enjoyable summer doing a little bit here, and a little bit there. Learning, reading, and making them notes too!:)
Upon checking with some of my other pages in the tabs above you will see a little bit of what I have been doing. What I have found thrifting, what I have repurposed, before and after pictures, and just some chit chat too:) If you will view the Thrift Store Junkies page, and Second Time Treasures page you will be able to see a little bit of what I have been doing. Also, if you see my Artfire Store you will see more of the vintage there, a few pieces of repurposed, and the other inventory I have been working with I will soon be adding to that store.
So, if you are getting the summer time blues with your sales, are worried about having slow sales, or no sales, don't be too worried. Summer time is generally slower for many as they look back through things, and discover that is generally a slower time that has been dealt with. Now.....the season will soon change with vacations over with, traveling becoming minimal, and with school starting. School for the little ones, those in middle schools, high schools, and college too. Things calm a little after that, and people will be spending more time with the computers, and doing some of their favorite online shopping again too.
Hang in there everyone, things will soon get better!:) Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams, and hope you enjoyed your visit as always. Take care, and see you again!:)
Hello, and Welcome to LilacsNDreams! I hope everyone is having a super weekend, and that is continues for you!:)
WooHoo! I am happy to say that I have made 2 sales now! One was through Addoway, and due to a glitch with Payapl we had some issues to over come. I ended up invoicing the customer through paypal myself, and she has been very happy with my co-operation, and staying on top of things. This made me feel really good. That sale happened on Thursday the 4th for an Amethyst Scalloped Ruffled Fluted Glass Bowl. Then, this morning I received notice from my Google Checkout with Ecrater about my A&W Bear that has been purchased. Unfortunately, it is the weekend, postal service, and I will not be able to ship this treasure till Monday. I may be extremely tired past few days, but it has been very comforting having a couple of sales too.
ARTFIRE has an official group with LinkedIn now....WooHoo! I myself had started a really small group there for Artfire as I could not find anything that was being maintained, or a place for memebers to go too. I am so very happy to see this Official Group by Artfire now using the Official Artfire Logo too:)
Just stopping by to share some of my excitement with all of you. Visit my stores, and don't forget about my other blog pages tabbed at the top too. Happy to see you everywhere with me. Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams today. Wishing everyone a sweet weekend, have fun, and be safe!:)
Preparing For Shipping and Finalizing the Sale.
Well, you have done everything up to this point, and have done a listing for your products you wish to sell. Do not be discouraged after this if it takes a while to get a sale, maybe you will have a sale right away, and sometimes you will make more than one sale too. It varies for everyone, and consistency is not something that comes with selling online.
Ok, you made a sale, and with most market places an invoice has been sent to the customer. Everyone does everything differently, and again you will have to find the way that works for you, and feels comfortable for you too. Once a sale is made I send a personal note to the customer thanking them for their purchase, and asking them if there is any change to the mailing address to please notify me of it as well so that I may note it.
Once payment is made you will then have to prepare the item for shipping, or sometimes you can have most of the process done while waiting for payment too. Make sure you have supplies on hand for the method of shipping you have chosen. Boxes, mailing tape, bubble wrap for delicate items, peanuts, or whatever supplies you choose to use for your shipping. You want to do the best you can wrapping the item to ship as once it leaves your presence you will have no control of how it is handled from then until the customer receives the item they have purchased.
Another step to follow through with after receiving your payment is to prepare the shipping label, and also I recommend enclosing an invoice with each order you process. I myself enclose an invoice with the item for verification for the customer, and I make a copy of the invoice for my records as well. You will also want to consider enclosing a business card, maybe a thank you note, and some sellers include some small gift along with every purchase of maybe a pen, a magnet, or whatever is used to represent you, and your name. No rules for any of this, and it is your decision of what you will, and will not do.
Ok, you have securely wrapped the item, properly boxed it for shipment, and it has been delivered to the post office, or a pick up was done of the item for delivery. After this processing is completed it is always curteous for you to then notify the customer by thanking them again for their purchase, and that their shipment has been made. This will better help them to watch for the item, and kind of when to expect delivery according to the shipping service used.
Keep in mind, you do not have to do all of these extra steps, and there are plenty of sellers that have their own ways, do just a few things, or really do nothing at all except to package and ship. It all relies on the customer service that you wish to extend to the customers, and how you will be remembered for your services too.
I know there is much more that could have been covered, and it could have become very lengthy too. Yeah, more winded than I have been:) Most of what has all been covered with these topics for selling is the basics of doing things for Online Selling. I hope this has helped you with things you do, for those new to online selling, and maybe a bit of a reminder for some as well too. I wish you all well, and best of luck to you with all you do. Take care, have fun, and enjoy your new venture!:)
Selling Online Full Time, Part Time, Plan, Products. So, are you ready to sell online, or are you selling already? Are you selling part time, or full time online? First of all, have you determined what you will be selling? Will it be vintage, collectibles, new, used, repurposed, upcycled, handmade, etc. Once you choose what you want to sell, then there is more things to consider before actually getting started. Keep in mind that you might choose something now, but things can always change too. You know, once you get started, get the feel of things, and maybe you will see something else that would better fit you, or something else you feel more comfortable with.
Once you have a product in mind you should then choose a name for yourself, your business. The internet is a big place, and others might also think like you with choosing a name. So, when you think you have a name, check to see if it is taken, how many others are using it, and so on. You can do this by checking on google.com, maybe look at godaddy to see if someone has a domain for the name you chose, and things like that. When choosing your name, or user name for a site, try to choose a name that is descriptive to what you are doing, your business, etc. I myself chose a name a long time ago. It has followed me since 2004 as others were not using it, and have not come close to it. But, as things grow, and expand others are choosing names similar to me. Also, my name follows me with all accounts that I use for sites, blogs, website, emails, and so on. This will help with your exposure on the internet.
Once you have chosen a name you will want to decide on an avatar, a profile picture you want to use. This will help in your identity as well. Some use their personal pictures of themselves, and some choose a picture that identifies with their business name they have chosen. This is a decision you will have to make. Many say use your personal pictures so that people can see who they are dealing with, and for a more personal effect. Some do not use a picture for security, and personal reasons too. Remember, you will start with things now, and you can always change as everything is still new to you, and you will be working on establishing yourself.
You will have accounts you will want to establish. Emails, and if you have chosen one or more venues you will want to get those set up. Upon setting all of this up, remember security with everything. Choose passwords that you will remember, add numbers with them, and so on. Once you put your name, and business to the internet things become public. You will also want to consider checking with your accountant, or tax preparer about books you should keep for inventory, expenses, taxes for selling online, etc. There are tax changes that have gone into effect that have to be reported for 2011 taxes for online sellers. Make sure to find out about those, and what you will need to do for that as well.
Remember, you might get discouraged, be nervous, and question things because it is all new to you. Everyone has been through this. The internet is a big place, and it can take a while to establish yourself, and to others. If you were thinking of selling online occasionally it is still good to do these things, and practice some of them too.
These are a few things to consider to getting started with selling online. As you go through them you might think of more to add to your list as well. Good to keep a notepad nearby to make notes, write down some thoughts, or make notes of maybe things others will always suggest as well.
There is more to come, but hope these first few steps will help you with getting started. I wish you luck, and thank you for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Take care everyone!:)
