What Is Your Listing Method, Order Etc.?

thevintagebungalow

thevintagebungalow

VFG Member
Hi Everyone,
I've been wanting to post about this for awhile. I have been so overwhelmed lately trying to keep on top of my ebay listings. I'm homeschooling my daughter for Kindergarten and I have one room of my basement completely organized with all her school stuff and the other looks like a vintage clothing bomb blew up. It's so awful. Anyways, my husband and I have come up with a schedule so that I have 3 nights a week to work on ebay and he takes care of the kids (Caty is 5, Curt is 2). I have found so far that I haven't been able to get much done in the time I have set aside. I was wondering how others do it. I usually get out 6 or so items and photograph them. Then download the pictures and edit them. By the time I've done all that I look at the clock and can't believe how late it is. Then I start building my listings and it seems I can't get them done as fast as I'd like. Is there a better way??? Do you measure and write down the info on the item or get that info as you list? Also, what do you find is the best way to organize. Right now I have everything in one side of our partial basement (a very small room). I have three clothing racks full to bursting, plus stacks, plus two shelves full of stuff left over from my antique booth I closed in July. Egads! I was thinking about buying totes and picking a selection of vintage clothing items, photographing them, taking down all info on them and putting them in the tote with a label and all the info. inside. I'm really desperate to get organized. With taking care of the kids and then homeschooling Caty, and all of the other day to day activities plus ebay, I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Carrie
ebay id - iluvbungalows
 
I find it tough too when Jake is home frmo school for school holidays. He's only 5 so it's not as if he can go out by himself with his friends and entertain himself. I feel bad about wasting his holiday with doing stock so I always fall behind with stock because of entertaining him. That's why my two C&C updates have been late this past two months.

I like to get everything done in bulk. I put aside the things I want to put up on C&C and then ONLY work on those items. If I get anything else in, that waits until the next update. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed.

First I will go through the group and see if anything needs fixing, rioning, washing , etc and then I do that. This usually takes about 1- 3 days.

Once all that has been done, then I photograph the group, this takes about 1-2 days.

Then I edit all the photos in bulk and upload them onto my FTP program so they are ready on the net, this takes a few hours (I do this the day after I take photos to give me a rest).

The next day, then I start writing descriptions. This can take anywhere from 3- 5 days depending on how many things are in the group and their ease of describing. At the bottom of the of each description, I also write my URLS for that particular item so that they are ready to be copy and pasted over to the website whether it be C&C or Ebay.

I write my descriptions and URLS in the Notepad program on the puter as then I can save it for future reference and when I put the descriptions on C&C or on Ebay, all I do is copy and paste each thing over and it makes the whole listing process to get everything thing online alot quicker.

Lei
 
I do it pretty much the same way. Photographing and measuring takes an evening, sometimes two (same trouble, 4 year old son so no real escape in the day). And that's usually for 10 items.

Then cropping them takes about an hour or so (I try to do this gradually over the day on the laptop while Fin plays where I can see him - so I give that a day really!).

Then I write my descriptions, which takes a few evenings (probably 5 an evening?) I leave off the measurements, then finally I remeasure and ad them in just to doublecheck I got them right the first time.

So it usually takes me about a week in all to do 10 things, unless I have cheated and gone for 70s clutch bags in there as they are quick!

What Lei said above about ONLY working on your set items - it's really hard when you feel like you 'just need to sort these things out first', but it is very true if you want to be organised! If I were able to walk into the room where I photograph without having to spend an hour moving things out of the way I am sure I woudl get on a lot quicker.

If you need to pack stuff away then I think that is the answer. I have decided I have had enough (again!) as the vintage clothing has crept throughout the house and it isn't a condusive working environment when at every turn you are constantly faced with something to wash/mend/steam that distracts you from actually listing things!

I have decided that I WILL fit everything into our one roomed attic conversion. I have carefully packed up about 3 rails of ebay/vintage fair stock and just accepted that I have to deal with them one box at a time. And in the meantime my website stuff is out on rails where I can see it. I have also given away various items of funiture as I also hoard anything antiquey even if I don't have room.

I have set up a single rail in the 'studio room' (study) now and my new rule is that is strictly for what I am listing on ebay. I will only keep 10 hangers in there if that stops me sneaking other stuff onto it! I list on a Sunday so on Saturdays I wrap it all and get the next ten things down ready to work on the next week (plus any website, but once listed that goes back on a certain rail upstairs as it may be there for a few weeks).
This is my new way of doing things so I don't know how strict i can be with it - but as it doubles as a guest room too I realy want to keep it tidy and uncluttered so I don't have that sudden panic if people want to stop over!

Good luck, and I think time spent organising will be worth it! :)
 
looks like a vintage clothing bomb blew up
Click to expand...

The ultimate weapon of mass destruction!

Good topic Carrie, I am enjoying reading about others methods. I don't have a young child, but I do list (only eBay at this point) a bit more, trying to average about 6-8 items per day. After I inventory new stock I put it in storage if it is off-season, or on racks in my house if it will be saleable within the month. I have places for dry cleaning, washing, my own mending, and professional mending...all on racks. I am going to have to increase my storage space so more of this can be out of my house...it is a bit overwhelming!

I always plan what I will sell each work day (M-F) the weekend before, and I wash and mend if necessary then. On the day of, I steam the items and give them a last look over. Then I spend 15-20 minutes on each item taking pics, 15 min. preparing the photos, 15-20 minutes measuring and writing--about 45 min. to 1 hour per item depending on the item. I always batch things by task, so all the steaming, all the photos, all the editing, then all the listing. The beauty of it is that you can mix it up if you feel like it, and I do that sometimes to just break up the work.

Good luck with your organization--it is a lot to organize!
 
"it isn't a condusive working environment when at every turn you are constantly faced with something to wash/mend/steam that distracts you from actually listing things"

That really says it all about my situation. Just too many things distracting me from the actual listing. I think I am going to box some things up so it won't seem so overwhelming. I wish I had the space to seperate areas for certain things..mending, steaming etc.... At least I have a place to photograph so that helps. I was also happy to hear that those with little ones are also only able to get a limited amount of listings done a week. I think I was expecting to get 6-8 done every night I worked and that was just being unrealistic. I also can see that I need to begin thinking ahead on what I want to list so that I can have those items laundered, mended, ironed, etc... before I start my "shift" of work at night. I appreciate everyones input. It has helped me put things into perspective and I know I'm not the only one having the same problems! At least I'm in good company!
Carrie
 
Can't add much more, really. The best thing is to sort things out that just aren't sellable at the moment. Swimsuits and pastels can go in the bin for a hybernation until Feb/March/April, at that point any coats or woolies will be taking their place as they come out. I'm not going to deal with prom stuff right now, so that can go to the back of the rack, etc.
The trick seams to be "touch it once" or at least touch it the least. If you've washed up several, sort them immediately after drying and get them to their next destination. Don't keep shifting them from one place to the next. If it needs repairs, it goes there, not onto the rack with the ready stuff because you think you'll remember it needs a button. You won't, until it's on the manni and doesn't look right.

I find having a ready pile of easy mending and a travel sewing kit (mine is an old box purse) is handy. If hubby and I are going on a short road trip, I take those along. I've sewn many a button and snap on the way down the highway.

Oh, and properly stacked storage boxes covered by a large tablecloth make a nice credenza or buffet.:D

Jenn
 
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