Top Rated Power Seller on eBay!

If you read the headline you may understand why I took a short break from blogging.  I have dug my heels in the sand and focused on sell, sell, selling on eBay.  It has been an extraordinary adventure thus far and I am sure it will continue to be one. 

An educator at heart, I love learning. It has been a balancing act trying to study, read, and list as much as I can while being the best mom I can be to my "almost" two year old daughter.  Now that doesn't sound like too much of a balancing act but you have to factor in my recent diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.  It has changed my world...

A Little Personal History...  (Feel free to skip this part.)

This would have been my fourteenth year as an elementary school teacher.  I love teaching!  In November I had to take a leave of absence because I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  I have always been one of those annoying overachiever type people who have to do everything 110%.  With fibromyalgia, there is a lot of pain.  If you have ever suffered from chronic pain or even had the flu, you know that it's impossible to stay full steam ahead. (Can you tell I like cliches?)

My body hurt SO bad all day long.  Stress aggravates the symptoms.  Because I was so sore, I had a hard time focusing after school on paperwork so it took longer.  I found that I was COMPLETELY out of steam by the time I got home.  There was no time to recharge because my sweet dear daughter was waiting for me when I got home and I had to be mom for her.

To make a long story short I had to go on a leave of absence while I figured out what to do.  I've had a gazillion appointments with different doctors and specialists.  I recently got a second opinion and the result is the same....So in an effort to find a more stress free life where I can pace myself, I turned to eBay.  It is my dream to make this my livelihood so if you have any suggestions or advice I am open.

Becoming a Power Seller

Slow and steady seems to be the best way to start.  In education Harry Wong, the author of the First Days of School, emphasizes the importance of starting the year slow by thoroughly teaching the rules and routines in a way which there is a firm understanding.  There is a lot of review.  That is how I approached eBay.  In the beginning I did a lot of research on eBay success stories.  I mostly read articles I Googled and listened to sellers on Youtube.  I listed a few items making sure that I was very honest in describing their condition.  I later chose to take a lot of pictures as the majority of my description. 

After some time I was a little frustrated in that I was listing more and was limited by selling limits.  In retrospect, eBay's selling limits are VERY practical.  They afforded me time to craft my packing technique, create a schedule (still struggling with this somewhat), and figure out pricing (still learning here too).

Each month I worked on reaching my selling limit and then requested an increase. 

Let me go back and say I did not begin with a store.  After about a month I opened Lowery's Loft at the basic level.  I subscribed to the monthly rate as I wanted the freedom to move up to the next level.  When I finally reached my 300th listing, I moved up to the $59.99 a month store.  I rarely sign up for yearly subscriptions so I am paying the month to month rate.  I like the freedom of moving up and down as I see fit.

This week I reached my 400th listing and achieved Top Seller status.  I hope to keep it by continuing to think like a buyer.  Oh I forgot to mention when I started out I bought several items off eBay and analyzed the seller.  From a buyer's perspective, I took note of the packaging, correspondence, and overall impression of the seller.  I took many mental notes and applied what I consider to be best practices.

In my classroom my number one rule was "Treat others the way you want to be treated."  That applies to eBay.  From my perspective that is the road to becoming a Top Rated Power Seller!

There is so much to say.  This is a brief overview.