Instagram Marketing

I don't know where I've been but luckily my friend/cousin-in-law Amanda shared with me the power of Instagram.

In addition to eBay I have been creating my own handmade jewelry (mostly earrings).  I just opened a small Etsy store but have low traffic.

Amanda told me about Instagram and how easy it is to add photos.  You can add information about your store in the description...

So I downloaded the app and tried it out!  I love it!!!  I am able to photograph my jewelry and add it to my Etsy store using that app and then use one of the photos in my Instagram app and share about the piece I added.  What a useful tool!

It's just another way to get your business known.  Right now I am only using it for my handmade art rather than my eBay items.  I might look into setting up a separate account for my eBay store.

As you can tell I am trying to have multiple streams of income.

Please share how you have used Instagram with your business.

Click Here to Visit Lowery's Loft on Instagram

Special Promotion Going on Right Now-See Below

This week my eBay hobby officially became a business.  Lowery's Loft is an LLC!

It is an exciting, yet somewhat nerve-wracking, time.

Starting a small business is a leap of faith.  As a former teacher, preparation is key yet there is a HUGE learning curve.   Like anyone who takes a risk, there is HOPE.  Whenever I start doubting myself I keep repeating in my head "Without risk there is no reward" and "Give it your best try and live with no regrets."

I am reading as much as I can about successful businesses, tips and tricks for gaining more traffic, to my store, and just the "how to's" of everything.

The "How to's" is what led to this post.  In eBay's Manage my Store page, there is a new option for creating a special promotions.  In the marketing tools section, it is under item promotion.  I had to give it a try by clicking on manage promotions.

In an attempt to build a repeat customer base, I want to reward my customers so I am exploring options on how to do that.  This tool allows sellers to create coupons (in a link form) that can be added to websites and social marketing sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Right now you can get $5.00 off every $50.00 you spend but you have to follow this link.  CLICK HERE.  This is only good through May 22, 2014.

www.LowerysLoft.com

I'm so excited!  Lowery's Loft has a new home - www.LowerysLoft.com.

It has a link to my eBay store and a link to my blog.  It also has a link to my Groovy Educator blog.

I still plan on blogging.  It feels great to finally hit the ground running.  Working from home can be a challenge in that it's easy to get off schedule.  I am tweaking my "home" work schedule and have even purchased business cards.

My DBA (doing business as) paperwork has been filled out and, and, and...It's just exciting!

As always feedback is welcome.  This is an ever evolving process with loads to learn.  That's why I love it so much!

List, List, and List some More...

Well,

I cannot believe how much time has passed since my last post.  Where does the time go?  Really...

It has been a tumultuous month.  My dearest Dad died at the end of March and I am still reeling from the loss.  He was my eBay mentor and biggest supporter.  He believed strongly that I can make a living off eBay.

Right now I am praying he is right.  Tomorrow is the deadline for letting my school district know that I will not be returning next year.

I have been on a leave of absence since the end of November due to my Fibromyalgia (not contagious- just a pain disorder that I am learning to live with).  I have been blessed with short term disability and thought that I would have that through the end of May.  Surprise!  Nope!  It unexpectedly ended and for the first time in my life I do not have the security blanket of a steady check.

Aside from loving to teach children how to read, I loved the security of the job.

Change is so hard.  Life is unpredictable.  In my Dad's honor I am going to give my all at eBay and hope for the best.  Right now I am growing my store.  If you have any suggestions on how to spread the word about my eBay store I am open to suggestions.

I am giving myself until June to see if this can be a sole source of income.  If not, then I promised my husband I would get another job to make ends meet.  I love him so much.  He supports me in this endeavor.  It's just so scary to be so financially tight.  We can do it!

Without risk there is no reward...at least that is how the saying goes.  I just can't give up yet.  I need to try to succeed at this or I will regret it for the rest of my life.

I've managed to get over 780 listings.  I am trying to reach the magic number 900 so I can ask eBay for an increase.  Once a month you can ask for increases.  My goal is to reach at least 2000 listings.  Ideally I want to net a couple of hundred dollars in sales a day.  That would be selling 20 ten dollar items.

So far with the increase in listings, I have not seen an increase in sales.  Hopefully this is only due to the fact that Tax Day is looming.

It is way late and I am rambling.  If you have any expertise in this area, I am open to suggestions.

I am chasing the dream ... on a wing and a prayer... (okay enough cliches for tonight).

Listing Signed Necklaces on eBay

 Miriam Haskell is a fabulous designer.  She created a very versatile 52" necklace.  It can be layered as pictured.  You could even add a fancy brooch to upcycle the piece.  If you ever run across a Miriam Haskell piece hang on to it because they are harder to find and more costly.

Whenever I am shopping for items to sell, I look for tags on the necklaces because that is often a signed piece.  Signed pieces are easier to describe and sell because often there are people that like a particular designer.

 If the signature is not on the tag is will usually be found near the clasp on or the clasp if it is a signed piece.  When it is in one of these spots it is often super tiny so you need a magnifier.


I found a "loop" in the coin section at the bookstore.  It is a 16x powerful magnifier that folds up.  When I worked the flea market, I learned about these type of magnifiers because a male shopper had one hanging from a lanyard around his neck.  He used it to inspect the pieces that he purchased.

 I try not to think of the pieces I may have underpriced and still underprice due to my lack of knowledge.  I focus on each aspect of this journey as a new learning experience. 

When photographing a necklace, try not to overlook the clasp.  It can be an indicator of the age of the piece.  A person who is a an avid jewelry collector will look for these type of details.  Others will have a better idea of what they are purchasing so the outcome is often favorable. Close ups of the piece are essential for indicating more subtle details that cannot be noted in the average picture.

                                                                       

Right now I am focusing on learning how to list items as accurately and efficiently as possible.  I plan to have a notebook on my desk just to jot down these ponderings so that I can research them in my spare time.  I can't express how exciting it is to learn a whole new "area."  I have focused so much of my time on classroom best practices when I was teaching that I missed out on learning about this type of topic.  I really appreciate the layers of knowledge that are required in learning about jewelry.  Aside from types of clasps, types of beads, types of chains, types of gems, types of metal, etc...There are also oodles of designers to learn about and what influenced those designers,  AND there is all the historical periods.  Oh my it is overwhelming.  That is why I want to share, share, these tidbits as I learn them. 

Overcoming Self Doubt

When I wrote the last post, I was over the moon at achieving top rated power seller.  Now I am full of self doubt because I keep questioning whether or not I can make this my livelihood.  I've been a teacher for years because I love the children and I loved the stability.  Now I have my own child that I want to be there for. It has been a challenge finding balance with being the kind of teacher I want to be and the kind of involved mom I want to be, especially now that I have fibromyalgia.  For years I've lived paycheck to paycheck and fear that may always be so.

With eBay I love the idea that the earning potential is limitless!  BUT...How is that achieved?  I am trying to grow my store and will continue to do so.  I just hope my vision is realistic.  I want to have my own business with every fiber of my being but at the same time I want to be economically free,  not fearful if there will be enough to cover the bills.  If you read this and are a successful seller or know someone who is...

Can you please leave a comment and assure me it is possible?

I probably shouldn't write this post and admit to this self doubt but I'm human and I do doubt myself from time to time.  I am as much of a realist as I am an idealist.  I have my baby girl and my husband to consider. 

Tomorrow I will wake up rearing to go again.  I will visualize a successful business and continue to do my very best to learn, grow, and sell.  

When I was a second grade teacher, I made a bulletin board with DREAM, BELIEVE, BECOME written in clouds that hung next to the bright sun (symbolizing success) and above our classroom tree (symbolizing growth).  It was always important to me to encourage the children to be self motivated.

Now I need to heed my own advice.

DREAM, BELIEVE, BECOME

Picture courtesy of www.mycutegraphics.com

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.

Upcycling Jewelry

Upcycling is a brand new word to me.  I learned about the term while working at the flea market one Saturday.  Learning about new things is one of the reasons why working at the flea market is so exciting.  I am still very new to it...  Every time I have gone so far I have learned something about jewelry simply by inquiring.  I learned about the power of the magnet that way.

The term upcycle or upcycling apparently refers to taking vintage jewelry or old jewelry and "fixing it up" or using the old parts and pieces to make beautiful new pieces.  I think of it as an art form.  I learned about it by talking to a lady who was looking through the parts and pieces by asking her where she got the beautiful necklace she was wearing.  She told me simply she made it and that she likes upcycling.  Sheepishly I asked her about what that meant and she was more than happy to explain.

In my eBay store, I will be listing many items that can be used to create jewelry or upcycle other pieces.  Please check back often.  I am exploring the many ways to sell jewelry.  I am also considering taking the time to learn how to make my own jewelry or upcycle vintage pieces and make them more modern.  The possibilities are endless...

If you happen to know more about upcycling, please share.  If I am using the word incorrectly or you have more to add about what it means or ways it can be done, I would love for you to share, share, share.  That is how we learn after all. 

CYBER MONDAY SALE!!!

CYBER MONDAY SALE!!!

15% off all Fixed Price Items!

Several Auctions started as low as ninety-nine cents!

CLICK HERE!

Elvis Presley Charm/Pendant

I just listed a 1977 Elvis charm or pendant.  It is exciting to think that it is a part of history.  Whenever there is a date or an interesting signature, my curiosity forces me to check it out.  I didn't realize it at first but I soon found out that 1977 is the year we lost Elvis. 

Even though this item may sell, I would like to memorialize it on this page.  It is one of those special pieces, that I want to remember.  He died the year before I was born yet his influence is still felt today. 

Several years back I had the opportunity to visit Graceland.  If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it.  For someone so successful it was relatively humble.  It felt like a home.

It is a shame we lost him so young...