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. 

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.