I Went back to Quinlan after a long pause in buying and trading. The new improved trading spot here is growing, but not with more used items that I love to dig into and talk to people about, but more appliance and furniture, Gobs of it. Not that it's bad, just not what I want. There was one particular "Seller" or "Merchant" there which but a terrible taste in my mouth for what vendors are suppose to be like. Maybe it is the fact that I do not like dealers in general. I guess it is just me. The Lady in question was very rude. She had a stall stuffed with items. i pick through a dirty gross box with my bare hands, getting mucky from years of someone elses sweat and tears, (apparently cleaning things before taking them down to the shop is way to difficult for her). So I see a few broken bead necklaces, One has some pretty crystals and they other i fugure I can take apart and possibly sell the beads. ( I recycle old crap, clean it and send it off to people who will benifit from having older unique materials to work with, and I do this at a low price so everyone wins) One of the necklaces has a $2 price tag on it, the other doesnt. So I ask "How much is your jewelry?" She yells back the typical response from lazy people who don't like to get off their ass and actually help you. So, reluctantly she walks over since I cannot describe the junk in my hands to her satisfaction. One she says was her grandmothers and it is not for sale. Ok.... Um... Why is it out there? The other, The Crystal necklkace with the $2.00 price tag on it, she says $26.00 for that one. Then she looks at me rudely and tells me I am not going to get a deal at her place and that she knows what she has. I say back "Maybe you should take off the price tag , then. " And I walk out. But... Why are people so rude? I did nothing to make her attack me like that. I am not technically a dealer. I like beads and buttons, I sell patterns and fabrics. She looked at me like I was trying to pull a fast one on her. What?
Anyway, My experience there stunk, everyone wants enormous amounts of money for things that are not worth anything, like a bass guitar that looked like it had been in the sun for generations for 85 dollars with a name on it that was so low quality I had never even heard of it before. Where are all the normal people ? I felt like i was at the Rose Bowl with the stupid prices they wanted for crap they couldnt even clean before throwing it out there for sale. come on people. Do I need to write a book about how to sell things at flea markets ? Feels that way .
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Static in 2012
It is March. It is Raining. I am sitting here in my night clothes trying to decide if I should break the rules and eat something bad for me or just go to bed. Instead of doing either, i decided to get a word in.
I have been trying to organize my work rooms and my house. I live in a large, long house that is more like a storage shed than a home. Deciding if I like it that way is another matter, I cant make up my mind. As I go through things I realise everything in my house can be for sale. If I had a team of hardworking people and computers to match, we would have this situation figured out in no time. This dream team would come up with the solution of tag teams. Each team of 2 would have a computer and a camera. Each team would have their own branch of a store or a different store. I think 1 store is plenty for everyone, per website. So I have Ebay,Etsy , and Amazon. Take team one.. They build a new complete store at Amazon. Not only do they list all the books we have, but they also list the posters,the records,magazines , and movies. this would take them at least 4 months to get figured out.
I almost forgot. I would start with a 40 foot semi trailer in our back yard. The walls of the trailer would be long shelves on brackets. I would have lights running out to the trailer and i would have an air unit installed. No more storage in the house. It all goes out there. All that went out there would be things that I have not listed. All listed items would be in the house.
Then my Etsy team would list vintage clothing,and collectibles.
Store 1- Ebay.
Wyld Rabbit.
James,Anita,Zachary
Store 2 - Amazon
Wyld Rabbit
James,Anita,Zachary + 2
Store 3 - Etsy
Wyld Rabbit
Anita
Store 4- Bonanza
Anita (non-existent sales)
The Bonanza store was a trial. I listed 60 items for sale and did mild advertising. there are a couple sweet spots to owning a store here. 1) it is free to list. 2) store front is free for you if you want the minimum package, of which I see no reason to go further. 3) picture service is free. 4) you receive the benefits of categories and shopping cart. 5) nice storefront pic and easy to use.
The part that sucks 1) no customers . This one is all you really need. Right here. no customers, no candy, no candy , no reason to come back. 2) they do charge FVF
But.. If you look at it like I looked at Ecrater , which is use it as if you were not in a shopping mall with no customers. first thing you do is get a 1) domain with a name that is different than the other stores you have. For instance "SureTrea" Start Fresh. you do not want to confuse your audience...
Everyone wants to open an online store. here is your chance. Consider this your place. Do all your advertising with a name SureTrea.com . Now you have what you have always wanted. An online store of your own. And you did not have to pay for storage or a shopping cart or a manager.
You take this store,, Build the categories and situation you want with it. Build a Tweet and A Blog. Build a Facebook Page that links to this store. Don't even think about bonanza customers .Think about your own customers.
Now, Decide what you want to sell here.
Now, You have everything that a company such as blue planet has. All it takes is thinking independently and not making a 3rd party support company like Bonanza responsible. No one will even know you are linked until they see your front page.
For this .. you need a team. I would be busy with the other stores. I need at least 2 people who would be dedicated to this store. Like Richard and Caty for instance. Although i am thinking Caty would be better with Etsy. 2 people anyway. What would this store have? I think my dream would be to empower the young people of this little town. my dream would be to have cooperation and ability to hire these people to help build this company:
Cameron,richard,caty,blaine,jenna,nathan and little chris. These are all people who could use the work and who would benefit from this project. I wonder if I could get a grant. It goes back to the if I won the lottery... but instead of the lottery... what if we just did it. ? Had a company that employed these people. 7 people. Running an online company. We would need a warehouse or storefront. we would need a salary, computers for each team and cell phones for each person. 7 cell phones, plus james and I. 9 cell phones. 4 computers and links . each team would have access to only the store passwords, not the bank passwords.
How much would that cost?
I know Terrell gives tax breaks for companies who hire more than 3 employees. what about 7?
We could take a business loan out for 50,000. Get a grant for the project also for 20,000. rent a building either as a store front or just as a warehouse. make it local . could be the place behind taco bell.. or a warehouse out on 205 or somewhere like that. if we started with 70,000. Get tax id,and identity. Get names domain set up, get names copy written,get permit if needed. join the chamber of commerce. buy racks and wood to make shelving and storage . set up work areas for all teams . get adequate air and heating. buy a truck and trailer. computers,printers,cell phones, fast Internet. lighting, cameras,staging, office supplies. hire an accountant and a girl Friday for bookwork . that is 8 employees besides myself and james .
Ebay Wyld Rabbit Would have everything
bonanza would be a collaboration of everyone. I would want Blaine and Jenna and Cameron and nathan and little chris working on this one.
Etsy would be richard and Caty. I would have caty working with beads and jewelry and making items.
This project is what it is .. a project to get the kids in Terrell out of a rut and have some opportunity. that is where the grant would come from. then also on the sidelines. take the property at Camerons and lease it to farming and learning gardening and compost. use back acres and test the soil. I would like to do more over there like septic and used manufactured house for them , but it is not my business. They could take the food grown and sell at open market or set up a stand in front of the property once a month ... Another source of income for them.
i wonder if something like this would work??? We could farm our land too. do the same thing. have a stand ... but i would need to hire someone to do that too... i am no farmer.
For now... It is all a dream. And I have to figure in education. I do not know anything about the kids ability to spell or work on computers or set up businesses. Maybe starting with education would be first on the list.
Would i or could i get a business loan and a grant for a program like this? Could I have taxes written off for that many employees.? I would have to offer a group insurance plan that deducts out of the salary. I think businesses have to offer it. So If we went that legit, what would be the goal? Same as always.? Our goal is to get solar and wind energy as main sources of living and use the land to live off of. A huge garden and fruit trees , wind and solar... a stand out front to sell the products ... Homemade soaps and supplies, and the online stores... ?? sounds like a lot of work
right now...
I have Ebay and a family. We do small amounts of sales on Amazon and Etsy. no sales on Bonanza. If anyone wanted to come and learn from us, I could teach them and put them to work but could not pay them. so... we are still small. but If I end up making 40-50 grand this year..... expanding is in our future.
I have been trying to organize my work rooms and my house. I live in a large, long house that is more like a storage shed than a home. Deciding if I like it that way is another matter, I cant make up my mind. As I go through things I realise everything in my house can be for sale. If I had a team of hardworking people and computers to match, we would have this situation figured out in no time. This dream team would come up with the solution of tag teams. Each team of 2 would have a computer and a camera. Each team would have their own branch of a store or a different store. I think 1 store is plenty for everyone, per website. So I have Ebay,Etsy , and Amazon. Take team one.. They build a new complete store at Amazon. Not only do they list all the books we have, but they also list the posters,the records,magazines , and movies. this would take them at least 4 months to get figured out.
I almost forgot. I would start with a 40 foot semi trailer in our back yard. The walls of the trailer would be long shelves on brackets. I would have lights running out to the trailer and i would have an air unit installed. No more storage in the house. It all goes out there. All that went out there would be things that I have not listed. All listed items would be in the house.
Then my Etsy team would list vintage clothing,and collectibles.
Store 1- Ebay.
Wyld Rabbit.
James,Anita,Zachary
Store 2 - Amazon
Wyld Rabbit
James,Anita,Zachary + 2
Store 3 - Etsy
Wyld Rabbit
Anita
Store 4- Bonanza
Anita (non-existent sales)
The Bonanza store was a trial. I listed 60 items for sale and did mild advertising. there are a couple sweet spots to owning a store here. 1) it is free to list. 2) store front is free for you if you want the minimum package, of which I see no reason to go further. 3) picture service is free. 4) you receive the benefits of categories and shopping cart. 5) nice storefront pic and easy to use.
The part that sucks 1) no customers . This one is all you really need. Right here. no customers, no candy, no candy , no reason to come back. 2) they do charge FVF
But.. If you look at it like I looked at Ecrater , which is use it as if you were not in a shopping mall with no customers. first thing you do is get a 1) domain with a name that is different than the other stores you have. For instance "SureTrea" Start Fresh. you do not want to confuse your audience...
Everyone wants to open an online store. here is your chance. Consider this your place. Do all your advertising with a name SureTrea.com . Now you have what you have always wanted. An online store of your own. And you did not have to pay for storage or a shopping cart or a manager.
You take this store,, Build the categories and situation you want with it. Build a Tweet and A Blog. Build a Facebook Page that links to this store. Don't even think about bonanza customers .Think about your own customers.
Now, Decide what you want to sell here.
Now, You have everything that a company such as blue planet has. All it takes is thinking independently and not making a 3rd party support company like Bonanza responsible. No one will even know you are linked until they see your front page.
For this .. you need a team. I would be busy with the other stores. I need at least 2 people who would be dedicated to this store. Like Richard and Caty for instance. Although i am thinking Caty would be better with Etsy. 2 people anyway. What would this store have? I think my dream would be to empower the young people of this little town. my dream would be to have cooperation and ability to hire these people to help build this company:
Cameron,richard,caty,blaine,jenna,nathan and little chris. These are all people who could use the work and who would benefit from this project. I wonder if I could get a grant. It goes back to the if I won the lottery... but instead of the lottery... what if we just did it. ? Had a company that employed these people. 7 people. Running an online company. We would need a warehouse or storefront. we would need a salary, computers for each team and cell phones for each person. 7 cell phones, plus james and I. 9 cell phones. 4 computers and links . each team would have access to only the store passwords, not the bank passwords.
How much would that cost?
I know Terrell gives tax breaks for companies who hire more than 3 employees. what about 7?
We could take a business loan out for 50,000. Get a grant for the project also for 20,000. rent a building either as a store front or just as a warehouse. make it local . could be the place behind taco bell.. or a warehouse out on 205 or somewhere like that. if we started with 70,000. Get tax id,and identity. Get names domain set up, get names copy written,get permit if needed. join the chamber of commerce. buy racks and wood to make shelving and storage . set up work areas for all teams . get adequate air and heating. buy a truck and trailer. computers,printers,cell phones, fast Internet. lighting, cameras,staging, office supplies. hire an accountant and a girl Friday for bookwork . that is 8 employees besides myself and james .
Ebay Wyld Rabbit Would have everything
bonanza would be a collaboration of everyone. I would want Blaine and Jenna and Cameron and nathan and little chris working on this one.
Etsy would be richard and Caty. I would have caty working with beads and jewelry and making items.
This project is what it is .. a project to get the kids in Terrell out of a rut and have some opportunity. that is where the grant would come from. then also on the sidelines. take the property at Camerons and lease it to farming and learning gardening and compost. use back acres and test the soil. I would like to do more over there like septic and used manufactured house for them , but it is not my business. They could take the food grown and sell at open market or set up a stand in front of the property once a month ... Another source of income for them.
i wonder if something like this would work??? We could farm our land too. do the same thing. have a stand ... but i would need to hire someone to do that too... i am no farmer.
For now... It is all a dream. And I have to figure in education. I do not know anything about the kids ability to spell or work on computers or set up businesses. Maybe starting with education would be first on the list.
Would i or could i get a business loan and a grant for a program like this? Could I have taxes written off for that many employees.? I would have to offer a group insurance plan that deducts out of the salary. I think businesses have to offer it. So If we went that legit, what would be the goal? Same as always.? Our goal is to get solar and wind energy as main sources of living and use the land to live off of. A huge garden and fruit trees , wind and solar... a stand out front to sell the products ... Homemade soaps and supplies, and the online stores... ?? sounds like a lot of work
right now...
I have Ebay and a family. We do small amounts of sales on Amazon and Etsy. no sales on Bonanza. If anyone wanted to come and learn from us, I could teach them and put them to work but could not pay them. so... we are still small. but If I end up making 40-50 grand this year..... expanding is in our future.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Suretrea & the Sea Monster
I think the value that we put on our possesions is one of sick lust and desires that come to fill the void of something we are missing in our daily life.
We live in the country. Texas is a large , vast expanse of earth. We live here in the wide open, big sky state. Because I grew up on 2nd hand, it was no surprise to my husband or I that we started going to estate sales and auctions when we arrived here, batterd and bewildered from our lives that had gotten out of hand back in our home towns of California.
What I did not expect was the large amount of things that people readily give and throw away. I clash with the big businesses that throw countless amounts of merchandise in the dumpsters instead of donating it.. or when they do donate, the massive amount of these things in which are thrown away. I am not saying that Texas is alone in this plight. I believe the whole country is falling for the throwaway nation.
We wear clothing that falls apart after 6 months, we buy printers that last a year, and then break, computers that become obsolite to quickly,cars that fall apart, and shoes that if your lucky are made of rubber and will last a season.
What happened to clothes that were made by us? Reupolstering our couches,fixing broken items, and learning that it is good to work on things to keep them going?
One of the things that we have come in contact with is the massive amount of material and patterns people are unloading .Your mother and grandmothers stash. The namesake of the American Woman. the tricks and creative jean that was suppose to be handed down from mother to daughter?
We have many of these fabrics that have been forgotten. And this is the Blog where I show you some of these long lost treasures and also bring to light how interesting and time consuming keeping this kind of business going.
We live in the country. Texas is a large , vast expanse of earth. We live here in the wide open, big sky state. Because I grew up on 2nd hand, it was no surprise to my husband or I that we started going to estate sales and auctions when we arrived here, batterd and bewildered from our lives that had gotten out of hand back in our home towns of California.
What I did not expect was the large amount of things that people readily give and throw away. I clash with the big businesses that throw countless amounts of merchandise in the dumpsters instead of donating it.. or when they do donate, the massive amount of these things in which are thrown away. I am not saying that Texas is alone in this plight. I believe the whole country is falling for the throwaway nation.
We wear clothing that falls apart after 6 months, we buy printers that last a year, and then break, computers that become obsolite to quickly,cars that fall apart, and shoes that if your lucky are made of rubber and will last a season.
What happened to clothes that were made by us? Reupolstering our couches,fixing broken items, and learning that it is good to work on things to keep them going?
One of the things that we have come in contact with is the massive amount of material and patterns people are unloading .Your mother and grandmothers stash. The namesake of the American Woman. the tricks and creative jean that was suppose to be handed down from mother to daughter?
We have many of these fabrics that have been forgotten. And this is the Blog where I show you some of these long lost treasures and also bring to light how interesting and time consuming keeping this kind of business going.
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