What’s it like to have a online business.. Its different than a business outside the home in many ways.. In my case I have had an online bookstore sense November 2005. I started out on eBay when the prices were allot less expensive to sell.. I started out with 200 books and its grown to online and off total of over 3000. I did hardly any sales the first year… 2nd year got better.. and so forth.. Last year as the economy got worse so did business.. I have always remained in the black.. I could not live on what I make.. Its more a hobby to keep me busy.. But I would not want to give it up for anything.. I was lucky enough to meet an author who sells his own books… So I took this over and offer “Waiting for Agnes’s” on three different markets.. eCRATER which sells for less, eBay sells for a little more, and Amazon that sell for the most…. The reasons being eCRATER does not charge for anything that they have.. You meaning Me have to do all the work of putting your info in about your item.. Where in my case I sell books eBay takes the IBSN # and finds all the info that book publishers would have on this book and brings it to your site including photo’s. Where on eCRATER I have to take photo’s and store them… I have to create every bit of info that I offer… This includes getting the info out about my store.. I have to self promote it…Twitter has been a big help… I was selling nothing but Waiting for Agnes for a while, now business is picking up… Amazon charges a huge fee to sell your item so I put this back by selling at a higher price…. eBay has out Fee’s themselves.. they charge when you put an item in and it is reentered every month.. luckily its automatic… but there is a fee… then when you sell there is a another fee. It you have a store there is a monthly fee… of over $10.00 . I was spending over $200.00 a month when at eBay so when I read a blog about someone selling on another site I asked them about it and they pointed out eCRATER. Thanks to that person I have saved a lot of money.. It has taken a while to pick up and its still slow but I see the light… Online store when you store things in your home, in my case my husband does not ask me to pay for my electricity or room … I think he chucks it up to I am happy and busy.. He also does not charge me for boxing up my items… He is getting where he is easy to talk to about something as he is keeping up with what my store is doing.. He likes to go to the post office with me and when I can’t go he goes and chats with the postal employee’s and comes home and tells me.. This blog has done me alot of good with selling as well as letting me get my thoughts out of my head…
(Remember this blog is weeks old)
I am still working on Romance this week … I don’t see a finished in sight. So next Monday I will just stop and go on to adventure, mystery for a change in passe and let those people see some new books… fantasy and paranormal people will just have to wait till I get some more books… They are all in… Historical Romance I have allot to put in but trying to do one side of my room at a time… At anytime if there is something you are looking for let me know and I will look though what I have and get it to you if I have it… We do not have a bookstore in my town.. I get my new books at signings or WalMart. The nearest new store to me is 30 miles away… People have tried but I think they just have not been in the right place with the right items… When I go to yard sales I find books that are like new.. so I know people are going to book stores… people are reading…
What really hurts is when people stick you with no payment… I did not think this was possible.. I did make a few mistakes in the beginning .. That is why I do not take checks anymore.. Well a couple of weeks ago I had someone buy one new books and pay on paypal. Then same person bought two of the same book on paypal.. This person payed for both orders right away so I got them ready and mailed the next day… 4 days later the persons bank put a hold on the one book payment which amounted to over 25.00 .Paypal sent me a notice that there was a hold on payment do not send item.. Now who waits 4 days to mail something when you have the payment and its good… After all this time and my sending info to prove that I mailed it I got a notice from Paypal that the case is closed I am out $25.00.. And I am really out as I have to pay the book author his share. I have sent a couple of emails to this person and have not gotten a reply… This does not happen often.. This is my first time…. I have made mistakes and had to fix them at my expense .. And I do right away.. I have a very good feedback on all my selling places… To help make extra money so I could go buy more books I started selling at my local flee market I did pretty good… But I was underselling the lady who was always there….(She has moved.. sense this email was written. I am back at Flee Market after a summer brake. Will be there as long as I can weather permitting.)
This is my story and I am sticking to it
This is my Monday desk every week
Tags: Amazon, book store, business, eBay, eCrater