Store Rebranding Project with eBay and Vista Print

When I first opened my eBay store I used whatever template design eBay offered…..including the logo and banner, what was I thinking??? About a year later I paid some random person to design a logo (only) and I’ve used it ever since……6 years later (now) I was given a much needed and much appreciated store rebranding opportunity from eBay and Vista Print. I worked with Vista Print on the logo and banner design as well as business cards and postcard designs to gain a more professional experience for my customers. I sell quite a bit internationally so I wanted to focus on the world so “Bringing the world together” was perfect for my banner. 

                                                          Old Logo
When running a business it is easy to get caught up in the day to day activities, for me it’s listing, shipping, answering questions, blogging, marketing and such and easy to over look the bigger picture. Working with eBay helped me realize how important store design really is, it is important to make it easy for buyers to find your items. Therefore store categories should be used! Did i mention they are free with a basic store yet so many seller only have one category generally “other” Imagine having 700+ listings (like I do) and one category? How easy would it be to find all the shoes in a size 7? Most buyers do not want to go hunting for items so if you create a “shoes” category then create a “size 7″ subcategory potential buyers will only have 2 clicks to find ALL of the size 7 shoes you have listed! I have realized throughout this project that putting yourself in the buyers shoes does wonders. Combine that with social media marketing and running promotions will create more sales i.e. = end goal for me anyways. This project was such an eyeopener to branding as well, think about nike, what design pops in your head? It is the check mark? I bet it is. I think it is pretty safe to say that every successful company has a strong brand behind it making sure it is recognizable by the public. So why wouldn’t it work for an eBay store? Branding is branding and psychology is psychology.
                                                                       New Logo.

Actual eBay article

Do you buy Resale?

I came across some interesting facts about the amount of clothing that is donated to thrift stores. Just one single thrift store called Transamerica receives 17 million pounds a years of clothes and the Salvation Army on Quincy St. in New York receives 18 tons of textiles every 3 days. Moreover, second hand clothes are the #1 export by volume. So where does it all come from?

Most of us have at least one piece of clothing in our closet that still has tags on it that will be worn for that perfect occasion that just hasn’t come up yet, clothes that will someday fit, maternity clothes that we may need again. Then spring cleaning time happens, we move or decide that old clothes just need to go. So what do we do with the clothes? Apparently most commonly people donate. So I ask what other options do we have? Yard Sale? That requires more than just a quick drop off. Sell online? again that requires more work that most aren't willing to do, which explains the millions of pounds of donated textiles. There is also the option to consign or trade clothes, like at a Plato's Closet of Buffalo Exchange.

eBay and other resale sites like Tradesy, Threadflip, Mercari and such  provide a unique outlet that we didn’t have prior to the internet. Prior how did we sell second hand clothes internationally? We didn’t personally, large companies only and even then it’s new items not pre owned. In this aspect the internet has a huge impact on environmental sustainability. 

My mission at Premier Finds is to positively impact environmental sustainability through the online resale of pre-owned items. E-commerce was the obvious choice as our platform because online resale reaches a vast audience therefore broadening the scope of potential buyers. Not only do we have international buyers, but we can cater to those who do not have various stores nearby or simply do not wish to spend exorbitant amounts on fashion. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to contribute in the manner, helping people get items they otherwise wouldn’t be able to get and helping the earth. Fashion trends cycle throughout the years, therefore clothes are out there so instead of buying new, reuse!

Unsold Inventory

So I wrote this about a month ago and of course it didn’t get finished until now….procrastinator...who me? Not to mention that my last years resolution was to blog more and I think I wrote and posted all of 3…….it’s more than time to step it up.

Summer Slump?? Not the case because it has carried into Q4-- Holiday season. How does this happen? Lack of listing? Lack of social media marketing? Loss of TRS? Regardless of the reasons what do we do with unsold inventory? I know things need to change, that’s step one, step 2 is making the changes but most importantly knowing what to change, which is the most challenging and important part. Aside from listing and increasing social media marketing What else can I do to increase sales?

So , in addition to eBay I have added other resale platforms such as Tradesy, Threadflip, Vinted, Mercari and Bonanza. It’s been a couple months and I’ve had a great response when accounting for the time I put into each. Each platform is easy to use side from having to copy and paste the info from eBay to each. Most importantly getting paid on each was fairly simple, not instant like eBay but easy.

I’ve also spent quite a bit of time researching why items haven’t sold. I made a check list and started going through each listing one by one…..when you have over 700 it can be extremely time consuming but if it makes inventory move and doesn’t cost more money why not?

                 Check list: Title? Complete description? Price? Pictures? Shipping?

After redone I then end the listing and hit “sell similar” so eBay thinks its a new listing and bumps it up higher.

I’ve found that price fluctuations in the market are the hardest to keep up with, everyone’s looking for a deal so if another seller with the same item is selling it just a bit lower chances are theirs will sell first. And when several hundred of the same item are listed it’s difficult to keep up and time is not on your side. Flipping fast for profit is key.

In addition not only do I run sales but I add the “best offer” option throughout the month on items that have watchers. In attempts to stir up sales, sometimes I get crazy and raise prices when I have several watchers on an item, in hopes people will think the item will get away. When all else fails donate for a tax write off or have a garage sale.

Thanks for reading and I promise there will be more to come...sooner than later. Happy New Year.