Starting to Deal
Thank you for your lovely supportive words of yesterday they are much appreciated.
I did have an early restful night where I was cosy and warm and for the best part I have slept well which I think has put a different complexion on today as although not firing on all pistons I feel better than I did. Better enough to start dealing with those items that were worrying me and getting me down.
I know that in real life you have to make mistakes to learn but that does not make it any easier and as I aim high in any event (on the basis that if you aim high you pull yourself further up the ladder than you would without the motivation) it does get into a bit of a cats cradle with all the lines interlocking rather like a knotted ball of string. Wrapping me up in the centre without me seeing a way out. That's the easiest way of describing it. In other words I have got myself into a right two and eight with me being way too critical of myself and thus freezing myself in the process. Now then to start operation un-taffle.
As I have said I have been finding certain aspects of sorting out an ebay account difficult and too much to take in, in one day (there are other issues going on in the background which are causing pressure but which I will not go into) save to say its making me feel pressured. I know I have to do things for myself and address these issues but that does not make it any easier. I hate making decisions at the best of times However I also know that these decisions are important and in effect to my mind being cautious and building firm foundations to make something long-lasting is very important..
So today instead of theoretically trying to work out prices I have approached the situation from a different angle and I have wrapped up my parcels and taken them to the Post Office to get them costed so that I can work out the proper postage. The parcels will not be sent until they are sold but at least I am going to get the postage right.
So that is step number one.
Step number two will be finalising the adverts for the items that I will be selling on Ebay.
The third step will be a financial one yet again more forms to go through and sort out but yet again will not go into details on this here but suffice to say that it is on the list to be dealt with.
The fourth step will be yet again updating my CV.
I think that this will be enough to start with and covers the most pressing issues and although they may seem straightforward to everyone else, just at this precise moment I had become overloaded and just not able to deal with.
Tentative steps, but big ones for me at the moment. I hope my equilibrium and ability to act will start to come back now I am "starting to deal". There are still a few more steps and issues to deal with and I hope breaking it down into small segments will "unfreeze me" and allow me to fly as and when I am able.
I am also as I have already indicated sorting stuff out declutter. I have also taken a few items to the local Charity Shop as I keep tripping over them. As I have said everything "slowly, slowly catch a monkey".
After all there is only me that can deal with it. Wish me luck on sorting things out.
Catch you soon.
Pattypan
x
Tricia - with Ebay, start off with very low value items - the sort you are happy to sell for a couple of pounds, just so that you start to work out how it all works. I know how difficult it can be to learn the ropes, so just take it a little step at a time. I have the greatest faith in your abilities.
ReplyDeleteWell done with taking some stuff to the charity shop - uncluttering is very liberating. Even just moving furniture - all the time we have lived here my husband's big Carmarthenshire chest of drawers has been in the same spot in the room, with an old chair between it and the door for his change of clothing (e.g. from working clothes to going out clothes etc). This week we had to move it as I needed to finish painting the wall. He decided to move it along a bit and get rid of the 2nd chair which lives in the room (a lovely rocker) as he could live without it. The new colour in the room and the fact that there is more room when the door opens, has made an already big room (16 feet square) look HUGE!
As an alternative to the Post Office (which is SO expensive for postage) you might check out My Hermes where you can send heavier things in particular for a fraction of the cost of the PO rates. Plus, bear in mind some of the things you sell may be going abroad, and unless it's changed, you then send your parcel to the Ebay main office (Derbyshire I think) and they take over the problem of charging and forwarding it to its destination. SO much easier, especially with dodgy countries . . .
Tricia, make small manageable steps. When I’ve got myself in a “taffle” and can’t find a way out I take a big note pad and start listing EVERYTHING that needs doing, from cleaning the bath, booking the dentist, to finishing my sewing project or insuring the car. I then go through the list giving all the jobs an ABC etc marking according to the urgency of the job. All money stuff has to be A as leaving bills etc gets one into more trouble and stress. Nice to do but not essential jobs definitely rate down as far as an E or F. I then make myself tackle the A’s it’s liberating when you can cross them off your list. When I finish the A’s I treat myself to an E or F and then tackle the Bs. Writing everything down somehow gives me back control. I just love crossing things off a list. Thinking of you x
ReplyDeleteHi Tricia,
ReplyDeleteI have been selling on eBay for around five years and certainly there is a learning curve in the beginning. I think you will find it easier as you go along, please stay with it, you will work it out.
Here in the US, you do not have to work out a cost of postage, just the weight and size. eBay calculates that for a customer, as here costs vary according to where in country a buyer lives. All you really need is a weigh scale, for small items a kitchen scale will be OK. For larger items I use a bathroom scale. You can buy a special one but to start I would suggest using what you have.
On my listing page I see a calculate shipping button which lists all the different options. I usually choose the cheapest to encourage a sale. Typically I will over estimate a little bit if the item is a borderline weight as it can eat into your profit to underestimate.
I look for used cardboard boxes when shopping or out and about, always a challenge to find a right size box. I do not buy new boxes or packing wrap for shipping, there is so much used material available and it does the job just as well.
Always look for what a similar item has sold for, to get an idea of price. For me there is sold button option on the left side column when you are searching.
When I started I viewed a few You Tube videos for tips, that helped a lot.
Good luck, I will be interested in how you get on.
Pam in Texas.x