Getting Rid of Your Kids' Clutter? eBay Classifieds Donation Program

Anyone remember Kijiji? That's what eBay Classifieds used to call itself. I think the name change was a good move for them...much clearer, especially given not many folks are familiar with Swahili. I recently got this note about how much parents spend on baby and kids' stuff (having two, I can vouch they're expensive!) -- and also a new donation program eBay Classifieds is doing for every new ad posted in the For Sale category thru July 31:

 

"According to the survey, parents spent an average of $1,171 on gifts for their children in just the past year, which has decreased from the $2,577 that parents spent last year on their baby. In addition, 62% of American Parents surveyed said that their babies accumulated more stuff in a year than they themselves had in five years (at a total expense of $1,442), which is down from last year�s 77% of parents.

 

"This year�s survey also found that:

• 93% of parents said their babies accumulated more stuff in a year than they themselves did in five years


• After their children have grown out of the items, 67% of parents gave them to a friend or family member, 63% donated them to charity, 27% sold them and 11% just threw them away


• The most common outgrown items include backyard toys (42% of parents said they still have them), sporting goods and equipment (39%), furniture (46%) and electronics (45%)


• 46% of parents said their kid clutter takes up a corner of a closet, 28% said it takes up the better part of their attics and 6% said they no longer park their car in the garage because their children�s items have taken over their entire home


• Parents said they spent an average of $1,171 on gifts for their kids last year


• 15% of parents say they often sell unwanted items online (perhaps on a site like eBay Classifieds!) and a quarter of parents said they occasionally do, depending on the item

 

"Instead of allowing all these items to clutter up your home, why not sell your children�s outgrown items and earn back some of the money you spent? From now through July 31, eBay Classifieds will make a donation for every new ad posted within the For Sale category (up to $25,000), to Enough is Enough, a non-profit organization dedicated to making the Internet a safer place for children and families. Getting rid of your unwanted items can not only help you reclaim your space, but can also help others, too!"

Does Revising Your eBay Auctions Help Sales?

Can revising your eBay auctions help your sales? I have one Yard Salers newsletter reader who thinks it does. I'll let her tell it:

"Hi
Julia,
 
"Forgot to tell you something that has been working for me.  Don't
know why, but it's happening to often to just be a coincidence.  
 
"I
have been revising about 10 my eBay store auctions a day (catching mistakes,
adding things that didn't get added when they were listed, etc, etc).  And more
than once or twice, a few days after revising the item, it sells, and quite
often at the full price.  I've also been adjusting my selling prices upwards -
not a lot, just $.50 cents or so - and they have been selling at the new
prices.  It must have something to do with the way eBay is now showing ALL items
listed, not just auctions, but sure don't know what that has to do with it. 
I've also speculated that maybe the computer thinks it's a NEW auction and gives
it a better placement.  But anyway, it seems to work!  So you might want to tell
your readers to try revising their auctions a little and see what
happens."

So there you have it! As it happens, I am revisiting many of my eBay auctions anyway - in some cases to relist them or change the prices, and in others to take the listing down anyway and move the item to amazon.com. (In the latter case, it is mainly true for my slow-moving collectible books such as old yearbooks, which I think no longer make sense to let sit on eBay and rack up fees.

    [  Left: an example of the kind of specialized book, a prep school yearbook, I am looking to shift off eBay onto amazon. ]
 

I still have other types of listings which I think are best suited to eBay, such as my jewelry and handcrafted bracelets. But I am taking a hard look at what I sell where and what does best in which online venue.

Give it a try or leave a comment here if you have feedback.

 

Stamps.com Introduces New Online Reports Feature

Stamps.com just released a new online reports feature...details are here:

"The new Reports feature gives you reporting on all your postage balances,
expenses, and prints. 

"Create tables showing your postage balance over time including postage printed, purchased, or credited."

More info here.

I use Stamps.com all the time for my business, along with the PayPal print postage feature. Another thing I love about it is that you can save the addresses of people you ship to frequently.

Coupons Savings so Far, another Coupon Site

I've been using the CouponMom "stack your coupons" system and have been making a real dent in my grocery and drugstore bills. I'll make a full report soon, but with combining store specials, 2-for-1 deals and manufacturers' coupons, I'd estimate I've saved $50-$80 this past week.

One of the big secrets of the CouponMom system is you save all the newspaper coupon circulars for each Sunday in a box, then the couponmom.com site alerts you to when grocery and other store deals match up with those coupons, so you can "stack" your coupons and get the most off for a purchase.

Also, I wanted to mention another coupon site someone suggested to me a while back: http://www.webbyplanet.com/ (WEBBY planet). You can search for coupons on all sorts of stuff from one search box.

Bidbits is moving to blogger

Bidbits is moving to blogger! This is my first, test post.

eBay Summer 2010 Changes: Sellers on Hook for Opened Cases

More changes are coming to eBay this summer. Most of them I can live with, and in fact I will have to live with all of them. The only one that seems questionable to me is the one where sellers will now potentially face negative consequences, such as having their listings lowered in search standing, based on the amount of cases opened in PayPal or eBay against them - whether or not the case is resolved in their favor.

Why would eBay count even cases resolved in the sellers' favor? Their answer, per one of the pages about the new Summer changes, explains it thusly:

"Why is eBay even including a count of all cases, including those ultimately found in the seller's favor, or cases I resolve promptly with my customer?

"Sellers are always expected to follow best practices that result in smooth transactions and high buyer satisfaction. Likewise, buyers are always encouraged to contact sellers first with any issues. For the vast majority of transactions, this direct buyer-seller communication works just the way it should. When a buyer is motivated to open a case with eBay or PayPal this is a clear sign of dissatisfaction. A high rate of opened cases is an indication that some aspect of a seller's service requires attention�regardless of the outcome of the case."

So they believe that whenever it gets to the point of a buyer being unsatisfied enough to open a case, it does not reflect well on the seller. In many cases that may be fair. I can think of at least one instance where this would have hurt me when I do not believe I did anything wrong.

I sent a buyer a necklace. She claimed she never received it. I sent it USPS and had the tracking info; the tracking info clearly indicated it was delivered. She denied it was ever delivered and was pushing for my assuming responsibility and giving her a full refund. I was prepared to do that even though I do not think it was my fault, but I did ask her to at least look around her house, ask around, etc. She said she was going to file a PayPal case anyway in the meantime.

I did wind up giving her a full refund, by the way. Evidently the necklace was never found.

Now, this does not happen often, fingers crossed, but that kind of thing could be one thing that could hurt honest sellers. I assume eBay has reasons for instituting this policy..they may see a large number of opened cases and think it is not necessarily being reflected in sellers' DSR ratings. I don't know. 

I just hope they keep an eye on how this new policy goes and if buyers abuse it.

I must add that the vast majority of my buyers are wonderful people...and sellers too. I am consistently impressed by the honesty and good quality of items I receive on eBay. But the percentage of things that go wrong - and things inevitably go wrong, I do believe -- are so small, that even a great seller may get burned by some buyers who abuse the system.

Other changes coming this summer, per the personal phone call I received today from an eBay employee:

- "Starting July 27, many categories will require specified item condition when you list or relist.

[ I am  fine with that; it makes sense to me]

- "Also buyer protection cases will count toward your seller status"

[ we talked about this]

- "Other updates include bulk editing, email changes, featured first retirement, and your rewards for catalog photos."

You can get the details at http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/SummerUpdate2010.html.

Starting in September, cases filed through the eBay and PayPal Buyer Protection programs will be considered along with DSRs in evaluating seller performance.

KIds' Clothing & Gear Swaps Branching Out - PeaceLoveSwap

The concept of swaps is growing and gaining in popularity -- no doubt aided by the still ailing economy. But even in better economic times, swaps make sense for a lot of reasons. They're easy, free and environmentally friendly.

I just found out about a new group called "peace. love. swap." at, yes, peaceloveswap.com. You can bring your kids' outgrown or no longer needed clothing and sporting goods here and pick up new-to-you stuff. They started in Northern California but are branching out to other states this summer.

I'll let Meg, the founder, tell it:

My name is Meg & I am the founder of peace. love. swap. 

We are a one of a
kind organization that produces ongoing Kid�s Clothing & Gear Swaps ~ moms, 
getting together with other moms and exchanging their kid�s stuff - nothing is
for sale - it�s all FREE for the taking.  

 We already provide this event for
moms in several areas of Northern California, and we are branching out into
other states in the late spring and early summer.  It�s hard to read a
newspaper, magazine or blog nowadays and not find some mention of clothing swaps
� they are sprouting up everywhere- even cyberspace.  

So � what makes peace.
love. swap different?  peace. love. swap was created by a mom � for moms.   We
help moms get successful ongoing swaps started in their own communities across
the country.   These events are held regularly in cities everywhere, not online,
not once in awhile - and we always host the events in a �kid-friendly�
environment � where they can play while their moms swap.   

Our swaps are large �
anywhere from 50-100 attend our swaps (regularly!), and they are set up as if
you were shopping in a store - everything is organized on clothing racks and
tables.  We also invite mom/home-based businesses to set up a table at our swaps
to connect with other moms, or donate to our raffles.  

We are green families
that are connecting, swapping, and helping other families. Leftover items from
swaps always go to local charities and families in need.  We are trying to get
the word out to families everywhere, because moms & dads want and need an
event like this close to home, and it's my vision to see a peace. love. swap
event going on every other month in cities everywhere. 

 If you get a few minutes
you can get more info, read our mission statement & see what moms are saying
at: www.peaceloveswap.com.    In this
economic climate & in a time when recycling and keeping stuff out of our
landfills is so important, we need to make families aware of something so
special.  Swaps are catching on fast, however, smaller at home swaps,
online swap websites, or even consignment sales can�t compare to our events. 

There are no forms to fill out, no pricing your stuff, no taking pictures,
posting online, keeping track of online credits or points, & no mailing
stuff or having strangers coming to your house.  Moms
just show up bring the stuff they want to get rid of and take the things you
need. Kids play while moms get �offline� & socialize with other moms. When
the kid's swap is over, we are helping families in need. 

peace. love. swap ~  It�s green, fun, philanthropic &
catching on fast!

Meg Franz

peace. love. swap