Whether you want to sell online as a profession or just get rid of a few things, choosing the best site to sell through is the first big decision.
Choosing the Right Site for Your Online Sale Items
With a few boxes of extras to "get rid of" I decided I would take them to the local flea market and offer them (for free) to a friend who has a booth there. I was very surprised to get a polite but firm "No thank you" in response. I offered them to another vendor who has similar items. That vendor did not want them either. (Some of these items were actually still brand new so I was feeling very surprised now.)
I brought my boxes of goodies home and started looking for ways to sell them online. I decided it might be fun to have my own online flea market. I found some great options for selling online. Three sites I found that seemed especially easy for a seller to use were EBay, Craigslist, and eCrater.
I wondered if other people have such a hard time trying to get rid of unwanted items. If you just have a few items you want to sell EBay and Craigslist are both nice - or if you want to start an online business eCrater is an excellent site to get started with no investment.
It is important to have a good photo of the item and to write a detailed explanation of the item you are selling. Customers making online purchases do not have the advantage of being able to touch the items so the picture and description are all the information they have to make the decision to purchase from you or not.
EBay is one option that has been around for a while. There is a small fee to list items plus a fee when the items sell so it is the most costly of the three sites. Registering as a seller with eBay is fairly simple. The screens pretty much "talk you through" the sign-up process.
I tried Craigslist on the recommendation of a relative. It is free to list most items on Craigslist. Registration for
Craigslist, similar to eBay, makes registration pretty simple. There are a few steps and some jumping back and forth from the website to check email. There is also phone authentication required to list some items. Overall I felt Craigslist was a good option for making a simple sale.
My personal favorite online selling option, eCrater, took a little bit longer to set up. This is a site that offers sellers their own online storefront - for free. It takes more maintenance than the other options, but it is closer to having your own online flea market - or whatever kind of stores you feel inspired to have. The name of your store will end in .ecrater.com - for example instead of everythingbutthefleas.com it will say everythingbutthefleas.ecrater.com.
The site guides you through the set up process and offers you choices in how you want customers to pay you. One option is to let AdWords be placed on your site and payments will be processed for free - making your online store front free to get and free to make sales on.
Whether you want to work from home, start an online business, or just get rid of a few things - selling online can be a great way to make some extra money.
Sources:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites">http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites</a>
https://scgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?RegisterEnterInfo">https://scgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?RegisterEnterInfo</a>
http://www.ecrater.com">http://www.ecrater.com</a>
Sewing lessons and tutorials... Learn how to sew or pick up some new sewing techniques
Monday, August 4, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Inexpensive and Fun Children's Valentine's Craft Party Ideas
A craft party gives children the chance to get together and have fun while making a Valentine's treasure they can keep or give as a gift.
Have you ever been at a children's party where the children really did not have anything to do? They run, screech, and rough house. That may be okay when the weather is nice so they can go outside but what about winter holiday parties? Bored children are going to look for something to do and it might not be something that is okay with the adults. Planning indoor activities makes everything go more smoothly. A children's Valentine's craft party gives children the opportunity to get together with friends for a party but it keeps them busy.
Choose Valentine's Craft Party Ideas According to Children's Ages and Abilities
Begin planning the party by considering the age of the children who will be invited. Younger children will do best with simpler crafts that involve construction paper, glitter, and gluing. Painting is great for young ones too, but make sure you warn the other parents ahead of time so they can send the children dressed in clothing that won't be hurt by paint. Projects involving clays make nice keepsakes for the children - or gifts for them to give - but drying time makes them difficult for a young children's party.
Older children will enjoy craft parties that involve more developed crafting skills. Making fleece scarves or even knotted fleece blankets is a fun idea for older children - depending on how much you want to spend on the party. Projects that involve letting children actually use your sewing machine will be best avoided for a party because your machine could get broken or someone could get hurt. It would also leave the children waiting for turns and getting bored - which is exactly what you want to avoid. Clay projects, fleece projects, macramé, beading, and painting are all fun Valentine's craft party ideas for older children.
Decide How Many Children to Invite to the Party
After choosing the craft you plan to have the children make at the party consider how many children you will be able to help at once. Most of them will probably not have any experience with what they are doing and will have lots of questions. Do you have any other adults who will be able to help? If your child has their heart set on a big group of friends coming to their party, it will work best to ask a friend or one of the other parents for help. Four to six children per adult will be the easiest number of children to work with at once. If you get too many they will spend more time waiting for help than making crafts.
Plan the Food for the Children's Valentine's Party
The last major part of planning your Valentine's children's party is deciding what to feed your guests. Keep it simple and avoid messy food. The children will be busy making crafts so an elaborate meal will not be suitable. Simple sandwiches, chips or vegetable tray, cookies, or just cake and punch for example, would be great. If possible also check with the other children's parents to see if there are any children with food allergies coming to the party so you can make sure you have something they can eat without feeling left out of the group.
Have you ever been at a children's party where the children really did not have anything to do? They run, screech, and rough house. That may be okay when the weather is nice so they can go outside but what about winter holiday parties? Bored children are going to look for something to do and it might not be something that is okay with the adults. Planning indoor activities makes everything go more smoothly. A children's Valentine's craft party gives children the opportunity to get together with friends for a party but it keeps them busy.
Choose Valentine's Craft Party Ideas According to Children's Ages and Abilities
Begin planning the party by considering the age of the children who will be invited. Younger children will do best with simpler crafts that involve construction paper, glitter, and gluing. Painting is great for young ones too, but make sure you warn the other parents ahead of time so they can send the children dressed in clothing that won't be hurt by paint. Projects involving clays make nice keepsakes for the children - or gifts for them to give - but drying time makes them difficult for a young children's party.
Older children will enjoy craft parties that involve more developed crafting skills. Making fleece scarves or even knotted fleece blankets is a fun idea for older children - depending on how much you want to spend on the party. Projects that involve letting children actually use your sewing machine will be best avoided for a party because your machine could get broken or someone could get hurt. It would also leave the children waiting for turns and getting bored - which is exactly what you want to avoid. Clay projects, fleece projects, macramé, beading, and painting are all fun Valentine's craft party ideas for older children.
Decide How Many Children to Invite to the Party
After choosing the craft you plan to have the children make at the party consider how many children you will be able to help at once. Most of them will probably not have any experience with what they are doing and will have lots of questions. Do you have any other adults who will be able to help? If your child has their heart set on a big group of friends coming to their party, it will work best to ask a friend or one of the other parents for help. Four to six children per adult will be the easiest number of children to work with at once. If you get too many they will spend more time waiting for help than making crafts.
Plan the Food for the Children's Valentine's Party
The last major part of planning your Valentine's children's party is deciding what to feed your guests. Keep it simple and avoid messy food. The children will be busy making crafts so an elaborate meal will not be suitable. Simple sandwiches, chips or vegetable tray, cookies, or just cake and punch for example, would be great. If possible also check with the other children's parents to see if there are any children with food allergies coming to the party so you can make sure you have something they can eat without feeling left out of the group.
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