Sunday 18 August 2013

eBay advice

Although I haven't been blogging recently I have still been online using eBay to buy and sell different things. I've seen a few blogger posts about how to use eBay but they often have the same advice. A few people have asked me how I make money on eBay so I've decided to give a few tips as it has been so useful for me. When I have been really unwell and not able to work its good to be able to sell things and get a little bit of money to keep me going. Here is my advice!

Sell in season. Buy out of season
When it comes to selling try and think what people will be searching for on eBay. In summer most people want bikini's and shorts but in winter they want jeans and jumpers. If you have things to sell but it isn't the right season consider storing them for a few months so that when you do sell they do better. When it comes to buying the opposite applies, if you know exactly what you are looking for it can be better to look out of season. Look for jumpers in summer and you will find they are at a lower price and have less bidding competition.

Think beyond clothes
Many people only sell clothes on eBay but often other items do much better. Men's shoes sell much better than men's clothes and other items such as furniture and board games can do well too. If you are having a clear out it only takes a minute to have a quick search on eBay and find out if what you wan to sell is going to make you a profit.

Look out for things to sell
My own wardrobe ran out of things for me to sell a long time ago so now I have to find things that will make me some money. When people know that you sell on eBay often they give you things they are getting rid of for you to sell. Ask your parents/friends if they don't want anything that they cant be bothered to get rid of and try and a sell it. Anything that doesn't sell you can give to charity and see if they have better luck! I also look in charity shops and car boot sales for items that I think will be worth something. Car boot sales are better for this as often you can get clothes for 50p which means if you sell them for 99p you have at least made some profit.

Stock up on postage
Its good to always have a stockpile of envelopes and brown paper ready for if you need to post something quickly. If you buy these from the post office you will end up paying over the odds for the convenience. I usually get envelopes from Wilkinson which are around 50p for 10 and come in the right size to post as a large letter. Brown paper is also much cheaper out of the post office and is usual for wrapping big items like shoes.

Check post office prices
When I first started on eBay I used to make the mistake of packing everything up really small and into a square shape but after a few weeks of posting like this the lady at the post office told me they should be flat not small. I went home and looked into the prices and dimensions and learnt how to save money on postage. If you go into the post office now you can pick up a leaflet which explains it all. It's useful to know and understand postage so you can offer the right prices.

Right picture, right time
Getting the picture right on eBay is important as most people are very visual, let them know of any marks or stains and make sure the picture is accurate. Selling at the right time is important and most people know that selling on a Sunday evening is the best time. However if it isn't possible to sell on a Sunday most evenings are a good time to sell especially in winter. You can also plan a time for it to end for a small fee.

Make eBay work for you
For a lot of people eBay is long and boring but if you start to enjoy it then it can really work for you. Use the iPhone app to make it easy and convenient to list items and write interesting descriptions to capture peoples attention. The more you like listing the more you'll want to carry on!

I hope these tips help! Let me know of any others you have!


Saturday 17 August 2013

Upcycling

If anyone was watching Kirstie Allsopps new series I'm sure you will have caught the upcycling bug! Its something I've always been curious about but never really had the chance to get stuck into. Over summer I had a couple of projects (that explains the sunshine in the pictures!) so I thought I would share what I've been up to.

This wooden table on wheels originally held my towels and books on it but I needed something in my room for the TV. I hated the colour and it didn't go in the room but instead of throwing it away and spending money I thought I would have a go at updating it.


We had a tub of white paint in the shed and some sandpaper so I gave it a sand down and a few coats of the paint. As the weather was warm it dried quickly and by the end of the day it went back in the room! It now fits in much better with the room and I didn't have to spend any money on new furniture!


This table was a find from a skip that I spotted walking to my friends house. We could see the chairs and I ended up knocking on the door and squeezing it all into the car! It was a horrible brown colour similar to the table above! We sanded it all down and gave it a couple of coats of 'Milky Coffee' paint from Wilkinsons durable range. Mum did originally have a table in the dining room but it was big and took up alot of the room so we sold it on eBay and replaced it with this. So not only did we make money we got a new table for the cost of a few hours and a tin of paint!

Baby Shower present for around £20!

This October my lovely cousin is due to give birth to a beautiful baby boy named Logan. We are planning a baby shower at the end of August which is a great excuse to spoil her with presents! This is what I have come up with, all for around £20!



This is the box I have used, It was a wooden box that came from a crate of wine my Dad received for Christmas. Its a good idea to keep things like this they can be very useful! I bought two tester pots of paint from Homebase in different colour blues and gave the box a couple of coats. I then printed off some stencils and used these to write Logan on the front in the darker blue. 


The baby journal was the first thing I bought and the most expensive, this was £5. The frame was in a box of items for 10p from the car boot sale. Its new and goes well with the blue theme!


The two bottles of little angels wash were from Asda for £1.50 for the two. The rest of the bits were from poundland. They had a big range of baby items and they were all lovely and well worth a look!


These leather frog shoes were new from the car boot sale for £2, the M&Co socks and bear slippers were 50p each also from the car boot sale and the blue tractor socks were £1 from Poundland. 


All these clothes were picked up at either the car boot sale or a charity shop. The whole lot came to £8.80 which is less than the original cost of the cord trousers from next which I picked up for £1 with the tags still on! Car boot sales are brilliant for picking up baby items as most babies will only wear them once and then grow out of them. Many mums get given so many gifts the baby never wears them which means they will be selling items that are brand new! Car boot sales are better for clothing presents than eBay as you can pick up the item you want to buy and check it before you make a decision. There is also no postage few and most of the time the prices are much lower! 


These bits were made from an old top and dress that I was planning to throw away. The snake has bubble wrap inside to make it rustle when it moves! Its important when you are making things like this for a baby to make sure there are no loose bits for the baby to choke on. The frames were 10p for the three from the car boot sale which I painted in the same colours as the box and plan to put in pictures of my cousin, her finance and son (Logans big brother!) 



These two came from ideas I saw on pinterest! The scrabble pieces were from an old game of scrabble and the other one I used some blue buttons to make the letter L. 



This final present was £1 from the car boot sale. It needed alot of love, lots of washing and I even shaved part of it to remove the bobbly bits! I am really happy with how it has come out!