Oh, what a summer.  I can’t believe it’s slipping by so fast.  I’m slowly starting to make the mental shift towards fall, my boys starting back to school, and having a more regular routine.  But that doesn’t mean I am wishing away the last few weeks of summer!

Every week I think about doing a “what’s sold” post and a “what I’ve found yard saling” post.  While I find good items here and there at yard sales, and the prices are generally unbeatable, I feel like the number and quality of yard sales this year has gone down.  Maybe because of all the FB and other newer online selling venues, maybe because it has been unseasonably hot, maybe for reasons I haven’t even thought of.  BUT ~ this weekend there area a couple big rummage sales, as well as a “neighborhood” sale in my area.  I put neighborhood in quotes because it is actually dozens of streets.  My boys wanted us to have a yard sale too, but I said heck no!  This is the weekend to shop.

I’ve kind of gotten into a listing groove recently.  I have been listing 12 items every day.  A small, consistent, doable goal.  And my sales are improving.  In fact, I hit a goal I’ve been eyeing for quite awhile.

My sales are up over 100% over the same time period last year!  I’ve been watching the % creep up, but it finally tipped over the 100% mark today.  Yay.

How is your summer?  How are sales?  Trucking along or summer slowdown?  I’d love to hear about it!

New year, new goals!  I just looked to see what my goals were at the start of 2016, wondering if I had come close to hitting them, but it doesn’t look like I posted any.

I love the new year, the feeling of starting off fresh, all the possibilities.  Goals are fun, but of course they aren’t anything more than wishes unless I’m willing to put in the work to make them happen.  Here are my current goals for 2017:

List 100 new items/week

This is actually a slightly toned-down goal from the start of the school year.  I had HUGE expectations of what I should be able to accomplish with both boys being in school.  I thought I would be able to use all of the time they were in school to list.  Reality – notsomuch.  I spend most of Monday volunteering at their school, and there are some other weekdays that I work at my “real” job, so I get little to no listing done.  Also, there is shipping, photographing, and other life things that take up time I would like to be using to list.  So, I am starting 2017 with a workable, achievable listing goal, with the knowledge that how many items I am able to list each day will probably change day to day, week to week, depending on how our schedules go.  And that will be okay, as long as I am hitting 100 by the end of the week.

Sales average $150/day ~ $1000/week 

I was hitting this for awhile, notsomuch lately.  It’s totally doable if I am consistent with my listing.

Get organized, stay organized  

I need to reorganize my office, it looks like an explosion of packing materials.  And I had been letting my inventory creep back into our living areas.  No more.

Inventory all totes  

This is a long-term goal, because I usually wait for the obscene number of free listings to pop up, and then I go through totes and end listings, tweak listings, add Best Offer, sell similar, or just end them for good.

Keep blogging

I’ve neglected it.  I know it.  I enjoy blogging, and want to feel like I have the time to dedicate to it.  But it requires me getting my listing done first, so I can focus on more fun things guilt-free.

Become a morning person?

I think I’m gonna try it.  I used to be a real night owl, but I feel like I am getting very little actually accomplished in the late hours lately.  I’ve been moving my bedtime earlier and earlier, and I think when the boys start back to school I will head to be shortly after they do, and get up at 5 a.m. to get some work done before they get up.  I am usually most motivated first thing in the morning.  (We’ll see how this one goes.)

What are your goals for 2017?  I would love to hear about them!

I know, I’m a month late in the goal setting for 2015.  Better late than never?

I took a look back at the goals I set for myself last year, and many are very much the same as what I would like to accomplish this year.  2014 goals are in italics, 2015 goals are in bold.  They are:

#1)  Keeping up with the boys.   

(2014) I am still a busy mama with two young boys (ages 6 and 2), and they will always be my priority.  I know how lucky I am that I am able to stay home with them full-time.  I am very thankful to have found a way to contribute to the family budget while being with them, but I also know eBay could take over my life if I’d let it.  Sometimes I will need to put eBay on the back-burner of life, and just let it simmer.  And that’s okay.

(2015) I am definitely still a busy mama (boys now ages 7 and 3), and they are still my priority.  But, things have changed in our family (most significantly my husband’s job), and I find myself needing to step up and fill some of the gap.  The good thing is that I already had this in place as a way to earn an income.  I now need to work on transitioning my thinking from being just a fun hobby to an actual job.  The good thing is, keeping up with the boys doesn’t really have to suffer.  I have two mornings a week when they are both in school, and usually have at least a couple of other mornings each week when my husband works later in the day so he is able to hang out with our youngest while I list.  I try to keep our afternoons listing-free, but will often go back to it after the boys are in bed.

#2)  Continue growing my eBay store.    

(2014) I know it will be a slow grow.  But, I would like to eventually get my store up to 1000 items, and then try to hold steady.

(2015) I can’t remember when I hit 1000 listings, but it was months ago.  I have been holding steady, but would like to work up towards 1500.

#3)  Continue to branch out, but also list what I love.  

(2014) It’s gotten to the point where I feel like I could list pretty much anything, and I do.  And while I am always happy to find a hot item that sells for big bucks, I also enjoy some smaller sales too.  Some kids clothes or plush may not bring in a lot of money, but if I enjoy buying and selling them – then it’s worth it.  I want this “job” to stay fun as well as profitable.

(2015) This attitude worked well when eBay was more of a hobby job.  Now that I am transitioning my thinking to a real job I will try to focus less on the smaller sales and more on items that can bring in bigger money.  I will be very, very selective on anything new I purchase.  Some of my unlisted inventory though will probably fall into the more-fun, less-profitable category.

#4)  Tackle Amazon!  

(2014) I’ve procrastinated long enough.  I’ve sold a few things myself, but still haven’t ventured into FBA territory.  This is the year.

(2015) Other than a few MF sales, I didn’t do anything with Amazon last year.  For some reason I am feeling less and less motivated to get started with Amazon.  Probably just resisting the unknown, maybe afraid of change.  I should just send in one box and see how it goes.  Maybe I’ll like it.  Maybe this is the year?

#5)  Continue attending my local eBay sellers Meet-Up group.  

(2014)  I found it on a fluke, and have been attending regularly for almost a year.  Even when the topic of the month isn’t something that I am especially interested in, I am always happy that I showed up.  There’s something great about sitting in a room with like-minded people who totally get the eBay/Amazon/Etsy draw to selling online.

(2015) The time and date of the meetings changed at the beginning of 2014, so for quite a few months I wasn’t able to attend.  Now, with my husband’s new schedule my ability to attend changes from month to month, but I have made it to the last few meetings, and still enjoy being able to go.  

#6)  Continue to write this blog.  

(2014) I love reading the blogs of other sellers, and I am always happy to be able to pay it forward when I come across a BOLO.  I value the connections and friendships this blog has afforded, and for that I thank all of you.

(2015)  Ditto.  I still enjoy writing this blog, and reading all of yours.  I’ve got a bunch of ideas for new posts for both this blog and my new one.  Now to find the time to get them all written!