You Need These Cordless Scissors! The Pink Ones!

Buy Cordless Scissors – The Pink Ones

If you are like me, there are times when I need to ship something flat!

The package will need a piece of cardboard or two to keep it from bending during shipping.

I have cut a lot of cardboard, and the standard scissors “JUST DON’T CUT IT”! Pun Intended!

Once I found these cordless scissors, it made my day! Literally! No more pain! Quick and easy!

Watch the video below to see how they work!

Click here to find them on Amazon.

No more pain from regular scissors. I recommend buying the Pink Power Cordless Scissors. You won’t be sorry!

It cuts many things besides cardboard. Paper, material and so much more!

Make your eBay shipping life easier! See a list of benefits below.

10 Benefits

  1. Increased efficiency and productivity in cutting materials such as cardboard and bubble wrap.
  2. Reduced risk of repetitive strain injuries compared to manual scissors.
  3. Easy to use, with cordless options available for greater mobility.
  4. Precision cutting for more accurate sizing of materials.
  5. Improved safety features, such as automatic shut-off and blade guards.
  6. Longer battery life and faster charging times for cordless models.
  7. Customizable blade speed for greater control over cutting.
  8. Reduced noise pollution compared to manual scissors.
  9. Versatility in cutting a variety of materials, including fabric and leather.
  10. Minimized waste by cutting materials to the exact size needed, reducing excess and potential damage during shipping.

 

 

Shipping Tools

Shipping has to be the most confusing activity for most online sellers!

Yet, shipping can become easier and less expensive when using many of the options listed below:

As sellers, we need all the help that we can get in the way of shipping tools regarding costs, speed of delivery, box size and types of service.

If you are interested in info on other seller tools, head over to this page: Seller Tools.

Here is a list of my favorite shipping tools. I will be reviewing them, so be sure to come back and check this page often for more information.

Shipping Services

  • Amazon Seller Shipping
  • eBay Seller Shipping
  • FedEx
  • Pirate Ship – A Free and cost effective way to ship using USPS
  • Ship Station
  • UPS

Shipping Scale

In order to use many of these services, you will need a shipping scale. Here is one that I recommend!

 

Thermal Printer

You will also want a printer for labels that you print from your home computer or mobile device. No need to drive to the Post Office or shipping store anymore!

The best part is NO INK, NO TONER needed!

Rollo Thermal Printer

My favorite printer is a thermal 4″x6″ printer.  Click here to purchase from Amazon!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Auctiva Listing Tool

 

Review

I have been using Auctiva for many, many years. I build templates that I like for all sorts of items: tennis rackets, record albums, magazines, dolls, etc.

Auctiva

If you sell on Amazon or eBay or on your own website, Auctiva can help make the listing process so much easier!


Your friend AnneZ (eBayId: annez) wants to save you time and money!
AnneZ already knows the benefits of using Auctiva; now it is time for you to find out. 

  • Auctiva’s one-page listing tool dramatically reduces the time it takes to list each item
  • Auctiva’s emporium and scrolling gallery help you cross-market and increase customer traffic, as well as create a brand for your business
  • Auctiva’s professionally designed templates give your listings an edge over the competition
  • Auctiva’s profiles will save you both time and sanity in not having to type repetitive information into hundreds of listings
  • Auctiva’s unlimited image hosting, with supersizing, gives you a central, safe place for all of your product images


And the best part is: You can try it for FREE!

Unlimited use of Auctiva’s full suite of auction management tools is available to new users for an entire 30 days. You can list, upload images, create numerous profiles for different items, design an emporium and scrolling gallery AND have access to an inexhaustible supply of auction templates… all for FREE! Then, after your 30-day trial, simply pick from one of our affordable listing plans, or become a Free Tools user to retain our marketing tools, like the Auctiva Scrolling Gallery.

Come experience the premiere eBay auction management experience.

Sign Up Today!

 

Seller Tools

Listing has to be the least favorite activity for most online sellers!

Yet, the harsh reality is that your items won’t sell if they are not listed!

As sellers, we need all the shortcuts and help that we can get in the way of seller tools: listing, accounting, bookkeeping, money management, payment collection and more.

If you are interested in info on shipping tools, head over to this page: Shipping Tools.

Here is a list of my favorite seller tools. I will be reviewing them, so be sure to come back and check this page often for more information.

  • Auctiva – Create listing templates as well as manage a variety of selling accounts from one location
  • Cross Post-It – Listing and management tool for consignment sellers including payments to consignors
  • GoDaddy Bookkeeping – Easy, do-it-your-self bookkeeping with import options from banks, eBay, Amazon, etc.
  • Size.ly – Create beautiful templates with measurements for your clothing listings.
  • PayPal – The tried and true, grand-daddy of money collection and payment sites.
  • Terapeak – Research – An exclusive eBay insights tool, and an effective way to research what your competitors are doing, how they’re doing it, and how you can improve your own listings on eBay.
  • Venmo – A hip money collection and payment for buyers and sellers (owned by PayPal)

 

Size.ly Clothing Measurement Tool Review

If you sell clothing online: on eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, and other popular platforms, Size.ly is a must-have online seller tool for you! I will break down all the pluses and minuses in my personal review of Size.ly below. I will include screenshot images of my step-by-step process of creating wonderful, clean images that contain all the measurements.

Why Sell Clothing?


Clothing is a very popular and easy item to sell online. Here are some reasons for selling clothing:

  • Most everyone wears clothing, so it can have high demand with buyers!
  • It doesn’t “break” when it is shipped to the buyer, and “easy to ship” items are always welcome to a seller’s inventory.
  • Styles change all the time, so many folks want the latest fashions and love to shop online to find them!
  • It feels good to sell lightly used t-shirts, dresses, jackets, and shoes to buyers to “give the items a new life”. It is another type of recycling! And you can make money too!
  • Clothing is easy to find in most discount departments and thrift stores. It is inexpensive to source products, then re-sell them.
  • We all have an abundance of extra clothing in our closets, which we will never ever wear again. Why not sell them? And make extra cash at the same time! It’s a win-win!

Steps to Listing Clothing


  • Find clothing (to sell) that is in “very good to new with tags” condition for higher resale prices.
  • Measure clothing so the buyer sees accurate sizing. A small, medium or large, etc size can differ greatly, depending on when it was made and by the maker or designer. (Hint: Size.ly will help you in this department! – Keep reading!)
  • In your description, don’t forget to note the flaws, if there are any! If there is a stain or spot, please point it out and be as accurate as possible. You want your buyers to be as informed as possible before their purchase is made.
  • Take many photos! Front, back, side, labels for sizing and garment care, hems, sleeves, etc.
  • Use a mannequin whenever possible. They are available online and make an attractive appearance to the potential buyer!
  • Most buyers prefer items that come from a smoke-free environment. Note that as well!

Cut Down on Returns


When buyers purchase clothing online, they are not able to try things on in person, like when shopping in a store.

Showing the measurements with a template can give the potential buyer a visual aid and helps cut down on possible “returns” because items were the wrong size. It may not eliminate the returns but can help reduce returns greatly. Fewer returns mean keeping more profits!

Size.ly is an app which is an online app that allows you to pick a template and fill in the measurements of the piece of clothing you want to list/sell. Depending on the plan you sign up for: Micro, Pro, Ultra, or Enterprise, you will have access to more templates.

Here are some templates available in the TOPS category. Find the template that matches what you want to list and it’s very easy to fill in the measurements. There are so many templates to choose from, including bottoms, outerwear, underwear, kids, accessories, glasses, bags, shoes, misc, and more.

Here’s How to Fill in a Size.ly Template


As an example of how to fill in the template, here is a Women’s T-Shirt (shown as a Warner Bros Brand: Harry Potter T-Shirt photo here).

  • Step One – Take Photos of Article of Clothing

 

  • Step Two – Find the Blank Template of the Type of Clothing on Size.ly. In this example it is: Women’s Tee.

 

  • Step Three – Measure Clothing and Fill in Template

Using your measuring tape, fill in the spaces with the measurements for shoulder, sleeves, length, and so on. When you are finished, click Generate and you will have the image below ready to use.

 

The file can be a saved a jpg, or as a URL or HTML code to put into your listing. See the screenshot below.

Once you are finished, your templates will be stored in the Size.ly History section of your account. You can find them easily for editing or deleting or finding the saved image or URL to use again. Depending on your plan you can save the images (called image hosting) from thirty days to an unlimited time! Be sure to check out the Pricing Plan section below in this review!

  • Here is a page of my template history:

 

  • Inches and Centimeters

Another plus on the finished template is that measurements are automatically converted from Inches to Centimeters! That’s a great feature and a real-time-saver.

  • Step Four – Upload your newly created and completed clothing template, along with the other photos you’ve taken to make your description and listing.

Wah-La! Congrats! Your listing will have the look and feel of a professionally done listing! And it will give your future buyers a lot of helpful sizing information!

Recap


Pluses

  • Easy to use
  • There are many blank templates to choose from with many popular styles of clothing
  • Time saver
  • Helps make a professional-looking description
  • Cool visual aid
  • Automatically converts between inches and centimeters
  • Cuts down on possible returns, since measurements are shown and easy to understand
  • The price is right (See below for plans and pricing to fit your needs!)
  • It can help boost your sales!
  • You will join more than 35,000 other sellers who use Size.ly for their clothing listings

Minuses

  • It may take creating a few templates to feel comfortable using it (but you can do it!)
  • Some clothing templates are only offered under the more expensive plans

Pricing and Plans


You can start with a Micro account and move up as you find your needs grow! Saving money is easy when choosing a yearly plan vs a monthly plan! Click here to sign-up today using my affiliate link. Money-making note: Size.ly has an awesome referral plan, which is easy to join!

There are many, many more templates as you pay more per plan.

Take a look at the monthly payment rates and the 4 levels of Size.ly here:

Now take a look at the billed yearly plan comparisons and the money you can save with your year commitment!

My "Z" Rating


On my scale of the “Z” Rating from Anne Z. with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest, I give Size.ly a solid 5 ZZZZZ’s for all that it offers sellers/businesses.

5 "Z" Rating

 

What’s not to love? There is something for every type of clothing seller from FREE to Enterprise! The price is right. Please use my personal link to sign up today and test it out for yourself! You will be a very happy clothing seller if you do!

Here is more info in the eBay Tip Section of my website. eBay Tip #2 – Sizely Clothing Measurement Templates.

Please feel share your experiences below. Or ask me questions if you have them and I will get back to you!

My Maxsold (Downsizing and Estate Sales) Review

What is Maxsold?


Maxsold is an online auction platform with a local pick-up component (no shipping involved), located all over North America. (Here is a list of the locations where Maxsold sales have been!) I have used them successfully four separate times as a reseller and have gained lots of insight of how it all works. This review will be filled with many personal experiences and a case study of my last auction, which just finished June 27, 2020.

Maxsold offers a quick turn around of about two weeks from beginning to end for those who need to downsize in a hurry or run an estate sale and have everything sell! Yes, that is true, most everything does sell!

Two Options of How it Works


You have the option of hiring a local Maxsold team (“Maxsold Managed”) to come to your house or property and sell everything you want them to! They do not “cherry pick” just the valuable stuff, so you can sell everyday household belongings too! The team will catalog and list all your items into lots: gardening stuff, office supplies, artwork, toys, dinnerware, etc. Before they come your job is to separate and take out any personal items that you don’t want to sell. The team will come to your location, take photos, create the listings, manage the pick-up day and do everything else for you too: advertising, communication, bookkeeping and payment collection. They will only need to be in your space two times: one before and one after the sale. Maxsold will then send you your earnings check (less Maxsold fees) in about fourteen days. Done! Easy peasy!

Or

You can set up a “Seller Managed” auction, where you do the on-site work (listing, photographing and pick-up duties) while the online team runs the auction, provides the advertising, manages the buyer communication and collects the payments for you. After the online auction is completed, Maxsold sends the seller a list of buyers and which lot numbers they won, along with winning bid prices. Once the buyer has paid, they receive the exact location address where they will come to pick up their items. They can also select the time slot for pick-up! I have scheduled all my pick-up days for Saturdays, from 10am-2pm on two occasions and from 9am-4pm on the other two occasions. Once the pick-up day is completed, the seller fills out a final report and sends via email it to Maxsold. A paper check will be delivered to the seller (less Maxsold fees) within about fourteen days or so. Boom, you are done!

What Does it Cost?


My four auctions have been all “Seller Managed”. I did all the leg work (listing and pick-up) and chose to sell items from many of my consignors as well as my own inventory, since I am a long time online seller with tons of stuff! A lot of the inventory was slow moving stock from my eBay store and so the lots I created helped me “move” many hundreds of items! Last summer I helped with liquidating a huge sixty-year old estate and my Maxsold sale was made up of kitchen ware, flower arrangements, picture frames, gardening tools, books and books, sporting equipment, sewing supplies, office supplies as well as collectible figurines, artwork and so much more. There was so much stuff to sell, and about 85-90% of the items did in fact sell. I gave the remainder of the items to a local charity in my area.

Take a Look at Past Auctions


One easy way to see what a Maxsold auction looks like is to review a selection of past auctions. They are categorized by city and state location. Click on this link to see past Maxsold auctions. How do so many items sell with Maxsold? The answer is very simple: all bidding begins at $1. Yes, $1. The buyers are excited to jump into the bidding with such low minimum bids, and the sellers are hopeful that it creates lots of interest in their auction items and drive the prices upward!

SELLER WARNING: Some items/lots will indeed sell for $1! So be prepared! Most of the active bidding happens toward the end of the auction, when prices will jump depending on how many bidders are online.

 

Free to Register As a Bidder


Maxsold is free to register if you intend to bid on an auction. However, you will pay a buyer’s premium (18% of the total invoice) at the end of the sale, which is an accepted practice.

There is also a soft close on Maxsold auctions. A soft close prevents individuals from entering a bid at the very last second before an auction closes with the intent to prevent others from bidding higher. MaxSold has a two-minute soft close policy on each lot.

This means that if a bidder enters a bid within two minutes of the lot’s initial closing time, a two-minute extension would be added on. The lot will not close until bidding is static for two minutes. This practice is common for many auction houses.

Advertising by Maxsold


One very important feature about Maxsold is their ongoing advertising campaigns. They use Facebook, Twitter, EstateSales.net, auctionzip, Craigslist, Pinterest and other sites to advertise your auctions. If more people are reached, then more people may register, bid and win! The Maxsold search engine retrieves all the local auctions by distance, say within an 80-mile distance from the auction’s zip code. From my experience my winning bidders have traveled from as far as two-three hours away from my location in Mill Valley, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“There is always good stuff in Mill Valley”, said one of my most recent bidders. “And you are always always so organized during pick-up, Anne!”

 

Auction Info


I try to run auctions for a length of seven to ten days (maximum). That gives potential bidders a time to respond to the advertising and to scroll through upcoming and current sales in order to find my auction, and have plenty of time to bid!

Once you have listed everything, either by computer with uploaded digital photos or with the FREE mobile Ninja app for cataloging an online Maxsold auction. There have been many improvements made to the app, which is so quick an easy to use like the ability to upload from your phone’s photo gallery and saving your work at every step.

It’s easy to upload a couple of lots one day and come back to create more the next time you login. Not all your listings have to be made at one time. My last auction took me many months, because we were in the midst of COVID and I knew no auctions were taking place anywhere. I had lot of time to formulate my listings! Click here to see my auction from June 2020!

If you are interested in becoming a seller please use my referral link: ZA7814! You will get $100 off on your fees!

Case Studies of My Maxsold Auctions


As a Top Rated eBay Seller and person who continually “Moves Things Around the Universe”, I heard about Maxsold from a guest named Craig Dawson on Jason Smith’s eBay Thrifty Business YouTube Show back in early 2019. Craig said it was quick, easy and very successful for him because he already wanted to ramp up his own auctions. He had lots of inventory and some of it hadn’t sold in a long time. He turned his frustration into a trial with Maxsold auctions. He formed over one hundred lots, of mostly antique toys and collectibles. He set the launch date, the auction ran, he supervised the pick-up and two weeks later had a nice check for his efforts.

One of my first thoughts was, “I can do that!” That perked my interest mainly because I had a lot of older slow moving inventory sitting around. I wanted to clear our space in my eBay office for new offerings, so I used his referral code and gave it a try! I spoke with Maxsold on the phone and they were very responsive. I filled out the contract and gathered information about the step by step process and within a month I had my first auction ready to roll!

Personal Background: I have been selling eBay since July 6, 1998! Yup 22 years! I’ve received over 10,000 positive feedbacks as a Top Rated Seller over that time! I have sold a ton of stuff! Most of it under $50 for each sale! I have sold on Amazon as an FBA Seller (Fulfilled by Amazon) and as a Merchant Seller (I ship my items sold on Amazon myself to buyer). I have done scores of garage sales locally in Marin County, CA (SF Bay Area). I sell on local marketplaces too including Craig’s List, Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, and by using old-fashioned Classified Ads back in the day. I also am a long time eBay Education Specialist (eBay’s old term and now defunct program) and have taught hundred’s of folks all about selling on eBay. Fast forward to my reaching new students by offering an online course called “The ABC’s of Selling Online Using eBay” on Udemy.

I sell my own inventory like used tennis balls (for dog owners) and sports equipment to books and movie and music memorabilia. I also sell on consignment for people that are downsizing, moving or just clearing their clutter! I try not to put all my “eggs in one basket” and for that reason I found that Maxsold could enhance my sales by filling a void in the need for inventory reduction and start fresh again with new items to sell!

The biggest benefit for me and my clients are how many individual items I can sell in a week’s time and have it all gone at the end of ten days. Plus receive payment within another fourteen days! Below you will see info about the four sales I have had with Maxsold from a year ago (May 2019) to this past week (June 2020). About half of the items were my from my own inventory and the other half from my consignors. It’s proven to be a load lightening experience. I am sharing personal information on my completed sales below.

Here is the link to my May 2019 Maxsold sale! There is quite a variety of items in this sale: men’s ties, baseball cards and artwork and way more! I sold a total of 79 lots. Here is my final take at the end of it all: $450.81. Better than most of my garage sales!

 

 

Here is the link to my August 2019 Maxsold sale! These items were primarily from a family’s estate that hadn’t sold during their estate sale. The event saw 33 registered bidders, with a gross total of approximately $526.61. 72.10% Sold. This sale was not quite as profitable, mainly because my lots were too big. If I had broken them down into smaller lots, I think I would have sold more. Lesson learned. Still, so many things were picked up that it was a win in that department! There was a coupon applied to my profit of $100 which helped as well! The “no sale” was an electric guitar that went unpaid. I relisted in my next Maxsold auction.

 

 

Here is the link to my November 2019 Maxsold sale! The weather was changing and garage sale season was coming to an end in the SF Bay Area. I had to get this in quickly because my pick-up location is out of doors and I didn’t want it to rain on my parade! Whew! It didn’t rain! This sale had 89 lots that had bids and was made of up dolls, household items and memorabilia. This time the electric guitar sold for $36 to a nice young man who was so excited to win this Decca vintage instrument! I was very happy for him! This was my least successful sale in terms on profit, but once again, I move so many things on without the shipping hassle of eBay! Another win in my book!

Fast forward to 2020 and I was ready with more inventory to move quickly, mainly to reclaim space in my eBay office. It fills up quickly with all the consignment accounts I have going. The first question to ask yourself is your sale worth at least $300, since that is the bottom line cost for running a “Seller Managed” auction. For this sale, I downloaded the Maxsold mobile app and used the login info provided by Maxsold.

I worked on it slowly in the beginning of the new year and then COVID hit, so I stopped temporarily. With some friendly email reminders and a few supportive phone calls from the Maxsold staff, I resumed my cataloging and got back to work on my latest auction.

Once things started to re-open in California and I did the Covid training for “Seller Managed” auctions about social distancing and spacing pick-up times. I am lucky to have an outdoor pick-up spot, near my eBay office as you can see from the photo below. Notice the hand sanitizer and wipes ready to go! Also, I sorted the lots by winning bidder and labels on all of them to check and double check that all the items were present. I use lots of old boxes and bags to gather the lots up, though it is suggested by Maxsold that buyers bring their own container for pick-up.

I am waiting for my final talleys on sales and fees, which I will add to this post once they are ready. You will see that I had one hundred lots sell and there were 34 winning bidders. Many bidders are successful on multiple lots! Here is the link to my June 2020 Maxsold auction.

This sale had many bags of Legos, power tools, toys, artwork and other assorted items. So many items were pick-up that didn’t go into the landfill and I made more space in my eBay for new consignments and inventory for future sales. My sale grossed a total of approximately $626.10. 83.20% Sold. I was happy even if I have yet to reach the $1000 mark in sales, which would be nice.

My June 2020 Maxsold Sale

Maxsold Buyers Are Very Nice!


One of the best part about meeting the people who win my auction items is that I find them incredibly nice. They come from far and wide: Monterrey, San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco and towns in Marin County too! They are very happy to get the deals they do! AND I am so happy that they pick it up, all in one day!

With the Covid rules in place, there were specific time slots for pick-up which actually was a good thing, so I new who to expect next. Some folks arrived early, which was fine, since all the items were labeled by person and ready to go in my alley way. I enjoy asking if they were resellers or just collectors and possibly both! Many of my buyers are now repeat buyers and remember my location as being an easy one to access for pick-up.

At the end of the day, all but two items were picked up, which I reported on my end of sale report to Maxsold. I will be seeing my check in about fourteen days. It is usually delivered by DHL envelope to my front door.

New Contract


As a repeat seller, I always look ahead to the next possible window for my next Maxsold sale and will sign a new contract very soon. I hope to have it in the Fall of 2020. No doubt with all my consignor clients, I will have plenty of inventory to lot up and put into a new auction. I think that having more lots, hopefully a little higher dollar value will bring in a larger profit for me. That’s my next goal, since my first four sales were about liquidating and moving a volume of items.

I have not posted very valuable or expensive items because I am frankly worried that the $1 starting bid will not bring me top dollar necessarily. I have heard from Maxsold that people often sell cars for thousands of dollars, again with a $1 opening bid. I’m a bit more chicken!

What Sells?


The short answer: most everything. The long answer: it will depend on timing and your audience. All I can say is that with Maxsold it really is a buyer’s market. The audience, while growing, is still limited to people who scroll through the local listings and are available to be there in person for the pick-up.

Many buyers are re-sellers themselves. Others bid and purchase to help others. One of my buyers, finds all the sleeping bags and camping equipment she can and donates to some Native American groups in the West. Other buyers find deals for themselves: perhaps bulk material for sewing and arts and crafts projects, or teachers buying things for their classrooms. Check out this video about how Mari Nicolson creates beautiful art from the discarded belongings featured on the Maxsold website.

It is a mixed bag and also diverse reasons for buying. Get your creative juices flowing with the possibility of re purposing items you may find on Maxsold. Click here to watch a Maxsold video webinar with Serena Appiah from Thrift Diving and be inspired!

So if you know your market is mixed, then try to sell an assortment of items. Usual items from estate sales do just fine: mirrors and artwork and kitchen equipment and tools from the workshop. Whatever you have, it probably will sell. Usual sells as well as lots of DVD’s and CD’s! Here is a link to the Maxsold website “The 10 Weirdest Things That You Can Find at An Estate Sale”.

Don’t forget to check out their YouTube videos on everything Maxsold!

Here is the link to their page.

Maxsold Selling Points


Less than a week after my sale was completed I received an email from the Maxsold staff with a tracking number and carrier info on when my check will arrive.

Here is some info from that email that I liked a lot!

“By selling through MaxSold you have made an environmentally responsible
decision to reduce your carbon footprint by extending the useful life of
your things.

Because all our goods are bought and sold locally, you have helped eliminate
the carbon footprint associated with packing material and shipping
emissions.

A big thank you from your entire local team as well as your support for
hiring MaxSold.”

Recap


Pluses

  • Almost everything will sell in a Maxsold sale
  • Online auction rather than in person sale
  • All items begin with a low $1 minimum bid (good for buyers)
  • No shipping required – local pick-up only
  • So awesome for selling furniture or larger, bulky items that frankly require local pick-up! Buyers come to you!
  • The Maxsold team provides very good communication via email and phone, especially for sellers!
  • Maxsold auctions can be a great tool for huge inventory reduction!
  • Any profit is a good one!
  • The Maxsold Seller App is easy to use and upload
  • Maxsold website has a bunch of educational tips and tricks from the pros on their website
  • The auctions use a “soft close” which can extend the auction time to create more bidding and increase price (good for sellers)
  • The online auctions are FREE to register
  • Great opportunities in sourcing new inventory as a reseller! (Check out info for resellers by watching 2 Maxsold videos)
  • Competition with other online buyers can be low, depending on auction sites and lots available
  • The start to finish time is short (10 days) for Maxsold Managed Sales – and they do all the work!
  • Maxsold handles the advertising and you can promote in your own circles too!
  • Buyers are very nice!
  • If you have an actual storefront and use for pick-up, you may increase your customer base with return buyers!
  • Payment at end of process is received within 14 days of pick-up day
  • Maxsold really works!
  • Sky’s the limit on profits depending on what you are selling!
  • It is possible to make money as a referral seller!
  • Great option to create one’s own sale OR have Maxsold manage the whole process

 

(Here is my personal code for you to save using Maxsold!:

Referral link – ZA7814! You will get $100 off on your fees!)

 


Minuses

  • Items can actually sell for the low starting bid of $1 (not good for sellers)
  • The $300 or 30% fee (which ever is greater) is rather steep if you don’t have high priced items
  • Communication with buyers can only be done through Maxsold customer service
  • Setting up lots for sale is a bit hit-and-miss until a good balance is made for what to put in each lot and how big a lot!
  • Buyers may be stuck with some items in the lot they don’t really desire
  • Using the online spreadsheet is a bit more cumbersome than the mobile app for setting up a “Seller Managed” auction
  • A pick-up day can be a long one, unless a seller can pair down the time frame, say 10am-2pm rather than 9am-4pm
  • As a buyer if you aren’t able to pick-up, you may forfeit your purchase (please let Maxsold know of any issues)
  • Buyers are limited to geographic region only, for example SF Bay Area for me because of local pick-up only
  • Getting past the fear of jumping in and giving Maxsold a try
  • Final profits may not be as high as a seller may have hoped for
  • Putting lots together can take a bit of time and one must be organized to run a “Seller Managed” sale including writing fair and honest descriptions and taking in-focus photos are a must
  • Though typical, buyers pay an 18% Buyer’s Premium on their total invoice
  • Once a seller “locks in their sale”, there is a $50 fee to make changes, so be certain when submitting!

As an online seller I find using many different platforms for re-selling and possibly sourcing for items to resell in crucial in my business. I recommend using Maxsold in the mix of other sites like eBay, Poshmark, Craig’s List and others. Maxsold is unique in its concept and plan for folks to downsize, have an estate sale and do it as profitably as possible. Without having the headache of shipping and using local pick-up as the way to “move things around the universe”, I have been very happy with the four sales I’ve had and self-managed to date.

If running a sale yourself it too much, Maxsold offers the option of having them do the whole kit ‘n caboodle! Either way, there is a solution for you to get rid of unwanted items/clutter/valuables and make some money at the same time. I call using a Maxsold a win/win! Here is a link to a report filled with testimonials and other helpful insights from Maxsold customers.

My "Z" Rating from Anne Z.


On my scale of the “Z” Rating with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest, I give Maxsold a solid 5 ZZZZZ’s for all that it offers sellers/businesses.

5 "Z" Rating from Anne Z.

Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you may have, no matter where you live or where you are in the process of wanting to sell or just plain ‘ole get rid of stuff! I hope this review has been helpful and I would love to read your thoughts and comments down below! Here is a link to Maxsold’s FAQs where you can find more selling information that may help you in the future!

If you or someone you know may be interested, please use my referral link and you will get $100 off your fees on your first completed sale.

(Here is my personal code for you to save using Maxsold!:

Referral link – ZA7814! You will get $100 off on your fees!)

Managed Payments on eBay

There is a big change coming to eBay selling this year of 2020. It’s called Managed Payments and it’s sort of like eBay’s version of “PayPal”. eBay used to own PayPal and split some time back. Now eBay is taking over it’s own money collection process. It will be rolling out to most sellers over the next few months, and I have just received an invitation from eBay to enroll.

 

eBay Managed Payments


 

What’s It All About, Alfie?


Here is eBay’s promo video on how it works!

I have two eBay accounts and have been asked by eBay to sign-up for Managed Payments before July 15, 2020 on my smaller account, so it will allow me to see how it all works and report back here once it’s all in place.

I will notate each step along the way, for you to see for yourself!

Let’s Get This Party Started!


 

After clicking the Get Started Button located on my eBay page, Get Started

here is what one sees:

eBay is Managing Payments

eBay says that it will give buyers more choices, along with streamlined payouts and simplified fees.

What's Changing

Here’s what one needs to register:

What You'll Need

 

You can download the Registration Checklist for MP – Click this link here.

Time to Register


Register Now

  • Next you will be asked some questions about your eBay selling account and update your account details.
  • Account Info
  • Link Bank Account you want your sales earning to go into.

TIP: Use a separate checking account from your personal for business and tax reasons. Less confusing!

  • Link Bank Account
  • Then Review info and Confirm.
  • Here is the email I received upon registration completion:

Registration Completion

Almost ready to begin. eBay will let me know when everything is up and running.

On the List

 

3 Advantages Over PayPal


The three advantages of Managed Payments according to eBay:

  • No transfers needed.

No transfers needed

  • More ways for buyers to pay.More ways for buyers to pay
  • Simpler fees.

Simpler fees

 

Recap


It was simple to register. I will await account activation information from eBay and report back in a new post as I begin to use.

If you have questions, drop them in the comments below and I will try and answer as best I can.

Managing business during the outbreak of COVID-19

Here is a message from eBay:

March 12, 2020

 

seller_news_team

Verified Blogger

Verified Blogger

A health crisis like the COVID-19 outbreak presents unexpected and unprecedented challenges for businesses, both small and large. We’re monitoring the situation closely and, along with the safety of our employees, our top priority is our sellers.

 

In an effort to protect our employees throughout this event, people from some offices globally have been working remotely from home where appropriate or required by government agencies. That said, normal work continues— seller tools are still available, and employees are working every day in service to our community.

 

In supporting our sellers, we will stay in close contact with our service carriers and will extend seller protections should services become interrupted.  In the meantime, here are some ways you can take care of your health and business right now:

 

Stay safe. Stay informed.

The health and safety of you and your community is most important. Stay up to date and informed on ways to protect your health and others at official sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and your local health department.

 

Partner with your customers.

As always, let your buyers know if there may be delays getting your items out the door. Use social media to let your regular shoppers and followers know, and turn on vacation mode to alert potential buyers if you can’t get your shipments out the door on time.

 

We will monitor the situation with shipping service providers and, as always, if there are interruptions in service, we will protect you.

 

Stay connected with us and the eBay community.

Your fellow eBay sellers are more than just a resource for improving and growing your business. They’re also a link to the world around you, and your online connections are now becoming even more important.

 

With over 8 million members, the eBay Community offers real-time advice across thousands of discussion threads, forums, groups, and regular Community Chat hours. We’ll be staying connected with you through the boards and listening to your feedback.

 

We are providing our sellers who host in-person Community Events with resources to run these events online. If you are a member of a Community Group and are not comfortable joining an upcoming Community Event in person, ask the host to consider holding a virtual event.

 

You can also connect with fellow sellers through social media. Follow eBay for Business on Facebook, and seek out other online groups passionate about selling.

 

Direct brick-and-mortar customers online.

Physical stores may see a decline in traffic during the outbreak, so if you have a brick-and-mortar store, let customers know that they can always shop your inventory on eBay.

__

Again, the health of you and those in your community is most important. Stay safe and, as always, thank you for selling on eBay.

 

Jordan Sweetnam

SVP and General Manager, North America

 

eBay Tip #31 – Dedicated Thermal Label Printer – A Must Have

Rollo Thermal Label Printer

I don’t know why I waited so long, but I finally took the plunge! I bought a dedicated USB thermal label printer!

No Ink Needed


Thermal printers are really cool because they use no ink! Instead, the printer prints digitally on thermal paper by heating selected areas of the paper as it passes over the thermal print head.

Actually, I have previously owned a Dymo thermal printer made just for printing small 1″ x 3″ mailing labels. I used this when I sold on Amazon as an FBA seller (fulfilled by Amazon). In order to send my products to their warehouses, each item had to have the bar code covered over with a new code label. I loved the ease of use. It just printed a specific size label, over and over. It was a work horse! I loved that little printer!

I didn’t come by newest purchase without cause. My main printer, a Brother Color Laser printer (MFC-9130CW) needed a new fuser, which I’ve replaced in the past, so I ordered the part on eBay. It came, I installed and it still was not working properly. I re-installed the old one, no help either. I had a lot of shipping to do today, so yesterday I did a little research and decided to buy a dedicated thermal label printer, just for my shipping labels.

My 1st Choice


How did I decide on the Rollo Thermal Printer? Here are my top three reasons:

  • It works with a Mac
  • The Price was right ($169 on Amazon)
  • I saw some reviews to convince me

Speedy and Compatible


In addition, it works with all my various platforms of selling online:

  • eBay
  • Poshmark
  • Amazon

AND my shipping platforms:

  • eBay.com
  • Stamps.com
  • Endicia
  • Ship Station
  • Pirate Ship

Prints in a Matter of Seconds


  • It uses 4″ x 6″ connected stacked thermal labels, which feed into Rollo printer
  • For best results I use: Preview app and Chrome browsers
  • Label tears right off after printing
  • Peal off back of label and attach to your package!

Here is a video on installing the Mac Driver! So easy!

Recap


eBay Tip #31

Tools can be an important part of your selling online life! Purchasing this dedicated thermal label printer is exactly what I needed for my biz!

Look no further than the Rollo Thermal Label Printer.

  • The Price is right!
  • Easy to use with a Mac!
  • Prints in Seconds!

eBay Tip #30 Make a List and Check it Twice

I find that if you write down your daily goals or make a TO DO List, things will have a better chance of getting done.

This simple action is very important as you begin ramping up in the world of online selling, including eBay!

It serves multiple purposes.

Making a List……..


  • Gives your day a plan
  • Keeps you focused and on track
  • Is a great way to see what you’ve accomplished at the end of the day, by reviewing your “checked off boxes”
  • Allows you to prioritize your tasks into urgent, important and non-urgent

You can also break your daily tasks into time segments like: 15 minute slots, 30 minute slots, 1 hour or longer and then make your list!

Begin the Day


  • Checking and answering email
  • Printing packing slips for orders that need to go out
  • Finding all the items that were ordered
  • Get them packed, weighed and measured.
  • Print mail labels
  • Load up my bin for my daily mail pick-up, which happens later in the afternoon.

Listing and Photos


I look through my various piles and boxes to see which items I want to list on eBay and other sites: Amazon, Facebook, Craig’s List, Next Door or Poshmark.

Sometimes my mood dictates listing larger items on the local sites, other times I might focus on records, or clothing or memorabilia. Whatever it may be, write it down.

Don’t Get Stuck in Analysis Paralysis


Researching items is a fun task, but it’s important not to get to involved or spend too long with it. That can be real time suck!

  • Go to the eBay Search Bar
  • Type in the item you want to sell
  • Click on Advanced to the right of the Search Bar
  • You can choose to see what similar items to yours have sold and their prices
  • The number may vary, so pick a mid range number and set your selling price

 

What Else Will You Do Today?


After shipping your orders, listing your new items, you may still have time for other related eBay activities like:

  • Sourcing more items
  • Sharing your items on Social Media
  • Ordering new shipping supplies
  • Doing some basic bookkeeping
  • or Fill in the blank _____________________

Check Off Your Activities


  • Can you list 3, 5, 10 or more items per day? Per week? Per month?
  • As you grow your sales, there will be more for you to plan for! Your time is valuable!
  • Perhaps, you will fit in a walk or lunch with an old friend or some grocery shopping.

One of the best parts about selling on eBay is the flexibility you have.

Recap


eBay Tip #30

  • Make a list of daily tasks
  • Get into your daily routine in an organized way
  • Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis
  • Check off what you have accomplished
  • And always keep it fun!

 

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