Back in Arizona for a Spell

My eBay inventory, organized by whether it's been listed yet or not

When I last wrote, it was the beginning of the new year, and I'd just quit my part-time job in order to devote all of my time and energy to self-employment as an eBay seller, artist, and antique dealer.  

At first I worked hard to get a bunch of scarves and Western shirts listed on eBay in anticipation of backing off a little while my son Sly came to visit me from Seattle.  Sly came for about a week and it was the best visit we've had together since I left the Pacific Northwest two years ago.  He is really growing up.  After a scary time when he was homeless and hopeless, he now has a job, a place to live, and over a half-year of being clean and sober.  He's been patiently (well, sometimes patiently) waiting to get into a halfway house that's specifically for transgendered young adults, and it looks like there will be an opening for him very soon.  Spending time with Sly was pleasant.  He took responsibility for himself in so many ways and even bought me a lot of groceries, which I'm still enjoying over a month later.  

 Sly enjoying being away from the Pacific NorthWET

While Sly was here, he helped me hang the "Art from the Heart" show at January's.  This is a really nice mix of work from about a half-dozen artists.  There is fiber art, quilting, sculpture, and collage, in addition to drawing and painting.  I had intended to take a bunch of photos which would look really nice right about here, but that hasn't happened.   

After Sly left, I worked hard at eBay again, plus I had the opportunity to add a little more work to the "Treasures of Truth or Consequences" show which is still on display at Grapes Gallery.  Two of my pieces had sold, so my portion of the wall space was getting kind of bleak.  

I decided to brighten it up with a tribute to chihuahuas, which are very popular dogs down here near the border.  I had never seen so many chihuahuas in my life until I moved here.  I've heard several people who own them say, "I never really liked chihuahuas before, but now that I have one, I love them!" 

One time shortly after I moved to TorC, I mentioned to a friend that I was lonely, and she said, "You need a chihuahua puppy."  Evidently chihuahuas are therapeutic, but I did not bite.  

Did you know that Aztecs and Toltecs believed that chihuahuas were holy little critters who should be sent into the afterworld as guides and to carry the sins of their human owners?   Anyway, here is my "Ai Chihuahua Mandala!," based on the Aztec calendar.

After I got the chihuahua piece done and there were some art-related social events to attend and so on, I decided to go to Arizona to visit Steve for a month or so.  My eBay work is completely portable, and my RV is set up to serve as a mobile eBay office, so off I went, in time to spend Valentine's Day with my sweetheart in Why, Arizona.

We've been having a very nice time.  I usually spend a good part of the day in The Guppy, working on the computer, and then I come back into Steve's 5th wheel for afternoon coffee and a little drawing.  We've shared some really great meals and enjoyed watching some movies in the evenings.  We went into Ajo one night expecting to hear the Tucson Symphony, but the concert was canceled due to a weather-related power outage.  The weather hasn't been great while I've been here, but it's improving.  This morning it was well below freezing when I got up, but it's probably in the 70s this afternoon.  Windy, though, so it's kind of challenging to spend time outside in a quiet activity such as reading or meditation.  

Sunset from The Guppy, Coyote Howls RV Park, Why, Arizona

This place is relaxing.  After I got here, I thought about all of my social and other activities in Truth or Consequences, and I realized that I probably usually spend at least 20 hours a week outside of my home.  No wonder I have trouble finding time to do artwork.  Here it is another story.  I draw something every day.  Besides Steve, I have maybe two friends, and I only see them if I make a point of going into Ajo.  Mostly I stay in Why to work, read, beat Steve's butt at cribbage, stuff like that.  There are no coffee shops here like there are in TorC, and, as much as I enjoy my social life there and miss both Passion Pie and the Black Cat, it's a great break to be here and have a different focus.

Colored pencil drawing of Sonja, asleep in Steve's 5th wheel

I have some excellent new inventory to sell on eBay.  A former eBay seller who was known online as "The Scarf Lady" has moved on to a new career in fashion design.  She was recently selling off some of her inventory in lots of 20 or 30 scarves, and I asked her if I could buy her entire inventory.  Fortunately she lives in Sarasota, where my sister also lives, so my sister went and picked up all 1000 scarves and will ship them to me.  I am currently working on a box of 200 that I purchased as a preview to the remaining 1000, and it is really fun to be working with such great scarves!  

Here is a gorgeous pure silk scarf, vintage but with the London shop tags still attached, never worn--flying dragons on a silvery gray background.  Fabulous!

I'm unclear as to when I'll be heading back to New Mexico.  I qualify for inexpensive health and dental care at a clinic in Ajo, so I'm getting medical and dental check ups within the next week, and I'll see if there is any follow-up care indicated.  Then Steve has to report for jury duty in Tucson (120 miles away--Pima is a big county!) next week, and we'll see if he gets selected for a case and how long that lasts.  I will probably try to get back to TorC in time for an April art show at Grapes that I've been invited to participate in.  So I just keep working on my eBay sales and my daily drawings and see what develops.

Obligatory cat picture.  What is my blog without one of these?

  

  

        

Starting the New Year as a Self-Employed eBay Top-Rated PowerSeller

 CULINARY ARTS INSTITUTE 1969 "250 Ways to Serve Eggs" Booklet

I closed my last blog entry with the news that I have decided to no longer have a part-time job so I can put all of my time, energy and skills into self-employment as an eBay seller, antiques consignor and artist.  

I've been busier than ever since quitting my job.  Self-employment is highly motivating.  I've listed more stuff on eBay than I have in a while, so now I have to start being better organized.  Until a few days ago, I could manage all of my current inventory in just a couple of boxes, but now I have more stuff than the boxes will hold.

Yesterday I bought bankers boxes and today I will start putting my eBay inventory into boxes marked "Listed at auction," "Listed in eBay store," and "Not yet listed."  I will also start keeping a list of what's in each box, so I can find the items when they sell.  

 

 Cool Retro Midcentury Japan MERRY CHRISTMAS Glass Miniature Tray

I'm also starting out 2013 with good recordkeeping.  The IRS only requires Paypal to report income if a seller takes in over $20,000 and has made over 200 sales.  I definitely qualify for the over 200 sales part, but I've never (yet!) made anywhere near $20,000 a year on eBay.  But this could be the year.  So I am tracking all of my expenses from the outset of this year, including what it cost me to buy those bankers boxes.  

So far, I've just been jotting my expenses down in a small notebook while deciding what sort of system I want to use.  I've looked at various types of personal finance and business accounting programs, and they all seem to be more complex than what my needs are.  So I am planning to use a simple paper ledger sheet instead.  

 

 Not yet listed Yoke Planter

 

I went looking for a ledger book yesterday.  We no longer have an office supply store in TorC, and Walmart didn't have what I needed.  So I went online and found out that almost any sort of paper you might need can be printed free from Printable Paper.  This site has lots of types of paper I might use in my art and music, as well--graph paper, postcards, music paper, etc.  If you're a knitter, quilter, or beader, there are layout sheets here, too.  I was able to print out exactly what I needed.

Figuring out your actual profit on eBay can be complex.  There are fees taken by eBay when you list the item, relist it, and if you sell it.  Paypal also takes a percentage.  Depending on how I've structured the transaction, buyers may pay for the shipping, but I often throw in free shipping as an enticement to buy small items that are inexpensive to ship.  Then there are shipping supplies, office equipment and supplies, and mileage or other travel expenses.  

 

CANYON COLORS Cotton Western Shirt Sz. S Burgundy Green White

Even something like the eBay fees can get a little complicated.  I usually first list an item in a 7-day online auction.  Then, if it hasn't sold, I look at how many "hits" the item got (how many times people looked at it) and decide whether it's worth relisting at a fixed price in my eBay store.  There's a small listing fee for each month that the item sits in my store.  So, by the time an item sells, I may have paid listing fees on it a half-dozen times.  I haven't yet figured out an easy way to keep track of this particular phenomenon.
 
The hardest thing to determine and track can sometimes be the price of the item itself.  Sometimes I buy "box lots" or "job lots" of stuff at live or online auctions.  Simply dividing the cost of the lot by the number of items in it isn't always a realistic basis for determining the cost.  Some items in the lot are worth more than others.  

Also, some items, whether purchased individually or in a lot, need some work to make them sellable.  For instance, I may take a tray that I bought for $1 at a garage sale, paint and collage it and seal my work with a sheet of acrylic, and then I have a $25 tray.  But certainly not $24 in profit.  

And what about the item I bought for my own use at full price, but then sold for less when it was no longer something I needed?  If I bought it for $90, used it for a while, and then sold it for $25, am I selling at a loss?   

So, I can only do my best at trying to solve these little issues.  I keep hoping that some smart eBayer will come up with a great piece of software that's easy to use and takes care of all the little problems.  Until then, I just have to find whatever information I can to help me make decisions and trust my gut.  I have years of experience, and I've made myself a Top-Rated PowerSeller, after all!  I can do this! 

 

 TCO. Sz S Cotton 3/4 Length Sleeve Yoga T-Shirt~Lime, Blue, Metallic Gold

Besides eBay recordkeeping and inventory management issues, my self-employment presents some personal challenges.  I do love the freedom of self-employment, but some days I can get obsessive and spend too much time working or too much time by myself without enough interaction with other people.  A friend commented that I probably have more time for artwork now that I am home more, but so far that hasn't been the case.  Carving out time for friends, art, music, exercise, housework, and cooking healthy food is pretty much the same, whether I'm working for myself or someone else.  

But I remind myself, this is just my first week back at relying solely on self-employment.  I will be able to incorporate more fun stuff as I get myself more on track with the business.  Next week, my son comes to visit me, and I'll be driving up to Albuquerque to pick him up at the airport.  I definitely want to include some sightseeing (and not just thrift shops!) on the trip to pick him up and also a week later when I take him back to the airport.  

Which brings up the topic, too, of traveling.  Now that I'm completely in charge of my own schedule, I can begin making some eBay buying trips in The Guppy.  Like the old days (2011), before I got so settled down (2012).  That's a big part of my motivation to get things going really well with this business.  I'm looking forward to taking it on the road again.  I want to maintain my apartment here in TorC as a home base, but get out to other towns and cities throughout the Southwest to find stuff to sell.  I'll definitely be getting up to Albuquerque a couple of times this month, and maybe next month I'll head over to Phoenix, a thrift store mecca.