Monday, September 18, 2017

Full Time eBay Sellers & How Hurricane Irma Struck Us Long Before Landfall

Hi there fellow internet re-seller folk. I am sure even though I am not the best at keeping up with my blog here (ironic when you think about the NEVER SHUT UP part) anyways.... most all that know anything about us know that we are down here in the "Sunshine State" and sunshine, well yeah that was far from the problem recently. I will try to sum this up, even though also those that know me know I am still practicing how to say things quick & to the point (maybe someday... promise... I am working on it... really, I think?).

So summer was coming to an end and we were seeing a big jump in the activity in our eBay store. Not just people browsing and moving along... we were starting to get a decent amount of sales again. I even actually managed to blog about the horrible summer slump being over and it was time to really put all our efforts into 4th quarter (yeah I know I should have been working on that all summer but my brain just doesn't let me work that way). The weekend leading into Labor day was going good and then BAM!! It came on television with a News report that the Hurricane out there "Irma" wasn't shooting north like it was supposed to and was most likely going to hit Florida. I wasn't expecting what came next.......

Apparently weather events have a huge impact on an eBay store and to my surprise when the news reports that a natural disaster is going to most likely happen somewhere in the state you are in it is like your online store instantaneously contracted some horrible disease and buying from you would be the biggest mistake a buyer could make. Okay I know, I know you think I am being dramatic and I can be at times but this was SERIOUS the kind of serious where you are depending on a paycheck and your bosses close up shop and run away to another country leaving you standing staring at a closed sign desperately trying to figure out "HOW? WHY?" & More importantly "NOW WHAT?" I even thought at first okay.... it is a fluke just a total coincidence but NOPE.

In short yep our store went to total ghost town with virtual tumbleweeds rolling on by right up until the storm cleared. Oh boy, did it hurt, oh boy, it still hurts. Nothing like getting to a point where you are just starting to recover from the last time mother nature (and a bad roof) took literally everything from you only to realize all of a sudden.... not only is she aiming at you before you have even finished drying yourself out, but the damage she is bringing is already starting a week before she even actually shows up on your doorstep. Additionally the pre-hurricane financial damage to a re-seller is not the kind of damage that can be easily seen so unlike if a tree is sitting on your car in your front yard.... people probably will not even be aware of what you are going through.

THE MORAL OF THIS RANT IS..... Drum Roll please!!!  Plan... and Plan some more. I know it is not always easy to plan ahead these days when most of us our living week to week. Trust me, I really truly know and feel your pain. This storm though has shown me, no she more like slapped me in the face with the reality that there has to be a back up plan of some sort for income when your main source just comes to a complete stop while the bill companies are sitting there with their hands out going "Hey we are still here and we still need that money you don't have". This has me thinking more and more about not having all eggs in one virtual basket.

 I used to think my local sales could hold us over but as hurricane Irma showed us when it comes to re-selling, just having one online venue & local sales is not enough. Why? Because when mother nature throws you a curve ball (or a drunken hurricane that cannot make up her mind between east west and when to go north) those local sales go POOF also, while everyone scampers to try to save their belongings and/or run for their lives they are not worried about buying those shelves or baby clothes any longer off your facebook/craigslist ad so I am going to be spending some time working on additional streams of income during this 4th quarter and hopefully that hurricane out there right now decides that Florida has had enough for September, at the very least.

AS ALWAYS.... Sorry if I run on and on... and on and...well on some more....  I am not big on editing so you kind of get what I am thinking just right out of the old noodle. Never did care much for scratch copies or outlines even in school. I hope that everyone (the couple of you that read my ramblings) are able to get something from them that helps you and hopefully they are not horribly boring to read (or loaded with typos)......

LOVE & PEACE & MANY BLESSINGS TO YA' ALL!
and planning on keeping up with my blogging more often.... yeah yeah I know... I am going to try PROMISE!

OH, Oh can't forget this SHOUT OUT.... TO EBAY.....  SUPER IMPORTANT!!!! A HUGE HUGE GIGANTIC THANK YOU! (and hopefully I will get to to a devoted blog post about it later tonight) but THANK YOU TO EBAY! For Offering relief to those of us impacted by Hurricane Irma & Harvey. I know ourselves personally were not expecting it but we will NEVER FORGET that eBay regardless of what some say REALLY DOES CARE ABOUT THEIR SELLERS! --- THANK YOU FROM --- ThenAndAgainTreasures eBay Store AKA The Sager Family!

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