Essays & General Comments 08-03-16 THE KITTEN TRIES EBAY (March 16, 2008)
I had the brilliant idea of opening an Ebay shop. I thought that we could all have our own section (princelet sells his video games and DVDs), and I could run it alongside my website here as an extra.
You know me for 'brilliant' ideas!
Well it's a whole new system to learn. I have managed to get an overall theme to the shop, but I have found it a bit of a struggle. I think it's because I am not used to using databases - and that is all Ebay is - a database running underneath the screens you see. When you click on the item it takes you to the relevant 'cell'. So when you are setting up the shop or entering an item to sell you don't get the finished page to work on - you get a list of 'titled' boxes to fill in. Then you can 'pre-view' your shop entry before you sent it live.
I have learnt a huge amount, and I think I have the basics of a good looking shop, with 'departments' and personalised invoices etc. It still takes me a while to list things, and it seems to take forever to get a decent amount of 'stock' in the 'shop'.
I don't sit at my computer all day. The very nature of my work is hands on - I have to make it, or there is nothing to sell. I have to practise and design before I even start a new project, so the majority of my time has to be spent at my work bench.
I am discovering a tendency for Ebay to take over my day. You have to keep an eye on your sales - answer questions - wrap items to post - go to the post office - constantly review your stock - list stock. Now I do a lot of this already with my site here, I already have a stock control system up and running and book keeping in place. But I am finding that it has more than doubled my work load and I can't get into my website to post here. I am not allowed to promote my website in my shop so I can't generate new visits here - and that it what I want to do.
When I started the site, my idea was to do housey stuff in the mornings; craft in the afternoon and list what I had made in the evenings, supplemented by keeping my blog here, the library, the weekly challenge and all the other stuff that keeps this site fun and busy. I don't really like my Ebay shop because I find it so limited - I can't talk to the world and the site has no 'kitten' feel.
Anyway, princelet is going to have a go at the shop through the Easter hols and see how he gets on. If he copes with it and enjoys it, I will have to sort out broadband for his machine and he can go 'live'. Up to now I have resisted it on his computer because it's in his room out of the way, if he wants the Internet he has to use mine or the goats and we can see what he is up to!
We will have to see how it goes - if he can't be bothered (much more likely) the shop goes so I can refocus on my site here and my craft.
Click here to return to the ESSAYS & COMMENTS page |
