Welcome to A Seller's Critique: A New Blog Dedicated to the Fine World of Liquidation Resale and Retail Arbitrage
Welcome to “A Seller's Critique”, my latest future failed blog venture, where I break down and review apps, programs, and online marketplaces related to selling goods online, while hopefully offering some tips and insights for those looking to break into the fine world of resale.
I've always wanted to start my own business, and after a couple of miserably awful attempts in the past, I feel like I'm finally starting to settle into a niche selling liquidated goods. The tips and reviews contained herein pertain mostly to my own experiences in this area, but a lot of information should hopefully be helpful to those in many other retail industries, or just sellers in general.
Now, a little bit about me before we go any farther, so you can get a better understanding of where I'm coming from: I've been selling since August, 2016, meaning I'm fairly new to this myself, and I do this more as a hobby than anything else. I still have a full-time job that I work throughout the week, and then balance life with a wife, dog, and a toddler. Needless to say, free time can be hard to come by, but where there's a will, there's a way! Some of my sales are done in person, but I've been looking to break away from that, and lately have really been focused on multi-channel selling (that is, posting things to multiple online marketplaces to increase the likelihood of exposure).
Let's face it, though: Everyone's busy these days, making the need for simplification even more important. Who has time to sit down and manually list everything to multiple online shops? Who has time to manage hundreds of listings? Who has time to waste by listing to marketplaces that aren't a good fit for them? How is it possible to find time (and money) to constantly source new merchandise? These are some of the questions that this blog will, over time, look to answer for you!
I've always wanted to start my own business, and after a couple of miserably awful attempts in the past, I feel like I'm finally starting to settle into a niche selling liquidated goods. The tips and reviews contained herein pertain mostly to my own experiences in this area, but a lot of information should hopefully be helpful to those in many other retail industries, or just sellers in general.
Now, a little bit about me before we go any farther, so you can get a better understanding of where I'm coming from: I've been selling since August, 2016, meaning I'm fairly new to this myself, and I do this more as a hobby than anything else. I still have a full-time job that I work throughout the week, and then balance life with a wife, dog, and a toddler. Needless to say, free time can be hard to come by, but where there's a will, there's a way! Some of my sales are done in person, but I've been looking to break away from that, and lately have really been focused on multi-channel selling (that is, posting things to multiple online marketplaces to increase the likelihood of exposure).
Let's face it, though: Everyone's busy these days, making the need for simplification even more important. Who has time to sit down and manually list everything to multiple online shops? Who has time to manage hundreds of listings? Who has time to waste by listing to marketplaces that aren't a good fit for them? How is it possible to find time (and money) to constantly source new merchandise? These are some of the questions that this blog will, over time, look to answer for you!
I would say many of the tips posted in this blog are probably geared more toward beginners, though the reviews should appeal to anyone thinking about selling in a particular venue. Since my monthly revenue and volume is fairly small, I forego paying for “stores” on any of the marketplaces, instead opting for basic “free” storefronts; ditto for apps, where I'm always on the hunt for free ones that do what I'm looking for. While my miserly ways might certainly be limiting my visibility and exposure to some extent (maybe even a great extent), I appreciate the freedom of not having to make a certain amount to cover monthly software costs. As my business grows, I'm sure I'll take a look into paid services, and add reviews for them accordingly, but for right now, this site is all about seeing what you can accomplish on a tight budget.
As a side note: I'm not at all interested in selling on Amazon, so there will be no “FBA” tips, which always seem to be the first place people think of when they decide they want to start selling. Besides, there a plethora of other sites that will point you in the right direction if that's where you want to go.
Also, I know what you're thinking: “Aren't there a million other sites that are about reselling? Why start another one?” Well, sure, there are, but this is the internet: the same can be said for just about anything. The truth of the matter is that many of those sites seem to be creepy, scammy people trying to sell you services, or weird packages of “information” that are either outdated, or of little to no use to anyone. Or, many of their reviews operate on affiliate links, which can kind of muddle the line between “honest” and “just honest enough to get you to want to sign up so I can get a small percentage of your purchase.” All of the posts herein come from my own personal experiences selling on said sites, as an everyday, “free” user: I am neither compensated, nor affiliated with any of them, and get no kickbacks or referral payments if you decide to sign up with one. It's about as close to unbiased as you can get, save for the natural biases I have accumulated from actually working with said apps and websites.
Lastly, if you stop along and have anything to add, please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments box below! As I said before, I'm fairly new to this game myself, and still have so much to learn. I always welcome constructive criticism or feedback; plus, your suggestions will be helping others, too. I want this to be a community of people that are willing to help fellow sellers out, without mock or ridicule. That being said, a magician never reveals their secrets, so don't come in here expecting anyone to divulge their suppliers, or logistics chain, or their specific listing process, or anything else that has taken people years to learn and perfect, but you will at least get suggestions that can point you in the right direction, even if they are as vague as possible. Hey, some help is better than none.
Right?
Also, I know what you're thinking: “Aren't there a million other sites that are about reselling? Why start another one?” Well, sure, there are, but this is the internet: the same can be said for just about anything. The truth of the matter is that many of those sites seem to be creepy, scammy people trying to sell you services, or weird packages of “information” that are either outdated, or of little to no use to anyone. Or, many of their reviews operate on affiliate links, which can kind of muddle the line between “honest” and “just honest enough to get you to want to sign up so I can get a small percentage of your purchase.” All of the posts herein come from my own personal experiences selling on said sites, as an everyday, “free” user: I am neither compensated, nor affiliated with any of them, and get no kickbacks or referral payments if you decide to sign up with one. It's about as close to unbiased as you can get, save for the natural biases I have accumulated from actually working with said apps and websites.
Lastly, if you stop along and have anything to add, please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments box below! As I said before, I'm fairly new to this game myself, and still have so much to learn. I always welcome constructive criticism or feedback; plus, your suggestions will be helping others, too. I want this to be a community of people that are willing to help fellow sellers out, without mock or ridicule. That being said, a magician never reveals their secrets, so don't come in here expecting anyone to divulge their suppliers, or logistics chain, or their specific listing process, or anything else that has taken people years to learn and perfect, but you will at least get suggestions that can point you in the right direction, even if they are as vague as possible. Hey, some help is better than none.
Right?
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