Meet Marcia Little of Goodhappens and Scottsdalefashionshop
Hobbies are great, but when they make you money, too? Double the reward. Inspired by a friend who was selling on eBay and a need for supplemental income with a flexible schedule, Marcia Little started her eBay shop nine years ago on a part-time schedule. Now selling as a hobbyist on both eBay and Amazon, she uses a combination of pricing research and deal-hunting—stocking her shops with goods found at auctions, estate sales, and online stores. Her reviews speak for themselves—Marcia boasts a 100% positive feedback rating on eBay and five stars for shipping, communication, and more.
Read a little more about her background, her tips on choosing what to sell, and how Auctiva has helped her streamline her operation.
BUSINESS SNAPSHOT:
Owner: Marcia Little
Businesses: Marciagoodhappens (eBay) and Scottsdalefashionshop (Amazon)
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Years in business: nine years on eBay, two years on Amazon
Years with MoreCommerce: seven years using the Auctiva platform
Status: Part-time/hobbyist
Employees: Self
Find on: eBay & Amazon
What’s your educational and work background?
I have a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate from Arizona State University. I was a Certified Residential Appraiser for about 20 years. I also held a real estate license in Arizona and Colorado.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about running your business over the years?
There are a couple. First, find a group to network with such as an eBay, e-commerce or seller meet-up group. Secondly, carve time out for your business and make that a priority, even if it is only as a hobby or part-time. It can be as flexible as needed to maintain the goal of keeping inspired with what you are doing.
How do you decide which products to stock?
Items I sell come from a wide range of sources. I'm always looking for items that I can make a profit on. There are lots of places such as auctions, estate sales, websites that show items on sale, thrift stores etc. I research historical prices on eBay and Amazon to see if the items are worth the time and effort to list. There are seasonal items to watch for as well (school supplies during the summer, thermal clothing in winter, etc) and if you can find a bargain on these items at the right time there is definitely a profit to make. If there’s a leisure time activity you like to do such as sports or music you can use your knowledge to find items to sell.
What words of wisdom would you impart to a business like yours, just getting started and joining the MoreCommerce network?
Take advantage of all the resources that this platform has to offer. For me, using the Auctiva templates have been priceless. Being able to use my saved listings and create similar new listings has been a real time saver. The ability to have lots of my pictures saved in the image gallery and to be able to utilize them quickly and efficiently is very useful. Look at all their resource and education materials, they have a wealth of information, from simply how to get started to listing and selling.
You have an enviable track record of 100% positive feedback on eBay and hundreds of five-star reviews in the last year. What do you attribute that to?
As an eBay seller, much of my reputation is based upon feedback I get from customers. To start, when listing a product I take lots of pictures. Thankfully the Auctiva platform allows for up to 24 pictures to be displayed in the listing, more than the standard 12 with eBay—pictures really are worth 1,000 words! I try to be as accurate as possible describing an item, especially if it is pre-owned. This includes pointing out any imperfections as well as actual measurements. I typically ship within one business day with eBay’s free tracking. When shipping, I make sure clothing is folded and presentable, fragile items are bubble wrapped and proper packaging is used (sturdy boxes, good quality envelopes, etc). For me, the most important attribute to receiving positive feedback is communication. I’ve had buyers contact me who were distressed because their item was defective, broken during shipment or not what they expected. I make every effort to respond with empathy to these issues. I find that even if the product doesn’t live up to their expectations, having good customer service results in positive feedback.
Explore more:
eBay: Marciagoodhappens
*This interview may have been edited for length and clarity.