SofterSilk

HEAR ME *TALK EBAY* ON THE RADIO THIS WEEKEND:

1) Saturday 8/23 - WJR (760AM), The Internet Advisor Show: 5:30-6pm, EST.  Listen online http://www.wjr.com/

2) Sunday 8/24 - WDTK (1400AM), The Rick Bloom Show: 1-2pm, EST.  Listen online http://wdtkam.townhall.com/

Please feel free to call in to both shows!  I will be discussing, among other topics, the enormous eBay announements made on 8/20.  Here are 2 reference links -

The announcement:

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200808.shtml#2008-08-20070116

A slick page of examples about the pricing changes:

http://thebestplacetosell.ebay.com/examples/

Visit my eBay store: SofterSilk:

Looking for a place to learn eBay fast, from some pros?  (I am not connected with this program.)

Visit Rocketplace's Fall 2008 seminars, brought to you by consulting pros "AsWas"! http://www.rocketplace.com/index.shtml

Pardon our dust...

Site makeover in progress

Timeline of an eBay Addiction - how it happens:

• Fall 1998: first discovered eBay, instantly addicted.  Sold a bear as username "RoxannyMac"  The sale was a disaster.  But still.  I owned a freelance writing business but kept making trips to my basement to find junk to sell.  Garage sales, too.  eBay was so tricky that there were hardly any pictures on the site.
• January 2000: registered a second ID, which ultimately became "SofterSilk", after selling some really nice Victoria's Secret bras I picked up at a garage sale for a buck for $25.  Experimented with selling all kinds of junk and clothing on both ID's.
• Sometime in 2001: Opened a SofterSilk eBay store with cool gently-used lingerie, especially lacy vintage slips.
• 2002: With my freelance writing business specializing in training materials, the spark ignited after te zillionth person asked me eBay questions: I bet there would be great demand for eBay classes!  Ended my writing business.
• Early 2003: My contact at the Birmingham Community House agreed that there could be neat potential for eBay classes.  We launched a preliminary class.  The response was huge - unfortunately.  The internet connection blocked everything I tried to do.  30 patient adults went home and got refunds.  In fact, I was pretty flustered and had materials that weren't as useful as they ultimately became.
• Summer 2003: Session #2 - everything was tested, double-tested, and triple-checked.  The techies left the building and the students poured in.  Class began and the internet connection failed again.  Instead of trying for an hour, we gave up in 15 minutes.  SIGH!
• Late 2003: The tech problem was identified and corrected.  We tested every single possible option again and it worked.  With my materials improved, we re-launched as the techies stood by.  Success!
• Fall 2003: Mike Wendland of the Detroit Free Press wrote about my classes.  The phone at the Community House began to ring off the hook! 
• My scheduled 4 sessions turned into 16 in an 8 week period! 
• Alan Stamm, writing for the Detroit Jewish News, attended class and wrote a wonderful story. 
• Foster Braun, host of WJR's "Internet Advisor" program invited me onto the show, where I became a regular guest.
• A Fox 2 reporter ran a story Live outside the Community House with the gigantic news that somebody was teaching eBay!
• Over the next 4 years, I ...
• developed a variety of specialty classes and taught every quarter at the Community House and for about a year at The Huntington Woods Rec Center
•  spoke at tons of libraries, businesses and events all over Metro Detroit
•  was featured in newspaper stories in The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.
•  appeared on all 3 news stations multiple times
•  was a guest on radio programs all over the  USA.
•  turned the slightly-embarrassing SofterSilk username into a high-volume Powerseller lingerie store specializing in plus sizes.
• was featured in a fun eBay story in the Philadelphia Inquirer
• was interviewed twice by USA Today after being referred by eBay as an expert
• began private consulting with businesses and individuals
• December 6, 2005: eBay recognized me as one of 100 top sellers across the country.  In a fun PR promo, they sent me "breakfast in bed" and invited the Detroit News to cover the story!  They ran a great story called, ""The eBay Lady Kicks Into Turbo Click For The Holidays"!"  That was FUN!!!  Here's the breakfast tray (They also brought me a newspaper and some really comfy slippers!)

• September 2007: Having completed the home remodelling project from hell, I experienced my favorite "cash from trash" moment: I sold my furnace and central air-conditioning on eBay instead of letting the contractor toss it in the dumpster!  $250 from trash!
• November 2007: I burnt out on teaching and consulting.  One too many people complained to me that eBay seemed "hard", having come to a class after watching too many infomercials that promised "No work!  make money while you sleep".  I gave my notice to the Birmingham Community House and left on cordial terms.  I even stopped updating this website.
• January 2008: I became a hermit, focusing on health and family.  I stayed home and worked fulltime on my SofterSilk store, learning many new techniques and developing strong product contacts.  I hired Karen DeClark, an outstanding professional organizer, to create an efficient workspace and declutter my house at the same time.
• August 2008: The website gets a makeover as I decide that in this next stage, I am going to focus on business teaching and consulting. 
• After much soul-searching, I now believe that eBay has become too complex for quickie classes for the general public to be useful. 
• In 2 hours, the most a teacher can do is just barely scratch the surface.  A student who launches after one such session is entering a large, and confusing website.
• I now believe that the only people who can succeed at eBay are those who, unless they have a long-term consultant, are willing to dig and read and explore every aspect of the site and do much self-teaching.
• To make an analogy, eBay's a hospital and a 2-hour class is not enough "med school" for training to succeed there.  I won't do it anymore.

On a personal note, during this whirlwind, exciting time, my family lost our 4 beloved parents between February 2003 and February 2007: Gloria and Irwin Klein, and Bruce and Doris MacMurray.  We still miss them.  We also experienced the happy events of 2 lovely daughters graduating from high school and being accepted to top colleges. 

This is part of why I love eBay: I've been able to stay in the business world as an entrepreneur and keep my family first.  Whether teaching, consulting or selling, eBay has allowed me to enjoy life and simultaneously be a businesswoman and mom.

I am grateful that I've had the opportunity to reach over 3000 students, many of whom have launched successful eBay businesses that have given them that same flexibility.

	Web www.ebaylady.com www.softersilk.com

 

My consignment sales:
(Yes, my username really is "Roxannymac")