I have to laugh at myself... LOL

[thepartystore]

I have gone through a lot of hard times this year and without a miracle, next year will be worse, but I am trying to stay positive and one way to take my mind off of all the pain, is to build an online business.

I recently got a sale from eCrater which has taken a long time to get and I wasn't sure why, other than at the time, I had only about 30 items listed, so not a lot of variety to choose from.

However, I have been really getting into my store this past week and finding out all the options eCrater has etc. and all the particulars I need to do to create a successful business.

In going through my store and updating everything, I realized that I set my shipping matrix way too high.

When I looked at one of my items and did a USPS calculation, the overseas shipping cost on a napkin packet was almost $1,300.00 and for the US it came up $150.00. No wonder no one wasn't buying anything. I wouldn't pay $1,300.00 to ship one pack of napkins either. ROFL

I guess with all the stress I was under, I didn't realize what I was doing. LOL

Hopefully, now that my shipping matrix is fixed and I have uploaded a lot more products, my sales will increase.

Anyway... My plans for my store is to offer anything and everything you can think of for any occasion, holiday and/or special event. So come check out my store when you get a chance.

[tigercreekgifts]

Well, I'm glad you figured out that you were trying to charge over a grand to ship off some napkins. LOL yeah, that would deter anyone from buying. When I checked your stuff just now though, you weren't using the matrix to quote shipping you've got USPS calculated running. I typed in my zip code and it showed $7.53 as the cheapest shipping option for the cupcake napkins I looked at and a smaller 16 pack I saw had $5.60 as the cheapest.

I was just curious, if you're going to use the USPS calculator, why don't you have First Class mail as an option? It's the most affordable option and you can send packages up to 13 ounces and still qualify for First Class pricing. For a pack of 50 napkins you could easily get away with paying the lowest rate which is $2.97 (package tracking included) or just a little higher. I always charge a processing fee that increases slightly as the order size increases but even with that fee, the First Class option is still more affordable. Just something you may want to consider.

How well does stuff like this sell? I came across some party supply sets a while back that I have never listed because I didn't think people would pay a lot for them since you can get these types of supplies in almost every grocery or dept. store for $1 to $1.50 each. I was surprised to see some of the prices you have. I mean no offense against you or your business methods just an honest question, do people really pay that much for party supplies? If so, maybe I should list those 2 sets I have.

[thepartystore]

To be honest...I sell them at those prices all the time on ebay and Amazon. I mean...yeah, I guess you can always get them cheaper somewhere else, but a lot of the shoppers I have come across my store, have often told me that my rates are very reasonable and I offer things they can't get on their side of the world. So they are more than willing to pay more for a better quality of product and choice of design, for the convenience of shopping online.

I got into the party supply business because anytime I listed party supplies, those things always sold out the quickest. There will be sellers that offer their products cheaper than I do , and there will be those that will be higher.

I have already looked at other party stores on eCrater and in some cases I am much cheaper and offer a better quality of product and better variety.

Kind of like in the real world. You have Dollar stores, Walmart stores and Neiman Marcus stores. I sell a better quality of product, so I fashion myself to a Neiman Marcus store, though I will offer products on a cheaper budget.

However, if I offer everything for $2...and I have to pay $2-5 for the item...where is my profit? I don't even have enough to pay fees and cover my costs, much less make a living.

There is one store on eCrater that is selling all $1 items from the Dollar store and offering sets of 5-6 items for almost $40...to me that is highway robbery.

Mine might be that higher than some sellers, but I am paying much more for them. I get maybe $1-$3 profit after fees and I don't think that is too much to ask for.

As for the shipping... I thought that I was offering first class. It showed up at the bottom, but I will look again. On ebay unless it goes over 13 ounces, I always ship first class.

I too add a little to cover shipping materials. I do that with ebay as well. That is what stores do in the real world as well. People really don't take into consideration the huge mark-up many retailers have, even Walmart.

If a store can take a $8-$15 item and mark it down to a $1 clearance price and still break even...tells you how much money these retailers are making off of the consumer. They have to cover their overhead, just like the online sellers do.

Now I didn't say I was perfect. I will be tweaking things off and on for a while until I get the hang of things.

[A-Better-Way]

My ma was telling me a clearance sale should be (or was) , say you have the store next day after Halloween or Easter, they mark it down from $2 to lets say 10 cents.
THATS a clearance sale in her opinion.

People be freaking out, GONE, but now it's just some meaningless word.

[zickit]

[thepartystore]

I wasn't saying that they made a profit when it is marked down to a $1...most likely they don't. I agree...when it gets to clearance, most retailers lose money, unless as you stated, it's someone like Walmart.

For some reason...some people assume that all party supplies are suppose to cost $1-$2...but as the old saying goes...you get what you pay for.

Though I will offer low budget items for those who can't afford the higher priced items, most folks when they receive my products are very happy, because they see that they are getting a better quality than what some other sellers offer.

Plus, I offer a good variety of designs, which attracts many buyers. Buyers are tired of seeing the same old designs. I purposely go out and shop for unique designs that might not be offered on a regular basis, which makes my store more appealing. Especially if those buyers are located in a remote part of the country, where items like these are hard to come by.

I too shop for discounted items, as well. The higher the discount for me, the less mark-up I have to do, which will save the consumer in the long run.