Rob and Melissa Stephenson from Flea Market Flipper talk about how to bring in more sales through the holidays.
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The One Thing You Can Do To Bring In More Sales Through The Holidays
Rob: What's up Pro Flippers? On today's episode we are talking about the one thing you can do through the holidays to actually bring in sales and bring in more sales.
Rob: Alright guys, so today we are talking about that one thing that you can do, through the holiday season, and really through all year, but to bring in more sales specifically in the holidays, because we know the holidays are a busy time of the year.
Melissa: Yeah. And there are definitely a couple things you can do. We've talked about in the past improving your listings and ways that you can make your listings more appealing so that people do sell them. But today we're talking about one thing that is the most vital part of your business and we've seen, we've worked with lots of people over the years and it's the, it is the most vital part of your business to get more sales.
Rob: But first of all, what are you guys struggling with right now? Like what is your obstacles that you're trying to handle right now? Is it time? Do you not have enough time between your family, between your job? Are you doing this on the part time? Is it time that you don't have enough -
Melissa: you said time -
Rob: sorry, is it, is it the time that is keeping you back from getting the results that you want?
Melissa: And this is a busy time of year. The holidays are definitely super busy. So things get even crazier.
Rob: So, yeah, we've definitely felt time in our business and our family, just being able to spend time with the kids throughout the year right now and decorate for Christmas and just have fun with the kids, be present in our family life and then still being able to get results through the business.
Melissa: Because that's the whole reason we do this business is so that we can spend time with them. That was, that's why we started this whole thing to begin with. Absolutely. Was so that, I mean, they were little, we didn't want to put them in daycare. And this was our side hustle turned full time income turned, now we're doing more content and that sort of thing. And while we're doing flipping, so.
That's it. I'm trying to balance that all. It's not always easy.
Rob: No. So what is that one thing that's going to change your business? You're like, all right, Rob, Melissa, come on, come out with it. So the one thing that you can do to change your business. through the holiday season and through all year is list more items.
Get your items listed. Now we've worked with thousands of people in this business. Myself, knowing what I go through to get sales coming in. This is a huge thing that people put on the back burner. Or they start listing and then they stop and expect to get sales. And this is something that you cannot do, definitely through the holiday season or even any time of the year that you're trying to get more sales to come in.
Melissa: Yeah, it is one cool thing about this business is you can work as much or as little as you want. Like you can put more effort in and you're going to see more results. But if you do want to take off for it, say you want to this holiday season, you just want to back off, you totally can. And you might have some sales trickle in and that's great.
But, you know, you might not. And that's fine because you want to take time off and you can do that, which is a really cool thing about this business. But over time we have seen over and over again, if anybody is complaining that they're not making sales, it's usually because they're they've listed maybe 20 items and they just stopped and then they just sat and let those items sit and they're waiting for them to sell and you have to keep on listing, keep on going.
Rob: So why is that? Well, it's twofold, really you need to get your inventory up so there's more things out there on the market that people come by and the twofold actually is eBay. eBay loves it's time on platform. So if you're on platform constantly putting new listings in daily, you're doing different stuff like that.
And remember, Melissa and I are not, we're not volume sellers. We do not sell maybe 80-100, items total that we sell throughout a year. Some of these sellers out there that are volume sellers, they do 80 to 100 in like a week. They go through tons and tons of sales. And that's not what we are. So, still, when we want to get sales moving, we have to get in and we have to get items listed.
It's consistently doing that. So, but eBay loves time on platform where the algorithms will reward you when you're on the platform listing and either buying or doing stuff on the platform. They love that and they will reward you for that. So.
Melissa: I was gonna add, it's even better if you can do it on a daily basis.
So maybe you, I, one thing I love to do is batch like I take my pictures, I get my descriptions, batch list. But don't make them all go out at the same time. Don't pay for them to be really, that's still a paying thing, right?
Rob: I think they might allow you to do it now for free. Okay. I'm not a hundred percent sure 'cause we don't do it.
Scheduled listing is what she's talking about.
Melissa: Scheduled listings used to cost money. I'm not sure if they still do, but we don't schedule it. You can just go in, put it as a draft and then each day go in and make one live each day go in. So you're doing the bulk of the work at one time and then you just hop in, make one live and eBay does like that time on platform.
For us, the goal is a listing a day. For volume sellers, you might have to do more five, 10, 20, whatever your goal is for your business per day, so, you know, that you can still batch them and you can still make them live each day. Maybe you're doing two or three days of batching and then you make them live, so, yeah.
Rob: And I'm trying to, right now, like, I think we have just under 100 items listed on our eBay name and I'm trying to get up to 120, 130, 150 is where I'd like to be within the next couple of months. So, now I'll go into a listing season where I'll list for, you know, 7, 10, 15 days. Our goal usually is, like in our side of our group, we do a listing challenge for 30 days and list every single day.
I usually don't make it all the way that 30 day, just being honest with you guys. But at the same time, once I start listing for 7, 10, sometimes it'll come after 5 days, after 7 days, after 10 days, then I start to see the sales trickle in. And then I try to play catch up on that. So it's kind of like a roller coaster of getting listings in, start fulfilling all the listings that I've sold and that's how, that's how it works. So, but I will tell you, if you get more listings in, get your inventory higher and you're consistent with it, you totally will start to make sales.
Melissa: Yeah, definitely look at that number of, and not just number of listings that are listed, look at that money value, like that monetary value that you have listed.
Like, what is your goal to get, to keep listed?
Rob: On monetary or goals? Like $200,000 at least? Well, we're already at like $200,000 right now.
Melissa: But that's your, usually your goal is $200,000 to $300,000 so that you can still keep making those consistent sales
Rob: So and that averages us roughly $80,000-$100,000 a year in gross sales Yeah, net I'm net's not that far underneath it. Exactly, but yeah, that's that's where. For us, that's what our goal is is roughly 80-100 sales a year. And I try to stay around hovering at two hundred items listed $200,000. Well, sorry, 100 items listed at $200,000, $300,000. That's what we do. This is our business model. Now, there's a lot of different business models out there for the high volume and different stuff like that.
I don't know all the particulars about that because this is what we do and this is what we're really good at. It's getting high value items listed. And I know how to get those items listed and get them moving. And this is, we're giving you guys the playbook right here. List list those items do it do it and do it for it, I'll even challenge you right now. Do it for 30 days. Do a 30 day, inside of our group, we do it. We have accountability inside of our group where we have people doing it talking about what they're getting listed to give other people ideas. But keeping accountable people who are going through that 30 day challenge. Do it right now.
Do spend the next 30 days going through a listing challenge in it. Even if you're want to be a volume seller and you don't know, you know, where to start, start right here, get one item listed a day for the next 30 days, 30 items, and commit to that and watch what your sales do. They will totally go up.
Melissa: One of the things that one of our members says is, Stacy, she said my, I'm listing today for my payday next month. So like everything she's getting listing this month is going to be her payday next month. And it is cyclical, cyclical like that. It does happen that you get your listings done. And I know a lot of times it's like, okay, what's the one hack I can do to make more sales?
And I mean, there are little tweaks you can do. There are little things you can do to improve your listings, improve your store, improve. And of course, those are all great and improve your pictures. That's a huge one. But it all comes down to really getting your listings done and I mean, I don't, I can't count how many, consistent listing is what it boils down to, how many times people have come to us and be like, well, you just need to get more items listed, like you just need more inventory listed so you can make more sales.
So, it's getting those listings done and it's not, I think, you know, like, like I said, we want like this magic trick, magic bullet of what it is going to be. The reason why I think listings. The listing for the most, for most people is the toughest part of this business. And it's not because it's physically hard or like. It's just kind of it's more the mundane part of the business and but every single business has that part of it that it's not, just not as fun.
It's not as exciting. Would you say it's not as exciting as hunting for treasure? Absolutely. And that's your biggest issue, right?
Rob: We're wired to do that to hunt out those deals and love doing those scrolling marketplace going to a flea market a thrift store Looking for those deals. Absolutely. We're really really good at that. The bad part is keeping fulfilled.
I mean, keeping it up, getting that stuff listed so it can sell because the biggest thing is we can buy all day long. The problem is if it's sitting in storage, sitting in your garage, it can't sell if it is not listed. So you have to get to the point where that stuff gets listed. Go ahead. No, go ahead. I was just going to say, everybody has a money pile.
You have that pile of stuff that you put off for whatever reason it is. If you start listing that and do that in a 30 day challenge, you will see results.
Melissa: I was going to say that too, that the people, some people call it a death pile. And then I read, I saw somebody call it a money pile and I'm like, I'm, we're keeping that one money pile.
That's great. But I will say, this is also why we've gravitated towards the business model that we have of lower volume, because we don't have to list as much, like because it's not as much fun as the other parts of the business, like it. We don't have to do it as much, which is pretty cool and still make a good amount of money.
So, that's why we've gravitated towards that. So I wanted to also talk about maybe another reason why you're not getting your listings done is maybe you're nervous. Maybe you're just starting and you're nervous to get them done because like, you don't know if you. are going to do it right, or you're going to make a mistake.
And you really are only going to make any progress by doing. Like, you make the best progress by doing it. If you make a mistake, it's okay. You're most likely not jumping in to do $1,000 items, and that's exactly why we say don't start there. So your mistake might be a $15 mistake. Okay, and you learn from that, you're not going to do it again.
Or you're going to be very aware of what you're listing next time. So the best thing is just to do it and not be scared.
Rob: You will make mistakes. So you're not the exception. We're not the exception that everybody makes mistakes, but you grow the most. If you think back in any portion of your life, have you made mistakes?
Have you had hard times going through that you're going through a hard time? When do you grow and learn the most is when you're going through a hard time, you're learning through it. And that's, this is no difference with the business. You will make mistakes, but you're going to learn and grow through it.
Yeah. So.
Melissa: And one other one that comes to mind, like one, like one of them is it's not as fun. So that's yours. That's the biggest thing. The second one, you know, you might be scared to do it. I wanted to also touch on, one of our members, I think two of our members, voiced that they would get their stuff listed and then they would pray it wouldn't sell.
Like, cause they were scared of the next part of it, the shipping. And so like, it's like you can't make any money. But then they worked through that and worked through getting through that part and now like they're making thousands and thousands of dollars because they were, they did things even though they were scary.
So that was one part. And then the last one I wanted to talk about was, maybe it's time and time is a huge one for a lot of people. And this is something that I deal with and I am guilty of, is keeping myself so busy all the time that I think I'm being productive. And so like, if I'm talking to, if you, this is you, like I'm talking to myself too, I want to, I have to stay busy because if I don't, I equate being busy to being productive, even though that might have, it's not productive.
Like what I'm doing is. It's actually not moving the needle of what I need to be done, but because I'm busy I feel like I'm, I've accomplished something, even though there's other things that could have been a much better use of my time. So that's something that I struggle with. So maybe.
Rob: It's really getting a game plan and sticking to that game plan, making sure that you're not getting derailed by something else and staying busy doing something else.
Make sure that you have that. From a to b that game plan of what you need to do get it done and stick to it That's how you're gonna solve that problem.
Melissa: So if you really want to make more sales get your listings done and have a plan like when you're gonna do it. Put take those distractions out for that time of day. Like I said, you really need a day to block out to you can batch list a whole bunch of stuff. And then just get them listed.
You don't need a lot of time This is one thing we love about this business. You don't need a ton of time. You can make it work as long as you're efficient in what you're doing and you're not distracted and you're not busy. Cause I, I'm the queen of that. Like I, I'm from sunup to sundown doing something.
I have a hard time resting. I'm not a good rester. He helps me because he doesn't like, you're the opposite of a workaholic. So we balance each other out a little bit. So he's helped me be better on vacation and whatnot. But, but yeah, it, it, it is hard. So if you're, if that is you and you're, you're always doing something maybe look at what the things you are. What matters to you? What is the thing that, I think it was Chris Harder said, what brings you your income? What brings you joy? Because some things might not bring an income, but they still bring you joy. So they're totally worth doing. And there was one other thing brings you, but anyways, like, if you think about those things that are super important to you, what are the things that are not, that are not serving you?
And I know that's kind of can be. I don't know a lot of things but.
Rob: I think my favorite quote if you're doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, that's the definition of insanity. You can't keep doing the same thing you're doing right now if you want a different result. Something's got to give you got to change something. And I forget who originally quoted that, but I love that.
That really speaks to me. You can't do the same thing over and over and then expect that you're going to start selling on eBay by doing the same thing you're doing right now and not getting the results.
Melissa: By not changing your, your plan or your, your weekly plan. Because yeah, you can have all the best intentions of the world in the world, but if you don't like set aside a block of time to actually work on your business, you're, it's finding the pockets of your time is not always easy if you don't make a plan.
So, and we're bombarded by so many distractions these days. Like, it is ridiculous. Like, sometimes I have to, I mean, I've turned notifications off on my phone because that is just a huge distraction, but social media, there's just so many things that are distractions. And so if you need to bust through it, what's the things that are going to make the most, for your income, make the most joy in your life. Do those things and the things that don't like make them less part of your day.
Rob: Sum it up, get listing, get listing, do a 30 day challenge, list for the next 30 days and see what it will do for your business. Make that commitment, do it, get it done, and watch what it will do for your business.
Melissa: And your sales.
Let us know if you're doing it. Just give us we can help you be accountable. Shoot us a DM on Instagram or on Facebook or send us an email rob@fleamarketflipper.com. Let us know. Say, "I'm in." One listing every day until the, pretty much the end of the year. We're almost to the, yeah, by the time this goes out, I think it is the end of the year.
So a listing every day. So yeah, so get that done and we can't wait to help or see your results.
Rob: You guys rock. Have an amazing day. Thanks for spending a little bit of time with us today. Cannot wait to see you on the next episode.