Wow, it has been almost 3 weeks since I wrote a blog post! Life got busy. I've been busy moving to a different part of Atlanta, to a smaller living space, and reorganizing both my business and personal life. I wanted to share some tips with you about moving with your eBay business. This was a first for me - I started doing eBay in 2003 and had been in the same place for 12 years.
1. Downsize whatever you can. I had been downsizing for 18 months and still had way more to move than I thought! Lighten the load before you start packing - and that goes for both personal items and eBay items for sale.
2. Pack items in clear tubs or space bags if possible. You may think you will remember where you packed certain items, but moving is chaotic. It is helpful to be able to see what is inside a container when it comes time to find an item that sold.
3. Use the vacation setting on your store and change handling time. You can choose to turn your store completely off so nothing sells, or allow items to sell and ship later. If you choose to allow items to sell, be aware that buyers may not read the listing so be sure to email them to make sure they understand there will be a delay.
4. Pack shipping supplies last, and unpack them first. Actually, the first order of business (after setting up the beds) is getting your workspace set up so that you can plug back into your business.
I am fortunate that I only did an across-town move. If you have had to move your business a long distance or across country, please share your tips in the comments section. I'm sure other sellers will appreciate any shortcuts you can provide!
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I am friends with a seller who did a long distance move. Before she moved, she sold her inventory "wholesale" to other eBay sellers in the area whom she met through an ebay Meetup group. Then she rebuilt her inventory and business at her new location. This worked for her because she was part of a two income family and they weren't relying solely on eBay sales for income. It might work in other situations, too, if you have an good financial cushion or if what you sell is easy to rebuild.
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