Over the long Holy Week weekend break, I finally had the time to look over the items I intended to sell on Ebay. The last time I sold something online was before November 2013 ended, and we all know what happened the month after. Anyway, I did not realize how many items I currently have, not until I finished my inventory. It was grueling work to gather all of the photos, description and measurement I took months ago onto one Excel file. I also tried to remember where these items were located, as some some of them were at home, while the others are in the apartment. To make the story short, they were all over the place.
EMS package bound for Japan
Barely a day has passed since listing them when I finally made my first ever sale in months! ^_^ I was ecstatic and motivated because I know that this first would keep the ball rolling. No more slacking off when it comes to sorting this online store. I was hoping that the buyer would get at least two items to save me money from shipping (as I offer free shipping worldwide), but two separate international sales were not so bad at all. However, I had a hard time looking over Philpost’s website to check the International EMS rates. They have redone their website and the page I have bookmarked containing this important information could no longer be found. I know that I have saved a PDF copy of their EMS prices somewhere, but I had a hard time remembering where I saved it. (It was just in the ‘My Documents’ folder of my old laptop).
Makati Post Office always have the charming and helpful employees (surprise! a helpful group of government employees!) and I was happy to be visiting them again. While waiting for the lady manning the boxes and envelopes section arrive, I already began writing all the important information to ready my items for dispatch. My only gripe about this place was how humid it could get. Even during ‘normal’ months, I always find myself sweating like a pig whenever I am inside. Make it a summer month and it is a boiling sauna. Mon was busy conjuring a non-existent wind towards me, while I feverishly writing on the slip and envelope. I was careful not to let any sweat drop on the paper and consequently smudge the ink. My buyers might think badly of me and think how gross I was. I paid Php 1,409 for the 383g parcel bound for US, and Php 1,177 for the 312g one going to Japan. Take note that it was for the total weight of the item plus the envelope. The dress for Japan was less than 250g but the envelope pushed the parcel to the next weight category. The whole process of sending took us almost an hour, which was quite long considering that it was already mid-week and a sweltering midday at that.
Storage boxes for my items
Yesterday, I was also able to get more items for sale. Storage was a big issue, though, considering that closet space was close to null. I never got to chance to properly use these storage boxes we bought last year, let alone customize them to look less brown (we have already bought materials but never got the time to work on them). But as part of my new resolution of staying organized, I devised a mental plan of what to keep in the apartment, and what to bring back in Marikina and use my bedroom as storage room. While listening to the best of the 90s, I digged one by one inside the boxes. This dress – staying, that jacket – moving. For two hours, I did my best to decide over the fate of my growing empire. LOL At the back of my mind, I was wishing that I have a bigger space to accommodate all of these. Ideally, I wanted a dedicated corner containing all my stuff and with the clothes hanging on beautiful, wooden hangers — arranged according to style, material and color. I also wanted pretty shelves to neatly stack the folded ones, especially the knits. That is the ultimate goal but I am fine working with my boxes for now because that is what currently works with my present arrangement and they snugly fit above our cabinet. We’ll get there soon enough!
ETA: Both of my buyers have already received their respective items, and fortunately left positive feedback for the transactions. But PayPal and Ebay are still holding my money, even if I had already informed them of the delivery and feedback. They usually release our funds a day even after delivery, but now, all we get were automated e-email replies without answering our requests. It’s bad enough that the shipping fee comes out right from our pocket, then I fear that they might stick with the 21-day holding period. Ugh.
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