Dismal Sales More Retail Therapy

I don't know what the heck is happening with my Ebay store. I ran a traffic report yesterday and it said I had 529 page views for the month of January. In December, I had 3,305. I thought ok maybe the time of year. People are paying their credit card bills and have stopped shopping. But then I looked at last years page views 4,540 Ummm, yeah something is seriously wrong on the bay. Anyone else experiencing little to no traffic? How can I sell anything if I'm not getting any page views?

There is a theory that the more you list, the more you sell. Right now I'm at over 600 items, a significant increase compared to last year at this time. I look at other sellers items that are similar to mine and they are selling. Why aren't mine selling? I pinterest, tweet and advertise my listings on Facebook. I tweek my listings, run sales and still little to nothing. What else can I do?

Guess I can shop and increase my inventory for when the buyers return. Yesterday, I went to the thrift store to look for a Ty Boos I saw there a few days back. Apparently, these Boos can go for big money. I did find him but of course he is one that isn't a high seller. Oh well maybe next time. Here's some things I found. A lot were half off as they were the color tag of the month.

The Snuggle bear is recalled so I can not sell that. The recall says the eyes and nose fall off. I tried pulling them off without success. Little kids must be chewing them off or something. The books and the alligator pull toy are for Ryker. I got the baby bottle because it goes with something I bought awhile ago but I can't remember what. The brown bear is the Ty Boos Honey bear.

I can't resist vintage plush so I bought the koala bear even though she is missing her baby. Maybe I will get lucky and find it another time. The monkey is called Little Monkey Lost. I looked at solds and some seem to go for good money. Except mine of course.

I'm seriously thinking of keeping the nail art train picture. It's kind of cool. I haven't researched it yet.

linking up to Sir Thrift A lot 

Cosmo Collection

A few years ago, I went on Ebay to search for a replacement bear I had as a child. I wrote a post about it here. When I found him last year, I wrote another post. I have yet to come across one at a thrift store or Goodwill, however I did manage to find 3 more on Ebay. I may have a bear addiction.

I really wish I could find chains for all of them. The one on the right, came today. His ears are a little dirty and he is a little lopsided. He originally came with the gold chain, but I put it on the one that looked better. My son Ryker loves them all.

Ebay Find

About 2 years ago I went on Ebay looking for a replacement bear like the one I had as a child. I wrote a post about it here. I ended up finding a similar bear but it wasn't the same.

I don't even know what I did with that replacement bear. I thought I had him in one of my totes, but I must have accidentally donated him to Goodwill or something. He is lost. I'm not quite as heart broken as when I lost my original bear.

A few days ago, I continued my search for my lost bear. I knew I would never find my original bear so a replacement was fine with me. The first one I found was in mint condition. It came with his chain necklace and a box. Only problem: it was $175. A little out of my price range. Yeah, I missed my Barry (apparently his real name is Cosmo) but I'm not crazy.

Another search lead me to mountain_high_minatures. She was selling the bear for $19.99 with a best offer. A lot cheaper than the first bear I found but like most people I wanted to see what kind of deal I could get. After some negotiating, the bear was mine.

He arrived today and he looks just like my Barry. He doesn't have the red mouth my mom sewed on but that is ok. I am not letting this bear out of my sight.

Best Friends Forever

Last year I went online to find my childhood friend, Barry. Barry was a brown stuffed koala bear with felt paws, brown nose and eyes but no mouth. My mom sewed on a red mouth for him. He wore a gold chain around his neck which was eventually lost. He was the first and last gift I ever got from my Uncle Stan. Barry went everywhere with me. When I had to go to the hospital for tubes, (back then it was an over night procedure) Barry was by my side. Any vacation we went on, Barry went too. When my dad accidentally threw him in the trash, I was there to rescue him. Barry was with me when my first son was born. When I moved to South Carolina, Barry was left in a storage locker. I was heartbroken. I had lost my best friend. I found one similiar on Ebay. This one is wearing a green chain and he is part white. Barry was all brown.

It just isn't the same. Did you have a best stuffed friend when you were little? Did he go everywhere with you? Did you love him as much as I loved Barry? Did he too go missing? If you could replace him, would you?

About 2 weeks back, I was in my favorite thrift store and came across a Freddy Bear from 1976. Although I never owned a Freddy, I was certain someone out there did and like my Barry, he got lost as well. And like me, that person has gone online searching from him. He is quite hard to find as I am sure most of them have been loved to death. Well I bought that teddy and put him in my ebay store. I am hoping the right buyer comes along and can be reunited with his best friend. You can find Freddy by clicking this link. http://r.ebay.com/NhmCj3