Helping Ppl Out or Starting Something New...  |
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 There are times that I see ppl struggling with things and I tend to want to step in and try to fix it or at least help them out. I don't know why I'm like that and I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.
My Mom is a great example of this. She does some selling on Ebay...nothing major although she did sign up with a wholesaler a few months ago. Her problem is that she's majorly disorganized. She's forever losing items (usually after they've sold), forgetting to ship things or shipping the wrong things. She also has problems writing her own listings so she tends to find simular items and copy and paste the listing...which leads to trouble at times. I've had to help her many times writing listing, calming customers and dealing with missing items but I do it b/c I know she needs the help.
My problem is Hubby hates to see me putting in so much time and energy with nothing to show for it. He knows I like to organize and loved selling on Ebay so it doesn't bother me to have to do it but I think it bothers him that I get put in the spot to have to fix it.
I've thought about offering to be like a manager for her to handle the organizing, listings and customers and just let her deal with the stock and shipping the finished items out on time...but I have no idea how to approach her with the idea.
Do you think it would be a waste of time? What do you think would be a good fee to do this and how would you approach someone about it?
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~
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1.  sunshine4 (4094) | 1 month ago |  I think that since you love selling on ebay and doing what your mom does, you should either start selling yourself, or offer to be her business manager. Tell her that you love helping her, but it takes time away from you making money yourself.
Maybe you could ask for a percent of what she makes~ this way if she has a good week, so do you but if she has a bad week, she won't be paying you more than she makes.
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 twoey68 (5394) | 1 month ago | Hubby suggested a percentage as well...that may be the way to do it. I loved selling on Ebay but I guess I just got caught up in too many other things to devote as much time as I wanted to with it. I have been mesmerized with a game the last couple weeks and have just about drowned in put off things so I'm attempting to get reorganized and back on track now...so it would be a good time to start this if I'm going to.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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| 2. tyc415 (2474) | 1 month ago |  As for a fee I have no idea about that but I would just come out and talk to her about it and if she don't offer the job to you then ask her if she wouldn't want to give it a try and see if it would work out. Let her know that it would make it so much easier for her and she would enjoy it more not having all the stress. Let her know that it would be a good way for both of you to make money and the smoother the business goes the more she will make. Tell her that along the way she can probably learn who to get organized and maybe one day down the road she can do it on her own and when that time comes that you will gladly step down and let her do it.
I fell like I just talked all in circles, hope I didn't confuse you.
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| twoey68 (5394) | 1 month ago | She has tons of things to sell not to mention the wholesale angle so in that area she's doing great. Once something is packaged and put in her hands she's good about getting it to the post office. It's just the in between stuff that she's really bad about. I'm over-organized most of the time so I thought between the two of us we could turn it into something really good. We'll see how it goes.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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3.  BCMike (1581) | 1 month ago |  Why don't you just ask her if she would like you to do it for her? Ask for 10% or something. If she is that disorganized, she should likely jump at it and you could satisfy hubby with SOME income for your efforts.
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| twoey68 (5394) | 1 month ago | I think that's probably what I'm going to end up doing. I hate to see her trying so hard and not getting anywhere. I love my Mom totally but she has always been completely unorganized. It wasn't a big deal when I lived at home but now that I don't she seems to just keep getting worse. I'd hate to see her lose out on a good thing b/c she can't get it together.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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| 4. Mirita (1045) | 1 month ago |  Well, I think that it would be a great idea since you have excellent organization skills and the business can grow really big and you can also make a good income from selling items on E-Bay. The two of you can help eachother and benefit at the same time. Sometimes we can do a better job with the help of talented people.
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| twoey68 (5394) | 1 month ago | She has tons of stuff that she wants to sell it just has to be organized and I have really good, I guess you'd call them wording skills. I tend to be able to put things into words that come out sounding right. I also like dealing with ppl so maybe between the two of us we could make something really good out of it.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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| 5. katsmeow1213 (1403) | 1 month ago |  I think I'm with your husband on this one. I know she's your mother and you want to help her... but this is her job. She's the one recieving the money. She should be able to handle it herself, or give it up. She will never learn to do it right if you keep stepping in to help her.
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| twoey68 (5394) | 1 month ago | Actually you sound just like my Hubby LOL I think if we can find a way to combine our skills we could turn it into something really good. Sometimes ppl learn more watching others then any other way so we'll see what happens.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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| katsmeow1213 (1403) | 1 month ago | I hope it works out for the both of you. | |
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| 6. gemini_rose (7055) | 1 month ago |  When it comes to our own family it can be hard to approach them for payment for things like that and I would not know how to go about it. My Dad started selling on ebay a while ago and he was always phoning me up and asking for my help with things. He was going to start ordering things to sell, and I gave him a few of my places but then he could not be bothered and just shut his shop down. I said to my hubby if I had known he was going to do that I would have offered to help him and then suggested we split the profits in some way.
If I was in your position and knowing my dad like I do then I think I would have brought it up jokingly at first and said that I should be paid for all the work I did, or that if this was a job I would be getting a nice little wage and then I would see how that went down before taking it any further LOL
I do not think it is a waste of time, if you both work together on it then you are only taking over what she cannot handle and you could end up with a nice little earning business on your hands. Two heads are better than one in some situations.
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| twoey68 (5394) | 1 month ago | When I first started on Ebay it was really confusing then I met a woman that listed some of my quilts on consignment and she started giving classes on learning Ebay. You got three 2 hour classes for like $50. She walked you through the whole process, showed you where to go for shipping supplies and gave you two phone consultations if you needed help. It was the best $50 I ever spent. I've tried teaching my Mom some of it but she doesn't seem to pick it up very well.
I think if we combine our skills we might make a go of it...I just hate to see her struggling to make something of it. She's on vacation right now so we'll see how it goes when she gets home.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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| 7. jer31558 (2280) | 1 month ago |  Unless you are doing it just to help out your mom, why not just start your own ebay business? Another idea, rather than become a manager, why not just form a partnership and split the earnings equally?
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| twoey68 (5394) | 1 month ago | I ran my own for several years but it's not always possible to keep a good supply of things to list. My Mom has literally tons of stuff that she's trying to get through and get listed...for now it might make more sense to combine forces.
The partnership idea is another to consider...either that or a percentage. When she gets home from vacation I guess we'll just have to talk about it and see what happens.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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| 8. vera5d (2044) | 1 month ago |  It's really hard with family, because they usually think you do it for free just because you love them:) Which may be true, but it does take a lot of time away from you to do the things you want to do or making your own money.
Maybe you could say something like, y'know, I was thinking, I know how we could both make a lot more money on ebay...then go through your plans and show her how you'd split the sales and do all of the work & she wouldn't have to lift a finger or something like that.
Just a suggestion, it may or may not work! Good luck:)
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| twoey68 (5394) | 4 weeks ago | That is pretty much the standard way of thinking with most in my family...the whole "but you should do it b/c you love me"...and I do love them but after awhile it tends to take over everything else and then I find myself running ragged with nothing to show for it. I think I'll try sitting down and talking to her when she gets home.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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| 9. kimlot (4212) | 1 month ago |  Hi twoey68, it does sound like your mom could use a little help with selling items on ebay. I have sold on ebay and if you sell more then a few items it can get confusing at times. I think if she has someone to help her out it would not hurt or maybe she can sell only one or two items at a time and that way she can keep track of them.
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| twoey68 (5394) | 4 weeks ago | I know it's confusing for her especially since she isn't organized. There were times it was a hassle for me and I'm over-organized. I think if we can sit down and talk it might work out for both of us.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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| 10. BarBaraPrz (1381) | 1 month ago |  Hi Twoey...
Looks like you've gotten some sound advice here, but if you go for a percentage, I think it should be more than 10%. After all, you would be doing more than 10% of the work, would you not?
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| BarBaraPrz (1381) | 1 month ago | I meant to ask what is she selling? And under what name?
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| twoey68 (5394) | 4 weeks ago | Well, that is one thing we'll have to work out. I don't want to end up making alot but at the same time I don't want to work all week for $10. We'll have to find a happy medium. She goes by Smileydog2 and she has all kinds of things on there. Right now there is only 3 things but that's b/c she's on vacation.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ | |
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