funny stories

Craft Books & Motivation

Today, I got in the mail four craft books that I ordered from Poshmark. I’ve already read a good bit of The Handmade Marketplace tonight. This book is about branding your business and selling items that you have created. The advice can actually be applied to any small start up businesses. The tips on motivation I am definitely going to implement into my reselling business. Until reading The Handmade Marketplace, I had never thought of journaling when & where I got motivation from. It’s an important topic to reflect on because when I lose motivation, it is hard for me to move forward. There are times though when I feel incredibly inspired but yet cannot figure out what to create (or write). If there is a chapter on what to do in this situation, I will let you know.

Motivation is an emotion that comes and goes for me. I wish that on a daily basis I was motivated to do the same things. Or at least similar things so that some how all the work I put into projects could tie together. The reality is though that I give something 150% for a short amount of time. I then burn out or become bored and move on. How I accomplish a damn thing I am not exactly sure. All I can think of is that my desire to do the same thing, at some point, cycles back around. This enables me to continue chipping away at it (whatever that “it” is).

My husband is currently extremely motivated about his roses (and succulents). It is pitch black outside and he just came in (with a flashlight) to tell me that the weather feels amazing. Somehow, I do not feel a sudden urge go outside at 10 PM. There are few things in this world that excite my husband like his plants do. Lately, I have started taking an interest in succulents. Before, I honestly thought they were a bit hideous. It bothered me that they were mainly all green and alien looking. After becoming inspired to potentially sell them though, I became more interested. When you start seeing dollar bills instead of green leaves, your entire perception changes. This may be another momentary obsession that will fizzle out come Friday. I did purchase 3 succulents today from Home Depot. One even has some flowers on it, which I liked.

My husband just reappeared from the darkness to tell me he was out there planting cat grass & cat nip. I’m sure that my cats all share feelings of great appreciation for his nightly ventures. Our cat names Bella thinks she is of high royalty and her owners are mere peasants. She is literally in a cat class of her own. With that being said, she is also a complete stoner. She was defaced yesterday when she discovered catnip drying out in the oven. Had the oven door been open, she would have jumped straight in. When she later obtained the catnip, she inhaled it. Literally. And then went looking for more. Next time, she told me she would like to be served on a silver platter.

Speaking of Bella, I just went back to the bedroom and saw a big lump under the sheets where I sleep. This marshmallowy pudge was Bella in a ball on our queen bed. I’m telling you…she is rotten!

I’m about to watch some anime with my wired as hell husband. Hoping that I can get him to relax. He just got up and ran some frozen sausages over to the neighbor that he said he will never eat. Thankfully, the neighbor was awake and wanted the sausages. Sometimes, you have to laugh.

Unicorn Plush Haul

Today is Valentine’s Day. I should be feeling more romantic than ever considering the amount of conversation hearts I stuffed in my mouth last night. I was having killer cramps & trying to find some form of sugar in our house at 1 AM. I’m sure my PMS greatly affected my mental stability when it came to thrifting items yesterday. I clearly had sweets on the mind when I went to Goodwill because the largest plush I found was a Peeps Candy Bunny. My friends, had he been marshmallow filled, he would have been eaten before I got to the register.

I’m assuming that the previous Peep bunny owner also donated the other plushes I found. Each stuffed animal I plopped into my buggy was unusually soft, sparkly, and multicolored. If you ever find something you like, always look for a second. I can’t tell you how often I find matching items if I take the time to look. This is what happened when I discovered both of the mini llamas. I knew immediately I wanted to sell them together, as they were basically twins. Unicorns also still seem quite desirable. I’ve learned that animals, other than horses, can be unicorns too. I found a sparkly owl and pig in this category. It’s confusing but I have learned not to try to make sense of anything in life. Sweet purple Easter egg looking hippo also had to come along with us. Just because, how often exactly do you see a pastel hippo plush?

The last two items in the buggy are Chocolate Lab Pillows. The ladies that worked at Goodwill joked with me as I considered those pillows. There was a Poo Poo pillow that one of the ladies recommended going along with the two puppies. I definitely knew that was going to be a nope. I have never understood the trend with fecal matter. Who decides what becomes popular and plastered all over every retail item possible? I mean really. The puppy pillows are very sweet though. I am selling them separately but am hoping they will be sold together. I’ve definitely sold throw pillows on Poshmark. If you take a quick trip over to Marshalls you will realize how insanely priced one single pillow is. I bought a Christmas dog pillow there last year and still cannot believe I paid what I did for it. This is why everything I own is from a thrift store. It keeps me from having a life threatening anxiety attack when I go to the register.

Life Of A Reseller

A few year ago I discovered some Youtube videos about how to resell on Poshmark. I watched and listened as people explained how you can make a profit by selling items from thrift stores. Since I loved thrifting, I decided to create my new business immediately. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit that often acts before having any dam idea what I am doing. I started going to the Goodwill bins, where they weigh the clothing per pound, and loading up with plus size items. My knowledge of brands, style, or really anything involving clothes was pretty much nothing. I had a plan though and if other people did it, so could I. Fast forward over two very broke years……

Today, I am still a reseller. I sell on Poshmark, Mercari, Ebay, and when I am feeling adventurous I add on Etsy too. Learning to resell, price, list, organize, thrift, ship, etc, has been an absolutely roller coaster for me. Nothing has come naturally or worked as I planned. Reselling is not easy, as the unbelievably annoying commercial for reseller apps make it sound. There is such BALANCE involved that no one talks about. One must learn to balance their life with their business. You may have to choose between listing items and spending time with your significant other. There is a lot about reselling that has no easy answer.

Stop doing what everyone is doing. Right now. STOP. Spend some time thinking about colors, photographs, lighting, business names, etc, that you are in love with. Let me tell you, you need to be in love to put up with seeing these things every day. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box of your “competition.” It is only a competition if you are competing. I witnessed two women bicker over a couple of metal lawn mosquito ornaments the other day. One woman was going for them but another beat her to the punch. You better believe she let everyone near her in Goodwill know that a set of mosquitos was unfairly taken from her. Don’t be that woman.