Hi sallie7434,
Welcome to WhatDoISell.com! Be sure and stop by the Discussion Forum there and say hi! You'll find lots of great support and ideas there.

I took a look at your store and what I would recommend if you would like to pursue SouthWest collectibles is to dig deeper and see what unique SW collectibles that you can find that are being sold on eBay.

The more generic SouthWestern products are pretty saturated on eBay, however if you study the type of products that are being sold on eBay - and look for a niche or product line that is not heavily represented on eBay, you'll be able to approach your product line from a different angle.

The other thing that you'll want to do is research the demand for SouthWestern products. A few years ago, demand was really hot for that style. It may have cooled a bit.

That doesn't mean you can't sell successfully in that niche, but you'll need to source the types of products that people are looking for today in the that theme.

So picking up some magazines from the newsstand (There are a couple devoted just to SouthWestern living) will give you what you need to get in touch with what products buyers are looking for.

I love forward to you being a part of the WhatDoISell commmunity and helping you build your eBay business!

Lisa
Link

Hi bournent,
Great to see you here! And thanks for your comments about WhatDoISell!

There are a couple of things to think about when determining quantities for the holidays - because you're right, it's difficult to assess how much product you'll need if it is a product you haven't sold before.

If you under order, you run the risk of trying to re-order in October and finding that your supplier is out of stock.

If you over-order, you run the risk of having excess inventory at the end of the season.

It is challenge for all online retailers!

Here are a couple things you can do -

If you have any order history from the previous year, look at those sales reports and get an idea of what your past sales volume was.

If you didn't keep that information you'll want to track it this year so you'll have some guidance for next year.

Calling your suppliers and asking them about which products will sell is also a great idea. They will be able to tell you which product lines they anticipate to be hot sellers, which they have sufficient inventory on, and which they expect to be back ordered on.

Also, find out where their inventory is coming from.

If they have a hot product and they are re-ordering inventory for delivery in October. Chances are in reality, it will never make it to the supplier in time.

If the warehouse is in the US and they are building products in the US, you have a better chance of re-ordering - so that is an important question to ask them.

The other thing you can do is start "seeding" products early in the season as we talked about above in the workshop content.

If you start listing products now that you anticipate will be popular and they start moving quickly here in July, you have a pretty good idea that the volume will pick up for the holidays.

Then you can reorder more stock earlier.

Ultimately there is always a bit of guesswork involved in determining inventory volumes - no one - even the most experienced buyers for big department stores hits it right on!

But using the process I described above will enable you do make the best and most informed product sourcing decision possible.

Lisa
Link

Hi lettinggo444 ,
Yes, you'll want to get an actual copy of the book, look in the front and back cover/pages and find the publisher.

And then call the publisher to see who their distributor is. Sometimes you'll actually find the distributor's name in the book as well.

But the publisher will definitely be able to point you in the right direction!

Lisa
Link

Hi Everyone,
Just to let you know I will answer all questions that are posted, so keep watching!

Lisa
Link

Hi sherryssugarshackltd,
You have a fantastic store and great branding!

To get ready for the holidays you'll want to focus on three things, marketing, marketing, marketing!

Now is the time to start getting the word out about what a GREAT product you offer for the holidays.

For some ideas on ways to do this, Google the personalized M&Ms site. You'll see the sales copy they use to promote their seasonally branded M&Ms.

Start by writing Top Gift Articles. You can publish them on eBay in Guides and REviews as well as in article marketing.

Send out Press Releases. Ecommwire (over at Auction Bytes is a good place to start for press releases.)

Ezine Articles is a good place for article marketing.

Pay Per Click Ads to drive traffic to your products is another option (we have a class on how to promote your eBay business using Pay Per Click Ads at WhatDoISell.com)

Send out coupon incentives to everyone on your email newsletter list.

Run limited time specials each week in your store.

From a visual standpoint you need to spotlight different products each week in your store and tell your customers WHY this is the greatest gift they could give someone for the holidays.

Feature testimonials from past satisfied customers!

Give visitors to your store ideas of ways they could give your products as gifts and seed their minds with cool ideas they haven't thought of before!

Everything you sell now should contain promotional information about your holiday purchases and specials.

And don't forget offline advertising too.

Business cards and flyers for your products should go everywhere!

Car decal advertising would also lend itself perfectly to your business as well!

Lisa
Link

Hi mrsdwyersgifts ,
The fastest way to find suppliers for you niche is to locate trade shows that sell licensed sports products.

Also, looking at the trade show websites and trade publications will connect you with those suppliers.

Google these keyword combinations "sports licensed trade shows" "sports licensed trade publications" "sports licensed trade associations"

look through the pages of the search results and you will find the industry shows and publications where suppliers exhibit their wholesale merchandise.

Lisa
Link

For Further Information

Did you like the quality and value of the information you received during this workshop?

This is just a small example of the kind of online retail education and support Members of WhatDoISell.com receive each week!

Don’t put yourself in the unenviable position of trying to build a business on your own. At WhatDoISell you’ll have a partner in online retail success!

With step-by-step business building strategies, in-depth training from Lisa Suttora and other industry experts and ongoing personal support in our Success Forums, WhatDoISell.com is your partner in online retail success!

Give your business on eBay that WhatDoISell.com
Advantage today!

We look forward to having you as a part of the What Do I Sell.com™ community!

Link