Aloha Sprinklerinos,
Since I have a blog and have been writing it for a good couple of years now, I am often asked questions about different aspects of it.
Recently I was asked how to host a blog sale and realised that this is a question I have been asked multiple times and might be worthy of a whole post. I appreciate this will be of little use to those of you who don't write a blog, so to you I am sorry, I do hope you can forgive me!
Blog sales can be a great way of decluttering your house, not throwing things in a landfill, helping other people find bargains and making a bit of pocket money. Hurrah!
There are of course some pitfalls, but hopefully we will cover some of those.
BEFORE BLOG SALE
First things first, decide what you want to sell. Ensure that it is clean, in good condition and is actually something somebody might like to purchase. A bottle of perfume that you have only used twice and kept out of sunlight, yes. A bottle of shampoo that has been languishing in the bathroom for six months and you have used 50% of, probably not.
Photograph all your items. Take your pictures in good lighting (preferably natural daylight), against a plain background (white or cream is usually best), and in focus. If you have the time and inclination, consider taking multiple photographs of each item (open, closed, in box, out of box etc).
Make a note of what you are selling, how much you plan to sell it for and how much of it has been used, if at all. You can then use this note to tick it off when it sells and then tick it off again when you have posted it out. Organisation is key!
Ensure you have a paypal account and that you know how to send invoices. These are free to send but once you have been paid, paypal will take a cut (I believe at the moment it is 3.4%). So if you sell a nail polish for £1, you will likely only see 96-97p of that. If you are unsure of how to send an invoice, google is your educational friend here.
Work out your postage costs. The Royal Mail are little blighters and have recently put up their prices, meaning you may have to research yours a little. Also factor in what you will package your items in and ensure you have stock of this. You want to make sure your products have the best possible chance of arriving in good condition so use bubblewrap, padding, tissue paper where necessary. I always save up the free padding you get in other packages and recycle it, that way you are doing your bit of the planet and your purse strings.
DURING BLOG SALE
Be very clear with your terms and conditions. Perhaps research what terms other bloggers have stipulated and use them for a bit of guidance. Be clear on how much you charge per item, whether you accept returns, where you will post to (your own country/worldwide) and how you accept payment. I have found paypal to be easiest and safest.
Under each item image, write the product name, what condition it is in and how much you are charging.
Ask people to write in the comments which item they would like and to provide their paypal email address so that you can invoice them. Keep a keen eye on your comments and refresh often so that you don't keep your customers waiting too long.
Once your payment is confirmed paid, carefully package and post your item to the customer. ENSURE that you ask for proof of postage at the post office til. This is free. Keep this proof incase your customer says they have not had their item. Without it you don't really have a leg to stand on and may have to issue a refund. I have been stung by this once and it wasn't much fun. I couldn't prove that I had sent the item to America (I had) and had a very angry girl on my case and I was left poorer for it.
If you use any other social media platforms (like twitter, facebook, pinterest or instagram), consider using those to drum up a bit of interest in your blog sale and encourage more potential customers to drop by.
Do this with all the items and voila- some summer spends!
I hope that has helped and if you have any other good tips, feel free to leave them in the comments.
Toodlepip!
xx
