Goodbye to Etsy…Hello Again, eBay

I have been selling online since 1998. I waded into the internet waters on eBay and found it a comfortable place at the time. I sold internationally and loved to send antique items off to other countries. Often I was just returning those things back to the home they left years ago. I got to know my customers and frequently they bought from me time and again.

I sold to a producer on Broadway and loved to ferret out the things he needed for the play he was developing. My first few sales to him were for a play set in Hawaii after World War II. Eventually I started selling to this producer for his personal collection of 50s pottery and china. The messages between us were always a learning experience for me and I looked forward to hearing from him as he often scouted for other producers and directors.

Another frequent customer was woman who worked for Paramount Studios. She bought patterns, material and trimmings, equipment and buttons. I loved hearing what movies and TV shows the items would be used in. I learned much from her as far as how dresses were distressed for the performances and how my lace or buttons would be used. She bought an iron that was pointed at both ends so her ironing would go faster. It was one of those odd finds in a box lot at an auction. I learned so much from her and enjoyed finding her the odd pieces she needed for period outfits.

I sold to the people that created the miniatures that would stand-in for a town or an area that was going to be flooded or blown-up. The correspondence with them was hilarious. I also had the pleasure of selling to a costumer at Disneyworld in Florida. He needed small sewing items, lace, buttons and fringe. His correspondence with me was more business like but it was fun to receive so I could go on the hunt again.

I sold to a Norwegian pastor that wanted old Bibles that were printed in Norwegian but were done here in the USA. He also wanted any old Norwegian church items I found. He was also working with a group who were creating a museum in Norway dedicated to the ones that left Norway for a new life in America. I sent him what I found and each time he marveled at how well preserved the items were. We had a good working relationship and I was saddened to learn a few years later that cancer took his life.

After a few years eBay changed a few policies and I wasn’t sure it was suited to my business model so I moved to Etsy. Things went well there but gradually they started making subtle changes that became more massive and often the site crashed. They demanded more control of the shop I had and took away more of my independence to the point it made it difficult to maintain the business model that had worked for me. In 2017 I left Etsy and didn’t sell for a few months. Eventually I returned to eBay.

I have now settled into eBay and I am learning how to sell all over again on eBay’s platform. It is much easier to list on and goes quicker. I have found loading pictures is better and I don’t have to worry about tags or SEO!

The one thing I do miss is the wonderful relationship I had with my early buyers. It is more sterile now and very little exchanges between buyer and seller. Much of it is a canned response which the site sends out for you. The whole transaction is simply clean and sterile with no chance of chatting with the buyer.

So, go ahead and check out my shop at eBay ( meeka mayes market) and stroll through the beginnings of the new shop I am starting. And, feel free to stop by and chat any time.