Need to move inventory ASAP

[napthyme]

HI all, Ebay recently fragged us store owners by taking away there search enhancement that doubled our sales, so I need to move alot of inventory ASAP cause I ordered thinking this rate was going to continue. (stupid of me to think that eh?).

So come have a look at my store and see what goodies I have instock, lots of bargins to be had either on-off ebay, this is just easier then typing 877 items availble for sale. more stuff is coming in tomorrow, so who knows what goodies are in that pile as well.

I'll even go one step furthur and give a 10% discount if your a RPG.Net member and tell me you saw the add here when you order. (something I've never done before and may never do again). I even do international shipments rutinely, so don't be afraid if your form across the pond about buying. My reputation speaks for itself at 2033 positive FB, and a powerseller for over 2 years.

so here is the sight, have fun brousing....

http://stores.ebay.com/napthymes-roleplaying-den

Thansk in advance... Your humble servant... Jim "napthyme"

[napthyme]

well I've certainly had alot of responce to this post, a big fat zero.

Surely with $10 GURPS titles spilling over the shelves, and lots of cheap bargains there has to be something someone wants/needs in my inventory.

Doesn't have to be done through ebay its just an easy way of letting people brouse. I'm easy on payment terms: cash, check, MO, paypal, at this point I might even trade with a arab for a goat :)

So please take some time this weekend and have a look at what I have availible...

Jim "napthyme"

[pekin21]

Where are you located in Iowa?

[napthyme]

I'm in Chariton, one county west of Ottumwa. Shipping instate is usually pretty reasonable...

[javelin98]

Well... just a point of constructive criticism. Your minis prices are list price, which would mean that, with shipping, I'd be paying more for minis from you than from my FLGS. And your OOP RPG stuff is pretty much on par with a lot of other online stores. If you really need to move inventory, you might want to consider reducing prices as an incentive. Just a thought.

[napthyme]

I hate to tell you your wrong. I can only think of a few packs that are marked at retail price are new releases or impossible to find, all the rest are priced below retail.

If my OOP stuff is on par with everyone else's then that means I'm not price gouging am I. They don't just give this stuff to us if you open a store so that you don't have to pay for inventory. It all costs money, then I have to store it, pay intrest on the money barrowed to buy it when there is good buys so you can have a big dicount.

I'm self employed and they don't say "oh your self employeed, well then you don't owe us anything for phone, internet, electricity, gas, ect. Only people who have paychecks have to pay there bills." I ONLY WISH...

I bet I make 10% of what you do, plus I have to do without things like a car, any kind of insurance, fancy anything you might buy that you don't need, and still I'm broke. Just as broke as when I worked the only part time job I could find for minimum wage 12 years ago.

So yes, I have to make some money just like everyone else does. Everyone has to be paid and I am not the exception. If you have a local then support it to the hilt cause they need your business...

[javelin98]

Hey, I'm not trying to bust your chops or anything, but you made a pointed comment about your post resulting in a "big fat zero" response, and I thought I'd let you know a possible reason why. You don't need to get all hostile about it.

Now, as a former small business owner, I fully understand when you talk about rent, utilities, etc., but it's also a plain fact that your product isn't moving because your value proposition just isn't high enough for most Internet shoppers. I took a look at your eBay store when you originally posted and passed on buying anything, because there weren't any minis on your site I couldn't get for the same or less from my FLGS or online merchants such as Do Or Dice (and I'm primarily a minis player). Most people these days expect to see a significant discount online, especially when they have to factor in shipping (which isn't a factor in buying from a FLGS). And I didn't accuse you of price gouging -- I was just pointing out that you'll need to find some way of differentiating yourself from all the other discount e-stores out there. Maybe something like combining products into starter packs -- two basic books plus dice or something.

And I hear you on the insurance issues -- part of the reason my dad and I closed our printing shop was because the overhead was driving us into the ground. I miss being self-employed, but the economics of trying to run a small business compared to what I can make in the corporate sector were just too compelling towards Selling Out to The Man. And there was no way in hell we could pay for benefits for our employees -- I felt guilty about not doing so, but there was no way to do so and still maintain profitability.

Good luck on your venture. I hope you do well and are able to make a real go of it.

jav98

[napthyme]

Sorry about that, you'd be amazed at how many people who have never run a business think they can tell you exactly how yours needs to be run. I guess I've still got issues with this kind of person and your clearly not one of them....

Miniatures are costly and sales on them are few and far between, so I do try to buy them if I can afford them when the really good deals come around. If ebay and paypal didn't charge so much for there service I could probably afford to give free shipping, but that isn't possible. I do my best to combine shipping to the most economical and not add a terrible ammount of fees on top like so many ebay sellers do. To me that is just robbing the customers.

I'm glad to hear you are able to find work elsewhere. I spent 6 years unemployeed and finally had to start this on a few hundred dollars, yet I've not gone in the red yet since I started, so my business model must be fairly solid or that would not be the case. If I sold out and went back on the job market I'd be broke in 3 months.

Better to be broke and independant then broke and homeless I say...