Monday, May 5, 2014

My Plants, eBay and Returns!

by Robert Leavitt

As you probably already know I sell on eBay.  It's my main source of income and I have sold everything from nick-knacks to rare LP albums on vinyl.  I can say for certain that eBay is an ADVENTURE!  Lately I've been following my sisters lead and I got into the wonderful world of plants.  I mostly sell seed online, but I also do ship real live plants.

Shipping plants is difficult at best.  I have had some luck with it, but it's not an easy task.  I usually ship things bare root, but lately I have been nervous about my tender seedlings arriving alive, so I have been wrapping up the entire starter pot with plastic wrap. It costs more to ship this way, however my customers have seemed pleased to have it arrive in soil.  (You can try to explain that bare-root is OK, but it's a HARD sell to someone who is buying plants at a retail level).

If you are planning to sell plants online, I highly suggest that you do some research first.  It's hard to do and it requires a good deal of knowledge.  I never offer refunds, however I have refunded people anyway because of the USPS damaging the plant.

You really have to weigh your cost and look at it carefully.  Most people can come up with plants the "inexpensive" way which is to grow them, but you have to look at containers, potting mixes, water cost, heat if you have to heat the area (like a greenhouse) and packaging and shipping.  This doesn't even count your time.  You have to "run a tight ship" to make money doing this.

Let me know what you think!

You can learn more about Robert Leavitt on his Google Plus page.

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