eBay Inc.
08/04/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/04/2021 10:03
7 Questions with Stephen Weller of Subliminal Suzi
Late at night, you'll find Stephen Weller boxing up that day's eBay orders, orders that came in while he was working his day job-Senior Business Development Manager at eBay. Long before he helped businesses succeed on eBay, Stephen started selling Disney pins on the platform as a way to help fund his family's own love for everything Disney.
Now, Stephen is providing his family with a second income and getting first-hand experience he can relate to his day job.
See Stephen's store at Subliminal Suzi.
7 Questions with Stephen Weller of Subliminal Suzi
- What does a typical day look like for you?
It's not a full-time job, and that's the best part.
People don't realize that you can make money on the side with eBay. You don't have to give up your life and livelihood to have a good side business.
Let's start at the end of the day, when all the kids are in bed. A typical day would be where I package up all that day's order at night. It takes a couple hours to pull inventory and package it.
Next day during my lunch hour, I print all the labels and take the orders to the post office, which takes maybe 30 minutes. I don't even lose my whole lunch.
Two or three hours a day, five days a week. You make a decent income at it. Not too bad.
- What's one thing you would tell yourself when you first started your business?
Do it faster. Just go and start it.
It's just as easy to sell one item on eBay as it is to sell 10. It takes almost the same amount of time.
You just gotta go and do it.
The more you sell, the more you learn, and the more fun you have, and the more money you make.
Rare Disney pins sell for hundreds of dollars.
- Where do you see your business in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years?
My next year or two is bright.
I'll definitely be expanding. I've been expanding into different categories. I don't see Disney pins going anywhere anytime soon, but I've branched out. I do Funko Pops. Limited edition T-shirts. I sell shoes on eBay, which is great because there's no fees for men's sneakers over $100.
- What's your process for sourcing merchandise?
I buy on eBay and other platforms. I also buy collections. I buy directly from Disney. From traders.
It's something that I've got to be able to constantly look for more inventory. I'm always looking for inventory to buy.
It definitely takes expertise, someone who's been in the game a long time. I can look at a pin now and say it will make money or not, but it takes a lot of time and experience to do so.
- What's your secret selling power?
You definitely need to make sure you've got a good listing.
Follow all the eBay suggestions, put all the different item specifics in, and make a great title.
Take great pictures on a white background.
And I ship very quickly. If you order today, I ship it tomorrow and you'll get it within a day or two. I've figured out a way to ship packages very quickly via First Class USPS.
- What eBay tool do you find most useful?
The eBay tool I find most useful is probably Terapeak.
That's built into Seller Hub, and we're able to research and see what products are sold, how many sell, what price they sell for, if people have free shipping on it or not. And it allows you to see what you're up against, what your competitors are doing, and what you should be doing as well.
- What's your favorite quote- motivational or otherwise? Why?
Thomas Jefferson said, 'I'm a big believer in luck. The harder I work, the more I have of it.'
I'm definitely a 'work harder' kind of guy. I think you build your own luck. Some people will say, 'Hey, I can't get there. It's too hard.' And I just say work harder.
Check back for more seller stories and tips throughout the year on our Announcements board, the eBay for Business Podcast, and our eBay for Business Facebookand YouTube.
This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.