Feeling Lucky With Sales & The Lottery

Georgie Girl & Nikita sharing a drink!

I have not been writing as regular as I should on this blog. My husband and I started listing our products into a new ProStore on Amazon. Our sales on our two websites have not been very good in recent months. I had really given up on them. My husband though, did not want to give up. He kept trying, but still, there was not enough sales to count on. Since I had been selling my eBooks in the kindle shop on Amazon, I thought that maybe we would do better if we had all our strings in their catalog. So, why not open a ProStore there for our guitar strings? What would it hurt?

Well, it didn't hurt anything! Our inventory is selling out. I need to put together a new order to get the strings that are selling. We have had more sales in the last thirty days then we have ever had on our own two sites. Man, I love Amazon! I no sooner list a set of strings, then Amazon is sending me a notification of sale in my inbox.

Today, is a month ago that our little girl, Nikita passed away. I keep wondering if a dog does have the power to help you after they die? Maybe God sent them here to us to teach us something. To teach us how to be happy, generous and loving. No matter what we said or did, she loved us with all her heart. She was a really good girl and the worst thing she ever did was to scarf up the cat food in the kitchen at night, after I went to bed.

The reason I mention that is that for some reason, our luck is changing here. In fact, it has become so good that I sold my parents home to a man who didn't even try to get me to lower my price or talk me into owner financing it. Mainly because he has the money! The other reason I think our luck has changed is that my husband won the MegaMillions last week! Well, he didn't win the big jackpot........that is for next time, he won $150. and that has NEVER happened before!

Copyright © 2013 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2013  Kathleen G. Lupole

Making A Living From Home - It's Possible!

Working from home enables me to live this homesteading lifestyle. I try to combine both jobs every day. When I get up and have my coffee I check my computer for sales and questions and my emails. Then it's on to some of the basic chores around here. I used to go outside in the morning and help my husband with the morning horse chores which includes bringing in our water for the day. Since my legs have gotten too painful for those chores, he now goes outside and does those chores alone. Some mornings I can hardly walk. Working at home though means that I can still do my job instead of having to go somewhere or call in sick every week.

When I first started my online business it was with every intention of selling my husband's music cd, Classic Fantasy, a soft rock cd. But before we got very far with that project he was injured in a work related accident. His right elbow was crushed and you know that puts a dent in a guitar player's career. So I started selling used items we had around here on eBay and then started buying used things at local thrift shops, garage sales and other places. I sold quite a bit and even opened my own eBay store. Then eBay started not being able to handle the load of so many people selling so many products that everyone started selling for as low as possible. So that makes it not a very productive way to make a living. It has even hurt people who sell antiques and other products off eBay in their own brick and mortar stores. Made everything lose it's value.

I tried selling homemade crafts such as crocheted items. People do not want to pay for those type of items. They would rather buy baby sweaters and doll clothes manufactured in China or India. Then I tried the dropship life. Oh my goodness, what a joke that is. You do not know when you list something for sale if they will still have it in stock when it sells. That is why you see listings with sellers saying "this item was in stock when it was listed and items do go out of stock.................."

Many times I would get questions from potential buyers that I could not answer as I did not have the product here and could not look at it. I would send the dropshipper company the question and they would never answer as most of the time they were getting it dropshipped from someone else too! What a mess that was. Plus there were dropship fees and shipping fees that were usually where the dropshipper made his profit. A few dropshippers would say they were sending it UPS and then send it cheaper through the mail, but charged me for UPS. So what do I tell a customer who paid for UPS shipping?

Since my husband is a musician and a guitar player, it only seemed natural to find a product to sell that would reflect that. I became a distributor for Curt Mangan® FusionMatched® guitar strings. He produces a premium string with sonic clarity with none others even coming close in comparison. They are strings that create a tone that is purely perfect manufactured completely, 100% in the U.S.A. Combined with U.S.A. workermanship to produce strings with exacting core-to-wrap ratios and tolerances. When my husband put them on his guitar for the first time he liked them alot. Then he played at our church and everyone noticed and for other people to notice the difference is unheard of! So we were sold on them. He would never use another kind now.

If anyone would be interested in buying them from me please go to my site at:

http://www.larrylupole.com/catalog

I sell them with FREE SHIPPING to all U.S. buyers. I have all kinds, electric guitar, classical guitar, mandolin, banjo, acoustic, etc. So please keep me in mind if you need guitar strings or are buying some for someone else. Great Christmas stocking stuffers!

So we have settled into a nice quiet life here. Working on the computer listing products or answering questions and shipping our products while we are able to be home all day. Of course, what most people do not realize is that if you are working at home, you probably work longer than eight hour days. I do not keep track of my hours. I do so many household chores while working and then during the summer I was also gardening, harvesting and canning.

Have a good sunday......it's sunny here this morning which means I have power coming into my house......how much is coming into yours?????

katlupe

"Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness shall go before Him and shall make his footsteps a way in which to walk." Psalm 85:12-13