Why do we sell plus size clothing on eBay ????

We have heard it a million times. I REFUSE TO BUY ANYTHING ON EBAY - especially clothes. Why, oh why, Curvy Girl...why do you sell on eBay?

First of all - you are foolish if you are not shopping on eBay (and I say this respectfully). :) It's not just for used items or collectibles. I buy clothes on eBay. LOTS of them. From competitors too (gasp). Hey, sometimes they have what I'm looking for!!!

I also purchased a $3,500 (that's its wholesale value - retail is much more) diamond right hand ring for $197 (and I get no less than 2 compliments on its beauty each week). My lighting system would have cost me $1,000 in a store - easily. After losing out on 3 auctions, I finally won it for less than $200. My shipping supplies are bought on eBay, my printing labels, supplies for my store (including fixtures)....most of it comes from eBay. I've even bought Girl Scout cookies on eBay (what can I say, a girl needs her Tagalongs and now that I no longer have an office job, I don't have access to the mother of a girl scout who is selling her daughter's cookies).

There are some fantastic deals on eBay. My suggestion is to bid on holidays - there are always sellers who are new to eBay and don't realize it's a really really really bad idea to end an item on a holiday. My family is drinking egg nog and singing holiday carols or playing Scrabble while I'm winning stuff at ridiculously low prices. I also use esnipe. I can't stress enough how much I love esnipe. I basically set my bid, and a few seconds before the auction ends, esnipe makes my bid for me. I win most of the time, without having to get into a bidding war (where I'd probably over bid anyways).

You should be shopping on eBay too. There are SOOOO many great sellers - with NEW items! These sellers work hard and they earn every penny they make.

Is it safe? Yes. Simply follow the guidelines and use common sense. Keep your password safe. Log out when you step away from your computer. Only buy from sellers with feedback (and make sure it's not just feedback as a buyer - make sure they have feedback as a seller). Use Paypal. Your transactions are protected when you use Paypal (and a confirmed seller). Do your research. Know what items are worth or what you are willing to pay. Use the right keywords. Find sellers who operate stores and shop with them. A requirement of having a store is keeping feedback above a certain percentage (and also having at least 100 feedback ratings).

But you hate bidding. I know. So do I. Refer to my paragraph above about esnipe.

Why do we sell on eBay?

I made a few clothing purchases on eBay and I loved everything I bought. I told my sister about it. She made a few clothing purchases. She loved it.

We knew we wanted to start a company. We had very little capital. No loans. No trust fund. Just some sisters with a dream, a few thousand dollars and little else. We knew we wanted to sell plus size clothes as we had read an article in Entrepreneur Magazine (from Fall 2004) stating it was one of the hottest markets to get into. It didn't hurt that we were plus size ourselves. In 2005, Curvy Girl LLC was born.

Because our marketing budget was initially non-existent, we knew we needed to start off testing the waters. We wanted to know what types of styles would sell best and how much we should charge for items. We also wanted to reach as large of an audience as possible. It made sense to start on eBay. We listed a few products, and much to our surprise, items were starting to sell. We haven't looked back since.

Many people have suggested it was a bad idea to start on eBay. People have said it cheapens the brand and the image. We disagree. It's not a pretty format, we agree, but it serves its purpose, and there are millions of shoppers visiting the site per day. Because we have an eBay store, it doesn't mean we don't take fashion seriously. It doesn't mean we are only trying to attract the bottom of the barrel customer who is only shopping on price. It doesn't mean our products are used (they are all new). It doesn't mean our products are defective (they aren't).

We are highly offended when people don't take our eBay business seriously. We sell in the high 6 figures annually on the site. When other boutique owners hear how much we make on eBay, they are shocked as it is oftentimes more than double what their store generates in a year. Granted, after all of the fees are taken out, and we consider all of our operating expenses, our net profit is almost laughable, but we have a high volume eBay business. Just because it's eBay, doesn't mean it's any different than other online retailers you are used to shopping with.

Because of our eBay business, we have opened our online store (www.curvygirlclothing.com) and we now have a brick and mortar store in Portland OR (hopefully a few more in 2008!). eBay has allowed us to grow our brand and build a loyal customer base. It has allowed us to reach customers in parts of the globe that we will probably never see with our own eyes. Because of eBay, Curvy Girl Clothing is an internationally recognized brand.

Have I convinced you to check out eBay? I hope so. :)

Just take a look. It won't hurt. You don't have to tell people you buy your clothes on eBay (or whatever else you buy). But, you should definitely check it out because there are tons of great bargains there and you are really missing out.

For those who are ready to go check out eBay...

To have a successful shopping experience, start by taking your measurements. This applies to buying on eBay or any other online company. Every single manufacturer in the world has a different idea of what sizes are, but measurements don't lie. If you don't want to measure yourself, measure your favorite items from your closet and then compare those measurements to the item you are looking at online. Curvy Girl Clothing hand measures every single item and then makes recommendations for size based on measurements and intended fit. Don't be suprised if you are a 1x in some items and a 4x in others. If you follow the measurement guidelines, you are more likely to have a good fit. If the seller doesn't list measurements, ask for them. If they won't provide them, don't buy the item.

Once you know your measurements, start searching for items. There are THOUSANDS of plus size clothing listings on any given day. You can also find shoes and accessories to match that new outfit you are going to buy!

Look at the photos and read the description carefully.

If you find a seller with a great selection, be sure to check out all of their listings. Power sellers with stores often have items that are listed in their store inventory that don't come up in a standard search. Usually, you will find a link to their other items in their auction details.

I will probably take some time in 2008 to write a blog on our experiences selling on eBay. We have had many fantastic customers, but there have definitely been some crazy moments and times when we wonder why we do this to ourselves every day. We simply remember all of the great customers and their encouraging letters (some with photos) who remind us of how blessed we are to be doing what we love most: selling sexy clothing for some sexy a$$ curvy fashionistas!!!!! FLAUNT IT LADIES.

In case you were wondering, here is the link to our eBay store. :)
http://stores.ebay.com/Curvy-Girl-Clothing