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questions about hiring help for myself
 

Hey everybody, I have questions to you about hiring some stuff for your selfs. As for me I work with my gf, so it's 2 of us, but still no time for most stuff. I tried hire someone to help with listings, but the guy was to dumb, and I had to re-do 200 listings, wasting of money, not saved time.

I also know few successful people who have offices and have 8-12 people they do bunch of sales. I seen eb stores like this in Orlando FL, Miami FL, Shenzhen China.

My question is, how to find good people? what the best tasks for them? I mean I'm a little confused as far as I don't want to teach everything, but I want to have maximum usage of people in same time not to show how to do pretty much nothing.

I think the most time takes listings, messages also takes time. And with cases I deal personally :clap:
How many stuff you guys have and how does it working out for you?
Thanks for any advice:thumb:

Give better details of what your business does.

Why trust someone to do listings

What volume are you doing etc etc

I mean I do enough volume for me and my gf to handle. But how can you grow bigger? I mean don't you ever get to the point when you are to busy and feel like want to have few people to do even more that you do for you?

Nope because I dont trust them :rolleyes:

Only 'family' touch my work

That's exactly how I am now. But trust me, I've seen people who do more than can do family. I mean for example: Office in Shenzhen with 10 people, 1 room just for packing and checking weight etc. couple rooms with computers etc. They sell on eb, dh gate, aliexpress, amazon and alibaba. I mean the owner I think pretty bad ass guy. I would really want to get to same place, I can afford help already, but the question is what let to do, what not let to do?
Is no one really using any help from outside? I mean depends what you sell, but I have just messages enough for a couple hours of reading 7 days a week + calls also but not much. Plenty of work to do. I saw guys in Orlando was renting a single house as warehouse-office kind of think. House was full of refurbished laptops and many electronics too. But it was 4 people total including the boss. Hope any body share there experience.

I am running 14 accounts and selling lots of items with little to no help.

I get the DH when he is not working and my kids to help me pack items but unless you are selling thousands of items a month no reason to get help when there are two of you.

14 hour days are normal for me.

Or like the 16 hour days Bluntz puts in.

It's a little hard finding people to help with this business, once they learn if they're smart enough they'll just go do it by themselves. And as said I don't trust people, especially with customer service and listing items. If I was to hire someone though it would be for item inventory, packing and shipping. You can find easy help that way just put up an ad on craigslist or whatever the Thailand equivalent to craigslist is. I pay some friends or young people around my age looking for some quick cash on really busy weeks. $50 a day with a meal for around 5-6 hours work, packing, shipping, and post office delivery only.

Thanks for replies. Yes it's true hard to find right people and everything, but if you do not teach them how to create accounts and maintain 500 listed items(I mean personal account is only 10 for start etc.) Like I said I saw personally with my own eyes several eby offline warehouse and offices. I agree that it's possible to create an account and list 10 items and than what? who gonna steal your idea? except experience and money and full time you got to have balls too man = )) but now days lots of people living of sales online. And if you pay somebody every month just for taking pictures and getting description and putting it together online it's all they have and like everybody else they spend all the money, it's not really easy as it looks and you all know that, that just listing listings is not all it takes = ) I don't want to say nothing bad about women, but I think it's better to hire a woman, less likely that she might figure out how to make accounts, and maintain them. I mean I think man more likely to try think about starting to do the same on your own, and have more balls for that )

I guess nobody of those big guys from eb on this forum or they don't want to talk about.

By the way in Shenzhen this guy, he told me that before he had office like this in Toronto, but labor to expensive, in China it's a lot cheaper. I mean whole city sell on aliexpress and some on other ones.

As I see around 3000-4000 yuans is good for this kind of person it's about US$476-634 I think is very good and people with this money pays for rent apartment because in Shenzhen everybody from all over China, everybody rent so how you gonna manage to start living of eb by your self if you don't have online income already? = )

I'm with you hon!!:thumb:

I will second that one for sure.

Everyone else wants a piece of the pie.

I would only hire someone to help with packaging...

Are you sure your business is entirely streamlined? I mean with ready listing... Using auto relistings, postage, things like that..

It seems like just when I am at my max, I find ways to make the process simpler...

those ebay powersellers in shenzhen have their own management software system, 10-20 people use the same system on different acc on different platforms. everything is automatic. product research in different country, listing , feedback, inventory control, printing address label etc , virtually all in one system.

Trust no one.

I write software to do my eBay work ...and I trust it 100% :P

nice solution! could you please tell what tasks your software gives to employee?
or pm please

I took a look at pushauction.com once
It allows for operating each ebay acc under different 'users' with different permissions

I tired to get someone to help me with some packing once and of course they put the wrong label on several packages and created a disaster for me.

I found when it is not theirs they do not pay attention or care if they do it the way I want it done which is correct every single time.

I was actually asking about hiring for work at the computer. More as far as listings or/and messages, nothing else. As far packaging and shipping, I have already couriers and I have a lady who works in Post Office, she do it for $1/parcel (other wise she would have to do it for free, because it's her job) but I pay her just so I don't have to go there. Than I just call and ask all the tracking numbers. I can get receipts at any time, personally or shipped to me anywhere I go.

But thanks for your reply anyway

do you use it? or did you tried? is it really helps? thanks a lot for advice

did you hired a freelancer to do it?
what part of your job did you automated? I mean is it with listings? I had custom software for CL, it's been working fine, I could make over 100 postings/day, switch pva's and vpns until now with all the ghosting thing. Anyway when you have a good software I agree with you it can save lots of time

I think software is really good solution I guess I just hire freelancer for that

I tried it but I didn't experiment with different 'users'

The software is by a chinese company. Main advantage of the website is definitely being able to respond to ebay messages from the site. The site itself could be faster. I couldn't be bothered to create new profiles as I was using auctiva and inkfrog already so I just gave up on it. Give the 30 day free trial a go I guess

I wrote it myself. The listings I do myself, just for the order tracking I have a database and then scan the barcodes of each shipment as it's packed and it automatically emails the customers all the shipping details. It also allows me to track the packages as they're delivered and contact customers if for example they haven't claimed it yet.

I only share cold shoulder. ;)

I'd be very careful of this too - I had family helping out around xmas and now they have started up on their own...:heh: It hurts but be careful who you trust don't let people know too much!

As for the female to male comment - grrrr, welcome to modern society!

Whiteberry x

Thanks a lot for advice, this is a second time hear about so this time I think I will really find time to give it a try

I also was thinking how it can safely run several accounts, but I guess I have to try 2 accs

That's actually was my main reason I started this thread!

Thank You for bringing up this.

Let's face it. For almost all of us, when time coming to "hiring" for our e-commerce businesses we are all start thinking that once we hire somebody, they will learn, and will start to do same business right away, and you gonna be growing your own competitors and pay them salary, after all they might take at least some of your income away and work for them self. So here we are, let's face it - not hiring is about that. I mean the main reason is we don't want to teach people and we are scared that they will take over later.

That is really good way to start grow business.

Would be awesome if some of You people can share experience or ideas(thoughts) about how to not over teach employees but keep our knowledge and stay leaders:humble:

/quote

I wrote it myself. The listings I do myself, just for the order tracking I have a database and then scan the barcodes of each shipment as it's packed and it automatically emails the customers all the shipping details. It also allows me to track the packages as they're delivered and contact customers if for example they haven't claimed it yet.


Real pro. I like it.

You guys are Big Ballers, I only do 30-40 items a month tops. But then again I'm only trying to make some cash for school.

ImJustMe, why don't you sell your software to others? Could sell it on Ebay!

Why would Imjustme do that? So other folx can take it and cause havoc?

Can always sell it to us? were ok right? :angel:

I guess if he knows and trusts you - sure =)

why would you need his software?

custom software will cost you just $300-700 if hire a freelancer depends how hard you want to do it etc.

well, if eb for you just for school, than might be to expensive LOL

Anyway I think(I might be wrong) his software it's just rough soft, which helps HIM to do his tasks his way. I believe it's automate some of his work and speed up some other, but it's only for his way of doing things. So if you are not working his way I thing it's useless for you. It's a lot more convenient to make a custom for your self or hire freelance programmer CHEAP to do it for you.

I'm bringing a friend from overseas soon. Cheap labor + fresh SSN :)


Wouldn't trust a random person, especially when it comes to suppliers.

When hiring someone do not share your supplier or method as that will lead to them leaving and starting their own.

Me personally I had found some kids just hanging out smoking you know highschool kids. Asked them if they wanna make a few extra dollars and they agreed to list my items and I showed then how to switch IP's and User accounts. Went well with no problems.

Just get highschool students as they will not go on their own cause they are only looking to make a few hundred bucks.

/quote

When hiring someone do not share your supplier or method as that will lead to them leaving and starting their own.

That's what happened in that movie "Blow"...went bad.

Cracking film but yes very true! Suppliers are priceless

that's actually also a good advice LOL ) happy 420

Ouch!
Frostbite. :eek:

I have recently started using listing services like auctiva and inkfrog and they have cut down my daily work by about 2 hours a day.

I wouldn't trust my family or my partner's family. Family can be even worse because they expect you to tell them everything and leave nothing out. Most people have no problems working for you one day and becoming your competitor the next. They'll call you the petty one.

Quite frankly, I've seen some sellers talk too much to their family. Then they are surprised when they find out their retired dad who has nothing to do all day is suddenly their competitor. Just say you "sell on Ebay" and leave it at that. Took me years to figure everything out, let anyone else figure it out that way too. You are not going to get a fast track on my account.

And when it comes to hiring I would only do it if you have high volume and have a warehouse or something. I can't imagine needing someone to help unless you have a warehouse. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like until you're at that point you can do the work yourself.