Seller Spotlight: Starfisher's Stars
Hello, Bonanzlers! Scott here, yearning to share with you all this month's Seller Spotlight. Some of you may be thinking, "What's a Seller Spotlight?" or "Hey, that's pretty neat! I'd love to be a part of that... but how?" Read on to find the answers to those questions, and more.
How does this work?
Each month, we’ll be interviewing a Bonanza seller to learn how their business started, what makes them tick, and what advice they have for other sellers. We'll share our findings here on the blog. We hope these blog posts will be educational and inspirational to our sellers.
Awesome! How do I get selected for a Seller Spotlight?
If you’re interested in being selected for a Seller Spotlight, you can fill out this form. Please note that submitting your name for consideration does not guarantee you will be selected for a spotlight.
Does this take the place of the “Dedicated Blog Post” we can purchase with our tokens?
Nope! Our goal with these Seller Spotlights is to encourage the Bonanza community to engage with each other in a new way. If you save 40,000 tokens, you can still redeem them for a blog post specific to your booth.
I have other questions about this. Who can I talk to?
Our award-winning support team is more than happy to answer your questions about the Seller Spotlight series. Let's get started with our feature!
Seller name:
Jan. Check out her booth here!
How did Starfisher's Stars come to be?
“I had been doing some selling on eBay and came across Bonanza in 2008 when looking for other channels on which to list my items, and really liked the idea of having a booth that was my own to build and personalize. After featuring mostly collectibles for some time, I began posting jewelry that had previously belonged to my mother, along with some of what I had accumulated over the years. I found a lot of gratification in being able to provide a one-of-a-kind piece that fits the exact needs of my customers.”
The name of Jan’s Booth has a personal touch to it as well. “Starfish are one of my favorite marine animals, and there are plenty to find walking along the beach near my house. If you look closely, you’ll be able to find at least part of a starfish in every one of the photographs of items I’ve posted for sale!”
What is your favorite part about selling on Bonanza?
“It’s difficult to choose just one, but how easy it is to create a listing is certainly one of them. On top of the process being quick and simple, it also gives me a chance to use photographs of the items as a creative outlet, which I really enjoy. In addition to ease of use, being able to keep a booth open free of charge and have access to the high-quality customer support that Bonanza provides is greatly appreciated. And last, but certainly not least, Bonanza has a great community of sellers that you can interact with through the Community Board and the Hand Picked Lists.”
What advice would you give to new sellers starting out for the first time?
“Taking quality pictures of your items is crucial to customer satisfaction, especially with items that aren’t brand new. Showing every angle of your products, and making the effort to clearly point out and display any damages or defects, prevents your customers from having inaccurate expectations about what they’ll be receiving and leading to more satisfied customers. Hand-in-hand with that is keeping your customers updated on everything that’s going on with their order. Communicating with them when an item has been shipped, providing a tracking number, or letting them know of any delays keeps them from worrying and lets them know that they can come to you if they have any questions about their order.”
Do you have a favorite quote you want to share?
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever.” - Ghandi
If you could spend the day with anyone, who would you choose and why?
“Leonardo da Vinci. While he’s most famous for his art, he was also gifted in so many other areas of study. His contributions to anatomy, architecture, botany, mathematics, and so much else are truly inspiring. It was as if he had a glimpse into the future and saw what could be.”
What are your favorite things to do in the summer while you’re not maintaining your booth?
“I love walking on the beach and I always include a shell that I have found with every item I sell to remind people of the beauty of nature. A few favorite activities of mine are flats fishing and catching blue crabs, reading a good book, water aerobics, going to the movies and plays and especially going out to dinner.”
Do you have a question unrelated to this post? Contact [email protected] or visit the Help Center.
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53 responses to Seller Spotlight: Starfisher's Stars
EXCELLENT POST ! Thank you for sharing !
BONANZA IS AN EXCELLENT WEBSITE
YOU GET A PERSONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY REALLY CARE AND HELPFUL , PERSONALLY , I PREFER IT FROM EBAY AMAZON OR OTHER WEBSITE
HERBERT FROM herbetrade store
Thank you for sharing!
Loved this. Jan you sound like an interesting person!
Interesting post. Very good advice for newcomers (like me). I took a browse thru your booth & you definitely have a talent with photography. You’re pics are anything but plain…never seen such a group of items displayed so attractively. Well done!
Great feature! You Jan ROCK!! congrats for you success, you have some stunning pieces :-)
Starfisher’s booth has always had the most beautiful photos on Bonanza’s site. She was a real inspiration to me when I was just getting started years ago.
this is great bit of information. will try and make my pictures better in the future and double check ( i’m human i could’ve missed something) to make sure i show flaws as well that any flaws are posted in the description. i am fairly good at listing flaws since i deal in new and used toys mostly but also offer cd’s and disney vhs’s
Loved this. Thanks for your sharing
Thank you, For Sharing, this is the boost I needed to keep working. really great information.
Excellent blog. Great job, Starfisher. I completely agree 100% with what you said here:
“What advice would you give to new sellers starting out for the first time?
“Taking quality pictures of your items is crucial to customer satisfaction, especially with items that aren’t brand new. Showing every angle of your products, and making the effort to clearly point out and display any damages or defects, prevents your customers from having inaccurate expectations about what they’ll be receiving and leading to more satisfied customers. Hand-in-hand with that is keeping your customers updated on everything that’s going on with their order. Communicating with them when an item has been shipped, providing a tracking number, or letting them know of any delays keeps them from worrying and lets them know that they can come to you if they have any questions about their order.”
I always try to put myself in the buyer’s/shopper’s shoes by anticipating their questions…clear photos, detailed descriptions of the good and the bad (if any)….basically like you say. Points like this is the way to go in preventing an unhappy buyer.
Really enjoyed the read!!!
Thank you for sharing!
Cool
Thanks, yes your pics are excellent.
Liz
Awesome! Yes, you have some gorgeous listing images! Well done :)
Thanks for the good advice, great post!
Nice post, great plateform, I love Bonanza!
Great Post!Thank you!
I am new to Bonanza, but have sold well on Etsy since 2009. I have 27 items in my booth so far, but have had only 8 views in almost a month. I signed up for one of the modest advertising plans.
I am disappointed in the results so far, but still hopeful. Does anyone have advise for me?
Hi CarolSchiffFineArt!
While ReddyGiftware has already provided some tips below that will hopefully help you out, posting in the Community Help pages with questions like this will usually yield more answers from other sellers that want to help.
You can fine that here: http://www.bonanza.com/community_help
And feel free to email our Support Team any time at [email protected] with any questions you may have!
EXTREMELY WELL DESERVED SPOTLIGHT FEATURE, JAN! You gave some fabulous advice and customer service tips. Hope this helps bring you a fresh supply of customers and LOTS & LOTS of SALES!
Question & Advice for CarolSchiftFineArt: I admit traffic & sales have not been good so far this summer (maybe for most Bonanza sellers?). I certainly haven’t had any sales recently on Bonanza and overall viewing is down for me as well. I am hoping traffic will pick up again as summer winds down. My question for you is about Etsy. I assume you get alot of traffic through your Etsy shop? Does Etsy provide good tracking tools & the means to monitor traffic & advertising statistics for your items? Can you use Google Analytics with your Etsy shop? Just curious as I only have direct experience with eBay & Bonanza.
My advice to you starts by stressing the advice given by Jan of Starfisher’s Stars. Get involved with the Bonanza seller community by participating in Hand Picked Lists and the Community Board & such. Unlike the cut-throat sales and almost antagonistic environment of eBay, I’ve found BOnanza sellers to be great folks who are VERY supportive and who don’t mind working together to help promote one another and drive more traffic to all. Secondly, I would suggest doing some extra advertising of your new Bonanza booth/shop just like you would if you were opening a brand new brick-n-mortar store. If you’re already social media savvy – you can do this yourself. I’ve also found some great Social Media Promotions available on Bonanza that will advertise for you for a very cheap & reasonable fee. Unlike the normal item advertising you get with a basic Bonanza membership or the purchase of TurboTraffic packs, social media promotions by folks that have huge followings on pinterest / twitter / facebook reach beyond the normal advertising channels and will typically drive alot of traffic directly to you (instead of relying on sales channel customers stumbling upon your items by accident or directly searching for something you’re selling). Be diligent, though, if you purchase a Social Media Promotion and check first to be sure that the promoter really does have a huge following on social media (if they can’t give you verifiable information on their following & good reviews from former customers of their promotions – look elsewhere).
Hope that helps!
Thanks for the good advice
Great post. Thanks for the advise!
Thanks for the good advice, great post!
GOOD FOR YOU GIRL!!! Your post is so well deserved.
what a beautiful shop, with great photos and lovely items!
Thanks to everyone who has stopped by my booth to visit and for all the nice comments you have left in this Blog. It is greatly appreciated and such a treat. A very special “Thank You” goes to the staff at Bonanza for their support and to Scott for doing such a nice interview. This is a wonderful community to be a part of.
Jan major congratulations to you! I was so excited to see you win this. Major KUDOS to you!!
Nice article Jan! Keep up the good work!
Congrats! Thanks for being a part of Bonanza and sharing your awesomeness!
Jan is a fabulous seller. Her photography pure perfection and it certainly helps sales along with her total honesty. Congratulations. Well deserved recognition.
Very good article to share, very grateful! Hope that the team can pay attention.
Starfish is the best. Seller is Super Terrific. Received merchandise quick and I am highly satified with my purchase. I give seller A++++++++
So happy to see Jan and Starfisher’s Stars in the Spotlight! She always has such beautiful jewelry – and I LOVE seeing her starfish in the photos!
Bonanza IS a great selling platform – and I am very pleased to be a part of it! Keep up the good work, guys!
470
Thanks for sharing….
Great advice, thanking for sharing
Big fan of starfish here also..(:
Good article ..thanxs..!..(:
https://www.seashellco.com/sea-life/starfish
Thanks, I enjoyed reading that.
Great advice-Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jan: Congrats on your feature here! You fav things about Bonanza are also my favs: "“It’s difficult to choose just one, but how easy it is to create a listing is certainly one of them. On top of the process being quick and simple, it also gives me a chance to use photographs of the items as a creative outlet, which I really enjoy. In addition to ease of use, being able to keep a booth open free of charge and have access to the high-quality customer support that Bonanza provides is greatly appreciated. And last, but certainly not least, Bonanza has a great community of sellers that you can interact with through the Community Board and the Hand Picked Lists.”
Continued good luck and success to you!
Sandi
I Hope You Visit My Shops:
Artsy Craftery Studio
Paper Nirvana
Bead Tonic
EmbellishMart
I love that Jan includes a shell in each purchase to remind buyers of the beauty around us. What a great touch for your customers.
arcadia watch
Incredible story! So inspiring!
I am new to Bonanza and really appreciate your insights. I am going to look into improving and adding to my pictures! Thank you.
Hi everyone,would like to say this is my very first time ever on this web site .and so far as far, as what i’ve seen and how helpful website is at answering q.and items on site are fabulous.And the people and comments sound very friendly and respectful.feel this is going to be the website for me ,in shopping and e.t.c from now on.going to definatley tell my friends and family about site, and invite them to join as well.my up most respects to all .thank you!!
Hi everyone,would like to say this is my very first time ever on this web site .and so far as far as what if seen and how helpful website is at answering q.and items on site,and the people and comments sound very friendly and respectful.feel this is going to be the website for me ,in shopping and e.c.t from now on.going to definatley tell my friends and family about site and invite them to join as well.my most respects to all .thank you!!
Having fun with my new fire stick good buy rhanks
Thank so much!
I love your booth. It is so colorful and the pictures are “picture perfect”. Good luck with your sales.
Excellent advice to sellers regarding the importance of being as accurate as possible about items for sales, including using quality photographs.
Great advice & awesome booth! Continued success to you!
Interesting post. Very good advice for newcomers . I took a browse thrugh your booth & you definitely have a talent with photography. Your pictures are anything but plain…never seen such a group of items displayed so attractively. Well done! Thanks!
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