Midnight purchases

Hello everyone,

Following on from last week's blog about eBay, I also wanted to make some observations about online shoppers.  Obviously what's really great about being online is never knowing when you are going to have a sale, you don't have to wait around in an empty shop for a customer and its pretty exciting when you first get started, to wake up to one or more Paypal notifications from overnight sales.

I've noticed some patterns, definitely.  End of the month is always good = payday.  Mondays and Wednesdays seem to be popular = post weekend slump / midweek blues I think!

Evening is obviously popular, but I am still surprised at how late people are ordering.  Perhaps I shouldn't be - I remember Nigella Lawson once saying on her cookery programs that when she couldn't sleep she would quite often buy cookery books on Amazon.  I also think its tired parents ordering once the children are in bed.

So back to my old friend eBay - the problem with the late night ordering is this - as those who follow my blog know, I have a full time job as well as running the shop - so when someone orders at 11.59pm, eBay expects the parcel to be despatched the next day (if you do "get it fast" as I do).  So I have to package up before I go to work, or else I will miss the depot and not meet the customer's expectations.


So one night I had just got into bed after a very tiring, long day and I saw my phone flash - Paypal!  Oh good.  Oh no!  The customer had paid extra for next day delivery, so I had to get up, print an invoice, package it up, weigh it, order the delivery slot etc etc. So I got to bed just after midnight, and then got up 6am to drive 130 miles, then go to the depot in my lunch hour (30 mins!).

So sometimes I am so tired I don't know what to do with myself.  This is why I don't always do my blog on a Monday, sometimes its just too much.  But I don't seem to run out of enthusiasm for this business.  Well sometimes if I have a quiet week, or one of the disasters that I have written about on here.  But I am still one of the luckiest people I know and I don't forget it.

So go ahead - order at midnight!!  I am always at your service :)

Rachel
x 
(off to bed now, yawn zzzzzzzzzzzz)

"I'm just ordering something from Rachel's Toy Shop, Mum"