Traveling and Working from Home
Once upon a time I decided to work from home full time. A bunch of thoughts popped into my head at that point, one of the bigger ones being, “But, how on earth am I going to ever travel again?”
This was of course not the most important factor I was thinking of, but especially after 2020, the hubs and I needed a solid mini getaway. I’m sure most of you probably feel the same!
I couldn’t sleep on the plane ride home, so I decided to write you guys a blog post instead about my opinion and experience traveling while working from home. I hope you’re able to relate and that you will be able to do the same successfully as well!
*Pro Tip: If you are an eBay seller, you are able to set your store on “vacation mode,” or “time away.” I recommend against this, as it is easy to get extra fresh and new listings up instead, that you can draft for different days. You can even schedule them! This will keep your sales rolling and more offers coming through. Just remember to change your handling time to the correct amount of days instead of the usual. (For me, this was 4 instead of 1).
- Related: How to Start Selling on eBay
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Do the prep work!
No seriously, I know it’s so cliché. But it will make your life 100 zillion times less stressful. And that’s really all we ever want in a vacation isn’t it?
Less stress was key for both my husband and I, as the last 2 years have held no trips at all and a lot more work than usual. For this reason, I was determined to complete everything AT LEAST prior to leaving the day before.
As a reseller, (that works from my home), I have a lot of tasks. Especially as a one woman run business. He’s able to help me sometimes with shipping and handling, but a lot of times he’s working just as much and isn’t able to.
We decided to book the trip only about 3 weeks out from the dates planned. We were originally planning for a different weekend, but this just seemed to work out a little better for the both of us. The downside? Well, I had a whole lot to do and a very little time to do it!
How Did I prepare?
I knew I was going to need a ton of extra listings up for my VA (virtual assistant), to have good and ready for me to look over and schedule. When I say a ton, I mean a ton. Like, nearly 200!!
*Side Note! Pop over to the post below when you’re finished, to find out how changing my sourcing methods also helped me to be more prepared.
Typically, I seem to always have just enough time in the day to complete all of my reselling and blogging (plus wife-ing) tasks. So, this was going to take some serious thought and a good plan of action.
I decided to tackle an extra 10 listings per day, while saving the last day before leaving for any extras I may need to get finished. (And possibly a pedicure)!
*Pro Tip: If you simply run out of time before you have to leave your inventory, you could “Sell Similar” older listings that may need refreshing, just in case. I’m happy to say I only needed to use this option one time, as I still recommend creating new and fresh first time listings.
***Another tip I have if you are an eBay seller, is to be sure and call them before you leave. They will be pleased to hear that you are letting them know you’ll be out of town, and will help you out if you need them to when you get back with any questions you may have regarding your account.
What did I end up having to do while away, since I did the prep work?
Not too much actually! I was super happy with myself that I worked extra beforehand, since this made my trip exceptionally easier, (and more fun!)
I’ve been listening lately to the book “The 4 Hour Work Week,” on Audible. This inspired me so much, to know that I have the potential and the capability to indeed work faster, smarter, and allow myself to take these mini trips with my best friend, my husband.
- Related: 22 Reasons Why I Became a Reseller
- Related: Keeping Yourself in Check as a Reseller
For a long time I thought it wasn’t going to be something that was possible, since I have to be home everyday to complete shipping, answer measurements questions, or questions that may only be able to be answered by double checking the item in person.
Fortunately, I have super kind customers that were more than understanding about my being away for a few days, and I couldn’t have been more grateful. I wasn’t sure if it would be an issue or not, but I actually had a lot of folks wish me a well getaway, which was incredibly kind!
The only tasks I needed to complete during our time away, was answering questions, sending offers, accepting or countering offers, and checking on my website to be sure it was running properly. I also made a point to check my email and other notifications for my business, as these don’t take very long and are more urgent of tasks.
What would I change for next time?
Next time, I think I would try to be just even more prepared. I plan to start those preparations now, this way those tasks will already be completed and ready for me when I am ready to go.
I will keep photographing extra items per day, this way I will have a backlog of ones that I can refer to in time of need. Also, I will be sure to keep providing as much info as I can in my listings to begin with, so that there can potentially less questions that I need to answer while away from my inventory.
The further I get in my reselling career, the simpler it becomes to change tasks to fit my schedule better, or move my tasks around to better fit into my day. I suggest to just keep working at it and using the trial and error method to see what works best for you. (Or check out more of my posts! I have a lot of advice and experience to share at this point in time and love to see others in the same situation benefit from it.)
Thank you for reading about my experiences while traveling as a reseller. Keep in mind these are just my opinions, and although they have worked for me thus far, be sure to do what works best for you.
We all have different lives, businesses, and thoughts, so I hope this was helpful to give you some insight on how you can adjust some things to make your life easier as well. And hopefully have yourself a little getaway again soon, too! You deserve it!! Just keep staying consistent. Work hard for your business and in turn it will work hard for you!
Thank You!
A giant thanks to everyone that has supported me this far into my journey! I greatly appreciate you returning to read my posts hope that you will continue to drop by in the future.
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Happy selling friends!
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