I survived one day of the World's Longest Yard Sale yesterday. My husband and I started the route in Trenton, GA and traveled to the south end in Gadsden, AL, on our way home from a trip to Chattanooga, TN.
First of all, my husband has never really experienced a yard sale before yesterday. He told me on the way home last night that I may regret ever introducing him to this form of shopping! I had to LOL! I think I've created a yard sale hopping monster man! He LOVED it. And all the time leading up to this part of our trip, I was thinking that he was going to be miserable all day while I took it all in. NOT! He out shopped me by several dollars and items. He's already planning a trip for next year specifically to take in as much of the WLYS that he can cram into four days!
Next, my impressions of the World's Longest Yard Sale...
If you are a lover of yard sales in general, you'll really LOVE this experience. If not, well, it's fun to do once to say you did it but you may want to plan something else for entertainment next time! I'm somewhere in between. I went with two primary purposes:
To say I'd been there! I first learned about the WLYS several years ago on HGTV and decided then that 'one day' I had to check this out. Mission accomplished. I can now say that I've been there. And based on my husband's attraction to this form of shopping, it looks highly likely that I'll be doing this again sometime.I was also scoping things out to see if this was something I wanted to pursue as a seller. While I didn't investigate as many of the clusters of 'yard sales' as I had hoped, I've come to the conclusion that I probably won't attempt this as a seller. If I lived in the neighborhood I may have a different opinion. But since I live several hundred miles from the closest point of the WLYS, I just don't think it would be cost effective for me.So how was it? The first word that comes to mind is HOT. It was very hot, even in the shade. And not all of the sellers were in the shade. Wear cool clothing, comfortable shoes, sunglasses and a hat. The hat was the hard part for me. I hate to wear hats. But I did yesterday to help shade my face. Plan to carry a bottle of water around with you so that you stay hydrated.
Be prepared to stop and start and pull off the side of the road to park. Yard sales are scattered along the route. Some are 'stand alone' yard sales while you'll also find clusters of individuals grouped together. Some locations are in the shade while others in out in the sun. Regardless, it's still HOT!
There are food and beverage vendors along the way but there's no way to predict when/where to find them. Some clusters are located near convenience stores and restaurants. Again, this is totally unpredictable so go prepared with some snacks.
You can drive miles without seeing anyone selling anything. You can encounter both large and small clusters, sometimes only a few hundred yards apart. Often in cluster situations, there will be sellers on both sides of the road. Be prepared to park and walk a little. It will save time and wear and tear on your vehicle.
At first, we stopped at several locations in succession. We quickly changed our strategy to stopping only at clusters. We had one day and wanted to take in as much as we could. Clusters were more efficient for us. We probably missed some great stuff by not stopping at individual sales but we had to make the best use of our time.
Along the way there were signs advertising both free space and 'for rent' space to set up to sell. I didn't really investigate the options because I had decided early on that this wasn't a selling strategy that I planned to pursue. I did think about some pros and cons of individual vs. cluster locations. The pros of one seem to be the cons of the other. Here's my take...
If you live along the route then obviously a huge pro is the convenience of setting up in your own front yard. It's also less expensive since you don't have travel, lodging and extra food costs to factor in.Another pro that I see for individual set ups is that you won't have to compete with a cluster of sellers to capture the attention of shoppers. The con side of this is that shoppers like me preferred clusters of yard sales because it was more efficient. So while you may not have to compete with bunch of other booths, you will probably have less people stopping to check out your stuff.Clusters are more likely to attract more shoppers. However, those shoppers can be easily distracted and even overwhelmed by, the number and variety of other sellers and their wares, so that's a con. Also, the cluster areas we checked out were very loosely organized. While attempts were made to create nice, neat rows of vendors, that isn't always the way it worked out! So navigating a cluster of sellers was challenging at times. Another con.Because I was looking through the eyes with a handmade bias, I was a bit disappointed to see as much commercially made stuff as I saw. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't at a craft show/fair--I was at a huge yard sale!
If you've ever considered checking out all or part of the World's Longest Yard Sale, I encourage you to plan a trip. In addition to a treasure hunt, you'll also experience seeing a part of the US countryside that you may not otherwise ever see. And you'll meet folks that will make you smile. Enjoy!
Not Many Beginnigan's Around Today Added by MugQuotes on August 3, 2012 at 5:09am View Photos Previous | Next 
Bennigan's Coffee Mug, green and white. Was a fun place to meet for good food with friends.
Comment by Portable Graffiti Graphics Judy on Friday 
August Promote New Listings Here 2 
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40% Sale in my shop. Must sell because I'm leaving. 5 
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On June 28th we announced a Summer Trash to Treasure Challenge and asked for volunteer judges. The Challenge was to use any kind of trash or recycled materials incorporated into some form of art. Entries must be related to the Summer season.
Judy writes the ‘Fantastic Five‘ column where she features 5 Zibbet items every week. She is the owner of four Zibbet shops: Portable Graffiti Graphics, Portable Graffiti buttons, Proofreader, and Wild Goose Chase vintage, crafts and supplies. You can follow Judy on Facebook.
It was a beautiful week to make a “trip” to Stamford, Connecticut, not far from the Big Apple to interview Sue Viola, known as Sue Stitches on Zibbet.Sue is not only talented, but also a generous and kind person. When you purchase a hat from Sue’s shop, one hat will be donated toHalos of Hope, a non-profit organization that donates hats to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Sue says that is her YBO/IDO promise (you buy one, I donate one).Please enjoy the interview, leave Sue a comment, and then use the Share Tools so others can read it, too. Please spread the Zibbet Love!
Hi , I’m Sue Viola, and am originally from a small town in Westchester County, New York. Currently, I reside in lower Fairfield County, Connecticut, about 45 minutes from New York City. I’ve been creative since childhood and always loved art classes in school. I even dreamt of becoming a fashion designer when I was in high school.I’m a big reader, everything from mysteries to biographies. I also love listening to music, especially when I’m creating and love finding new artists and genres on Pandora radio. I also enjoy old movies, especially Audrey Hepburn films, traveling and art museums. I’ve also become a bit of a “health freak” and have given up certain foods from my diet and also have been exercising more. I’ve also given up drinking coffee, and have noticed the benefits of doing that just after the first week. 
Nature inspires me mostly. I love flowers, butterflies, ladybugs, rainbows and the ocean. Bright colored yarns are what I like working with most. They always bring a smile to my face and to my customers!I admire anyone who has had a dream and made it a reality by working hard and not giving up.Designing my own crocheted items! I have listed a few of my own designs and patterns in my shop and hope to continue with that.
The ease of listing items, the clean look of the shop, and the close-knit community overall.Seller-curated treasuries on the front page, and also likes and views on individual items. It would be helpful to actually interact with a potential buyer. The usual avenues, Facebook, Twitter, Blog and Pinterest. I also make it a point to carry my business cards with me always just in case the subject of my shop should come up.
Definitely get involved in the community forums, which is something I need to do more of myself. The Zibbet groups on Facebook are also invaluable as well, in terms of advice and support. The owner of my own “brick and mortar” craft shop, with walls of yarn, my own designs for sale, and classes in crocheting and knitting.
There’s nothing more frustrating than selling an item online and not being able to find it quickly and easily. How you store your items will depend on what those items are and the space limitations you face. Most of us work from our homes and have to be creative, not only when designing and making the items we sell, but also in how we store those items. I asked Zibbet sellers to share some of their product storage tips. Here’s what they had to say…
“My best tip is to use clear storage containers whether it be zippered bags, shoe boxes or bins. Being able to see what’s in each container can save time. I have different sized ones for gloves, hats and scarves. Baggies are used for pins, barrettes, tape measures and magnets. Visually it’s not as ‘pretty’ in the studio but allows me to get to everything fast when I need it. Second tip, if possible, use your walls to hang things. This area is often overlooked. My clocks line the walls as do the embroidery hoops.” ~ All About the Buttons
“I use plastic scrap booking paper storage boxes for storing jewelry. Each box contains zip top bags with similar types of handmade jewelry items. These boxes stack nicely and don’t take up much room. They’re great for transporting my jewelry to and from craft shows. I attach a hang tag to each item and write the item’s Zibbet ID number on the back of the tag. This helps me at shows to keep track of what needs to be unlisted from my Zibbet shops after the show.” ~ LOC Design Studio
Vicki is committed to assisting her fellow Zibbeters improve their shops for successful online selling. She is the owner of five Zibbet shops: LOC Design Studio, Denim and Pearls, A Stitch and a Prayer, Black Creek Crossing and Think Like a Fish. You can follow Vicki on Twitter and through her LOC Design Studio blog.
Last week I took a look at how to export your item data from your Zibbet shop and suggested that you use that as the starting place for creating a spreadsheet to keep track of your inventory. Today, I’d like to talk more about how you can customize your spreadsheet to meet your particular inventory management needs.
Next, decide which data fields you actually need for inventory management and delete the data that you don’t need. This will simplify your spreadsheet and make it more manageable. For example, you should keep the Zibbet ID, Title, Status, Created At, Units Available and Price date fields. It’s probably not necessary to retain the remaining fields for your inventory management spreadsheet.
Now, add new fields for data that you need to record about each item. For example, if you use a physical storage system with labeled containers you may want to add a field called ‘Container’ or ‘Bin’ to record where the item is actually located. If you have your own system for numbering your items, you should add a field for this identifying information. I use the Zibbet ID number assigned to each item and write that number on the hang tag that I attach to the item. I use these numbers in combination with a printed list from my inventory spreadsheet when I do a craft show to record items that I sell at the show. I include a column on my list to mark items that were sold so that I can unlist those items in my shop and change their status to sold in my spreadsheet.
Such a delightful “visit” we had when interviewing Anna Costa in the smallest U.S. state of Rhode Island. In addition to Anna’s main shop Unexpected Treasure she has a photography shop named Unexpected Treasure 2.Anna also just opened another Premium shop on Zibbet for supplies. At UTSupplies you’ll find lace, trims, beads, rubber stamps, scrapbooking supplies and much more.Please enjoy the interview, leave Anna a comment, and then use the Share Tools so others can read it, too. Please spread the Zibbet Love!
I’m a native Rhode Islander and have lived here all my life except for a year or two here or there. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I have a wonderful husband, Jeffrey, who supports me in everything I do. He, my daughter and my two sisters have been my biggest champions with regards to selling my products. In fact, my husband recently asked me to teach him how to sew so that he’ll be able to help me increase my inventory. He has basic sewing skills so he should pick it up pretty quickly. I feel blessed that he’s willing to even try to do this for me. I also have two grown children, both married with families, and five grandchildren ranging in age from 8 months to 12 years old whom I love to use as guinea pigs to “test drive” my products before offering them for sale. In fact, my granddaughter was the very first recipient of my best selling winter item, the crocheted Mohawk hat.
Actually, I think almost everything I do is creative in one form or another. I write a column for The Worship Chronicles, a monthly Christian newsletter. I’m an accomplished photographer and have a shop on Zibbet for my prints and notecards, UnexpectedTreasure2. I sew and recently added children’s clothing to my shop. I enjoy crocheting in my down time and also offer those items in my shop. I’m also about halfway through writing my first book. I recently opened a third shop on Zibbet as well called UT Supplies where I’ll be selling quality new and destash supplies at great prices.But I think my biggest success over the past year has been to focus on my health. I wanted to get healthy for my grandchildren and have lost over 50 pounds since July 2011! Yay me! I discovered the Zumba fitness craze and now attend six classes per week in addition to doing strength and resistance training. I feel better at this age than I did in my twenties and have plenty of energy to play with my grandchildren.
No one thing or person inspires me to do what I do. I draw inspiration from everyday things like a pretty scarf, the color of leaves in the fall, the different hues of greens and blues in the ocean waves a bright, shiny new red car, etc. and translate those colors to create something with either fabric, yarn or paper. I look up to only two people: God and my Dad, in that order. While I’m hardly a religious zealot, I am very serious about my faith. I thank God each morning for allowing me to see another day and for bestowing upon me the talents I have to create such beautiful things with. I give Him thanks in all things. I look up to my Dad because he’s the best man I’ve ever known. He instilled morals and values in me (and my siblings) that I do my best to live up to each day. I remember when I was young my Dad used to say, “If I had to choose between a liar and a thief visiting my house, I’d choose a thief every time.” Now this seemed strange to me that he’d rather have a thief over to visit so when I got old enough, around 11 or 12 I think, I asked him why he’d prefer a thief over a liar. His response has stuck with me to this day. He said, “Because when you know someone is a thief or steals, you can lock up your valuables before they visit. But when someone lies to you, you’ll always doubt whatever comes out of their mouth.”
My two biggest passions are writing and photography. I love both. As I mentioned earlier I am currently writing a book. I’m also looking to take my photography to the next level by offering wedding packages beginning in 2013.The thing I like most about Zibbet is the monthly rate. It’s wonderful to be able to pay a flat monthly rate to list unlimited items. And the fact that there are no final value fees or commissions is a bonus! I also like the ability we have to customize our shop although, truthfully, I’m still learning how to do this. LOL I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the forums and chat. I’ve learned so much from fellow Zibbeters who are always ready and willing to help whenever they can. Lastly, perhaps it should have been first, is the fact that Jonathan takes the time to participate in the forums with us. Being able to have direct access to the CEO is something you don’t get on the other sites. 
I haven’t really given much thought to adding new things to Zibbet as I’m still trying to become proficient with the site as it is. But one thing I think would be nice is the ability to offer other payment options like Amazon Payments and Google Checkout.Honestly, I don’t spend nearly enough time promoting my work because I love the creative side of things so much. I hand out business cards everywhere I go. When dining out I ask if it’s ok to leave several cards on the bulletin board if they have one. I leave a couple of cards in library books before I return them. (Don’t laugh! I’ve gotten two sales from this!) I also leave business cards in the ladies room of every establishment I frequent. 
I wear and use my own creations in public. My crocheted Mohawk hats are big hits in the winter as are my scarves. I use one of my mini notebooks when grocery shopping. I wear my own jewelry, too. People are more confident about buying your products if they know you wear/use what you make.For social media I have a Facebook page, I’m on Pinterest, Twitter, Stumble Upon and Tumblr. I’m most active on FB and Pinterest, though, and I’ve been featured on several blogs. I’m currently working on a marketing campaign to increase holiday sales. The one thing I don’t have yet is a blog which is strange considering how much I love to write! Well, maybe soon. How would you recommend other Zibbeters make the most of Zibbet.com?
First, I’d recommend a premium account. The advantages are tremendous. Next, I’d tell them to join the Zibbet community. This is a valuable piece to selling on Zibbet. The community is warm and inviting and is willing to help newbies just starting out. I’d also suggest familiarizing themselves with the Zibbet guidelines or do’s and don’ts. You should always know the rules on any site you sell on. Lastly, I’d tell them to be patient, the sales will come!Exactly who I am now. I love my life, my husband and my family just as it is.