I’ve been using Carousell since November of last year, and have been pretty much hooked ever since. As I just a few days shy of reaching my 5th month of officially being a Carouseller, I thought I’d be fun to write a tribute article to why I love being part of the Carousell community as much as I do.
It’s common for me to get asked the question, “How do you manage to do so many different things in so little time?” A little bit about me: I work full-time in a technology startup, driving a project in the big data and analytics space, guest write for a couple of online publications, provide growth hacking advice for startups from time to time (which I love), and am currently kick-starting a new startup idea with a few good friends. So when my friends found out that I’m also Carouselling full-time, the natural question was, “Are you crazy?!”
To share with you my Carousell journey: I started listing my items, for fun at first, in November 2013. It wasn’t until December 2013 that I started listing my items like crazy. To date, I have close to 300 items listed to my name, sold more than 120 of them, and am currently working towards the goal of 4,000 followers. So what’s my secret? Truth is, there’s no secret. It’s really all about not procrastinating and simply picking up your phone (how convenient since you’re probably already holding it as you read this) and start listing some items!
It’s so much easier to say, “Oh, but I’m so busy with work / studies. I simply have no time.” The whole point about Carousell is that it is designed with you and your busy schedule in mind. Their motto of “snap-list-sell”, all in 30 seconds, is something that I can attest to, and that’s all done to help you better save that precious free time you have when it comes to listing your items for sale.
If that isn’t quite enough to give you that excitement and push to get started, here are the things that did it for me, and maybe it will get you to start the ball rolling too!
1) What better way to reuse and reduce?
We’ve always learnt in school about the important of the 3R’s, and Carousell is the best place for you to put that into practice. Life also taught me later on that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’, so while we are all progressing towards a culture that is heavy on consumerism, let’s do our part to see how we can promote reusing items, and (hopefully) reduce the volume of things we end up throwing away.
Even though I have been earning my own keep for over 7 years already, I still find it extremely practical for me to be purchasing another Carouseller’s apparels as it allows me to have a gazillion options as to what to wear while keeping my wallet relatively healthy. You know what I love? What I spot an item that I almost paid close to $30-$40 for being listed as a brand new in bag (BNIB) item going at half its price. I call that shopping smart!
2) It’s the thrill of closing a deal
Don’t be disheartened when you aren’t closing deals from Day 1. It takes time and a measure of practice. Here’s a cheat sheet on how you can start closing deals on Carousell that contains some of my top tips. But trust me, once you close your first deal, you’re gonna want to close more.
3) Sell before you buy… The less sinful way to shop!
It’s every girl’s (and sometimes, guys) prerogative to engage in some retail therapy, especially when life stresses you out. But how many times have you spent a bomb and then lament about how much you’re regretting it after? A good way to keep yourself in check is to allow yourself to spend only after you have “earned” (or recouped your losses) a little by selling off some of your under-used or unused items. That’s how I keep myself sane!
Also, don’t forget that while Carousell is a great place for you to sell off your items, it’s also a great place to buy from other Carousellers with similar tastes as you. If you don’t know where to start, I have another cheat sheet for you on curating your own marketplace 😉
4) Be disciplined with your time
If you were to be completely honest with yourself, it’s not that you have a lack of time to get started on Carousell. You probably don’t have very much time to do anything else that’s new and exciting as well if you spend your free time idling away in front of the TV or watching YouTube. It all boils down to be a little bit more disciplined with your time! One thing that really helped me was to pencil in a time slot (or a few) each week to list my items. I usually put aside an hour, two days a week to update my listings with new items, and I stick to it. I have now mastered the art of watching YouTube videos and updating my listings at the same time! Please do share with me your tips if you stumble upon new ones that work for you.
5) Make new friends as you work your way to becoming a power seller
Another thing that I love about the Carousell community is that you are likely to find some really nice folks out that if you choose not to focus on the negative experiences that you encounter. I always leave a little thank you note in each parcel that I mail out, and I notice that that has more often than note been reciprocated with niceness. We all need more of that nice vibe to go around, so why not get a little of that going around? In the process of buying and selling on Carousell, I’ve met and gotten to know a few lovely ladies (with similar interests) who I am looking to see if I can collaborate and partner up with in a meaningful way. What’s not fun about that?
As Janet Dailey humorously put it, “Someday is not a day of the week.” So just pick up your phone and start listing already! You never know what you may learn, and the friends that you will get to meet. Have a good one!
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Note: This article was originally posted on the Carousell blog.
crazy curious. 