The Spotlight's On:
bracelets_of_love
by Robin
eBay Staff Member

bracelets_of_love, this month's spotlighted member, has been using eBay only since May of 2004. She mostly sells jewelry that helps people remember loved ones who passed away.  

In April 2004 bracelets_of_love lost her father to a diabetes-related illness. She was “devastated beyond belief” by her loss and needed to find an outlet for her grief. During this difficult time, she made her first bracelet with the lettering “IN MEMORY OF” to help her deal with her bereavement. Friends felt her bracelets could also help others in their grief and encouraged her to share them with others through eBay.

She had heard about eBay since it first started, but until that time had never thought she had a need for it. She decided to create wearable memorials, so that people could keep the memory of their loved ones who had passed away. Today, most of her jewelry designs include the lettering “IN MEMORY OF”, and a frame charm to personalize a loved one's memory, whether it is a relative, friend, or beloved pet.  

To bracelets_of_love, each piece of jewelry that she lists on eBay is also a labor of love. She says, “My wish is that all our customers will find some peace by having the memory of their loved ones on their wrist and that it will help them feel the love again that they lost.” She sells mostly in the Jewelry and Watches category, specifically in the Bracelets, Charms & Charm Bracelets, and Watches category.

She told us she is on eBay all day, every day. "I check My Summary in My eBay every couple of hours to see if there are any new sales. I feel it is important to answer any questions from customers immediately, so it is important to be on eBay often to accomplish that goal.” bracelets_of_love also said her customers thank her every day for offering her unique bracelets.  

In the relatively short time that bracelets_of_love has been an eBay seller, she has already hit upon an effective selling strategy. She times her listings to end at a couple of different times over each weekend. She has found that this approach encourages buyers to use the Buy It Now feature, which she says increases sales tremendously.

Like many other successful sellers, she is a firm believer in the power of researching an item's potential to sell before actually listing it on the site. She emphatically advises other sellers to “research, research, and research some more” to discover what else is out there on eBay that is similar to items they are selling or looking to sell. One of her key research recommendations to sellers is taking the time to compare the prices and listing formats on items that others are offering. “This extra time will be well worth it in the end,” she says.  

bracelets_of_love mentions her feedback rating as another critical success factor. In under less than a year, her feedback has zoomed to an impressive purple star level (a feedback score of 500 to 999). She told us that buyers have often been impressed and reassured by her feedback. “They comment often that it gives them great comfort when shopping in my store.”  

Creating an About Me page for herself has also proved to be very helpful, says bracelets_of_love. Her About Me page shares her philosophy with the eBay Community. “It is very important in letting my customers know that my line of jewelry wasn't just designed to sell and make money, but it was designed out of love to help others and to raise money for many causes.”  

While she's not an active participant in eBay's discussion boards, chat rooms, and the Answer Center, she does find these Community forums useful, and urges new members to take advantage of the Community's collective knowledge. “I do join these boards and chats if I have a specific question. With so many members, I always get several answers to my needs. New members can greatly benefit from chat room and discussion boards on eBay because the existing members there are proud of their success and more than willing to help new members get started.”  

bracelets_of_love says that the project that she started on eBay in memory of her departed father has helped bring solace to herself and to others who have lost loved ones. She believes a part of her father's memory goes out in each piece of “IN MEMORY OF” or “HAVE FAITH” jewelry that she makes. “I hope that the comfort this project brought me in feeling closer to my dad every day, also helps to comfort others who have lost a loved one. Many of my customers share their stories of loss, and we end up supporting each other often through grief-stricken days.”  

While she's mainly a seller on eBay, she also loves finding and buying unique gift items that may have an impact on the lives of the people she gives them to. Of course, the sheer joy of buying has its own appeal. “Who can resist the great deals and items that can be found on the site?” she says.  

Finally, we asked bracelets_of_love to give us a brief description of what eBay means to her. Here is her response:  

“I was devastated when I lost my dad. And the eBay community has really helped me heal from that experience. Because of the items I sell, many of my customers relate their stories of loss to me and we end up staying in touch and forming our own mini support groups. It has helped me so much to know that my father's death has led me to help so many others to deal with their grief, as well.”  

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We would like to thank bracelets_of_love for sharing her thoughts and comments with us! If you would like to be considered for the Community Spotlight Program check out our Community Profile page and follow the instructions near the bottom of that page.