Got a rude awakening this week

I had two active ebay accounts. One that I'd had for about 10 years where I did all my reselling business (my "main" account). The other I just opened for the nails dropshipping business. The main account had been in "below standard seller" status because of some returns a few months back. The seller status is determined by a ratio of your "defects" (returns, cancellations, etc.) divided by the total number of sales over a certain period. So since I wasn't able to improve my ratio in a time period satisfactory to ebay, my selling privileges were suspended indefinitely on my main account. Here's the email (click to enlarge):

Now I've always read that one should never rely on a platform you can't control, because something like this can happen. I never thought it would happen to me. My feedback score was great (257 reviews with over 98% positive) and I always paid my invoices early so I figured I was fine. But I was very wrong.

Losing selling privileges on this account sucks because it was a good side income. But I'm not mad about it. This rude awakening is actually a good thing for me. It reminds me of a time in my life when I got laid off from several jobs in a row. I vowed to never be dependent on a job again. Here's what I'm realizing and focusing on now:


I should be focusing on being an awesome web developer, not an awesome reseller. Part of the reason I had to cancel orders was because my inventory was disorganized, or I had instances where I'd sold an item on one platform and forgot to delete it from another before it sold again. Having one less business to manage gives the time I need to study and get better at being a web developer anyway. To that end, I've deleted any Youtube channel subscriptions that aren't related to web development or my handmade business.

Keeping an email list and having my own website for any ecommerce venture is an absolute must. I already started to keep an email list for the nails dropshipping business, but I need to update it regularly and get that website finished so I can redirect customers to it. I'll save at least $1 in fees on every order, and no one can take that business away from me.

I have the skills to make my own ecommerce sites, so I have to do that immediately. Why hand't I done this yet? Maybe it was laziness. Maybe it was distraction. But what kind of web developer doesn't even make sites to give their own businesses a chance? Selling platforms are great, but I refuse to be at anyone's mercy. 

So my plans are to focus on web development by improving my skills and making websites for others. I will offer my services on selling platforms like Etsy and Flippa, but I will also continue to develop my portfolio and do freelance work. My handmade and dropshipping businesses will be secondary.