March 15, 2009

I Heart Shoes – Closing the Chapter

Something About Me!

I like to post every day (keeps it sort of interesting – and keeps me out of mischief) and so to fill the gaps when I can’t think of much you might want to read (like my wine dilemma over here!) I will be telling you (possibly rubbish and boring) facts about me. So…to kick off we will start with my obsession for shoes.

I know what you’re thinking….predictable / unoriginal…much! I forgive you. BUT I went a step further than most 20 something girls. I turned my obsession into a business!

For 3 years I imported shoes from Asia and wholesaled them online from my own website. I also dabbled in dropshipping but it was a bit too complicated for my small brain capacity.

I sold stiletto shoes, peep toes, platforms, ankle boots, knee highs, thigh highs, stripper heels, sexy steel heels, kitten heels, black, red, white, pink, blue, two-tone, stripey, lace-ups, killer heels and probably a few more. You name it I had it. My only criteria was that they had to have a heel. Strictly no flats!

Last year I made a massive decision (it’s been a bit slowed-down because of the worldwide financial issues – not just my own). The decision will be revealed at a later date. Got to keep you interested somehow!

So at the end of last year I sold my domain name (it has since been snapped up by an adult / erotica site – it was a fantastic name though so I’m not too surprised!), sold-off nearly all of the 3,000 pairs of shoes I had left, from my final order, at extremely reduced prices, and relinquished responsibility of the back rooms of my dad’s industrial unit back to him. I think he was pretty pleased to get rid of the ladies shoes / lingerie that had packed out the back half of his manly (can we say “grrrr”) construction equipment unit. Bless dad! He once told me that he never thought it be sick of the sight of ladies lingerie…until I moved the stuff in. I’m impressed I managed to achieve that!

I still have about 200 pairs of said shoes left over. These are all stacked up in my old room at my parents’ house – they have a 5-bedroom house for just the 2 of them so don’t feel too bad for them. Although I do dread the day I go to their house, let myself in and find my mum strutting around in a pair of 8″ platform stripper heels! I would literally die!

Anyway, I’ve decided to get rid of the last 200 or so pairs of shoes. I thought I would keep them in case I changed my mind on “the decision” and it would be my way of starting up again. Today though, I changed my mind and I’m about to close the door on that chapter! Instead of wholesaling this lot though I’m going to make a quick buck (although it’ll take me a while to do…so maybe a slow buck) and list them all on EBay, that way I should make a bit more out of it instead of rubbishy wholesale prices.

NB the picture is just the ones I actually kept for me and not for the “just in case”!!

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

amber March 16, 2009 at 5:24 pm: wow! Your collection of shoes is amazing. I used to work in a shoestore and I would purchase shoes all the time.

I seriously had to downsize my collection.

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Jen - The Secret Keeper March 16, 2009 at 5:55 pm: Unfortunately that’s not all of my shoes – it’s just the ones I kept (not ones I’ve actually been out and bought). It’s not really a collection. More of an obsession. An illness really, therefore I feel I can get away with it! x

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