Author: pampleasant

How I Create And Sell ACEO Trading Cards On Ebay

~ pampleasant ~ Leave a comment

What are ACEOs? Art Cards Editions and Originals. These little trading cards are 2.5″ x 3.5″ artist cards, often one of a kind and hand created. They can be drawn, painted, watercolored, or really created with any type of medium. Artists around the world are painting these little miniature pictures and landscapes and cartoons and clip arts, and buyers are buying. They are collected. Delve into a special niche such as cats or crosses or art deco, and you have yourself an audience. I love painting these little creations. My ebay niche is mainly clothing with a bit of sprinkled in vintage deco here and there. Working as a one-gal operation, from home, can become a monotonous field of study. I love to keep busy by planning my week with sourcing trips, pickleball games, and dedicated times for shipping and listing. But, all of these repeated blocks can sometimes blend the days together.

Enter, ACEOs. This is the creative part of me. I love to take a lazy afternoon and cozy up with a blanket at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee and some music playing and crank out 5-10 of these little artist cards. I can create them fast. I can list them fast. I can pack them fast. And, they take up literally zero space in my inventory system. They do not sell for much. I can fetch roughly $3-$5 per card. They are not huge money makers. They are just fun. They are snow day projects. They are stuck in the house feeling like painting fun. And, there is really nothing better than a complete stranger five states away loving and paying me for one of my little baby paintings.

And this is how I do it:

Artist paper and tape are super important. I chose a paper that was thick stock, but that also accepted all kinds of media. My preference is acrylic paint, but if I wanted to try a little water coloring or penciling, this paper would also work. I can get a good number of cards out of just one sheet.

Best Beginner Friendly Artist Tape https://amzn.to/4t8Uflj

My Favorite Paper https://amzn.to/46fDAmi

The artist tape is perfect for taping your cards down (I paint four at a time). This tape gives crisp borders. (Hint: After peeling of a section of tape, I pat it against my shirt or pants a few times just to “dampen” down the stickiness just a tad before applying to the cards. This will help prevent your tape from tearing your artist paper when removing.) Ask me how I know this :/

You will also need a paper cutter to cut your paper absolutely straight and with the perfect measurements. This is the best one I have found. https://amzn.to/3ZakSsx

Next, I choose my theme and I get to painting. I lightly sketch out my designs and I just run with it. That is the beauty of these artist cards. They are ONE OF A KIND! They do not have to be perfect. People love them all abstract and messy. Research and discover what cards are selling the best. Look on Pinterest for some inspiration. Research cards that have sold and recreate those. Relate your cards to the time of year. Be colorful. Figure out what people are collecting and give them that. Paint what you love. I think that is really my secret. I paint what I love and, somehow, people are attracted to that. When you begin, you may not love your first few paintings. List them anyway! You will just get better and better and even the ones you are not happy with USUALLY SELL!

These are my favorite brushes: https://amzn.to/45MFuL7

I have purchased this paint set three times already: https://amzn.to/4tkfmS2

After you have a stack to list, head on over to ebay and put them up for sale. You will quickly get an idea of what is popular after you spend time gathering information about which of your subjects are getting eyes and which are not getting any traffic. Notice the popular cards you have created, and create them again. I sell crosses and cats constantly. When one sells, I get to painting a few more. People love them. They do not sit for long. I notice a trend and I rinse and repeat it. I have had many buyers come back and purchase again.

So, now how do I ship them? THIS is where I was lost for a LONG TIME. There was simply no answer anywhere. I sell on ebay and ebay does offer an envelope shipping option for .74 cents. As I was researching, I was noticing that all of the ACEOs listed were in the “other-paintings” category. So, I did the same. However, that category does not offer the envelope option. My very first ACEO sold and it cost me $4.74 to ship simply because ebay requires a tracking number so my only option was to ship Ground Advantage. The card sold for $4.99 and I was out of pocket almost that for shipping. So, I delisted all of my cards until I could figure it out. No answers anywhere. I scoured Pinterest pins, Reddit threads, ebay Facebook groups. Nobody knew. And, then I found it.

These cards MUST be listed under the ‘trading cards’ ebay category. Trading Cards is the only ebay category that offers the envelope option (that I know of). The envelope shipping charge is .74 cents, which I pay since I offer my buyers free shipping. Much better. I simply created a separate business shipping policy and titled it “ACEO Shipping Envelope” and relisted all of my ACEOs under the trading cards category. With this, I can now print the standard envelope label straight from ebay, which offers tracking.

Perfect for storing and shipping your cards: https://amzn.to/4qh7IFg

I purchased these little jewelry bags to store and ship in. I sign the back of each card and number it (as if I were a famous professional artist – wink). I then stamp the date on the back. This is the date stamp that I use: https://amzn.to/4rx0NJ2

When a card sells, I place the bag in between an ebay thank you card and an ebay sticker and it works perfectly. Doing this helps to keep the card from being bent during shipping. Simply place these in an envelope and print your label. Toss it in the mailbox and send it off!

Painting little artist trading cards is such a fun way to create and sell your sweet little creations to buyers all over the world. Who knows? Your little perfectly created painting could be sitting in a little frame in someone’s kitchen.

*This blog post contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. #ad #amazonaffiliate

How to Organize Your Reselling Inventory for Success

~ pampleasant ~ Leave a comment

START YOUR RESELLING BUSINESS ORGANIZED!

If you are starting a reselling business—whether it’s handmade products, boutique clothing, digital downloads, or a mix of everything—there is one habit that will save you time, money, and stress: organizing your inventory from the very beginning. I actually cannot stress this enough. When I began my ebay journey, I dumped listings into bins, labeled A-Z. This was a pluck out your gray hair nightmare. I soon ended up with 26 plastic bins that were so tight the tops would not close. I had to rummage through each bin, piece by piece, to locate an item that sold. Don’t be me.

Organizing is not glamorous, or even fun, but it’s the backbone of a smooth‑running business. Here’s why early organization matters and how to set yourself up for success.

Start With a System (Even a Simple One)

You don’t need fancy software or a warehouse. What you do need is a clear, consistent method for tracking what you have. Choose something you can stick with. Choose something that can grow as you add more and more listings. There is the “bin system”. There is the infinite numerical system. There is the numbered box system. I will explain all of those later.

First: Label Everything!

Your future you will thank the present you for this. Trust me. Labels prevent mix‑ups, reduce packing errors, and make restocking a breeze. Whether you use printed labels, handwritten tags, or digital QR codes, clarity is your best friend.

These are the bags that I use to inventory my items.

https://amzn.to/4ptakz7

And, these are the labels that I use in my reselling business.

https://amzn.to/4bkJ1nl

Decide On Your Inventory System From The Start

Numbered Box System: I personally use the numbered box system. Each box holds 20 items. Thus, my boxes are labeled 20, 40, 60, etc. I know that box #20 contains SKUs 1-20, box #40 contains SKUs 21-40, and so on. When an item sells, I simply reuse that numbered bag for my next listing. This keeps 20 listings in each box and I am never having to “condense” my boxes when something sells. (Sweaters, dresses, jeans, coats, and more bulky items are either hung up or placed in clear bins.)

Infinite Number Sku System: Many resellers use this system. They will never use a SKU number twice. They will place their inventory in boxes on shelves and as they sell, they will spend a few minutes once or twice a week “condensing” all of their boxes, keeping all of the listings in numerical order. Whereas, I use the same 1-2000 SKU numbered bags over and over again, these resellers do not. They keep adding SKU stickers numerically, into infinity.

The Bin System: We talked about this. Plastic bins labeled with listings tossed inside. It is a mess. If you have just a few listings, this is fine. But, trust me, you will scale. You will list more than you sell, especially at the beginning. And, you will find yourself lifting and hefting those heavy bins down off of each other to dig around for your items. I give this system a big thumbs down.

Inventory Every Item Quickly

When every product has a designated spot, you eliminate the “Where did I put that?” chaos.
Use bins, drawers, or shelves—whatever fits your space. The goal is to make finding sold items quick and easy. Once your store is rolling, you will have more than a few items to get packed up and shipped out. You do not want to spend all afternoon trying to find your items.

Reduce Stress Before It Starts

A messy inventory system leads to rushed packing, lost items, and unnecessary frustration.
An organized system gives you peace of mind, smoother workflows, and more time to focus on what you love—thrifting, selling, and growing your business.

Build Good Habits Early

The earlier you build your system, the easier it is to maintain as your business grows.
Think of it as planting seeds: a little effort now leads to a thriving, efficient operation later. Once you master ebay and think about cross listing your items to other platforms, being organized is paramount.

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