Will The Number Of Online Sellers Soon Explode?

Why would I ask that about online sellers ? Well, a few years ago I read an article on NPR written by their Labor and Workplace Correspondent Andrea Hsu. She pointed out that due to the pandemic easing, a lot of people, millions, were quitting their jobs. It seemed odd that as people could finally get back to the office, shop, restaurant or wherever and get off Zoom they would be looking forward to life – and work – being more normal? The report got me to thinking, “Why were so many people quitting their jobs?”

Inflation – Stagnant Wages – Job Loss – Oh My

According to Andrea “As pandemic life recedes in the U.S., people are leaving their jobs in search of more money, more flexibility and more happiness. Many are rethinking what work means to them, how they are valued, and how they spend their time. It’s leading to a dramatic increase in resignations — a record 4 million people quit their jobs in April alone, according to the Labor Department.”

All Those People Needing Money – What Will They Do?

Aha! So what people really want was “more money, more flexibility and more happiness”. And now I’m thinking – Isn’t that what selling online is supposed to give us, or so we are told? It’s true many do reach those goals online, but others get one or even all of those things. it’s NOT just another job.

The article I read also said “remote work in the pandemic has also had a profound impact on how people think about when and where they want to work.” Now the way I see it, many people got used to working on a computer every day in there sweatpants (or less). What better experience to prepare millions more to enter the world of Ecommerce!

Hey that’s great, more people may want to enjoy the life of an online flipper, or reseller. But wait – that’s more people with a capital “M”. And that’s the third letter in – COMPETITION!

That Was Then – What About Now?

Back then many people quit their jobs because they simply didn’t want to go back to the Office/Store/Factory etc. Today it’s a bit different. That is because people are faced with Inflation, Stagnant Wages, and Job Loss. Things they can’t control and they may be thinking, “If I sell some stuff online I can make a bunch of extra money to help out in these tough times”.

And there’s the rub – Competition. Then after having a bit of a think on the subject I thought, “how many people can really be an online seller?”, after all it has taken many of us years to get our ecommerce business where it is today. Truth is, that is not what someone who needs money because of the Scary OZ of economic times we are in. If you have an online business and you have been selling for a while whether on a platform like Etsy, Poshmark, Ebay. Or if you have your own website hosted on Shopify, Wix or made it yourself, don’t be surprised if someone you know asks for advice. Just remember to tell them all the years you’ve put into it and how much work it can take to get sales, and do what I do, just shake your head mournfully and say ‘You don’t know, you just don’t know’.

It’ll be our little secret.

You can read the NPR Article Here: As The Pandemic Recedes, Millions Of Workers Are Saying ‘I Quit’