Charlene Anderson o�ers jewelry making tools, knitting supplies and other unique items for arts and crafts. Through these products she seeks to communi-cate her creative artistry and share her vision of art to her customers. And when it comes to shipping these items, she relies on Endicia.

Background. Charlene �rst started her eBay business eight years ago, selling the usual odds and ends many eBay sellers start with, including a lot of 2000 Olympic Summer Games memorabilia she collected while at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Five years ago she began selling used videos and DVDs. These actually belonged to her former employer, as he owned a video rental store, and she o�ered to sell his products for him. When that stock depleted a year and a half ago, and she had literally sold herself out of a job, Charlene decided to follow her passion and started selling art and crafts products.

What sets her personal artwork apart from others is that it incorporates a variety of �ber techniques, including weaving, knitting, felting, piecing, stitchery, and quilting. Her work also deals with two major issues: color and craftsmanship. Blending her know-how and these principles results in classic, easy-to-wear garments, jewelry, and �uid comfortable clothing, leading them to be featured in major textile magazines and exhibited in shows and galleries across the country. But she doesn’t just supply her customers with her works of art; her main goal is to give them the possibility of trying their hand at creating their own artwork by o�ering them the tools and supplies they need to spread their own creative wings. These items include jewelry equipment, tools, beads, baskets and knitting supplies.

Charlene’s items are sold mainly online through her eBay store, under the ID “andersonshea” (http://stores.ebay.com/Purveyor-of-All-Things-Creative) as well as on Amazon.com (http://astore.amazon.com/charleneanderson). About 15-20 packages are shipped daily through the US Postal Service, and that is where Endicia goes to work.

Endicia’s Role. Charlene signed up for Endicia for Mac in 2004 after hearing about the service on the eBay PowerSeller board, and has

Case Study

Charlene AndersonPurveyor of All Things Creative

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Part # VPM-C-50-014

relied on it ever since.

“If the rest of the world worked this well, we’d all be in better shape” she says, “I wouldn’t sell on eBay without it.”

Thanks to Endicia she no longer needs to go every morning to the Post O�ce, located 8 miles from her home. Instead, her husband drops her packages o� on his way to work, saving her money on gas and giving her more time to focus on the fun part of the business.

Endicia’s ease of use lets Charlene integrate shipping seamlessly into her work�ow. Using Vendio auction management software allows her to see when a payment was made to her Paypal account. Then she just needs to pull out the items, transfer the address to Endicia, and prints the label using a standard HP LaserJet printer. The package is ready for shipping in less than a minute.

Charlene ships most of her items using First-Class Mail®, particularly for her International shipping, which represents 1/3 of her business. For heavier domestic packages, she uses the Priority Mail® Flat Rate Box. She’s very fond of Endicia Insurance, using it for all her International shipping, and of Delivery Con�rmation for all of her domestic needs as well.

But her favorite Endicia feature, as she puts it, is that “it works, it does what it’s supposed to do. Endicia truly delivers.”

The Future. Since she doesn’t have to worry about the shipping anymore, Charlene has more time to focus on expanding her business. As she feels she has the time and energy to do at least three times the business she is now doing in an 8 hour-day, she is looking for ways to expand her product line and meet the needs of her buyers. To do so, she is evaluating new products to sell by searching the web and scouring online message boards such as the eBay Seller Outreach. Her research has already led her to toy with the idea of adding rock tumbling and lapidear items into her product line, but whatever new products she chooses to sell, Endicia will always be there to ship them.

To learn more about Customer, visit www.andersonshea.com.