Just use the inlinkz form below to enter your Pinterest URL.   We’ll start inviting you to pin to our Community Boards.   We have a lot of fun ideas, and plan to post 2-4 new boards each month.

Please note:  Our boards will not stay up permanently.  Most boards will be removed within 2-4 weeks and replaced with new Pinning opportunities!

Why?

If you’ve never participated in Community Boards before, they are a lot of fun!  It’s a fantastic way to gain Pinterest followers and a wonderful opportunity to build community with like-minded moms and brands.

Who?

Are you any of these?  If so, please enter your link below and join us

• Mom, Dad, or Grandparent with children 14 and under in your life?
• Mom Blogger?
• Children’s Clothing brand?
• Children’s eco product or service?
• Children’s Boutique?
• DIY’er, Artist, or Crafter – making things for especially children?

How?

1.  You need to first follow LoobaLee on Pinterest in order to receive our invites.

2. Then, scroll to the bottom of the images below and click on the “Add Your Link” button.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Note: If ever you no longer want to receive invites, just email us at CustomerCare@LoobaLee.com, and we’ll remove you from the list.

It’s Pin-Madness! Throughout March, you can Pin to Win a Spring Wardrobe for your child (or children) in classic LoobaLee “Upstyle” fashion: A little bit new, and a little bit used.

Pin It

* 

One Pinner Will Win!

Enter March 1 – March 31 2012

You do need to have a Pinterest account to play.  If you don’t already have one… I can pretty much guarantee you will love it. It’s so addicting, especially for Moms with kids!  If you’re looking for any kind of inspiration, you’ll find it by following other Moms just like you on Pinterest.

To Enter

You must be following at least one LoobaLee board on Pinterest and you must pin at least one item for sale on LoobaLee to one of your own Pinterest Boards.  It’s easy!  Just browse LoobaLee, and find something you like. The Pin It button is even handy when you’re viewing the items. To enter, just complete the form below. Note that you can Pin as many items for sale on LoobaLee as you want, and each counts as an entry.  Although, please don’t be spammy and be respectful to your Pinterest followers.  Including a description about why you like the item helps!

Bonus Entries

You can also get bonus entries for several other things that only take a minute of your time. If you’re already doing these things, you can check the boxes, too.

• Pin this giveaway and spread the word! The more the merrier here on LoobaLee

• Follow LoobaLee on Pinterest! Founder, Suzanne Rielle, personally pins favorites here!

• Add your Pinterest profile URL to the linky below (e.g. http://www.pinterest.com/yourUsername). Check out profiles of other Pinterest users, and share yours too!

• Like LoobaLee on Facebook

• Tweet about this giveaway. Say anything you want, link to the URL for this page, and mention @LoobaLee

There are lots of ways to win! Good luck, and thank you for pinning with us! *
***

You’ll find New With Tag, design brands like Cakewalk, Catamini, Deux par Deux, Ralph Lauren, Biscotti, Florence Eisemn, Lilly Pulitzer, Mis Tee Vius, Knuckleheads, and more — all for $1 – $5!!

Throughout the promotion, we’ll feature both boys and girls, in a full range of sizes from infant through tween.

Don’t Miss Out!

The daily deal will be announced between10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. EST each day on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

BTW:  If you are already a Seller on LoobaLee, have NWT items, and would like to participate in the daily promotions to help promote your store, email us!

~Suzanne

Happy Birthday to us! It’s been 2 years today since we first started LoobaLee.com.   Hard to believe!

This is a personal note thank you for your trust and support.

I am thrilled with some of our seller’s success stories, and that LoobaLee has a made a difference in their lives, e.g. $300/mo. extra income, sales exceeding $1,000/yr, clearancing $100′s in close-out inventory, etc.   These are some big numbers for our small, but mighty site!

Seven months ago, we gave LoobaLee as a free resource to you and everyone across the U.S.    Now, In order to make it the go-to marketplace for children’s clothing, I’d love your help and feedback.    I want everyone who lists on LoobaLee to sell!  And, I want everyone who loves shopping to find unique deals on LoobaLee every day.

I believe in the concept that “buying right, caring right, selling right… and donating right” can make a difference.   It’s a life cycle that can both environmentally and economically influence a family, a community, a nation, … a world.   You’ll be seeing some new branding and updates on LoobaLee to reflect this mission.   You can read more about it in our new Press Kit.

Have input and ideas for us?  It takes a community to build something great.  Please email us any time at customercare@loobalee.com, or leave your thoughts via comment below.

I hope to hear from you.  Just reply back to this email – thanks!

Oh, and please stop by our Facebook page and wish us Happy Birthday – thanks!

xo

Suzanne

It’s amazing to think that the USA was founded a mere 235 years ago with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The 4th of July holiday is synonymous with summer, patriotism and fireworks.

It’s a nice long weekend to enjoy backyard barbeques, pool parties, relaxing at the cottage, downtown parades, summer concerts and good times with family and friends.

It’s a special night for the kids to stay up late to enjoy fireworks popping in the warm summer sky.

It’s a time to be thankful to our soldiers who have fought for the freedom we enjoy today.

It’s the perfect occasion to teach our kids what it means to be an American.

Whatever you have planned this Independence day, we hope it’s filled with lots of laughter, relaxation and family fun!

Have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July!

Save the Earth!
Advertise Online!

To encourage those of you who own boutiques, or other kid/mom-focused brands, we’re offering  buy one get one free on any of our weekly advertising packages — April 20 – 22 only!

We target style-savvy moms who shop consciously for unique, quality products and services.   Read more in our Media Kit

Here are the details:

To be eligible for your  free week of advertising, you must purchase any advertising package*.    The great news is: advertising on LoobaLee starts at only $15/week.

If you want a large showcase for the best visibility, it would only be $100.  Two whole weeks of advertising in our premier spot for only $100! It sounds too good to be true, I know, but we are making it possible!

So, if you haven’t done so already, download our new Spring 2011 Media Kit, check out the different sizes we offer, and place your order by April 22nd.

To place an order, you will need to:

Contact sales@loobalee.com

Include in the email:

The size of your ad that you would like to purchase, when you would like the ad placed (based on first come-first serve), and your artwork. Make sure your artwork is the exact size of the ad that you have purchased, has a resolution of 72 dpi, and is a JPEG, GIF, or PNG.   Payment will be confirmed after we schedule your ad.

• The Children’s Place
• Old Navy
• Carter’s
• Osh Kosh B’gosh
• Justice
• Limited Too

There has been much debate over adding some of these brands due to inconsistent quality and/or lower retail price points, which add up to lower resale values.  And, the lower the relative resale value, the more difficult it is to sell on-line due to the overhead cost of shipping.

That said, these brands do put out some high-demand, quality designs each season that will sell well online — but with inconsistent quality, comes inconsistent resale value and on-line demand.

Here are some guidelines to help:

• Selling individually.  Items priced higher originally or are in high demand on resale may do well listed individually, such as coats, formal dresses, suits, outfits, boots, nice sweaters, good jeans, etc.   If you list in season, and it does not sell within 30 days, review your pricing and/or consider another one of the listing options below.
• Sell in a multi-piece outfits:   You may have better luck in our fixed-price model if you can group same-size pieces together into an outfit, especially if they are lower-priced items like tops, shorts, and basics.
• Sell in Lots (Coming Soon!):   If you have odds and ends that are still in really good condition, and you want to move them… you may do best listing them in a lot with other items.
  

Pricing: As with all items listed on LoobaLee, we ask that Seller’s carefully consider pricing and take shipping into account when listing.    The litmus test I like to use is simply,  “would I buy it for that price (plus shipping)?”.   If I don’t know, I scan through other people’s listings and check out their prices.  It’s easier to say “yes” or “no” to someone else’s listings than my own.   After looking at several, I can get a better feel for what I would be willing to pay, and how I should price my item to appeal to buyers.

If you have tips and/or experience selling these brands online, please share your thoughts below with other Sellers.   Thanks!

How to Enter Your Ad:

Sign up to receive our media kit here, or you can sign up below. Your first email will contain our 2011 Media Kit, as well as instructions on how to receive free advertising for a week. It is very simple, but if you have any questions, please email sales@loobalee.com.

Who is eligible?

If you are a blogger or business that provides information, products, or services with a focus on children to Moms, you’re a great fit for our blog.

Sign Up to Receive Instructions

Name:

Email:

We respect your email privacy

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Hi, Suzanne — My questions are of the nuts and bolts sort from a seller’s perspective. How do I get good pics that make my items look as enticing as possible?

Use natural light when taking pictures, its more appealing that way. An overcast day is a great time to shoot pictures. The sky is usually bright and there’s no sunlight to distract or overblow the colors of the clothing. Take a look at Etsy to see how some people shoot their clothing.

Believe it or not, I use either a simple point & shoot or my iphone to take pics. I have had some great pics and some mediocre ones. And, as I look at both my past sales and those from other Sellers, there is not a trend that indicates only the best pics sell. So, don’t let the pics hold you back. In fact… I think good strategy is decent pics (but not glamorous), but take multiple shots. We allow 4 pics (free of course).

OK — thanks NJJ and S! Overcast, natural light on a grey day sounds good — I know that’s good for photographing humans, so that should work for clothes, too! I”ve been meaning to get to the Apple store to take an iPhone photo tips class, so here’s a good excuse

Hi Nancy again — just thinking more about enticing pics. I like to zoom in on a feature (design, embellishment, fabric) etc. The close-ups are interesting, and I often use them for my thumbnail shots.

Also — any tips on packing/shipping for best results (i.e., pouch vs. boxes; how different carriers stack up)

We promote actual shipping rates on LoobaLee, so as not to confuse buyers on pricing (simply ask the price you want). Weight is important to consider, because under 13 ounces, you can get a really good rate First Class. But, I find that in there is a break even at about 8 ounces. Above that you are less than $1 from sending priority — and its easy to keep the materials on hand and use the USPS online tools to pay for postage and schedule pickup.

UPS and FedEx charge by size, they don’t care that much about how much it weighs. I’ve found a pouch is cheapest and the post office is definitely the best-priced, but I don’t ship a huge amount. Just my @.02

Hi Nava, thanks for adding the tips! Do you mostly ship flat rate?

I use my own polymailer (eco) and just hand it to the cashier for whatever’s cheapest.

yep, love those! These days, I think most Moms appreciate economical and ecological too — even it takes an extra day or two shipping time. what do you think?

For sure! We shop Loobalee for a reason So even if it takes an extra day or two I’m definitely game! If I need it shipped faster, I’d be happy to pay because I’m not paying retail for the clothing. Does Loobalee have a USPS option (I’ve browsed the site a few times, but never got to checkout)? I’d love a range of shipping options!

Yes, we are interfaced with USPS. The way it works is Sellers enter a Weight Class (which is a range, like 7-12 ounces), and the shipping calculator uses the Weight class and to/from ZIP codes during checkout to find the lowest price. We’ve had a request to add “free shipping” for Sellers to use, and the options for buyers to select priority/expedited. Looking at those now.

Great – I’m always full of questions. Today I want to know how you got inspired to start LooBaLee, and how did you do it?Great – I’m always full of questions. Today I want to know how you got inspired to start LooBaLee, and how did you do it?

Inspiration is multi-faceted. I was big on selling on eBay, but busy/working full-time — it was always a challenge, and I saw ways it could be easier. Also, I’m a fan of buying quality and reselling/donating. It’s shocking to me to see …all the inexpensive, fast fashion in the big box stores, which doesn’t hold up well for multiple uses, and goes the landfill much faster. I applaud the many wonderful small children’s clothing designer businesses that work hard to manufacture in safe, environmentally-friendly ways and put out high quality apparel.

Going live was more of a journey than an event. We tested out our first ideas publicly about 18 months ago, learned from that, and begin implementing our new, free model in December.