Seller Spotlight: Janie's Cowboy Shop

Hello, Bonanzlers! I’m back to share with you all our Seller Spotlight for the month of August. Some of you may be thinking, "What's a Seller Spotlight?" or "Hey, that's pretty neat! I'd love to be a part of that... but how?" Read on to find the answers to those questions and more.

How does this work?

Each month, we’ll be interviewing a Bonanza seller to learn how their business started, what makes them tick, and what advice they have for other sellers. We'll share our findings here on the blog. We hope these blog posts will be educational and inspirational to our sellers.

Awesome! How do I get selected for a Seller Spotlight?

If you’re interested in being selected for a Seller Spotlight, you can fill out this form. Please note that submitting your name for consideration does not guarantee you will be selected for a spotlight.

Does this take the place of the “Dedicated Blog Post” we can purchase with our tokens?

Nope! Our goal with these Seller Spotlights is to encourage the Bonanza community to engage with each other in a new way. If you save 40,000 tokens, you can still redeem them for a blog post specific to your booth.

I have other questions about this. Who can I talk to?

Our award-winning support team is more than happy to answer your questions about the Seller Spotlight series. Let's get started with our feature!

Seller name:

Janie. Check out her booth here!

How did Janie's Cowboy Shop get its start?

“I’ve been involved in the horse industry all my life. I started my business in 1985 at the local race track (Trinity Meadows) where we had a stable of horses. I began with only $35 to my name, and any money that was made went straight back into the business. It started out as a Tack Shop at the racetrack, and having been involved with the community for years, I knew what people were looking for and only carried products that I would use myself. After my husband accepted a job as a Steward in the state of Texas, I wasn’t able to continue selling my wares there, as it was a conflict of interest," Janie said.

"From there, I moved to a different physical storefront owned by another woman and expanded my store to include decor items as well. Unfortunately, she passed away and the store was sold, so I decided to focus on selling online. When I first joined eBay in 2006 there were very few people listing “Western Decor” items for sale, and finding that niche market was very beneficial to building my reputation online. Over time, more people began populating the market with similar items, and I decided to branch out to other marketplaces as well, which led to joining Bonanza in 2016.”

What is your favorite part about selling on Bonanza?

“The ease of use is always appreciated, but more than anything it’s the support they provide for their users. Rather than punish small mistakes, they want to help you succeed and be able to offer the best service you can.”

What advice would you give to new sellers starting out for the first time?

“My best pieces of advice to give are to carry a quality product and to stand behind your customers no matter what the issue is. Providing items made from reliable materials and letting buyers know that you’re there to help them with any kind of request (shipping issues, wrong items received, etc.) will help you retain buyers and lead to repeat purchases. It also leads to them telling their friends and family about your booth (especially in tight-knit communities, such as the horse industry). My Daddy once told me that if you never lie, cheat, or steal, you never have to move.”

If you could spend the day with anyone, who would you choose and why?

“Mother Teresa. She’s a shining example of how we should be helping those less fortunate than ourselves out of the goodness of our hearts and standing up for those who aren’t able to stand up for themselves.”

What are your favorite things to do in the summer while you’re not maintaining your booth?

“I go barrel racing whenever I have the chance. I’ve always had a competitive spirit, and I find speed much more enjoyable than other performance classes.”

Is there a particular book, movie, or TV show that you’ve enjoyed recently?

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough is my favorite book of all time, but I enjoy a wide variety of genres, from historical accounts to fictional mystery novels. (Disclaimer: The Thorn Birds is quite sad, be prepared for feelings.)