Anthony Rollins is obsessed with perfection and inspired by nature. These two powerful motivators mix with a creative bent and spur Rollins to form clay products for his eBay Store, Anthony's Antiques and Collectibles.
Most of what Rollins creates is functional, things like vases, yarn bowls and Japanese tea cups. But the potter says he uses glaze to mimic such things as sheets of rain, mountain snow, waves on the beach, waterfalls and lightening. He also mimics weathering and aging.
"Clay has given me the hands-on creative outlet that I was missing in my life," Rollins notes.
Beyond international sales through Anthony's Antiques and Collectibles on eBay, Rollins has also displayed some of his work in galleries.
But this artist did not begin his story with clay.
'Retraining' brings new perspective
Rollins has been selling on eBay for more than two years now. Like many new online sellers, he went to eBay to make a little extra money. In the beginning, he sold antiques and coins from his own collections, and then went to estate sales to build up his inventory.
Now that I have finished my schooling, I can really focus on my ceramic art and building the store into a full time business
"I found plenty of vintage items to resell and my sales tripled within three months," Rollins says.
With such success, Rollins decided to open an eBay Store as a commitment to the business, but he didn't stop there. Rollins returned to school for "retraining" in other areas of his life.
It was his intent to become a photographer, he says, but his first time at a required pottery class altered his perspective.
"The following year I changed my focus to ceramic art and have never looked back," he reports.
His pottery creations have since made their way into the eBay Store. In fact, the pottery is stealing the show. Rollins is demoting the vintage items as a secondary business to his own signed clay pieces.
"I picked yarn bowls for the first items I listed, based on items sold," Rollins says. "It was winter and yarn bowls were popular."
A woman in Japan was the first to purchase a yarn bowl from him, and since then he has added other handmade items to his store.
Molding an eBay business
Just a few weeks ago Rollins completed his education, which frees up about 20 hours a week for him.
"Now that I have finished my schooling, I can really focus on my ceramic art and building the store into a full time business," he notes.
Rollins has a part-time job in a ceramics studio, and then puts in about 15 hours a week in his own studio space. As he's working the clay on the wheel, Rollins says he focuses on his hand movements and the shape of the piece.
"It's actually very relaxing and satisfying when I produce a piece that is exactly how I imagined it," he notes.
Prior to becoming a successful potter and eBay seller, Rollins spent 15 years as a precision machinist, a job that required him to work closely with industrial standards.
Don't be afraid of giving a refund. It will cost way more in the long run to have a disgruntled customer
That kind of training helped Rollins develop a critical eye for form, fit and finish, which rolled over into his progression as a potter, he says. Yet he refers to his work as a contrast between precision and nonconformity.
"It is a marriage between the machinist and the emerging artist," Rollins says.
Selling online affords flexibility
Most online sellers would say the best thing about selling online is the convenience it affords them, and this potter is no exception. As someone who's been busy with school, a part-time job and throwing clay, running a business from home is the only way to do it, really.
First thing in the morning, Rollins checks his email. Among the range of ceramics and pottery he makes, it's the Japanese tea bowls and tea cups that seem to sell most regularly.
"[It's] always nice to get that 'Your Item Sold' email," Rollins notes.
When his day begins with one of those green-light emails, he packs up the orders and can ship them off on his way to school or work.
As an eBay seller, Rollins believes his best strength is customer service. He says if there is ever a problem, he takes care of it immediately, and he advises other sellers to reconsider their refund policies.
"Don't be afraid of giving a refund," he says. "It will cost way more in the long run to have a disgruntled customer."
Rollins also believes strongly in the success of a good picture. Take the best pictures possible, he says. It's far more important than the description.
As a perfectionist, Rollins gets a great deal of pride and satisfaction from his work, and the success of his eBay Store shows just how well it's working out for him.
Whether it's pottery that begs to be used or art that demands attention, his goal is to create a bond between the user and the piece, Rollins says.
Visit Anthony's Antiques and Collectibles.