Monday, December 28, 2009

Etsy

I'm trying find new places and new ways to sell my work. I've been looking at Etsy and others. I've been hesitate about selling online. Its mostly shipping that I'm concerned about. So what do others think about etsy? Is it worth the time and profitable? How about shipping? leave some comments if you have experience with etsy.

1 comment:

  1. I think it will be a great way for you to pick up a little money on the side, but it will take some effort to get things set up and then to do a good job of selling your shop and your work. Your work will easily be some of the best on the site, but don't expect it to sell itself. You need to make sure the right people are finding it, and that you present it in a way that encourages them to spend their money on a pot they can't pick up and hold. So you will need a well designed shop, including an interesting and informative banner, an engaging shop statement and bio that convinces folks that you are serious but also someone they will want to buy from. Take good images and use all five when possible. Write something interesting for each description (remember that you are trying to make a case for why someone should want to own your work. Don't scimp or leave the impression that you don't care if they buy your work). I would spend some time seeing what other people are doing that is successful, which artists seem to sell the most and why (and very few sell well just because their work is of a high quality). Also check out the decent artists who are not selling well so you can see what not to do. One of the keys is to get people to look at your shop, and become familiar with your work. This means driving customers to your etsy shop from your blog and other advertising, but also keeping a presence on the search pages of the ceramics and pottery category. If you just dump 40 items on your shop all at once you may have a good chance of being noticed on that day, but by the next day all of your work will be 40 pages deep and folks may never see it again. My advice is to trickle a few pots in at a time. Start out with enough in your shop that you are making a good impression, but slowly feed more in over the course of howeverlong. That way if you miss someone one day you may catch them another. Shipping is a nightmare. I have botched my shipping costs just about every order, but I have found that you can mark up your item's price to include all the miscelaneous and intangible costs you expect to incur. That way you can cover unforseen expenses without cutting too deeply into your earnings. I live in an area saturated by quality potters, so my local pricing is always depressed by the competition. I have discovered that I can charge reasonable prices to someone clear across the country and they won't flinch. So what I guess I am saying is that if you are willing to put the effort into it you should have an excellent means of supplementing your income. Good luck!

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