Selling on the internet...

[Sammy]

I am thinking of selling some of my beaded watches, beaded dolls, beaded pins and 6 million dollar people on the internet thru Esty... does anyone here sell there also? It is time for me to start making a little money with my art so I continue to go to art conventions and I also would like to give thru my church a portion of what I make... any ideas or thoughts would be so helpful to me... Here is three examples of items I am thinking of putting up...

[marion barnett]

There are a few of us who sell on Etsy, me for instance! my shop is http://artmixter.etsy.com. I've just started a group on here for etsy sellers, so we must be thinking on the same lines! I'd recommend you go onto etsy and do a search for beaded things, see how your work would fit in (I'm pretty sure it would...), and what sort of prices are being charged for similar work. that would give you a better picture of what's around, and what you need to do. it is a lot of work, being on etsy, I keep seeing that there are around 60 000 shops on there, that's a LOT of competition. To get yourself noticed, you need to work really hard on and off etsy, promoting your work.
hope that helps
marion

[Sammy]

Marion... Will go check out your etsy shop... I have heard that posting something often helps... My daughter set me up with a etsy shop and am now just waiting for PayPal to okay me thru my bank... Thanks for helping me and your idea of checking out other beaded shops for prices and what is selling is a awesome idea!

[Jenny Pepper]

I have a small Etsy shop but I havnt really had time to work at it.It seems there is great competition and those that appear successful obviously spend a lot of time listing new items daily and posting in forums. You need to get your work noticed amongst the tens of thousands of items available. That said, its great when something sells and it gives you money for more materials. The worst part of been on Etsy is that you see lots you'd like to buy! Why not just give it a go , theres nothing to lose, at 20c a listing. Good luck.

[Sammy]

Jenny... thanks for the info.... would love if you shared your etsy with us... I would like to see what you got on there... I hear that if you post often something new on your blog it keeps you up front on their main page....

[arlee barr]

I'm on Etsy as well, but not doing a lot with it. As much as i love the idea of making the sales, i'm shocked also by how little some of the sellers value their work, and by the low quality of some as well. That being said, there's also a fair bit of very sophisticated design and thoughtful pricing there. You just have to decide which party you're in :}

The only pet peeve i have with promoting Etsy is that you should be aware that not all lists, forums, groups and photo sites allow or encourage mention of you selling. It's common courtesy first to ask. Nobody likes a pushy salesperson, in person or online :}!
Good luck!!

[marion barnett]

I'd agree, Arlee, but add that it's good to have a range of prices. I want my work to be of high quality, I hope it is!!, but equally, I want it to be affordable...so I work small as well as larger, and keep my prices to the low end of what I'd like. And sell things unframed, so that they are easier to send in the mail, and also cost less for the consumer to buy.
The pushy salesperson bit is well said...it's hard, though, even on the blog, not to sound as if I'm shoving my shop down everyone elses' throats; the truth is that it takes up a lot of my time, and that's what I write about, how I spend my time. I don't really know where the balance is; I haven't found it yet.

[arlee barr]

Oh absolutely! I hope i didn't offend anyone :} All your points are salient. We need to keep that balance of affordability and quality for a variety of buyers, from the novice collector/user to the higher end commissions that will hopefully result. I know of a few who started on Etsy and are now in upscale galleries from their own proper promotion!

[marion barnett]

No offense taken! What people don't realise, I think, and I'm not including you in this, is the amount of time it takes to become established on etsy, to have your site seen and acknowledged. It takes forever!

[Sammy]

Such interesting ideas... thanks Arlee and Marion... I am use to pricing my stuff as I use to sell quite a bit of my art in Sisters, Oregon...I feel as if I need to be be fair with the customers and yet still price my art at a fair market price where I am making money for my artist value and my time...
Thanks for taking the time to reply....

[Victoria Gertenbach]

Hi, I opened an Etsy shop this summer, and I agree it is a lot of work to promote and stay noticed, but then again most businesses take alot of work! I see Etsy as part of an on going extension of trying to make a living as an artist. When people admire my work elsewhere, and ask me if I sell anywhere, it comes in very handy to be able to give them a business card with my Etsy shop address on it! Your beaded work looks beautiful, original and very well done to me! My advice is to give it a go, nothing ventured nothing gained, right?! Best of luck with your new effort! Victoria