what? = sales?
I have been thinking about what to make, how to do it, and I guess most importantly, how to sell it.
For me Etsy is still the best place, about half my sales have come from outside of the UK, and the ones within the UK are not ‘local’. I do have friends who buy my work, but I think there are quite a few who probably feel it is too expensive, but they would think nothing of frittering their money away on some Cath Kidson or Emma Bridgewater, sorry if I offend anyone!
I guess Handmade is cool at the moment, as long as it is a cool brand for some people : ) I’m shocked at how much some things are sold for in some shops when you could get something totally unique from a proper craft fair or on Etsy.
I want to make things that people like and enjoy using, and that I enjoy making too, so I want to make a few more cushions, when I can get the inserts that I used before. I’m going to make some old style totes, which will be slightly cheaper than the ones I’m currently making.
I love making things, but I do want it to be more than that, I want to be able to make some money from it as well, but I guess making bags, and other textile items that will be hard, especially all year round.
So I guess what I’m getting at it over the next few months you may well see some things on here which are experiments, experiments of trying to turn stuff I love making into stuff I can sell : )
As you can see I have made another set of coasters : ) Pink and a bit girly, but lovely, if we had a more girly house I would be tempted to keep them for me!
10th February 2008 @ 2:19 pm
Oooh – these are lovely, will you be putting them in your shop later?
10th February 2008 @ 8:30 pm
Making stuff is wonderful and life enhancing. making money through making stuff is hard. But your things are lovely Alice, and I’m sure you’ll succeed.
10th February 2008 @ 8:59 pm
Wow – they are so pretty. I dont’ have a very girly house either, but you can always make room for a little girly somewhere.
I got my first sewing machine today – and alot more besides from my Nan at my first “lesson”. It is an old SInger 4525c so I am hoping to get going soon!
Lovely post as usual
Clare xx
11th February 2008 @ 1:43 pm
I have the same thoughts – what to make, how to make time to make the things I want to make, where and how to sell it, how much to charge, why can’t I take decent photos, why does everyone else’s stuff look a thousand times better than mine. I’ll just keep plugging away at it. First and foremost I am making things because I enjoy it. If someone else likes my things that’s wonderful, otherwise I have lots of presents ready to give!
Your stuff is wonderful, I love it. I look forward to seeing your new ideas and changes.
11th February 2008 @ 9:13 pm
Hi, have just started browsing at various crafting blogs and came across yours. Your things are beautiful. I agree that there is something special about handmade items and i think most people would be prepared to pay a little extra for something that is original, well made and beautiful. For me the appeal is having something that won’t be seen on the high street and I’d happily pay a few pounds more for that, not to mention the better quality of a handcrafted item. I’ve just started to look at Etsy and while it’s a wonderful idea I am put off by the sheer scale of it and the fact that everything is in dollars, I don’t know why that is! I’d be more tempted to buy from an ebay shop, had you thought about that or are fees/listing time offputting? Just my thoughts, will pop by again! Best wishes!
11th February 2008 @ 9:13 pm
It’s hard when you reach that point when it no longer becomes a hobby, it’s hard to take that leap to making it pay. I’ve not reached that point, I am sure I could if I put my mind to it, but I want a career…I am so not up for being self-employed, so for me Etsy is a paid for hobby. Which is cool. Though strangly I am not sure why I do it sometimes.
You have a good style, and name, so I think you will do just fine.
11th February 2008 @ 11:47 pm
Interesting post. For me all this stuff is just in my head. (I’d like to, I want to, pretty sure I could) You are out there and doing it! I think the hard thing would be making the same things over and over, so experimenting and trying other things is essential.
13th February 2008 @ 8:35 pm
Have you looked at ‘CraftBoom’? It’s all about these kind of issues. Not about what to make to be a success – unfortunately, but about how to get the best out of Etsy. I also find the interviews with individuals who are making a success of it really helpful on those ‘down’ days. I access it via a feed which google reader tells me is ‘
http://emomsathome.com/craft-boom/feed/‘ If that fails horribly the other route I can offer is via ‘U-handblog’. It’s written by Lisa Lam who has the U-handbag website which sells all kind of fixtures and fittings for bags.
14th February 2008 @ 10:18 am
A very timely post. I’m having the same thoughts myself and am in the midst of writing my next column for mixtape which will be about finding your niche. I think you need to enjoy what you make, regardless of whether it sells or not. The issue is them one of how to get more sales. Have you looked at the shop makeover series on etsy? I have a link on one of my recent posts. And, you might have to walk down the shameless self promotion path, which is one i find a bit hard. Especially cause I/we under rate our creativity. How bout some emails to some of the design/craft blogs that post about all the stuff others make?
14th February 2008 @ 11:19 am
I don’t know what your hits are like for your blog but it strikes me that the more traffic you have to your blog, repeat traffic is better, then the more people there are interested in your work and the more sales you’ll make.
I found your blog completely by accident a few days ago. I think I was looking for a pattern for a bag. You need to advertise your blog because there are so many that it’s easy to get lost amongst the crowd. A blog is a very powerful tool in advertising and I think it would be a good starting place for generating interest in your work. There are many sites on the web dedicated to the best way to get traffic to your blog that you could get some tips from.
Also, as an aside, I note there is not much in your shop and wonder if you could keep up with an upsurge in orders. The last thing you want is you generate interest and not be able to fulfil orders in a timely manner. This will lead to dissatified customers.
Just a few thoughts. I loved your bag with the trees, I just wasn’t quick enough to buy it. Perhaps those items that sell really quickly would be a good place to start. I’m betting that there are loads of people who wanted that particular bag but were just too late to get it. I know you want to produce original pieces but something similar would probably be just as successful.
14th February 2008 @ 5:32 pm
Hi – I would tend to agree with the comments Sarah made above. I also find Etsy extremely off-putting, mainly because it is so America-centred. Until we have a similar UK-based version I find it much easier to both buy and sell handmade items on Ebay. I’ve had reasonable success selling through Ebay using a fixed-price, buy-it-now type listing, whereas selling via Etsy was extremely poor for me. Anyway, I think your bags and cushions are gorgeous and I wish you all the best with selling them.
20th February 2008 @ 11:25 pm
Hi – I have just found your blog which is lovely. I think you’re products are great, really unusual, distinctive and definately NOT too expensive, I know its really hard to price your work but if you are wanting to make money making things you really have to remember to charge for your time as well as all your materials – hard I know but its important to think about now:)