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Making and Marketing
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I cannot count the years I have
been looking for a platform where crafters and home artisans can sell
their wares in a supportive and user friendly
environment. A venue that would also attract quality buyers who
desire to purchase hand made products. Buying hand made truly
supports non-commercial America, my main soap box of years.
Enter Etsy! Not only is their site a total success, their
sellers are successful also. It is not a "trickle down" theory.
It is "open the flood gates." I love their staff and the fact
they will stay "real" no matter how big they get. They are
pretty big now, but I expect them to grow ten fold over the next few
years. My readers know I have never promised
anything would change their life. I am saying it now. Etsy
will change your life in a great way! Intrigued, I asked the Etsy staff to offer me a quick study on how easy it is to sign up and sell product. Instead of a canned answer, they let their readers do it. Postings were emphatic, loving and endless. I mean within an hour they had fifty sellers, fill up 6 full pages of true stories on how Etsy touched or totally changed their lives. Each story so unique, they deserve to all be read! I cannot pick "one" or "two" experiences. They are all moving and inspirational. I can say the common thread is they were able to succeed in a supportive environment and actually get paid to do what they love. Click here to read ALL of the Etsy sellers to us and change your life. Grab a cup of java, or chai, you will be in there a while, and it is WORTH IT! I think you can make anything from a mountain top, love doing it, post it on Esty, eat well and be social with "Etsians" in your down time. And social they are. As far as buyers, make Esty your one stop shop for hand made Christmas items. Many sellers report they found Etsy because they were given a hand made gift purchased from the Etsy platform. Top Craft Supply Store Mabel Archives Etsians say: "The community here is fantastic. Its wonderful to have such a large group like-minded, crafty people right at your fingertips." ~FtCloudy~ "Etsy is like having a best friend." ~KarmaRox~
I signed up for Etsy upon the
suggestion of a friend. My first few sales were absolutely magical
moments - "SOMEONE BOUGHT SOMETHING FROM MY SHOP!" sort of incredulous
moments. Up until then, I'd sold to friends and family sporadically,
but mostly sold my work wholesale, to boutiques. While this was
rewarding, it wasn't quite what I had in mind when I decided to pursue
'the art of adornment' as a professional career. Here, on Etsy, every
purchase is special. I love getting emails from sellers who've given
my work as gifts, or who can't help but write because they love the
earrings they ordered. I've sold over 2,000 items here in the past
year and a half, and each one is a pleasant surprise and a 'magical
moment', just like the first.
I am most certainly interested since Etsy has had a huge impact on
my life in a very positive way.
Other than the odd sale here and there I was not selling my work until I found Etsy. I found it rather randomly through a friend's blog back in Nov 2005 and was so impressed by it that I signed up right away even though I didn't have much to put up at the time. I was really just starting to get into a groove with my art then and it took me a couple of months to get my Etsy shop growing. My first sales came in January after I was featured on the Etsy homepage. I opened up a personal website complete with a blog in February. My sales increased monthly as my exposure grew. I made it to the Top Sellers list. A list that I had been watching and getting tips from by seeing how people were doing it right. By May I had reached 100 sales and Etsy decided to feature me as a seller. I started networking with area Etsy sellers that spring and summer and just kept making work and improving myself and my business by adding new products that fit with my shop. I have found a personal connection not only with fellow sellers but with buyers as well. Since joining Etsy I am a happier person and more confident in my art. Even when there are bumps I take them in stride. Around Christmas time I found out that I was pregnant with my first child and the Etsy community has been so wonderful and supportive there too. I could go on and on about my love story with Etsy!
It's taken me *YEARS* to build up my clientele at art markets and fairs. Etsy has helped me build a similar clientele and community in *days*
Without Etsy, I would never have thought I could
share my knitting with the world. Thanks to the clear interface,
easy to use format, and friendly community, I have reached customers
in ways that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.
As a seller, Etsy has been a wonderful welcoming site that has revolutionized how I run my business. I love having a professional and secure place to send my customers too when they are looking to purchase items online. I've found the community here to be wonderful and it's heartwarming to be amongst so many people that share a deep respect and adoration for hand crafted items. |
