Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Etsy Confession: Advice of the Day
So I have 2 years of Etsy selling experience and I was thinking of some of the mistakes I made in the beginning. I figured I should pass along some of the my "mistakes" in the hopes of helping others to avoid those mistakes.
1.) DON'T list your products on Etsy all at one time!
Why:
When your item is added to your Etsy shop, it ends up at the top of the search for a few minutes and then disappears into the search pages. Those first few minutes that your item is up there, it will be in the first few items the buyer sees. If you list a few times each day, different buyers will see your items at different times. Increasing your exposure and possiblity of selling.
2.) Always fill out your policies page!
Why:
If you have a problem with a buyer who disagrees with you about how something is supposed to be paid for, or how/when something is supposed to ship, you will need something to reference to show how and when that something is supposed to be done. Otherwise, you'll both be arguing over who is right without a good, standard solution. Especially when it comes to return policies.
3.) You can't just list your wares and sit back and wait for the sales to pour in, you need to do outside of Etsy promotion, here's a few suggestions:
a) Spend at least 1-2 hours in the forums about 6 days a week, reading and posting.
b) Started a blog and post almost every day.
c) Go to forums on other websites, google, yahoo, anywhere you can think of and post there making sure your store link is in your post (but don't just post to spam).
d) Get business cards and put them in all the packages you send to customers.
e) Start a flickr account.
f) Include in your packages to current customers, coupons offering discounts on future orders.
g) Make sure your store link is in every email you send.
h) Sign up for outside advertising (Project Wonderful, Google Ads, Facebook, etc)
i) Read other people's blogs and post messages on them, they will reply and notice your blog and sometimes post a link to yours.
j) Join an Etsy blog ring, so other people also find your blog
These are just a couple of things that I've thought about lately. I'll be adding more, as I think about it! I hope someone can use some of this to help themselves become more successful!
Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle!
So everyone who has kids and some who don’t have broken bits of crayons lying around and I know what you’re thinking, ‘I need to toss those out, they’re garbage’, right, NO! Using this tutorial and about 20 minutes of your time, you will be able take those little bits and make brand new crayons! It’s a great way to save few bucks and it’s good for the environment too!
Supplies:
Crayons
Old microwave safe glass cup
Mold
- I purchased the mold I used from Michaels for $3.95 (don’t forget your 40% off coupon - $1.75)
Optional:
Glitter
- You can stir glitter into the melted wax to add a little sparkle to your new crayons.
1.) Sort the crayons into piles (to match the colors you want to create). You can mix different colored crayons to create new colors.
3.) Place each pile of crayons into a separate microwave safe cup.
4.) Layout newspaper or paper towel. Place your molds on top of the paper, to catch any spills (terrible stuff to clean up).
5.) Place the cup into the microwave. Turn on high for 4 minutes.
6.) When you take the cup out of the microwave, swirl the cup or use a stir stick, a few times to mix the color together.
7.) Slowly pour the melted concoction into the prepared molds.
- Have paper towel handy, to clean up any spills.
8.) Leave and let harden for about 30 minutes. You can also stick the mold in the freezer for a few
minutes to speed up the process.
9.) After the wax has completely hardened, turn over molds and your new crayons should pop right out.
10.) Find paper and enjoy!
Note:
- Looking for cheap crayons? I bought a 1lb package of Crayola crayons for $1.99.
- Wondering what makes good molds?
- Soap molds, Candy molds, ice cube trays, muffin tins, etc
Supplies:
Crayons
Old microwave safe glass cup
Mold
- I purchased the mold I used from Michaels for $3.95 (don’t forget your 40% off coupon - $1.75)
Optional:
Glitter
- You can stir glitter into the melted wax to add a little sparkle to your new crayons.
1.) Sort the crayons into piles (to match the colors you want to create). You can mix different colored crayons to create new colors.
2.) Peel the wrappers off of the crayons.
- Soak the crayons in water for a few minutes and the wrappers will slide right off.
3.) Place each pile of crayons into a separate microwave safe cup.
4.) Layout newspaper or paper towel. Place your molds on top of the paper, to catch any spills (terrible stuff to clean up).
5.) Place the cup into the microwave. Turn on high for 4 minutes.
6.) When you take the cup out of the microwave, swirl the cup or use a stir stick, a few times to mix the color together.
7.) Slowly pour the melted concoction into the prepared molds.
- Have paper towel handy, to clean up any spills.
8.) Leave and let harden for about 30 minutes. You can also stick the mold in the freezer for a few
minutes to speed up the process.
9.) After the wax has completely hardened, turn over molds and your new crayons should pop right out.
10.) Find paper and enjoy!
Note:
- Looking for cheap crayons? I bought a 1lb package of Crayola crayons for $1.99.
- Wondering what makes good molds?
- Soap molds, Candy molds, ice cube trays, muffin tins, etc
Come One, Come All...
If your in Saskatchewan, specifically Mortlach, Saskatchewan, or planning to be in the area, you should make a stop at the Mortlach Saskatoonberry Festival, which is coming together on July 4th! With an expected atttendence of around 2500 people, there should be plenty to see and do! Including entertainment, events, a parade, and of course plenty of food!
Admission is only $5 or $15 for the whole family.
The festivitates start at 8am and continue on until 10pm.
If your interested in attending the festival as a vendor, please check out their website at:
http://www.mortlach.ca/saskatoonberryfestival2009.html
And their vendor application page:
http://www.mortlach.ca/f/2009_Vendor_Ap1.pdf
You should definitely check out this fine fair, it would be a shame to miss!
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