If you consider selling on Etsy or just online

Ok, folks. For the first time since I joined Etsy, I finally got down to see the Forum bit. And I found a number of topics that got me thinking that I probably should say something on the matter. So, I did. Also I'm posting tweaked articles on the matter here so you can have the benefit of having it to hand, so to speak.

Why would one consider selling online/on Etsy? And what advice would you give them?

When I decided to sell jewellery I was making, selling in a local craft shop wasn't an option as I lived in London and there aren't that many (if any) local craft shops - small places for local artists that are happy to take just a few pieces. Setting up a website and selling online seemed a much better option. Tried my own website, but it's rather a lot of work (and a work in progress at the moment). Tried Ebay, but fees are extortionate and the listings don't last long enough for them to get notices. You also have to pay rather a lot to have a shop. Also, on Ebay people expect to get a bargain. Not exactly encouraging to anyone who puts lots of care into something they're doing. Compared to my own website and Ebay, Etsy's been great. Took me a while to get the shop looking decent and figure out policies, photos etc, and it's still ongoing, but low listing fees, templates, and just the whole thing of all the craft related items in one place is encouraging, inspiring and very helpful.
If someone already 'sold in craft fairs or gallery or in boutiques but have not yet ventured online' I would highly recommend Etsy. It's a great way to reach people all over the world and widen the circle of people who like what you're creating without having to go bankrupt. It can also provide good testing ground for any experimental designs or anything you're not quite sure about. Who knows, we all have different tastes and in such a wide community as offered by Etsy there's more chance of coming across a much wider range of likes.
There's also certain anonymity for buyers - they can browse no end without having to be asked if they need any help. As a buyer I just love this aspect of shopping online and as a seller I'm quite happy not to have to be physically present when anyone comes to my shop.

The 'hump' of selling online would be getting your things noticed. I hate doing any marketing and I was quite resistant to revealing anything personal. I hate talking about myself or anything I do. So Profile, Descriptions, Policies, blog do not come easy. But I'm very happy to chat to people online once they contact me or there is a topic I like. For any new seller I would advise to go for it. Put where you are - Location. Put something in the Profile - I don't have my birthday date on but I do have an astrological sign and that gives a certain position in a year. I don't like it when I come to a profile of a person I'm thinking buying from and there's no Femail or Male and not even an approximate date of birth. It's not asking much, but this is a community place and one likes to know the kind of people one is dealing with. This is the difference between buying from a physical and online shop - in a physical you buy something then and there, buying online takes having some trust between buyer and seller. It goes both ways, but especially when someone departs with their money.
Ok. New sellers. If you're shy, don't be. Took me long time to overcome this one. Get exploring the place you're selling in. Etsy's got great community and there is so much inspiration. I keep on looking at the jewellery in physical shops and I just find it rather dull and same. And so with many other items. Get exploring Etsy and it will enrich your own style.

Photos. That's a huge one. I've been doing photography for a while, but not 'product' photos. Figuring out how to photograph small and large things close up with all the colours being right takes me a long time (and it's ongoing). I was looking at some professional equipment, but in the end I'm not a big business with unlimited expenses. So, what I'd recommend, especially to those who are just starting out or thinking about it and really don't have much of a means is: the likelihood is that you already have a decent (mid-range) digital camera. If not then you probably need to get one anyway. It probably already has a zoom and a few features. Experiment. I found that the best photos of jewellery I can make are in the light just after sunrise when there is no glare from the sun. As any painter would be aware, light coming from the north is also good. Take photos in different light, on different backgrounds and at different distances and in different formats. Also, I've notices that there are a lot of sellers with blurry photos - don't hold camera just in your hands, lean against or on something so that your hands and the camera you're holding are not moving. If you have a tripod, that's great. Try to take photos of the 'complete' item - most of the items have more than one dimension.

If I knew anyone who would benefit from selling online, I'd direct them straight to Etsy. As someone based in UK I'm quite aware that most of the sellers on Etsy are in US and also most of the buyers, but it is growing, and I do hope that there will be more sellers from UK and Europe - some items are just too expensive to order from overseas, like pottery, which I absolutely love, but all those postage costs do add up and I would love to buy from someone closer to where I live.
Right. Postage costs. That's also one of the big issues of selling and buying online. Shipping/postage rates is something any new seller has to calculate. I hate high postage costs myself, and they do depend on the items you're selling. Weight, how they should be packed etc. The advice would be to keep them down as much as possible. Do take into account that you're paying for the packaging, and any expenses involved in trips to the post office as well, but I really don't like when sellers don't offer decent discount on any additional items purchased. I know myself that it doesn't take that much to include additional items in the package.Do offer a returns policy. I think a lot of new sellers are worried about a buyer returning the item if they don't like it. I don't have large enough margins to compensate for this sort of thing, that would put prices up, but I do rely on the quality of items I make and the photos and descriptions. Provided you do not deceive the buyer and offer honest and accurate information about what you're selling, you're unlikely to have items returning.
Do be attentive to any customer concerns. Even if you don't have much time, it doesn't take long to check your emails and reply to people within 24 hours.

Ok. I think that's my ranting done on this topic. Hope it helps to anyone thinking about joining Etsy community. The more people joining Etsy the merrier!

There were lots of other replies, some went on about some business strategy and sales strategy and how selling online was part of their bigger plan - these made me cringe. I thought I was hearing suits from a business academy talking. They were soooo business-like and to some degree 'cold' and 'professional'.

The point I did like in someone else's reply, and somehow overlooked in mine, was that selling on Etsy allowed families that live long distances apart to come together. If you create anything and post it on Etsy, your family, whereever they are can see what you're up to. Now, that's a great way to use an online shop!

Ok, this is not a promotion of Etsy. I sell on Etsy, but I'm not sooking up to them. This is my experience and I hope that you can use it. It would have been great if someone told me these things when I began - I would not have bothered with Ebay (and would have saved a fortune!).

Good luck everyone!

Isle of Arran

A hill with a view
Road traffic

Sunrise

Whiting Bay with Holy Isle in the distance

One of many road blocks

SALE - NOW UNTIL 1ST FEBRUARY

For a short time only I'm having a SALE in my Etsy shop.
This is mainly to do with us having recently moved and me re-organising all my stock. So this is a unique opportunity to get some special handcrafted jewellery at a very special price.

Also, look out for lots of new items coming up in February and March.

Giving up allotments

... It's heartbreaking! One downside of this move we're doing is that I have to give up the two allotments I have. Although I grew a lot of things beside the house prior to getting allotments, having them was really great and has expanded the number of things I could grow. Now I have to scale down and prioritise on species and varieties and as a keen grower that's not something I look forward to doing! There are no allotments on Arran (as far as I know), so, as the result, I will be putting most of the seeds I have for sale on my website in January once I un-pack moving boxes and organise all the seeds. If you see something you like on my website then the likelihood is that I have the seeds of it. If you're interested, let me know. Single varieties, mixes of varieties & species, packets can be custom-made.

Two lucky people will be getting an allotment for Christmas! :(

Happy Growing! & Merry Christmas! & Happy New Year! (Just in case this is my last post until January.)

Arran

The last couple of weeks were rather busy, not least because it now seems that we're going to be moving back to Scotland within the next month or so. Yep, not exactly a great time to be involved in upheavals of any sort with Christmas approaching, but, fingers crossed, we might be in our new place on the beautiful isle of Arran on the west coast of Scotland in time for Christmas. If you're wondering what Arran looks like from the mainland across the water, it's the island on the horizon behind me on the photo at the bottom of this page. You can just about see it! I've long wanted to resume painting and, fingers crossed, I'll be in the perfect place for some amazing landscapes. Canvases, paints & brushes at a ready... & with the deer population close to that of the people on the island & other wildlife abound there won't be a shortage of other subjects as well.



If you'd like to know more about Arran, visit this website: http://www.visitarran.com/site/default.aspx

Exploding Creativity

It's been taking me a long time to do the photos and list all the items I have in stock and all the items I keep on creating ... there are just soooo many! I keep on thinking that one week I'll be finished and then a few more designs are created and a few more and a few more ... it's totally exhausting and invigorating both at the same time. I forgot I made a few pearl necklaces a couple of months ago! So, today and tomorrow I'll be doing some photos of them and hopefully will put them out over this weekend/beginning of the week. At least with them out the earrings are going to have a bit less dominance! Oh, earrings, right, well, I really have to restrain myself from creating hundreds and thousands of them! I just love making them, just something about the perfect size for designing something special. Just thinking about them makes me want to go to my workshop and get going ... see you soon!

A Present

With the Christmas approaching my husband decided to give me an early present - a set for a proper torch. The real thing - with proper kit that fixes up to a huge propane tank. House beware! ... Just kidding ... & now my creativity can expand even further. I already got a few designs that require a torch that can heat metal up to a running state & in the forthcoming months I'm really looking forward to experimenting and making something even more exciting and unique than my current designs. Let's face it, with ability to manipulate metal to this degree I will be able to cast any design & create all my own unique ear fittings & rings & pendants ... I'll be able to make RINGS! Yes! Thank you hubby! Off to the magical land of dreams!..

An Injury & a Wedding

Hello folks!

It's been a while since I've updated what's happening. & That's because not much happened jewellery-wise in the last few days. As it happens I've had an injury - my back was gone for a few days with something funny going on with some nerve (s) (the nurse was very helpful & wrote down all the names and dozes of painkillers I was to take and exercises to do), although I cannot remember all the particulars.
That aside, we've also had a wedding to go to this weekend. I was still putting listings on Etsy couple of hours before we went (this thing is just soooo addictive!) & all the way there I was still thinking about designs & gems & beads & all related matters (designers' curse!), but, I'm happy to say, that when we got to the church the bagpipes (half the party was Scottish so we felt right at home!) took all that daydreaming away. It was a rather moving ceremony with readings & songs & of course vows and blessings and photos and drinks and cake and meeting people and more photos and more meeting people and more drinks ... Needless to say the bride and the groom looked blissfully happy and it was an amazing happening full of joy, happiness, laughter & actually pretty good father-of-the-bride, groom & best mad speeches.
We wish them all the best in their new life together.

& now I'm back to beads, gems, designs, listings, treasuries ... did I mention this whole thing is terribly addictive? ;)

Necklaces

Was sorting out some of my stash yesterday & putting things together, and then changing it, and then adding other things ... can't help myself - the minute I see some beads, fittings, chains etc I begin to think what to do with them. In this case, the results were necklaces. Makes a nice change! I usually end up with dozens of earrings. Here are some of them:

New listings coming this week!

Just thought to let you know that I'll be putting out more listings this week in my Etsy shop. Cannot switch off my brain & it constantly comes up with new designs and variations. So now I have quite a few items in stock (& I also found a few items hidden in boxes!) that I thought you might like to check out. I'm not one to go for any particular design or style, just don't like to be constrained within same forms :) So, if you do have time, come and see. Who knows, you might find exactly what you've been looking for. Or, maybe you'll find something to inspire you. Either way, you're welcome to visit.

Gorgeous and TOTALLY RECYCLED

Just made another treasuty on my favourite subject. Thought you might like to check it out. This one is Part I. There'll be others coming in the following weeks - just so many wonderful things out there made from recycled materials!

THE PERFECT RING - New Etsy Treasury

Just thought to let you know that I made yet another Etsy Treasury with theme of Rings, Rings, Rings ... thought you might enjoy having a look. It will end on Saturday, Nov 8th at 11.50 am.

More items added to my Etsy shop.

These are the latest additions to my Etsy shop. As you can see, I don't really have a favourite style where jewellery is concerned. How can I? There are so many occasions, so many moods, so many outfits and hairstyles ... and each one deserves a different kind of sparkle!

~Blue River~ & ~Pink Rose Dangles~ are now SOLD. ~Midnight~ is still available

Metal Crators

I don't know what is it about the flame and melting metals that completely hypnotizes me. I've long been making my own headpins, and soldering joints, but I also experimented with making metal 'things'. Every time I heat a bit of silver or copper or any other metal to a bright yellow-red, it moves so beautifully, reminds me of all that lava flowing down a slope after volcano erupted. Completely mesmerising. One thing I never felt comfortable with was that after all that movement and play of metal, heat and air, the end result many jewellers go for is far removed from what it looked like when you finish working on it with heat. Personally, I love when the piece that still shows off texture and oxidation, when it still looks like it's been created using hands rather than machines, when it still retains something from all processes that went into creating it - a trace, it's creation history.

Completely handmade posts with metal irregularities showing & Murano glass (lined with real silver)

Silver dot drop necklace with silver dot in warm silver colour (due to addition of copper when melted) and Swarovski tiniest crystals in Copper

My new Etsy Treasury list is out!

Just got my second list on Treasury. Every one is special, but this one is extra special - it's all about amazing hand-created items made with minimum cost to our lovely planet. I hope you check it out and let me know what you think. It expires in the early hours of Nov 4th, so hurry up and see whether you can find something interesting for someone special this Christmas.

Red Berry Collection

I gues I was thinking about Christmas when I came up with this idea, although I hope that the result is also wearable any other time of the year, month, day ... well, any time at all.

Finished making the first set of earrings (will be putting them on Etsy soon). And here are the pics:

Silver was oxidized with Black Salt (a food grade ingredient) which can be seen on the photo with the Silver Shade crystals.

Recent Order of Swarovski Crystals Arrived!!!!!!!!

I don't tend to go for bright colours, but I do love the blues and the recent order included Blue Zircon, Caribbean Blue Opal, Mint Alabaster & a wonderful Sea Blue pendants (not visible on the photo & I just might keep them for myself! ;)). And there's the understated elegance of Black Diamond, Silver Shade, Golden Shadow, Crystal, & Jet. Further afield there are Light Amethyst & Rose Water Opal - the closest I get to pink these days!



So, how about ideas? Well, these kept on coming as I was doing my order so by the time these arrived (the next day) I was already eager to get working on them. ~And here's the first idea:

Red Berry collection with Red Coral & oxidized silver

My Treasury list on Etsy

Have a look at my favourite items from other Etsy sellers.

A few more ...

Black Onyx, Vesuvianite & Iolite drops

Silver oxidized in an eco-and-vegan friendly way with Multi-colour Spinel & Rock Crystal

Black & white freshwater pearls with Swarovski crystals in Pacific Opal

More pearls & Swarovski crystals in Pacific Opal, also with Smoky Quartz

Another writing project!

Etsy shop banner and avatar are re-done. Photos of some of the existing stock re-done and my website is currently getting re-developed. Thought to start a blog just to keep everything checked. Oh, yes, & I have lots of ideas for several collections.

Tried to put off blogging for a while, but with so many things melting about, I couldn't really not do it. So, here we go.

All of these are currently for sale at http://ovgilliesdesigns.etsy.com & I'll be adding them to my website soon as well.