Now that some of my items have been selling on Etsy, I have seen that I need to raise my prices. I hate doing it, because I want to keep my items affordable. But there are all these fees to consider on top of my materials and time costs.
So I've come up with a plan. Most of my sales have been custom order bulk requests. I've only listed my ear hooks by the pair, with the option of requesting a bulk listing. I'm going to have to raise the price of individual items, and do a discount on bulk orders.
How things are currently:
one pair Curly-Q ear wires: $2.50
Shipping: $2.00
---------
Total: $4.50
Fees: Etsy Listing Fee: -$0.20
Etsy sale fee: -$0.09
Paypal Fee: -$0.43
Postage: -$1.34
Delivery Confirmation: -$0.75
---------
End Total: $1.69
Hardly worth my time and effort and materials costs. Now I could leave out the Delivery Confirmation, but that's my security. I'm currently using packaging materials I've had around, but when I need to buy more, I will have that cost to think about. Right now my shipping charge doesn't cover it. And I had no idea how much paypal was going to charge me.
Previously, I have been selling my ear hooks retail at prices of $3.50 and $3.00 a pair. I get 60% of that: earning $2.10 or $1.80. Not a whole lot either, but OK for retail.
Revisions:
Single pair ear hooks at $3.00
Postage w/confirmation: $2.50
Custom order Bulk discounts: after the first item, $0.20 off each additional item.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Etsy Sales and Wrist Woes
Hooray! People are starting to find my Etsy store (4 sales so far). I've only sold some of my ear wires (they ARE awesome, aren't they?) and I'm hoping to get some jewelry sales. I finally got some better pictures for the necklaces I had listed - I modeled them while my boyfriend played photographer. They look much better on a neck.
Geez, my wrist is killing me. I made six pairs of "fancy" ear hooks and now I can barely use my right arm. Damn. It's an ongoing problem, and it's been at it's worst lately. Typing doesn't help. Time to go soak it in the sink.
Ow.
Geez, my wrist is killing me. I made six pairs of "fancy" ear hooks and now I can barely use my right arm. Damn. It's an ongoing problem, and it's been at it's worst lately. Typing doesn't help. Time to go soak it in the sink.
Ow.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Will-O-Wisp Wire
For years I have been using the name "Original Beadwork by Kira" for my line of jewelry. I love the name. I registered it as a business, bought originalbeadwork.com, and had goals of setting up a fabulous website. I got as far as getting a spiffy logo made for me, and a web page design that I never fully used. As a name for jewelry, it is all encompassing, I can use it on all my styles of jewelry (stitchwork, stringing, wired).
However, my work at The Jewelry Cafe, which is the main place that I have been selling at, is entirely my wire line of jewelry. Original Beadwork no longer fits, as the focus is the wire, not the beads.
So I contacted my handy-dandy web designer/graphic artist friend.
Henceforth, my line of wire jewelry is going to be called "Will-O-Wisp Wire". What do you think? I LOVE it. My friend designed a gorgeous new logo for me, and there are plans in the making for a new website that I can more easily take care of than my old one.
Excitement!
Gosh, it means I have a lot of work to do. All of my tags for my creations say "Original Beadwork". I've got to print hundreds of new tags and change everything over. And my printer is broken (I print the tags myself). Speaking of which - I'd better got on it.
However, my work at The Jewelry Cafe, which is the main place that I have been selling at, is entirely my wire line of jewelry. Original Beadwork no longer fits, as the focus is the wire, not the beads.
So I contacted my handy-dandy web designer/graphic artist friend.
Henceforth, my line of wire jewelry is going to be called "Will-O-Wisp Wire". What do you think? I LOVE it. My friend designed a gorgeous new logo for me, and there are plans in the making for a new website that I can more easily take care of than my old one.
Excitement!
Gosh, it means I have a lot of work to do. All of my tags for my creations say "Original Beadwork". I've got to print hundreds of new tags and change everything over. And my printer is broken (I print the tags myself). Speaking of which - I'd better got on it.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Doing Well at the JC, and first Etsy sale!
Yay! I had my first sale on etsy! (OriginalBeadwork.etsy.com). A woman in Switzerland bought a bunch of my handmade ear hooks. Yay! First etsy sale!
I've been doing pretty well at the Jewelry Cafe. Just got my check from last month's sales. Gosh...I've got to explain what the JC is...but not right now. Anywho, I was the top-selling artisan for the month of May out of 20+ artisans!!! I've been in the top three for several months, and missed "first place" (it's not really a competition) back on December by about $5. Laura publishes a newsletter to all us artisans at the end of every month, in it the announcement on the top three sellers. It's a way for everyone to see what is doing well, (who's doing all the selling and why), and for those who aren't selling well to be able to aspire to do better.
Well, I've got to go weed my garden, clean my house, and make some jewelry. Ambitious.
I've been doing pretty well at the Jewelry Cafe. Just got my check from last month's sales. Gosh...I've got to explain what the JC is...but not right now. Anywho, I was the top-selling artisan for the month of May out of 20+ artisans!!! I've been in the top three for several months, and missed "first place" (it's not really a competition) back on December by about $5. Laura publishes a newsletter to all us artisans at the end of every month, in it the announcement on the top three sellers. It's a way for everyone to see what is doing well, (who's doing all the selling and why), and for those who aren't selling well to be able to aspire to do better.
Well, I've got to go weed my garden, clean my house, and make some jewelry. Ambitious.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Etsy Store
About a month ago, I decided to look into ways of selling my work at more places. I'd heard about an online place called Etsy.com, and decided to check it out. Wow, what an awesome thing Etsy is. I joined up right away.
About Etsy: Etsy is an online vending site exclusively for hand-made goods. You can find ANYTHING handmade here. Pottery, paintings, clothes, sculpture, refridgerator magnets, sketches scrawlled on newspaper, all-natural-vegan soaps, AND jewelry. There are some other things that can be bought and sold on Etsy as well: supplies for making handmade goods. You'll find yarn, thread, buttons, beads, findings, and I'm sure loads of other things that I haven't surfed upon yet. And vintage goods. You can't get around not selling vintage stuff.
The coolest part about Etsy is the COMMUNITY that it fosters. There are groups and teams to join, tutorials, articles, interviews with sellers, featured artists, events, and tons of networking possibilities. Pretty much everyone that is a member is there because they love hand-made goods.
It's very exciting.
I'm working slowly on building up my Etsy store. There is the picture taking process - very difficult to make images look good without the proper lighting. And the uploading process - very slow and next to impossible with dial-up internet. So I do most of it at my boyfriend's house using his high-speed wi-fi lap top from a borrowed flash drive. High tech.
I have yet to make a sale through Etsy. That's a tough part. Because I am a new member, I don't have a substantial "rating" - this comes through feedback from buyers and sellers and can be positive or negative. So, no one knows how awesome I am.....yet.
References for people who want to know if I'm any good:
Manifest Beads 203-877-7778
The Jewelry Cafe 203-263-8599
newspaper article: http://www.newtownbee.com/Features/2007-12-06__12-10-17/Jewelry+Cooperative+Works+For+Jewelers+And+Customers
About Etsy: Etsy is an online vending site exclusively for hand-made goods. You can find ANYTHING handmade here. Pottery, paintings, clothes, sculpture, refridgerator magnets, sketches scrawlled on newspaper, all-natural-vegan soaps, AND jewelry. There are some other things that can be bought and sold on Etsy as well: supplies for making handmade goods. You'll find yarn, thread, buttons, beads, findings, and I'm sure loads of other things that I haven't surfed upon yet. And vintage goods. You can't get around not selling vintage stuff.
The coolest part about Etsy is the COMMUNITY that it fosters. There are groups and teams to join, tutorials, articles, interviews with sellers, featured artists, events, and tons of networking possibilities. Pretty much everyone that is a member is there because they love hand-made goods.
It's very exciting.
I'm working slowly on building up my Etsy store. There is the picture taking process - very difficult to make images look good without the proper lighting. And the uploading process - very slow and next to impossible with dial-up internet. So I do most of it at my boyfriend's house using his high-speed wi-fi lap top from a borrowed flash drive. High tech.
I have yet to make a sale through Etsy. That's a tough part. Because I am a new member, I don't have a substantial "rating" - this comes through feedback from buyers and sellers and can be positive or negative. So, no one knows how awesome I am.....yet.
References for people who want to know if I'm any good:
Manifest Beads 203-877-7778
The Jewelry Cafe 203-263-8599
newspaper article: http://www.newtownbee.com/Features/2007-12-06__12-10-17/Jewelry+Cooperative+Works+For+Jewelers+And+Customers
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
new blog!
I often have things I could write about, concerning my jewelry business. Things that I know my customers, and my friends, might be intertesting in reading. So here is the start! I will start posting news about my jewelry and other things...starting...soon.
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