Indoor Lighting on a Budget

I was faced with either dragging my mannequin to the shed out back through 3 feet of snow to get natural light for photography, or not making and shooting new designs. I didn't really like either choice, although my mannequin is light, the shed is about 30 feet from the house and the chances of my making it there in the snow without tripping and landing on her and the new Aprons is pretty slim.

I decided to look into lighting for the house. I did a little research and found a pretty nice photo lighting set on Amazon. Some days I almost have enough light in the house during the day using my manual camera settings.

This is how it looks in the box. Really folds compactly. I like that for storage.






This is what came. It was much nicer than I thought for the price of $41 (I have Amazon Prime and have free shipping). The kit contains 2 adjustable stands with sockets. The sockets have switches, this really surprised me for the cost. I was planning on having to unplug to turn off. It also comes with 2 light diffusing umbrellas that fit into the sockets, and 2 full spectrum light bulbs. The light bulbs alone sell for about $25 for a pair.

Each light stand can be as low as 4 feet or as tall as 8 feet with bubs (list 7.7 feet). I had to lay it down to measure, because my ceiling are not that high. Not sure why you would need it that tall, Maybe if you want to photograph that humongous spider on the ceiling. Although the cord is a nice 9 feet long, you have to remember that it comes from the socket at the top of the stand, so fully extended, you will probably need an extension cord to reach power source. The base is only about 2 feet diameter, but the umbrellas take up more like 4 feet of air space. I have a fairly small space and trying to set them up with umbrella and still have room to shoot the model was tricky.

If you look at the product reviews, you will note that the bulbs are not bright enough. I purchased these to soften the light coming into the room. Sunlight and my ceiling light were creating shadows and this setup really worked to soften the light. I tried to do photography when the sun set and the bulbs were truly not bright enough for my full body photography. I haven't used it for close items, so I'm not sure if they are bright enough for that, but if it's a matter of one or 2 brighter bulbs, it's still a great deal.

This is the negative, but not really too bad. There are no assembly instructions and DON'T write me to ask how. It's pretty easy to figure out. There are no use instructions either, so the locks could be a bit tricky to figure out if you've never used adjustable stands. The only thing I don't like is the way the tripod base unfolds. It's a bit hard to open. I had to first spread the feet and then push the top of the legs down the center pole.

All in all, I really like the setup. I am learning how to adjust my camera now to get the best shots.

Holiday Shopping (and all online shopping) Review

This could very well be the last post of 2013. Been an interesting year for me. I thought you might like a review of some of my online shopping experiences, like who ships the fastest, who uses the best shipper and has least cost. I don't have a car, so I get a LOT shipped to my house and almost all of my Holiday shopping and even some groceries are bought online.  I also buy fabric and sewing supplies online, but I think that should be a separate post. Also I usually use my secure PayPal debit card. Make sure you use dither a secure protected card for online purchases, or a refillable card that is not linked to any of your accounts.

Some of my past favorite places to shop have seriously dropped in ranking. I also buy where I can get things shipped quickly and for less money. Here is where I shopped, ranked in order of preference and why.

#1 Amazon - #1 and #2 were close to a tie, Amazon won, because of the variety of merchandise you can get there. They offer the most fantastic deal. For $80 a year, you get free 2 day shipping, free kindle rentals and free video streaming. I buy birdseed, cases of tofu and almond milk monthly and have furnished about 1/4 of my new house from them. And with the many other miscellaneous things I purchase, I am sure they are not happy with me as a customer. I do know UPS does not like me much. Amazon uses UPS most of the time for shipping, which has been a bit of a problem this holiday season, but everything came on time eventually. Some of the other sellers on Amazon use other services. I try to buy from Amazon direct when I can. Some prime items are a little higher to comp for the free shipping, some are not. You just have to do a little research. Amazon almost always wastes box space. You will get a tiny item in a HUGE box.

#2 World Market - This has become one of my new favorite places to shop online. They always seem to have a sale and they sell a variety of items from furniture to food, and their shipping is amazing. Usually shipping is free over $50 but sometime less and you always get a coupon or two with purchase. They pack eco friendly and fairly compactly. I reuse their waffle cut papers in my own gift basket, which I bought from them.

#3 Etsy - Even though all the shops are independent, sellers are mostly honest and as quick as humanly possible. Items are usually wrapped nicely with a little note and often a story. I have never been disappointed with an Etsy purchase. (same for Independent sellers on Artfire and Storenvy, not Asian factories selling as indies)

#4 Walmart - OK so you don't like to buy from Walmart, well I do. their shipping is great and their prices are low and honestly have you ever been to one? Some of those low paid employees wouldn't have a job at all if not for Walmart. But I digress. Walmart has low prices and seriously, most of that they have in the store is available online. I have purchased, canned and boxed food, vitamins, shampoo, soap, furniture, towels kitchen ware and containers. All at a great price, and over $50 gets free shipping (sometimes less) and some items automatically have free shipping. They also have other retailers on their site, just click the Walmart button to see only Walmart items. Shipping can very from the other sellers, but in most cases Walmart shipping is stellar and almost always arrives far sooner than stated at purchase. They use a variety of shippers, mostly Fed Ex and USPS.

#5 KMart - Yes they really do ship quickly. The offering is not so great, but what they do have ships quickly. I think that as Sears is the same company, it would be good too. You can buy from both on their website, although that is a bit confusing. I usually only buy cheap knock around the house clothing from KMart, but I am pleased with the quality and as I've said, shipping is not just great, but amazing. I'm sure kids toys would be great to buy there too.

#6 Target - I used to really love Target and I have purchased several items for my home there. Online is not the greatest experience and of course someone out there is probably selling my data. but I usually buy with my PayPal Debit card and I will be protected. My experience with Target online is just OK. Not the same sales as in the stores (I really don't get this) You can get much better deals in the store. Shipping is OK, but the online experience is just not the same as in store experience.

#7 Ebay - A few years ago Ebay would have been at the top of my list. There have been changes at Ebay that have really disappointed me and honestly ruined my shopping experience. However there are some things that I can only find on Ebay so I continue to shop there. Ebay no longer has the lowest prices as they charge an arm and a leg in fees. So you will not get the best prices on Ebay. They have instituted a one day shipping policy for sellers to get discounts and higher ranking, but sellers have learned that they only have to PRINT the shipping label to qualify and some sellers don't put your package in the mail for a week or more. Some even just mark the items shipped and print labels through another service days later. I bought an item that was marked shipped in one day, it was drop shipped by another retailer and I received it 17 days after I purchased it. Ebay unfortunately is so hungry that they are eating their own foot off.

Life on Mars - Bad Day in Paradise

Since I've moved I haven't posted a Life on Mars. That's because Life on Mars was mostly about the weird or bad daily things in my life and since I've moved things have gone fairly smoothly. Even the new neighbor with the 2 white poodley poufy dogs is nice and she cleans up after them, which I feared. Even the dogs are very sweet.

The only negative here is the 2 mile hike to and from the post office. And the mile 1/2 round trip to the grocery. I don't have a neighbor to drive me every week, but my cousin takes me at least a few times a month. But I get exercise while walking, and I'm getting stronger, I know that because I get more and more groceries in my backpack every week.

Then there was yesterday. It was like someone planted a bomb on my peaceful new life. I hadn't had any sales for a week, and this was depressing me, because I don't have a lot of money left to last me the next 3 weeks til I get my next pay. I got carried away, buying a few cheap pieces of furniture and supplies for the business. Thought I might sell a few things.

Then I made a few sales. Good, because Poppy's middle child has a birthday coming up in a few weeks and he wants a $50 Lego set.

Right after the sales, I got a negative feedback on ebay. Click on the picture to read the details. One BIG glaring negative feedback on top of thousands of positives. I haven't received a negative in over a year, and usually it's from someone "playing the game". They know people on ebay are intimidated by negative feedback and will do anything to have it removed. My DD and I don't, because one negative with thousands of positive usually makes the buyer look like a jerk. As a matter of fact there are several glowing feedbacks about the same item right below it. Just makes me angry that people pull that nonsense.

Then I got a case filed against me. Not that I blame the person who filed it. As a mater of fact they waited a very long time to do it. And they just want their merchandise, not money. Although it would have been nicer if they contacted me first before filing a claim. Now I have a claim against me which will rank me down, not that I get any benefits on ebay anyhow. You only get them for next day shipping.

I checked tracking and this is what I found. Apparently on July 5th, my buyer's package disappeared into thin air. How does this happen you ask? I don't really know. Is it still on the truck? Did it fall off? Did the truck fall off the end of the earth? Thank you USPS for charging so much and delivering so little.

So that's the end of my Bad day in Paradise. Lets hope today is a better one.

Some Sellers Just Don't Get It

I'm going to tell you a little story about a seller with a bad attitude. I'm actually including their name so you can avoid the shop. See, for a while I watched a LOT of Judge Judy while I was going through depression from Menopause, I and I know you can't get sued for slander if the thing you are stating is the truth.

Can you imagine watching Judge Judy every day. Now that's depressing.

To the point. I purchased an item on eBay and was hounded by the seller, at my email address, to leave feedback, to the point where I felt it was harassment.

Here's how the conversation went. And BTW I blocked this seller before I sent the message. I love that ebay feature.

Dear 860playitagain,

I really do not appreciate being hounded for feedback. I get enough spam, I do not need it for purchases too. I leave feedback when I'm darn ready. I suggest you stop this nasty habit as it's a real turnoff. I've been selling and buying on ebay for 10 years, and whenever a seller hounds me for feedback I NEVER buy from them again.

- poppyswickedgardentoo

This was the reply I received.

Dear poppyswickedgardentoo,

fine, then do not buy from me again, I am going to block you since you have a bad attitude anyway, this is an automatic feature, since we have over 40,000 sales, and only 9000 feed-back, I pay ebay for this reminder service for lazy buyers who refuse to leave feed-back, good day sir! john pia

- 860playitagain

Talk about good customer service eh? BTW that was sarcasm. I know that I have no friends here that would act so offensively to a buyer.

I suggested he not pay for that feature as it was a waste of his money and thanked him for blocking me so I didn't have to try to remember his shop name.

Life Without Etsy - Nearly Two Years Later

It's been nearly 2 years since My daughter Poppy and I were unceremoniously removed from the ranks as Etsy Sellers. Can you believe it? Well she had her shops shut down a bit earlier than mine, and she did brazenly open other shops and sold under different names until they found her and shut her down. Her offense? Mistaken reports of copyright infringement. You can read more in my post Etsy Shop Closings

First Poppy was mad, and rightfully so. She has been with Etsy since the early years, promoted it, and earned her living there. They were not even remotely kind or willing to listen. She wasted a lot of energy, trying to work things out, or break their system. She had already opened an Artfire shop, but back then, Artfire was just a startup, and not working the way it does today.

One day I suggested she go back to eBay, where she started. Statistically eBay as far more traffic than Etsy, so I thought it worth a try. Poppy knew that only her genre clothes would sell there, and sell they did. Sadly, she eventually had to give up her very popular Longstockings and beautiful designer clothing, but she found a niche on eBay with genre clothing and cosplay. After time, her business on Artfire grew nicely too.

This year, in this poor economy, Poppy will be earning close to double the money she made on Etsy. It took a lot of work and re-imaging, but she is a success once again. It really can be done. For those of you who think Etsy is the Sun and the Earth, take a step back from your computer and breathe the real air.

There are many sellers who have left Etsy for their own websites, craft shows, brick and mortar shops, and other online venues, with great success! I know this, because I've done it myself. I had to re-image too, but between my eBay store, websites, and Artfire stores, I've made a living too.

You can visit us at our websites. Poppy's is poppyswickedgarden.com
Mine are akacinders.com and poppysgardengate.com
They will all link you right through to our Artfire shops. We use the websites as a gateway to our shops. Artfire is great for this, because you don't need to be a member to buy, so it's just like having an online shop. And if we decide to switch venues, it's just as easy to do it this way.

Life on Mars - Business as UNusual

At the beginning of this year I wrote a blog about spending Four Months trying to increase my sales of my handmade jewelry and doing some freelance design work because I really didn't enjoy making the Aprons and Bow ties as much as I liked making the jewelry and designing.

It's really the sewing thing. I have to cut fabric on the floor and it hurts my aging hips and knees, and I have a hard time actually seeing what I'm sewing. Meaning I have to wear reading glasses to sew, then I can't see anything else when I look away. It's kind of a pain.

I guess I have to wear them to make jewelry too, but I just need to complain. It's who I am.

Well I did increase business in my jewelry shop a bit, by reviewing my product and making some serious changes. Mostly I added reasonably priced brooches and have sold a lot of those and some large orders too. But still, that shop income is nothing to make a living at.

As for my design career, I'm sure the small commissions I get will be good, and it is fun, but I'm not willing to give up my freedom at the moment, to go at it full time, and that's where the money really is.

I have however, found that opening up a real store on eBay has found me the income I really needed, through my Aprons, Bow Ties and Pillowcases. Yes, the thing I really didn't want to do. By opening a store, and a facebook page and more promotions, I've nearly doubled my sales from last year. However, that does include better jewelry sales, and freelance design commission, no matter how small those are.

I've resigned myself to sewing. I've even accepted it as my lot in life at this moment in time. I'll still keep my jewelry shop open, and work on new merchandise for a time, but my main focus right now is income. And after all, those designs are cute too. Now I need to finally design those messenger bags I've been wanting to make. And maybe, just maybe, I'll add some jewelry to my eBay store.

Running With Scissors - Buyer Requests

I'm going to tell you a little secret. I'm going to risk the chance that my buyer will see this and find out I was having fun at her expense. I have had some real odd requests in my days as an online seller, but this one tops them all. Sorry buyer, but this was... well... not really thought out.

 Request went something like this: "I work in a bakery and we have to wear red Aprons. I love this Apron a would really like it, but could you make it with a red background instead of white?"

But seriously, how do you respond to something like that? I mean this is rare vintage, 20+ year old fabric, and stated on the listing. Did she think I printed the fabric myself? Did she think at all? OK, so not to turn down any request, because that's not good for business, and laughing in the face of the buyer is not good either, I made a suggestion.

I explained that I did not make the fabric and that the fabric was vintage and already printed with a white background. I suggested that I could color in the background with a red fabric marker, but for labor, it would be around $100 extra, or she could get a red fabric marker (or two or four) and color in all the white on the apron in herself.

She didn't even have the courtesy to reply back with at thank you for your time. I guess she decided to find an all red Star Wars apron somewhere else.

It wasn't the first time I've had requests to change prints on fabric, it was just the silliest of the requests.

So here is my question? What is the oddest request you've gotten from a buyer? I'd love to hear your response to this one. And if you're worried about your buyers, just leave me an anonymous comment.

Bizz Buzz - Retention and Rewards

Seller sites for e-commerce. It's almost like they think THEY are what makes them what they are, and you should be grateful that you have a venue to sell on. Did you know that YOU are what makes them what they are and THEY should be grateful to have you there?

Today I received a Congratulations from eBay. I've been a seller there for 6 years (actually Poppy started the shop and I took it over 4+ years ago). I've probably had 4000 - 5000 sales, maybe more as I have over 1900 feedback and the rate of feedback is 50% or even less now that you can't leave negative feedback for buyers, no matter how bad they are and how they shaft you. You think Etsy is bad? Try selling on eBay. And now they can have PayPal hold your funds if you are new, sell out of your category, or sell an item over $250. Whaaaaat?????

Back to my  notification from the President and CEO of eBay. After 6 years of making them money (decent money too with the fees they charge) Did I get a one day discount on fees? No. Did I get a gift certificate for an eBay Purchase? No. Did I get Cake and Ice Cream? No. Well what the hell did you get?

I sold on eBay for 6 years and mad them, I guess about $4000 in that time (averaging sales) and all I got was a lousy virtual certificate that I had to print myself. They suggest that I print it and display it proudly. Does it have my name on it? No. Does it say how many years I've been a seller? No. Does it have Balloons and Ribbons? Yes. So here I am, displaying proudly this piece of crap that means absolutely nothing and isn't even personalized so you have to take my word for the fact that I've been a seller there for 6 years.

In case you didn't get it, I'm not proud of this piece of crap. And this is not a Reward or a way to Retain sellers. As a matter of fact I'm pretty pissed. I was thinking about re-opening a store and now I just feel like dirt and I'd like to sell at a venue that genuinely cares. Or one that takes the time to at least have the computer generate a certificate with my shop name and the total years on it. After all, it's just virtual. How about an anniversary discount eBay? How about a free listing day on your anniversary?

Oh and eBay? Thank you for making my day.

Bizz Buzz - Shipping Part One

If you sell and use PayPal shipping, like I do, you probably received an email from PayPal about the new eBay shipping. If you often receive PayPal spam like I do, you probably don't want to even follow through and check the links. And of course there is no information on the PayPal site about this either.

Here's what I know. I sell on eBay (some of you do, most of you don't) I started selling there years ago, before Etsy or any of the other Handmade sites. It was a fantastic place to sell handmade and supplies back then. Back then we used PayPal shipping. In the past few years eBay has improved their own shipping. Which is odd, because eBay and PayPal are the same company and why they didn't work together in the first place is confusing to me. EBay shipping is directly linked to your product information, and it would not have access to all of your other sites information. They might have been working on that issus.

The thing I love about eBay shipping, is international shipping. You can ship first class and print labels online. Love that. I also love that the information you need, is automatically put into your forms. You don't have to guess what you need to add. The only thing you have to do is check the box n the customs form othat says you aren't shipping hazardous materials and that you agree....blah blah blah. Everything else is added for you.

Recently I haven't been able to get any International labels to work on PayPal, not even priority, so I print them on usps.com. They are a big pain too, but I want to offer International shipping at my Artfire shop. I only offer Priority shipping, because for now, that's the only way I have a viable trail to prove that I shipped if anything happens. If the new PaPal shipping really works like eBay, we will be able to ship first class and have proof of shipment and easy custom forms.

For those of you afraid to ship International, I have a few pointers. I know many of you have heard horror stories about certain countries. Italy probably has the absolute worst Post Office in the world. Also, some countries charge a very high tax on the merchandise received. I'll address this issue first.

People who live in countries that are taxed on the value of the merchandise from other countries will often ask you to lie on your customs forms. I wouldn't do it. It is breaking the law in both countries and you know what that can lead to. I would recommend saying that your shipping is automatically linked to your product information, or just say no. I'd rather loose a sale, than my freedom for a year or two. 

The other issue is Italy, or any other bad post office. I was told not to ship to Italy a long time ago, so I did a little research. eBay has horrible information for sellers, but they have a wonderful community of sellers that they rely on completely to give information. I found a seller that ships to Italy regularly with no problem. They said that the issue is always, having enough information on the customs forms. Since I took their advice, I have never had any problems shipping to any countries (so far, knock wood).

This is what you should be doing on all International customs forms. When shipping jewelry, don't just list for example, earrings. You need to list - New Silver and Crystal earrings. Don't just list dress, list - New Cotton Girls Dress. I would not put handmade on the form and I would put vintage over used on the forms.  The important thing is to list as much detail about the actual content of the package. Foreign customs don't care if it's Mario Brothers or Blue, they want to know the material content and the type of merchandise. 

I hope this helps you a bit. I will be posting Part Two if and when PayPal ever gets eBay shipping going. I can't advise on a service that isn't working yet, but I will when it's fully functional. Until then, have fun with shipping. 

Please feel free to add any advice you may have in comments.

Bizz Buzz - Handmadeology

There are so many great resources for handmade sellers online. Handmadeology I think is one of the best. OK so maybe they are linked with Etsy at the hip, and as many know, I have issues with Etsy, big issues. But as you also know, I love my Etsy friends. I actually even buy from Etsy sellers.

Back to Handmadeology. Even though the site is primarily designed to give information to Etsy sellers, most of the advice can be used by any handmade sellers, for that matter, artists and vintage sellers can benefit from many of the tips on Handmadeology.

Not only will you find selling tips, but craft tip, creative ideas, packaging, socializing and the list goes on. The information is all inclusive and resulting from guest bloggers who are able to get more exposure for their shops by posting.

Stop in and take a peek. If you have something to say, you might want to consider guest blogging yourself. Get your shop a little extra exposure too.

What Evah! - Versatility vs Focus

I'm versatile. I can do just about anything. Which for an online seller, is a good thing, right? Maybe yes, maybe no.

I can write ad copy, do decent photography, make my own graphics and do photo editing, I slightly understand SEO and even a little html. I'm decent at social networking and I can even do my own sales accounting and taxes (with the help of tax software, because I don't have the time to do it all). And I can actually make decent product to sell too.

So is versatility a good thing? I can do so many things, that I do. I do them for myself and my daughter and maybe a bit for an occasional friend or two. There are only so many hours in the day.

I know many of you out there wish you could do it all. But there is such a thing as focus. If you can't do all these things yourself, it's easy to find a friend who can. Then you have more time to work on your product.

Some days I feel like my head is going to explode and I need to design more but I just don't have the time. Some days I feel like my graphics and logo are weak, but there isn't room in my head to create, because there is too much clutter in there for me to think straight. Maybe I need a little Ritalin or Prozac to clear my head, or a sledge hammer.

I guess what I'm suggesting is for you not to try to do it all. Find a friend, find an enemy, have a giveaway on your blog. Do whatever you can to get some help so you don't have to do it all yourself. After all, we aren't superhuman are we?

Putting it Together - Prepping for the Rush

November to Mid December is the Busiest time of the Year for many of us! I hope you are ready.

With busy lives shoppers turn to the internet to complete their Holiday shopping. Be prepared for the rush.

Business Cards: I always include a few business cards so buyers can share. I include a card from my less visited shop with a coupon code printed on the back as a Thank You for shopping in my primary shop. Business Cards are a Great way to promote you business.

Never think they are unimportant, because buyers might stick them in their wallet or purse and pull out to share with friends. I buy from Vistaprint because they are very reasonable and I can afford to give away a few with each purchase. Many sellers buy Moo Cards and I have bought from Overnight Prints too, and their quality is very good.

You don't have to be all business either. This is my business card for My Flower Jewelry Shop.

Packaging: Make sure you have enough materials for packaging in stock. You don't want to be caught short handed, especially if you order packaging on line. Remember, your supplier will be busy too.

I like to combine local and internet materials. I buy my jewelry boxes from Paper Mart, my packaging supplies on eBay, because most sellers deliver quickly, and my tissue and ribbon at a local dollar store.


I put my jewelry in hand stamped boxes made of post consumer recycled paper. My Aprons and Housewares are Wrapped in Colorful Tissue with Ribbon Ties.

Newspaper makes a Great wrapping, but not for fabric or anything else that can transfer the ink onto. Don't be afraid to recycle, especially if your items are eco friendly. Scrap or clearance Fabric makes nice wrapping too, especially with pinked edges. Walmart is bringing back fabric and even has 5 yd bolts for $5 that's a lot of wrapping material.

Gifts: It's nice to include a little gift. Many people include candy, but I prefer not to eat candy that has been shipped with a gift myself, so I'm not sure that that is the greatest thing so send.

I sometimes make refrigerator magnets of my Jewelry Business Card. That's why I made a quote that they might like to keep. I also have pencils printed with my shop address. I get them made at Oriental Trading. They are reasonable and a practical gift that keeps reminding the buyer where they shopped. Oriental Trading also has lots of other reasonable fun gifts.

There are also a LOT of neat things on Etsy, Artfire and even eBay that can be bought in bulk and used as gifts or packaging. That way you can support other sellers too. I use envelopes that I bought from Piping Hot Papers for business cards for special purchases.

This shop also has little matchbook notepads and other great little gifties.

So stock up your supplies. It's going to be a long and fruitful Holiday Season. People will be so tired of tightening their belts that they are going to want to let loose a little and have some fun.  So sit back and enjoy the ride.

Biz Buzz - Marketing and Loss Leaders

If you read my interview on Maiden Jane's Blog you would know that I was once a Marketing Major. Not that I am a pro, but I do have a lot of product and retail experience. And I do know what brings people to a site or store.

When I first heard that Walmart was removing all of their fabric from their stores, I thought they were, quite honestly, out of their freaking mind. Sure it might take more labor to cut the fabric, and the profit might be very low, but how many people, especially in this economy, come to Walmart JUST to buy the fabric at such great prices, and while they are there, pick up a few extra things. I know I'm not the only one.

That Marketing scheme is called Loss Leader. That link takes you to a wonderful detailed explanation, with great examples, but basically you offer one really good priced items to get people into your store or site so they stay to shop for others.

Of course if you have a jewelry shop on a seller site, or maybe a very specific item like kitchen cutting boards, buyers are not going to hang around your shop and buy lots of your merchandise, no matter how much of a discount you are giving on one item. But you never know.

Another great Marketing idea I use is a leader. Similar idea, just not down priced. The fabric at Walmart is also a leader, because people will come, even if the price is not low, just for the convenience. I always have a current trend item or two in my shop, even if it doesn't sell, just to get people into my shop through search engine. For example I have Halloween Jewelry in my jewelry shop and Halloween Aprons right now in my Apron's Etc shop. Poppy has costumes on her genre Artfire shop, and with links, she is also getting sales to her non genre shop.

Good leaders are holidays, seasonal (summer BBQ, winter skiing, etc), trends, birthstones, horoscopes, and color trends. Also, don't forget that seasons are reversed across the globe. You need to do whatever you can to get the buyer into your shop. Then offer such wonderful product, that they don't want to leave without buying a thing or two. And don't turn your nose up at Target or Walmart marketing ideas, because they make money and that's why you sell right?

As for the removal of the fabric departments in Walmart? Well I guess they should have hired me, although I'm sure they wouldn't have listened anyhow. I had a lot of bosses that didn't think I knew what I was talking about. Silly guys.

Look at this add from Walmart. They are now bringing back the fabric departments they removed. They could have saved themselves a lot of money and trouble if they just asked me

Putting it Together - Failure

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” ― Thomas Edison

I saw this quote this week and remembered how much I love it. I'm sure you all can relate, sellers and buyers alike. I know just recently in trying to remember how to make these lovely Halloween Cat charms, I just couldn't get the process right and I made them just last year.

I guess what I'm trying to say, and Edison was trying to say, is that there is no success without some failure.  Sometime it can be so frustrating, when you spend a day taking photographs and none of them turn out right, or you follow a recipe to the letter and your cake falls flat. I remember my first Angel Food cake from scratch. It was about 1 inch high.

Don't be afraid to experiment, that's where great ideas are born. Don't be afraid to fail that's where the genius lies. Don't you just know I fail at something EVERY day, but I still go on, because every day I succeed at something too.

Biz Buzz - Web Selling and Monitor Color Variation

"This merchandise is not at all the color I thought it would be"

How many times has this happened to you? Have you ever walked into the Library, or classroom and see a bank of computers that all have slightly different colors, or brightness settings. I'm sure you know that all monitors show color variations, but do your buyers?

Every one of the three monitors we have in our house show my product differently and my laptop even varies brightness by tilting the screen at a different angle.

What's a seller to do?

I have two FANTASTIC ideas to help.

COLOR DESCRIPTION:

Make sure that you describe the color as accurately as possible. Not just Orange but Light Burnt Orange. Not just Blue, but Robins Egg Blue, of whatever description can help your buyer identify the color correctly. If you say that the color is Robin's Egg Blue and they see Navy, they may realize that their monitor color is off.

COLOR DISCLAIMER:

This disclaimer was borrowed from a very wise seller. It is on every listing. You can add a similar note to your listings to help prevent problems.

"Real colors may slightly differ from their appearance on your display, as it depends on your monitor settings and is not under our control."


Both suggestions are great ideas, but the real trick is for you to get your buyer to actually READ the descriptions. If they didn't, you at least have the description to show them when they contact you to say that their purchase isn't the right color.

Biz Buzz - Handling Buyer Requests

Ever get a request from a buyer that is so out of this world that you don't even know how to answer them? I know you have, because I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I just got a request to change the red lace on an Apron to blue lace. I get a lot of these requests. Of course you could assume that I don't carry blue lace in stock, and you would be right. Now you know I am not about to go out and buy blue lace at $1 or more a yard when I buy the few colors I have at $.20 a yard especially for a customer that got a pretty good discount on the merchandise in the first place.

Here's a good one. A buyer has to wear a red apron to work, so could you please make this Star Wars Apron with a red background instead of white. Well I probably could if you would like to pay $500 for it instead of $39, because I will have to design fabric and have it printed. Or I could get a red fabric marker and "paint" the background red, but you could do that yourself for a lot less money.

I know all of you sellers get requests that just make you want to pull your hair out, or reach through the "net" and throttle someone.

I am always as sweet as possible when the buyer asks the next day to give them the shipping information for their hand made merchandise that says on the listing to allow one week for completion. I am always as understanding as possible, even though I just want to say, what and who do you think I am? and can't you just take 2 seconds to read the whole listing of items you are buying.

I sell on eBay and many buying off their phone apps which do not see the whole listing. I also used to get a LOT of really dumb questions about merchandise and I would sweetly reply that all the information they need is on the listing. They would reply that they are looking at it from their phone and can't see the whole listing. EBay has worked on that issue now though.

I bet you thought I had an answer to this problem. I really don't. All I can say is that you have to remain as calm as possible, and if your buyer has angered you, don't even answer until you have calmed down. You will be able to think a little better the next day and if you don't answer immediately it will not be the end of the world. Always try to let the buyer know that you are working hard on their order. If they ask where their merchandise is when it should take a week, I let them know that they will probably be getting it a little early. "You are in Luck, I'm going to be able to get this our sooner than one week"

As far as colors I don't have, I focus on something else, "You will love it just the way it is listed". And I'm sorry that I can't make the Red fabric Purple, Or make the Onyx centers of these flowers with Moss Agate rondelles that aren't available.

I really will do what I can to please a buyer, but some things, you know, are just not possible at the cost they are willing to pay. And often request are made after the item is paid for.

As I don't really have a solution for you. I wonder if you can add your suggestions in my comments. How do you handle unusual or impossible buyer requests?

Biz Buzz - Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Seems like there are a lot of Changes out there in the Handmade and Vintage retail world lately. I guess like the rest of us, our seller sites want to make money too. Thank goodness they are coming to their senses and are finally responding to seller needs and wants.

Maybe it's because the competition gets better Google and Bing result,s that Etsy is finally switching to Relevancy for search. Every time I search for something, I get Artfire and even Groove Press results, but rarely Etsy, except results for closed shops or expired items. I know it's a lot of work to re-tag, but I think everyone will be happy with the results. It would be nice, though, if they didn't give conflicting and confusing instructions.

Artfire is going MAD with changes. New shop looks, better SEO search result,s and no more free seller shops. Lots of complaints on the Forums that new banners have to be made, even though shops were given plenty of advance notice. I guess those Etsy sellers don't remember when their Etsy page format was changed not long ago. I had to redo ALL my banners to look right with the new pages. I do love what Artfire is doing though and boy have my sales increased.

Even eBay is finally responding to sellers. Usually focused on the buyer, eBay is now offering 50 free auction listings a month, and soon they will have additional 25 title characters and no negative marks if a buyer files dispute BEFORE contacting seller. WOW that is a big deal. Buyers should always try to work with seller first. Most of the changes don't require too much work, except for the occasional item specifications that they now require in certain categories.

The changes may be a bit of a pain, but I can guarantee you that they are being done to help improve your sales, because when you sell, your site benefits. Even Artfire, who charges a flat fee will get more customers if their sales increase. More sellers, more money.

Personally I think Etsy is making enough money that they should drop their listing fee too. They will get even more sellers if they do, and more listings. But maybe they don't care, they have a lot.

Well have fun making your changes All!

Biz Buzz - Another Life

I have to admit, I was really bummed when I got my Etsy Apron shop closed. It was very inconvenient, but I opened one in only my name, not shared with my DD, after all I HAD completely taken over the shop.

OK, so I was seriously bummed when Etsy shut down all of my shops and eventually BLOCKED my ISP so that I couldn't even buy or browse on Etsy. Well that's not entirely true. I have my backdoor ways to browse, but that's my little secret. And Etsy, just try to figure out which email is mine so that you can block my Finds email again.

I guess the point of all this is that my posts were always geared toward Etsy sellers. Etsy this, Etsy treasury, Etsy that, Etsy SEO, Etsy, Etsy, Etsy. Like the Sun and the Earth revolved around Etsy. Well guess what. it doesn't.

I didn't realize that there was a whole other world of sellers and seller sites out there. I moved to Etsy from eBay, the top seller site. And while I really had to adjust my product line. I'm selling about as much. Oh and what I mean by adjust is offering far less product. I don't have to design something new each week, there is enough traffic for my limited selection.

I've also found other sites that work in a very different way. Like flat rate. I really like flat rate. Artfire, Zibbet and Groove Press to name a few, only charge one monthly fee. I like that. And you don't have to be on, relisting all the time, because relisting only breaks your links, and makes it harder for buyers to find you. I can list multiple items now with no penalty, awesome.

There is another benefit to working on lots of other sites. You get to meet very interesting people. Sellers that don't even sell on Etsy, because they WANT to. Not just because they've gotten kicked off. There are actually nice and very talented people who don't "live" on Etsy. There really is another life. How much have you sold on Etsy this summer? I've sold quite a bit.

Biz Buzz - Big fish in a Little Sea or Little Fish in a Big Sea

There is a new seller site that opened this week. It's called Groove Press and not that anyone is selling there yet, but for some reason I really liked the vibe so I am setting up a shop there.

Since I have opened the shop, I have been on the front page constantly, because there are so few sellers. I have sold on eBay, Etsy, Artfire and the bomb (not in a good way) site Zibbet, and I have never received so much attention. Although my Etsy Treasuries and Artfire Collections have been on the Front Page, and I have been in the Etsy Finds and Artfire Collection of the Day, I still have not had the constant exposure that I am having on Groove Press.

Of course no one knows about Groove Press yet, so no one is really buying from them. But there was a time when no one knew about Etsy either. I just have a gut feeling about this site. I think they are moving in the right direction.

Groove Press is not fully functional yet either, there are quite a few little glitches so I've had to write them every day to help point out some of the problems. Their customer service at this time, is fantastic. they auto respond immediately and I get a real response within the day. Of course they don't have a lot of people to respond to right now.

So because I have been trying to help them with little things they might have overlooked, they have promised to make me a featured seller soon. So here is my question, is it better to be a Big Fish in a Little Sea, getting a lot of exposure on a little noticed site, or be a Little Fish in a Big Sea like Etsy or eBay and get very little to no Front Page time and be almost invisible?