4 posts tagged “selling”

Now that things are quieting down here and life is starting to gain some semblance of order I've been taking some time to think about my Etsy shop and my separate website.  I've always been horrible at updating my non-Etsy shop.  Even if I use the magic of copypasta to stick in item descriptions from my Etsy, I still can't seem to get sales on there.  OS Commerce, while really helpful, can be a bit tricky to use with all the code involved.  I love the idea of having my own website and I DO get visitors there, but I barely make any sales. >_< On the flip side, people know me on Etsy and I've got great ratings, and I think I do all right on it.

Normally I would just plug away at my domain and hope that if I'm stubborn enough that will somehow magically make it work, but with the upcoming arrival of Lemony (yep, that's her name! ^_^) I've been trying to make things as easy for the both of us as possible.  We're trying to build better habits like doing laundry every other day because of the cloth diapers we plan on using and making sure to start the dishwasher at night and unload it in the morning...  Little domestic tics that when in place will make things run that much more smoothly.  I'll confess that the laundry is taking work, but we've got the dishes bit down pretty good.

What about my business?  I won't be able to stay up all night and bang on code or try to divide my time between updating both Etsy and a separate on-line store.  So far my business has been self-supporting, which is wonderful.  The bit of extra money I bring in enables us to purchase little things that make life better, like books or even just some really well-made, super-comfy socks.  (Seriously, having socks that fit well and are super-cozy can make your day a lot nicer right from the start.  Or maybe I'm just that easy to please.)

But a little thing is arriving at the end of May that will make our life better, and for me that means it's time for Rabbit Dance Designs to level up!  ^_^  We could survive on his income alone but I don't want to just "survive".  I would much rather we LIVE.  I want to be able to get family passes to all the great museums and zoos that we have here in Pittsburgh, and have a stroller or carrier capable of going into the gorgeous national parks we're surrounded by.  I would like to make enough money to be able to hand Lemony over to a sitter now and then so that me and Brian can go out and connect with each other as people.  I've been looked at funny when I mention that last one, but happy parents usually equal a happy kid.

Luckily I've got a few ideas and some actual plans that should help RDD do better.  Etsy has an awesome widget that I seriously don't use enough that can show people what's for sale in it right now.  Clicking on it takes visitors right there, so I can probably have a single page with "What's For Sale".  The other site I post my work on, deviantArt, allows me to embed my images on blogs, etc. and even has a little widget to display my most recently added works.

Check it out!

I can use this to showcase the pieces that I'm most proud of and to show off things that might not have made it to Etsy, like outside commissions.  I'm going to start off by revamping my website (AGAIN) and getting it all CSS-ed up nice and pretty the way I want it.  Except now I have a really good idea of what I want and what I'm doing.

Maybe Vox has some cool widgets so I can post this blog...  ^_^ That would be cool.

Well, I'm off to sit in a more comfortable spot (with bunnies) and draw up site plans.  CSS should make the building go so much faster, and the added widgets will REALLY cut down on my update time, which is my main stumbling block.

What do you think?  Am I crazy?  Setting my sights too high?  Or have I finally scaled things back to something manageable?  Do you maybe have ideas that can help?  Because that's a nice brand of cool.

Till Next Time,
Crazed

WOW.
Things have been so crazy-busy, it's not funny.
The Faire goes...  Not so well, sales-wise, but a lot of other merchants aren't doing so hot either, and they're telling me to regard this as not only my first Faire, but as a "New" Faire altogether.
Still, I won't give up! ^_^ Here's some pictures I got together to share with you guys.  I've got more on my Flickr page, so check that out, too.

I hope you guys like them.
In other news, one of my newest hobbies is Asian ball-jointed dolls.  I went to my first doll meeting last week, and it was great! ^_^ And Roland (my Abio Angel San) met a girl for the first time!  I hadn't figured him for the shy type, but here he is, bein' all nervous.
But, I do have more chainmaile to make, so I'm off to do that!

Later!
Crazed

Wow... Just - Wow.
Otakon was AMAZING!  I had a ton of fun selling with Maqqy and Craig, made new friends, lots o' cash (Ring Lord, here I come), met more than a dozen other maillers, took pictures, got my picture taken, got some connections, bought stuff...
So yeah - Wow.  My voice is still hoarse from all the talking; it felt like I answered a million questions!
Bad news is I sold more than half my stock, so this makes me a bit nervous for the Ren Fest, because it starts at the end of August and I do NOT have enough stuff to survive the first weekend. I just know I don't, so I need to get my ass in gear and get with the makin'. Luckily I have a ring order coming in the mail tomorrow (yay!) and I've rested up, so I should be good to go.  But still...  If I sold more than half my stuff at an event NOT geared towards people who are fans of chainmaile...  I'm doomed.  But in a good way.
In the Alley, I sat between to Maq (of course) and these guys from a company called "Bishonen House" that makes custom ball-jointed dolls and clothing. Needless to say, they were amazing!  Man, I wish I could sculpt. And the guys were really nice, too, and it turns out they're in Pittsburgh! ^_^ Who knows, maybe I shall be doing maille for their dolls in the future?  You should really look at their site.  Awesome things abound.
And oh - I forgot to mention that one integral part of con-going: SHOPPING! The Dealer's Room was confusing, but full of goodness. I got Brian a Totoro short (otakus, you know the one) that he'd been eyeing on the internet for as long as I've known him, a stack of manga (yay hentai!), a leather corset for only $145 (http://www.timeless-trends.com/L01.htm) and a doll! ^_^ After making that little maille vest for Kristi's doll Seth, I've been itching to get my hands on one so I can make maile for dolls. The people from Divinity Doll were at Otakon, and I bought the last boy they had available. Not sure which model I got, but I got one, gave him green eyes, a long honey-blonde wig, jeans, and a pirate shirt. Brian named him Roland. Once I get his wig to stay on right (the doll people said I need some velco dots) and fix his bangs so he doesn't look all emo and can see, I'll post a picture.
But - I do need to get to the making, and clean up all the stuff we unloaded from the car...

Later!
Crazed

There's a craft show here in Pittsburgh that just started up, and they're lookin' for crafters!
Their first event was last month, and I tried it out.  It was my first craft show ever, and I think I did pretty good, especially since it seemed pretty out-of-the-way to me.
But this month things are different!  The event will be held outside, rain or shine, in Braddock.  Check the poster I've got up here for info.
As I recall, the cost is $10 if you can bring your own table, $15 if you need to use one of theirs, and you can even pay through PayPal.
If you've got a site or an Etsy page, they'll link to it on their MySpace page, too! ^_^
So, if you're in or around the Pittsburgh area and feel like selling, please sign up!  The girls running it are doing a great job of advertising it, I think (Channel 4 News was at the first event!) and it's only getting bigger.  I hear the new Mayor of Braddock is big on bringing in art and culture, which is why he's all for this show, which I think is awesome.
See you there! ^_^
Crazed