Etsy versus 1000 Markets

After taking a break from my Etsy shop over the holidays, I am spending some reconsidering if Etsy is the right venue for me and my work. I also have a shop at 1000 Markets, but just like Etsy, it gets no traffic without marketing. My view is that whichever way I go, I am simply renting shop space and I will have to drive my traffic there, so it is really a matter of which shop I want to drive traffic to.

Pro for Etsy: 

1. It has the name. It is hard to find someone in this business who has not heard of Etsy.
2. The forums. They are very active and have been very useful for hints, suggestions, and a sense of community.
3. Time - as in, I have put a lot of time into my Etsy shop. I think letting it go, or distancing myself from it, is more of a psychological issue than anything.
4. Paypal allows for instant payment directly into my account. 1000 Markets uses Amazon Payments, which can take a bit longer because the money has to be transferred into my account.

Pro for 1000 Markets:

1. The look. It is a sleeker, more professional design that just looks cleaner.
2. It is not as crowded - or shall I say bloated - as Etsy.
3. The quality of merchandise appears to be superior, compared to Etsy. I have thought for a while that Etsy was beginning to get watered down. There is some OUTSTANDING work on Etsy, but let's face it, some stuff that is, well, not.

I have not made a decision yet, other than to put more of my focus on 1000 Markets and see how I feel about it from the seller point of view. I would like to get some feedback from buyers, too, to see if it matters to them at all. But, eventually, one will have to take precedence over the other.

If you would like to check out my 1000 Markets shop, this is a sample of what I have for sale:

 

PEACE PENDANT NECKLACE

Twitter Promotion Going On Now

I decided to have a Twitter giveaway  On Monday morning, I sent out a "tweet" advertising that the 199th "retweet" would win this bracelet:

We are over half way there, so if you want to have a chance to win, follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/whitedogstudio

Reusing and repurposing in your jewelry designs

I recently made a necklace using a little bit of something old and a little bit of something new. A customer had found some old charms (as in 40 years old!) that she assumes her mother had engraved with the intent of making a charm bracelet. Most likely, she intended to add a charm every year on the customer's birthday, but the charm bracelet was never made. However, I gave those old charms a new life by mixing them with new charms that reflect the customer's current interests, such as a camera, a cute VW bus, a dog, a hammer, etc. So, instead of a charm bracelet, the customer now has a charm necklace!

Here are the "old" charms:

And here is the new necklace:

I think it turned out great and the customer was very happy that she was finally able to wear the charms that her mother bought for her! If you would like me to create a similar piece of jewelry for you, just contact me.

Follow up to selling artisan jewelry on craigslist

Well, the craigslist experiment ended with no sales. I did have a few views, but not even enough of those to warrant using craigslist again. It was worth a try, though, since there is no cost and I remain convinced that selling jewelry on Etsy is impossible without multiple methods of outside promotion. There is simply too much competition in the jewelry market on Etsy to expect buyers to find me.

However, it is interesting to note that I did make a sale on Ebay last week. I offered a charm bracelet as $60 or best offer. I received an offer of $45 the next day, which seemed reasonable because it was a piece I wanted to move anyway (which is why I chose it for Ebay, understanding it would go below my $60 set price). So, I am trying again and just listed this recycled glass pendant necklace...

Selling artisan jewelry on craigslist

Like many artists who are trying to sell their work online, I am always looking for ways to increase traffic. My most recent "experiment" is posting ads on craigslist and directing potential buyers to my Etsy shop. I posted my first ad three days ago and while I have had a few more visitors to my shop, there have been no sales yet. I have used craigslist many times in the past to sell household items, but never my own work. It remains to be seen if craigslist is like Ebay, where everyone is just looking for a deal. I will keep readers posted on the success--or not--I have using craigslist.

Believe

Today I watched young 17 year-old Melanie Oudin's exhilarating win over Maria Sharapova in the U.S. Open. Stamped in Oudin's tennis shoes is the word "believe", obviously there to serve as a reminder to believe in herself. Her confidence shines through in her tenacious style of play and she is truly a joy to watch.

Believing in yourself is often half the battle when taking risks. As artists, we put ourselves out there everyday. We create because we love it, but when we decide to take the risk to try and sell our creations, we are opening ourselves up to praise or, in some cases, criticism. The mentally strong people who continue to believe in themselves, even when times are tough, will ultimately find success because when it comes right down to it, if we don't believe in ourselves, why should anyone else?

This is one of my favorite bracelets that I have made. The pewter charms read "live light", "integrity", "laugh", "inspire", "create" and..."believe".

About pricing

I think that artists undervalue their work far too often. When I go to shows or browse online and see handcrafted pieces selling for a price that I know will barely cover material costs, if at all, I cringe because this sets the market lower for my work. I believe that my work has value and that incorporates not just the material costs, but the time it takes for me to develop the design and make the piece.

I try to offer a range of pieces at various prices. For example, this bracelet, for sale on my Etsy shop, is only $20, which I believe is a fair and affordable price:

This bracelet, on the other hand, took much longer to design and create, so it is priced at $70:

As much as artists all enjoy creating for the sake of creating, we also need to be paid what we are worth. Don't undervalue your time and your talent. If you do quality work and pay attention to marketing, the sales will come!