You cant have your cake and eat it too!

When it comes to online selling of handmade items you need to ask yourself some questions.
1) Am I prepared to work hard to promote my products and my store?
2) Am I prepared to network and potentially promote others in order to expand my reach?
3) Do I want to sell on a 'shopping site' ie ArtFire, Handmade Artists' Shop, Etsy or do I want to have my own site?
4) Am I prepared to compete with those who sell mass produced items at a way lower cost than I can make things at?


So let's take a look at each question more carefully.
1) Online selling requires you to market yourself. It is not a case of listing an item with a shoddy photo and no description and making a quick buck. Ok, sometimes someone will strike it lucky and do just that, but for the majority of handmade artisans it takes work. This is not face to face selling where the buyer can pick the item up and look at it, feel it, smell it etc. The only thing they have is your photos, your description, your measurements. Added to that is the fact that the internet is HUGE. Your buyers need to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. So you need to get your 'brand' out there, you need to inspire others to help you.. which leads us to the next question.

2) Forming a network of other online people gives you a wider reach than you could possibly have on your own. If you have a network of 30 unique people, and each of them has a network of another 30 unique people your reach is considerably expanded. The likelihood is that they will have many common connections to you though, so the more diverse your network the better your reach is. But you don't just want to promote yourself and your items to them. This will quickly be viewed as spam and you will lose connections. You need to engage your network. Share topics of interest, answer questions, and introduce them to other artisans that you find inspiring or who sell products you would buy. You will find that sometimes this promotion of others results in further promotion of you without you doing it. Don't expect it to happen every time, and if you do find that it happens, acknowledge it.. it may just lead to a new connection for your network, a new friend or a new customer.

3) Where to sell - well that will depend. Do you have the skill and time to design a website and maintain it, or the funds to pay someone to do it for you? In this case you may decide to go it alone and start your own website with its own shopping cart. This is not for the faint of heart, it can be extremely time consuming, which will mean less time for promotion and, more importantly, creation.
Your other option is to sign up to a shopping site.. or several shopping sites. The benefits of these sites is that the code work, the maintenance etc is taken care of by someone else. But it is not free (ok, some have a 'free' account, which is usually quite limited). To gain the most benefit from these sites you will need to pay.
Some sites, ArtFire, Handmade Artists' Shop, Zibbet, have a monthly fee. You pay your fee, and you can list as many items as you like for as long as you like, and you wont have to pay a fee after you sell either. The searches on these sites tends to be based on relevancy - matches to keywords.
Other sites, Etsy, MadeIt.com.au, Ebay, have listing fees. This means you pay a certain price to list your item for a certain amount of time, after which you need to pay the same fee again to relist your item. They also have a sales fee, which means you pay a percentage of the price your item sold for to the site. The percentage you pay varies, but expect it to be around 7%. These sites generally have searches that return the most recently listed items first, meaning the best way to be seen is to relist on a regular basis, paying the fee each time.

4) Now assume you have joined a selling site. Regardless of what their 'mission statement' might be, there is a major issue with most sites that sell handmade. They are know as resellers. These are people who buy ready made items in bulk really cheap, then sell them on. In the case of sites such as ArtFire and Etsy, they are supposed to be against the Terms of Service. These are meant to be sites that have Handmade Items, Vintage Items and Commercial Supplies... not mass produced finished pieces. But they are a fact of life for the online handmade seller.
There are sites that are 100% handmade, namely a site such as Handmade Artists' Shop, which is relatively new.
But here is the catch - you can have lots of traffic and compete in a really saturated marketplace with resellers, or you can have lower traffic, but not have to compete with the mass produced items being in the same marketplace. Most of the bigger sites are more interested in the money they make from sellers than the integrity of their 'mission statements'.

Nothing is perfect in life, and the same goes for online selling of handmade items. There are pros and cons for every option, every site, every situation. You, as the artisan looking to put yourself into this marketplace, need to weigh up for yourself what is right for you... and remember that even if the grass looks greener on the other side.. its probably a trick of the light.

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The Muse in the Mountains

This week is the last week of the current Handmade Artists' Forum blogring. Our lucky last featured artisan is Jennifer from Mewes Mountain Arts.

There are two Mewes Mountain Arts stores online. One is on the Handmade Artists' Shop, the other is on Etsy. In both stores you will find gorgeous jewellery items lovingly created by Jennifer in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just near Denver. The mountain just behind her house has been named by Jennifer and her husband as 'Mewes Mountain' and has given its name to Jennifer's business.

Jennifer also has a blog where she promotes other artisans and shows us glimpses into her life. It is well worth a read.

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Trouble

How about a little Tuesday Trawl through Etsy? This time the keyword search was 'Trouble' and I got lots of results. So let's go get ourselves some trouble!

Saucy Devil Cards

Fun Parts

The Land of Honah Lee

oliver AND i

Nese Decor

Picard Creative

Rainwater Botanicals

Baymoon Studio

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A Tuscan Dream

I am back again with another Handmade Artists' Forum blogring featured artisan. This week the lucky one is Tuscan Road Designs aka Holly.

Holly was inspired to become a lampwork glass artisan after a trip Murano, Italy, and after learning the art of lampwork for herself through classes, she then taught her teenage son how to lampwork. Eventually she decided to incorporate those handmade beads into jewellery pieces and Tuscan Road Designs was born.

Holly favours asymmetric designs, as well as loving to use Swarovski crystals and gemstones. Her pieces are each a journey through texture and interest, topped off with a delightful use of colour.

As well as maintaining a well stocked Etsy studio, Holly also has a vibrant blog where she promotes other handmade artisans as well as giving us a little glimpse inside her world.

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Loops of Love

It is time for another Saturday Shopping Spree... of the window shopping variety. Today I visited Etsy and entered the keywords 'Loops of Love'.. let's see what I found...

Jessica Van Neste

MLB Chic

Sudlow

Toni Designs

B W Silver

One Little Princess

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Raining Donuts

This weeks Saturday Shopping feature is actually happening on Sunday in Australia!
These weeks theme is 'Raining Donuts' - those keywords together didnt really get any results - but donuts did!
On a completely irrelevant note - in Australia they are doughnuts not donuts.

Let's Shop!!

HappilyEverAlways

Bizzee-Beek Creations

boopsiedaisy

ddots

Erin E Gennow Arts

Darcy Arts

BeeLicious Crafts

mgenomgeno

jarck101

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A Blue Period

Recently I asked some friends for some ideas for themes to make into blog posts. One of those ideas was 'a blue period'. Now being the type of wag I am, I put 'blue period' into a search on Etsy..and got 4 pages of results! And yes I am aware there are different ways of interpreting the theme! What follows are my favourites from that search on Etsy! Enjoy!

ergodesign

Gibberish

Shana Ely Frase

Emlynn Designs

Pink Lemonade

utopianaurora

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Wooden It Be Nice?

Ok - I will apologise straight up for the terrible pun! But I picked the title because the Handmade Artists' Forum Blog Ring feature artisan this week is Jan from JewelryByJanelle. She creates the most amazing pieces of jewellery from wood that she shapes and finishes herself. They are so beautiful to look at, and I'm certain they are wonderful to wear as well.

She also creates wonderful pieces using Swarovski, Czech and Gemstone beads with a range of different metals.

She has just recently been bitten by the Chainmaille bug and is producing some gorgeous pieces.
Jan is also very active on HAF and with the HAFteam on Etsy. She is a wonderful artisan and a lovely person. You can see her work at JewelryByJanelle on Etsy and JewelryByJanelle on Handmade Artists' Shop. You can also read her blog.

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All Mimsy Were The Borogoves

It is time for another blog ring post about a wonderful Handmade Artists' Forum member. This week it is Nancy from 'Twas Brillig. I happen to love the Jabberwocky, so I was looking forward to doing this blog post, if only so I could use a line as the title!
Nancy is incredibly talented, and her etsy store - the tulgey wood - features a wonderfully eclectic range of items. There are some fabulous jewellery pieces, and some absolutely amazing artworks, there are even some toys for your pet.

Nancy is also an accomplished photographer, and a visit to her photoblog is well worth it!
Nancy is a great contributor to and supporter of the Handmade Artists' Forum, and the handmade community in general.
You can see more of her great items in her Etsy, and find out more about her on her blog.

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Help Me Have a Fabulous Birthday

February is my birthday month, and to celebrate this illustrious occasion I am having a sale. I have put every store on sale for the whole of February!

HaffinaCreations and BeadsByHaffina on ArtFire have 20% to 40% off depending on category. You can see which categories by reading the blogs in these stores.

HaffinaAgain on Etsy, Zibbet and MadeIt are 30% off everything.

HaffinaCreations on HandmadeArtists' Shop is 30% off everything.

All prices have already been adjusted to reflect the discounts.

If you have been eying something off in any of my stores, now would be the time to buy!

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Excuse me while I drool..

We are back with another Handmade Artists' Forum blog ring post. This week's featured artisan is kitzbitz, who just happens to be a glass artisan. Now to me, as a jewellery maker, there is not many other things that make one salivate in such a way as Artisan Lampwork beads do. Just a quick look in Kitzbitz's Etsy was enough to make me need to wipe my keyboard. She has some of the loveliest purple lampwork beads I have seen in a long time. It seems to be a difficult colour to get or work with in glass. She also has a website where there is even more to drool over.
Not only does she make and sell lampwork beads, but she also makes jewellery items that include her lampwork beads and she sells frits, murrinis, twists and shards to other glass Artisans. I love the idea of her 'Mojo Boxes', lots of different bits and pieces set to a theme to help spark creativity. If I ever dive into the world of lampwork or glass fusing I know one of the places I will be shopping!
So if you are glass artisan, or a jewellery maker, or just someone who loves looking at beautiful things, drop by the Kitzbiz Art Glass Website, visit Kitzbitz on Etsy or take a look at her blog.. it will be well worth your while.

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Inspiration of the Week - Teri of TheBeadedBranch

Welcome back to another Inspiration of the Week. This week I bring you one of my favourite online friends.. and I'm sure if we lived closer we would be offline friends too. This woman is a major inspiration to me, and to many other people I know. Despite her own life challenges she is there for her friends and peers with kind word or a warm hug and she delights in sharing the escapades of her gorgeous little boys, with the pride only a parent can display.
I asked Teri to share her favourite 10 things in the whole world and what follows are her responses in her own words. Read on to find out more about this wonderful woman.

1)  My hubby.  I love my hubby (Tim) and my kids (Nick and Joe), even though any or all of them are likely to make me go nuts at any given minute.  But they do help out in the own way, every chance they get.  Tim is not only my hubby, but also my best friend.  Lately, life has gotten to be a little crazy around our house, and not necessarily in a good way.  I looked at him and said "If I had to go through this, I'm glad I'm going through it with you!"  He's a rock at my back, my strength, and my love.  

2)  My children.  My kids are a joy to me, even when they are driving me nuts.  I really never know what those two scoundrels will be up to next.  Whether they are making me a cup of coffee, drawing me a "birthday card" (when my birthday is nowhere in sight), or trying to hide in my washing machine they are my joy.  Life is never, ever dull with those two around, and what one doesn't think of, the other one will.  I've always wanted to be a housewife and mommy.  I was never one the type of woman who felt she needed a career outside the home.  When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always say "a mommy".  How many people can honestly say that they have acheived their lifelong dream?

3)  My extended family.  In laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, all of them.  Yes, family can make one crazy at times, but in the end, it's really all we have, and I adore them.  Once again, if it wasn't for my extended, my life would a lot more dull.  (I think someone once hit me with the ancient curse of "May you live in interesting times", but at least I'm never, ever bored!)

4)  My home.  I love my little home, even if it does look like a whirlwind hit it most of the time.  But it is my favorite place to be.  I can relax here, and be myself.  I can let my hair down.  Soon, I might even be able to repaint the walls and add color that I so desperately want.  I have to admit, that after almost 5 years of living in this home, I'm still re-organizing and paring down all the nonessentials that we don't use, but it's fun, instead of the chore it used to be when I was still living at home, with my mom and dad.   

5)  My books.  I'm an avid reader.  I pretty much always have my nose stuck in a book.  I always have and (God willing) always will.  I love to read.  And I read just about anything.  I think in the 40 years I've been on this earth, I've actually only come across 3 or 4 books that I *don't* like.  Pretty amazing, huh?  I do, of course, have some books that I love more than others, but all in all, I just love my books.  So does my hubby, thankfully, and he's willing to indulge me in my little obsession.  And our boys are become avid booklovers too.  How wonderful is that???

6)  My online buddies.  A year and a half ago, I never thought that I would part of such wonderful online communities.  I was always a little shy (okay, a lot shy) of taking the plunge into online forums, and things like that.  And then I discovered Plurk, and through that, The Sassy Sisters in Sales.  These two groups are my friends, my confidents, my equals.  Growing up, I never had a wide circle of friends, and through these two online communities, I have made friends that I laugh with, cry with, hug, hold hands with, and are just generally wonderful to be around.  I'm really looking forward to the day when we can all meet face to face, and hug in real life.  To all my Plurk buddies and to the Sassy Sistahs:  I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

7)  Coffee.  I love coffee.  I love the way it smells.  I love the way it tastes (sugar and creamer, please).  I love the way it makes me feel.  I love the way it helps me to wake up in the mornings.  

8)  Chocolate.  When I was younger I thought I loved chocolate.  And then about 10 years ago, my boyfriend (now my hubby) brought back some chocolate from Switzerland, where his brother lives.  He brought me back 150 bars of chocolate.  It filled his carry on bag.  The guards at the gate in the airport were jealous.  And that is when my passion REALLY began.  I adore chocolate.  GOOD chocolate.  Rich, creamy, smooth decadent European chocolate.  Made by the people who KNOW what chocolate is supposed to taste like.   It's not just a snack, it's an obsession.  And woe to my darling brother in law, Andrew, if comes back to the US without at least one bar of chocolate for me.  And he knows it, too, although, it's always his darling wife Isabelle who picks it out for me.  (Another reason I love my inlaws.... they are my suppliers....)

9)  My slow-cooker.  Call it a crock pot or slow-cooker, it doesn't matter.  I love mine.  I know, it's weird.  But I love the fact that I can dump a bunch of food into it at the start of the day, and by dinner time, there is a wonderful, home cooked meal ready and waiting.  I love that it is versatile, and I can use it to make main dishes, side dishes, breads and desserts.  It's just awesome.  They are so awesome, that I actually have two of them, a really big one for large pieces of meat, large amounts of broth (yes, I make my own chicken broth in my crock pot), chili, whatever, and a smaller one for dinner just for the family.  

10)  Crafting.  You knew it had to come in here somewhere.  I love crafting, all sorts of crafting.  I'm not sure if it's a "love", "favorite", or "obsession".  DH would probably say obsession, but I think it qualifies.  

So,  perfect day for me would be:  working on a bunch of crafts with my hubby and kids in my home, while dinner simmers in my crock pot, with several calls from extended family members, drinking coffee and eating European chocolate, chatting with all my online buddies, and then fall asleep reading one of my favorite books.

Thank you so much Teri. Your joy in life, your family and what you do is in every word, and this is one of the reasons you are an inspiration to me and many others.

Teri briefly touched on her craft, and let me tell you, she is very talented. You can see for yourself what I mean by visiting Teri at her online stores - The Beaded Branch on ArtFire and The Beaded Branch on Etsy

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A Haven from the Maelstrom

Here I am back again with the second in the series of weekly Handmade Artists' Forum member features. This week's feature artisan from the Handmade Artists' Forum is Heather from Heather's Haven.


Heather and her partner are both artists with 6 kids and 2 dogs... there is the Maelstrom. As a mum of 5 myself I know how difficult it can be to parent lots of children, with their multitude of differences and personalities.
Art is their therapy.. there is the Haven. Heather has a particular gift with seed beads, producing some wonderful pieces.


She also not only has an Etsy store, but an ArtFire studio as well. She is one of the driving forces behind the Etsy HAF team, particularly the daily Spread The Love promotion.
And she likes Harry Potter.. what's not to love about her!


Drop by Heather's blog to see what she's up to, and drool over her creations in her Etsy and her ArtFire. She is a fabulous artisan and an asset to the handmade community.

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