Etsy news!
Hey all-- I am working on getting an Etsy shop off the ground, now that my business is picking up a bit.
Nothing big yet, but if you wanna bookmark or heart it, you can find me at http://sihaya09.etsy.com. I hope to have the shop off the ground by Monday or Tuesday. Not that there will be a whole lot to list at first-- I'd say that a good 75% of what I've made has already sold. I also need to do a sold pieces / customer gallery, so if you'd like to contribute, please email your picture to sihaya09 at yahoo dot com.
Now, for the hard part-- deciding on pricing. I've been told that I price too low. Honestly, it's true. I don't make much of a profit, but that's because a) I like to be affordable and b) I like to use quality materials-- good quality art glass and semi-precious stones whenever possible. That's expensive. Not to mention, when I'm working on commissions, I may order from as many as three sellers for the right materials. And especially with the recent postal hike, that adds up. I'd been eating the cost, but I can't really do that for much longer. If business keeps up, it'll just get to be too expensive to do that. I also under-charge for my time and effort. I did some math, and as it turned out, I made $10 recently on a necklace that took me nearing four hours to complete. Though I do work for pleaure, that is not a valuable measure of my time. So I need to up the prices a little. The hard part is figuring out how much.
I've been reading up on pricing on the Etsy boards. Most people there are in favor of higher prices, and they have a point. Higher prices broadcast that you take your items seriously and believe in their quality. Higher prices set a market standard craft-wide that make things easier on other crafters. How do I reconcile that with my fundamental desire to make affordable pieces?
I think the answer is that I raise prices a moderate amount. This will be determined by the type of piece. Earrings are not nearly as time-consuming as a hand-wired necklace. Therefore, starting with the opening of my Etsy shop, you can expect a $10 to $15 increase per necklace. Sacred pieces may come at an extra charge, as there is a considerable amount of reading and research involved. I don't take the Divine lightly, and I'm sure the customer doesn't want a half-assed piece.
Now, for pacing-- My plan is to structure my orders in a way that I produce two custom orders per week, with the option of rush delivery at an extra cost. This will allow me to keep a personal touch while still having the time to create things that I want to do. I have completed three in the past week, and gotten four more requests in the meantime. While this truly excited me and I love doing the work, especially for friends, I need to plan long-term and learn to pace. Please-- feel free to email me with your commissions. I build in a one to two week research phase for sacred pieces that can be done concurrently with the production of other items. But this will allow me to form a queue so I don't get overwhelmed. The last thing I want is for production quality to go down. This wouldn't make anyone happy.
So. That's the plan. I'm definitely excited.
Nothing big yet, but if you wanna bookmark or heart it, you can find me at http://sihaya09.etsy.com. I hope to have the shop off the ground by Monday or Tuesday. Not that there will be a whole lot to list at first-- I'd say that a good 75% of what I've made has already sold. I also need to do a sold pieces / customer gallery, so if you'd like to contribute, please email your picture to sihaya09 at yahoo dot com.
Now, for the hard part-- deciding on pricing. I've been told that I price too low. Honestly, it's true. I don't make much of a profit, but that's because a) I like to be affordable and b) I like to use quality materials-- good quality art glass and semi-precious stones whenever possible. That's expensive. Not to mention, when I'm working on commissions, I may order from as many as three sellers for the right materials. And especially with the recent postal hike, that adds up. I'd been eating the cost, but I can't really do that for much longer. If business keeps up, it'll just get to be too expensive to do that. I also under-charge for my time and effort. I did some math, and as it turned out, I made $10 recently on a necklace that took me nearing four hours to complete. Though I do work for pleaure, that is not a valuable measure of my time. So I need to up the prices a little. The hard part is figuring out how much.
I've been reading up on pricing on the Etsy boards. Most people there are in favor of higher prices, and they have a point. Higher prices broadcast that you take your items seriously and believe in their quality. Higher prices set a market standard craft-wide that make things easier on other crafters. How do I reconcile that with my fundamental desire to make affordable pieces?
I think the answer is that I raise prices a moderate amount. This will be determined by the type of piece. Earrings are not nearly as time-consuming as a hand-wired necklace. Therefore, starting with the opening of my Etsy shop, you can expect a $10 to $15 increase per necklace. Sacred pieces may come at an extra charge, as there is a considerable amount of reading and research involved. I don't take the Divine lightly, and I'm sure the customer doesn't want a half-assed piece.
Now, for pacing-- My plan is to structure my orders in a way that I produce two custom orders per week, with the option of rush delivery at an extra cost. This will allow me to keep a personal touch while still having the time to create things that I want to do. I have completed three in the past week, and gotten four more requests in the meantime. While this truly excited me and I love doing the work, especially for friends, I need to plan long-term and learn to pace. Please-- feel free to email me with your commissions. I build in a one to two week research phase for sacred pieces that can be done concurrently with the production of other items. But this will allow me to form a queue so I don't get overwhelmed. The last thing I want is for production quality to go down. This wouldn't make anyone happy.
So. That's the plan. I'm definitely excited.