My Emerging Etsy Career

Once upon a time, I started an etsy shop.  Actually, it was April 28, 2011.  It was a dark, and stormy night.....(just kidding)

Like I mentioned in my first post, I started making jewelry and ordered (a ton) of supplies from Fire Mountain Gems.  I was making too many pieces for just gifts - I will never have that many friends in my life - so I decided to try and share my wares.  Etsy made it an easy process.  I'm computer literate and all, but even someone who's not could follow their directions.

I took pictures of my work, which is difficult when you have a very curious feline living with you.  I took a board and placed it over my bathroom sink, which is the room in my apartment with the best lighting.  I live in a basement, so natural light is not usually an option.  I put out my pieces and before you knew it, I was having fun taking the pictures.  Then, Mr. Curious came along.  I started having pics with paws in them!  Then I'd tell him, "You stand over there!  You're blocking my light!"  (as if he had any idea what I was doing or what I was trying to tell him)

I researched other items like mine on etsy to see pricing, etc.  I read article after article about owning a shop.  Then I realized, comparable items were all over the map in terms of pricing.  Some were as inexpensively-priced as mine, others were through-the-roof expensive!!!  So, I did what most etsy sellers do, under-priced.  I figured that the lower the price, the more people would likely be able to fit it into their budgets.  However, I have heard from others and from articles online that most people's biggest mistake is under-pricing.  You are "supposed to" take into account supply costs, which is obvious.  But then you figure out, well, "How much do I spend to list the item?  Advertise the item?  How much will 3rd-party transaction costs be through Paypal and the like?" 

Then, "How much am I worth hourly?"  "How much time do I spend promoting?"  As a newer artist without a strong artist career background, I figure "I'm not worth much!"  I laugh when I think of this, but it's true.  When starting out, I assume my hourly rate will be a negative number.  I have to get my name out there before I consider how much I'm charging for my time!  Plus, I'm not a highly-paid worker at my day job.  So that doesn't help the considerations much, either.

The hardest part?  What to do after you create the shop....... circles of friends, new online friends, etsy teams, treasuries, BNR/BNS, networking, advertising........ and now blogging!!!