Selling Handmade Goods on Etsycom
Talk to any crafter from around the world and they will all admit that they are happier creating items than becoming involved in the various ways of selling their handmade goods. It has become very expensive to attend craft fairs today, the cost of travelling and running a booth can certainly take a large slice of the profits you can make on the day.
The other alternative is to run your own website; this option is a very attractive proposition. You can display and describe your items easily and offer your goods delivered anywhere in the world. However, as so many crafters have discovered, the finest website on the internet means nothing if nobody knows you are there. The last thing on any craft makers agenda is to feel forced into spending hours sitting at their computer, trying to promote their website to reach a higher google ranking, in order to receive visitors and create sales.
There is now a wonderful opportunity for crafters to sell their handmade goods on Etsy.com. Etsy is an online marketplace which started in 2005 and now has over 100,000 sellers operating all over the world. As well as buying or selling hand crafted items you can find an array of supplies for any type of arts or craft work that you are working on. No more hurried trips into town to search for that particular fabric etc., you can sit in the comfort of your home and search online.
Etsy although similar to eBay works out cheaper to list and has the advantage of dealing in only the one category, whereas eBay sells everything under the sun with no guarantee that an item listed as handcrafted is genuinely handmade. On Etsy you can only sell an item which you handmade yourself.
For the home crafter Etsy gives you the chance to advertise your goods. Open a shop and introduce yourself, explain your love of crafting. Buyers like to feel they are getting to know who to buy from, be friendly.
When you list your item give a really good description of what you are selling and make sure that the photographs you display shows your work to it's best advantage. Be clear in your shipping costs and always ensure that you deliver promptly, sellers that offer an excellent service can always expect return orders.
Etsy offers home crafters an easy way to sell their goods and it is now quite possible for you to create an income from your handmade items. With the selling options now available, art and craft makers can now spend more time creating goods, thus even more possible income.
