A few things have happened that have seemingly put many of us into a premature midlife crisis of sorts. People are not quite happy with their lives. They miss their kids and work too hard for other people. One of the things that got us here, and the first, is the creation of Etsy. Etsy made the small, handmade boutique community stand up and take notice. It also hit hard with stay at home moms giving them something they could do for themselves and a way to make a little money for extras. Throw a pandemic on top and you have people on lock down looking for things to do and ways to make extra money, not too mention needing cute masks. So, what is keeping you from getting your part of the handmade industry?
There are the basics, of course, like quality and quantity. Quality is extremely difficult to sell someone on the internet. They can’t touch it, feel it, smell it. That makes it difficult to connect enough with the item to go through with buying it. The bottom line is you have to have excellent pictures of your item and many of them. People need to be able to see the item from all sides and know the size of it. Learning to stage your photos is one of the best things you can do for your online business. Quantity, I am referring to a couple of different aspects. First, you need to have more than just a few stray items. You need to have some inventory started and you have to keep it fresh and new everyday. Studies have shown that people look at items at least 6-7 times before they actually go through with a purchase. You have to stay fresh in their mind for the type of product you sell so when they are ready, they can go right to you. A lot of this can be accomplished just by keeping your seasonal or current holiday items at the front of your shop. Try to keep the process of purchasing your items as simple as possible. I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to buy something online and just left it in the cart and went somewhere else to get it. If I have to fight to buy it, I am not going to take the time there. I am going to go where I can get it done. People may just give up and move on.
Where you sell your items is also a huge factor to consider when you are selling online. Etsy obviously has the most built in traffic for you but it also comes with some features that aren’t so great like the high fees. On top of the fees, are the rules that make it possible for them to shut you down at any time, for any reason. Etsy eventually went public and seemed to change a lot of policies. You tend to find more mass producers getting things from China mixed in there now.
Since then, many, MANY other online marketplaces have appeared on the internet. I am not going to go through each of them here. You can find that information anywhere online. What I will tell you is that I have tried most of them. I have had StoreEnvy, Zibbet, Bonanza, Dawanda, Shopify and Amazon Handmade. That last one is fun. I sell digital downloads and I applied and got approved for a shop with them about 3 years ago. To this day, Amazon Handmade does not allow digital downloads. When I first tried to set up my shop, I emailed them and asked them why they approved me and they responded and said digital downloads were coming to Amazon Handmade soon so just get ready. Still waiting.
What I have found is that non of them have the traffic like Etsy does. Not even close, and many of them have even higher fees. Many of them go as high as 15% commission off of your sales. That seems a little high for a handmade seller to sustain at first. I did finally find one that was going strong a was a great community of handmade sellers that worked together to build their traffic and compete with the market saturated Etsy. Unfortunately, the owner was uncovered to be a fraud and she quite literally dumped all the work we had all done for about 2 years and it was gone.
I decided it was time to put to use the HTML I had taught myself when I was home pregnant with child #4. I set up websites for the ones that wanted them but obviously building traffic to your own website is a long, hard process that you have to work at every single day. We decided to give a marketplace a try and while I can’t say that it has been easy, we did it and we are growing every day. So, put an end to your struggling and make sure that you have quality, you have quality and then find the best place for you to have your shop.
Completely UPCYCLED! This cross body is approximately 12 x 5 x 5 inches.
Price ~ $30, Including 1st class shipping
RTS ~ 1
Preorders~ 2 (more can be made with different choices)
Shipping Time Frame ~ next business day for RTS, Preorders will ship in approx 2 weeks, but cannot guarantee the postal service.
Payment Methods Accepted ~ PayPal
As always, first class shipping with tracking is included. I will have your order ready to ship the next business day, but I cannot guarantee a shipping window as that is dependent upon the USPS.
Please contact me at StitchesbyLaura@yahoo.com with any questions or requests, I love custom orders!
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Inspirational word painted rocks, motivational gift by Affinity Stones
These Inspirational word Painted Rocks are wonderful as small kindness reminders for your home, to share with friends, or to leave in your community to brighten someone’s day. With the holidays coming up they are also perfect stocking stuffers!
The words are carved into beautiful smooth Santorini stones and stained with colorful alcohol inks. You can pick and choose the ones you want to buy individually, or buy the entire set of 7. Price is for one. Please indicate which stone or stones you are ordering in the personalization/messages section. All stones come in a lovely organza gift bag and plastic display stand as pictured.
My rocks are hand painted with attention to detail. But, because each rock is individually hand crafted, no two will ever be exactly alike. Rocks that are made to order and can be closely replicated as picture shows Each rock is individually created for you and production times may vary. I strive to ship within 5-7 days of receiving an order, but larger numbers or more intricate details may delay shipping times.
To see more wonderful products like this, be sure to check out the other items in my shop at www.affinitystones.com
follow me on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/affinitystones/
please email me with any questions at Affinitystones@gmail.com.
Let your friends know how special they are by gifting them this beautiful towel.
This towel will make a great housewarming gift, bridal shower gift, hostess gift or just because you need it for your kitchen.
This listing is for 1(ONE) Tea Towel
100% Cotton, washable flour sack dish towel is super absorbent and lint free
– perfect for all of your seasonal cooking & baking!
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Graphic design is applied with heat ink transfer method. Due to the custom
nature of the transfer method, no 2 images will look exactly the same so
your towels will be a one of a kind! Please be advised that colors
may vary from item pictured due to monitor coloring.
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C A R E
Machine wash cold. Mild detergent. Do not use bleach. Tumble dry low. Iron on reverse side not directly on the design.
Please allow extra time for your order to be personalized and
shipped. I can usually have your item shipped in 3-5 days. If you need
it faster, please feel free to message me with details.
Feel free to message me with any special orders, ideas or questions.
Contact seller with any questions.
If you have scrolled this far, and you are liking what you see. I have a
Facebook group where we can share thoughts etc. Special sales and games
will also be offered there once I get it going better.
Defender of My heart Christian SVG cut filecan be used to make a shirt, or kitchen towel, or if you do sublimation, it can be printed for a coffee mug to. Looks beautiful on anything.
You will receives these file formats
SVG, PDF, PNG, DXF, EPS
Contact seller with any questions.
If you have scrolled this far, and you are liking what you see. I have a
Facebook group where we can share thoughts etc. Special sales and games
will also be offered there once I get it going better.
Are you a having a baby and a Chicago Bears fan? If you answered yes to this question or know someone who would answer yes then this Chicago Bears Milestone baby blanket is the perfect item for you. Take pictures of your little one each month documenting their growth while showing your team spirit. The blanket measures approximately 30″x40″.
PLEASE INCLUDE ALL SPECIFIC ORDER DETAILS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDERING. SO, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT CUSTOMIZATIONS YOU WOULD LIKE. If you are unsure about something, please send me an email. I am more than willing to help answer any questions you might have. If you don’t include any specific requests the gift you receive will look as close to the listing image as possible.
I love custom orders, so if you have something else in mind send me an email. I’ll do what I can to make your idea a reality.
All items are made to order unless otherwise indicated. I do my best to get all orders made within 2-3 business days of receiving the order, but some will take longer. If the order is going to take longer to complete, I will let you know.
To see more of my handmade gifts, check out the rest of my shop.
Interested in being the first to hear the news about flash sales, special events and coupon codes, please stop on by and follow me on Instagram, Facebook Pinterest or Twitter so you don’t miss out.
Finally, due to the custom nature of the items, returns are not accepted unless it is my mistake. By purchasing this listing, you are agreeing that you have read the listing info and all of my shop policies.
Check out other amazing handmade items by other Our Place Handmade shop owners here.
This banner is great for your baby’s bedroom wall or door. Also a great baby shower gift or birthday gift. Features clouds showing different baby items such as bottle, pacifier, feet, onesie, rocking horse and safety pins.
I make all my products in my smoke-free home located in Greer, South Carolina.
Making these products is a real joy and I’ve been doing this for many years. I will be glad to work with you for any custom work you may desire.
Please allow a minimum of 5-7 days for production and shipping of custom orders. Smaller items such as bibs etc may take less time depending on how many orders I have at the time. If you will let me know if you have a specific need by date, I will do my best to meet your date. Please contact me about rush orders before ordering.
I try to pack all items so that they arrive in excellent condition. If you do receive an item and it has been damaged, let me know at the time you receive it so I can correct it as soon as possible.
Returns shipping is responsibility of buyer. Refunds not accepted on custom orders