I put up some more button designs. Mostly they are in the black pride section. While preaching self love and putting down self hate might seem to be universal, but I'm black, and speaking from experience, we need self love more than anyone else, except for other people of color, I guess they need it about the same as us, but that's not as strong a sentence is it?

While I have talked about this before, I'll reconsider the subject. I always wonder about people who think it's stupid to sell items with political stuff on them. Maybe it might offend someone, but then again, I'm offended by shirts with whore in glitterpuff on them or maybe I think that fur coats are a terrible crime, but they don't say "don't put words on t shirts. don't sell fur coats, you might offend someone". Nowadays niche marketing is popular- we've recognized that our society is much broader than the mythical middle class one mom, one dad, 2.5 kids, all white family- and we sell accordingly.

Niche marketing makes sense nowadays. We buy things to show who we are. Maybe not the best thing ever- but there it is. So many people would prefer to acquire things that reflect them in their minds, rather than something that looks very cookie cutter. So if a strong basis of your self is your belief system- you might want to buy things that reflect that. That's why you see people with bumper stickers, buttons, and shirts proclaiming their beliefs.

Humans are tribal animals, and they want to show others that they belong to a tribe. If Oog from the other tribe doesn't like it, well, she's free not to buy. But I don't think for example, Oog is going to forgo a bracelet she wants from me, because I have a button saying something she doesn't like. Borders sells books about how liberals are trying to eat babies and drown grandma, but I still buy from Borders, because at the end of the day, we wear our tribal colors, but getting what you want is always a good thing.

So today, I feel pretty productive. I took a lot of great pictures with my new digital camera, and got 9 different items up on my site, and I will be consigning two items, including some great fish earrings I could make because I got some great pliers for Xmas. I feel better having a well stocked site- it looks a bit more professional to me. If you have a site and it's only has two or three items, it looks a bit lazy, even if you have been working hard on your products. Then again, I can't say much because what is mostly on my site is buttons, which isn't as labor intensive as say, clothing.

I made 6 bracelets out of wooden beads and one necklace. I haven't photographed them nor the double strand button bracelet I made yesterday or another more conventional one. Since my inventory is increasing so much, I think I might consign one of my bracelets on divatribe- it'd be good for promotion.

I made another bracelet today, but I haven't finished it. Yesterday I spent a lot of time link pimping on livejournal and it paid off- I got a sale! The craft supplies I got pushed me in the red where I was formerly in the black, but I don't think it's a very large amount. Anyway, other business stuff I did was to make the order(2 audre lorde buttons) and to package them. I hope we can ship them off tomorrow.

So yesterday I spent a buttload of money at the craft store. So this morning I had fun making two bracelets, and yesterday I nearly finished a pair of earrings. I have thought up (and posted) four new button designs since I have posted last. Winter break is a great time to stock up your store. I have been suffering from a lack of inventory for some time. I haven't even had enough to really post on divatribe, but I'll put at least one piece up, and find another online mall to promote my stuff too.
Divatribe is a great place, but I worry about the whole mix of jewelry- I can't really in good conscience charge $20 for my stuff, but for some of the other people, charging $20 would put them out of their house, and into the street. So it's kind of weird to have the two types together.

Here's a feel good story. Crafty goods infilitrate amazon.com. The crafty women at hellagood products now have their stuff listed on amazon. This is great, because we need more small businesses supplying goods in this country. A big corporation can be good in its place, but more innovative products come out when everything isn't focus grouped to death. Not to mention the money that you give to small indie businesses in this country tends to stay here-laying off an entire division just to save a few pennies for the CEO's bennies is way less likely. So give your money to crafty, independant and other small business people through out the year.

I love clothes, and I know that my $25 a shirt goes better at panicdoll, or another small clothing maker than it does to a mall shirt that isn't even worth the price and is mass produced.

I found a DIY link exchange. I'm not very knowledgeable about this sort of thing, but DIY seems to have become a big movement nowadays. There are tons of knitters, jewelry makers, hand bag sewers and the like all getting their crafts together. I swear- if you relied only on DIYers, I bet you'd never have to rely on corporate clothing, bags or jewelry. Then again, most DIYers tend to make more casual or alternative clothes, instead of stuff that would be appropiate for the work place, but maybe I just haven't been looking hard enough.

I found a new auction site. Cute clothes, and jewelry, but where are the buyers?

I have a one day only sale on a To Heart manga lot. Also, some cute jewelry ending today.

My paypal balance is 6.66. Pretty interesting.

Well, both of my overstock auctions didn't sell. I wonder if the buyer base isn't there yet? Also, it's really annoying that I keep getting all this "be my friend" spam. It's an auction site! Why does anyone care about this 'friends' crap?

I really hate these ebay auctions with stupid trumped up stories. I'm all for marketing, but there's a line you shouldn't cross- and exploiting people's awwwww factor for more bucks is too much. I didn't mind the person who runs panicdoll.com saying 'hey, my main income is off my shirts" in the gothic lolita community because it's a community- you talk about stuff. It's not like she put in her auctions a sob story to a bunch of people who just want to buy stuff, and get on with their lives.

When I'm looking at an auction, I really don't care if you have two autistic kids, or that you are selling the cane to cheer your six year old up. I just want the description of the item, and your terms- how many days do I have to pay, what do you take. The real danger is that fake stories will erode everyone's feeling for the real ones. If people make up sob stories, soon they'll get caught, and then no one will believe someone who is really in trouble.


But on a more cheery note, my ebay auctions are selling! Of course, I'm mostly selling anime and manga stuff that I don't need or want. I mostly have manga in Japanese, and one sealed DVD- I already had volume one of His and Her Circumstances, and I bought the box in the rightstuf sale.

I am trying to step up my ad campaign. Still haven't found the right words for my button sales. I should advertise my jewelry on more jewelry live journals. DIY marketplace is pretty crowded- I bet my ad isn't even on the first page now! For your amusement, here is a funny me page with lots of bad bad advice for ebay buyers and sellers.

I probably should start listing more of my jewelry at the store first.