Sunday, March 30, 2008
I'm in the storque again. Related items:peppermint cell charm.
Maybe it's because I told them about the commercial appeal piece?
Maybe it's because I told them about the commercial appeal piece?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Oh, I have a twitter now too.
I have to admit that even though I am an etsy seller and my work is in the etsy aesthetic, I tend not to be a typical etsy person. I tend to love extra income. If I have to go on ebay to get buyers, I'll go there. I'll go where the buyers are. Also, I am an internet person. A lot of the sites that other folks are just learning about in the context of promotion[livejournal, stumbleupon,etc], I've been on for years. Of course, this is because of my handicap. The truth is that I don't have the brute force stamina required for real life selling, but over a long time, little by little, I can get my products into your hands by doing a bit every day.
I'm going to spend all today watching tivo, stocking my ebay store, and shipping my items. I may use tonight as jewelry night too. I guess it makes up for the fact that I won't be going to the board gaming convention today. I'm waiting for my new big mailers to come in because I am mailing a lot more different things lately.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
the outside
I chose mushrooms for the outside of my DS case because it seemed fun and in keeping with a Nintendo theme. Not shown here: the bright blue zipper
Monday, March 17, 2008
...*is shocked that this is considered positive* You know, if you have gotten to the point where you're writing lists of folks you hate on etsy, it's time to step awaaaaay from the internet.
rants: are they allowed on alchemy?
posted so that people can see it when they take it down:
I don't need anything made, but I have a request for those of you would like a custom piece:
I've been looking through Alchemy at the disrespectfully low prices people want to pay for CUSTOM HANDMADE clothing. You're asking someone to make you something because you can't find it anywhere else, be it an artistic vision, or something to fit your personal body type.
Here's what us sewers have to pay out of pocket:
Fabric costs (quality fabric is expensive!)
Thread costs
Time and Gas to drive to the fabric store.
Water and electric to wash and pre-shrink fabrics (So your finished piece doesn't become too small the first time you wash it)
Electric to run the machines and the iron
Rent/mortgage for the space we work in
Internet so we can take your orders
Time and gas to the post office
TIME to work with you to figure out what you want
TIME to design the piece
TIME to measure, cut, pin and sew it all together.
Thanks for taking the time to consider everything we put into our art. ~Peace~
posted so that people can see it when they take it down:
I don't need anything made, but I have a request for those of you would like a custom piece:
I've been looking through Alchemy at the disrespectfully low prices people want to pay for CUSTOM HANDMADE clothing. You're asking someone to make you something because you can't find it anywhere else, be it an artistic vision, or something to fit your personal body type.
Here's what us sewers have to pay out of pocket:
Fabric costs (quality fabric is expensive!)
Thread costs
Time and Gas to drive to the fabric store.
Water and electric to wash and pre-shrink fabrics (So your finished piece doesn't become too small the first time you wash it)
Electric to run the machines and the iron
Rent/mortgage for the space we work in
Internet so we can take your orders
Time and gas to the post office
TIME to work with you to figure out what you want
TIME to design the piece
TIME to measure, cut, pin and sew it all together.
Thanks for taking the time to consider everything we put into our art. ~Peace~
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Ok, I failed at my challenege. But my failure gave me new strength to explain how the internet works!
Why is my item on oodle, thefind, google products,etc?
Search engines search the internet using computer programs. Certain content shows up based on the search engine- like oodle aggregates classifieds postings. Malicious people aren't coming to your site and stealing your pictures.
Why is my stuff on stylehive,stylefeeder, thisnext?
Someone found your item and decided to show it to the whole internet. You can email your fan and hope they delete it.
Why is my item on oodle, thefind, google products,etc?
Search engines search the internet using computer programs. Certain content shows up based on the search engine- like oodle aggregates classifieds postings. Malicious people aren't coming to your site and stealing your pictures.
Why is my stuff on stylehive,stylefeeder, thisnext?
Someone found your item and decided to show it to the whole internet. You can email your fan and hope they delete it.
I'm having an amazing challenge this week! It's the anti etsy forum challenge! I'll stay off the forums for a full week. Wish me luck.
Pros: I will not be inclined to go for the jugular when someone says something ridiculous, I can spend the time watching Invader Zim, I won't be tempted to buy other people's stuff
Cons: I can't advertise my blog or items in the forums.
Pros: I will not be inclined to go for the jugular when someone says something ridiculous, I can spend the time watching Invader Zim, I won't be tempted to buy other people's stuff
Cons: I can't advertise my blog or items in the forums.
Friday, March 14, 2008
I just realized
that I went nearly 2 days without listing or relisting items on etsy. I started to list my new stuff again, but that was pretty unusual for me. I think I'll have all the new items I made up on various sites by Sunday.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Alchemy is back and is causing controversy Pricing is tough, not only because of differences in skill and material price, but because people are coming from very different parts of the country and with very different standards of living. I mean some people can buy $200 jeans like that, but for me, that's what I make in a whole month. [I'm in grad school and scrape together part time earnings with online sales]. But I will still make alchemy requests- maybe not for expensive items, but I'll do what I can to support other artists.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Customers may be cutting back on spending. To counteract this trend, I'm making more low price items. Expect a lot of cell charms, folks.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Oh no! Someone else took pictures of jewelry on a deck!! Better call my e-lawyer! Seriously, I bet this person has never heard of me, and my tendency to take pictures on a deck. At least everyone can enjoy pearl earrings, except maybe vegans.
I've been promoting and my sale in on indie contests. I'm also shipping an ebay package today
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Kaylah makes some good promos points. Also, don't just post one thread and just leave. Contribute to the threads of others too. Chat and say things about the items of others. People feel good hearing good things. Also, come back to your thread and talk, People often say nice things, so thank them.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I got my 600th heart, so I decided on a 30% off sale on earrings.
Why Nobody is Copying You-
1)You used two or three common English words- Someone else named their earrings Moons Over Miami. They are copying you, right? Actually, thousands, even millions, of people have been exposed to the idea of 'Moons Over Miami'- it's a song, a movie, a TV show. Or what if someone called their earrings Ocean Dangles? They probably aren't copying you. Ocean is a very common word, and dangles is descriptive.
2)Your super secret supplier is on the internet- The truth is that suppliers want to make as much money as possible. They can't do this by selling fish hook earwires and little charms with paw prints to only you. So every day, your supplier to selling these to hundreds of people. And so everyday, at least ten people are thinking "what if I put these charms, on these earwires, with a little crystal inbetween'. These people don't even know you exist.
3)Your super secret design was in last month's copy of Bead and Button:
The truth is that there are probably very few original designs. Sooner or later, the pattern for a peyote stitch bracelet, chandelier earrings or hammered sterling silver hoops will be published somewhere that thousands of people read. In the old days, maybe this wasn't as important. If you in one state and someone else in another state make the same twist to the design they saw in a beading book, it used to be that you had no way of knowing this. You were safely on other ends of the country, never the twain to meet. But online, if I wirewrap a gemstone and you wirewrap a gemstone, we, and thousands of other people, can see that we wirewrapped gemstones. There are also tutorials, unconnected to either of us, telling people how to wirewrap gemstones.
4)Really, is that all that original and new?
I think a lot of the worries about copying are related to the rise of the internet as a craft selling medium. It used to be even though you ordered your supplies from a nationwide catolog, and widely avaliable books, you could often be the only person at the craft fair selling wire wrapped pendants. But without these local monopolies, how can someone be successful? Well, I would suggest better craftspersonship, publizing yourself, and making sure your items have internet appeal- good pictures, good descriptions, good keywords. But also, another part of this is realizing how the internet works-there are millions of people on the internet, who in fact, have no idea who you are. Even a really sucessful person by craft world standards is maybe known to maybe 5,000 people, and that's being generous.
So millions of people online do their business every day without any knowledge of you or your creations. They buy supplies, they create things, and sometimes they post them online- not knowing that their beads on headpins look like yours...
5)An example-an etisian showed ten necklaces that looked similar. Note that the charms were probably bought from the same or a similar supplier, and also that the idea "I love Paris' is very common.
1)You used two or three common English words- Someone else named their earrings Moons Over Miami. They are copying you, right? Actually, thousands, even millions, of people have been exposed to the idea of 'Moons Over Miami'- it's a song, a movie, a TV show. Or what if someone called their earrings Ocean Dangles? They probably aren't copying you. Ocean is a very common word, and dangles is descriptive.
2)Your super secret supplier is on the internet- The truth is that suppliers want to make as much money as possible. They can't do this by selling fish hook earwires and little charms with paw prints to only you. So every day, your supplier to selling these to hundreds of people. And so everyday, at least ten people are thinking "what if I put these charms, on these earwires, with a little crystal inbetween'. These people don't even know you exist.
3)Your super secret design was in last month's copy of Bead and Button:
The truth is that there are probably very few original designs. Sooner or later, the pattern for a peyote stitch bracelet, chandelier earrings or hammered sterling silver hoops will be published somewhere that thousands of people read. In the old days, maybe this wasn't as important. If you in one state and someone else in another state make the same twist to the design they saw in a beading book, it used to be that you had no way of knowing this. You were safely on other ends of the country, never the twain to meet. But online, if I wirewrap a gemstone and you wirewrap a gemstone, we, and thousands of other people, can see that we wirewrapped gemstones. There are also tutorials, unconnected to either of us, telling people how to wirewrap gemstones.
4)Really, is that all that original and new?
I think a lot of the worries about copying are related to the rise of the internet as a craft selling medium. It used to be even though you ordered your supplies from a nationwide catolog, and widely avaliable books, you could often be the only person at the craft fair selling wire wrapped pendants. But without these local monopolies, how can someone be successful? Well, I would suggest better craftspersonship, publizing yourself, and making sure your items have internet appeal- good pictures, good descriptions, good keywords. But also, another part of this is realizing how the internet works-there are millions of people on the internet, who in fact, have no idea who you are. Even a really sucessful person by craft world standards is maybe known to maybe 5,000 people, and that's being generous.
So millions of people online do their business every day without any knowledge of you or your creations. They buy supplies, they create things, and sometimes they post them online- not knowing that their beads on headpins look like yours...
5)An example-an etisian showed ten necklaces that looked similar. Note that the charms were probably bought from the same or a similar supplier, and also that the idea "I love Paris' is very common.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
[so not my picture!]
It seems that community supported agriculture- pay a fee, and get produce for months- has been extended to livestock as well. An interesting combination of animal advocacy- help farmers keep extra sheep, even though they aren't productive- and back to the land economic advocacy- support the small sheep farmer- this is an offer to watch.
I downloaded collage maker software so that I could make collages for livejournal easily. I was going to make a shop banner for my main site, but then I realized I had 7 ebay auctions ending today, so I promoted them instead. I tried to photograph a new item, but couldn't get any good pictures, so I'll wait until 11.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Live blogging the etsy treehouse chat; 10:30; My thoughts and a summary:
10:30-10:36 Matt seems to disagree with admin getting unfair advantages on their seller accounts. He says he will avoid specific questions. Matt admits that we made mistakes. Talks about consistent actions; policies.
10:37- 10:40 : Matt says that policies will be created so that accidental closures will be less likely. Sarahsays notes that if you're afraid to speak your mind email at community@etsy.com Danielexo said we should respect each other, but I think she is rude. Opened up for discussion. Free chat on feedback. Matt talks about miscommunications.
10:41-10:45 sellers express desires to respond to feedback. Discussion on the convo system. I suggest that we need to be able to remove neutrals. some sellers do not want detailed feedback system. Stella talks about how etsy support only has english speakers.
10:46-10:50 feedback and shipping times- should etsy be invovled? Should etsy be invovled in buyer seller disputes? Many say no- although some say that they should if they look for behavior patterns, instead of just one strike. Matt suggests a safe market place- intervention if people don't send or don't buy.
10:50- 11:06 Closure based on feedback is suggested. Stella says that if we disclose the feedback threshold, people will game the system. Stella says something about new communication tools. Matt says profiles need a revamp. Emily says something about notification that I don't understand. We can work it out, all the admins sing. Let's all communicate!
Matt- some stuff should be on a case to case basis, but we need to have clear policies. Sellers suggest training for admins. Flow charts are suggested. People suggest telephone calls too. There may be changes in the flagging system, Matt suggests. Matt suggests that 6 support people were hired. Seller board? Matt- interesting idea, sensitive info... Pro mod service? Matt: says something about consistent policies, being more careful. *imagines them as rent a cops* soap dislikes vigilante youth groups, Matt loves everyone- is he high? Matt doesn't know how Canada Post works. Emily says the customs form is proof. Emily says receipts can be proof. Matt would love to be able to delete a bad post, without letting the thread being closed down. Rokali hasn't said anything for a long time. Matt says admins shouldn't change what they post.
Sarahsays that some threads were deleted because of legal notice.Venessa and comment moderation in storque: it is a blog, not like the forums. appaently they need to keep a nice front.
Ok, at 11:08, I am ending, because the truth is that I need to lay down and cough.
10:30-10:36 Matt seems to disagree with admin getting unfair advantages on their seller accounts. He says he will avoid specific questions. Matt admits that we made mistakes. Talks about consistent actions; policies.
10:37- 10:40 : Matt says that policies will be created so that accidental closures will be less likely. Sarahsays notes that if you're afraid to speak your mind email at community@etsy.com Danielexo said we should respect each other, but I think she is rude. Opened up for discussion. Free chat on feedback. Matt talks about miscommunications.
10:41-10:45 sellers express desires to respond to feedback. Discussion on the convo system. I suggest that we need to be able to remove neutrals. some sellers do not want detailed feedback system. Stella talks about how etsy support only has english speakers.
10:46-10:50 feedback and shipping times- should etsy be invovled? Should etsy be invovled in buyer seller disputes? Many say no- although some say that they should if they look for behavior patterns, instead of just one strike. Matt suggests a safe market place- intervention if people don't send or don't buy.
10:50- 11:06 Closure based on feedback is suggested. Stella says that if we disclose the feedback threshold, people will game the system. Stella says something about new communication tools. Matt says profiles need a revamp. Emily says something about notification that I don't understand. We can work it out, all the admins sing. Let's all communicate!
Matt- some stuff should be on a case to case basis, but we need to have clear policies. Sellers suggest training for admins. Flow charts are suggested. People suggest telephone calls too. There may be changes in the flagging system, Matt suggests. Matt suggests that 6 support people were hired. Seller board? Matt- interesting idea, sensitive info... Pro mod service? Matt: says something about consistent policies, being more careful. *imagines them as rent a cops* soap dislikes vigilante youth groups, Matt loves everyone- is he high? Matt doesn't know how Canada Post works. Emily says the customs form is proof. Emily says receipts can be proof. Matt would love to be able to delete a bad post, without letting the thread being closed down. Rokali hasn't said anything for a long time. Matt says admins shouldn't change what they post.
Sarahsays that some threads were deleted because of legal notice.Venessa and comment moderation in storque: it is a blog, not like the forums. appaently they need to keep a nice front.
Ok, at 11:08, I am ending, because the truth is that I need to lay down and cough.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
We get the same ol' 'well, I mine the metal for my beads myself' thread, and so I'd like to point out something. There are probably 200,0000 jewelers on etsy[a million folks on etsy, rob says, 25% jewelry etsy tools says]. A juried site might take 100, or maybe 500 if they were being really expansive. So basically, no matter how much better you think your craft is than everyone else's- this juried site would have you on the outs.
I'd rather let everyone come in and play, even if I don't like their work, than to set up barriers for my ego. I am online showing my jewelry to sell. I can't sell anything if I've got no platform. I've sold only 64 items, but I sold them because instead of spending my time worrying if I could fit into someone's idea of what was worthy of being called this or that, I was able to spend my time promoting and spend my time improving my craft and my photos. I say that the person who is putting a pendant on a chain one day is going to start beading the next, and then comes metal working and wirewrapping and by the end, you have a great jeweler, but they couldn't have gotten that far if at the beginning they didn't have any place to grow artistically.
I'd rather let everyone come in and play, even if I don't like their work, than to set up barriers for my ego. I am online showing my jewelry to sell. I can't sell anything if I've got no platform. I've sold only 64 items, but I sold them because instead of spending my time worrying if I could fit into someone's idea of what was worthy of being called this or that, I was able to spend my time promoting and spend my time improving my craft and my photos. I say that the person who is putting a pendant on a chain one day is going to start beading the next, and then comes metal working and wirewrapping and by the end, you have a great jeweler, but they couldn't have gotten that far if at the beginning they didn't have any place to grow artistically.
decisions..
The hardest part of new items is not photographing them. It's figuring out where to put them. I have an etsy, a website, a lov.li, dawanda, and mintd. Sometimes I have a definite idea- these earrings are meant for lov.li where I put a lot of my more fun items, or some items look like they deserve to go to my website, which is my flag ship- but others don't really have a definite niche, so I am always wondering where they go.
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