I've been asking myself over and over again, why I am not able to sell anything on etsy.com, the number one crafter marketplace online. I suddenly realized that I am not a crafter. I am a designer. I've always been a designer. I started with fashion design. I designed my prom dress back in 1988.
When I left fashion design I didn't leave design. I found it again back in 2002. I started with jewelry, a passion that I had even back in high school, but never dreamed I could do. I am a designer! I have the edge of a designer, I have the sass of a designer, and I seek to provide usability through my designs, like other designers. I finally understand, and I am extremely okay with not selling anything on etsy. It's not my market. It's a crafter's market. I'll stay there because it's an inexpensive online presence, but I'm okay if I don't sell there. I'll keep working the outdoor markets, festivals, and the neo-soul & poetry shows, my people are there. One day soon, I'll have a studio and I'll sell to the celebs, divas, and style mavens of the world. Haaa! Just Breathe!
Friday, September 5, 2008
I'm not a crafter, I'm a designer
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8 comments:
love the prom dress!
Me too (about the prom dress)! -- and your jewelry is really nice too!
As for selling on Etsy -- there's so much jewelry, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. Don't give up. It takes a lot more work than just posting -- like relisting 1 or more items every day to keep a current presence, adding new items often, and taking part in the forums, in lots of topics, and promoting your butt off. I pass my cards out everywhere I go, not just to promote myself, but Etsy as a whole. It took awhile for my shop to start getting some sales, but they increased the more I got involved in other aspects of Etsy and realized it took more work than listing and waiting for things to sell. Blogging helps too.
I personally do a lot of selling off Etsy as well, but as you said, it's an inexpensive online presense for people to refer to your work, if nothing else.
I think I am not willing to relist things like others do. I don't even keep an ample amount of inventory out there. I do participate in forums, but that's about as far as it goes. Thanks for the advice, I still think it's a target market thing.
that prom dress is awesome! so perfect for that time!
Nice prom dress! You are a designer, but designers sell on etsy too. Keep pressing because it's nice to sell in more than one place.
great dress!
I think your jewelry is great! I get lost in the shuffle too, I started out on Etsy just trying to sell my jewelry and it just got buried, I mostly just sell my leather work now. I have a few jewelry pieces on Etsy but I sell more at my local craft shows than anywhere else. Best of luck to you, your work ROCKS!!!!
You were workin' that prom dress =). I send much sunshine over your way... thanks for visiting my blog.
What a perfectly stylish prom dress-great work!
You know, I think there is certainly room and a market for all types on Etsy. I will say target marketing through Etsy has me completely stumped. That being said I rely on people like myself who look to Etsy for that certain something, call it craft, art, design...I call it funky. What ever it is even if it wasn't what I sought out, I know I will find something progressive and funky on Etsy.
You are a talented designer I can't see Etsy hurting your business, it's just another part of the saturation game. Best of luck.
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