For those of you that know me, you know that I am a resource teacher and do my jewelry and bead making part time. Four and a half years ago I stopped selling beads online after a tragic event sent my life into a tail spin. I won't launch into that story here because I couldn't possibly cover it in a paragraph or two. Once things started to slow down from that a year later, I just didn't have it in me to list anything anymore.
There was a time that I did very well selling beads and so so selling jewelry. I opened an Indiemade shop, but get virtually no business from it. It wasn't the site, it was me. I just didn't want to promote, take pictures, list, write descriptions, etc. to sell. The time has come for me to stop avoiding what I remember being a lot of work and get back into the bead business. I've probably written about this exact same topic before, but this time I am feeling the push to do so.
My goal is to retire at the end of the 2018 school year. I will be 58. I am in my 31st year right now. I have been lucky to have a job that I like for the most part. It's a little scary to think about not having the same income. I have all of these thoughts running through my head.....
What is something happens to my children or grandchildren and I cannot help? Are they going to be okay? What if this? What if that?
I need to STOP!!! and remember the advice that I always offer others. Most things in life are out of our control and it is rarely the things that we try to control that end up being something that we are faced with.
So, with my retirement goal in mind, I need to get ahead financially. I thought Handmade at Amazon was going to be the boost that I needed to start selling again. I do want to do this full time when I retire from teaching.
So, I signed up and was accepted. Well, it turns out since I sold a half dozen things on Amazon in 10 years, I have a seller account. It would not let me set up shop. I spent way too many hours on the phone and on the internet trying to take care of this glitch.....
.....only to find out from my friend Staci Lousie Smith, who, if you know her, you know that she knows the ins and outs of online anything, that they aren't taking beads and components at this time. Why the heck did they accept me?
They launched yesterday and sure enough I didn't see beads and components. I did see the number 43,000 or something close to that next to jewelry and I was like..... NO WAY! I cannot compete with that. Hopefully, I will be over all of my frustrations by the time Amazon decides to include components.
So today, I am hanging my head when I say that I am going to give in and start my Etsy store back up. I left Etsy as soon as they included manufactured items, and in all honesty, when I searched for ceramic beads just the other day I was a little appalled at what I was up against, but I am going to give it a shot again.
So, Etsy, here I come..... for a while anyhow. I will wait to see what happens on Amazon and maybe I will make the switch. But for now, I am motivated to start selling again.
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| assorted porcelain beads |
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| wood-fired stoneware beads |
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| porcelain beads with shino glaze |
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| porcelan beads pistachio shino glaze |
I also checked out examples of what you will see when I get started back up!
I hope that ceramic beads are still in style......
Love your little pistachio beads! And I've bought others of yours on Etsy in the past.... :) If you look at buyers' favorites on Etsy, you'll see there are folks who know how to wade through the schlock to find the good stuff. Some of us are even happy to find more of the good stuff all in one place, without having to do so much venue-hopping! Anyway, good luck with jumping back in.
ReplyDeleteReally glad that you will be selling again on Etsy! Your beads are beautiful and I would love to have more to incorporate into my designs. I was accepted to Amazon, but am a bit blown away by all of the intricacies of posting listings. I much prefer selling in shops and galleries, honestly. But thought I would try a few listings just to say that I gave it a go. :)
ReplyDeleteMaryAnn, you might want to read this. I think it will make you feel better. http://www.creationsfromthehart.com/amazon-review/
ReplyDeleteI'm hooked! I love your porcelain beads, especially the pistachio shino! I would so much rather have your beads than what I'm finding at Michael's....! And those were surely made in China. How will I find your Etsy shop??
ReplyDeleteI am on Etsy and I dont promote myself like I should. Also maybe look into facebook selling there are many fb pages that sell beads. It is almost easier than Etsy for the fact that you dont have to pay charges etc, But also it is one on one cuz you can talk to the customer. Along the lines of Amazon, I was also accepted but have since decided not to join. Someone on FB posted a blog post about it. Anything that you put on Amazon is going to be THEIR property. WHAT? I use sweat equity to make something and they own it? Frack that! Charges are also more than Etsy. That all said I am glad that you are putting your feet back into the pool. Dont hang your head. Be proud your work is awesome and people know that. Have a blessed and creative day dear lady.
ReplyDeleteI love your beads. I am glad you are selling on etsy. I know you will do well.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes ceramic beads are still in style.
Welcome back to bead selling. I look forward to visiting your shop. I echo the comments about your pistachio shino being a favorite, but then the wood fired...oh I like them all! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting back into the swing. I know lots of people, well not personally, that are doing good business selling from FB. I still shop etsy, but it is more difficult to sort through the crap they have let in.
ReplyDeleteYou need to do what you need to do. We all need to make a buck at our craft. I have a feeling etsy will go a lot better for you then amazon. I saw a lot of UNDERPRICED items in the handmade amazon section, and some, well, not real great quality stuff. The sad thing is that is was along side some really wonderfully crafted and unique artisan jewelry. so, I think the shoppers are going to have trouble navigating. I don't think amazon's jury process is so selective after all either. Anyhow, I can't wait for you to sell beads again, I love your beads!!! I hoard a few still!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank-you for all of the tips and advice. I did take a bunch of pictures last night when we got back from a motorcycle ride...... after a weekend with grandkids! It wasn't quite as bad as I was anticipating..... kinda like riding a bike.... I just got back on and took off. I am going to start listing tonight!!! Here is a link to my Etsy shop. I should have things in there tonight and will continue to list through the week. I agree with you Staci, I think I had envisioned something very different. If it sounds too good to be true.......
ReplyDeletehttps://www.etsy.com/shop/artisanbeadsplus
So glad to hear! I love your beads (and have been hoarding quite a few), and it seems to me that ceramic jewelry components are extremely popular right now, and your style hits the "boho" trend square on the head too. I think you will do well! (If you aren't on Facebook, I would strongly suggest you set up a presence there--I have gotten HUGE exposure for my jewelry there. There are TONS of jewelry-makers on Facebook and you can even sell your stuff straight from a business page. There is a ceramic beads group too, where they have auctions.)
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