Thursday, May 5, 2011

I've Opened an Etsy Shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/darlenetwitchell?ref=pr_shop_more

I've had artwork piling up around me for a while now, always with the idea of selling it but haven't found the venue which suited me. A few years back I looked into a few, including etsy, and for whatever reason brushed them aside.

Last week etsy was mentioned to me by a friend of mine from high school who has an etsy shop, and again by my sister. I took that as a sign that I should at least check it out again. So I did, and found that it does seem to suit my needs at this point. I'm not really sure why they didn't back then, or if I just didn't realize that it might work out well for me.

In any case. I've finally opened up my etsy shop where I will be selling originals, prints, and portraits. I have yet to finish sorting out the originals which I'll be selling and I have a few more prints to get online. For the most part though, the shelves are full and the shop is open for business! Stop by and have a look! Throw me a few hearts! And if there are any experienced Etsians out there who'd like to pass on your wealth of knowledge, I'd love to hear it!

Also check out my friend's shop! She sells wonderful, handpainted glassware! My all time favorite being her changing faces glasses! And her mugs with the cherry trees and Chinese lettering! And her dandelion dishes! And...ok, I like it all! She also has a blog over here and writes books. Phweww! She must have a lot more energy than I do...

Around here I'm usually pretty quiet, I post my artwork, say a few words, and that's about it. In person, I'm quite the opposite. As I took a look at the preview of this quite lengthy post, I think I may have blown my cover, just a hair ;)

3 comments:

  1. Good luck with your etsy shop, Darlene. I had one for a short while, a month or two, but with no sales, I shut it down. Your work is beautiful so I am sure you will be successful. I just recently purchased a painting from an etsy shop. I tend to be the opposite. A bit more chatty on the blog than I am during the day (though I do have my moments when there is a willing ear)!

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  2. Hi Darlene--You may have just given me permission to open one of these. I've been looking for such a way to sell prints and originals online. Your store is just perfect. How do you do all the credit card stuff? Is that all self explanatory in the signup process? I tried an ebay store once. What a complicated mess that was. Anyway all the best, and good luck with the new venture. Wm

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  3. I've never tried selling on ebay so I can't compare them but to me etsy seems quite easy. I already had a paypal account but if you don't you just have to set one up. You'll put your bank info in there and when you receive a payment it goes directly into your account. That seems to also automatically allow people to make a credit card purchase without any additional setup.

    I just read something that they will be changing a few store policies in the very near future. One policy will be that any new items listed must be a minimum of 575 pixels wide (if my memory serves). I just wanted to point that out before you get started putting photos up. I would hat to get through that process only to find out I had to start all over again.

    I'm also quite pleased with the fees/commission. You are charged 20 cents per item to put it online. It stays online for 3 months then expires and you can renew it for another 20 cents. When an item is purchased they take 3.5% which I don't think is too bad. I'm assuming I will also be giving a percentage to paypal when it's process (another 3% I believe) but it all seems pretty doable, we'll see when I make some sales how I feel ;). They do explain all of this, except for the paypal bit, so I won't bore you with any more details.

    I'll be watching for your store opening! :)

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