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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 12, 2013 21:57:29 GMT
They are adorable! I can't wait.
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Post by Pammy on Dec 12, 2013 22:19:49 GMT
I will mail it out to you tomorrow morning.  Thank you so much for buying it from me, Diana. |
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 12, 2013 23:43:21 GMT
Pammy, how did you get recognizable on etsy? I really want to start making and selling wine charms (dumb?). The ones i made for my boyfriend's parents came out so pretty and i would love to sell others on Etsy but i don't even know where to start. Any pointers?
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Post by Pammy on Dec 13, 2013 0:10:36 GMT
Well, my biggest pointer is to have patience. It takes a while for the first sale, and then a while longer for the second and the third. My suggestion is that you make up a good many of the items you want to sell, and then open your Etsy shop. It's easy to follow the directions for opening your shop. List your items, and just keep making more and getting them listed. Having a stocked shop is key to success. If you just have a few items, buyers will not take you seriously. You want to keep more than 8 items in stock at all times. Right now my stock is low. I can't knit fast enough to keep it filled, which is a pretty good problem to have.
Another pointer is the importance of nice, quality-looking photographs.
So patience, plenty of inventory, and the nicest pictures you can take. That's about it. Etsy, of course, does take a small percentage of your sale, and each listing or renewed listing costs 20 cents. Good luck!!
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 13, 2013 0:31:58 GMT
Thank you I'm going to have to look into it and maybe try it out. If I ever go through with it I will have to let you know and thank you again! |
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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 13, 2013 1:57:47 GMT
Pammy,
How did you first get the idea of an Etsy shop?
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Post by Pammy on Dec 13, 2013 5:13:09 GMT
Well, one day last winter, I was looking on eBay for clothes for my Cabbage Patch doll and I saw mostly overpriced ancient vintage clothing in fairly poor condition, and also found a few seamstresses who sew very beautiful little dolly dresses. One of these ladies linked herself over to her Etsy shop. I checked it out, and browsed around on Etsy for a little while, and saw some hand knitted doll clothing that was -- how to say this without sounding conceited -- not really very quality. I thought to myself that I could do a much nicer job knitting little doll clothes. That was the beginning. I got the wild hair that I could sell some of my hand knits, and immediately talked myself right out of it. I couldn't charge enough to make it worthwhile. But the idea kept gnawing on me (particularly in the middle of the night). I had just finished knitting a very sweet little sweater for my childhood stuffed animal (a little brown doggie) who I love more now than I even did when I was a little girl. It was a very cold day, and I decided she needed a sweater. Well, I kept thinking about whether I really could sell hand knit clothes for Cabbage Patch dolls, and pitched the idea to my sister. She suggested that I also consider making clothing for American Girl dolls, because that's what current-day mothers and grandmothers are buying for today's girls. So I started knitting doll dresses, and when I had a few of them made, I opened my Etsy shop in April, all ready for that first wonderful day. And it didn't happen. And didn't happen. And didn't happen. I kept knitting and listing items, and then one glorious day, a woman bought 3 of my little dresses and I was in business. As of today, my shop has had 28 sales. Even now, the little dolly dresses I knit take many hours to complete, and I am currently charging $16 per dress. They cost me $7 in materials, and another $1.80 or so in Etsy fees and Paypal fees, And each dress takes a good 10 or 12 hours to make. Clearly I couldn't earn a living doing this, but I enjoy knitting anyway, and this pays for my supplies and a little spending money. This is how I paid for my flight cage, and I'm paying on 2 maple trees we will have transplanted in our yard midwinter, and I am paying for Mistletoe. I'm grateful for a way to earn some money, and hopefully my products will continue to sell, and I will be able to keep moving the price up a dollar at a time, and people will buy -- until my wrists give out and I can't knit anymore. Oh, and I have learned that while a dress is occasionally purchased for a child, the majority of my customers are women who want a pretty new dress for their own doll. |
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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 13, 2013 15:44:35 GMT
That's a really interesting story Pammy. I showed your dresses to my brother and he said you must have spent many hours on them, and wondered could it be worthwhile, money wise. I told him I thought you enjoyed knitting and could probably do it while you did other things, like watching TV. I hope you do get to raise the prices. I think your strategy is very good and inspiring.
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Post by budgieboy on Dec 13, 2013 17:00:57 GMT
I would knit but I don't know how
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Post by budgieboy on Dec 16, 2013 17:55:09 GMT
Yea I wish I could knit that would be fun
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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 16, 2013 18:21:15 GMT
There are many good books that explain beginner knitting. There are also youtube videos, some directed to absolute beginners. You could start by making something easy, like a pot holder or a scarf.
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Post by rdkntriker on Dec 16, 2013 18:26:37 GMT
There are many good books that explain beginner knitting. There are also youtube videos, some directed to absolute beginners. You could start by making something easy, like a pot holder or a scarf. I second that. Go to the library, I am sure you will find a book on it. |
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Post by budgieboy on Dec 16, 2013 18:27:19 GMT
I'm at my school library right now haha
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Post by bree1818 on Dec 16, 2013 19:15:45 GMT
This makes me want to relearn how to knit. I couldn't do dresses like that, but I can make mini blankets.  |
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Post by Pammy on Dec 16, 2013 20:19:20 GMT
Yes you could, Bree! 3 years and 5 days ago, I couldn't knit a knit or purl a purl. Seriously.
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Thank you so much for buying it from me, Diana.
