I don't get the point of posting my 'for sales' in hipforums any more...

... maybe it's just me.

I've been posting my 'for sale' items for months, and not even a vein of interest. Which leads me to one of two conclusions, either my items really suck or there's just no point in putting the effort in here.

If others have the same success that I do, I wonder how well the hip shops are going to do?

 

maybe you should post on other forums too!
im on at leat 4 other forums promoting my stuff some how!


and i have amde more sales!
im upto 8 sales now on etsy with just over 2 months.
slow start but its getting there.

dont give up, i think your work it wonderful and really fun!

the only thing i can really sugest for some of your work is better pics!
give it a try!

 

I'm not toooo sure what to say, but good luck, you stuff is absolutely BEAUTIFUL so it SHOULD sell, lol. Are you having luck selling anywhere else besides the Hipforums? If so, I would direct your focus there.

 

I've been posting my items on ebay but promoting them via hipforums (several forums within here) as well as other forums online... 0 traffic sales from here, unfortunately....

Maybe. But if it were so great (I have been getting positive feedback) it's not selling.

 

Ummm, what stuff? Where?
<edit:>
Sorry, had to look for it..You do nice work.

Probably shouldn't have posted back. I don't want to anger anyone, or give false hope.
I've been coming to hipforums for awhile now, & this is the first time I've cruised the show it, sell it, swap it, fora..Forgot it was here. Maybe it's because you aren't allowed to view it until you become a member.

 

There are hundreds of other places to promote your business. I've taken ours to hundreds (well atleast it feels like it) of places, and not many people come from those places either. Running a home business is hard for one person. That's why I promote and help my wife with the sewing (which I dont know much about, but I am learning). It takes time to get a following. I mean Gypsy Rose didn't take off over night. Heck we have been doing Paisley Days since 2002, and this is the first year we are going to probably show a profit. Just don't be discouraged because you promote at one place and little to no traffic comes through. We used to see alot of traffic through this site untill we were told to remove the link from our signatures, now the only time we see traffic from here is if I create a post about a product or someone hits up the archives.

Maybe you should also place ads in free papers or look into selling to the public at trade days or markets. We have had great sucess at doing that and we are in talks with a local consignment shop who wants to sell our products. Not bad if I say so myself. Plus we also have other items such as accessories and "impulse items" she wants to sell at the store. It could be a big break, and then it may fall apart. But atleast we got out there and tried to make a name for ourselves. You are doing a great job of doing that (and at your creations), but by posting just here you've only scratched the tip of the iceburg.

 

in this thread i would be honest and tell you if your stuff wasn't appealing, but i think your work shows great craftsmanship and truly is appealing. I watch some people on here make and sell some items that make me wonder 'why' and yours definitely aren't in that sort. (I dont mean offense to these other people, but i think some of them look poorly made for sale ie- not ironing before stitching or while stitching, fraying appliques and the likes. just not something i'd pay $40 for) anyways, maybe you need to promote in other places as well, it seems whenever people promote here the usual response is "i would but i have no money" which is exactly my case as well. I love your stuff but i have no money. Perhaps another problem is ebay, ebay can be a bitch to sell on because there's just so much. You'd have to sell for dirt cheap AND promote the shit out of your stuff.

I think you should check out some knitting forums...a lot of them. Maybe start up a small website and join knitting web rings. It's all a slow start, but your stuff is great. Keep trying.

 

umm... i bought stuff from you. Granted, it was yarn and needles, but it was still a sale, right? And I heard of said sale via this forum. I don't buy other people's yarn-made goods, as I can make my own, but if I couldn't, I am sure I would... if that makes sense. Most of the people on this forum are crafty though... so maybe most think like me?

 

It's just a matter of sticking to it, I think! And it never hurts to invest a little bit of $$ in a website. Personally, I bought my own domain, pay $60/year for a good reliable host, and do all my own web design. Other than joining a few web rings and a couple of link swaps, we mostly just get word-of-mouth traffic. If you give it some time like this, you'll also start getting good hits from search engines. Most importantly, You make nice stuff! Your own stuff is the very best advertising - I usually ship every item I sell with 2-10 business cards.
I don't list things up here as "for sale". On a rare occasion, I might just show off something I've made, but I feel like I never shut up about my own glass, my own clothing, etc. so I try to keep quiet! I figure if anyone wants to see my stuff, they can look at my site! Plus, I find it extremely difficult to list stuff in multiple venues, forums, etc. Between blowing glass, sewing, crocheting, beadwork, web design, and actual physical shows and festies (not to mention doing much of the cooking and cleaning while my bf works full-time with a commute), I feel like I'm working a dozen full-time jobs! That's just a built-in trade-off, though, to selling your own art. Every item I sell is made by me or him. And in the end, that feels damn good!

If you keep it up and stick with it, things will pick up (and I say this for myself as much as for you!)

 

honestly, this forum has crap for nothing views anymore....it used to be filled with people and lots of crafty people....since the sub forums, nadda.
I wouldn't count on doing too many sales from the people here, personally....it just doesn't get the traffic it used to.
ps.I would buy your stuff as well, it's really great, but I can make my own and also don't have any extra money, at all....

 

i think you should find some festivals or markets and get a booth, or try getting involved in some livejournal communities. ebay is terrible. go where people are looking for quality and originality, not something cheap and flashy.

 

I've gotta agree with that one! ebay is no good for artists who want to make a living with their work. It really is full of shoppers just looking for the cheapest deal, not what we're peddlin'!

 

yeah i only really sell my junk on ebay!
and things i collect on my travels i can make easy profit from!

for my hand made goods i sell on etsy

 

Oh, I know that... I haven't been relying on hipforums alone... That would be silly. I wonder how the hipshops would do, I was just thinking, if people from here aren't buying from people's ebaya nd etsy stores, how are the shops going to survive?

Yea, that's pretty dumb too... I wish that posting links in our sigs were allowed... oh well....

I've been doing that a bit too... actually I've been doing that for about a year before going online with my stuff... I would rather rely entirely on an online business though, it's much easier to organize and work with.

That's what I miss about this forum from a while back... once upon a time there were actual crafty people, and now with the subforums all the creativity's been drained from here... it really sucks.

 

Cerridwen, I'm not sure if you've looked into this yet, but myspace is a pretty good place for doing business (for me anyway). You can hook up with lots of other crafters, artists, ect. and you'll have a lot more exposure there. If you set up a page (or allready have a pages set up lol) pm me here at hipforums and I'll add you as a friend to help you get started.

 

I'll keep that in mind, thanks

 

Good luck cerridwen, I hope everything works out for ya.

 

thanks....