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to sell handmade cards. I am thinking of putting up a few handmade cards. I have decided I should make one card to save, one to send and one to sell each time I make a card. I am thinking of online sales since I don't know anyone that could take them to their office or of any gift shops that would take them. Where do you or would you sell yours? Does one have advantages over the other?
I think of ebay for stuff you don't want anymore, and etsy for crafted, crafty stuff. . .but that's just my perception! I've found lots of beautiful things on etsy, and would be more likely to go there for something handmade than to ebay. Good luck!
Not sure if Etsy has fees to sell but ebay does, so that's a downside. Ebay is nice because even if someone was not looking for a card, they could still come across your auction and decide to buy one. Etsy has a LOT of stuff there, and a LOT of handmade cards, so you have to set yourself apart! So there are pros and cons to both! :!:
Another idea is to do local craft shows, I know when I go to a craft show I will spend more than I would on an online store/auction because I can SEE the item and also I save shipping! :cool:
I just recently signed up with both, Because I had the same question. So I put 4 of each on each site, The benifits to Etsy is your items stay their for 4 months and you name your price. On Ebay generally just 1 week. You have a starting price and hope it goes up. I have one bid so far on one of those cards on Ebay but have 4 days to go. I did sell 1 card the very first day on Etsy,Etsy is 20 cents an item and Ebay 50 cents.Extra pictures posted costs more and their is a small fee on each for the items you sell. So your guess is as good as mine ,I'll let you know after 4 months!!
Lynn
Addicted to scrapbooking is also starting online free sales. They said it is free to sell and is brand new although the online company has been around for years and is one of the biggest craft online stores.
Thanks for the input, girls. I think I will try both eBay and Esty too. I am planning to have a table at our churches annual yard sale and I will see what I can find out about the local craft fairs also. Thanks for the nice comment, Bugga.
Has anyone received random sales from etsy? It would seem to me that you would have to an email campaign to friends, family and acquantainces to get them to go to etsy and purchase your cards, versus someone just browsing and buying your cards.
For those who sell on etsy, do your sales come from people already connected to you in some way?
Has anyone received random sales from etsy? It would seem to me that you would have to an email campaign to friends, family and acquantainces to get them to go to etsy and purchase your cards, versus someone just browsing and buying your cards.
For those who sell on etsy, do your sales come from people already connected to you in some way?
Nearly all of my Etsy sales have come from strangers. A few sales have come from a parenting board I'm active on, where I have a link in my sigline.
I think with any kind of online selling, you need to do some sort of marketing. That could be email campaign, blogging, siglines on boards where you're active, purchased banner ads, etc. A combination of all, and many are free...
I love Etsy, and really think it's the best online marketplace for handmade things. A nice thing about Etsy is that results come up in google. Sort of "free" advertising if you're offering something unique.
Has anyone received random sales from etsy? It would seem to me that you would have to an email campaign to friends, family and acquantainces to get them to go to etsy and purchase your cards, versus someone just browsing and buying your cards.
For those who sell on etsy, do your sales come from people already connected to you in some way?
I,ve only been Selling their a few days but the sale I received was from a stranger clear across the U.S. I don,t have much on yet ,so we'll see as time goes by.
Nearly all of my Etsy sales have come from strangers. A few sales have come from a parenting board I'm active on, where I have a link in my sigline.
I think with any kind of online selling, you need to do some sort of marketing. That could be email campaign, blogging, siglines on boards where you're active, purchased banner ads, etc. A combination of all, and many are free...
I love Etsy, and really think it's the best online marketplace for handmade things. A nice thing about Etsy is that results come up in google. Sort of "free" advertising if you're offering something unique.
Thanks for the heads up about the "free" advertising on google. I,ll have to check it out. How long have you been selling on Etsy?
Lynn
Thanks for the heads up about the "free" advertising on google. I,ll have to check it out. How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I've been on Etsy since 2006, but I haven't been selling the whole time.
Another advantage there is that there are many fewer "non paying bidders" there. Not the right term, since Etsy isn't an auction, but I was having problems at Ebay with people winning my auction, and then never paying. That's only happened once in two years at Etsy.
I think another thing with Etsy is that people aren't necessarily looking for a bargain. They know it's a handcrafted marketplace. I think of Ebay as the place to find retired stamp sets on the cheap, Etsy as the place to find great artwork.
I think Ebay for "stuff" and Etsy for craft. At least now ppl are starting to know what Etsy is. Last year a few ppl I talked to went, "What?"
I just like how Etsy is set up like a store and you don't have to relist every week. There are A LOT of stuff though in there and I'm afraid it might be buried. I think Ebay has a better search engine.
Oh I LOOOOOVE Etsy. I go there for embellishments and purses and children's clothes and japanese fabric and kawaii... ahhh....
We sold some old hotwheels on Ebay for $650+ INSANE!!!! Tractors for $100-$300/ea and a few other things. They're great for that I think and I've purchased quite a few things from there too.
I want to try Etsy but just so busy! Even our Ebay stuff keeps piling up.
I have to agree with those above. I have a shop on Etsy, and think the site is a great place to sell. I have sold items on eBay, but not craft items. I think you have a more targeted market at Etsy.
Another huge money maker for me is providing cards for two of the local High schools for fund raisers for their swim team. I make all year long for the two I supply and the $$$ is good too...You can make a lot during this time of year if you find new ways to get your creatins out there. I also make the cute little totes with 4 or 6 cards in them and sell for $15.00. Just a couple ideas...Blessings.
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Amber, I don't quite understand how you make money from this...
do you sell the cards to the school and they re-sell at a mark-up for their fundraiser? How many cards do you produce for this?
I've never tried Etsy. My experience with eBay has been good. I have a few repeat customers out bidding each other and raising the price. I sell Christmas cards in groups of 6 (with envelopes) and all occasion cards in groups of 20 (no envelopes). I make so many challenge cards that go unused, so groups of 20 are no problem.
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Miss Boo - a.k.a. jen70
SCS Fan Club Member since 2005
Retired Challenge Hostess (2005-2014)
Limited Supplies, Featured Stamper, Clean & Simple
I'm an ETSY girl myself...my husband won't be retiring anytime soon but I have enough cards to last three lifetimes so I may as well sell a few and make a couple of bucks!
I have quite a few "return" customers. One of the tricks for ETSY, I think, is to post often...otherwise your stuff gets pushed to the back! Even if it's only one card every few days, if they look at that, there is a good chance they will check out your entire "shop".
I actually sell the cards to the school for $2.00-$2.50 each. They are nice cards and fairly simple. My in with the school was my son was on the swim team and they needed ideas for fund raisers. They can turn around and sell 1000 cards for double what I sell to them...pricing is really up to them and last year they made a load of $$$ and so did I. Then one of the coaches went to another school so I got that team too. Plus I sell cards on my hubbys desk which generates between $60.00-$125.00 per week...very nice little extra income. I still get cards to the troops too and also donate cards to my church bookstore to sell. Yikes...who needs to sleep??
Blessings.
ty Cathy...you are so sweet...much of the money from what I sell as well as the clear envelopes I sell go for postage, cardstock etc for the soldier project...So little time so many cards to make. I love thinking of all the smiles from the time the box of cards reaches the soldiers to the end reciepient receiving the cards...I love knowing that I can make so many someones smile. I appreciate all those who send me card fronts. Blessings.
eBay or Etsy where is the best place
