[Crw-talk] Selling turnings on etsy.com

[Ken Grunke]

John,
  You get paid directly by the customer so it's basically between you 
and them how that is done.  Etsy handles the transaction but they don't 
handle your money except for their charges, for which they bill you 
monthly. You handle the shipping charges as you see fit for your 
situation, generally I'll add the charges in the listing for the 
customer to pay but will offer free shipping within the US for 
lightweight items of high value.

I've been doing Etsy for several years and I could be more successful at 
it if I were more active. If you keep it going with fresh inventory on a 
regular basis and gain a following of repeat customers you can do very 
well. It doesn't really replace the face-to-face contact you get at 
craft shows, but is a greataccompaniment to them. Potential buyers at 
shows who need time to think about spending will have a good second 
chance if pointed to your Etsy shop.

Etsy is a good showcase for handcrafted items if they are good quality 
like your turnings are and the pictures and presentation are well done. 
They have a ton of articles written by members on all the different ways 
you can sell successfully on the site. These are put out regularly by 
email and also archived on Etsy.com.

A decent photobooth setup is very important, and a good camera. Also a 
"shipping station" and supplies. USPS offers lots of services and 
supplies for the small business owner such as free Priority & Flat Rate 
boxes, plus online label purchases, and online arrangement of parcel 
pickup at your home. Paypal is very helpful also in many ways.

I say go for it, dive in!

Happy Easter everyone!

Ken Grunke
http://www.etsy.com/shop/naturalrotations


On 04/20/2014 09:52 AM, John & Donna Griffiths wrote:
> Members,
>
> Hello, I was browsing the internet and looked into etsy.com and 
> wondered if anyone else has tried it and what their experience has 
> been.  Quite a few turned items are listed, from pens to boxes to 
> bowls.  They take a commission of less than 4% when an item sells and 
> charge $0.20 to list an item for several months.  I'm not certain how 
> you get paid, I suppose through Paypal or the like and if a shipping 
> and insurance fee is added to the price of an item when it sells.  It 
> all sounds like a reasonable way to cash in on some turnings, but I 
> wonder what it is like in the real world.
>
> I now sell many of my turnings at craft shows.
>
> So if anyone has had experience with this or some other internet sales 
> system, I would appreciate hearing about it.
>
> Thanks, John
>
>
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