Looking At Sites...

[Wicked Impulse]

It's been about two years since I've really done any marketing on line so I've been poking around and looking to relocate myself. Doibg a lot of "myself" work these days, actually.

So, I find jewelrygeeks.com and enjoy it.

Then I find this place and so far, enjoy it too!

Ok, question.

I know a lot of people list on Etsy. How do you like it, why or why not?

Second question... what about other sites?
And Lord knows I can't name them all so please... feel free to add your faves/not so faves!

Artfire is one that comes to mind. Deviant Art, anyone?



So tell us, your goals for your craft and how it finds it's way in your place on the web.
For me... http://www.wickedimpulse.com and don't bother. Nothing there.
My Space is getting too weird to continue.
I Twittered and just don't get it.
I've eBay'd and sold from my web site in the past. Loved it.

[MakinTheBestOfIt]

I have two Etsy shops http://mboi.etsy.com and http://makinthebestofit.etsy.com .  Have to say that Etsy, with their odd ball way of doing things doesn't thrill me.  I'm currently stepping away from hosting sites and working on my own where I have the control over what is done.

[Wicked Impulse]

Yanno what...? I don't mean to sound weird or anything but I just went to your Etsy shop and just a glance down your front page was a wow trip for me. I've never been overly delighted with maille. I like it. Think it is a special person's art for sure because it confounds the hell out of me when I try. In fact, my fingers still hate me for the last venture into it! And frankly, most of it looks too masculine for my taste. I've only seen a few that do it elegantly and I gotta say... your's makes me want to get naked and wallow in it!

Is that too weird?

Most of your pieces look so sexy! (thumbs up)

I'm currently on worker's comp and it doesn't look like I'll be working in the very near future. However, I'm bookmarking you for when I do get back to work. Like I said, I've seen little maille that I fell over backward this way and I sure don't have it in me to make my own. I'll be shopping you, I swear!

Delicious! Quite tasty. Yum.

[MakinTheBestOfIt]

Thank you!  I know that I am doing something right then.  When I started maille I wanted to make things that I could wear as everyday jewelry and not so much the heavier RenFaire style. Glad to know that we accomplished that.

[Chainmaille By MBOI]

Hey I'm the only one who can get naked and roll around in my wife's jewelry!

did i say that in public........

[maillemystique]

Wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole!

[Haffina]

I have an ArtFire Studio. I was attracted by the lack of sales commission. Yes you have to pay by the month if you want to list more than 10 items, however.. you can list as much as you like, and searches are randomised, with a slight bias to verified sellers, so its a more level playing field. The staff are also very willing to listen to what the artisans want.
But regardless of which site you use, like 1000markets or Etsy or whatever.. you have to be prepared to market yourself, to promote yourself at every opportunity. If you are on a site like ArtFire, promoting other Artisans helps bring in the buyers. You also need to be very very very patient... jewellery in particular is a saturated market in terms of handmade.
As to networking sites.. personally I use plurk. I have it linked to my twitter and my facebook - 3 birds with one stone. Plus I have two blogs, use byhand.me, votehandmade and jump at any chance to get my name and items out there.

[maillemystique]

I'm computer illiterate, so I just pray for customers. 

[Chainmaille By MBOI]

I'm computer illiterate, so I just pray for customers. 

Just so you know the thing your looking at is a computer and you don't have to talk to it you have to type in to it

[maillemystique]

I'm computer illiterate, so I just pray for customers. 

Just so you know the thing your looking at is a computer and you don't have to talk to it you have to type in to it

There's always a comedian around.......................

[Chainmaille By MBOI]

I made joke yeah me

[Wicked Impulse]

I'm not very compu-savvy myself M.Mystique but I did hve a lot of sucess just putting my link out and about. Suggest you do that too. Add yourself to everything you can find which is what this thread is about. Hoping everyone tosses up their ideas and satisfaction with what they've experienced.

Years ago it was great to be a handcrafting artist. Now, with the advent of all the stores and online suppliers, most anyone can start pumping out most anything. It used to take a very long time to come across enough beads and findings to create something artful. Now most people can drive a few minutes to grab bags of whatever thrills them. It seems more about the money now too which, to me, is the most obscene.

And, yes... even more obscene than myself wallowing in the sexy chainmaille!

I don't know. Maybe I just long for the old hippy days gone by. ((sigh))


None the less, selling on line is tough. Just as much work involved as selling on the street or in a B/M store. You have to advertise, network and connect with people. Make yourself memorable and be available to people.

[maillemystique]

It seems more about the money now too which, to me, is the most obscene.

And, yes... even more obscene than myself wallowing in the sexy chainmaille!

I don't know. Maybe I just long for the old hippy days gone by. ((sigh))

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end.............oh yeah, I'm right there with ya.

[Wicked Impulse]

I'm thinking that the people who seem less passionate about the art than they are the profit will go the way of greed banking and General Motors. In fact, many of the people I knew online 5 to 10 years ago are no longer working at jewelry. The few who are have become slightly jaded, I guess. (??) Reap as ye sow.

Personally, I enjoy the commeraderie and sharing what I know as much as I do learning from others. I've been doing this for more years than I'd like to admit but I still see a lot of inspiration when I troll the 'net. I've seen things that were stunning as well as stunned me... from a, 'look how hard you tried' point of view. Stunned. That's one of the best things about comming to view this group. I am thankful for everyone who puts up their links. And don't think I'm not looking!

I stay at my mom's for the time being so it is difficult to get all my boxes and tools out and start working the way I'd like. I also have some concentration problems and am running almost daily to the clinics and specialists they're sending me to. Time, space and my own sense of what I'd like to produce versus what would be easily done on the sofa in the evenings is really confining me but I very much enjoy looking at what others are doing.

And so I wait.