Tips For Your Etsy Shop

(Previously posted to my MySpace account. Yes, I know it's kind of a narrow topic. I swear that eventually I'll write more interesting blog posts!)

Tips for Improving Your Etsy Shop Sales

I admit, sometimes I hang out in the Etsy Forums. Yes, sometimes I also stick a fork in the toaster, and it's about the same dealio. No, seriously, I get a kick out of helping new Etsians, discussing Business or Techniques, and posting nonsense in the Etc. forum, and hunting Bugs in the Bug forum. I avoid the Promos forum pretty studiously.

One of the most common requests from newer Etsians is, "Will you critique my shop?" On the occasions that this isn't just a thinly veiled promotional shot, the advice given is pretty much the same each time. Thought I'd sum it up here...maybe I can just cut and paste next time!

* Include your full location. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is cute and humorous and I appreciate the intent, but Etsy is a worldwide shopping venue. When people come to your shop, they may want to know how long an item will take to reach them, and they certainly want to know if they are considered "International" from where you are. I suggest City, State, and Country (believe it or not, there are Des Moines in two states, and Londons in at least two countries...)

* Keep your shop announcement short. That's the part at the top of your Etsy shop. Most people want to see your photos right away, or with only a very tiny scroll down. Most of the detailed information people put there would be better off in the Profile section. If you have things you want people to read, put "Please see my profile for more information" and leave it at that.

* Fill out your Profile. Etsy shoppers tend to be looking for a little more personal experience than if they were visiting a Big Box store. You don't have to get detailed, but a little about yourself, how you got started, and what kinds of skills you have is always nice. Information about your training, your studio, or your techniques also reassures customers that the items they are purchasing are genuinely handmade by you. However, do consider that shoppers are from all walks of life and a wide variety of countries and backgrounds, and think about who you might be welcoming or alienating with certain tidbits of information. Keeping it professional is always appropriate, though many Etsy sellers go for a little more edgy feel and do bangup business, so it really depends on your target audience and your own comfort zone. Many sellers choose to disclose whether their items come from a Smoke Free Home or from a Pet Free Home (more an issue with textile workers. Both are relevant to people with allergies, not an indication of an anti-smoking or anti-pet-owning stance!)

* Fill out your policies, completely. (But for now, save a copy of it a text file on your computer...the Etsy server periodically dumps the Policies for some folks!) This will protect you in the event of non-payment, or shipping delays, or a request for a refund. Take some time to look around at other folks, get an idea of what kind of policies they have, and then do your own thing. Do you want to take returns? Do you offer insurance? Where will you ship, and how often do you ship? Do you take custom orders? If so, what kind of a down payment do you require? Mine aren't perfect by any means, but feel free to take a look at them here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop_policy.php?user_id=3188

* Have a banner. And an avatar. This should really go without saying, but it doesn't always. There's some debate about whether your avatar should be of an item you make, or of a recognizable logo, or of something else. I personally have never found that it matters, but I don't make most of my sales on the Forums. The only time the avatar is truly important is for posting in the Forums. Your banner, on the other hand, sets the tone for your entire shop.

* Have clear photos. This is one with which I constantly struggle, but given that your customers cannot touch or taste or smell your items, your photos are paramount. Closeups or artfully arranged photos seem to do better than distance shots of full items against a plain background. This will likely be a work in progress for most folks who produce 3 dimensional objects.

* Use your sections. You get up to 10 sections, to title as you wish. The titles should let your customers know what they should expect to find within them, so keeping them relevant is good. You could sort sections by functionality of your items (Coats, Hats, Scarves, Socks) or by colors, or by Theme (Birds, Rainbows, Things That Scare People), but try to avoid something cutesy that says nothing about the section contents (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta). Many people shop by going immediately to the sections, because when a shop has more than a few pages of items, it makes it much easier to browse. Be sure all your items are included in one of your sections!

* Include relevant information in your item descriptions. Some people like to tell a little story, some people like to keep it bare bones, and that's more a matter of taste. What I mean is to be sure you include such things as measurements (in inches AND centimeters!), color, size, number of items if there could be any question, materials used, and any other information someone might need to make an informed buying decision.

* Use all your photos slots. I'm guilty of not doing this. Sometimes, there just is no other really relevant angle of an item, it's true. But never have just a single picture of an item. The more, the better...remember, you get charged the same for using 1 photo as you do for using 5, so use them!

* Use all your tags, or as many tag slots as you can come up with. Make sure your tags are genuinely relevant to the article in question, or they might be flagged and removed. For example, you could tag a shirt as "shirt", "top", "clothing", "handmade", "retro", or other applicable words, but tagging it as "scarf" or "pants" would be inappropriate. Tags are the key way the search is conducted, so they're critical.

* Use your materials slots. Not everyone searches through materials, but some people do. Again, keep it relevant and true; use "sterling silver" only if your item is genuinely sterling, not silver plated or silver colored.

* Consider shipping internationally. There are constantly threads about how confusing it is, but really, it's not rocket science. If you are a seller in the US, there are only a handful of major shipping zones in the world. (My experience with other postal services is non-existent, so I can't help there.) If you weigh your item, you can look up on http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm?from=home&page=0061calculatepostage how much it would cost to send it to a handful of countries. For many sellers with items weighing only a few ounces, there's little or no difference between countries, so you can indicate one flat "Everywhere Else" price for shipping. For others, you can list countries individually. The major sales seem to be US, Canada, UK, and Australia with a few others coming in a ways behind (such as China, Singapore, Spain, and France.) With a little patience, you can broaden your audience of potential customers! (Feel free to contact me on Etsy at http://triplelle.etsy.com if you have any questions or need help.)

* And not a tip for your shop, but Promote, Promote, Promote! Find new and creative ways to promote your shop and your goods without spamming people. Consider an opt-in mailing list (perhaps in the top announcement of your shop). Find blogs and post relevant, useful information. Purchase advertising in any periodical you can afford, or online advertising. Network through the Forums, on MySpace (gee, lookit this!), and on the many blogs devoted to Etsy and Indie crafters. Attend local craft events, shake hands, make friends, and get your name out there!

Glossary of Silversmithing Terms

Since my last post was a glossary of common glassworking terms, I thought I'd cross over into my other major love, metalworking. These terms are some of the more common ones in silversmithing, copper smithing, jewelry forging, and the like.

Annealing: (Yes, just like in glass.) In metalwork, it's treating metal by heating it to red hot. It removes tension in a piece of metal, just like it does in glass, by allowing the molecules to resettle in a less crystalline formation. Working a piece of metal with steel tools causes it to become harder and harder (work-hardening), to the point it may become brittle. Annealing also makes the metal soft enough to run through rollers, emboss with patterns, or use in a draw plate.

Argentium Silver: Also called "Argentium Sterling". It's a newer alloy that has a higher resistance to tarnish than traditional sterling silver. Also reputed to be free from the concern of firescale. It's 92.5% fine silver, making it a genuine sterling silver, it just has different metals making up the non-silver 7.5%.

Burnishing: Rubbing the surface of the metal with a tool to make it shinier. Usually accomplished with a burnishing tool. However, tumblers technically burnish metal to make it shiny, rather than polishing it.

Chasing: Detailing the front of a piece of metal by using punches and metal chisels hit with a hammer.

Coin Silver: By legal definition, sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver. Coin silver has a more wishy-washy standard. It is the purity of metal theoretically matching that of contemporary silver currency. Over the years it has varied from about 83% to 92.5%. It's never been a legal standard like sterling, but was meant for silversmiths as a way to assure clients of the content of their silver.

Die Forming: Stamping or hammering a sheet of metal into a mold with the outline of your desired object. (Similar to die casting, where molten metal is poured into the mold.)

Drawbench/draw plate: A bench that has a plate with consecutively smaller die openings in various shapes (round, half round, square, triangular, etc.) A pair of rough toothed pliers is used to hold the end of a piece of annealed wire, which is then drawn through the plates to reduce the thickness/gauge.

Electroplating: Putting a metallic coating on metal or other conductive surface using a liquid bath and an electric current. Used to make materials more attractive, protect against corrision, or to make printing plates. Used by glass artists to add interest in the form of metal accents (there called electroforming, as it consists of building up a conductive surface on the non-conductive glass, then causing the surface to be plated.) The thickness of the plated layer depends on many factors, including the concentration of the "bath" solution, the length of time the item is left in the solution, and the strength of the electric current used.

Engraving: Cutting lines into metal, used for drawing, detailing, or writing. Sharp metal tools or electric gravers can be used.

Fine Silver: Fancy way of saying "pure silver." By legal definition, must be 99.9% pure silver. Much softer than sterling silver, it is usually only used for small decorative objects such as jewelry or commemorative coins.

Fire Brick: A porous, lightweight brick that can withstand the heat of soldering and brazing, as well as the heat of torching PMC.

Firescale: A marring that appears on the outside of non-ferrous metals that have been brazed without flux. Must be removed with pickle or by abrasion.

Firestain: Purple marring that comes out on sterling silver when the heat of soldering/brazing oxidizes the copper in the sterling. (Argentium does not contain copper, and does not firestain.) Acid can be used to chemically remove the oxidized copper, though there may still be staining beneath the surface.

Forging: To form by heating and hammering.

Hallmark: Not the card company. It's a mark (like a maker's mark) stamped or engraved by the assay office, indicating the quality of tested precious metal. Common marks include "925", "sterling", or a rampant lion used in Great Britain.

Liver of Sulfur: Chemical used to darken sterling silver purposefully. Generally purchased as a solid which needs to be mixed with liquid. Will turn the entire portion exposed to the Liver of Sulfur a deep black. Artists then often buff the patina off the raised portions. By leaving the dark patina in the crevices, it adds depth to a piece. Note: hot, freshly boiled egg yolks in a ziploc bag with the sterling will do the same thing. It just takes more time.

Maker's Mark: The artistic "signature" or name of the individual jeweler or silversmith, stamped into an object created by that maker. A "house mark" is similar, though it represents a company rather than an individual.

Mokume-Gane: Technique sometimes replicated in polymer clay work! In metal, it means different metals have been fused or brazed together in layers, then run through a rolling mill to make the material easier to work with. The working billets are punched, filed, and hammered to produce layered patterns.

Patina: In brief, it's a darkening or color change on a piece of metal. Many kinds of metal form a natural patina over time (a classic example is the way copper left out to the weather will turn green. The green is the patina.) It can also be used to refer to the fine scratches that objects acquier over time from being handled and polished, which causes the surface to appear differently than it did when the item was new. Often used to refer to a purposefully-induced color change, brought about by applying chemicals to the metal to change the surface colors or darken crevaces. "Liver of Sulfur" is one common way to patina silver to a deep black. Heating copper will create a multicolored darkened patina. Applying chemicals to do this is called "Patination" or simply "applying a patina".

Planishing: Hammering or refining the surface of a metal object with a highly polished, smooth planishing hammer. May be a decorative element. Planishing hammers must be kept highly polished to a mirror finish, and any contamination of the piece or the hammer face will mar the metal being hammered.

PMC (Precious Metal Clay): A clay substance formed by suspending recycled silver in a burnable medium. Common brands are PMC and ArtClay. The clay can be formed in similar fashion to pottery clay, and high-temperature stones can be incorporated before firing. Once the clay dries to the "greenware" stage, it can be filed, filled-in, or added-to. The clay is then finished by firing in a kiln (or with a butane or propane flame). The suspension medium burns out, the piece shrinks slightly as a result, and the object left is 99.9% pure silver, or fine silver. After firing, it can be cleaned and polished exactly as you would any other fine silver piece, and can be worked, have stones set in it, or anything else you would do with fine silver. Cannot be fired in a home oven, but some kinds can be fired on a fire brick with a butane torch.

Polishing: Does anyone really not know what polishing means? Can be done in a number of ways. One of the most common is to use a progression of increasingly fine-grained sandpaper to create a more smooth, matte surface on the object, then using a polishing wheel or hand polisher with increasingly fine grits of polishing compound (for example, jeweler's rouge, which creates a mirrorlike finish.) A rock tumbler filled with stainless steel shot or ceramic shot, plus a little mild dishwashing liquid or burnishing compound, can take the place of the use of the polishing wheel.

Refinish: Just like with furniture, it's making a metal object appear new(er) by removing scratches and imperfections, or even re-patinating.

Restore: See above. Repairing and replicating the original condition of the object.

Repoussé: Sort of the opposite of chasing. Roughly embossing metal from the back or from the inside surface with a larger punch/object than would be used in chasing the front/outside.

Rolling Mill: Hand driven or motorized mill with polished, hardened steel rollers that reduce the thickness of the sheet of metal. Can be used with patterned rollers, plates, or found objects to emboss texture onto sheet metal or wires. Looks much like a clothes-wringer or lasagna noodle press.

Scratch Brush: I just call this a "wire brush". Can either be a hand-held brush that looks like a wicked metal toothbrush, or can be wire disks on a dremel-type tool, or a wire wheel on a polishing wheel. Used to burnish the surface of metal after soldering. Can be used to create a matte/brushed finish on a piece of metal as well.

Silversmith: Person who creates silver objects and wrought/forged items like flatware.

Soldering: The lower-temperature version of brazing. Used to join low-temp metals. Most of the time when silver is joined with solder, it's merely called "soldering". However, silver is a higher temperature metal, and what is really being done when you "solder" silver is brazing. Solder comes in several forms: Sheet, wire, and liquid. It also comes in several "types". For example, the soft, wire-coil solder (available in several % of lead and lead-free varieties) used in stained glass will not work with sterling silver. Sterling silver solder is usually referred to as hard solder.

Soldering Pick: Usually made of tungsten, the pick will not stick to the solder, and is useful for moving around cold solder on a hot piece of metal, or for "dragging" the molten/flowing solder to a new area in the event that the solder has crawled to the wrong location.

Soldering Tweezers: These tweezers function backwards, meaning that when they are pinched, they open, and when they are released, they close. Makes it easier to hold tiny bits of solder, as you don't have to maintain pressure or worry about relaxing your hand and letting the solder bit drop.

Sterling Silver: Alloy of fine silver and copper (usually). By legal definition, must contain 92.5% fine silver. Fine silver is much softer than sterling, and is usually too soft for functional objects such as flatware, but it is sometimes used in jewelry. Any item stamped "925" or "sterling" must legally contain 92.5% silver.

Glass Terms Glossary

Not too long ago, there was a post on the Etsy Forums asking people to please not "confuse the customer". And while I do believe that Google, Wikipedia, and a dictionary should answer most people's questions, it does bring up the fact that there are a lot of technical terms in any field, which are confusing to folks who are unfamiliar with the territory.

Since I work primarily with glass these days, I thought I would start a glossary of Glassworking Terms...that way, I can point folks to it, and hopefully contribute something to the collective education of the customer base!


Anneal
To reduce the stress in a piece of glass by controlling the rate of cooling. By allowing the glass to come to a uniform temperature and then cool at a uniform rate, the internal stresses are reduced. These stresses can cause a piece of glass to become brittle or even fracture.

Annealing point
The temperature at which the annealing process starts. This will vary depending on the type of glass, thickness, and other factors.

Annealing temperature/zone
The temperature or zone where the annealing occurs. The zone is the range where the glass converts from liquid to solid or vice versa.

Bail
The loop at the top of a piece of jewelry which allows it to be hung on a chain. May be wire, solid metal, glass, or another material. May be glued on after the glass is complete, or incorporated as part of the glass.

Base
The foundation piece of glass, onto which more glass is fused. For example, a piece may use a black base, and have multicolored pieces fused to the top, and may be capped with clear.

Bead Release
A liquid consisting of powdered ceramic material. Bead mandrels are dipped into it, and are then air dryed or flame dried. The release allows beads to be removed after they cool (otherwise the glass would stick to the metal.)

Billet
Bricks of glass which are melted for fusing larger projects.

Borosilicate
One of the types of glasses commonly used for lampworking. Sometimes jokingly referred to as "recreational" or "bong" glass, as it is the type of glass used for pipes. Has the lowest COE of commonly used glasses, making it very stable to work in a flame and less subject to sudden thermal shock. Pyrex is a common brand name.

Bubbles
Just what it sounds like. Small bubbles of air trapped between pieces of glass, or in a bead. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not.

Burner
Another word for the torch used in lampworking.

Cabochon
A smooth piece of stone or fused glass used for jewelry making. Has no hole, usually has a flat side on the back. Can be glued to backings, or have a bail glued to it, or used in wire wrapping.

Cap/Capped
A sheet of glass fused over the top of another piece. Often used to refer to a clear cap put over other colors to add depth to a piece.

Casting
Filling a mold with melted glass or frit

COE (Coefficient of expansion)
A number which refers to how much and at what rate a given material expands and contracts when it is heated or cooled. It is important to use glasses of a compatible COE in any given project, or the difference in expansion/contraction will eventually tear the piece apart.

Combing
Drawing a pick or set of picks across hot glass inside a kiln.

Cold working
Any work done to a piece of glass when the glass is at room temperature, such as cutting, grinding, polishing, faceting.

Compatibility
See "COE". This is a measure of how well glasses will fuse with one another.

Crash cool
Speeding up the rate of cooling a kiln. Generally this involves opening the lid, but can also be done with an exhaust vent.

Devitrification
A whitish "bloom" that appears on glass as an undesirable effect of incorrectly firing.

Dichroic
Shiny, decorative glass created by applying metal oxides in a vacuum furnace. Dichroic coating can be applied to any substrate glass, and can be used in lampworking or fusing.

Draping
Heating glass to drape it over a form. (See also slumping.)

Fiber Board
Board used to insulate kilns, make molds, or create dams for molten glass.

Fiber Paper
Heat resistant substance used to prevent glass from sticking to itself or shelves. Can be fired between two pieces of glass to create a hole (it must stick out from between the glass so it can be removed after firing) or pre-fired to create a soft, drapable nonstick surface for draping molds.

Fire Polishing
Heating glass to the point the edges soften and the surface smooths out.

Float Glass
Clear glass, usually used for windows, made by making glass over a bed of molten tin.

Frit
Glass broken into fine pieces. Ranges from powder to 1/4" or larger chunks.

Full Fuse
The point where all the glass has been heated until it melts together to an even level.

Hand Rolled Glass
Glass made by ladling onto a table and then rolling it out by hand. Much rougher than float glass.

Iridescent Glass
Glass with a metallic coating, not to be confused with dichroic. Iridescent glass doesn't fuse to itself, and it is less likely to stick to a shelf when fused irid side down.

Kiln Wash
A powder mixed with water to paint onto molds and kiln shelves to prevent glass from sticking to them.

Lampworking
Also called torchworking. Shaping glass with an open flame, usually an oxygen/propane setup.

Machine Rolled Glass
Glass created by drawing molten glass through steel rollers.

Mandrel
Steel rods around which glass beads are made. Dipped into Bead Release to allow the glass to be removed after cooling.

Polariscope
A device using two polarized filters to identify stress in fused glass. My low-tech one is two polarized sunglass lenses and a flashlight. The only way to easily test for compatibility in unknown glass.

Pyrometer
A device for measure temperature.

Quenching
Dropping hot glass into water to cause it to break into pieces.

Ramp
The speed at which the kiln temperature is raised or lowered.

Rod
A long wand of glass, used primarily for torchworking.

Tack Fuse
Fusing pieces of glass just to the point where they stick together, preserving the texture of different pieces of glass.

Venting
Opening the kiln to allow fumes or heat to escape quickly.

Etsy Shop Tips

Moved from a previous MySpace Blog Post

I admit, sometimes I hang out in the Etsy Forums. Yes, sometimes I also stick a fork in the toaster, and it's about the same dealio. No, seriously, I get a kick out of helping new Etsians, discussing Business or Techniques, and posting nonsense in the Etc. forum, and hunting Bugs in the Bug forum. I avoid the Promos forum pretty studiously.

One of the most common requests from newer Etsians is, "Will you critique my shop?" On the occasions that this isn't just a thinly veiled promotional shot, the advice given is pretty much the same each time. Thought I'd sum it up here...maybe I can just cut and paste next time!

Tips for Improving Your Etsy Shop

* Include your full location. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is cute and humorous and I appreciate the intent, but Etsy is a worldwide shopping venue. When people come to your shop, they may want to know how long an item will take to reach them, and they certainly want to know if they are considered "International" from where you are. I suggest City, State, and Country (believe it or not, there are Des Moines in two states, and Londons in at least two countries...)

* Keep your shop announcement short. That's the part at the top of your Etsy shop. Most people want to see your photos right away, or with only a very tiny scroll down. Most of the detailed information people put there would be better off in the Profile section. If you have things you want people to read, put "Please see my profile for more information" and leave it at that!

* Fill out your Profile. Etsy shoppers tend to be looking for a little more personal experience than if they were visiting a Big Box store. You don't have to get detailed, but a little about yourself, how you got started, and what kinds of skills you have is always nice. Information about your training, your studio, or your techniques also reassures customers that the items they are purchasing are genuinely handmade by you. However, do consider that shoppers are from all walks of life, a wide variety of countries and backgrounds, and think about who you might be welcoming or alienating with certain tidbits of information. Keeping it professional is always appropriate, though many Etsy sellers go for a little more edgy feel and do bangup business, so it really depends on your target audience and your own comfort zone. Many sellers choose to disclose whether their items come from a Smoke Free Home or from a Pet Free Home (more an issue with textile workers. Both are relevant to people with allergies, not an indication of an anti-smoking or anti-pet-owning stance!)

* Fill out your policies, completely. This will protect you in the event of non-payment, or shipping delays, or a request for a refund. Take some time to look around at other folks, get an idea of what kind of policies they have, and then do your own thing. Do you want to take returns? Do you offer insurance? Where will you ship, and how often do you ship? Do you take custom orders? If so, what kind of a down payment do you require? Mine aren't perfect by any means, but feel free to take a look at them here: http://www.etsy.com/shop_policy.php?user_id=3188

* Have a banner. And an avatar. This should really go without saying, but it doesn't always. There's some debate about whether your avatar should be of an item you make, or of a recognizable logo, or of something else. I personally have never found that it matters, but I don't make most of my sales on the Forums. The only time the avatar is truly important is for posting in the Forums. Your banner, on the other hand, sets the tone for your entire shop.

* Have clear photos. This is one with which I constantly struggle, but given that your customers cannot touch or taste or smell your items, your photos are paramount. Closeups or artfully arranged photos seem to do better than distance shots of full items against a plain background. This will likely be a work in progress for most folks who produce 3 dimensional objects.

* Use your sections. You get up to 10 sections, to title as you wish. The titles should let your customers know what they should expect to find within them, so keeping them relevant is good. You could sort sections by functionality of your items (Coats, Hats, Scarves, Socks) or by colors, or by Theme (Birds, Rainbows, Things That Scare People), but try to avoid something cutesy that says nothing about the section contents (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta). Many people shop by going immediately to the sections, because when a shop has more than a few pages of items, it makes it much easier to browse. Be sure all your items are IN sections!

* Include relevant information in your item descriptions. Some people like to tell a little story, some people like to keep it bare bones, and that's more a matter of taste. What I mean is to be sure you include such things as measurements (in inches AND centimeters!), color, size, number of items if there could be any question, materials used, and any other information someone might need to make an informed buying decision.

* Use all your photos slots. I'm guilty of not doing this. Sometimes, there just is no other really relevant angle of an item, it's true. But never have just a single picture of an item. The more, the better...remember, you get charged the same for using 1 photo as you do for using 5, so use them!

* Use all your tags, or as many tag slots as you can come up with. Make sure your tags are genuinely relevant to the article in question, or they might be flagged and removed. For example, you could tag a shirt as "shirt", "top", "clothing", "handmade", "retro", or other applicable words, but tagging it as "scarf" or "pants" would be inappropriate. Tags are the key way the search is conducted, so they're critical.

* Use your materials slots. Not everyone searches through materials, but some people do. Again, keep it relevant and true; use "sterling silver" only if your item is genuinely sterling, not silver plated or silver colored.

* Consider shipping internationally. There are constantly threads about how confusing it is, but really, it's not rocket science. If you are a seller in the US, there are only a handful of major shipping zones in the world. (My experience with other postal services is non-existent, so I can't help there.) If you weigh your item, you can look up on http://www.usps.com how much it would cost to send it to a handful of countries. For many sellers with items weighing only a few ounces, there's little or no difference between countries, so you can indicate one flat "Everywhere Else" price for shipping. For others, you can list countries individually. The major sales seem to be US, Canada, UK, and Australia with a few others coming in a ways behind (such as China, Singapore, Spain, and France.) With a little patience, you can broaden your audience of potential customers! (Feel free to contact me on Etsy at http://triplelle.etsy.com if you have any questions or need help.)

* And not a tip for your shop, but Promote, Promote, Promote! Find new and creative ways to promote your shop and your goods without spamming people. Consider an opt-in mailing list (perhaps in the top announcement of your shop). Find blogs and post relevant, useful information. Purchase advertising in any periodical you can afford, or online advertising. Network through the Forums, on MySpace (gee, lookit this!), and on the many blogs devoted to Etsy and Indie crafters. Attend local craft events, shake hands, make friends, and get your name out there!

Finally Catching Up to the Blogging World

I'm not much of an "early adopter" when it comes to new fangled things, which is a little bit sad for a self-professed geek to admit. Got my first computer in 1992. I'm still active on LiveJournal. I'm a reluctant user of MySpace. I've never tried FaceBook. Should I mention that I don't own an iPod either? Still, I decided it was time to join the rest of the world and create a more "bloggy" blog than the ones I operate on LiveJournal and MySpace; the former seems the refuge of the Old Schoole, and the latter just flat freaks me out.

On that note, I will be porting over a few posts I've made on MySpace, and for a while will be conducting some parallel postings. Then we'll see!