I opened up my etsy shop last week. I have been contemplating doing this for some time, but have been hesitant. I decided to start making jewelry last year, when I was inspired by a piece that I bought at a festival. Once I started, I got the bug! I spent hours searching the internet for the supplies I needed. The jewelry I wanted to make was unique, and the supplies weren't readily available at my local craft store. I bought wholesale snake chains, 14x14mm stones from Taiwan, and silver wire to wrap the stones.
It was easier than I thought to make the jewelry. So, now I had all of these pretty pieces, and no where to sell them. I tried Ebay, but didn't have much success there. I did manage to sell a necklace to a lady in Slovakia! That made me feel quite special.
I decided to try some inexpensive venues. I signed up for a table at a mom to mom sale. I paid just $15 for the table. I sold one item for $4. I felt like such a failure! I even did a free table at the local bus garage lounge for 6 hours and only made $8! At this point I'm starting to get frustrated. I found a local craft and antique mall and rented a booth there. It's called the Countryside Craft Mall, located on VanDyke Ave just south of 18 Mile in Sterling Heights MI. I've had a little more success there, but not enough to cover the cost of the booth.
So, back to my Etsy shop. I have already made more money there, than it cost to list everything. I add new items every day, at different times of the day to keep them high on the list of the most recent items. If you have and etsy shop, feel free to leave the link here, and I'll visit your shop and add you to my favorite sellers. All of my items are $3o and under. I want everyone to able to afford my pieces. To all of you crafters out there, if we all unite and only buy handmade products whenever it's possible, we can all have some success doing what we love! Good luck!
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