crafting
I'm looking at opening a store on Etsy.com. I still don't have a job, so I need to make money somehow. And writing will take too long, even though I've switched from my novel to a couple short stories. I'm thinking about what to name my store, probably something simple like DragichCrafts or CraftsByDragich. That way I'm not limiting myself to a particular type of item, and if C later wants to join in, turning it into a collective rather than an individually run store, the name still works.
For those who don't know what it is, Etsy is all about crafts: crafted items, supplies, and vintage. But the crafted items have to made by the seller. No reselling other people's stuff. They have specific guidelines about what can and cannot be sold. Limiting but reasonable. They are trying to preserve the integrity of being a crafter.
Listing fees are reasonable. $.20 fee to list an item for 4 months. If you have multiples of an item, it is part of same entry but $.20 for each. (3 bears = $.60) Then when the item is sold, there is a 3.5% fee on the final selling price, not counting shipping. They send you a monthly bill rather than a bill for each sale individually. You must use a credit card or a debit card backed by one of the credit companies in order to get an Etsy store. But you can pay your bill with Paypal instead if you wish. If an item hasn't sold in four months, you can pay the $.20 again in order to renew the listing.
What is nice is there is no fee to register, no set up fee, and no monthly fee. The only fees are from listing and final sale. So I could get it set up before I have items ready to list. But I have a few things I need to do first. But when I get it going, I'll let you all know. Feel free to check out the FAQs in the meantime if any of you might be interested in doing your own stores. You can link to the other FAQs from the seller's one. http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php
For those who don't know what it is, Etsy is all about crafts: crafted items, supplies, and vintage. But the crafted items have to made by the seller. No reselling other people's stuff. They have specific guidelines about what can and cannot be sold. Limiting but reasonable. They are trying to preserve the integrity of being a crafter.
Listing fees are reasonable. $.20 fee to list an item for 4 months. If you have multiples of an item, it is part of same entry but $.20 for each. (3 bears = $.60) Then when the item is sold, there is a 3.5% fee on the final selling price, not counting shipping. They send you a monthly bill rather than a bill for each sale individually. You must use a credit card or a debit card backed by one of the credit companies in order to get an Etsy store. But you can pay your bill with Paypal instead if you wish. If an item hasn't sold in four months, you can pay the $.20 again in order to renew the listing.
What is nice is there is no fee to register, no set up fee, and no monthly fee. The only fees are from listing and final sale. So I could get it set up before I have items ready to list. But I have a few things I need to do first. But when I get it going, I'll let you all know. Feel free to check out the FAQs in the meantime if any of you might be interested in doing your own stores. You can link to the other FAQs from the seller's one. http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php