Why can't I sell any of my wares, what am I doing wrong?

Cafe Society
21

Some items just lower the quality of the site in general and ruin the presentation you want for the site. Take stuff like the felt apple, jar of love, the creams and the eyeballs as they are packaged off the site. Group your shoes on one page. group the jewelry on another page. Group the nicer art like the fern plaque and birch bark container on another page.

You need to design a printed label for the creams if you want to sell them, but people are inundated with cheep body creams as gifts so I’d drop it totally.

I would also include moccasins that didn’t have a ribbon but only leather lace.

You need better pictures. No black backgrounds and chopped off items. If it looks like something you could buy for a dollar at the dollar store you don’t want to waste your time with it.

22

I checked out your sites…same comment as others…I’m always in for something different but they look ot be all the same stuff I can buy anywhere.

I was excited because I thought some woven things would be happening…generally my favourite kind of thing, especially with bright colours!

Sorry, but I’m being honest.

23

Another thought: It looks like many of the other sellers are using a lot more tags and keywords on their items than you are. Maybe people aren’t buying because not many people are seeing your items to begin with. Try adding a lot more keywords to every item. For example, on the felt apple I’d add words like “whimsy” “cute” “fruit decor”…you could go on for a long time thinking of loose associations. :slight_smile:

24

What about combining some items into themed giftbaskets? Maybe a variety of wolf items, or something like that.

Maybe a bed & breakfast would be interested in co-marketing some stuff to people who want a special souvenir. I could see moccasins being a nice reminder of a getaway weekend.

Have you read any of the Guerrilla Marketing books? They are good for getting you thinking about different marketing angles than can be done for little or no cost.

25

I agree with the above posts, and want to try to suggest something a bit different (otherwise I’d just be saying, “I agree!”).

You have Native art, but that’s it. By that, I mean that there is no underlying theme or connection besides Native, and that’s ignoring the Sparklehorse page, which really has no theme at all. There doesn’t really seem to be cohesion between the items in the shop(s).

Take another Example Etsy Shop (that I just made up). She sells Gothy things. But when I go to her store, she has some parasols, some tights, some Special FX hair dye, some lacey skirts, a few pairs of skull barrettes, some cybergoth goggles, some spikey bracelets, some Catholic iconography jewelry.

Yes, all of that falls under Gothy things, but there’s no further cohesion! Most cybergoths might like the goggles, but would sneer at the parasols, jewelry, lacey skirts. People who would go for the skull barrettes aren’t into the romantigoth look and would ignore the lacey skirts and parasols. And those who love parasols generally aren’t into spikey bracelets.

See what I mean?

A cohesive shop would be one that focused on a sub-genre or a theme. All romantigoth (parasols, lace, pewter and jewel necklaces, etc.), all Cybergoth (PVC clothes, goggles, neon hair extensions, etc.). Or instead of genre, go for specific items: All hair accessories (neon hair extensions, skull barrettes, lacey top hats, etc.).

Does that make sense? There has to be MORE than just a Native theme. Otherwise it looks as though you have no clear vision of what your art is. Perhaps a blend of Native/new age/hippie (with the sage smudge sticks and other things), or Native baby accessories and clothing, or Native artwork, or Native fused with modern materials (for a new twist).

26

After discussion with other mods, I’m bringing this thread back. As a reminder, if you want to start a thread about your artwork, music, writing or some other work that has a commercial connection, please send the mods a note ahead of time.

27

I would agree with all of these comments.

I don’t think you need to lower your prices – I think you’re about right.

I feel like Etsy has a LOT more sellers than buyers. It also is rather difficult find things there as a buyer. I would try Ebay, as others have recommended.

28

I had a product review session with Mary Reed, one of the grande dames of the craft world, at a workshop about a month ago, and I’m going to ask you the exact same question she asked me. At any show you go to, there are tons of purses (beaded native jewelry) out there–what makes yours special?

Okay, so you got quillwork. Why should I, as a customer, value that? And if I’m not into quills, what else do you have to make me spend my money with you instead of with the umpteen other native craftspeople with similar-looking stuff? You have to really talk your stuff up, explain why it’s different and special and fabulous and more desirable than the other stuff out there. If there’s one thing Mary really hammered into me, it’s that you can never assume someone, even another craftsperson, understands what is special about your work.

And I noticed the same issues with your photos others have mentioned. If you don’t have killer photos, people can’t really tell if your stuff is great or crappy, so buying from you seems like a gamble. People ain’t really in a gambling mood here lately, for understandable reasons. Check around and see if you can find somebody who’s into photography as a hobby–you might be able to work out a deal where they do your photos for you.

29

Good, because I had actually been intending to do a Pit thread about this. That’s how pissed off I was at having taken a decent amount of time to help an OP out and then have a thread deleted with nary a damned word being said. I had to find out the BS reason by PMing the OP.