Wholesale Dreams....

Welcome!

As in my last post I continue to feel that Etsy is amazing! (including today I am now at order #26 - some have had multiple items so it comes to 28 sales!!!)  I have signed up for their success newsletters and there is a plethora of information that they want to share with you, I just think it's fabulous!  They are so helpful and the forums are amazing as well for asking questions, there are so many people (staff AND other Etsy sellers) ready and willing to help you out in any way they can! Of course I want to learn...I want my shop and business to succeed!

So in one of the spotlight stories they did about a certain shop there was this link that read "Etsy wholesale" and I was like hmmmm......so I clicked on it and the ideas just started bouncing around in my head....

It is a completely different way to have your items available to  boutique owners who are looking to carry handmade goods in their boutique...hammered bangle bracelets....hmmmm....

Copper Hammered Bangle Bracelets with Freshwater Pearls

 So I continued reading; policies, took a wholesale survey (I did really well) and read all the help sections available....then on Friday I decided to apply!

You have to be accepted to join as a seller and they look at everything from your photos to reviews to how cohesive your brand is.... I know my photos are not perfect but they are the best I can do right now with the tools I have available to me at the moment, I hope that doesn't work against me.  

I am a bit nervous because they do tell you they are accepting sellers with wholesale experience first, and I haven't had the opportunity to set anything like that up with my health preventing me the past few years.  Maybe they will like what they see, and have buyers that they think would be interested in my products...I will know within 5 business days....

This.....

Wire Wrapped Freshwater Pearls waiting to be Hammered Bangle Bracelets

 This is what I do in my spare time...not that I have any orders for bangles, but I have the supplies (since I buy everything in bulk) just waiting there, begging me to make something out of them....

I won't lie...I guess the excitement of the possibility of being accepted led my subconscious to create the worst possible scenario....I had an Etsy wholesale nightmare...I saw I had 4 purchase orders and was so excited, but when I opened the first order (to see what they had ordered) the quantity said 841...whoa...then I look at the item and it was this strange looking burgundy colored bottle opener shaped like a boxing glove with a high heeled purple shoe charm dangling from it....in the dream I asked my husband if he remembers me making something like this in the past because I didn't, then I was so worried how I would tell the buyer that there had been some sort of mistake and this wasn't an item I offered.....

So I guess I am a little anxious...but we'll just wait and see what happens.  If it is meant to be, then that will be a wonderfully exciting way to have my jewelry across the country available to so many more people, and hopefully build some recognition of my brand.  Also I will most likely not have to worry about doing live craft fairs, prepping, paying fees, hoping the weather cooperates etc. and would just continue to have my Etsy retail shop along with the Etsy wholesale availability.  The connecting with customers has been wonderful and I am enjoying it so much that I wouldn't want to stop!

 If God decides it isn't the right time, then I'm OK with that too, but I will keep making pieces in my spare time, building up inventory and I will apply again! 

I will let you know what happens in my next post regardless of the outcome :)

 

Etsy Is Amazing!!!

Welcome!

As you already know...I opened my shop on Etsy on July 20th and it has been just amazing!

I get so excited when my phone makes the "cha-ching!" notification alerting me that I have made a sale! I mean I get SO EXCITED!!! But it's also a bit of shock every time...I guess because things were so slow and not happening on ArtFire, it's still a bit of disbelief that things are actually going my way!

So I can't lie, I also love the Etsy notification for when my item gets a "favorite" (heart) by someone too, I just love all the sounds that are from my Etsy shop!!!

One day, my phone made a lovely sound that I thought was for a favorite, when I checked the notification it was for a custom order request... I have had two others but no follow through from the customer (maybe they were just curious...)  

So this was a lengthy note from a lady who was interested in a beaded crochet rope to compliment her wedding gown, with links for me to see the beaded detail on the cap sleeves.  So after some back and forth I realized she was looking for a beaded crochet rope sash (BELT) which I have never made before, but I knew I could figure out a pretty way of finishing the ends for her! 

She was very happy as she had been searching for 4 months trying to find what she was looking for and I was so excited to start creating something unique for her special day!  We agreed to have me send her photos of the process so she could okay everything and the more she got excited about it the more I got excited about it!


So here are her colors all ready in my bead spinner and the first half completed along with a beaded tassel for the end:

Custom Blend Ready For Stringing

 

Custom Beaded Crochet Bridal Sash

 I was worried that I might run out of thread and beads so of course I ordered back ups :)  As the rope got longer I fell more and more in love with it!   I estimated about 3 weeks for production time and delivery time of thread and back up beads...but somehow I must have been a machine because I finished it faster than half that time!  (and somehow I had just enough thread and beads!)

I have to say, I was actually a bit nervous as this was my first custom rope order on Etsy...all my other beaded crochet ropes I make in my spare time, to keep me busy and they're so relaxing to make, but this was different in a way.  Still relaxing to make, but I have never had a time constraint before, and for her wedding dress...I wanted it to be absolutely perfect for her special day... but as the days went on I seemed to relax into the idea that she chose me for a reason and it was going to be perfect :)

Here it is all completed: 95" in length including the beaded tassel ends and I added in a contrasting bangle bracelet that she could wear to her wedding shower or give as a gift to her maid of honor (a little surprise that I didn't tell her about)

Custom Beaded Crochet Bridal Sash with Contrasting Bangle Bracelet

 I sent it off in the mail this past week, but my December bride was very smart in having me ship it to her parents' place (so that her fiance wouldn't accidentally stumble across it) and in doing so, she will have to wait until Thanksgiving to actually see it in person... I can't wait for her reaction! She was so pleased with the photos, I'm so excited for her to see it and touch it in person!  I asked if she wouldn't mind sending me a photo of her in her dress with the rope from her wedding, I will have to ask permission to use the photo so I can share it with you, I will keep you posted on that!

So...as I said, Etsy is amazing!  I am so enjoying it and look forward to the holiday season, hoping for lots of sales, looking forward to packaging them all up and mailing them out, I really do love every part of the whole process.  It just makes my heart happy that people are loving my pieces as much as I loved creating them!