I browsed around a little this morning, Jenni! I noticed that you got the name for your shop that you wanted, and I like it. I started a list of possible names for me in case I decide to start a shop, too.

Piddleronthewoof is very cute! And if you added a CR to your name, after the S, that would be funny, too!

On another forum there was somebody that went on and on about Etsy. She was saying that now that she's there she doesn't have to set up and tear down at shows anymore. "Fooey" was her statement about doing shows. I replied that if she doesn't want to make any money then Etsy was the way to go. It's nice to have a site there but nobody really knows about the site and self promotion is the only way to get potential customers there, such as you're doing right now. And nobody buys crafts online. People still want to touch the product, see how well it's made and talk to the person that made the item.

The writer shot back that I didn't know what I was talking about and that shows were dead. Online is the only way to go now. Meanwhile I have been doing many shows since that conversation. I keep going to Etsy and looking at her page. She hasn't sold a thing since joining in August. I sure hope Etsy isn't charging her for her space there, because if so, she's losing money fast.

I don't know much about Etsy, but I've been seeing its name mentioned constantly at the biggest craft forum that I go to. So when Jenni mentioned it, I checked it out. There is a lady there that makes things very much like I make and she is selling them faster than I can thru word of mouth with my friends and acquaintances, and getting more $$ than I am too. I just checked her records and she is doing very well and I can only hope that I have the same success that she does.

So to say that nobody buys crafts online is just plain untrue. TONS of people do and I know I will buying from other artists without touching the product first. And I could make almost anything if I was so inclined, but it's fun to buy from other artists and collect their goods.

Not everyone lives in an area that has good craft shows, I know this from experience. When the people in your area have limited incomes they tend to only want the inexpensive items. I don't want to make that kind of thing, so I need an outlet for my product and ETSY is going to be it for me, I think.

Well since I do this craft stuff strictly for fun, it matters not to me if I sell anything or not.
I am not what you would call a serious crafter. I do it for fun. I don't have to sell anything, and I don't have to do it for income. It is pure entertainment for me. I will come across something that I think is cute and will make a few....just to make them. I could never be one of you people who spend weeks making things, LOTS of things for a show.
I am to easily bored. Two or three of something and that's it, I'm off to something else.
I give away most everything I make.
If I put anything on Etsy, which I have not done yet, it will only be for the fun of it.
I have a friend that has been selling there for quite a while and has done very well. She had alot of things in a little boutique and they moved so she took everything with her and listed it on Etsy.
As for craft shows, went to one yesterday. This was advertised as big show. It was at the fairgrounds in two big exhibition halls. Parking was $8 and entrance was $7. My daughter and I went through and were out of there in 40 minutes. Nothing new, nothing we haven't seen many times before and way to many commercial vendors selling dips or mustard! One huge display of quilts and other needle crafts caught my eye. After I looked at the things they were not handmade, but were imported from China.
If someone wants to spend their time making tons of stuff and selling it at craft shows because they enjoy it and it's their income, that's great....and if someone wants to make things just to make them and list them on Etsy and sell them that's great too.
Far be it from me to knock either one. We all do what we do for different reasons...and none of them are wrong.

Etsy is a newer site but growing by leaps and bounds. I have never been able to sell anything over there but it's a lot of work. You have to keep something on constantly you cannot just let it sit and wait you have to really stay on your game.
Now buying over there...I LOVE IT!! I love buying handmade goods, from people who like us, love doing it!! To me it's much more personable than eBay(which I have no trouble selling there).
My sister and I sit and watch things on the just listed page for hours and email back and forth like little kids of the 70's with the Sear's Catalog..lol
Shows are definitely not what they use to be...but there aren't as many people crafting as there once was, and so many BIG and Super stores can import junk for nothing that folks who don't care will buy for the price. Then it again depends on all the elements of the show as well.

I did fabulous this year setting up at a Chili/Stew cook off than I did at 3 craft shows. It was amazing. I didn't sit down all day and came home with almost NO inventory. No booth fees either.
ginger

And I forgot to add christopherh that I am not self promoting! I did not give an etsy name, I did not tell anyone to check out my stuff.
I do not have one thing listed on Etsy so how do you consider it self promoting?

Well for what it's worth, here's my four cents about Etsy - first of all, I have been an ebayer for many years, in fact was one of the few where I lived that had heard about it within it's first years. I made a lot of money back then. Slowly as it got more well known it became a place where if you wanted to get 99 cents for an item, list it and you would get just that - with the occasional excellent sale thrown in.
Nowadays, ebay is just not the same...
I have registered on Etsy, haven't listed anything yet but I do look around there quite a bit and have noticed some people sell a lot and others nothing.
The good that I can see is that if you list an item it can stay listed for 4 months for 20 cents - pretty hard to beat that cost. The other good thing is you set your price, you don't have to start it at a penny and hope somebody might deign to give you a couple of bucks for it.
One thing I don't much like about Etsy is the arrangement where you can search by color (!) - if you were looking for one specific item it's not that easy to find. Browsing seems to be a better way to find something.
The site operators showcase random sellers, and change that frequently, which is a good thing and additional advertising.
They allow vintage items and craft supplies to be listed which I don't agree with since it can be a gray area - other than these items, everything on there is handmade.
My last craft show for this year is next weekend, after that I am going to list some things on Etsy, so I'll let you know how it goes.
Suzan J

Been thinking about etsy for awhile,,what does everyone mean by ( you have to work it ) after listing you products what else can you do? the cost isnt much, nothing like craft shows fees! e-bay wasnt much when it frist started, look at it now! those thinking about it would you use paypal? the money exchange is what I would worrie about, a mess up there could be aufull for your sales! and how do you know what to charge for postage? a bit to think about, I for one are always makeing somekind of craft, dont like makeing more then a few of one iteam, after a few it isnt fun I get bored real easy.
I am sure etsy has there problems to work out what co doesnt? in my area we have few place to sell craft that dont charge a arm and a leg to sell, and the few craft shows are very small, I read where alot of sellers only make there show fees! nothing like giveing away your crafts for nothing, and you save on gas and the mental stress that has to come with it, yes you would still use gas going to post office or ups to send things.
a good photo of your projects would be imporant, I buy all my gkids Christmas online cant see them frist, touch or feel them, but I am not a shopper, dont like being around alot of people! and people sure get rude during the holidays!
okay so thats my way of thinking.
oddie

Oddie, I've never tried selling on ebay or etsy yet either, but a friend did give me some tips that work well for her. She said that on ebay it is very important to get good feedback from your customers. That would mean things like answering their questions quickly and shipping the item promptly. Her tip was to take the pics of your item, then get it packaged up and weighed immediately. Then when you list it, you can list the amount for postage, and as soon as it sells, you are ready to put it in the mail. I thought that was a good suggestion. Luvs

Etsy's good for selling small craft items. Looks like most of the sales are for things to give as gifts. I've had a drop-dead quilt up there for several months and haven't gotten a nibble.

I think that etsy is probably the best forum for some artists and shows are the best forum for others.

I think if you were looking for a web shop, their model is easy to use. Setting up an etsy shop would likely be easier than getting your own url and going from there. But that would be self-promotion either way.

As for sales to strangers, it just depends where your target demographic shops. Where is merchandise like yours selling? (For the record, I have purchased things off etsy, from strangers, without touching them. So if I am your target demographic, that is a good place to find me. If I'm not your demographic, then maybe it isn't the right venue for you)

One isn't better than the other, just different.