Another Etsy First!

I received an email today from an Etsy seller, silkwormvintage, who was including one of my shop items, the vintage strawberry tin tray, in a treasury she created (I Love Strawberries for Christmas). I'm really pleased (and excited) to be included!

What's an Etsy Treasury? Etsy defines it as an "ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery comprised of lists of items" and it's usually based on a theme or their favorite items. Any member can create a Treasury list and edit it as often as they like. Members can use treasuries as a great way to shop (for example, by search of 'strawberries'), click through to the items and leave comments. The number of views your list receives as well as the number of clicks the items featured in your list receive are displayed in the list's Stats section. The cool thing is that Etsy then features some treasuries on the home page!

When my life slows down a little (when will THAT be?), I plan to create a list or two myself!

First Etsy Sale!

I posted my first two items in my Etsy shop last night and one of them sold before I could even get the other one up! That told me that I'd absolutely priced my item too low. It's okay, though -- it was a good learning experience and now my 'opening night jitters' are behind me. It's odd to be so intimidated by all the great things I see on Etsy, because I've sold so much on Ebay.

I also didn't charge enough for shipping. Rather than allowing the buyer to calculate the exact shipping cost from my location to theirs, Etsy forces the seller to charge a set amount. That can be a real bargain to a buyer in California if I only charge enough to send it Ohio, but if the buyer's in Ohio and I charge enough to send the item to California, that's not fair either! I wish Etsy had a 'calculate shipping' option like Ebay's -- it's SO much better all around!

I worked it out by offering to refund any overage in shipping that comes to more than $1. As a Christian, I can't allow people to pay more than it costs and that system seems fair to me.

I'll keep you all posted on how the sales are going. . .

Opening the Shop Soon!

I spent most of the day photographing, wrapping and boxing up items for Ebay and my Etsy shop. I had so much fun going to estate sales and flea markets with my friend Bargain Hunter all summer, but all the treasures I found have to go somewhere. One of my son's friends, when he came to our house, walked down the basement steps and said, "Wow! This looks like an episode from 'Hoarders -- Buried Alive'!" Personally, I think he was exaggerating, but nonetheless, I got the message.

A Capri Cream & Sugar Set

A light blue Lu Ray Creamer

It's HARD to get rid of things! I always have a hard time at sales buying things I don't particularly like but know will sell well, so most of what I buy, I'd love to keep. These are just a few of the items I'll be listing soon -- you'll be able to actually SEE something when you click on the link to my Etsy shop!

A Holt Howard Cat Salt & Pepper Set

Shafford Black Cat Redware Cookie Jar
Tin Strawberry Tray

I'm getting into the selling spirit, though and have been reading lots of great blogs about how to display, how to photograph and how to wrap items for my shop. I have to admit that it's really intimidating -- there are some truly creative and interesting people out there in the blogosphere and on Etsy! I don't think I'll ever be one of them, but my creative muse has been awakened.

First things first -- the hoarder's pile must go. Then I can start making some things I've had on the drawing board from the vintage fabric, findings & buttons I've been collecting. I think these days 'they' (whoever 'they' are) call a person's second career the 'encore' job. Well, maybe this is my encore -- an it should be a fun adventure!