Selling on 1000Markets

An interesting situation happened with me yesterday and I thought I would share. Ive been doing research finding online 'stores' where I could open up shop and sell my beaded jewelry. So far so good! I have successfully opened five with a few more to go.

Yesterday's project was 1000 markets. Easy to use interface, impressive store front and its free. Heres the catch: Your shop is subject to being turned down based on poor photography. I have never heard of such a thing! I mean, yes...good pictures help a customer really 'see' your stuff! But perfect? Im a graphic designer and artist..not a photographer. I use a flat bed scanner for my imaging and yes, it produces shadows and multi background tones of gray and tan. The scanner has worked very well for me for many years and I have never had anyone critique my images! Ive used them on my websites, my print patterns, and my store fronts. Sure..theres a way to get a perfect photo...if you have a good camera, know how to image edit in photoshop, and want to take the time to set up a lightbox so you can control the lighting and color casts. But for a free web store? C'mon! Why should I spend several hours re-shooting 'good enough' images for:
-a free shop that allows you 5-7 products
-they charge you 5.5% + .50 cents for each sale you make
-you have to give personal information to set up through amazon payments

No thanks. I politely asked them to close my shop down.

Wholesale or Retail?

For those of us who bead and make jewelry on a daily basis (because we need the therapy!) have to question or initial costs. Is it worth it to get a tax id and buy in bulk for our bead need? Especially if we plan to resell our work. Let me know your thoughts and experiences!

my latest creation...Grand Canyon

Nardies Stuff

Nardies on Etsy

Where to sell?

So Ive been making and selling jewelry on Etsy since October 2007. Granted Im very appreciative of my sales, but wish they werent so scattered. I must say its the most economic site I have found to post your hand made crafts if you wish to sell. You pay a small fee to post an item (only .20 cents!) and your item lives in your shop for 4 months! Unfortunately, I think there are more sellers on Etsy than buyers. I admit, Im an artist, not a salesman. So it's possible my descriptions and titles for my items are not that attention grabbing. Any ideas?

Welcome

Welcome to my wonderful world of beading! Here you will find my most recent bead work, thoughts, challenges, ideas, and shared interests! I invite you to exchange ideas with me, share experiences, and resources!