Making Changes

I've been beating myself up about not doing well on Etsy, I have been struggling with finding time and patience to list my items for sale. I sometimes come home from work and sew for 4 to 6 hours, everyday to build up stock to sell. I've also been feeling kind of depressed- it seems like others are doing great on Etsy... not me though. I get a good response when I do art markets/ craft fairs, people buy my stuff and tell their friends about it, despite all this  my poor performance on Etsy really gets me down.It's like I spend all this time and creativity on an item to sell, and then... well... it kind of just sits there.

So I come across two blogs that are my new secret guilty pleasures, ones that allow me to kind of wallow in self pity but also laugh at the same time. Regretsy and Etsy Bitch... they remind me to stay sane, but also give an often hilarious and alternative side of the hand made story and I personally enjoy a good amount of bitching. I just feel better now that I know I'm not alone and that others see the same things that I see. For a minuet I thought everyone else was totally in love with Etsy and I was alone with my crafting dispair.

I am at a crossroads with my online presence.  I feel a huge disconnect with how Etsy is currently operating- a company that isn't LISTENING and RESPONDING quickly enough to the needs and wants of the sellers, which are the customers in this case. I don't spend my money with businesses that I feel don't listen and respond to me as a customer so I think I'll have to apply the same principals to my account at Etsy. I just need to figure out what the best alternative is going to be- I do know that it will be with a company that offers great support to me as a customer with proper tools and allows me to do what I want to run my online sales.

This  blog post by Chickory, speaks to my heart as a crafter, and I absolutely love how she is saying goodbye to her relationship with Etsy, it sums up how I feel. It's going to be difficult to walk away from something that has been so good for some people. I might always feel like If i had just hung on a little longer maybe my sales would have picked up...

For now, I'll stay on Etsy. But I am activley seeking a new online venue and making plans to increase my sales in other ways. I'm not sure where I'll end up but here is my wish list:

- fun and fresh front page
- easy to list items
- inexpensive
- allows for easy shipping
- able to grow with me as my buisness grows
- not oversaturated with other sellers who are not selling handmade, who sell poorly made items or vintage ( which i LOVE vintage, but don't want to have it sold "next" to my stuff)

.... perhaps it's time to do some sort of website, and not even bother with a market type shop...hmmmmm..

love to hear your suggestions,

r