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View Full Version : Has anyone used Big Cartel?



Aloyse jewellery
02-08-2010, 04:48 PM
Hey all

I have just set up my own online shop using Big Cartel. After weighing up the pros and cons between Etsy and Big Cartel I chose Big Cartel.
Im wondering if anyone else has any experience with having their own Big Cartel shop, such as how long did it take to get sales?
How do you find the level of traffic coming to your shop?
Or even any helpful advice for a someone new to having their own online shop on how to up sales?

Thank You

Shaun750
02-08-2010, 05:47 PM
I'd never heard of it.
I've started using etsy and ebay,a bit more seriously,just for something to do as much as make some money(fail!).The few sales i got seemed to have dried up.

When i had a shop, this time of year was the quietest,but i thought it might be different on the net,because it's world wide?
I will sometime this year get a decent looking website and give that a go.I'm still not sure that it's possible to make a decent living selling handmade on the net.

caroleallen
02-08-2010, 08:54 PM
It does go quieter online this time of year. It'll pick up again in September. I make most of my money from galleries in the summer months.

Shaun750
03-08-2010, 09:37 AM
It does go quieter online this time of year. It'll pick up again in September. I make most of my money from galleries in the summer months.

Good to know Carol. When you have a shop your always looking for a reason why it's dead at times(Too hot,too cold,school holidays,not school holidays).I used to talk to people from diffrent areas,and they would say it was bad there as well.It made me feel better that everyone was doing sod all as well.

Aloyse jewellery
03-08-2010, 01:36 PM
Thats good to know there are quiet times for online shops too, hopefully it will start to pick up soon.

Im really happy with big cartel and the freedom you get in making the shop your own and being able to sell in any currency you wish, which is the main reason I chose it over etsy. When I get my website Im just gonna link it to my shop as I can easily maintain the shop myself.

Im hoping you can make a living out of it although at times it can feel hit or miss. I guess its a case of trial and error at the start.

Shaun750
04-08-2010, 05:31 AM
My Brother has been studying internet marketing for years(and doing nothing with it!). Some of his long boring conversations about how many millions people are making on the ,has sunk in a bit,and make sense to me at least.

I get sent details of retail shops,regularly,just to see what the going rate is,for old time sakes. I recently got details of a shop,that would need quite a lot of work on it,but it did have a 3 bed maisonette as well.The location is quite good(Hornchurch Essex). A high street where people actually walk up and down and do their shopping,no other jewellers.The lease and rates would be £41000 a year,I'd say you could spend £10000 on it to make it ready for a retail jewellers.
So spending a few thousand marketing and online shop wouldn't be that bad?