Is Etsy any good?

[mallitta]

Hello!

I'm not sure whether I want to sign up to Esty? It seem like theres a lot of jewellery on the site.
Has anyone else been selling on Esty? and how often do you sell on that site alone? I'm unsure how much sales/traffic it gets.

Any help please!!!
Mallitta.

[medusa]

I sell one bit every 6 weeks or so BUT I've been running down my listings and not promoting my stuff much because of personal stuff. I think some people sell pretty consistently on there. The main bugbear I have with Etsy is that it is starting to be over-run by re-sellers of tat.

[sheepy]

I'm also interested in this kind of online sales but the volume of jewellery on etsy is off putting. Has anyone used Jewel Street yet?

[mallitta]

Thanks Medusa!
Well i've just started making jewellery and am looking to try and sell mostly online. Are there any better places to sell? I got the feeling Etsy was going that way.

Sheepy, no I haven't heard of that before. any good?

[Truffle & Podge]

It's so annoying when you go to a place that specifies HANDMADE goods and you have to wade through all the manufactured garbage, someone needs to have a word lol
X

[mizgeorge]

This will sound a little negative, but if you've just started, please wait for a while before you start selling. Give things away, make them for friends and family, wear them yourself, but wait to sell until you're really sure you're ready.

When you are, make sure you're fully registered as self employed and have sorted out your tax status and NI contributions.

A lot of people start out with small events and fairs, which can be a great way to see what the market thinks of your pieces.

Online selling is tough. You really need to have a product that stands out, but is still at the right price - which often means not too cheap rather than not too expensive. There's a huge amount of jewellery on etsy (and other sites like it), much of which is dreadful, but some of which is absolutely gorgeous, but still languishes unnoticed. It takes a lot of promotion and marketing effort to get people there and looking.

Many people find blogging helps, and others use facebook etc.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, just realistic!

Sheepy - I took a look at Jewel Street as it's clearly aimed at designer makers and studio jewellers rather than hobbyists, which should keep the standard much higher than many of the other websites around (and rightly so given how much higher the commission charge is), but I was slightly put off by how incredibly slowly the site loaded, which would put me off as a customer so didn't fill me with confidence as a potential seller...

[mallitta]

Hello mizgeorge,
Yes i've done all that already i've sold to friends and family first to see how it sold. and i am already signed on as self employed. I have my jewellery on one gallery but really need to widen my audience.

When it comes to craft fairs, how many items do you suggest i have on a stall?

I understand lol, I have a facebook account and my own website but i'm just finding it difficult getting a wider audience.

[medusa]

Taking on board what George said, you could also try folksy which is like a UK etsy and as yet seems to be tat free. I know Carole sells on notonthehightstreet, but like jewellery street, they charge a fair old whack to join but as I recall Carole sells really well on there. I suspect that NOTHS and jewellery street would only be properly do-able if you are able to produce work consistently and work on a full time basis.