What's the minimum amount of stock?

**The Dragon** · 24-09-2009, 06:30 PM

I'm trying to work out how many pieces I need to make for my website.

What is the minimum amount I can get away with do you think? I'd like to have the website up and running before Christmas but I'm struggling to find enough time to make things. I'd like to eventually have the following sections on the site:

Necklaces
Earrings
Bracelets
Gents
Brooches
Misc

Could I get away with just say four or five items in a couple of sections or would that reflect badly and look half cooked?

As ever all advice is most welcome!

**Kalorlo** · 24-09-2009, 07:01 PM

I don't have experience with this myself, but from looking round other people's sites I think that three to four items each in at least two sections (so very very minimum of 6) would be enough to start with.

Partly it depends on design - one page with three items that each have a nice big picture and some text doesn't look empty, and you can still give each item its own page with multiple views and more text about what it's inspired by etc. Three little thumbnails hanging forlornly at the top of the page does look empty. It helps if one of the full sections is necklaces, because they're already more substantial and they obviously take more time, so it's perfectly normal for there not to be many of them.

Also, I think it's not a good idea to have empty sections listed. YMMV, but I'd much rather see a side menu that had only Earrings and Necklaces listed, than one that had a lot of apparent sections but half of them are empty. It's disappointing to click on a section only to find "Coming soon"! (By all means mention on your main page that other things are coming, though).

All just my opinions!

**EmmaRose** · 24-09-2009, 07:10 PM

I don't think there is a minimum- just keep adding if you are doing your own- have bigger pictures and more info about them- make it look like it was designed that way is all! its far more exciting to have a site with lots of new things regularly (hnags head for not updating her own often enough!)
Em

**caroleallen** · 24-09-2009, 09:57 PM

I have to ask, are you ready for a website if you don't have time to make stuff to go on it and presumably to sell?

**Atelier Ava** · 25-09-2009, 08:20 AM

You could have one of each design and tailor your delivery times to suit you if you are pressed for time. So if you have a bit more stock delivery could be 1-2 days if you have less, then 3-5. I agree it is better to have more variety in your catagories and no empty pages in others. Try and get lots of different designs to start with and then build it up slowly.
Paula x

**The Dragon** · 25-09-2009, 08:37 AM

I was afraid that was going to be the answer.

The impatient, want to start selling my stuff part of me really wants to exploit the Christmas market. The sensible, do the job properly and make it look professional side tells me that I haven't got a cat in hells chance. As I want this to be a long term venture that will, I hope, eventually turn into a full time occupation I need to realistic.

At the moment the website is the only viable way I have of selling my pieces. I can't do fairs etc as I never know more that 2 or 3 days in advance what shifts I'm going to be working, parties are less of a problem but the cliental in my area aren't really interested in artisan items. The one or two shops that I have tried have no interest as I don't have an established name.

The good thing is I don't have the indecision hanging over my head now and I can plan what needs to be done between now and the end of the year.

MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION - TO HAVE MY WEBSITE UP AND RUNNING BY THE END OF JANUARY 2010.

**lesley** · 25-09-2009, 09:37 AM

I agree that it's best to have at least a couple of pieces in each category.
Perhaps you could start out with the first four categories and add brooches and misc at a later date. People will expect to see necklaces etc. but not necessarily brooches (what is misc?)

My site went "live" in May this year so I can remember that I started with 12 necklaces, 5 pendants, 4 bracelets and 4 pairs of earrings. I think I could have got away with fewer necklaces.

I've seen sites with just 1 or 2 items, and, however much I like them, it gives the impression that it's not fully operational and I'm not inclined to return.

I like your resolution. I made..........and remade mine a few times.

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait and make a site you're happy with rather than a rush job.
You have still got a few months though and Christmas is the time for last minute buying, so I wouldn't give up yet.

**Boo** · 25-09-2009, 09:41 AM

I don't want in any way to dampen your enthusiasm, but I suspect you already know this anyway in your heart.

It's a hell of an undertaking - to do properly. I just looked at the date stamp on some of my original site files and my site first went live with things for sale in June 2007 - nearly 2½ years ago. I was a tad embarrassed with the first incarnation of the site and a little hesitant to send people to it.

I looked at it this week and for the first time was reasonably happy with the state of it and comfortable with how it all works in practice - it was a pretty tortuous journey getting there. I now have enough items for sale (it shows 288 items, but a chunk of these are sold or upgrades etc., so more like 200 actual items for sale), with reasonable photos and presentation and a decent backlog portfolio of sold items to look established. I would have been mortified if you'd told me then that it would be this long before I was actually comfortable with it and it was working well.

When I first felt squeamish that my site wasn't working as well as I wanted, I opened an Etsy shop and embedded their mini shop onto my site as a stop gap while I got the shop I wanted behind the scenes - that was a real blessing and really helped. I now work both in parallel and they compliment each other.

So why not start small like that first, put the finished items you have onto Etsy (or one of the others, there are many such venues) and embed the shop into your own site and use your own URL in your marketing. It takes the donkey work out of getting things started and working well and you could get a decent shop working for a few quid. Then you can gradually make the transition to your own shop once it's better stocked and you're comfortable with it.

**agent_44** · 25-09-2009, 10:56 AM

I'd say that was good advice from Boo there, worst think you can do is rush into it, and do it badly. I was hoping to be up and running for Christmas, but can see what with everthing else I have going on that's not going to happen. So I am trying to build up stock on Etsy and working on my site in the backround, along with the other business planning I have to do and hope to 'launch' more properly early next year.