HideAlchemist

Thanks SO much Monica! Truly a great nugget of advice. I definitely love everything I make and try to learn as much as I can with every item I craft. I guess that's what it's all about! I appreciate everyone taking the time to drop some knowledge! There's been some infinitely invaluable insights here. Love the comradery here at Leatherworker!

That is some very valuable insight. I am definitely looking into either Squarespace or Shopify as my website store. My whole plan was to create prototypes and see what items worked in terms of peer and social marketing input. And then pick and choose the strongest items to list on my store before I start to pay the monthly premiums. Along with all the merch photography beforehand. I really appreciate your reply and feedback for I will take each piece of observational advice into account. As for the camera, I literally just used my 8 megapixel iPhone 5 (any smartphone should do the trick with natural daylight) and utilized the VSCO Cam app to do post-edits to change the tones and enhance the lighting. I never utilize filters that would be deceiving to the viewer/customer. My experience has been optimal with natural lighting indoors during the day. Any grainy-ness is almost completely diminished giving a fresh look to your product. Composition is also key to "hooking" the potential customer into clicking an item. I use a tan colored baseboard from any warehouse store for the "floor" and an identical piece for the "wall". Creates a loft studio feel with minimal disturbance. I do like the effect that other online vendors use with cropping out backgrounds and just using white backdrops leaving only the item to be visible. Seems time consuming though. So much to learn everyday! It's awesome. Thanks again, mate. Sound advice.

Great stuff, my friend. Definitely makes a whole lot of sense. Will take all said into consideration. Thanks for taking the time, brother. Haven't fully launched. Moreso, experimenting with the branding. The focus should/will be to create quality goods in the hut first and foremost! And then figure out the monetization and marketing thereafter. Best Regards.

Hello everyone! I'm new to this environment and would like to introduce myself (I tried looking for the specific board to introduce myself as a newbie but not sure if I overlooked it). Name's Chris [from California] and started this leather craft journey about close to 2 years ago. I've been in my cave honing in on the most efficient methods of constructing quality leather goods. I'm still in the fetal stages of blossoming the business. At the moment still developing templates and prototypes for more elaborate products (bifolds, messenger bags, holsters, etc.). So my inquiry is moreso based on the presentation/marketing aspects [i.e. What draws you in or away?] ANYHOW... Would love to get a critique on what I have out so far before I officially launch my own .com webstore. My .com domain is (for now) directly attached to my blog template which has a link to my shop at top. But in a few months I will be migrating that domain name to an actual webstore for my "brand". Just wanted to know if there was anything I can improve upon in terms of the presentation. My website at the moment is: www.mojobazaar.com and my shop link is: www.mojobazaar.etsy.com I infinitely appreciate the time! And if there is anything I should know about forum etiquette, please let me know if this was an inappropriate post. Cheers, Chris