Members jbird Posted April 20, 2009 Members Report Posted April 20, 2009 Howdy all What's new, well let me start here's my spot and not a good one I must say, I need advise on my leather biz it's suffering in the first I was selling stuff nicley and I was not that good as you all know. I am now selling zip I have tried eBay no luck just a bill, I have a etsy site no luck to speak of. I am totaly in need of selling my stuff because I can't afford it other wise I am low on supplys more then ever before and I am going a bit cross eyed over the hole thing. So what am I doing wrong I now the stuff is ok and is worth selling it's better than what I see around I was just at the gun show and I am telling you I am better than those that were there so what's wrong with my plan what am I doing wrong. I have got some great ideas from ray and I will following through on some of that but I am wondering if you Sages of the battle feild have any advice thanks Josh Quote Josh Dusty Chaps Leather & Seven O Saddle Shop 801-809-8456 Keep moving forward! On a horse. Hebrews 4:12 My link
Ambassador Luke Hatley Posted April 20, 2009 Ambassador Report Posted April 20, 2009 JOSH............i am very lucky i was fortanuate to retire early so the leather work i do is money to "jingle in my pocket."i do not stay that busy every day ,a lot of times it is "feast or faminn. there will be dry times and then BAM. ...EVERY BODY WANTS SOMETHING. that is what i am doing now. in my slack time i try to build up my inventory for prospective customers. Just hang tight it will come soon....... Quote Luke
Members flyingcuda Posted April 20, 2009 Members Report Posted April 20, 2009 i know the feeling i opened a lingerie store which has a small section for the adult toys..not in plain view..and i also have some of my leather displayed. we are 2 months late in our rent, and our bills are building much faster than money coming in. it looks like we will have to close up shop. i really don't want to, i know that in time it will pick up again..but the ones owed money are not going to be much more patient. i get advice to advertise more...great idea!!!! if you have the money for it. so thats a no go. like you..my leather supplies are dwindling. market yourself better?...how do you do that without the dollars to assist in that. maybe put up some local flyers that for the next month or so..saying that during these hard times we will lower our prices not our standards? do you have a local radio station or newspaper? maybe see if you can sponser a contest of some sort where the prize is something from you...like a key fob with your towns name on it or something? i dont know if they would charge you for that or not...maybe tell them that if they advertise this contest for you...that WHEN business picks up for you...then you would be willing to pay for ads when the money starts flowing again. sorry...didnt realise i had typed this much. just wanted to let you know that you are definatly not suffering alone Quote
Timd Posted April 20, 2009 Report Posted April 20, 2009 Josh, try making something and donate it to a local cause. It helps me out when I do it, and you're also giving back. If it can or will be displayed, make sure you have plenty of business cards available next to your product. Quote
Members jbird Posted April 21, 2009 Author Members Report Posted April 21, 2009 (edited) Well I am not sure what to say but its not a easy road to make any money but man I try and sounds like you do to, as a funny guy often says TAKE LUCK its take care and Good Luck josh i know the feeling i opened a lingerie store which has a small section for the adult toys..not in plain view..and i also have some of my leather displayed. we are 2 months late in our rent, and our bills are building much faster than money coming in. it looks like we will have to close up shop. i really don't want to, i know that in time it will pick up again..but the ones owed money are not going to be much more patient. i get advice to advertise more...great idea!!!! if you have the money for it. so thats a no go. like you..my leather supplies are dwindling. market yourself better?...how do you do that without the dollars to assist in that. maybe put up some local flyers that for the next month or so..saying that during these hard times we will lower our prices not our standards? do you have a local radio station or newspaper? maybe see if you can sponser a contest of some sort where the prize is something from you...like a key fob with your towns name on it or something? i dont know if they would charge you for that or not...maybe tell them that if they advertise this contest for you...that WHEN business picks up for you...then you would be willing to pay for ads when the money starts flowing again. sorry...didnt realise i had typed this much. just wanted to let you know that you are definatly not suffering alone thanks for the input guys I am a little more up beat tonight Josh Edited April 21, 2009 by jbird Quote Josh Dusty Chaps Leather & Seven O Saddle Shop 801-809-8456 Keep moving forward! On a horse. Hebrews 4:12 My link
Members kevinhopkins Posted April 21, 2009 Members Report Posted April 21, 2009 Hi Josh, Actually, I'm writing a book on the subject. If you'll email me at Kevin@springfieldleather.com I'll send you my ramblings thus far. Since it's free, you can't go wrong. And I'd appreciate your feed back on it.... Kevin Hopkins/Springfield Leather Quote
Members jbird Posted April 21, 2009 Author Members Report Posted April 21, 2009 Email sent Josh Hi Josh, Actually, I'm writing a book on the subject. If you'll email me at Kevin@springfieldleather.com I'll send you my ramblings thus far. Since it's free, you can't go wrong. And I'd appreciate your feed back on it.... Kevin Hopkins/Springfield Leather Quote Josh Dusty Chaps Leather & Seven O Saddle Shop 801-809-8456 Keep moving forward! On a horse. Hebrews 4:12 My link
Members CitizenKate Posted April 21, 2009 Members Report Posted April 21, 2009 Josh, Don't be discouraged. I was listing on Etsy more than a month before my first sale came. But eventually, I was getting some sales, until a big project came along and I had to take some time away from it. Here are some general guidelines for selling on Etsy that I picked up along the way: - What to sell there... A good variety of your offerings, both in function and pricing, will improve your odds for a sale. You can't have something for everyone, but the more you can spread out, the better your odds of selling. Try to add more smaller items, and save the feature spots for your specialties (like those cowboy cuffs - nice!). - A well-stocked and well-appointed shop is more attractive to buyers than a shop with very few items little attention to the overall theme. Get at least a couple of pages of items to show. Provide plenty of information about yourself and your business in your profile. Your banner is a good concept, but it doesn't do your work justice. Try to come up with a better one. (Sheesh, I should talk - I'm in the process of making a better one for my shop, too. ) - The photography must be as good as you can get it. Learn as much as you can about taking good product shots. This is true of any online selling venue. The images you provide are all buyers have to determine the quality of your work, so the time you invest in learning to take good photos of your work will have an impact on your sales. Here's a couple of good places to start: Product photography tips at tabletopstudio.com EtsyWiki Photos And here's a thread here on LW on an easy and cheap way to build a light/photo/soft box. - You usually get the most traffic from Etsy searches when you have something newly listed. So it helps to list things often. If you have several items to list, instead of listing them all at once, list them at extended intervals. I don't subscribe to the practice of re-listing items that haven't expired, as many seller do. Etsy likes to see the frenzy of new listings, so the searches are weighted in favor of them. I think they need to earn their Pfennigs like the rest of us. - Participate in the forums. It's mostly sellers who hang out there, but a lot of sellers are also buyers. Every time you post there, a potential buyer may see your post an check out your shop. There's more, but hopefully this will give you some ideas. Hang in there, Josh, you're awesome! Kate Quote
Members jbird Posted April 21, 2009 Author Members Report Posted April 21, 2009 Kate I can't thank you enough for so thoughtfull and exelent advice thank you I am very much in your debt and please take me at my word when I say that I mean every word I say. I am hopefull thanks to you best of luck on your biz and I hope I can repay you somday. Josh Quote Josh Dusty Chaps Leather & Seven O Saddle Shop 801-809-8456 Keep moving forward! On a horse. Hebrews 4:12 My link
Members 2MadJacks Posted April 21, 2009 Members Report Posted April 21, 2009 Well Josh, This may sound a little crazy but are your prices to cheap. Sometimes raising them will help sell handcrafted items simply because some people still believe in the old saying "you get what you pay for". And if your prices are nearly free then they may think your work isn't as good as we all know it is. A bit off hear but I know that if I have something of no use to me but may be good to someone else. I put this Item on the curb with a free sign and it will set there for days but if I put a $20 for sale sign on it, SOLD in minutes. I don't really get this thinking, but its true. Don't know if this helps or not but good luck, James Quote
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