My Temp Shop

[Wise Owl Studios]

just thought id share the link to my etsy shop where i'm trying sell items i make (unsure about if prices reasonable and unsure on postage costs)

items for sale so far:

• white deer leather pouch (made without a pattern so might look kinda odd for pouch)
  
• personalized iPad case (brought base kit from tandy leather and modified with own items such as different stitch and thread but when have the resources will make from scratch)
  
• steampunk themed plague doctors half mask (the beak part)
  
• steampunk eyepatch
  
• leather fish sculpture
  
• leather bracelets (soon will have stingray and deer leather)
  
• leather handbag
  
• coin purse
  

I am also in the middle of making a top hat

I can do custom requests to such as make the coin purse out of deer rather then cow etc

Trying to sell enough so i can buy more leather and also get some better tools such as a stamping machine,sowing machine more stamps and paints etc and get my own website (i have the domain just need a shop made)

If you interested the link is

https://www.etsy.com...aft?ref=si_shop

I offer discounts for bulk buys or large buys or if think price to high just contact me to make a deal (i'm new to selling so want my prices to cover costs and make profit but not seem like rip off)

Current offer 10% off use code - OPENING

(mods/admins if in wrong section sorry and could you please move it to right one or tell me right section)

Edited February 3, 2013 by Wise Owl Studios

[electrathon]

I want to say this as gentle as possible. You asked about prices and shipping, but looking at your stuff my comments relate to price verses quality. If your work was top end, I feel your prices would be in the ballpark. What I can see in the pictures (hard to see well) is that the quality needs to .be raised to reflect the price leval.

Your edges are poorly/ragged cut, they should look like a single sweeping cut. The edges are left raw and unburnished. In one I see you painted the edges and let the paint bleed onto the front/rear of the item. Your stitching is not a consistant distance from the edge, looks like a wandering line. Stitch holes are gigantic, they need to be sized so that the thread fits snugly into the holes. Your thread is not conisitant, it wanders left to right in the stitch line.

I will stop here but you get the idea. I strongly believe that your work/workmanship is judged off of the worst work you do. Slow down and take time doing quality work. One quality finished product is far better then 3 sloppy products (and you will make more selling the one than you will off of trying to sell three poor quality items).

Aaron

[veedub3]

I am new to leather working and have yet to complete my first project so surely I can't comment on the quality, but as an experienced web designer I can say that your images are terrible and screams amatuer. I can't even focus on the items you are selling because of all the crap in the background distracting me. I understand that this is a temp shop but you only get a few seconds to grab a potential customers attention before they move on. If you can't clean up your surroundings in order to take a decent pic, why would a customer trust that the product they are buying is of any good? It shows laziness and a customer may just assume that the same laziness will carry over to the product. If you don't want to clean up your work area then take the item to a neutral area and retake the photos (Minus items in the background unless it will enhance the product). Also a few are very blurry and out of focus, so take them with a decent camera. The appearance of Professionalism is everything when selling online and sorry but you missed the mark. I know you were not asking for a critic of the site but trust it will help you in the long run. (Not trying to be mean but sometimes you have to just rip the band-aid off!)

Karina

[Wise Owl Studios]

thanks for the input i currenly have few tools and new to selling and stuff lol i will try take better pics etc

[camano ridge]

I don't usually critique other peoples work, I know at timees my own work has things that need improving. However it looks like you are sincere in your attempt to jump into this and try to make money selling your items. I don't mean to sound harsh but it is not going to happen the way you are doing it. Again I don't mean to be harsh I want to help you succeed. As pointed out above there are many areas that need improving before you can expect to get the money you are asking. You want over $200.00 for an I pad case that looks similar to a $30.00 tandy kit with painting that looks like it was done by a 5 year old kid (you colored outside the lines) the paint is not consistent. I don't see any of your items with finished edges, it does not take expensive equipment to burnish edges. When I look at your little coin purse the first thing that hits me is that the edge of the flap is not cut well it is not a smooth arc or half circle the second thing that hits me is that the stitching holes are gigantic. Get an awl (there not expensive) it will give you far better sitching holes then a punch. The coin purse looks like a kids summer camp project. Ok that enough. Again I don't mean to be harsh just trying to point out some harsh realities. I would rework some of the finished projects like burnishing edges then try to sell them. As to the I pad case I would do another one with a better paint job and put that up as an example. Good luck and keep working at it.

[billymac814]

I would start off with making things for family and friends. Get enough money to pay for materials and maybe a little extra to reinvest in tools. You dont need expensive tools to turn out a quality product but you do need some tools do be able to, I made a lot of my own tools at first when money was tight and i needed a lot and couldnt afford it all. Once you get to the point where you can make a quality product you will have work lining up at your door. But if you put out a few bad items it could take you a long time to rebuild your reputation.

I didn't start selling my stuff until I was confident I was making a good product and I would say most people here didn't just jump right into selling the first few things we made.

Also practice the tooling and painting on scraps before putting it on projects, ecspecially projects you intend to sell. An untooled project looks better than a poorly tooled project ecspecially if its done nicely with good edges and lines.

I'm not criticizing. Ok I am criticizing but that's what you wanted right? Just spend more time on the details and it'll pay off in spades in the long run.

[billymac814]

Ok my bad, I just re-read it and it doesn't sound like you were asking for critiques, I should stop skimming. I could edit it all out but there might be something I said that'll help you out. Just research this site and learn how to sew and finish edges and it'll improve your product greatly. Also in my opinion a stamping machine should be waaaaay down the list on priorities, your a young dude you can use a mallet and save the money for edgers and awls and other very important tools.

[JLSleather]

I saw your post the day you put it up, but thought someone else might have more valuable information for you than I have. Sometimes, I may give people too much credit! So, here is something that may be of use.

Not sure what the 'going rate' is for leather stuff over across the water. I try not to guess what the value of anyone's work is -- I've seen work that I thought couldn't be sold going 'like hotcakes' despite my opinion.

One gal sells small wallets for $50 range. Materials would be around $5.00 (U.S.) so not a huge profit , unless you realize that she's selling a dozen a week - every week. Now, I don't make those, and i'm not going to start, but $500 (ish) per week for simple little projects sounds okay to me.

Some thought the 'pet rock' was crude and stupid. Maybe it was. Still, guy "invented" it and became a mulit-millionaire.

And leather crafters will often pay a pretty good bit of money for travel and accomodations to cross half the country and pay some aging overweight fella to tell them what he could have said in a post on here. Go figure!

Point is, while you may not sell much on LW (we are known for making our own), it's important to do what YOU want to do. What the next guy thinks (including me) may have nothing to do with which direction you go.