to feel furious with myself at wasting this time

[uselesscow]

I am a sahm and my dh doesn't earn that much. Last year I had the brainwave of setting up my own Etsy/craft shop selling items that are quite unusual and that I thought there might be a market for.

Tonight I have closed my shop having taken my last sale and wish to god I had never bothered. I've spent the whole time it was open wasting time trying to make it work for us to bring in much needed income and have completely failed.

I stood freezing my fat ass off at craft fairs smiling away politely while people just walked by without a glance at the things I'd made, which just felt humiliating. Promoted and promoted and promoted my shop via facebook, twitter, pinterest, blogging, everything you're supposed to do. Wasted money on books on how to sell your crafts. And all for virtually nothing. I've made about £250 in a year, and have easily spent that on books, supplies and other shite. About £20 a month. My husband who is very talented and good at what he does can make that in less than an hour doing freelance work.

The stuff I make is quite easy to fuck up as well. I've cried tears over orders that I've mucked up and had to start again. Snapped at my husband. Ignored my dcs trying to get the right photo in the right light of my products rather than playing with them.

Sorry to rant, I just feel like I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to bother. I honestly thought it would be a small second income for us but it has just been a stressful time consuming money consuming nightmare. Guess I am just destined to be useless.

Your online and offline marketing skills set sounds fantastic.

I would hire myself out as an online marketing consultant if I was you!
Contact your local enterprise board and business groups, and advertise yourself online.
Write a blog about your first business.
Use it to promote yourself as a marketeer.

Everybody who's anybody has had a first business that's gone down the tubes!
Welcome to the club, learn your lessons, dust yourself off and start again.

Well I like the shop. I think the problem is that there are lots and lots of companies making these signs so you have masses of competition. Every market out there has a stall selling this and my town has a ton of shops with the same. They are nice, I like what you've made, having said that. I think people are getting a bit shabby-chiced out though. My favourite items you have on there are the children's name/room signs. I would focus on those, tbh.

I think you could give more info under each photo of what they're made of (metal, wood, cardboard? I can't tell looking at them). I think the Keep Calm tags are a wee bit overpriced, but then again I don't know what they're made of and what quality they are in the flesh.

Have you thought about teaching classes? I think a lot of things like this people won't buy as they're just everywhere but would like to have a go making. I would, as then I could choose my own background/wording.

I really commend you for trying. I think it's soul destroying doing craft fairs at times, and it is hard to get people to part with their cash. I think sadly most people with part time craft businesses really only ever cover their costs so if you enjoy doing it keep going, but don't expect to make a fortune.

Thanks - I think most of the credit goes to Soldatauction for my suggestion, though.
Have a think about how you could put together packs - simplify them, allow for mistakes on the part of the customer by providing spares and so on. Detailed instructions maybe?

Re website - the product descriptions could be a bit sparkier and shorter.

Products look fabulous, though - don't you dare give up!!!!!

I agree with the others. I like the room signs and would focus on that. The dr suess one is my favourite but also live the owls. Why not just try a few background and one fonts. Then when you go to a craft fair you can sow the range and take orders. Cash up front. Stick with it as it is only early days and gives you a latte something that is not looking after your five kids.

Neo - you did make me laugh with your biore pad ingredients list. :)

The 50's building blocks are wonderful, I would redo the photos and put them on the front page.

Read up on SEO here www.etsy.com/uk/teams/10713/etsy-relevancy-seo-and-stats . work on youtr tags and titles.

Join some teams if you haven't already, Craft Britannia is a good one. Read the forums.

Follow other sellers, they will follow you, then if they favourite you all their followers see your items. Favourite other peoples items, they favourite you back, their followers see your items in their activity feed.

Look at treasuries to get an idea of photography styles.

I don't bother with facebook promotion, or any off etsy stuff, but others do.

Try and treat it as a hobby, and relax. Not many people make a full tiime living from etsy, but it can make a nice income stream.

And again, those blocks are LOVELY, I thought they were true vintage until I looked at your sold items and saw that you'd sold them twice.

Sorry to hear about this. I've fancied doing something similar myself. You must have enjoyed making whatever it was, and to me that is not time wasted.

Your work is lovely. You are doing something many of us yearn to do but do not have time, initiative or courage to do.

However, you need better pictures . Your current photos don't cut the mark and in a lot of cases you need better lighting.

Also please streamlined the product categories. For e.g. - 5 distinct product lines - Signs, Handmade jigsaws, Wooden Blocks, Luggage Tags and Prints. Then under each product line, have 4-5 different products.

As someone rightly said, lose the dated pieces ASAP - the "Keep Calm..." ones.

Think of something whacky, creative, exciting to sell. Something that let's your customer get excited, amused, nostalgic etc. Something that is hard to find on the racks of the Home sections at M&S, Debenhams, Next etc.

A lot of products on your website are easily sourced from the High Street at similar prices. Think about how you will differentiate yourself from them.

Thank you all so much. Some really brilliant advice and I am going to take it on board.

I think I might even open a different shop for my framed items and streamline the items in my shop as there is possibly a bit too much of too many things!

I know deep down my photos aren't good enough....I need to redo a lot of them.

Love the idea of teaching classes, am going to look at that too.

Thanks everyone.x

Also, the Union Flag products are a bit over, as well. I guess you could branch out and offer customised national flag ones for bespoke customers, though. All nations?

Another one who LOVES the 50s blocks. I would also LOVE signs with images like those...I think they're gorgeous. Could you offer "name" blocks priced per block? I just couldn't afford the set...but I'd possibly part with enough money to buy 4.

Adore the building blocks.

Thank you, the blocks are definitely the most popular thing I have in the shop, not huge amounts of sales but lots of people 'favourite' the blocks.
I think you're right minou about the Union flag london stuff, I made it all last summer but I guess it is a bit over now.
Neo, will pm you.x

*Hello 'nota'uselesscowatall!!!
I'm a glass artist and agree with many of the comments on here that it is difficult making a living from one aspect of your talent.

I abandoned craft fairs years ago, and decided to work to commission, create pieces for exhibition and teach my art too. The combination of all this keeps me ticking over nicely.

You've already said that your skill is tricky to master, so it would be ideal for you to teach it. Maybe you could approach local community centres, after school clubs, day care centres, in fact any one/where you think your art would be appreciated.

I really, really love those building blocks
How about approaching companies to sell them for you 'Not on the High Street dot com' that sort of thing.
(would that work okay with copyright of the images?)

I can't imagine there are many people left who still want to buy a 'Keep calm and....' thingie though.

I did try notonthehighstreet Patchouli, but was rejected....
good idea though!
Definitely going to look into teaching, I'm quite good at a few other random crafts such as knitting, making cake stands, so could run a course or something like that...

Try www.giftwrappedandgorgeous.co.uk as an alternative to NOTHS - and look at this as a learning experience - you've done well to start in the first place :)

You mentioned the photography, check this article out. A etsy lady picking up tips from my photographer friend Kiri at Going Digital

vickymyerscreations.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/10-tips-to-improve-product-photography/

vickymyerscreations.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/10-tips-to-improve-product-photograph

not sure how to make it turn into a link

It worked!

OP if you get a chance try attending one of these: www.wenta.co.uk/enterprise-clubs

Certainly helped my friend tidy up some odds and sods but it's a known fact that most businesses don't turn any profit for the first or second year. You've done awesome to set it up break even in your first year, think seriously before jacking it in-it would be a shame.

I love the hen signs, they'd do brilliantly round here in deepest Dorset!

I think they all look really good quality. Sorry I don't have any marketing advice but the products look lovely. Even if you do stop you should find a way of staying creative and using these artistic skills.

Thanks everyone...that photography article is great, standingonlego.

And on your photos, make sure that the whole item shows in the 'thumbnail' image.

consider photographing against a plain white background.

I love the blocks too but would be put off by the photo showing two pictures the same and they are positioned so that you can't see the sides so I would wonder if they had pictures on all the sides. Then I would just search for a different seller.