Selling Your Crafts Online: With Etsy, eBay, and Pinterest

Description

• Copyright 2013
• Edition: 1st

• Book
• ISBN-10: 0-7897-5032-5
• ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-5032-7

SELLING YOUR CRAFTS ONLINE

Sell your handmade crafts and artwork worldwide on the Web!

Do you sell your own handmade crafts or artwork? There’s a whole world of customers beyond what you find at crafts shows and malls. For the first time in history, there’s a great way to reach them: the Internet! In Selling Your Crafts Online, Michael Miller guides you step by step through succeeding in the world’s biggest online crafts marketplaces and attracting new customers where millions of them already hang out. Miller offers crafts-specific tips and advice on everything from creating listings to getting a fair price, processing payments to providing outstanding service. No matter what you make or where you already sell it, you can earn a better living if you also sell online. This guide will help you get started, get successful, and stay successful!

--       Create a quick “mini” business plan that improves your chances of success

--       Discover what sells best online–and what doesn’t

--       Predict your costs, see what competitors are doing, and set your best price

--       Write compelling listings and take great photos, even if you’re not a professional writer or photographer

--       Create an attractive online presence on Etsy, eBay, and other sites

--       Discover and compare growing online marketplaces you never knew existed

--       Decide whether it makes sense to create your own craft-selling website

--       Set yourself up to accept credit cards, PayPal, or other payment services

--       Pack, seal, and ship your merchandise safely without overspending

--       Answer questions, handle complaints, and offer guarantees

--       Track your inventory

--       Promote your business on Pinterest and beyond

--       Measure your success and learn from experience

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Sample Content

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Getting Ready to Sell

Chapter 1 Planning for Success

So You Want to Sell Your Crafts Online

What Sells Online–and What Doesn’t

    Crafts You Probably Shouldn’t Sell Online

    What Types of Crafts Do Sell Well Online?

Why Planning Is a Good Idea

    What a Business Plan Does for You

    Things You Need to Plan

How Much Planning Do You Need to Do?

    The Occasional Seller

    The Growing Seller

    The Full-Time Seller

Putting Together a No-Frills Business Plan

    Before You Plan: Think Things Through

    Parts of a Successful Business Plan

    Talking Through Your Plan

    Writing the Plan

You’ve Planned the Plan: Now What?

Chapter 2 Setting the Right Price

Researching the Market

Calculating Your Costs

    Calculating Materials Costs

    Calculating Labor Costs

    Calculating Selling Fees

    Calculating Packaging Costs

Calculating the Selling Price

    Why 4 x Costs Works

    Fine-Tuning Your Selling Price

Calculating Profit

    Understanding Gross and Net

    Are You Making Money?

Considering Wholesale Pricing

Chapter 3 Putting Together a Successful Listing

Writing an Attention-Grabbing Title

    Creating a Searchable Title

    Making Your Title POP

    Watch the Length

Creating a Descriptive Description

    Include All the Details

    Prioritize Your Information

    Stress Benefits, Not Features

    Use Power Words–But Avoid Superlatives

Add Your Personal Style

Don’t Forget the Pictures!

Chapter 4 Taking Powerful Pictures

What You Need to Take Effective Product Photos

    Choosing the Right Digital Camera

    Going Steady with a Tripod

    Enhancing Your Photos with Auxiliary Lighting

    Keeping It Plain with Photo Backgrounds

    Considering a Light Tent for Smaller Items

    Fixing the Flaws with Photo Editing Software

How to Take Great Product Photos

Working with Lighting

Tips for Improv

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Updates

Submit Errata

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