Etsy, Etsy, Etsy! What’s all this about Etsy?
I’d like to see what Work at Home Moms are doing on Etsy :)
So leave your Etsy link in the comments please – and do share your experiences and be sure to use a good email address as I may contact you for a feature on the show.
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Hi, I just opened my ie (I just added you as my start page yesterday) and I was so surprised to see Etsy in big letters! I have been making jewellery as a hobby and people kept telling me I should sell it. I am a SAHM of a 22 month-old and a 4 year-old and I would really like to continue to stay home if I can figure out how to make some money. Long story short, I started with Etsy in October.
My first Etsy shop: ZoeandEdgar.etsy.com (named after my kids) I started selling some sterling silver wire. I bought some in bulk wholesale to get a better price, thinking I could earn some of the money back to pay for my hobby. I sold some but it was not as lucrative as I thought it would be.
Then I started selling some of my jewellery. I got some good response. I sold some, I have been added into lots of people’s favourites. Started selling some other supplies.
I just opened a new etsy shop this week: http://www.cghandmade.etsy.com
I will be selling just jewellery on the one, and just supplies on the original. That’s my plan anyway.
A review of Etsy for SAHMs: Not a huge moneymaker unless you market A LOT and do stuff outside of etsy as well (shows, advertising, forums, etc.) If you have time for all of that and are in it for the money pick something else because you can easily make more doing something else for the amount of time you have to put in.
That said, I love Etsy. It has a great supportive culture. It is inexpensive to list $0.20 for a 4 month listing. This is a lot less expensive than ebay. No monthly fee, and you can do it as time permits. I would love to make some real money, but realistically, right now, with the time I have available to me, I am just happy to make the odd sale here and there and be able to justify my jewellery-making obsession to my husband (and myself!).
Is that too long for a comment?
Sorry about the blah blah, but I hope somebody gets some info out of it.
I would love for you to check out my jewellery and comment. For the record, I have been getting more sales in my local community than on Etsy, and I have been slowly building up my jewellery-making business. Etsy gave me that initial starting point.
Christine
http://www.ZoeandEdgar.etsy.com
http://www.cghandmade.etsy.com
Hi! I opened up my etsy shop, VM Designs ~ Baubles & Trinkets, about 2 months ago. I’ve been designing jewelry in my real life for several years and decided to test out the internet waters. So far it’s been great! I do mainly children’s jewelry in my etsy shop, however I also have pieces for mamas too! I love the community aspect of etsy! Wonderful to be in such an artistic corner of the world!
Please stop by my shop sometime!
Vicki
VM Designs ~ Baubles & Trinkets
http://www.vmdesigns.etsy.com
Love, Love, Love Etsy. I had a friend selling jewelry who told me about it, and said I should put my baby hair clips for sale there. I did, and the business has grown (products and sales).
This is what I’ve been able to find and do, all at Etsy: wholsaling, custom orders, making friends, BIG support groups, and overall helpfulness.
I’ve been a WAHM/SAHM for 11 years now, and haven’t felt this satisfied in accomplishing something for me in a long time. I think after having children, you forget to take the time to be true to yourself. There are so many other’s to put ahead of you. Now, I don’t have to struggle with that (too much…LOL) as I can do both, thanks to Etsy. A full fledged community, and business starter that can really help all of us artists out there that need to express ourselves (and not just as mommies).
Check out Etsy as soon as you can! If you don’t you’ll miss out on the next best thing since the original “craft fair”.
Lisa
http://onegirliegirl.etsy.com
http://onegirliegirl.blogspot.com
I cannot say enough wonderful things about Etsy. It’s a community of wonderfully supportive and talented artists.
As a stay at home mom of two precious little girls I was always looking for the softest most luxurious items to wrap my little ones in. When I couldn’t always find what I was looking for I started designing myself, and Sugarplum Creations was born. I started with accessories for my little ones, then friends and family, shower gifts, and then I found Etsy. I set up shop in February, and have so enjoyed the time spent there.
Please visit when you have a minute!
http://sugarplumdreams.etsy.com
Liz
~Waving madly from HOME~
**I am A WAHM of 6 kiddos, specializing in handmade accessories and neccessities for babies, toddlers and Mama’s!
** I create Custom, reversable, padded Pouch Slings and snuggly Wrap-style Baby Carriers, Honey Buns(tm) All Natural Diaper Salve, Breastfeeding Mother’s All Natural Healing Salve, Lovey Quilts, Teeting Bibs, Totes, & More!
**Come check me out for yourself!
http://georganne.etsy.com
http://georgannesbaby.blogspot.com
I started my Etsy shop, http://www.busymomcreations.com, last July. I don’t sell a lot on Etsy right now, although I hope to change that. I sell handmade greeting cards, card sets, paper gifts and vinyl decals. Creating is relaxing to me, and what I do for fun and downtime. I would love to make a go of this, but right now, I have 4 little ones in the house (triplets and a baby) and don’t have the time to devote to make it a “business”. It’s a fun hobby right now. When the triplets start School in the fall, I plan to turn this into my fulltime business.
I started my Etsy shop, http://www.busymomcreations.com, last July. I don’t sell a lot on Etsy right now, although I hope to change that. I sell handmade greeting cards, card sets, paper gifts and vinyl decals. Creating is relaxing to me, and what I do for fun and downtime. I would love to make a go of this, but right now, I have 4 little ones in the house (triplets and a baby) and don’t have the time to devote to make it a “business”. It’s a fun hobby right now. When the triplets start School in the fall, I plan to turn this into my fulltime business.
Liana
http://www.busymomcreations.com
I just opened up my ETSY job in Feb of this year. So far it has been doing pretty well, could I support my family entirely on my ETSY income no but that was not my intention. I have always crafted and I found this a great way to sell some things to support my “yarn addiction”. There are so many talented people on ETSY.
My shop is crochet items mostly for baby. I have adorable baby booties.
Its me again – I forgot to leave the link to my shop.
http://www.kraftyladykreations.etsy.com
Kathy
I started sewing about 7 years ago after the birth of my first daughter(I now have 3 girls, 7, 5, 1). I watched HGTV religiously and nursed and changed diapers and attempted to clean the house. Eventually I got so many comments about my handmade items that it was clear to try to sell them…but where? Etsy came into my life just this year, and brought me to a community where I feel at home. It’s hard to connect with other crafters in general never mind being at home with kids and not having much contact with the “outer world”. Etsy has brought me comfort, esteem, inspiration, role models and some extra cash that my family surely needs. I have also been exposed to business opportunities as buyers and publishers come to etsy to search for talent. Nothing has materialized in terms of the “big time” yet, but I’m not giving up.
I have a local holiday craft fair scheduled (Possibly 2) in the fall and hope to have my ducks in a row with my shop, products,photography, listings, paypal, blog (http://www.happyhousequilts.blogspot.com) and really get some noise going in the community. I know selling is about the product but also the relationships you make with others. Etsy is a pivot point, a sales window to allow me to stay at home and strive to be creative and productive for the family. Who knows by the time the baby enter’s school this business of mine could really be something big! Look out world!
I discovered Etsy last year, wow! What a find. My sales are not overwhelming, but I stick with it because I love the community. It is great to see the amazing talents. You can also find my work @ http://www.almatthewsetc.com.
I have tried Etsy on and off for a few years now. I sculpt small figures from polymer clay. I sold a few things, but nothing to get terribly excited about. I even had a lady commission an item, and then didn’t buy it. I mean, she just disappeared, never replied to my message that I’d finished it for her, or anything. I was greatly disappointed by that. But, on the upside, I have a very cute pig figurine on my shelf now! LOL Personally, I’ve had better luck with Ebay, but I know there are a lot of people on Etsy who do really well. :-)