Handmadeology

If you are doing an outside show you will want to prepare for the worst. We did a load in once in a freak downpour and I was wearing canvas shoes. All my signs and table cloths got soaked, and I had wet feet the entire day.

Annette Tait is the creator of Dragon House of Yuen, where you can find her soft sculptures, watercolors and delightful stories about the creatures she creates. Annette has lived in Zambia and Australia and now resides in Edinburgh, Scotland.

  Here is a post o get you thinking about warmer days! The summer craft show season is fast approaching and for many of you that means replenishing inventory. Here are a few tips for streamlining your production that you can use this summer and all the way through the busy holiday season. Spring is [...]

This will be my fourth holiday season on Etsy, and I have learned a lot of valuable lessons during my tenure in the glitter-filled trenches. No matter how many times I run errands or order packing materials, I will always run out when I need them the most.

Last week I wrote about my best tips for selling at craft shows and promised to provide this big checklist of items to consider taking with you to a show. While not every item on the list is a must, I hope it will be helpful to have a list for all the aspects of your booth to take care of, including you!

Here are my top 40 free (or super cheap) methods of promoting your Etsy shop and attracting more viewers to your products.

For many Etsy sellers, the holiday season is the most lucrative time of the year. It’s important to stay on top of your record keeping and budget so you can maximize your profits.

Zero hearts. Zero sales. These are scary numbers, but they hold a wealth of potential.

One of the most rewarding things about selling handmade is working with a customer to design something special. If you do a lot of custom work, you may choose to create listings for custom items in your Etsy shop. Here are some tips to help the custom order process work great for both you and your customers.

Are you prepared for these worst case scenarios in your Etsy shop? In this series of articles I’ll take a look at the bad and the ugly and offer up some suggestions about how to protect your shop when things go awry.

When I finally got my Etsy shop up and running and had a steady stream of business, a tiny seed of panic started to grow deep down. What happens if I can’t check in on my shop one day? What if I want a vacation? What if I’m sick or I decide to start a family? Life happens.

Knowing your audience is a big key to targeting buyers and making sales. If you are new to selling online, the distance between you and the person buying your work can make it difficult to get to know them.

Huge Mistake Cross Stitch by FunWithNeedles Worst Case Scenarios Part Two: Shipping Mix-ups  (Part One) Last week I wrote about some undesirable or “worst case” scenarios you might bump into while running your Etsy shop: an unhappy customer or bad feedback. In part two of this series I’m revisiting a few shipping mix ups I [...]

Making your product the best it can be starts with self-awareness. If you strive for perfection in your craft, why shouldn’t you do the same with the face of your business?

When writing item descriptions, remember that you are not just making the case for buying your product but for buying handmade. With Etsy’s growing popularity, more and more shoppers are browsing the site in general internet searches

Planning Ahead to Maximize Fall and Winter Profits When there is a heat index of 115, the last thing I want to do is crochet dog hats to sell at Christmas time. However, that is just what I’m doing this week. I have three holiday seasons on Etsy under my belt, and I’ve learned that [...]

The benefits of an artist’s residency are many. Residencies can provide you with extra space or a special facility for a large scale project. They also give you a focused period to achieve your goals and experiment.

So what does success look like?
Projecting the image of success doesn’t mean making up triumphs to brag about or saying you’re really busy when you’re not. Here are some signs to me that a handmade business is successful: