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Dee · Guru

Etsy

Buffington · Guru

I have the same 3 reborns on their still hun. Although I have sold 2 of Danielle Zweer's 6" mini triplet sets but nothing else is moving! I even had to relist them as the listing ran out. Sorry I forgot to find my etsy post from before and post.

I don't really know (for me personally) if it's worth it in the long run. Although it doesn't hardly cost anything so I'll leave em up for a few more months. I even drastically lowered the price on the reborns! Hmmm

Dee · Guru

Thanky you Pat.

jburle · Senior Member

I am on Etsy and I have made alot of things including one reborn baby boy which nothing has sold since my very first sale which was last week. I have been on etsy for a LONG TIME going on 2 yrs. I keep my items on there because I have no where else to show them other than paying and right now I can't pay to place items that might not sell. But that item was sitting on etsy for 1yr. and a 1/2. I havent had any luck on etsy either Pat B. So its not just you! I as well have lowered my prices and for a few customers because they inquired about them and they asked about the price being serisouly that much. I make everything by hand which to me I make good quality items and if I don't like how they look they will never be on etsy. I am soo picky about what my items look like.

But don't get me wrong I love etsy.... that was my first start and now I am revaming it to look alot better...

Jodie
PS- Dee I hope what i have said did discourage you... I have done everything I can to try an make sales on etsy. so I hope that you have alot better luck than I...

Dee · Guru

Jodi, I like you can't afford to pay alot to sale my babies thats why I thinking of trying Esty.

jburle · Senior Member

I put my baby reborn boy up for sale I believe back in jan. sometime or even before that And he is still up there on etsy. waiting for a home.... I have tons of viewers who look at him everyday. But I think it's because i am knew at this and he was my first to sell... But I am glad I am on etsy though, Its helped me know what I got is hot or not. lol Your Welcome.

Jodie

Buffington · Guru

I think part of what may be going on is that we are all crafters looking for a better place than ebay to list. So we all go list and then look at other crafters things in their etsy sites too.

I know that the 2 people that bought my mini kits were reborners. Hmmmm... there's sposed to be makers and buyers. Well if everybody is makin, then who's buyin? KNIM?

That's exactly how I met my best girlfriend... we were at a really, really bad craft show. People would walk in and say "I can make that!" and then they'd leave without a purchase. I finally got 1 sale by saying "sure you might be able to but you probably won't remember how when you get home. Better buy a sample!" So they did and that was my only sale for the weekend!!
So anyway, this woman's booth was across from mine and we looked over eachothers stuff. Then we started bartering back and forth, and after 15 years, we're still friends and still doing shows together!

But I'm hoping things will pick up this summer, sad to wait so long but you are right, at least it's a place where people can at least look at your stuff! :)

jburle · Senior Member

I had that happen to me when my mom and I would go to craft shows, at this one craft show it was fairly nice I made little ornaments (before I started to make babies!) and this woman came in and we were the first table in the first row. And she came up and picked up my moms items and looked at her and told my mom that She could make better.I remember my mom said go right ahead but you can't find this pattern any more. So she walked down to my table and started to pick up my items and I looked at her and told her I didnt need her money to keep walking...

So I think etsy is alot safer lol... But I think there is advantages and disadvantages to both craft shows and having an online shop. But I will still do both. I am hoping that summer will bring something good.

Jodie

Buffington · Guru

Sorry to hear you had customer issues. Man, the nerve of that woman, how rude can someone get?
Kudos to you for telling her to move along!

I will still do the Etsy thing and probably get back into the shows this summer. I hope it picks up too hun! Heres hoping!

sara zata · Guru

Most of the show's these days are 3 p Doll Shows, they pick it up, put it down and p#ss off. I get that a lot, they ask all the questions and hope you will give them the answers so they can go home and do it themselves, will I just tell them now, that's a trade secret. XXXXXX JUne.

Buffington · Guru

I get that too hun, but some of them are genuinely interested in the baby and me as an artist but can't afford (or justify if they can afford) my babies. Not that they are priced high-buck or anything.

The ones that ask "how" to do it, I have dvd's and kits available and tell them that I can't (won't) fully explain it to them but if they'd like to give it a go, I'd be more than happy to either "teach" them during a (paid) class or sell them what they need to do it themselves! This usually is the part where they p*ss off! And then I don't worry about it because they weren't interested in it enough to purchase either a baby, a class, or the stuff to do it themselves. We call those kind of people "tire-kickers" here in Minnesota because it's like buying a car (back in the day)... they would look everything over, then kick the tires (for whatever reason), ask all the right questions, and then go away and not buy!

I guess if I was to tell them it's a trade secret, I would also mention that if they want to know it they'd have to buy! :o

Play Days Dolls · Guru

LOL...

Oh, how I can relate to what everyone has said! I've done those "3 P" craft/doll shows. And I feel like I've wasted a lot of time communicating with people who say they are interested in one of my classes and learning how to reborn. What they actually want is free instruction, and a free reborn doll if they can get it.

I pay big bucks for a website, and I had one decent year. I thought I was well on my way to making a living. Wrong! The past year and a half have been just terrible. We've always had to deal with the tire kickers, but these days we also have to worry about the horrible economy. (Don't get me started on the economy. People generally want to run when I start, and I have only gotten more intense since my husband lost his job last month.)

I carry doll kits, reborning supplies, as well as, ready-made dolls (for play or for collecting) on my website. Amazingly, I have sold 2 Molly P dolls and a Berenguer kit just this week. Molly P dolls have been on my website for about 2 years so I wondered what was going on. I found that Molly P appears to no longer carry stock so the time to receive a doll may be significantly longer. I bet this is because of the terrible economy.

Well... despite the problems, I'm not quitting if I can help it. The best news is that I am now a dealer for RE (German) kits. It has taken forever to list the products because of my eye surgeries, etc. I finally got them all on the website this week. Since I listed a pre-sale kit just last night and already have a deposit, I'm hoping the addition of these excellent kits may be the shot in the arm my business needed.

I guess I'm trying to say that I think we all need to hang in there as long as we can. I want to ask "how much worse can things get?", but I found out that's a dangerous question. So... I'm here... with my website... with my dolls & supplies... and my forum friends ... poised and ready for better days.