Thursday, May 28, 2009

Lollipops, rainbows, and a sale.

I think I'm starting to accept the fact that there are highs and lows when operating an etsy shop or small business. So I am going to discuss a few of mine in this post. First, I want to show off some custom orders I've done.

I got a request to make 50 lollipop necklaces. They will be given as party favors to a group of girl scouts. They should fit right in with the decorations because the party has a candy theme. It's a sweetheart dance. ♥ ♥

Here are some photos of the process, as well as the finished necklaces.






I got a request to make some tiny rainbow charms. The customer needed them to be small enough to be used on bracelets.

You can get a feel for how itty bitty they are in this photo. I'm holding one of them on my index finger.


Custom orders are great, I absolutely love creating something that is exactly what a customer wants. I find it very flattering that someone would specifically come to me to bring their idea to life, so I always consider custom orders to be a success. But with success comes a few setbacks every once in a while...

Some of the items in my shop have recently expired. It's happened before, and I usually just renew the items and get over it. Sometimes they even sell the second time around. But this time, I took it a little harder than usual. Four months is an awfully long time, and I really thought these particular items would do well. They had lots of hearts, but I guess nobody ever decided that they just had to have them.

I got an idea, and I think I'm going to attempt to look at it as an opportunity to try something new. I'm ready for this stuff to move. I know there's someone out there willing to love these things, and I thought that person should receive a little discount for giving these items a good home. So I marked them down and created a sale section in my shop. Everyone loves a good sale, right? I always check out sale sections when I visit etsy shops, and some of the girls at Diyscene, a new forum I've been posting at, said that they love to hit the sale sections too. How about you? Are you more likely to buy an item if it's a total steal? Do you have a sale section in your shop and if so, has it been successful? Head over to my shop if you'd like to see what kind of bargains you can find!

11 comments:

Vanessa said...

I LOVE the rainbows~! the lollipops are super cute~! Since I have a NEW blog now *sigh* I would LOVE to do an Interview on you :).. let me know what you think :)
Ness

Briana Shepley said...

I always feel so honored when I do a custom order! They are so much fun! I love how tiny those rainbows are!

Since I'm virtually inactive on my etsy shop, I can't really speak on online sales BUT when we set up at shows and such, we have a basket of half price stuff that moves really quickly! All that's in it are things that we've had for too long and are ready to move! I'm all about sale shopping...it feels victorious to find something for a good deal!

Anonymous said...

I'm going to check out the DiyScene, so thanks for the link!

I personally keep track of my sales on a spreadsheet, noting whenever something that sold was on sale, and most often, my best months, are months when I've had sales in my shop, or recently added new items to my sale section.

I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the economy, but then there are those of us (myself included) who like a good deal. I'm such a bargain shopper, I always have been... but I also appreciate quality too. Be sure not to sell yourself short hun, and kudos on those special orders, they both turned out SO cute!
:D

lollywood said...

those pictures of your lollipop necklaces make me want to go work on my own clay stuff. i bet the girl scouts who got those necklaces were so excited! those are too freaking cute. :)

Light and Writing said...

I think the sale section is a great idea! I love looking at those sections!
And the lollipops are so cool!

Margaret said...

Custom orders are so much fun. I love the lollipop necklaces.

I think a sale section is always good. Having random sales in your shop are too. I had a month of sales last month (free shipping, % off of certain items), and it was my best month so far. This month however, I have been lazy and not posted much. My sales are down because of it.

LillyShayStyle said...

These are all so cute!
I wouldn't say I'm more likely to buy from a sales section, but I do always check the sales section.

Audrey said...

The rainbows are great!! How did you get them so small?

Jennifer Juniper said...

Those tiny rainbows are the cutest for sure :) I think you're going about it the right way, just put them in the sale section and clean house. Make room for all of the wonderful ideas swirling around in your head!

I LOVE custom orders! 90% of my business is custom. I think it's the secret to my success...shhhh...

Rheea said...

Way to go my dear! Those lollipops and rainbows are so adorable.

It's a really nice feeling to do what we're passionate about and even happier when people love/buy our work.

There're alot more stuffs that aren't moving in my store, so there is no excuse you should feel upset with yours! lol. I don't give discounts, too troublesome.. what I'd do is, offer free shipping. Sometimes it works. ;)

Good luck to you and to me!

Cheers,
Rheea

Stela said...

I love the custom orders you did!! you rock!!