Thinking of selling your crafts on-line? Try Zibbet 1st...

Are you wondering about selling your handmade items,

vintage or craft supplies, on-line...

but don't know where to begin?

That's where I was at in the summer of 2008.

(Note: I still consider myself a beginner,

but I'm a lot more knowledgeable than I was then.)

The reason I'm suggesting Zibbet 1st, is mainly because it's free!

You can learn as you go, start right away, and partly so I can get a referral.

(You can always upgrade later, if you like it of course.)

I know there's many other venues out there, that I have yet to try.

My main venue is Etsy, (Love it!), however it's not free.

Hopefully, you already have:

- a Paypal account, (or some reliable way to send & receive payments.)

If not...you may want to do it first, because it takes time

to get confirmed through your bank account.

Paypal has reasonable fees, and is the preferred method

of payment at many sites, Etsy, Zibbet, eBay and others.

- an e-mail that you will check AT LEAST ONCE A DAY.

- a digital camera, (or access to one) having decent photos of

your items are crucial, so is uploading the photos to your shop.

- a computer, with reliable internet connection... and know how to

use it.

- well made handmade items, craft supplies, or real vintage pieces.

- patience/willingness to learn. (This is on-going...re: shipping, marketing, etc.)

It's really not a big list at all.

I shopped around a bit and looked at a few seller venues.

There's many out there, and it's a good idea to do a little research,

what works for me may or may not work well for you.

The ones I've tried (so far), are:

eBay- I'd bought through eBay, so I knew how to to that. So I tried selling

there first. Ends up I found myself buying stuff rather than selling there.

I think it was all the little fees for extras, that added up, and made it seem

rather expensive just to list an item, but I'm going to try it again, since I haven't

tried to sell anything there for a long time.

Etsy-It's only .20 to list an item and a small 3.5 % is charged for each sale.

I've had my Etsy shop since Nov/08 and really like the site and am having

my 1st spring SALE. My monthly fees vary substantially month by month.

I like the fact that I can renew items (for .20 each), and it helps me to keep visible amongst this rainbow of talented artists, however, those little fees add up by the end of the month.

Zibbet, This is a great place to start ... Zibbet (Yes, this is my referral link,

if you decide to set up a Zibbet shop, please help me out, by using this link

to do so.)

It's very easy to set up, and a Basic account is completely FREE!

You can list up to 25 items and there's no fees...even when you sell an item!

I've had my Basic account for a couple of months now, and I like the easy set-up and listing

of items. I'm still in the early stages of my shop, but I'm already considering getting a

Premium account. For only $8.00 a month (right now), I can list an unlimited number of items, and there are no other charges- even when an item sells!

( I average more than that in monthly fees, on Etsy).

I'm very happy with Etsy, and Zibbet is another outlet, and a very reasonable one at that.

It's still quite new, and growing steadily.

Disclaimer: I'm not a pro, and don't claim to be.

This is just my experience and I hope

there's something here that will help you,

if you decide to sell on-line.

I'm always happy to get e-mail, so if you have any questions,

feel free to contact me: smilingbluedog@yahoo.ca

A little blue dog ... going to a new home

Sorry, this dog's not smiling right now. He doesn't like the title I've given him, and wants a real home and perhaps a name. He's a little dog with a big attitude. Note: He's featured in a Treasury Nov 18-20/09 http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=76102 I handformed him from earthenware clay, fired him in my kiln, painted him with acrylic paint, then used an outdoor glossy sealer to protect him. Approximate dimensions: Height: 1 1/4 inches 3.5 cm Width: 1/2 inch 1.5 cm Length: 1 1/4 inches 3.0 cm

I'm really hoping that the little blue dog will get to his new home

in time for Easter.

He was pretty excited to be leaving the studio where he was born,

Last night he said goodbye to his friends and

this morning we left our home (near Balfour, BC.) and took the

ferry across Kootenay Lake. It's a 45 minute ride, but it was a sunny

morning, and his first time on a ferry.

I took him to the Post Office in Crawford Bay, BC, (Canada) where

he's starting his trip across the contintent to New York.

He promised to let me know when he arrives safe & sound.

Where's my OSO??

So here's the situation:

I'm starting into the 3rd week of being on strike and

walking a picket line, with no end in the near future.

(See: "A Blonde's eye view" for that story.)

This is about a very important topic, in my little world...

COFFEE!

I love coffee.

I might drink a whole pot myself, in a day (a bad day?

I can't say that it's a bad day if I've got good coffee.)

I'm no connoisseur, but I do have preferences.

When I was 18, I drank instant. *gross*

Moved up to Country Style, Tim Horton's, and when times

were tough, we bought President's Choice or the dreaded

"Yellow label" no-name coffee, but that was years ago.

We've long since discovered our locally-roasted,

coffee. OSO NEGRO.

It's not cheap, but it's one of those little luxuries

we indulge in. It's fairly-traded and we drink our

fair share. (Full Organic Blend is our fave.)

Anyhow, last week we ran out of our OSO coffee and I

had a tough decision to make. No coffee in the house for 3 days...

so it's a bit of a fuzzy blur, tea just doesn't cut it

Finally, I made the dreaded trip to town, to do groceries.

NOT my favourite thing to do, at the best of times.

Especially when I know my cart's gonna be 1/2 full and

it'll be mostly yellow labelled stuff...including coffee.

I'm grateful to be buying food, and glad I don't hate yellow

anymore. But yellow vacuum-packed coffee almost brings tears to my

eyes.

As soon as we put the groceries away, I made a pot.

It was disappointing, but I'll have to get used to it,

I've been spoiled, I know.

My kiln is for sale, I might have to take my car off the road.

*wondering* "Is 49 too old for a woman to start hitch-hiking?"

We've already dropped Pepsi, chocolate, eating out and

little impulse buying of gifts.

If I don't go to town, I save some $, however the local

"convenience" store does charge more for everything.

Now I'm not picking-up little things, here and there.

I miss having pizza for lunch on Thursdays, and the Chinese

Special (sweet & sour chicken balls) on Fridays. I miss seeing

the waitresses and the cooks, who are friendly & treat me so well.

There's a lot of things I'm starting to miss, (besides my paycheque).

I miss my friends in town, and being a little part of their lives, having

lunch with the girls and talking to people about fun things, instead of

"What's going on?" Because I just don't know.

It's only been 2 full weeks, and I'm already missing many things.

*sighing* I recently bought the most beautiful &

locally made (Dog Patch Pottery) coffee mug.

It's a shame to put crappy coffee in it.

As I tighten the belt on our spending, luxury items are dropping

like dead flies, and I know I'm not alone.

But the one thing I miss the most already,

is my cup of OSO in the morning.

Update- March 3rd...

Thought I better confess.

I gave in, and bought a little pack of OSO...

we can use a little treat now and then :)