Good and bad for online sales

As my regular blog followers know, I think there's a lot of luck involved in successful online selling (see this blog post on luck if you missed it). However, looking at my stats now another financial year has ended, there seem to be some patterns in my sales and some things that I can't back up with hard evidence, but are serious 'hunches' and I wondered how many of you agree that these are good or bad for sales and views? Here goes, and remember each one is just my opinion or gut feeling.

A great eternal truth of shopping:owls a

re really popular

The recent sunny weather prompted these thoughts and my first proposition:

Sunny weather is bad for online selling. People are outside instead of in browsing the Internet. So bad weather is much better for views and sales.

Winter, autumn and spring are better than summer for sales and views. Even if it's a bad summer in the UK, there's still less Internet activity. This applies to Etsy too, even though it's a global marketplace.

August is the worst month, October is the best. It's either very organised Christmas shoppers who are attracted to my shops, or the change to autumn sends more people to online buying.

Weekdays are better than weekends for both views and sales. The exception is late Saturday night when some folks clearly go back to things they spotted online earlier, and being at the most relaxed and happy point of the week, decide they will, after all, treat themselves.

Evenings are better than daytimes - certainly for views. But sales can happen at any time of the day or night.

Sales (as in discounts) and promotions are counter productive for smaller sellers without high numbers of returning/repeat customers. If your customers mostly find you online through searches (rather than being sellers on Folksy or Etsy themselves), then they are probably browsing your shop for the first time. That means they never knew what your non-sale prices were, and they probably don't care much if you've got 20% off today. In fact, if they like your product and it fits their needs, they may well have been prepared to pay the original price for it.

Returning customers are different but if they think you might be having a sale, they may decide to wait for it, and in the meantime get distracted and buy elsewhere. Better to offer your returning customers a discount for future purchases, then they may be attracted to buy whenever they see something they like, knowing they are making a saving.

And lastly, and most controversially...

Like marmite - love it or not, instant reaction

Hard selling and persuasion don't work. At least, not for me with jewellery. Jewellery's not like double glazing - you don't need to be talked into the merits of getting it, you either like it enough to buy it, or you don't.

Good pictures and descriptions help to reinforce that gut reaction you get when you see something you really like. But they don't actually sell items. 'Wanting' and 'needing' feelings control whether people buy things, even so-called impulse buys, and you as a seller can't really influence much whether your potential buyer has those feelings. Sure, you can tempt them. So the main thing is to make sure those potential buyers can see your products... and that means focusing on listing and SEO.

What do you think - agree or disagree?

Please help with my addiction!

So, I've been a bad blogger.  No posts for a week.  I have been really busy.  Not making jewellery, listing it and selling it.  Just buying beads.

Not beads, but shells.  Still part of the addiction though!

By now, I must be officially an addict.  Practically my waking thought is 'another day, I could look for some beads'!  It's always been a bit of a problem, but it's got worse recently.

Gemstone chips?  Still beads, really

Partly, I blame the OH who did mention that after April we'll be a bit worse off, so I should 'stock up a bit'.  Then there are the customers.  Every time I have a sale that just encourages me to buy more to make more things.  Also, as it got towards the end of the financial year, and it looked like I'd do slightly less badly than I predicted in last year's tax return.  So, it's all a vicious circle.


So what's the problem?  Well, for one thing, we live in a really small house. Instead of being confined to my beading table, gemstones and findings have spread throughout the living area, and some stray ones were recently even found in the bathroom!  Plus, now I seem to have too much choice.  Just can't decide if I've got the right combination of my vast stash to commit to making something.  And there the normal guilt of spending money, of course.

Even small animals get caught up in the bead obsession!

I've compensated a bit by making and selling more items for charity which is a win-win as far as I'm concerned.  And I know I'm lucky to have the money to indulge my passion - I can still remember the time when we were fishing for pennies down the back of the sofa to scrape together enough for a tin of beans - so it still seems a bit of a wonder that I can afford a hobby at all.





So, what to do?  Any suggestions welcome.  As well as anyone wanting to help form a support group ;-)

Please help with my addiction!

So, I've been a bad blogger.  No posts for a week.  I have been really busy.  Not making jewellery, listing it and selling it.  Just buying beads.

Not beads, but shells.  Still part of the addiction though!

By now, I must be officially an addict.  Practically my waking thought is 'another day, I could look for some beads'!  It's always been a bit of a problem, but it's got worse recently.

Gemstone chips?  Still beads, really

Partly, I blame the OH who did mention that after April we'll be a bit worse off, so I should 'stock up a bit'.  Then there are the customers.  Every time I have a sale that just encourages me to buy more to make more things.  Also, as it got towards the end of the financial year, and it looked like I'd do slightly less badly than I predicted in last year's tax return.  So, it's all a vicious circle.


So what's the problem?  Well, for one thing, we live in a really small house. Instead of being confined to my beading table, gemstones and findings have spread throughout the living area, and some stray ones were recently even found in the bathroom!  Plus, now I seem to have too much choice.  Just can't decide if I've got the right combination of my vast stash to commit to making something.  And there the normal guilt of spending money, of course.

Even small animals get caught up in the bead obsession!

I've compensated a bit by making and selling more items for charity which is a win-win as far as I'm concerned.  And I know I'm lucky to have the money to indulge my passion - I can still remember the time when we were fishing for pennies down the back of the sofa to scrape together enough for a tin of beans - so it still seems a bit of a wonder that I can afford a hobby at all.





So, what to do?  Any suggestions welcome.  As well as anyone wanting to help form a support group ;-)

Wordless Wednesday: Red Nose Day earrings

Carnelian beads and sterling silver earwires.  Only £5 on Folksy, with a donation of £3 to Comic Relief for every pair sold.

Wordless Wednesday: Red Nose Day earrings

Carnelian beads and sterling silver earwires.  Only £5 on Folksy, with a donation of £3 to Comic Relief for every pair sold.

Like Marmite?

Sometimes you make something and are convinced it's right!  These amazonite and swirl earrings were like that - an idea you wake up with in the morning and have to try out.

But the couple of people who've seen them had mixed reactions.  Which leads me to the conclusion that these are Marmite earrings - you either love them or you loathe them!

My view is, what's not to like?  The amazonite beads are a beautiful sea-greeny blue with natural inclusions.  The charms look handmade (although I cheated and bought them!), each one unique and delightfully imperfect in a wabi-sabi kind of way. And even though they are long, I would wear in the day with jeans and a T-shirt as well as to a more dressed up occasion with my hair up. (Not that I have a glamorous lifestyle, you understand, walking the dog is usually the most sociable I get in an average week!) 

Also, they sort of remind me of the past - perhaps Etruscan hammered jewelry and the long elegant ear ware you see in paintings and mosaics.  But perhaps that's just me being an old romantic.

So, what do you think?  Please let me know because around the corner is a necklace based on the same principle - although it's square beads and charms so not a match.

Oh, and don't forget to give your views on Marmite too.  Me, I can't get enough!

Like Marmite?

Sometimes you make something and are convinced it's right!  These amazonite and swirl earrings were like that - an idea you wake up with in the morning and have to try out.

But the couple of people who've seen them had mixed reactions.  Which leads me to the conclusion that these are Marmite earrings - you either love them or you loathe them!

My view is, what's not to like?  The amazonite beads are a beautiful sea-greeny blue with natural inclusions.  The charms look handmade (although I cheated and bought them!), each one unique and delightfully imperfect in a wabi-sabi kind of way. And even though they are long, I would wear in the day with jeans and a T-shirt as well as to a more dressed up occasion with my hair up. (Not that I have a glamorous lifestyle, you understand, walking the dog is usually the most sociable I get in an average week!) 

Also, they sort of remind me of the past - perhaps Etruscan hammered jewelry and the long elegant ear ware you see in paintings and mosaics.  But perhaps that's just me being an old romantic.

So, what do you think?  Please let me know because around the corner is a necklace based on the same principle - although it's square beads and charms so not a match.

Oh, and don't forget to give your views on Marmite too.  Me, I can't get enough!

The joy of handmade

If you've bought a handmade item, why did you choose it?  Was it because it was unique, one of a kind?  That's got to be the number 1 reason.  In an era when the vast majority of things we buy are mass produced,  unique item has to be a real winner.  No-one else will have one!  And of course with Dreamaid you know in addition that your purchase is going to benefit someone less fortunate than yourself.

Handmade items really are  made with love

Another big plus is having something made with love.  You will get an item that been through a design and production process.  The difference is, that design process may well have taken place in the crafter's head, in the shower or at the kitchen table.  Sometimes an idea of mine is kind enough to land itself when I'm near my design book, but often they come along on the way to the day job, whilst walking the dog or halfway through Coronation Street!

Then there's production.  With one unique item to make, it's got to be right.  With jewellery, sometimes the actual act of putting together doesn't take a lot of time, but again we crafters have to find those few still minutes in a busy day.

Stand well back - knotting in progress!

I love making statement semi-precious stone necklaces where each bead is knotted individually.  The knots take a little while to do, but it's beautifully quiet time and a chance to think about what you're making, and wonder who might wear it and for what occasion. 

There is one part of the process some of us struggle with and might like to get someone else to do, and that's the photography.  You want your picture to convey the beauty of your handcrafted lovely - but often the light, the camera and the props have other ideas!  That's why handmade items are usually even better than you imagined when you see them for real.

So there's a quick step through the handmade creative process.  Now you know that the process begins and ends with a love of crafting, inspiration from real life and a desire to make something really beautiful that will be unique for you.  Each of the sellers on Dreamaid has also made a commitment to donate part of their profit to help those in the Third World.  Together with you, they can help to share that message of love further with each handmade item.

So smile as you browse!

The joy of handmade

If you've bought a handmade item, why did you choose it?  Was it because it was unique, one of a kind?  That's got to be the number 1 reason.  In an era when the vast majority of things we buy are mass produced,  unique item has to be a real winner.  No-one else will have one!  And of course with Dreamaid you know in addition that your purchase is going to benefit someone less fortunate than yourself.

Handmade items really are  made with love

Another big plus is having something made with love.  You will get an item that been through a design and production process.  The difference is, that design process may well have taken place in the crafter's head, in the shower or at the kitchen table.  Sometimes an idea of mine is kind enough to land itself when I'm near my design book, but often they come along on the way to the day job, whilst walking the dog or halfway through Coronation Street!

Then there's production.  With one unique item to make, it's got to be right.  With jewellery, sometimes the actual act of putting together doesn't take a lot of time, but again we crafters have to find those few still minutes in a busy day.

Stand well back - knotting in progress!

I love making statement semi-precious stone necklaces where each bead is knotted individually.  The knots take a little while to do, but it's beautifully quiet time and a chance to think about what you're making, and wonder who might wear it and for what occasion. 

There is one part of the process some of us struggle with and might like to get someone else to do, and that's the photography.  You want your picture to convey the beauty of your handcrafted lovely - but often the light, the camera and the props have other ideas!  That's why handmade items are usually even better than you imagined when you see them for real.

So there's a quick step through the handmade creative process.  Now you know that the process begins and ends with a love of crafting, inspiration from real life and a desire to make something really beautiful that will be unique for you.  Each of the sellers on Dreamaid has also made a commitment to donate part of their profit to help those in the Third World.  Together with you, they can help to share that message of love further with each handmade item.

So smile as you browse!

Beautiful Blogger Award

I was surprised to learn that I have received the Beautiful Blogger Award from Honor Crowned Creativity.  I think this is a creative award because it's not just about the blog, but about the person who blogs.

I get to pass the Beautiful Blogger Award on to other fabulous bloggers.  There are two rules when given the award. I tell you 7 things about me & choose 7 blogs to receive the award.

7 Things about me!

1.  I love cars. I think they're an expression of who we are. With that, I name all of my cars. When I was sixteen I shared the family car which was blue, so I called her Blue Belle.  Then I got a maroon car I called Cherry Blossom.  Then I had a jade colored car, named her the obvious, Jade. And then my latest is Gus. I drive a black Pontiac Aztec and it took me a few weeks, and all of a sudden, it stuck. I call it the identity crisis car. I thought they were ugly, still do, but when you get inside you forget that ugly box you're driving. I refer to him as a person. I'll tell someone "I'm taking Gus to the shop for an oil change." A little odd I know. But sometimes cars have personalities too!  Please don't report me to the loony bin!

2. I'm originally from Kansas City, Mo. About a year and a half ago, I moved down to Dallas, Tx. I came by myself and knowing no one. I moved for a job. I'm told all the time that I was brave to do that. I'm a little too independent for my own good sometimes. I love Dallas, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to live here. But I know I'll end up back home. Miss the Midwest and their way of life.

3. I am enamored with the sea. Went sailing once with what I now call the renegade cowboy sailor. Sailed from Miami heading to Nantucket. Only made it to Savannah, GA. The steering broke and I was not happy with the guy taking us out over 250 miles into the gulf stream. Huge Freighter radioed us and cussed us out for being on such a small boat too far out to sea. I knew then, I was in trouble. Didn't help that I got tossed around the cabin and went head first into the stove and split my nose open the first 2 minutes out to sea. Now I have the scar to remind me of my crazy adventure every day.

4. I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon since late grade school. I wanted to help people like my dad who had trouble with their joints and back.  But then I couldn't get through my first month of physics in highschool. At the same time, I was excelling in a position on the school newspaper as advertising director. I was recommended for the job. I won an award at the Missouri State Competition. So before I knew it. I dropped Physics and added more journalism courses and switched to advertising/marketing as my profession. I even won a scholarship in a late students name. What an honor and I think of it often. So here I am now, a marketing manager.

5. I love to read. Some of my fun reads are John Grisham and Patricia Cornwell. Like a good mystery. Makes me think and I like that. My shameless obsession is Danielle Steel. So much fun. And yes, I even cry sometimes. I've been known to throw a book too when I was done. But my literary favorite is Edith Wharton. She wrote the Age of Innocence and Ethan Fromme. Her writing is full of symbolism and expressing the dynamics of women and men.  She's a classic and I recommend her. She's a 1900's turn of the century author.

6. I was a nanny for 6 kids for 11 years. I was brought on board when baby number 4 was to be born. The oldest siblings were 3, 2, 1.  I stuck around for 3 more babies! I'm extremely close to all of them. I think since I was able to get my bluff in them at such an early age I'm not exactly a babysitter. They have said I'm like a mom, but much cooler. I thought that was funny. Veronica 15, Sean 14, Molly 13, Jack 11, Jamie 9, and Vaughn 7.  I would say I'm a patient person. And what's important to me is that they still talk to me and now it's the bigger important things in life for the older ones, but they feel comfortable enough because "I remember what it was like to be a kid." That means a lot to me. The 3 younger ones are so attached to me. When I go up for visits there's a big fight on who spends time with me first. It's so nice to feel loved. I adore each and every one of them and they keep me grounded. 

7. I'll keep this one short because I can go on and on with details.  I went sailing once from Miami to Nantucket. But the steering broke some 250 miles off the coast of Georgia. We were able to jimmy rig an elbow like thing to the main steering column below the floor. I steered that boat 250 miles to Georgia, while the "skipper" slept down below. Took us 2 days to get to shore. We anchored in Savannah, and I got on the first plane out.

The Seven Bloggers I am awarding the Beautiful Blogger Award to Are:

1. The Frugal Designer

2. Dean Designs

3. Do-rah! Designs

4. Elle's Beads

5. The Sassy Pack Rat

6. PepperPi

7. Sugarberry Sensations

Featured Crafter: SoftNShiny

When I think of Soft N' Shiny, I think of generous. I met Soft N' Shiny through Twitter and the World Wide Etsy Seller group. She has included some of my jewelry pieces in her beautiful treasuries and is always there retweeting and supporting her fellow crafters. I truly appreciate her help and hope this feature shows my many thanks.

She has two shops, Artfire and Etsy. She makes lovely knitted items like scarves and hats - the Soft. And the Shiny are the jewelry pieces she also makes. Soft N' Shiny does something special. A certain amount of her jewelry pieces are devoted to a variety of awareness themes such as autism, breast cancer, and congenital heart defects.  Here are just a few of the items you can find in her shops.

Be sure to show Soft N' Shiny so LINK LOVE on Facebook!