I was helping to sell handbags for Barry of Hide and Seek Accessories - see his stand picture above and find him at https://www.hideandseekaccessories.com
Before the show all sellers received instructions to say that:
The masks were a problem though, because no one could actually hear what we were saying though them – and we couldn’t hear our customers!
So, of course, we all leaned forwards trying to hear, well within the 2 metres… Never mind!
On the second day I replaced my mask with one of those clear visors, which are much easier to deal with.
Everyone could hear what I said, plus they could see my face – and it’s SO much easier to understand someone when you can see their facial expression.
Just about everyone who came did wear a mask and it was great fun to watch all the different masks parade past.
This being Hever, there were a lot of very nice homemade masks, plus fabric masks that had been bought in (lots of beautiful Liberty prints and cheerful floral patterns!) - and very few of the single use disposable masks, I’m glad to say…
For us on the stands, it was an enjoyable show. SO lovely to be out & about again, mixing with other people, chatting, having a good time – just like the old days!
And I know our customers felt the same because they told us.
This month I'm bringing you an article written by my lovely entrepreneurial friend, Lucy, who runs her own small business, My Brick Box.
And who still does....... despite the horrors of June 2019! Read on to find out what happened (and take heed if you, too, are a seller!)
Well, looking back at my first handmade products, that’s exactly what they were I can’t believe I had the nerve to sell them - let alone that anyone actually bought one!
BUT! Because I loved making my Lego frames so much and because there did appear to be market interest, my skills, precision, design and presentation grew and grew -
and before I knew it I was the biggest (and best ) Lego frame seller on the Etsy platform.
I fell to my knees in the kitchen and cried. My career, my job, my passion, my family's source of income, my customers, my Holy Grail...
GONE at the push of a singular corporate button. A big cold lifeless button........
The days that followed were days of mixed emotions. The main culprits being fear, grief, panic, stress, anger, uncertainty......
More so because at the point of “eviction”, Etsy informed me that I would still be able to access and fulfil the 254 outstanding orders I had.
But the back link they provided for those orders took me to a page that simply told me I was no longer a seller and I did not have access to this portal anymore.
I tried and I tried to tell them, to ask for a solution; nobody could help and eventually they sent me an email saying that they wouldn’t be replying to me in this regard again.
I was mortified to say the least, as my inbox continued to flood with emails from angry customers demanding to know where their order was.
Thankfully, by being open and honest and pointing every customer in the right direction for a refund I was able to turn those customers into happy ones who have been so kind and of whom many have since come back to me for further business.
(With the exception of one customer, who I shall not name, but who barraged me with abusive emails, threatened me, and stalked me a little bit; but she got her refund and hopefully it will go towards having those eyebrows fixed. Trust me they’re shocking!)
To cut a long story short, my mind has been blown:
It’s been a few weeks since Etsy threw me under the bus and I can honestly say with my hand on my heart that I am glad they did.
Time has slowed down for me, I’ve rediscovered it. I’m no longer a factory.
Thanks SO much to Lucy for sharing her experience with us.
It's a reminder to us all: you do NOT own your own business if you only sell through one online marketplace, be it Etsy or Amazon or Facebook, or wherever..... BE PREPARED!
You can find Lucy's lovely frames at mybrickbox.net and catch up with her on Facebook or Instagram
Last month I was lucky enough to visit beautiful RHS Wisley Gardens in Surrey (please see my previous blog) - and we took time to visit the Craft in Focus Art & Design Spring Show, a top quality arts & crafts fair, which has been hosted by Wisley every spring since 2011.
To exhibit at such a show, you have to put yourself through a rigorous assessment at the hands of the organisers:
I haven’t taken many photos of the shows as exhibitors generally dislike their stands being photographed – if you go to a craft fair, do just ask first before you get your camera out. This is my friend Meikie Knappert from https://meikiedesigns.com, who does beautiful silk painting in wonderfully rich colours (so you can see that she & I have a fair bit in common!). She has been showing at Wisley for many years.
On average exhibitors pay about £1000 - £5000 for their stands at a show like Wisley. But the fees for Chelsea & its like are far higher: about £4,000 - £15,000. This covers all the days of the show and also electricity for the stand lighting.
BUT
And what a lot of stock you’ll need (and all handmade too)! Remember that you’ll need to:
So you’re going to have to sell a HUGE amount of product, not only to cover all these costs – but to actually make some profit as well…..
You’re dependent on a large number of visitors coming out (fingers crossed that the weather will be okay) – and that they’ll be in a mood to spend money! And these days the latter is becoming less and less likely….
Going around the stands at Wisley this year, all the exhibitors said that while it was still quite busy, it was much quieter than usual – and that visitors were not spending as much money. Everyone, alas, has put this down to Brexit, as this problem has steadily been rising since 2016 – but has definitely culminated this year as, after all, who knows what on earth is going on…..??
Chelsea is in a different league, however; tickets for the day start at £100, so visitors certainly have money to spend! On our last day there, we had the pleasure of a Chinese lady walking onto the stand and promptly spending £8,000 – just like that!! She bought these 3 original paintings
The Wisley Art & Design Show is still a very enjoyable day out – and any of the RHS shows are a must for a summer outing. You’ll enjoy yourself supporting any local craft show – and you’ll make a lot of handmade arts & crafters extremely happy! And I’d recommend the RHS Wisley gardens to anyone at any time of year!
Hello and welcome to my first blog post!
I’m glad you found your way onto the Ornately Lanterns website. I’ve only just set this occasional blog up – and I want to use it to let you know about the various things that occupy the life and thoughts of an artist who sells online…….
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Hello and welcome to my first blog post! |
I’m glad you found your way onto the Ornately Lanterns website. I've only just set this occasional blog up – and I want to use it to let you know about the various things that occupy the life and thoughts of an artist who sells online…….
So I’m going to start with a problem that affects ALL sellers (not to mention ALL artists and crafts people) – and it has been very much uppermost in my daily life over the past couple of months: |
SUPPLIES and SUPPLIERS |
When you start selling online you have to face the fact that all your work (pretty much) has to be reproducible. A customer is going to be pretty unhappy if they pay for this......... |
..... but receive THIS! |
And “reproducible” also applies to paint colours – if a customer loves a particular shade of blue, a paler or duller shade of it simply won’t cut the mustard! |
It’s no longer an option to simply rely on popping down to the local craft shop to pick up what you need when you need it…… Business practices have to take over: you have to find reliable suppliers who can supply you with the same good quality products over and over again. AND for a good price each time (sigh)……
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I’ve been very lucky in the past in that I found a wonderful family firm in Ireland who supplied garden centres and who could thus supply me with copious quantities of lanterns. But they changed direction about five years ago and thus, following one VAST final order, I now have no lantern supplier...... However, as my 2 sheds, my attic and my sister’s cellar are still groaning under the weight of lanterns - I won’t be needing a new one for some time to come! |
And as I think you know, I recycle all my glass blocks and so rescue them from friends, family and eBay. A LARGE quantity came from a company who were knocking down a couple of offices that had been built with glass blocks; so I have plenty to go (when Badger allows me to get my hands on them!) |
This year, however, has brought problems. |
The US company who supply my 6” glass roundels now say they will no longer be stocking the roundels I need, so I’ve had to hunt for a new supplier. |
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And even after all of that, the roundels are still cheaper than they would be if I bought them in the UK. Which is a very sad situation……. |
So I’ve placed an order and am expecting my next load of roundels to be arriving at the start of June. |
Hopefully I’ll be able to find somewhere to store them (fortunately they’re small, unlike the lanterns) – and then I’ll have enough to last for a couple of years, and so the headaches will be over for a little bit of time. |
PHEW! |