That time of year again..
Posted: Monday, 19 November 2007 |
I am fiercely ignoring all those Christmas adverts online and on tv, but nevertheless this is the time of the Christmas Craft Fair season. So yesterday I spent the afternoon manning my stall at the Craft Fair here in Baltasound, ably assisted by the glamerous Muness Views and my oldest lass.
It was a successful day, much better than last year's event, and next weekend we're off to Lerwick for the Shetland Arts and Crafts Fair at the Clickimin, so now I'm frantically trying to re-stock!
About a month ago I went to a training day about e-commerce, run by Initiative at the Edge. I opened an ebay shop when I was there, but so far I've not got any stock in it! It will be a worthwhile experiment I think, when I eventually get some stuff on my virtual shelves. Has anyone else got any experience of ebay shops or e-commerce in general?
So far I've not exactly made a fortune doing this, in fact, I've spent more than I've made to date. But I enjoy it, and it keeps me busy.
It was a successful day, much better than last year's event, and next weekend we're off to Lerwick for the Shetland Arts and Crafts Fair at the Clickimin, so now I'm frantically trying to re-stock!
About a month ago I went to a training day about e-commerce, run by Initiative at the Edge. I opened an ebay shop when I was there, but so far I've not got any stock in it! It will be a worthwhile experiment I think, when I eventually get some stuff on my virtual shelves. Has anyone else got any experience of ebay shops or e-commerce in general?
So far I've not exactly made a fortune doing this, in fact, I've spent more than I've made to date. But I enjoy it, and it keeps me busy.
Comments
I don't have an ebay shop though I sell a lot on eBay (239 items sold to date), and do e-commerce through various other e-shops (lulu, cafepress etc). Ruthodanort: send me an email to my silversprite address for e-chat about e-commerce!
Digital Sands from Berneray
Glamourous? Really...
Flying Cat from remembering a borrowed sixpack
I'm interested in any comments on this e commerce thing, I have never done e bay but I keep hearing everyone that does say it's great, I think the thing it to get people to your site where ever it is, there is a guy here who says it is getting the seach engines to bring your site up first, I can't think of the technical names just now, good luck, your stall looks great,
island threads from lewis
just be careful about security. I'm a bit thick about these things, although had all the anti virus software etc, but we got hacked into and someone from China listed loads of dodgy stuff in our name! i think hermit had some sort of hacking episode too. However, if you're going on a course then I'm sure they'll help you with all that. I'm sure you'll do fine.
alix from west midlands
A few quick points. 1. This is the best time of year to sell on eBay, as people are looking for presents. After Christmas is the worst time to sell and the best time to buy. 2. Don't get siege mentality with things internet and e-commerce. A few simple security precautions and you're okay. Some parts of the mass media are full of "stories" of how the big bad internet will steal all your money / family / identity / possessions, but there's reasons for them dissin' it (namely that it's taking away viewers and therefore revenue from them). There are hundreds of millions of people who use the net for all manner of things every day, so a few bad examples (and there have and always will be scammers) does not make it a technology to avoid.
Digital Sands from Berneray
Glamorous I think would be more fitting.
Muness from Fetlar
What a very elegant-looking stall ...! I have attended almost every Craft Fair in Stornoway for the past few years, and have found it very enjoyable (meeting me mates) and especially at christmas, a vital way to shift Product ...! Now I have my own shop, so haven;t made many of the summer Fairs, but am still planning to 'do' Christmas, simply because I Like It ...! I don;t sell on eBay, simply because the market is already well-loaded there with items similar to my product ... But I buy an awful lot of things ...! And have never (yet) had a bad experience ...
Soaplady from a place of happy memories ...
I want to buy a few photos so I hope this e-thing soon will work. But anyway I wish you " lykke til " with your business. Is it you on the photo or is it your daughter?
Dag from Norway
I agree with Digi. If you are settting up shop in a town, you'd think about security, so the same applies for the web. There are bad people out there, and you may have a bad experience, but don't give up, just learn from that experience Ruthie, although it is always better to learn from other peoples mistakes than your own. I'm looking for something interesting for Herself, and got outbid in the Orkney Radio CIN Auction for a lovely piece of Artwork, but would be interested to view your digital artistry.
Tws from Loose
Thanks all for the info!! OG MANGE TAKK DAG, you made me feel young again, that's me in the picture. (My oldest lass is just 16!) I don't think I'll be able to get my ebay shop up and running till the New Year, I don't want to rush it and make mistakes, so I'll just have to miss out on the good selling time this year. I'd really like to set up my own website too, but one thing at a time. I seems to take ages to put any plan in place, but then I work at the school during the week, and have 4 bairns at home still, and spend most o my holidays visiting my boyfriend in Norge, so I suppose the speed I'm working at is the right speed for me right now. I need to buy a laptop sometime soon, any advice on that? I've been considering a Mac, just cos they're supposed to be so good for any media kindo stuff. FC, I know you have one, is it good for photo stuff?
Ruthodanort from Unst
Well, we only take photos for personal record and to put on ib, so you'd be better asking a professional...what about digisands, or the Peat Calendar man (after all the free publicity on ib!)? Although iPhoto is idiotproof, a Mac will cost so much more than a pc (ptui!) and I know nothing of photoshop or whatever the microsoft equivalent is.
Flying Cat from furtling with fotos
Do you all mean gamorous? # If my daughter does not send a check with an order for the Peat Calendar soon, I am going to leave her stranded at uni. I understand the Peat Calendar folks now take paypal and UK checks: I don't do paypal, and I no longer have a UK account. I don't do ebay either. The problem is that I would probably end up always buying and never selling. True, I do Amazon.com rather assiduously, if truth be told, but my purchases are always discounted and the postage is "free" ('tis true: I paid a one year one time fee for two day delivery). # Good luck, Ruthodanort, and may you quickly be as rich as Croesus, or at least Warren Buffet.
mjc from NM,USA
iPhoto, iMac: don't tell me you also got an iPhone, FC!? I keep dropping hints at home about imacs and their wonderful operating system and other software. Problem is that both younger daughter and wife think that life without right click is barely conceivable, and certainly not worth living. I have not figured a way to put forth an absolute need argument (there are two of us at home, and four good computers). No ipods, no imacs, no ilife. Quelle vie!!
mjc from NM,USA
iPhoto's just the built-in software mjc, no need to get excited. No iPhones here, only very basic easy-to-use (huh!) Nokias. I have been told by Tech Help Sooth that one can configure the new moose to do right/left click, but it also has a very neat 'squeeze' operation which no-one here has really investigated yet...One day at a time, sweet Apple...
Flying Cat from barely getting to grips
Blogs fae a thirty-something mum of 4 born in Fife, brought up in Orkney, and living in Unst.
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