Creating a Storefront...online

So back in March I listed a few items on E-bay to sort of test the waters.  My chief complaint at the time was that E-bay really isn't set up for selling things like handmade jewelry, or really any handcrafted work.  The bidding system is essentially a gamble as there's no real way to ensure the final bid will be enough to allow you to break even.  I mean, yes you can set a minimum bid, and I might experiment with that later, but when I look at minimum bids that are over $5, I tend to avoid the item.  Maybe that's just me.  Anyway, I knew when I signed up for selling on E-bay that it would likely not be the ideal venue for me.

Which brings me to my next adventure in online sales: Etsy.  You may already know of this site.  It's a great resource for crafters and artisans to get connected with potential buyers.  It's main focus is handmade, and it has a reputation on the whole as being a safe, reliable place for customers to spend their money.  Using an established "front" like Etsy and E-bay are, in my opinion, an excellent way to make a name for one's self.  So I'm officially working on setting up an Etsy store front.

I think I've finally settled on a name for my business.  Little Hill Jewelry.  Sort of a play on Hillside (the street I grew up on) and the Green Mountains that all my friends from out west refer to as little hills (in comparison to the Rocky Mountain Range).  I think it's cute, easy to remember (and spell), and it means something to me.  Now I just need to work on creating graphics and what not to go with the name.  For my Etsy storefront, I get to create a banner for people to see when they first come into the shop, and this is what I've come up with so far:

 

I think I like the top one the best, but there's something missing.  I've also not been able to come up with that catchy little marketing phrase that so many companies have.  I thought about "Little Hill Jewelry...Uniquely Yours"  but I think it sounds stupid.  So I'll be doing more brainstorming on that front.  Everything else aside, I'm really happy with my color scheme :)

I'm also working my way through the process of setting up a Business Tax Account with the state so that I can legally fulfill my tax obligation.  I debated briefly not bothering to collect sales tax, I mean as a primarily online business, I didn't really think it was necessary.  But after doing a lot of reading and considering all the potential venues I might want to participate in locally (at which I would need to collect sales tax) I decided I may as well get it done and out of the way.

Now I just have to decide what items I want to list on Etsy, because once they're listed there I think I have to sell them through Etsy or wait for the listing period to expire.  I also really need to work on focusing the style of my jewelry.  I have quite the eclectic collection, and while it can be broken down into groups (like pearl jewelry, wire work and bead weaving)  there really is no unifying theme.  I think a lot of my stuff has a sort of organic feel to it, like this wrap bracelet:

and this silver and gemstone drop bracelet:

 

 Even my pearl jewelry has a kind of alternative, organic feel.  Like this bracelet and these earrings:

 I suppose it will all work itself out in the end.  I think I kind of shy away from defining my style "boundaries" because I find it limiting.  I'd rather just create and see what I come up with.  I'll worry about organizing the finished product into acceptable categories later.  (Lol, yes I'm aware that that's just avoiding dealing with the issue at hand, but I'm too excited about setting up a storefront to mind).

I suppose that's all for now.  Oh!  My little promo contest over on Facebook is almost over with.  It worked out pretty well.  I got a lot of new likes, and my weekly reach for the past few weeks has been in the triple digits!  People are talking about my work and sharing it with their friends, which is really SO awesome!!  I'll be doing my drawing on Sunday at midnight, so stay tuned, I'll announce the winner first thing Monday morning.

I still haven't come up with a pithy way to end these entries.  So for now, thanks for reading.