Photo above - the beadworked bracelet I just listed on my etsy shop AlmostPrecious
I'm not sure if I'm sane or totally out of my mind. I've gone and re-opened my etsy shop AlmostPrecious and am going to attempt to sell jewelry again . . . or perhaps that's jewellery?
Photo above - Red Jasper beads form center of the 7.5" beaded bracelet.
Yes I must be completely deranged, loonier than the Mad Hatter of Alice in Wonderland. For every vintage shop, cookie shop, handmade soap shop on etsy, there must be ten gazillion jewelry makers. But you know -- it's not the beautiful, handcrafted jewelry that's made with passion and care that bothers me . . . it's the Chinese, mass produced, cheap trash that bugs me. How can one get recognized over these sweat shops that are listing hundreds of items daily ? And how can one compete with Dollar Store prices?
Photo above - a little bit of this and a little bit of that went into making it.
Photo below - Love the cute clusters of tiny, 2mm red jasper beads that frame the large 12mm center bead of high quality red jasper.
Photo above - and a cute little bronze Apple Blossom button makes for a dainty clasp, along with a sweet little loop of glass seed beads.
Well, as I said I may be crazy . . . may even have dropped my old brain in the middle of a soccer match and had it kicked about one time too many, but daffy, cracked or stark raving mad, I've decided to give it one more try. Wish me luck . . . say me a little prayer . . . send me a five leaf clover -- a lucky penny -- your blessed piece of ABC chewing gum . . . cause I'm off to a very Happy Un-birthday Party.
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I think you'd be mad NOT to reopen your shop! Your beadwork is extraordinary and your pieces are unique, not some cookie cutter everyone-has-this kind of jewelry (that's how I've alway spelled it anyway :-)
ReplyDeleteKeep us posted what you end up listing! Best of luck my friend, just be yourself & stay true to your quality/art and all good things will come to you :-)
Lots of luck to you. There are quite a few disappointed Etsy sellers these days for the very same reasons you listed.
ReplyDeleteOh Anna, you make me giggle but I understand the seriousness behind it all :)
ReplyDeleteI can see how much work you put into your pieces and it is incredibly hard to compete with the Asian market.
I have mixed feelings about Etsy, as you can get lost so easily and to be noticed it is a lot of teams you have to join and post constantly :(
I wish you well and sending you lots of positive energy :)
Have a lovely evening, cheers, T. :)
Good for you! I wish you the best of luck - it's a tough place that etsy. It's hard to get noticed in the first place and then competition with less than fair mass producers is wrong. :-( Do you have your stuff in any local shops? Sometimes just approaching them can get you noticed. I've been wearing/carrying something I've sewn and asked by shop owners if I'd be interested in them carrying my stuff. So walk in wearing your best pieces!! ;-)
ReplyDeletebtw...love the title, my one son is currently in rehearsals for Alice in Wonderland with our local theatre...he's Tweedledum - so fun and it's a musical so he's been playing the songs over and over, including Un-Birthday!
Jenn - Thank you for the compliments and the encouragement. :)
ReplyDeleteKJ - Etsy does have a problem with the mass-produced resellers and I know it must be a gigantic problem to try to control, especially for a site as huge and complex as etsy is. But at times it does seem like etsy isn't even trying to control it. :(
ReplyDeleteT - Thanks so much! :) It's going to be tough to keep my head above water on etsy and I will really need all the positive vibes I can get.
Meeling - Great suggestion. :)
And I'm happy that you correlated my title to Alice and her whacky, wild, Adventures in Wonderland. One of my favorite scenes in the old Disney production, was of the Mad Hatter's Happy Un-birthday Tea Party. :D I'm a die-hard fan of little Alice and when I first decided to start blogging I had thought up several blog names:
Down the Rabbit Hole
Through the Looking Glass
Cabbages and Kings
But seemed like everything Wonderland related had already been taken. :(
It is hard to break into the jewelry biz! I am attempting it too! I wish us both luck!
ReplyDeleteKristen - Your jewelry is fantastic,and I'm sure you'll be a big success. Though I know you will not need it, I'll go ahead and wish you the best of luck anyway . :)
ReplyDelete