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Selling Your Crafts Online: With Etsy, eBay®, and Pinterest

Selling Your Crafts Online: With Etsy, eBay®, and Pinterest

by Michael Miller
Publisher: Que
Release Date: October 2012
ISBN: 9780133158144
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Book Description

SELLING YOUR CRAFTS ONLINE

Sell your handmade crafts and artwork worldwide on the Web!

Do you sell your own handmade crafts or artwork? There’s a whole world of customers beyond what you find at crafts shows and malls. For the first time in history, there’s a great way to reach them: the Internet! In Selling Your Crafts Online, Michael Miller guides you step by step through succeeding in the world’s biggest online crafts marketplaces and attracting new customers where millions of them already hang out. Miller offers crafts-specific tips and advice on everything from creating listings to getting a fair price, processing payments to providing outstanding service. No matter what you make or where you already sell it, you can earn a better living if you also sell online. This guide will help you get started, get successful, and stay successful!

--       Create a quick “mini” business plan that improves your chances of success

--       Discover what sells best online–and what doesn’t

--       Predict your costs, see what competitors are doing, and set your best price

--       Write compelling listings and take great photos, even if you’re not a professional writer or photographer

--       Create an attractive online presence on Etsy, eBay, and other sites

--       Discover and compare growing online marketplaces you never knew existed

--       Decide whether it makes sense to create your own craft-selling website

--       Set yourself up to accept credit cards, PayPal, or other payment services

--       Pack, seal, and ship your merchandise safely without overspending

--       Answer questions, handle complaints, and offer guarantees

--       Track your inventory

--       Promote your business on Pinterest and beyond

--       Measure your success and learn from experience

Table of Contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Contents at a Glance
  4. Table of Contents
  5. About the Author
  6. Dedication
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. We Want to Hear from You!
  9. Reader Services
  10. Introduction
    1. How This Book Is Organized
    2. Conventions Used in This Book
    3. Let Me Know What You Think
  11. Part I. Getting Ready to Sell
    1. 1. Planning for Success
      1. So You Want to Sell Your Crafts Online
      2. What Sells Online—and What Doesn’t
      3. Why Planning Is a Good Idea
      4. How Much Planning Do You Need to Do?
      5. Putting Together a No-Frills Business Plan
      6. You’ve Planned the Plan: Now What?
    2. 2. Setting the Right Price
      1. Researching the Market
      2. Calculating Your Costs
      3. Calculating the Selling Price
      4. Calculating Profit
      5. Considering Wholesale Pricing
    3. 3. Putting Together a Successful Listing
      1. Writing an Attention-Grabbing Title
      2. Creating a Descriptive Description
      3. Add Your Personal Style
      4. Don’t Forget the Pictures!
    4. 4. Taking Powerful Pictures
      1. What You Need to Take Effective Product Photos
      2. How to Take Great Product Photos
      3. Working with Lighting
      4. Tips for Improving Your Product Photos
      5. Shooting Different Types of Crafts
      6. Editing Your Photos—Digitally
  12. Part II. Selling Online
    1. 5. Deciding Where to Sell Online
      1. Selling on Dedicated Online Craft Marketplaces
      2. Selling on General Online Marketplaces
      3. Comparing the Top Online Marketplaces
      4. Examining Important Factors
      5. Comparing the Big Two: Etsy vs. eBay
      6. Selling on Your Own Website
      7. Settling on a Site—Or Two
    2. 6. Selling on Etsy
      1. Getting to Know Etsy
      2. What It Costs to Sell on Etsy
      3. Signing Up for an Etsy Account
      4. Setting Up Your Etsy Shop
      5. Creating a New Item Listing
      6. Getting Paid
      7. Managing Your Etsy Sales
      8. Tips for Making More Money on Etsy
    3. 7. Selling on eBay
      1. Understanding eBay
      2. How to Sell on eBay
      3. Understanding eBay’s Fees
      4. Signing Up for eBay
      5. Listing an Item for Sale
      6. Opening an eBay Store
      7. Getting Paid
      8. Managing Your eBay Activity
      9. Tips for Maximizing Your eBay Sales
    4. 8. Selling On Your Own Website
      1. Building an Online Store—What’s Involved?
      2. Pros and Cons of Running Your Own Website
      3. Does an Online Store Make Sense for Your Crafts?
      4. Choosing a Hosting Service
  13. Part III. Running a Successful Crafts Business
    1. 9. Handling Online Payments
      1. Examining Your Options
      2. Accepting Cash, Checks, and Money Orders
      3. Examining the Big Payment Processing Services
    2. 10. Shipping Your Merchandise
      1. Choosing a Shipping Method
      2. Calculating Shipping and Handling Fees
      3. Packing Your Items
      4. Shipping Internationally
    3. 11. Servicing Your Customers
      1. Answering Customer Questions
      2. Managing Post-Sale Correspondence
      3. Handling Customer Complaints
    4. 12. Managing Your Inventory
      1. How to Manage Your Craft Inventory
      2. Managing Inventory Across Multiple Marketplaces
    5. 13. Promoting Your Business with Pinterest
      1. Getting to Know Pinterest
      2. Using Pinterest
      3. Pinning Your Item Listings to Pinterest
      4. Making Your Pin a Gift Item
      5. Using Pinterest to Promote Your Crafts
    6. 14. Other Ways to Promote Your Business
      1. Promoting via Facebook
      2. Promoting via Twitter
      3. Promoting on Etsy
      4. Promoting in an Online Crafts Mall
      5. Promoting with Google AdWords
    7. 15. Measuring Your Success
      1. Measuring Traffic
      2. Measuring Sales
      3. Measuring Profits
      4. How Do You Define Success?
  14. Index