Enter the May Pursuit HERE!

I think I may have been confusing everyone with my change of venue with the blog! So sorry! I would like participants to the May Pursuit of Handmade to Enter here with a comment! Just comment with your URL to the item or place where I can find it! If you want to share a little something about your item, that would give it a little more "juice" when it is featured, that would be fantastic! So, comment below!

Remember- the Tweet along- just tweet or share others and yourself, add the hash tag "#POH" at the end, and I will find you, Retweet you, and share! You can do a simple search and do the same.

May's Theme- "Something for Someone Special" Any item that one could give to that someone special in their life- The theme is in appreciation for all those special people who help us along in life that may not fit under the Mothers Day umbrella!

So, come on, post post post

Tweet A Long!

Want to participate? Have your items retweeted over and over? Well, this is a two way street, buddy! You have to help, too! (just kidding!). Here is how it works-

Comment and add your link to your item you have entered into the Pursuit of Handmade

Others will click on your link and then SHARE it with a share button or you can copy and cut the URL and add it to your twitter

Before you post, add #POH at the end of the tweet

Whenever you or others go to twitter, they can do a search for #POH and then all of the other posts that related to Pursuit of Handmade will come up! Just click the retweet link! Simple, easy, and helps one another, right? Well, get busy then!

May's Pursuit of Handmade

Announcing May's Pursuit of Handmade-

For some Mother's Day is a wonderful moment of sharing and appreciating your family- for other's it can be a painful, lonely day... Families are blended and full of so many different caregivers, that Mothers and Fathers day may not apply in the Hallmark meaning, but in so many other ways that are just as meaningful! So, I wanted to go beyond Mother's Day for May and find "To give someone you love..." That is pretty open, and can mean anything you want it to! So, list your item link here by commenting! Than hop over to Mishaps of Mommy at http://mishapsofmommy.blogspot.com and sign up for the Pursuit of Handmade Tweet Along- share your link again, and if you want- a story of inspiration about the item, about you, or what this theme means to you! We will show you and your fab. item off here!



Add your link, a story about your item, and then start sharing everyone else's entries! Just click on the links in the comments and then Share, Share, Share!
Remember, whenever you post your Pursuit of Handmade item, or another person's who is participating here- add #POH at the end so we can all just search and Retweet!

I am so glad you came to join in the fun! Dont forget to add yourself to the Tweet Along, too!

Take A New Turn

Well, I have decided to make some changes with this blog... Unfortunately there just are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to... I have spent the last year sharing ways to grab traffic, promote your biz, etc. here at Mishaps! Now, I am going to focus on promoting, uniting, and working together with other sellers or biz's who are to break into the world...

With that in mind, hop over to Mommy's Reviews at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com This will be the blog for promoting and exposing all of my new friends, and future friends! This blog, however, will focus on the information, nuts and bolts of getting ourselves out there and noticed! Everyone is moving into the handmade arena (which is fantastic!) but, sometimes we get lost in the crowd! Often, we don't have a sale for a while, we started doubting ourselves, and we lean towards throwing in the crochet hook! Don't do it! You just need a pick me up, and here is where you will get it!

Every month I try to do a "Pursuit of Handmade" which exposes or shows off sellers who create products in a chosen theme line... Well, I am going to broaden those themes, and then do a little publicity for one another when we participate!

Here are the things I think we could do to help each other-

1. Participate in the announced Pursuit of Handmade (that is the anchor to the entire operation!)

2. List your link at Mommy's Reviews (http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com), thus you get immediate linkback and exposure- no waiting for you to be featured! You just add your link to the item that you think meets the theme.

3. Here (Mishaps of Mommy http://mishapsofmommy.blogspot.com) again list your link to the item in the comments section, AND share a little something about the item, the inspiration, the theme, whatever... I will expose each participant individually on the blog

4. Whomever is being featured that particular day, share it! We need to share each other on twitter, facebook, digg, all the social networks and sites. It is very easy, just go to the upper left corner of the blog and hit share or you can use the share button I have added to the bottom of the postings at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com

5. Click on all the links to the items under the comments and share them with twitter, facebook, etc. For example, if it links to an Etsy item, just click the share button to the bottom right of the page and you can share it with twitter, digg, facebook, all of the great sites! Share your items, share others items. It is all about promoting and exposing one another- A team effort, so to speak!

6. Finally, I will have a post below the pursuit for that month here at Mishaps of Mommy http://mishapsofmommy.blogspot.com You can add your link to the "Tweet A Long" We will all tweet each other followed by the hash mark #POH which stands for Pursuit of Handmade. This will increase exposure and seems to be a great tool many groups and teams are using! Whenever you are on twitter you can do a quick search for #POH and all the tweets will pop up, then just click "re tweet" and we can promote each other some more! It is a group effort, a combined force!

Make sense? We will just work on it as we go along... if you have ideas- share them and we can promote, expose, show off, and learn from one another-

The jist of the entire post is, this blog will focus on ideas, sharing and helping one another, while the Mommy's Review blog will focus on finding new customers, linking customers with sellers, and getting our names/products out there!

So, are your ready? See the above two posts for the Tweet along and the Pursuit of Handmade announcement for May!

Good luck and happy sharing!

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New way to Promote your Etsy shop

I was emailed this link to a great little blog that is all about promoting your Etsy shop on Twitter!  Brilliant idea, actually... Here is how it goes...
Everyone uses the hashtag WWes and then post your link, etsy shop, sale, etc!  Other followers of the blog will do a search each day for WWes and Retweet all the items that pop up!  So your tweet may be retweeted a dozen or so times to a various other group of followers!  Great idea, eh?

If you would like to check it out for yourself, here is the link-


http://worldwideetsysellers.blogspot.com/

Promote your shop for free with Mommy Tyme! No catch!

A great way to promote your shop/business is with widgets or mini stores!  Many of the marketplaces have them- Etsy, Winkelf, Artfire, etc...

(if you know of more, please comment and let me know... I am not sure of all of the venues out there!)

anyway, I am hoping to create a featured section on my blog- Mommys Reviews- and post a variety of artists mini shops for either a week/or a month at a time- (I dont have all the details under control yet...)

so, here is an excerpt from my blog- Mommys Reviews at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com  -  If you are interested in participating (Yes, it's free!) then you can comment here with the information, or you can go to Mommy's Reviews and post the information there!  I really hope to get the Mommys Mini Marketplace off the ground in the next two weeks!  So, hurry and post!  Plus, this will really be added promotion for your shop- I will feed it to twitter on a 6 hour interval, also post all new mini shops each week on Facebook, and it has a feed running to my website!  Plus, I subscribe to multiple traffic exchanges and services for both My Mommys Reviews Blog and my website.  All of this benefits you- so, join in the fun!

Here's the details from http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com

"...As we have talked about previously, the Share the Love Series will be ongoing and updated weekly.  As will the pursuit of handmade series which is my weekly blog entry!  The Mommy's Mini Market contains all of my shops- but, my new FEATURE is Mommy's Mini Marketplace- which I hope to have up and running in the next week or so... Here is the deal for this:  If you are a handmade artisan and you want to promote your items/shops- you can do so here!  I would like to feature 3-4 mini shops (or widgets) each week (or month)!  All you have to do is- sign up!  Just leave me a comment with your shop URL, name, and email.  I will choose 3-4 shops for this first feature, then contact the shop owners.  The shop owners will send me the code for their mini shops  I will post the mini marketplace.  One catch, however, is that the online shops must have a mini/window, etc.  I know that etsy, winkelf, artfire, and fuzz b offer this free service- but, as for other marketplaces, I am not sure!  You will just have to ensure that your venue does offer this service.

My readers get a fantastic opportunity to browse a variety of shops with multiple modes of talent!   Readers can shop directly from the blog or they can link to your shop and see all of your great products!  This will give readers a chance to see all the fantastic items out there in the handmade marketplaces- not just the few items I may choose to feature!  And this provides you (the shop owner) with one more link back, one more promotional tool, one more place where your name and products is being shouted out!  You have to do absolutely nothing!  I will tweet your shop's presence here, post it on my website, let my facebook followers know, etc! 



I honestly believe in promoting and preserving the great talents out there!  One of my biggest fears is that by the time my child is an adult, there were only be cheap, mass marketed products for him to enjoy.  I want the future of handmade and artisan work to grow- I pray that individuals continue to express themselves and their creativity and that there continue to be a market that openly appreciates and receives these creations.  So, I feel an ultimate obligation to do my part and shout to the world - Hey check these artists out!  So, Mommys Mini Marketplace is just one more way I can do that!  Problem is .... I need participants (you, the shop owner!)

So, if you are interested, comment with the needed information- and I hope to have this feature section up and running sometime next week!..."

If you have questions, ideas, or thoughts on how to get this up and moving, streamlined, or easier for the readers, let me know!  Hope you join in and participate!

The Pricing Dilemma for Your Handmade Items...

Selling handmade items: the pricing dilemma by Bobby Buys



For a craftsman, pricing is often the most difficult part of the process of preparing items for sale. The best way to find your way around is research. Check the price tags of similar products in local stores, craft markets and - most importantly - on the online marketplace where you intend to display your wares. If it is obvious that the items you make have a quality that makes them superior, do not shy away from pricing them in higher brackets.



When you sell via an online marketplace, your overheads are minimal. Since you will be working from home, you need not worry about the cost of renting office space and similar expenses. However, there are overheads that are often overlooked. Even a small cross stitch project, for example, may entail overhead expenses like a fraction of your electricity bill if you work at night. Nor should you forget to include a portion of your Internet bill for the time it takes you to upload the item online and to email your customers. Then, you must take into account the site's selling commission (usually about five percent of the selling price).



Overheads are only one of the elements that you need to bear in mind when pricing your items for selling online. Setting the price at the right level is vitally important. Set it too low - and you will be out of your pocket. Set it too high - and, as a result, you will find no takers.



Other than the overheads, which are marginal when selling through an online marketplace, there are several basic elements that you need to consider when working out the price for your sewing, knitting or needlework.



Materials: Note down exactly what you had to spend in order to start making your item. For example, if you are making a quilt to sell, you will add up the cost of the fabric, batting, and so on; if you are making purses then consider the cost of handles, bag frames, ornaments, etc.



Equipment: If you use a sewing machine or any other tool, be aware of maintenance and replacement costs and weave them into the price of your end product - over one year, or over five years, for example. If you rent any specialised equipment, you need to calculate the fee into the price of your products.



Labour: Include the cost of your time into the final product. The cost of your labour is the hourly wage you pay yourself, or your employees, if you hire them.



Market considerations: Take into consideration what the market is willing to pay for the items you make. Although they may be ready to splash out on really unique items, buyers at online marketplaces are usually looking for bargains. It is a good idea to at least offer several low priced items, and to always emphasise in the description why the more expensive ones deserve the price tag they bear. If your customer base values the style and uniqueness of your products, they will not be deterred by higher prices. In any case, keep an eye on what the competition is doing, especially price-wise.



Your goals: This is an important feature of working out your pricing. Have an idea about what you want to achieve from the sale of your work from the very start: just a few rands to help you fund your hobby, or a supplementary stream of income?



And, every now and then, it might be a good idea to place your artifacts on auction and let the play of market forces determine their final price.



bidorbuy.co.za is South Africa's largest online marketplace. Buyers and sellers come to bidorbuy to buy and sell virtually anything in auction format or at fixed prices. Contact details: bidorbuy Marketing Department; email promotion@bidorbuy.co.za, web site www.bidorbuy.co.za



Article Source: ArticleSnatch Free Article Directory

Lets talk about setting up shop! How to actually make a profit! Do sales on Etsy work?

Ok, so you have a product and now you want to set up shop! where to go? We have talked about the cost of selling, and it is getting tougher and tougher. Over this past weekend, I held a 10% sale on some of my products. Well, if I sell a bar of soap for 1.50, then 10% off- then set the shipping at 1.45 (which it turned out the bar was 5 ounces and because it was being shipped to the other side of the country, shipping was 1.76) then etsy takes it's cut, pay pal takes it's cut, and don't forget the .20 listing fee at etsy... I ended up losing money! How many times has this happened to you? I literally paid someone to use my soap! That is crazy.

But, what are the choices? Everyone wants a cut, and you have to use pay pal unless you are going to hold products and wait for checks to clear (word of advice- Never send the product until you know the check has cleared! I have been down that road a time or two!).

I did not even factor in the time when I calculated all the above...and that is enourmous when you have a four year old, work full time, and go to school! For me, every second counts (and counts big!).

Well, I have to step back and look at this in a positivie way- It's not really a loss! The people I sold to this weekend will hopefully come back again and again. So, the first thing I did was add their email addresses and home addresses to my customer list for future flyers.

To adjust the shipping error, I went into my etsy shop and did a batch edit. I think to even it out the best way to handle the situation is to add .10 to all shipping orders. Then in the future if I have to pay a little for shipping it will even out with the shipping costs that I was over a little on estimating. Make sense?

Now, there is really nothing I can do about the cut that pay pal takes. I am stuck with that. But, I can utilize all the services they have to offer so as to make that cut not so bad. One of the greatest resources on pay pal is the shipping. You can print your shipping labels directly from pay pal. For me, this is great. I leave for work before the post office opens, and get off after they are closed. With the ability to pay and print from home, I can have my car loaded with my packages and ship at 5am if I need to. You can also schedule a pick up from your home. so, that is one benefit. A second benefit is you know your money is secure. Pay pal tracks all your transactions, and if there is anything funny on your account, they let you know. That is peace of mind for me.

As for the Etsy fees, I really don't see how you can get those back without passing them on to the customer- which I do not want to do. However, I have to be positive and look at it like this: for the items like my soap, .20 is a cut- but for my bigger ticket items such as my jewelry, hats, scarves and more- it really is not that much of a cut. Materials for my bath and body line are costly, but for my other items, the materials are relatively low (they are just enormously time consuming)- so view it as yin and yang. One balances out the other.

However, there are a lot of other options out there besides etsy that you may not know about. So, lets spend some time over the next few weeks exploring these. I would like to introduce you to the Fuzz B next week, and the great marketplaces I have found there. But, before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to make sure I know where all the "bugs" are!

So, come back next week and lets start exploring the selling venues and marketplaces!

For more tips, ideas, etc on selling visit http://www.mommytyme.org/services.html


Do you have an etsy story to share? Ideas how to increase your profits? Share them here! Post a link back to your blog, site, etc and increase your traffic, too!

Advice for the Mommy Tyme shop... Sale! Sale! Sale!

I wanted to let my readers in on my sale at Mommy Tyme... I am closing out on select spring fragrances until next year, so lotions are drastically discounted, spring spritz's, certain handmade soaps, and in the spirit of the holiday season... I have cut prices on my scarves and accessories! I hope you take a minute to explore my shop and let me know what you think, what you would like to see more of, etc. I know that customers are the foundation of any good business, so what am I missing? Are there colors that you would be more interested in? fragrances? collections? baskets? gift sets?

I could sure use the advice of avid shoppers, so check out my shop, or just look at my widget below and let me know what you think....

Etsy Buy Handmade MommyTyme

A New Place to Promote!

Hey, Check out my new website at:

http://www.soopsee.com/profile/MommyTyme

You can get one, too! Guess what? They are free! Take it with you anywhere, post a widget, whatever! How nice to have one more tool to promote your shop on Etsy!

For those who choose to do this, wowo!, Share your thoughts, your ideas, and your struggles with setting this up!

Tell us how well it works for you!

You can create a slide of your items, see more....

Spotlighting the Fuzz B

The Spotlight is up and running... So, if you have a grand opening, a sale, or any contests/giveaways you want to promote...go to the link below, scroll down and complete the submission requirements. This is free, and only requires your assistance in tweeting, and promoting by posting the banner! check out what's up there now! Some great sales are currently underway....





This week I want to introduce the newbies to selling online to a great resource... The Fuzz B. This is an excellent spot to sell your wares, and a great option for promoting. There are a few things that make the Fuzz B different from other venues:

1. At the Fuzz B you can create your own unique marketplace- Not just a store, but a market category in which you can allow others to sell under. All of your store items do not have to go under this category, but you can place several. For example, you have likely heard of cafe handmade? That is a marketplace that contains multiple items from various vendors... Or Cotton Candy Marketplace? I even have a Mommy Tyme Gifts Marketplace. You can design, list, and link this marketplace to any social network you choose... Exciting, eh?

2. Another cool option with the fuzz b is the ability to promote all of your various stores (not just Fuzz B stores) from one single page. You can add your widgets from various sites like Artfire, Winkelf, Etsy, etc onto your Fuzz B page. Crazy! This simplifies your life, as you can just list one URL for promoting items at all your various venues. It also allows for you to promote your blog, your website and more! (see my example at http://fuzzb.com/MommyTyme)

3. There are various pricing options- all very affordable. You can try a shop for free, too! How can you beat that? Then if you enjoy the ease of access, friendly environment, and supportive team, you can upgrade to a regular store, and more!

Oh, and don't forget you can create a widget store that you can post anywhere... See mine below!



See what is happening at the Fuzz B






Stop by my Fuzz Hub page and check out more great things you can do at the Fuzz B!


http://fuzzbearthmarketplace.ning.com/profile/Valerie