Etsy Shop

Well I've made some decisions about the Etsy shop.... no more dinking around in there and making my prices so low in the hopes that I will make the sales. It may sound a bit silly, but I have actually been losing money on the shop ever since I started it (if you factor in my time, which I haven't been). Between listing fees, the cost of getting prints done, the "bonus" card I include as my freebie, I essentially come out a few pennies ahead.... add in the time I spend editing photos, listing, promoting, etc etc and I am massively in the black. I knew it would be going in, but I had gambled on getting people interested in the shop and making slow price adjustments from there. No such luck. In fact, most of my sales have come from when I offer a BOGO deal or a nice percentage off from my already embarassingly low pricing. Some people just want a "great deal" but don't bother to look at the costs involved in these things.... and I am tired of catering to that kind of mentality....

Sigh. Lots of people "favoriting" my items, but not the kind of sales I had originally hoped for.

So here's what changed. I spent a few hours this morning bringing my prices up. So what if it loses me a sale or two, I'd rather have sales that are worth my time and money than trying to get some sales in.

No more BOGO deals.... they just aren't worth it. I have multiple print listings that offer a price break, but no more giving away free prints as an enticement.

I also need to spend some time once my laptop comes back today or tomorrow (lets hope its working as the graphics card may be fried...no!!!!! Thankfully, the guy I have looking at it says it will be no problem to transfer all of my files onto my external drive, so at least I won't lose all my photography) But I digress... regardless of the state of the laptop, there are some pictures that will no longer be available in the shop.... though I will probably put a few of them on this site because I really am proud of my work, even if it hasn't sold.

As it stands, I have 101 current listings in the shop, which really is too many. Not many people are going to want to scroll though all of that, and I have new items that I would rather list. So stock will be rotated... and some of it will not be made available again because it just isn't worth it for this forum. After the move I will look at the options of craft fairs/markets, etc for my Bluecreek Creations line (which will be going into full gear after the move)... maybe I will sell photography there as well, I don't know. Regardless, I need to find a way to highlight the best of the best and, if it doesn't sell or bring interest (even if I love it) then its off the market.

I can always re-evaluate in six months time and see if I even want to continue with the photography on Etsy.... at this moment, I think the photography shop is on its way out in order to make room for my focus on the crafting side, which is my real love anyway.

So what do YOU guys think about that? A bit much? A seemingly good plan? Let me know......