Today we reached 400 sales between our two Vintage Etsy Shops
and
It took a little longer than it should have.
First off, I set up VintageDiana72 in July of 2010, I didn't put any items on until March of 2011. My delay was due to a fear of not knowing what to charge on shipping. It's still a sticky point with me. I also took time off in 2012 for my daughter's wedding and time off for a couple of surgery's.
If you're interested in starting a Vintage Etsy shop, the actual set up is explained in step by step form on Etsy. You'll also need to set up a PayPal account if you don't already have one. You'll need an email account for each shop you start.
My intent here is to help you think things through before you jump in!
RESEARCH
Look at as many Vintage Etsy Shops as you can to first see if it's something you want to do.
Google "Top Etsy Vintage Shops"
Following are some things to think about before you make your final decision.
(By the way, my reason for starting my Etsy Shop came because I had accumulated a lot of
"stuff" and really wanted to downsize. It didn't work, you'll see why later.)
TIME
Taking Pictures
Downloading Pictures to your Computer
Uploading the pictures to your Etsy Shop
Write up describing each item
(with vintage items there aren't many duplicates, when you have duplicate items you can copy and save description time)
Shipping and Packaging
Driving packages to the Post Office
Correspondence with customers
Cleaning and readying pieces to sell
If you decide to refund overages on shipping charges, those take time
Keeping track of sales, mileage, purchases, shipping costs, etc.
Shopping at Estate Sales, Garage Sales,Flea Markets, Thrift Stores and more. (Fun Time)
Researching items you've purchased to figure out pricing. (also fun, but still takes up time)
Tax Time, YUCK!
SPACE
This all depends on what you decide to sell on Etsy and how deep you want to dive into it.
Maybe you want to sell Vintage Jewelry, great, doesn't take up a lot of space.
How about Vintage Sheet Music, Maps, Cards etc., still doesn't take up a lot of space.
But...what if you decide to sell Vintage Furniture, WELL!!!, look out house!
Back to my reason for starting an Etsy Vintage Shop, decluttering. I was able to offload almost everything I originally wanted to but...
I now have a basement filled with vintage items that have spilled over into my living room, dining room, kitchen, family room and bedrooms. I've managed to keep the stuff out of the bathrooms. (I'm certain anyone who has purchased an item from my shop is very happy to hear that!)
Shipping supplies, boxes, envelopes, bubble wrap, tape, Styrofoam popcorn, tissue paper and more
ORGANIZATION
This involves organizing your purchases
The items to be photographed
The items already photographed and waiting entry on Etsy
The items entered and waiting to be sold
(I'm still working on that. I can't tell you how many times an item has sold and I have to look way too long to find it!)
It also involves your shipping supplies
Having them all in a central place is ideal
Shipping Supplies
Computer and Printer
Accurate Scale
Boxes
Tissue Paper
Bubble Wrap
Packing Tape
Scissors
Permanent Markers
(I use these for marking fragile on boxes)
Tape measure
I hope this helps in making a decision.
I do plan to post on how to organize your Etsy items, but I have to figure out how to do that myself!
I'm working on it.
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