Etsy Selling Tip 6: Using Paypal to Process Payments at Craft Shows

I originally found this article on www.handmadenews.org/ This is something I have been doing for sometime at craft shows that have WiFi access. I feel this article explains it far better than I ever could. I usually take my laptop with me on the off chance that the show will have wifi and I can allow people to check out via Pay Pal. It is much simpler and affordable than buying a credit card machine/processing credit cards and it's safer. The following article explains how to allow customers to check via Pay Pal Using a "Donation" button. I myself have never used this method. At the conclusion of the article I will put in my 2 cents on how I usually have customers pay via Pay Pal at craft shows.

Via Handmadenews.org
If you have been looking into the options for processing payments at craft fairs you will have noticed that most require some sort of monthly financial commitment that seems a little pointless paying especially if you don't do a fair every month or you don't take many card payments.

However with mobile broadband for netbooks and smartphones it is now possible to take payments through paypal.

First set up a donate paypal button in your paypal account you can do this by going to merchant services and clicking on the link for the buy now buttons then clicking on the donate link in the left menu. Donate is best since you can enter the amount as needed rather than creating buttons for each price and having to use add to cart for customers that want to make multiple purchases.

You don't even have to host the donate button anywhere once it is created you will be able to click through to the page and bookmark that so you can get to it quickly. (if you are using a smartphone you may find it easier to temporarily host the button on a free site builder so you can click through to the link after setting it all up on your home computer.)

For blackberry users you will need to download the opera browser because the default browser automatically goes to the paypal mobile site and this feature isn't possible on that.

Now you should have your donation page bookmarked and all you will need to do when you have a person wanting to pay is go to the bookmarked page, enter the purchase amount (inclusive of any taxes) and put in the card details, if your customer is registered with paypal then they will be able to log in and pay that way if preferred.

Of course there are limits with the paypal system since they do not accept all cards and anyone that has already used their card three times with paypal will need to sign up for an account but you now have a simple and free (other than the cost of your phone/netbook) way to process most card payments. This works best for those outside the US since you will be able to have the payments in your own currency. However if the venue you sell on is in your own currency you can just process through your venue but the donate button makes things faster because you don't have all the purchase steps to jump through.


Sleepy Robot 13's 2 cents:

Ok so I use 1 of 2 methods to allow customers to check out via Pay Pal. The 1st is just using plane old Etsy. I will pull up Etsy on my laptop and if it is an item already for sale in my shop they are purchasing, I just remove the shipping charge and let the customer log into their Etsy account (If they have one) and check as normal. I like this method because it helps me keep track of sales and the customer is able to find me again later if they want to purchase something else (we all know business cards usually end up at the bottom of a purse or junk drawer).

The 2nd method I use is letting the customer check out directly via their Pay Pal account and clicking on the "Send money" tab. Now not all customers will be comfortable with this option because they are logging into their Pay Pal accounts from someone else's computer. For both methods of check out I recommend having cookies turned off on your computer so the customer's information is not saved. The upside to using this method is you avoid Etsy's transaction fees and you have a record of the sale for tax purposes.

2 chance 2 check out Sleepy Robot 13 this weekend

On Saturday 8/14/10 Sleepy Robot 13 will have booths set up in 2 locations. You can catch Creator Lisastarchild at Grace Park in Akron, OH 10am-6pm and a smaller Sleepy Robot 13 booth at the Lakewood Car Kulture show on Madison Ave. in Lakewood, OH 10am-6pm. So if your looking for something to do this weekend, come out for some food, fun, drinks and a lot of art! Oh and don't forget to say hi to Vanessa and I.

Not Dogs & Robots! What could be better???

Hey guys if you are in the northeast Ohio area ( I know theres a couple of ya) make sure you stop by Bella Dubbi in Lakewood. Oh on Madison ave noon-4 tomorrow 8/7/10. The Cleveland craft coalation will be having a free vegan/vegetarian cook out. Not dogs for all! i will be selling my robots and all of the other little creations Sleepy Robot 13 is known for. If you can't make it tomorrow you can also catch me on 8/14/10 @ Grace parin Akronk and 8/22/10 back in Cleveland @ the Cleveland Scooter rally. I look forward to seeing everyone!

Etsy Selling Tip 4: The Price Is Right!

I frequent a lot of craft forums and I see this question over and over again: "Do you think I am charging too much/too little for my items?" I think the best answer to this question is another question, "Would you pay that much for the item or a similar item?"

We all know that money is tight these days. When I price my items I always ask myself how much I would pay for a similar item from another seller if I were buying online or at a craft show (I'll talk a little more about craft show pricing later in this post.) Now this is just my personal opinion and it has worked for me. Never sell yourself (or your craft) short if you put a lot of time, effort and love into something you've created you should by all means get paid well for it, but remember to be realistic. Also take into consideration that most people buy handmade because they are looking for a unique item...without the heavy price tag of something mass produced.

What it really comes down to is you know your price is right if you'd pay it yourself. If you wouldn't pay the amount you are charging for a similar item, no matter how unique and well made it is, you are charging too much.

Now, how do you decide if your prices are too low? Ask yourself this, Are your making a reasonable profit over your supply cost? Can you cover your Etsy fees at the end of the month? (Assuming you haven't spent all of your money visiting other awesome Etsy shops lol!) If you answered no to these two questions, then your price is probably too low. If you are at this point don't be afraid to raise your price a little. The price of your item can reflect the quality of your item just as much as the photo. If a price is too low buyers may think that the quality is low as well.

Craft Show pricing

The most important thing to remember about a craft show is that it is a craft show not a flea market, therefore do not drop the price of your items to unreasonably low prices. I have been to shows where fellow Etsians are selling their crafts for half and sometimes less than half the cost they sell their items online for. I am all for giving a price break at a show, but once again do not sell yourself short. Knocking a few buck off mid-level and high ticket items is a great way to get people out to a show you are participating in. I post information about shows I am doing in my shop announcements and on my blog. I often let buyers know I will be discounting some of my items during the show as well as selling items not listed on Etsy. This not only brings potential buyers out to the show but also to your table/booth.

Now, how do you decide if you should keep your pricing during a craft show the same as in your Etsy show or slash the prices. This should be gaged on the show it'self. I say always start out the first 1-3 hours(depending upon the length of the show) as close to your original price as possible. As the day goes on base your pricing on the following:

Hows the crowd? Is it large, steady or very thin?
How many other vendors are there selling items similar to yours?
Do buyers really contemplate an item after learning the price or do they walk away immediately or shake their heads (I see this a lot from older buyers)

One thing I've learned is to stay firm on a price if a potential customer really ponders and it and comes back several times to look at it again or see if it's still there. This usually means 1) They may be a fellow vendor and need to make a few sales of their own before they can buy anything, they saw something at another table they liked and are trying to figure out which item they like best or if they can afford both and finally if you are going to drop your price. Remember it is not a flea market or a swap meet. Your not just cleaning out your garage and throwing the items on a table. You worked hard on your creations. Do not be discouraged if the person ultimately walks away. Their going to be the ones on the ride home kicking themselves because they didn't buy that item from you they really liked. On several occasions a few days after shows I have gotten orders/convos from people who saw one of my items at a show and didn't buy anything then, but when they got home decided they really liked it and should have bought it.

If the day has been slow and and the crowds haven't been great, you may want to drop your prices a little. Your goal should always first and foremost be to make back your table/booth fee and your supply cost, because everything after that is profit. Even if you don't make a profit at least you are not out any money and you got your name and your product out in the public. My 1st show I didn't even come close to breaking even, but several people saw my stuff and looked me up online.

Finally it's important to take into account the area of the show is in. Potential customers may not have as much disposable income to spend as those in other places in your city. Keep that in mind as you are pricing your items.



Wow! Sorry this one was so long. I probably started rambling there for a bit.

Finally Some Booth Pics!

I have forgotten to take pictures at almost all my recent shows(I received a few emails recently reminding me of this!)I finally remembered this time! Sorry no pics of me in my booth ): But you don't want to see me anyways lol! The following pics are from the "Art Is Alive" in North Canton, Ohio this past Weekend. Friday was a looooooong day. I got up at 6am to finish up last minute items and parts of my display. The show didn't start until 5 but I had to be set up by 3. I got to there at around 1 and was done setting up by 4:15 (I would have been faster but I had a mishap with my table, I really need to get a new one!) I had a lot more space than I was intending (as I had a corner spot) I should have brought a 2nd smaller table so I could have spread my items out more, but it all still worked out ok. The show didn't end until 11pm. There were a lot of big crowds so by 11 I was exhausted! I finished covering up my table and left around 11:30. I got home about 12:15, but it wasn't bed time yet! I still had 3 custom orders people had placed during the show to complete that they were pick up the next day during the 2nd part of the show. I finally went to bed around 2:45 in the morning, but it wasn't the best sleep due to butters snoring all night. I got up around 6:00am the next day to finish painting and glazing my custom orders (I usually don't do much painting, but someone requested a robot wearing a Lebron James jersey. I had to paint on the name as well as the numbers. I left for the show at around 9:45. The show didn't start until 11 this day but I wanted to be a little early so I could re-set up what I had to take down to cover up my table and to get coffee. Oh sweet, sweet coffee! All in all it was a great show and there were some amazing artists there. I can't wait until next year!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

So I have craft shows lined up 3 weekends in a row, I'm releasing my new "Mr. & Mrs. Zombie Toast" set this week and I've got tons of customs to finish! At this point I wish I had an extra set of hands and on top of all this I have a killer tooth ache! I can't complain too much, I love doing shows! I really like meeting other crafters and seeing the look on peoples faces when they see my figures for the first time. Last week was the Cirque Imaginaire show. Great turn out for their 1st show, but we were literally packed in there like sardines! I actually had to crawl under the table to get into my booth because the tables were set up end to end. I think the planning could have been a little better in regards to set up. This weekend I have the Cleveland Craft Correlation show. This is a fun show. it is monthly and all the other vendors are awesome! Next weekend I have the 2 day "Art is Alive" show. I am really looking forward to this show. I'm also hoping to unveil a new display set up. I will try to remember to take pictures of my booth. I have forgotten the last few shows.

Aside from shows i have been working on a lot of new figures, mostly robots, but I hope to get a few new monsters done this week too. Also I just ordered a few Munnys this week to customize. I should have photos of those up later in the week as well. Below you can find pics of my latest figures. Enjoy!

Cute New Robot for my display

I just bought this little guy to put on my table to greet people during craft shows and conventions.He hasn't been delivered yet but I'm already excited! He's "The Bot-ster" from Hasbro/tiger electronics. They were released in 2002 as part of the Robo-Chi series. I have been looking for one for a very long time as they are no longer in production. Luckily this weekend I found one on ebay brand new still in it's original box for $10 + shipping. He talks, sings, moves his arms and legs, and changes his facial expressions. I think he will be a great addition to may display.

UpStage Artisan Alley Pics

I thought I'd share some photos of my booth at the Upstage Artisan Alley show this past weekend. For it's first year it was a great show for a great cause. If anyone has the chance they should definitely check it out next year. This is actually a smaller set up for me. I decided not to take as much jewelry with me and I usually have a second smaller table of one of a kind figurines. I also had a backdrop to put up but there wasn't enough room for it. I was a little bummed because I ordered a new vinyl banner for my booth but it didn't arrive in time. i ended up making one by hand out of poster board.

Upcoming Show

I will have a booth set up at the UpStage Artisan Alley
Saturday, February 13, 2010
9:00am - 2:00pm
15335 Waterloo Rd.
Cleveland, OH


I will be selling some items from my shops at discounted prices as well as items that are not available online. Also I will be selling many unique Valentine's day gifts. So if your in the are or feel like taking a road trip come on down! (Wow... that felt really Price is Right-ish lol!)

Not Juried In...

I always get a little bummed out when I'm not picked for a show, especially one I am really looking forward to. I applied for the Bazaar Bizarre Valentine show over a month ago when I first heard about it and had already begun making stuff for it, then WHAM! Today I get an email stating I wasn't admitted to the show as a vendor and my table fee would be refunded. I have been a little depressed about this all day because I really wanted to do this show and it kinda made me feel like my stuff wasn't good enough ):

Sprucing Up Booth

So I've only done a few craft/art shows so far and I haven't really been too pleased with how my booth has looked. Over the last few weeks I have purchased a few things to make my booth stand out and not look so cluttered. I usually take a lot of stuff to shows, my figurines and jewelry.


I didn't have a lot of cash to spend so I tried to find some cheapy alternatives. Hopefully some of my ideas will help others trying to spruce up their booths!

1)Backdrop- So I got this idea from going to conventions where many of the booths had colorful backdrops that stood out in the crowd of mostly black. I figured I could use this during shows where I am in a space against a wall. Backdrops can be very pricey, so I bought bed sheets... that's right I said bed sheets! I bought these on ebay for $17.99. They are "Morgan's Kids" twin sheets. They are very bright and have an awesome tattoo influenced pattern screened on them. Their light weight and can be thrown up quickly (If you have some help) with a few tacks.


2)Display stands- This one is really cool. I wanted a way to display a few of the different variations of my "Bad Brian" figures. I was able to find a solar powered rotating display stand for under $12 on ebay. Doesn't need batteries or electricity which is great for outdoor shows! Even though it is solar powered it works indoors under regular light bulbs. I was actually able to but 2 mini spotlights at a local dollar store to attach to the sides of the display to keep it turning.



3)Risers- I learned when looking for a display stand, you don't always have to look for a display stand...did that make any sense? I was able to search around on the web and found nail polish racks that are perfect for displaying all of my robots. It was under $20 and holds almost 35 of my figures. It is made out of thick plastic.



I did buy one actual table riser. It was about $25 on ebay and it is made of cardboard. I bought a card board on because it was light weight, breaks down easily and lays flat. Eventually I plan to start doing some shows out of state an this would be easy to ship if necessary. It is very sturdy and the seller also had available cloth slip covers that go over the riser to make it looks more professional. I tried making one of these myself once and it fell apart by my 2nd show...





I have a show coming up soon so hopefully I can post pics of the new booth layout!

Selling Tip 1: Business Cards That Stand Out!

Have you ever been at a craft show and every vendor there has business cards sitting at their booth for customers to pick up? Business cards are very important in the craft world.I have had many customers visit my booth at a show and not buy anything, but they take my card and purchase something days later from my etsy shop. You have to think if there are 100 vendors at a show customers are going to take cards from at least 20% or more of them, but when they get home they will probably only look 5% or less of them up online. The majority of cards people pick up at shows are lost or discarded. Due to this you have to make your card stand out!

When I was just starting out I booked a show at the last minute. I didn't have any business cards at all the day before the show. I was able to come up with a quick and very affordable solution. I went to my local craft store and bought 20 sheets for card stock for $.15 each. at home on my computer using photofiltre (a free photo editing program that can be downloaded safely from download.com) to type up my important info (ie. name of your business, your name,what you sell, your web address and email address.) I then added some fun clip art and then copied and pasted the design over and over again. I was able to get 9 cards onto 1 page.



After my design was printed I then cut the individual cards out using a pair of pinking shears. This created a cool zig zag pattern along the edges of the cards.

This is sorta how my cards looked when I was done:


Whats cool about this is your card stands out from all those other cards people picked out because it is different. When someone puts their hand in their pocket they feel something uneven and immediately pull it out to figure out what it is. They'll take one look at your card and remember the awesome booth they got it from!

If you don't want to spend the time making your own cards, you can try vistaprint.com or overnightprints.com, each offers 250 basic business cards for free, all you pay is S&H. I have order some of these myself as fill ins if I run out of my handmade cards.

So for $3 and a little bit of work I was able to make 180 business cards.

A Few More Affordable Tips Regarding Business Cards:

-If you need business card holders for your table try a dollar store. They some times carry business card holders. If they don't they carry small picture easels that work just as well and they are very decorative (This is what I use)

- You should carry business cards with you at all times. Nothing looks more unprofessional than pulling a wrinkled, crumpled business card from your pocket. You can get affordable simple business card holder for less than $3 on ebay or a little more if you want a cool design. It keeps your cards organized and it looks very sleek and professional!

Stay tuned for more tips coming soon and tell all your friends lol!

Updates!

Wow so I haven't updated in awhile. I'll just give a brief run down ( or my idea of brief) of whats been up. December 15th the 1st batch Zombie Toast figures sold out. I am currently taking pre-orders for batch #2 in my shop located here now. Batch 2 will only consist of about 10 figures online. After these 10 figures are gone I will not be taking pre-orders for batch 3 until March. Although a new batch won't be available until march I will have a limited # available at upcoming shows.

December 19th I had the pleasure of taking part in the "Last Minute Market" @ the Screw Factory in Lakewood, Ohio. It was a great show. So many visitors and a great mix of eclectic artists. I had many people do all of their X-mas shopping at my booth. I wish I could have gotten around and done some shopping during the show myself, but I had no one to man my booth. My boyfriend who usually holds down the fort for me didn't come to the show. He stayed home to take care of our new dog. A rescue named Butters (more about him later). I got to meet a lot of great people and have to give it up to Cleveland Handmade and I Made It Market for putting on such an awesome show. Also everyone should check out "Autumn's Antics". She is an amazing artist and a sweet girl. I she was my neighbor during the show and I had so much fun talking with her. She makes amazing jewelry and ornaments. Over all GREAT show!

I have a couple new projects I'm working on that should materialize here in the next few days. New robots (of course), Zombie Toast micro plush, a blind box figure and dog toys that aren't for dogs????

Stay tuned!

Oddmall = BUST!

Though I'm sure several others did well, Oddmall was a bit of a bust for me. I made back my $100 booth fee but only a little over half of my supply cost. Unfortunately the way the Clarion Hotel in Hudson is set up visitors didn't realize that after the main room there were 3 other rooms! All of us in room 2 were brooding most of the day because we didn't see that big of a flow of people that room 1 did. I can imagine room 3 and 4 were the same. Andy who put the event on tried to move traffic along to the other rooms, did so without much success. The majority of my sales came from other vendors. I believe if I had been in the main room I would have turned a profit. It was my own fault though I found out about the show late and booked my booth late. I was lucky to even get into room 2 as most of the spots were taken. If I choose to do the show again next year I will book earlier.

All in all despite dismal sales I met a lot of cool artists and got some good advise on events I should and shouldn't set up at. One person told me he did well at October fest of all places with his horror art. He said that he made $4000 over the weekend there.

Anyways lesson learned! Now I'm hitting the internet to find more Indie craft shows and conventions coming up in the near future to peddle my wares lol! If anyone knows of anywhere please let me know (: