I got a treasury! I effed up the title, so now I have to go around begging people to click on it so I can feel popular.
Beg.
'·.¸(¯`'·.¸CLICK HERE¸.·'´¯)¸.·'
Monday, April 12, 2010
Treasure THIS
I got a treasury! I effed up the title, so now I have to go around begging people to click on it so I can feel popular.
Beg.
'·.¸(¯`'·.¸CLICK HERE¸.·'´¯)¸.·'
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Etsy, Migraines, and the Sweet Illusion of Control
I just posted this in a forum, but it's way better as a blog post:
I've been on here for almost 2 1/2 years now. I joined Etsy right when chronic daily migraine forced me to drop out of "real" life.
Etsy, the economy, and migraines have a lot in common.
We think we know what causes them to fluctuate. We think we know how to control for these fluctuations. We work very hard at keeping our lives balanced and optimized to the best and most of what we want at the best and most of our abilities. Maybe we have control, maybe we don't. But dammit, we will take anything and everything we can as validation and reassurance along the way.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dairy, soy, nitrate, preservative, and gluten-free dinner to eat while I add this to my blog.
( http://jillhannah.blogspot.com
I wish I was kidding.)
I've been on here for almost 2 1/2 years now. I joined Etsy right when chronic daily migraine forced me to drop out of "real" life.
Etsy, the economy, and migraines have a lot in common.
We think we know what causes them to fluctuate. We think we know how to control for these fluctuations. We work very hard at keeping our lives balanced and optimized to the best and most of what we want at the best and most of our abilities. Maybe we have control, maybe we don't. But dammit, we will take anything and everything we can as validation and reassurance along the way.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dairy, soy, nitrate, preservative, and gluten-free dinner to eat while I add this to my blog.
( http://jillhannah.blogspot.com
I wish I was kidding.)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Repurpose Proposal
We live in a consumer-driven economy. We earn the money we need to spend on the stuff we want by contributing to the creation of goods and services on which other people are willing to to exchange their earnings. Read Brave New World lately?
Alan Greenspan renounced his own faith in the unfettered market; now can we get some of the world's economists to admit that their expertise is no different from making selections on a March Madness bracket, and instead of spending time on the educated guesswork, find and implement a practical way for our economy to move from relying on raw materials to recycling and repurposing the goods already in existence???
::Breath::
In other words: Instead of loggers, wood scavengers/reclaimers. Instead of throwing ANYTHING out, it gets taken back by its industry and used for parts and materials in the latest model.
In other news, my dog smells terrible.
Ending is better than mending. The more stitches, the less riches.
Alan Greenspan renounced his own faith in the unfettered market; now can we get some of the world's economists to admit that their expertise is no different from making selections on a March Madness bracket, and instead of spending time on the educated guesswork, find and implement a practical way for our economy to move from relying on raw materials to recycling and repurposing the goods already in existence???
::Breath::
In other words: Instead of loggers, wood scavengers/reclaimers. Instead of throwing ANYTHING out, it gets taken back by its industry and used for parts and materials in the latest model.
In other news, my dog smells terrible.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Business Idea for Garage Salers
Like hitting all the garage and estate sales? Find thrifty, recycling-prone friends, neighbors, anyone nearby who will give you money, and have them give you their Target/Walmart/Home Depot/general household item shopping list.
I feel somewhat estranged from Target these days, going when I need toilet paper, razors, moisturizer, and as little else as possible. When my blender died, I found one at an estate sale. Picture frames and the hooks to hang them, a corkscrew, my drinking glasses, the scale I use to weigh packages--all things I picked up from garage and estate sales.
Not everyone has the time or inclination to scour the universe for a "perfectly good electric can opener," six matching wine glasses, and a chainsaw under $10.
But you do.
There's so much stuff out there. Then we keep producing and buying more stuff. There is a market within the capitalist system for the Professional Recycler.
Do other people's shopping for them, but at garage sales. Save them money. Charge a fee low enough that they still save money.
Go forth and thrive.
I feel somewhat estranged from Target these days, going when I need toilet paper, razors, moisturizer, and as little else as possible. When my blender died, I found one at an estate sale. Picture frames and the hooks to hang them, a corkscrew, my drinking glasses, the scale I use to weigh packages--all things I picked up from garage and estate sales.Not everyone has the time or inclination to scour the universe for a "perfectly good electric can opener," six matching wine glasses, and a chainsaw under $10.
But you do.
There's so much stuff out there. Then we keep producing and buying more stuff. There is a market within the capitalist system for the Professional Recycler.
Do other people's shopping for them, but at garage sales. Save them money. Charge a fee low enough that they still save money.
Go forth and thrive.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Econ 203: Everything Isn't About You, OK?
After a very good Etsy virtual lab panel with the women behind The Handmade Marketplace, I'm back in pricing-rant mode. This time I'm making it as simple as possible. Selling vintage things that don't contain a piece of my soul probably helps remind me of the whole capitalist system thing.
An item is "worth" (and I'm using the financial definition of worth) the amount of money a person is willing to pay for it and the current owner is willing to part with it at a given point in time.
Stranded on a dessert island, fresh water is worth more than diamonds (unless you know how to turn the diamonds into a precision cutting tool and do something Gilligan's Island/Macgyver style).
A soda at the movie theater costs hardly anything to produce, but because people are willing to pay $4, the theater can and does charge $4.
Whatever you sell, it's good to know your real costs so you know if it's worth it to keep doing and making and selling.
Finding the person who will pay more for the thing you have may take time and energy. Is your time and energy worth the extra money? Is the thing you are doing/making in the first place worth your compensation for doing/making it?
All sorts of other things probably factor into your idea of worth. With Etsy, we're doing what we love. Hobby and job blur. That's ok. We're human.
But so are our buyers. And as humans, they will pay whatever the item is worth to them. They will pay for the story, pay for the way it reminds them of their childhood, pay for whatever reason the item is worth something to them. If a vintage seller finds a $1 cup, but it's the exact cup someone drank from while they watched the Bears win the Super Bowl with their grandfather right before he died, that buyer will gladly pay more than $1.
So think like a buyer. Find your buyers. Find out more about the people who already bought your items. Find out more about the people who look at your items. Stalk your audience. Whatever you have to and are willing to do.
So long as it's worth it.
An item is "worth" (and I'm using the financial definition of worth) the amount of money a person is willing to pay for it and the current owner is willing to part with it at a given point in time.
Stranded on a dessert island, fresh water is worth more than diamonds (unless you know how to turn the diamonds into a precision cutting tool and do something Gilligan's Island/Macgyver style).
A soda at the movie theater costs hardly anything to produce, but because people are willing to pay $4, the theater can and does charge $4.
Whatever you sell, it's good to know your real costs so you know if it's worth it to keep doing and making and selling.
Finding the person who will pay more for the thing you have may take time and energy. Is your time and energy worth the extra money? Is the thing you are doing/making in the first place worth your compensation for doing/making it?
All sorts of other things probably factor into your idea of worth. With Etsy, we're doing what we love. Hobby and job blur. That's ok. We're human.
But so are our buyers. And as humans, they will pay whatever the item is worth to them. They will pay for the story, pay for the way it reminds them of their childhood, pay for whatever reason the item is worth something to them. If a vintage seller finds a $1 cup, but it's the exact cup someone drank from while they watched the Bears win the Super Bowl with their grandfather right before he died, that buyer will gladly pay more than $1.
So think like a buyer. Find your buyers. Find out more about the people who already bought your items. Find out more about the people who look at your items. Stalk your audience. Whatever you have to and are willing to do.
So long as it's worth it.
The Shining: Heeere's Spongey!
I have a new favorite product. Nothing that's being featured on a Target endcap, no great Etsy find, but an extremely pleasant surprise:
Easy Shine Instant Shine Sponge in "neutral."
On one of my past garage/estate sale-ing romps, I acquired this blue leather briefcase just begging to be a hipster's laptop case, but it was schmutzy in a non-"cool vintage" way. On my last Walgreens run, I found the shoe shine sponge for under $3 and figured it was worth a shot.
Worth so much more than a shot.
It's just a sponge attached to a plastic thing that's a little damp. The damp stuff is made of magic.
I wish I had before and after photos.
Now it's getting the weird white stuff off the awesome multicolored shoes I haven't listed because they had weird white stuff on them. The rest of my vintage shoes (and my regular shoes for that matter) better prepare themselves for the worlds easiest shining.
Easy Shine Instant Shine Sponge in "neutral."
On one of my past garage/estate sale-ing romps, I acquired this blue leather briefcase just begging to be a hipster's laptop case, but it was schmutzy in a non-"cool vintage" way. On my last Walgreens run, I found the shoe shine sponge for under $3 and figured it was worth a shot.
Worth so much more than a shot.
It's just a sponge attached to a plastic thing that's a little damp. The damp stuff is made of magic.
I wish I had before and after photos.
Now it's getting the weird white stuff off the awesome multicolored shoes I haven't listed because they had weird white stuff on them. The rest of my vintage shoes (and my regular shoes for that matter) better prepare themselves for the worlds easiest shining.
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