Thursday, December 03, 2015
Thursday, 3 DEC 2015 :: Updating my efforts to make money!!
Here I am again... after such a long time ! Thank you for your patience as I figure out the best path to the future...
I have been making plans, gathering supplies, looking for solutions, and now I am trying to see what will work best. I finally have a new camera that has a way to shut off the flash, and 16 mp for better pictures. I am hoping to learn all the details this weekend and post some new listings and photos in a number of places, including Etsy, eBay, fiverr, Facebook, Twitter, and wherever else I can upload them. I need to check on my Pinterest pages, too... but my YouTube efforts will have to wait until I get my own computer. :-(
I will be very busy if the photos work out well. I am excited about this opportunity to post a decent photo, and want to try new ways to present the things I want to sell. I will share my lessons with you as soon as I can.
Today I also decided to revisit the website with Etsy shop and treasury widgets and will try to post one here. If it doesn't work, I will have to edit and delete it. We will see... It didn't work on Facebook. I may need to go through the website again... looking for the details.
If you want to check it out for your own marketing needs... go to http://craftcult.com and try one.
I do hope that your Christmas crafts and purchases are going well. I haven't been able to buy too much over the years, so I have been learning about all the special sale days, like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. I am collecting information for my 2016 plans, and trying to decide how much money I need to have a great memory next year. :-)
I'm not sure how much I can sell this year, but I will do what I can. I have an Etsy COUPON for the holidays to increase sales as much as I can... I decided to offer 25% off to everyone... You can use the code CHRISTMAS2015 through the month. I think I made it valid through the 31st. I will let you know if that is not correct.
I am really hoping to sell my digital copy of SERVANTS. It is only $5, but one of my favorite personal writings. It prints nice and displays well in an 11 x 14 black mat board. A simple frame would be best, to draw attention to the words more than the frame. I hope you will consider making it one of your purchases for this year. I believe it has the potential to become one of our Christian Classics... and I hope it does. :-)
I am looking forward to building my sales sites finally. Photos are really a problem, on some sites more than others.
Enjoy your day, and I hope your holidays will be filled with joy and hope and peace.
NOTE :: I tried to make a link to the widget, but it doesn't function here... I will get back to you on why after I find out myself.
Thursday, October 01, 2015
Thursday, 1 OCT 2015 :: My FIRST video !!!
I am writing this blog to see how my first video uploads and displays here... I tried to share it as a video on Facebook, but it brought up a window saying no for some reason... I have to figure that out. I wound up sharing it as a file with just a small group to see how it went.
As I enter this blog post, the place where my video is suppose to display is there, but the video doesn't appear until I publish it. We will all be finding out at the same time! :-)
It isn't a craft video... I chose the closest subject to me when I turned the camera on... :-) ... I just wanted to try the camera and editing process.
I don't remember if I shared about the camera I finally chose to buy just to learn the process. I understand these little cameras are popular for kids to get as gifts so they can film all the exciting things in their lives (for posterity, memories, fun). I wanted a VIVITAR camera that I had seen online when I was searching out prices and options, but when I got to the store (Walmart in Portland, OR) there was only a JAZZ camera available. It was about $20 for the camera, then I had to buy the recording card at almost $10, and a pack of AAA batteries at about $4, just to use it. Still, $30 is a lot less than $300. I will be able to learn with it and then will know more about what I want in a better camera. I really want to work up to Documentary style camera, something like they use in media reporting, with software and all the other related equipment.
I don't use my own computer, so uploading the related files was a problem. I don't think it has been fixed yet. I have to wait for the owner of the computer to get home. :-) When I transferred the original content from the camera to the computer, it worked fine... opening up in a Windows Media file. I tried to load it up again with the plain Window option and was able to save it to my desktop.
My first effort to edit the small portion I saved was a trial and error effort based on what I know about regular files and being willing to lose it to the trash bin. I discovered the title page option, and the credits option, and also found some of the animations. It was fun learning. :-)
I am looking forward to my next effort!
==============================
It doesn't look like it is uploading... Maybe it will appear as I work on this.
Looks like I will have to leave you with this photo I took of a sunflower plant still growing... the first time I have seen one grow. :-)
I will keep trying to figure out the video posting process.
As I enter this blog post, the place where my video is suppose to display is there, but the video doesn't appear until I publish it. We will all be finding out at the same time! :-)
It isn't a craft video... I chose the closest subject to me when I turned the camera on... :-) ... I just wanted to try the camera and editing process.
I don't remember if I shared about the camera I finally chose to buy just to learn the process. I understand these little cameras are popular for kids to get as gifts so they can film all the exciting things in their lives (for posterity, memories, fun). I wanted a VIVITAR camera that I had seen online when I was searching out prices and options, but when I got to the store (Walmart in Portland, OR) there was only a JAZZ camera available. It was about $20 for the camera, then I had to buy the recording card at almost $10, and a pack of AAA batteries at about $4, just to use it. Still, $30 is a lot less than $300. I will be able to learn with it and then will know more about what I want in a better camera. I really want to work up to Documentary style camera, something like they use in media reporting, with software and all the other related equipment.
I don't use my own computer, so uploading the related files was a problem. I don't think it has been fixed yet. I have to wait for the owner of the computer to get home. :-) When I transferred the original content from the camera to the computer, it worked fine... opening up in a Windows Media file. I tried to load it up again with the plain Window option and was able to save it to my desktop.
My first effort to edit the small portion I saved was a trial and error effort based on what I know about regular files and being willing to lose it to the trash bin. I discovered the title page option, and the credits option, and also found some of the animations. It was fun learning. :-)
I am looking forward to my next effort!
==============================
It doesn't look like it is uploading... Maybe it will appear as I work on this.
Looks like I will have to leave you with this photo I took of a sunflower plant still growing... the first time I have seen one grow. :-)
I will keep trying to figure out the video posting process.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, 28 SEP 2015 :: What matters in SHIPPING online?
I am beginning to make purchases more often at Etsy because I actually have money now and have been trying to budget for supplies. It helps me to see the buying process at Etsy, the difference between shops, and the details that matter most.
The first thing I noticed is the shops that don't provide tracking for their shipments. I just assumed everyone provided tracking. Not having a place to check on your package left me hanging as a customer... wondering where it was, what day to watch for it, how long it would take to travel from another part of the country, and more. This is all a learning experience for me as a seller as much as it is a learning experience for me as a buyer.
After the first few packages, I began to notice the shipping labels on the packages when they arrive. I began to see Etsy shipping labels, and which carrier was chosen to deliver it, and what kind of shape the packages arrived in. I tried to see the actual costs of mailing to compare with the charges I paid (not really available, and a wise route to go in because shipping is also about the packaging).
The product was part of the equation for packaging, so I had to keep that in mind. The better packaging made me think of gift delivery, offering choices with a listing, and considering it a "branding" effort. I am really working toward better solutions for my products and shop/s.
With the newest crime (especially at holiday times) being package theft at the delivery door, this issue of package tracking is very important. We like to think that our neighborhoods are safe, but thieves don't care where you live or even know what is in an unwatched package. I imagine the "nicer" neighborhoods are targeted more than poverty neighborhoods, but I don't really know. Poor-on-poor crime is just as bad in some statistics.
Wherever you live, the main problem is that YOU are the one that loses the item you have been waiting for, you or someone else paid for, and you want (hopefully). As cybercrimes increase, thieves may begin to know what is coming and follow your tracking themselves. I don't know what the perfect solution is, but tracking helps me.
A bad shopping experience really leaves a bad taste in your wallet. It makes me not want to buy from any stores on the site. I found it hard to buy online again after I had a bad purchasing experience. What we do affects everyone else on our sales site.
It takes time to find the sellers you want to continue doing business with. I am thinking that once I do find those online stores I like and want to buy from, I may not venture too far from them. I won't have to worry about a new shop, if it's a fake, if it's a scam, etc. I may only need to browse for items when I don't already have a source for it.
Know this in myself makes me want to make sure my shop is consistent and trustworthy in lots of ways, including policies, shipping prices (and methods), listing details, and sales processes. Once I get it all figured out, I want to be able to build on that foundation, to find permanent customers for my products.
I think that is part of the reason I have been moving so slowly to build my Etsy shop and other online sales points. I want income, I desperately NEED income, but I am hoping for long-term benefits instead of instant sales. I am trying not to fret at the time it is taking, and hoping it will work out better in the future.
If you have a shop, I hope you provide package tracking for your customers. I think it is a great investment.
The first thing I noticed is the shops that don't provide tracking for their shipments. I just assumed everyone provided tracking. Not having a place to check on your package left me hanging as a customer... wondering where it was, what day to watch for it, how long it would take to travel from another part of the country, and more. This is all a learning experience for me as a seller as much as it is a learning experience for me as a buyer.
After the first few packages, I began to notice the shipping labels on the packages when they arrive. I began to see Etsy shipping labels, and which carrier was chosen to deliver it, and what kind of shape the packages arrived in. I tried to see the actual costs of mailing to compare with the charges I paid (not really available, and a wise route to go in because shipping is also about the packaging).
The product was part of the equation for packaging, so I had to keep that in mind. The better packaging made me think of gift delivery, offering choices with a listing, and considering it a "branding" effort. I am really working toward better solutions for my products and shop/s.
With the newest crime (especially at holiday times) being package theft at the delivery door, this issue of package tracking is very important. We like to think that our neighborhoods are safe, but thieves don't care where you live or even know what is in an unwatched package. I imagine the "nicer" neighborhoods are targeted more than poverty neighborhoods, but I don't really know. Poor-on-poor crime is just as bad in some statistics.
Thieves steal first, and then discover what they got.
Wherever you live, the main problem is that YOU are the one that loses the item you have been waiting for, you or someone else paid for, and you want (hopefully). As cybercrimes increase, thieves may begin to know what is coming and follow your tracking themselves. I don't know what the perfect solution is, but tracking helps me.
A bad shopping experience really leaves a bad taste in your wallet. It makes me not want to buy from any stores on the site. I found it hard to buy online again after I had a bad purchasing experience. What we do affects everyone else on our sales site.
It takes time to find the sellers you want to continue doing business with. I am thinking that once I do find those online stores I like and want to buy from, I may not venture too far from them. I won't have to worry about a new shop, if it's a fake, if it's a scam, etc. I may only need to browse for items when I don't already have a source for it.
Know this in myself makes me want to make sure my shop is consistent and trustworthy in lots of ways, including policies, shipping prices (and methods), listing details, and sales processes. Once I get it all figured out, I want to be able to build on that foundation, to find permanent customers for my products.
I think that is part of the reason I have been moving so slowly to build my Etsy shop and other online sales points. I want income, I desperately NEED income, but I am hoping for long-term benefits instead of instant sales. I am trying not to fret at the time it is taking, and hoping it will work out better in the future.
If you have a shop, I hope you provide package tracking for your customers. I think it is a great investment.
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