I want help with what to do when I sell on Etsy

Post Reply New Topic

I like to make sock monkeys and sock teddies with my needle and thread.

I'm going to make more and start selling them on Etsy. I don't have a sewing machine now, so I'm going to make some without a sewing machine, sell those, and use the money to buy a sewing machine I saw on the Walmart website for $55.97. Then, I can make sock toys faster, and I will be more willing to make them.

I make them less often right now, because it takes me about 6 hours to make one. With a sewing machine, once I learn how to use one, I'm expecting maybe 3 hours or less.

I saw some other people selling homemade sock toys for $26.00, so I may do that. Etsy takes 3.5% of the money you get from selling on the website. Should I charge a little more for requests, or should I charge less generally and then more for requests? Should I start out my first ones costing $26.00, and then lower the price for regular ones when I get more customers, and then up it for requested ones?

My mom said that she will knit sweaters for some of them too, so maybe I could just have any sock toy be $26.00, and then up it for if it comes with a sweater my mom makes. How much should it go up with a sweater? Should I just sell the sweaters for them completely separately?

I think maybe I will have any sock toy, requested details or not, be $26.00, and then sell sweaters for them separately for.... I don't know how much. I don't know what a good price for anything is. I heard people sell full size human sweaters on Etsy for $70.00, so maybe a little sock toy sweater could be $10.00 or $15.00?

Since my mom makes the sweaters, I will give her the money for them. The thing is, if I sell them with the sock toys, I could up the price of the sock toy with the sweater, and then give my mom a cut of that. I think the other way will be easier math though.

My mom may be making her own Etsy account to sell human sweaters and things she knits though, but I think that the sock toy sweaters will just fit better in my shop. She can always link in her About that she knits sweaters for sock toys too in her kid's Etsy shop, and I can link in my About that my mom knits the sock toy sweaters.

Anyway, any ideas of how I should sell these things? Also, my dad is going to be the one helping me with the transfer of money and stuff, because I'm 14 and don't have my own cards.

This is my Etsy in case you want to see it: https://www.etsy.com/people/fromserena
There's nothing there yet.

Selling handmade items like that isn't really my expertise, but I am a seller on ebid and Bonanza and I also used to sell on ebay and have 345 feedback rating so I can help with overall listings.

I suggest selling ones you have made up already and listing new ones ONLY when you have them fully made. I've heard too many horror stories about a seller selling an item they didn't actually have, it can wreak havoc on your seller ratings. With that in mind, I would be a little hesitant about the made to order listing idea. I know from experience that when buyers buy something from a seller online, they want it shipped out and in their hands yesterday. You said that it would take you 6 hours to make one of your sock puppets, but the question that comes to mind is "what if something comes up that puts it back?"

In terms of payment, if you have a bank account, you can link that to Paypal and take that as your accepted form of payment on Etsy. Be aware though that Paypal takes 2.9% of the total cost of the item (item cost + shipping cost) plus 30 cents for transactions based in the United States. I don't know about the other forms of payment.

Most of my buyers have been just fine, some where some of the most pleasant people to do business with, but there were some that were troublesome in some way, shape, and form.

I hope I helped out some, and if there are any other questions I'll try to answer them. Good luck with your e-commerce endeavors!

All I heard was "sock puppets."

I don't do "sock puppets."

Now that that's out of the way, I now have heard the rest.

Okay, I will just sell what I already have made instead of doing requests, at least until I get a sewing machine maybe.

Thanks!

Oh, I meant to say 'sock monkeys'. My bad.

I know nothing about selling, but good luck on your venture! I hope you have lots of fun and success. I'm glad you're not falling into the "I can't do anything because I'm Autistic" trap.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news----but, the thing is, you'll be EXTREMELY LUCKY if you do more than "break even" (after costs----materials, Etsy, Paypal, etc.).