Web Sales
My friend Fred once said "Making pots is easy. Selling them is the hard part." Or something like that. Too true, Fred. Especially when it comes to selling pots on the web. You may have noticed that I got rid of the shopping cart on my web site this month. I was sad to see it go, since there was something about having my own 'e-commerce' site that made me feel a little less out of date in my use of technology, but it just wasn't paying off.
The internet is supposed to be the future of commerce. Maybe so, maybe not. While I do like to shop online, pots are one thing that I won't buy online. I'm too much of a pottery snob to buy a piece that I can't see in person. To truly appreciate a piece of pottery, I must see it in person, hold it, feel it, use it. A picture on a computer screen can't tell me if the pot is well balanced, well made, light or heavy. It can't show me all the subtle shading in the glaze color that can only be seen in sunlight. It can't let me experience the feel of the glaze, the smoothness of lip, the comfort of the handle. Every piece of handmade pottery is unique, and can only be accurately assessed in person. Seems that the public has the same feelings as me. So while my shopping cart didn't pay off, it's somewhat reassuring to know that the public appreciates pottery enough that they want to see it in person, too.
The one way that the shopping was productive was as an online gallery. Since my shop is not the easiest to find, and driving in the 'burbs can be a real pain in the rear, it was very good for business for people see my work online. Once they saw the pots, they were willing to make the trip to the shop and take a closer look. The shopping cart was a very expensive way to keep an online gallery, though. My new web site will not have an actual shopping cart. Instead there will just be a gallery of work, with no option to buy it without calling me or coming in to the shop.
If anyone else out there has an experience with tying to sell pots online, I'd love to hear it. Please post in the 'Comments' section!
The internet is supposed to be the future of commerce. Maybe so, maybe not. While I do like to shop online, pots are one thing that I won't buy online. I'm too much of a pottery snob to buy a piece that I can't see in person. To truly appreciate a piece of pottery, I must see it in person, hold it, feel it, use it. A picture on a computer screen can't tell me if the pot is well balanced, well made, light or heavy. It can't show me all the subtle shading in the glaze color that can only be seen in sunlight. It can't let me experience the feel of the glaze, the smoothness of lip, the comfort of the handle. Every piece of handmade pottery is unique, and can only be accurately assessed in person. Seems that the public has the same feelings as me. So while my shopping cart didn't pay off, it's somewhat reassuring to know that the public appreciates pottery enough that they want to see it in person, too.
The one way that the shopping was productive was as an online gallery. Since my shop is not the easiest to find, and driving in the 'burbs can be a real pain in the rear, it was very good for business for people see my work online. Once they saw the pots, they were willing to make the trip to the shop and take a closer look. The shopping cart was a very expensive way to keep an online gallery, though. My new web site will not have an actual shopping cart. Instead there will just be a gallery of work, with no option to buy it without calling me or coming in to the shop.
If anyone else out there has an experience with tying to sell pots online, I'd love to hear it. Please post in the 'Comments' section!
I don't know if your remember us, we bought some plates and bowls in a red color from you last year plus a couple of blue serving bowls as a wedding gift for friends. Anyway, have you heard of Etsy? It is kind of like Ebay for handmade items only, except without the auction. I think the fees are reasonable (20 cents per listing) and there is a small percentage taken for sales. I have a shop where I started selling totebags I've made. I have a few other things on there too. I have seen some people do very well. The hardest part for me is promotion. I barely have time to keep up stock let alone promoting. I've got two kids (2 and 4 years old) for gosh sakes! Anyway check it out www.etsy.com. At the very least, it's fun to see what people have made. Maybe a more affordable way to offer your pieces online.
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I definitely remember you! Hope you're still happy with the dinnerware. I love how the whole set of red plates looks all set out on a table.
I love Esty. There's a ton of great stuff on there, especially textiles. I've considered trying it out, but I've got the same problem as you- finding the time to maintain and promote it. It's enough work to keep my main site current. I'm also concerned about the vast amount of products available, and whether or not people will even find my page. Do you find that you get a decent amount of traffic to your page from people just browsing, or is it people who are looking specifically for you?
I do have another page, on wholesalecrafts.com, where I sell to other galleries, and it has worked pretty well. It's got a very nice layout, and it's easy to use. The thing I really like about it as that the galleries prepay for everything. It's much easier to deal with than consignment. I don't have to try and keep track of where my pots are, and don't have to pay to ship back pots that they don't sell. I will take another look at Etsy, though, once I get my main site fully functional, and see if it's worth it. Thanks for the input and for reading my blog, and good luck on the tote bag sales!
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