[TheForge] Tunnel Mill workshop, and now Etsy

[Fiorini & Skiles]

Hi Ben,
Your first blog entry is awesome- a great review of the NWBA conference. 
You made me want to go there!

Etsy-  I like Etsy and have sold work there, but I can't say that I've sold 
lots of work.  I find that most of my customers follow links from other 
places, like off my blog, metalmeet, and maybe even theforge.   You should 
definitely set up a shop there.  It doesn't cost you any money to set up and 
only .20cents to list.   I've looked at a lot of the other sales sites and 
still think Etsy is better. It's easy to use and inexpensive.  I also like 
the "etsy mini" feature that you saw on the right side of my blog.  They 
provide the script for it, again, making it easy for me.

The main problem with Etsy is that it's hard to search there.  My shop url 
is www.knitsteel.etsy.com   I don't think many people come in searching for 
"steel grape leaves" or "hooks" and if they do, they might find all sorts of 
unrelated things before they find my work.  I have bought things on there, 
gift items, not metal.  There are a few other blacksmiths selling.  They 
should be listed under my Favorites in my Etsy store.

There are other chic sales sites online, but I haven't tried them all. 
People mentioned Minted and Dawanda.com a lot.  I just don't have time to 
maintain so many online spots.  That reminds me, I should get back to work 
now.  I'm diving my time today between my sick boy, my garden plants that 
just arrived, and a bronze sculpture in progress.  I also should be working 
on some steel bamboo, but that may not fit in until much later.
-Kirsten

>> Message: 6
> Date: Wed, 9 May 2007 08:08:48 -0700
> From: "Ben Barrett" <stircrazyben at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Tunnel Mill workshop
> To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Message-ID:
> <c21610950705090808q406c849ch77067ba940f2362c at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Kirsten, that is great!!  Looks like fun.  I just did my first ever
> real blog entry, about my first conference (I'm a newb and didn't
> teach anything though!)... http://nw-arts.com/ben/?p=5
>
> I'm noticed you link to sales of your items on Etsy -- I am trying to
> start up something really similar, but it will probably be much
> smaller... can you tell me about your experiences with Etsy?  They
> seem awesome.  Public comments on-list might help others, but feel
> free to contact me off-list as well.  Etsy started in NYC, I think,
> and now has sort of franchised or branched out all over.  Artists need
> more help making the money, in my opinion... I am starting my venture
> to help some hungry friends who got me started smithing!  (see
> http://nw-arts.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=14 for a preliminary
> gallery view of this guy's work, Jack rocks the metal and has taught
> me a lot)
>
> ben
>
> PS - Kirsten, sorry to get off-subject there.  I noticed that your
> site has a section for drawer & cupboard pulls... those grass-inspired
> new ones are anxious to get in there :)
>
>
> On 5/9/07, Fiorini & Skiles <bkmetal at mwt.net> wrote:
>> I did a blog entry on my workshop at Tunnel Mill, from last weekend.  You
>> can read it at http://knitsteel.blogspot.com/
>>