why i love etsy

okay, so before reading this, i'll give you a little background info. my name is gracie beal and i'm a earring designer. i'm selling at 3 boutiques, on my website, and on etsy! so, i don't really know what people think of etsy, but i do know what i think of it. i was skeptical when i first heard about it because it seemed so great. i googled it....some people think it's a scam. NO WAY JOSE! i love etsy dearly! think of it as your own personal shopping center....where everything is either handmade or vintage. i just love the feel of etsy. you can find the most beautiful stuff here and be sure no one else has it because it's handmade/vintage! you also get to support small businesses. you can even set your search to specify local businesses...how cool is that? supporting local businesses while getting a totally unique product for a good price. and this is why i love etsy. since i'm a seller, i experience things buyers don't usually get to. for example, i deal alot with other sellers when we all share tips or chat in the forums and just have a good time! oh, another one of my favorite things? customer service. you're dealing with an individual, not a computer! hooray! etsy is seriously awesome. all of the little pictures you see over there on my side bar in the inspiration slideshow are from etsy. if you like what, check it out! and let me just say-if you're skeptical, give it a go! it's free to become a member and only costs 20 cents to list an item. i love etsy
*this is in no way a promotional for etsy, just me speaking my feelings!*

selling to stores-what you need to know

so i recently got a question about how i approached the ever-scary task of selling to stores. warning: this WILL be a little scary and intimidating. but the results are well worth the risk and effort.
first off, i'm not going to lie. i'm currently selling to three boutiques, so don't by any means think i'm some kind of expert. i'm far from it. also, i haven't talked with a corporate company yet-therefore i have no clue what you should do about that. what i do know are a few little tips that might increase your chances of selling to local boutiques.

-be well-groomed and well-mannered when you present yourself to the head of the company, manager, etc.
-i have found more success in calling ahead; this usually gives me the owner's personal email or phone number
-call/email the owner and try to set up an appointment with them. this way you won't catch them off guard. i've found it helpful to provide a little portfolio of pictures over email so they have an idea of what products you have
-do your research; only cater to the store if it carries things that are truly your style/kind of item
-if you set up an appointment with an owner, be on time at the very least. seems obvious but goes a long way
-don't have too high expectations-you're not going to get $200 straight up for a pair of plastic earrings
-stores typically buy for around half of the price they're planning to sell for; price items accordingly
-i can't stress enough the importance of having a set price. it's fine to negotiate for a few dollars, but never come in without a price and expect to sell your item-how will they know to price it right if you don't?
-don't get discouraged if they say no. hey, their loss!

those are just a few of my basics-feel free to email me with any more questions you may have and i'll try my hardest to answer them!

-gracie