Boo-ming Halloween Business & Tips From The Ground Looking Up

Business has been coming in thick and fast since I packed away academia to salvage what was left of the Halloween preparation time!

A couple of months ago, I decided to foray into the hitherto uncharted territory of eBay, and it's looking like it's paid off. Both my Halloween Hello Kitty hair grips and my Blackpool pride grips have done well in the last two months I've been testing the market on eBay. Considering I've only listed three designs and two of those have sold has more than exceeded my expectations.

These Hello Kitty hair bows in her Halloween garb are so cute no one can resist!

In fact, one slice of advice from someone who is doing nothing more than that with her designs - merely testing the market to see what sells before trying to dare to imagine herself as a full time crafter - is that eBay is perhaps a more reliable marketplace than sites which allow independent crafters their own place in the spotlight. I've been haphazardly listing on Folksy and Etsy for a couple of years now, and have yet to sell more than a couple of items. Two months on eBay and I've already more than doubled my sales.

It seems to me that eBay is a more even playing field, with those looking to sell and buy in equal proportion. While it is good to have a base on the other sites, it strikes me that most designer use these as a means to compare their own products and so very rarely buy from other designers. In short, we're all looking to nurse our own nest egg. My experience at least has been that no matter how many page views I get, few actually buy, whereas the same items sell quickly on eBay.

I can't say, however, that it really surprises me, but I can say that I buck that trend. The past three Christmases I have bought a substantial amount of my presents from Folksy, and even treat myself to items throughout the year, as well as eyeing up unconventional gifts for those friends and relatives that I wouldn't come by on the market. If in fact designers aren't buying from fellow designers, then I think that is a shame. We should all be encouraging each other by purchasing each other's great designs! Not just expecting that we can list and not pass any trade in another's direction.