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WebStore: The First Time, MY First Time
I always thought that opening a webstore would be something easy and to run it would not be frustrating me.
Opening. It was fun. I can use etsy or others. Some small problems happened in the past but I knew, something ‘bigger’ and more frustrated might happen and it actually happened.
First, I saw some designs very similar to mine. Meaning, I exposed my designs, my works, and some people may be copying it. Oh, well. Now, although when it happens, still make me furious, I can accept this kind of fact.
Second, oh oh oh…I hadn’t made a sale. I mean, a real order from etsy or my personal webstore. Some local people purchased my stuff and an abroad sale was achieved but they were through more ‘personal’ communication, not through etsy. They saw my works, they liked it, asked the price, order it.
I think, i always look to other ‘way’: etsy or webstore. I, of course, want a real transaction from there until my piano need a tune-fixing. I needed to replace 2 strings that cost me about 2 bags (-.-)’. It was so funny that I sold 2 bags before this. I used my personal budget, not asking more money from my husband. I just…where the heck can i get the money from? (-.-)””’…Somehow, i remember, HEY! I HAVE SOME SAVINGS! I SOLD 2 BAGS! After all tune-fixing and strings-replacing were done, I realized that those money i recieved from my fellows were REAL thing. I mean, they didn’t purchase my stuff just because they were having a pity on me. And for goodness sake, please NO! I always love it when people love stuff they purchase from me. To have a pity on me makes me weak. I don’t want that (>3<). I want to be appreciated. (I’m more an artist than a business’man’ (^.^)’. Appreciation as well as positive critiques is one of my ‘oxygen’ in crafting).
Before this piano problem happened, I always thought those all money i received were not ‘real’. Now, I highly appreciate it! It’s real! I used it not for my fun (like gift-money) but for fixing my piano (I was wanting a new fabric, a new wig for my doll, need a reference clothing set for my doll…now, those are for my FUN).
Deep inside, I’m proud of myself. Right now, perhaps, i dont have any spare from my selling-money (I even had to add it (^o^)”’), but it has given me a new hope in doing my passion (not that i was hopeless. I just feel, i want an appreciation and money to keep creating stuff. I can’t always ask my husband to support me…I want to be able to stand on my own passion: crafting (i’m crazy…i know…that’s why i said I’m more (not 100%)an artist, not a business’man’. Thank goodness, 4 years as an accounting student and being tortured by taking-for-granted people has made me able to calculate my price properly (^O^)).
I read about some people misery in webstore world. Well, what can I say? I haven’t made sales in etsy, yet. Even so, from the very beginning, I don’t expect much. Etsy is more like a frontier for me. To show off my stuff and hopefully direct people to my real webstore: my own personal webstore. I don’t even put a lot of creative stuff in etsy (perhaps only 1-2 creative stuff) because I knew people might ‘steal’ the idea and in etsy, it happens very FAST. Too Fast! Instead, I put a more general, common designs but ofcourse with a ‘signature’ of me (^.^) . It’s still unique, though but even so it can still be copied easily and FAST. But at least, i was there first…besides, people may go to my unfamous personal webstore (or flickr or web or picassa) and steal the idea and back to etsy and sell their ‘handmade’ using my design (^O^). But at least, now, I try to slow down the pace…and besides, i don’t do such a simple thing anymore in my webstore…so (^.<), ‘happy’ copying’, then…
Once people got a lot of sales, their stuff will be copied even more and then another complaint (^w^)”’…well…I don’t know…if i must choose one, I’d rather make something ‘common’ and copy-able but i got money for myself, too. It’s better than I don’t get money, I get copied (^O^).
I think 1 sale, 2 sales, 3 sales even no sale, I’ll keep trying to be grateful. Not all people are lucky to do crafting like me. The skill is literally expensive (I’m not talking about taking a class only, but to buy references, to search ones in internet, to buy materials, to try many kind of materials…) and exhausting (takes a lot of energy and time and thinking too).
Next week will be my ‘first’ webstore again. Meaning, I’ll be starting making stuff for my store and perhaps add some more crafts other than just bags. I’m starting with a new hope and I wish in the future, there will be another new hopes coming to me. Not always the sale but some precious encouragement and appreciation from closest people. They are my oxygen, too, in crafting. Sometimes I wanted to quit but I remembered they always encouraged me and then I knew I couldn’t just quit just because I haven’t made a lot of sales. They love what I do and I’m giving back the love by doing stuff I love with love.
(^.<)
Posted: Sunday, November 29th, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
Categories: Daily Happiness Check List, Dream (Wish), Life.
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