Introduction
Part I: Getting Ready to Sell
Chapter 1 Planning for Success
So You Want to Sell Your Crafts Online
What Sells Online–and What Doesn’t
Crafts You Probably Shouldn’t Sell Online
What Types of Crafts Do Sell Well Online?
Why Planning Is a Good Idea
What a Business Plan Does for You
Things You Need to Plan
How Much Planning Do You Need to Do?
The Occasional Seller
The Growing Seller
The Full-Time Seller
Putting Together a No-Frills Business Plan
Before You Plan: Think Things Through
Parts of a Successful Business Plan
Talking Through Your Plan
Writing the Plan
You’ve Planned the Plan: Now What?
Chapter 2 Setting the Right Price
Researching the Market
Calculating Your Costs
Calculating Materials Costs
Calculating Labor Costs
Calculating Selling Fees
Calculating Packaging Costs
Calculating the Selling Price
Why 4 x Costs Works
Fine-Tuning Your Selling Price
Calculating Profit
Understanding Gross and Net
Are You Making Money?
Considering Wholesale Pricing
Chapter 3 Putting Together a Successful Listing
Writing an Attention-Grabbing Title
Creating a Searchable Title
Making Your Title POP
Watch the Length
Creating a Descriptive Description
Include All the Details
Prioritize Your Information
Stress Benefits, Not Features
Use Power Words–But Avoid Superlatives
Add Your Personal Style
Don’t Forget the Pictures!
Chapter 4 Taking Powerful Pictures
What You Need to Take Effective Product Photos
Choosing the Right Digital Camera
Going Steady with a Tripod
Enhancing Your Photos with Auxiliary Lighting
Keeping It Plain with Photo Backgrounds
Considering a Light Tent for Smaller Items
Fixing the Flaws with Photo Editing Software
How to Take Great Product Photos
Working with Lighting
Tips for Improving Your Product Photos
Center the Item
Make It Large
Shoot at an Angle
Shoot Multiple Photos
Avoid Glare
Accessorize Your Photos
Shooting Different Types of Crafts
Shooting Clear or Translucent Glass
Shooting Opaque Glass and Jewelry
Shooting Wood Items
Shooting Clothing
Scanning Flat and Small Items
Editing Your Photos–Digitally
Part II: Selling Online
Chapter 5 Deciding Where to Sell Online
Selling on Dedicated Online Craft Marketplaces
Etsy
Artbreak
ArtFire
Artful Home
Artist Rising
Artspan
Bonanza
Craft Is Art
Crobbies
Funky Finds
Handmade Artists Shop
Handmade Catalog
Hyena Cart
Made It Myself
ShopHandmade
Yessy
Zibbet
Selling on General Online Marketplaces
eBay
Craigslist
eCRATER
Ruby Lane
SilkFair
Comparing the Top Online Marketplaces
Examining Important Factors
Type of Site
Size and Traffic
Fees
Comparing the Big Two: Etsy vs. eBay
Selling on Your Own Website
Settling on a Site–Or Two
Chapter 6 Selling on Etsy
Getting to Know Etsy
What Can You Sell on Etsy?
How Does Etsy Work?
What It Costs to Sell on Etsy
Etsy Shop Fees
Listing Fees
Transaction Fees
Payment Processing Fees
Paying Etsy
Signing Up for an Etsy Account
Setting Up Your Etsy Shop
Creating Your Shop
Customizing Your Shop
Creating a New Item Listing
Starting a New Listing
Editing an Item Listing
Renewing a Listing
Deactivating a Listing
Getting Paid
Etsy Direct Checkout
PayPal
Other Payment Methods
Managing Your Etsy Sales
Tips for Making More Money on Etsy
Spruce Up Your Shop
Create a Powerful Cover Image
List More to Sell More
List or Renew Daily
Make Sure You Tag Your Items
Pack Promotionally
Increase Your Feedback by Buying on Etsy
Chapter 7 Selling on eBay
Understanding eBay
Size Matters
Who Sells on eBay?
eBay for Crafters
How to Sell on eBay
Auction Listings
Auctions with the Buy It Now Option
Fixed Price Listings
eBay Store Listings
Which Type of Listing Is Best for You?
Understanding eBay’s Fees
Signing Up for eBay
Listing an Item for Sale
Creating an Auction Listing
Adding the Buy It Now Option
Creating a Fixed-Price Listing
Opening an eBay Store
What Is an eBay Store?
Benefits of Opening Your Own eBay Store
The Costs of Running an eBay Store
Choosing the Right Subscription Level
Setting Up Your Store
Listing Merchandise for Sale
Customizing and Managing Your Store
Getting Paid
Managing Your eBay Activity
Tips for Maximizing Your eBay Sales
Pick the Right Category
Enhance Your Listing Descriptions
Choose a Longer Listing
Don’t Forget the Pictures
Avoid Deadbeats
Chapter 8 Selling On Your Own Website
Building an Online Store–What’s Involved?
The Components of an Ecommerce Website
Different Ways to Build a Store
How Much Does It Cost?
Pros and Cons of Running Your Own Website
Pros of Running Your Own Online Store
Cons of Running Your Own Online Store
Does an Online Store Make Sense for Your Crafts?
Choosing a Hosting Service
Features to Look For
Comparing Prices
Part III: Running a Successful Crafts Business
Chapter 9 Handling Online Payments
Examining Your Options
Accepting Cash, Checks, and Money Orders
Cash
C.O.D.
Personal Checks
Money Orders and Cashier’s Checks
Credit Cards
Examining the Big Payment Processing Services
PayPal
Google Checkout
Checkout by Amazon
Chapter 10 Shipping Your Merchandise
Choosing a Shipping Method
U.S. Postal Service
FedEx
UPS
Other Shipping Companies
Calculating Shipping and Handling Fees
Working with Flat Fees
Determining the Handling Charge
Packing Your Items
Picking the Right Shipping Container
How to Pack
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
How to Seal the Package
Creating the Shipping Label
To Insure or Not Insure?
Shipping Internationally
Chapter 11 Servicing Your Customers
Answering Customer Questions
Managing Post-Sale Correspondence
Handling Customer Complaints
Listing Your Terms of Service
Guaranteeing Your Merchandise
Chapter 12 Managing Your Inventory
How to Manage Your Craft Inventory
Build in Advance or Build to Order?
Maintaining Adequate Inventory Levels
Tracking Inventory
Managing Inventory Across Multiple Marketplaces
Benefits of Offering Items on Multiple Sites
Drawbacks of Offering Items Across Multiple Sites
Multi-Site Inventory Management Solutions
Chapter 13 Promoting Your Business with Pinterest
Getting to Know Pinterest
Using Pinterest
Signing Up for a Pinterest Account
How Pins Work
What Happens When You Click a Pin
Understanding Pinboards
Following Other Users
Pinning Your Item Listings to Pinterest
Pinning an Etsy Listing
Pinning an eBay Listing
Making Your Pin a Gift Item
Using Pinterest to Promote Your Crafts
Pin Those Listings–Regularly
Create Customer-Focused Pinboards
Think Visually–But Don’t Forget the Description
Link Pinterest to Your Website or Shop
Link Pinterest to Other Social Networks
Chapter 14 Other Ways to Promote Your Business
Promoting via Facebook
Promoting in Your Facebook News Feed
Creating a Facebook Business Page
Promoting via Twitter
Promoting on Etsy
Etsy Coupon Codes
Etsy Search Ads
Etsy on Sale
Promoting in an Online Crafts Mall
Promoting with Google AdWords
Chapter 15 Measuring Your Success
Measuring Traffic
Understanding Web Analytics
Tracking Etsy Traffic
Tracking eBay Traffic
Tracking Traffic on Your Own Site
Measuring Sales
Understanding Sales and Revenues
Tracking Etsy Sales
Tracking eBay Sales
Measuring Profits
Calculating Gross Profit per Item
Calculating Net Profit for Your Business
How Do You Define Success?
9780789750327 TOC 9/14/2012
Michael Miller is a successful and prolific author with a reputation for practical advice and technical accuracy and an unerring empathy for the needs of his readers.
Mr. Miller has written more than 100 best-selling books over the past two decades. His books include My Pinterest, Sams Teach Yourself eBay in 10 Minutes, Making a Living from Your eBay Business, Absolute Beginner’s Guide to eBay, Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Computer Basics, and Selling Online 2.0: Migrating from eBay to Amazon, Craigslist, and Your Own E-Commerce Website. He is known for his casual, easy-to-read writing style and his practical, real-world advice–as well as his ability to explain a wide variety of complex topics to an everyday audience.
You can email Mr. Miller directly at crafts@molehillgroup.com. His website is located at www.molehillgroup.com.
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