It took my many years, but I finally reached the milestone of 1,000 sales in my Etsy shop, Indulge Your Shelf. I've had so much fun with the shop over the years! In fact, I started this blog specifically as a way to help market the shop! It felt so good to finally get to 1000!
When I first opened the shop, I sold some of my handmade crafts fashioned from antique and vintage materials: pillows, journals, Christmas ornaments, etc.
And I've found amazing treasures at thrift shops, garage sales, estate sales, etc. -- and listed them in the shop. Wonderful things that I didn't need but that I knew someone would love. And they did! They went up in my shop and soon they were found by someone who'd been searching for JUST that thing and they would buy it and love it and gush about it! It makes me so happy!
Things that I loved myself but just had no use for -- like the barkcloth fabric draperies above, perfect for a child's room...
And sometimes when something caught my eye at a shop, I'd buy it and then be so surprised when I began to research it -- like this tarot card fabric that was very rare and sold immediately.
I discovered some items that were quirky and kitschy and very in demand -- I've bought and sold several of each of these:
Buying for my shop has taught me SO MUCH about vintage items, and what to look for, and indeed what people love (that you wouldn't expect them to!) It has taken me out of my shell of shyness to do things like attend live auctions where I can bid on boxes of quilt tops that would fly out of my shop!
Inevitably, I've sold things quickly that I now would love to have back, like this pastel colored Christmas tablecloth.
But I try not to dwell on those things, and the money was needed and appreciated!
I was delighted to sell items to television shows like Mad Men and American Horror Story; it wasn't just fun to send it off but then to watch the future shows, hoping for a glimpse of my item!
These cups were purchased by a buyer for Mad Men.
I was also contacted by a favorite magazine to quickly ship a package of vintage birthday candles for one of their photo spreads. Things like that made me feel like I was really a part of "the vintage community!"
Blogging about selling on Etsy became blogging about my art and my life. It's forced me to learn new skills with computers, websites, photography and editing. It has been a way of meeting some wonderful people over the years, at art get togethers and antique events. I've made some friends I've never met but still consider important in my life -- and received sweet and generous gifts out of nowhere because someone who read my blog wanted me to have some of their things! I've been so, so blessed by this!
If you've had a hand in helping me reach 1,000 sales -- I thank you. Lately Etsy has not been the easiest place to sell, with increased fees and rules, and then their widening the scope of what they sell; what used to be exclusively hand made and vintage now includes junk made overseas. And I end up only making about 55% of the price an item sells for now. Still -- I'm hanging in there, and I wouldn't trade the fun of this experience for the world!
Comments