Looking for a place to sell your woodwork projects? According to an online article I read by Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch, one good place to do that is a website called etsy.com. You can sell small, easy woodworking projects or larger ones on etsy.com using social networking websites and other good sales tactics.
Etsy.com specializes in the sale of handcrafted items. It is like a specialized eBay. Woodworking is one category on the site but others include art, crochet, and glass. If you click on “Woodworking” at the site’s menu, you will see the following subcategories: accessories, bowl, box, burning, carving, clock, fretwork, furniture, home décor, housewares, inlay, jewelry, kitchen, miniature, office, outdoor, sculpture, seasonal, sign, sport, supplies, and toy.
Social networking is a good way to get the word out about your products. Facebook is a good place to start. By posting a link to your etsy.com page, you will notify all of your facebook friends of your site. Twitter is also a good resource. You can follow other members there with similar interests and hopefully some of them will also follow you. That way you can boost awareness of your products and ultimately boost sales. Creating a handmade goods blog on blogger.com is another way to get your product seen online.
Other good sales tactics you can use are adding new items, posting several photographs, and tracking your items’ popularity. It is a good idea to add a new item to your site as often as possible. Every day is ideal, but if that is not possible, try every week. You may also log on and “renew” the items you have on your site daily, keeping them at the front of sections. You also need to post four or five pictures of the item you are selling. If it is a sign, show it in several different contexts, such as hanging on a wall and on an easel. Also show the woodwork from different angles. Customers want to know as much about what they are buying as possible. You can track the popularity of the different items you have on your site by checking for customer ratings. Etsy.com has a “hearts” rating system by which users can endorse your products. If you see that one particular woodworking item is doing very well, you may want to do similar projects.
Etsy.com offers a place for woodworkers to sell their work that can be promoted through social networking, adding new work often, various photographs, and tracking popularity. You probably won’t get by doing it, but it may be good for some extra income and the satisfaction of knowing that your work is appreciated.
