Why Artfire?
Published On: 11-18-2011 09:00am
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Category: Archive
Although the sales seem to be a bit better on Etsy with little effort, I have to say an outstanding Artfire!! Even though I do most of the SEO and networking myself, I still love Artifre the best.
There are reasons why, but first I want to share a little My Father's Gifts online history.
When I started my online business, it really wasn't as an online merchant but rather just a simple website through Web.com(then known as Web Site Pro's). They had called me one day as I was moving into my new home in Colorado Springs and offered me a website with all the bells and whistles for about $75 per month. At the time, I didn't know anything about them, what online websites are all about or anything. Our family budget allowed for it and I signed up. The set up was so exciting and the WYSIWYG was beginner friendly. After hours of work, I had a fairly good looking website for my first set up. My friends and family were impressed. That was my first step forward into a world I knew absolutely nothing about.
That was 4 years ago. Things have changed: economy, jobs, family aspects, finances, location, etc. After my husband's company down sized drawmatically, he ended up pretty much becoming the only one left of 12 employees besides the owner. He held down the fort well and still is. Now he runs the company, Integrity Home Theater. So you can imagine, less hands makes less income. I help from time to time with secretarial duties and social media resources for his company.
Our income went from $60K to $35K per year and of course some things had to get cut from our budget. My website was one of those things. Little did I know, that my domaine name through Web.com was owned by them and as soon as I cut my ties, I lost my domaine.
I am currently finally purchasing it back from them again, but it's not cheap and it has been out of circulation for quite a while. However, I have made a name for myself online through other means in which I will share in another article.
After a long pause from my business online and problems buying and selling through Ebay, I had given up on my business and just did it as a small hobby with a few custom design orders locally. I was still on Merchant Circle so I had a toe still in the internet door.
With much discouragement, I deciding to put my talent down. However, my friends egged me on to keep going. I love to browse and look at other people's pixels and noticed many of them were on a site called Etsy. I signed up a while back as a buyer. I'm glad I used my business name to sign up then. That is where I found several friends and great Lucite flowers that I now use in my designs.
Then, I got a brilliant idea. At the time, I had been selling many of my handmade jewelry designs at a local mall and was not profiting anything to speak of. I was more or less giving my designs away through the cost of the spot in the mall. I had finally gotten enough of that game and decided after two years at the Chapel Hills Mall to close my store at Home Touch and open a small store on Etsy.com. The listings were only $.20 each with a 3% sale fee and was affordable at the time for the small bits and pieces I had. Under the suggestion of my husband and the guilt of buying supplies I didn't seem to be using, I decided to sell my unused pearls and findings. Right away I made my first sale. I felt accomplished, but the sales trickled in. It paid for itself for a while and I mostly ended up buying from other sellers.
I began searching the web for inexpensive ways to market my shop. I wanted to learn what to do to help it grow and have more exposure. I already knew that my name had been on the web for a while and the longer you are on the internet by name, the higher in rank on Google search you are. I found a blog from Artfire Admin. about selling on that venue. My shop at Etsy was nickle and diming me and Artfire offered only $12 per month unlimited listings for a Pro Seller account month to month, free for basic with no hidden fees. Wow, that sounded great! The shop fronts were colorfull and full of gadgets and seller tools. So I signed up! It was November 2009 when I began my shop on Artfire and found the Etsy importer! That saved me so much work! Then they offered the Fall deal of Pro 500! It was $100 for the entire year with a lock in rate for life as long as the account stays active! Awesome! That was a savings of $44.
Then I found the with Tony and John. They give me all the tools and information I need to be successful and then some.. with SEO, Google search and analytics, new apps, new tools on Artfire, how to sell, what to sell, how to market and so very much more. They have taught me how to make lemon pie(not just lemonaide) with lemons! And not pay a dime! I have a great deal of admiration for them and all the artisans that have stuck it out in our experimental stages.
Every Thursday, I look forward to the show and get up early to hear it. I may only make 40% of my sales on Artfire, but as this venue grows and gets better, I am confident that my patience will pay off by far in the end. Not to mention, I have no more fees!!! With our economy hurting, we are seing many small businesses disappear. To prevent from falling off the map(or internet) in such frugal times, it is necessary to keep your overhead rather low. Thank you, Artfire for keeping mine. The good things in life are worth waiting for!
"Just one thing": You can get so wrapped up on sales and revenue that you forget that your clients are also your friends. Friends should be treated with respect and listened to. A great man had mentored me a couple of years back. He had started up from ground zero two companies and then sold them within 2 years. He then walked away a rich man from the world's standards. He told me that you must give yourself away to be rich. Reguardless of the cost, your heart is the core of your business, not your pocketbook. I get more joy out of seeing the satisfaction on a clients face or getting an email of appreciation than getting a pay check. I love what I do more than the money I get(or don't get at times). I love connecting and listening to others. I love finding their likes, dislikes and intuitively meeting their needs. $ pays the bills, but the gratification of making others feel important makes my heart soar! And that makes it all worth it!
I give a unique, not for sale, handmade item like a hammered handmade clasp as a gift with purchase. Or I give a crushed velvet handmade jewelry pouch as a free gift with purchase of any wedding jewelry. I just love that message when they receive it. That . Read what my and buyers think!
There have been only a couple of clients that ended up with a defective item, I refund their money or replaced it immediately. AND I sent a free shipping coupon for their next shopping experience.
There is a great deal of love in every thing I sell. And my heart will always be a part of Artfire.com!
