Selling our products on etsy...

Etsy selling....

Etsy is an online shop where crafters can showcase and sell their items. This is what their website says...

Etsy is a marketplace where people around the world connect, both online and offline, to make, sell and buy unique goods. The heart and soul of Etsy is our global community: the creative entrepreneurs who use Etsy to sell what they make or curate, the shoppers looking for things they can’t find anywhere else, the manufacturers who partner with Etsy sellers to help them grow, and the Etsy employees who maintain and nurture our marketplace.

Before we made handcrafted items, I didn't know etsy existed. I see Etsy as a high end version of ebay. I have no issues with ebay, however everyone buying on that site (in my opinion) wants a bargain! (Me included!)

Etsy is a bit more forgiving when it comes to prices. Anyone that hand crafts will know that the general public don't always understand how long it has taken to make an item, or that it is a one off. Etsy portrays this crafty image right from their home page.

Today I have spent a fair few hours putting on some of our new items. We have showcased some of our new cards. These are all hand written by us and all have a fused glass tile on the front. This tile is removable so once the card is finished with the tile can be kept '4eva' as a lovely keepsake.   

£3.50 + p&p

We have also put on etsy a range of our mini hangers. These are made by us using our kiln. Fused glass with a copper encapsulation. We think they are pretty cute. 

£4.00 + p&p

We have had an etsy account for quite a long time. We have sold one or two items but nothing spectacular. We would really like to know what we are doing wrong, if anything. Or Someone to tell us if the market is saturated with the type of things we do. 

Have you had experience on Etsy? Did you know about Etsy before today? Would you sell on Etsy now you have had a look at it?Do you have any advice for us regarding online selling? As always, we would love to hear your feedback.

If you would like to look at our range on etsy, please follow the link below. We hope you enjoy having a look at our items...

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/gekoglass

Thanks for reading and see you next time

Lindsay

#blog #etsy #buyingonline #scarborough #gekoglass #handmade #handcrafted

Advertising... what do you do?

Advice on advertising please...

Well I can't quite believe its Saturday again already. January is going so fast!

Today I want to talk about advertising. However, before I go into that I would just like to show you our new range....

'Oh I do like' is a seaside theme inspired by Scarborough, which is where we live. We have created cute hangers, small and medium box frames, vases with seaglass incorporated into the design and much more.....

'Oh I do like'...High tide hangar £17

So back to todays blog.....

Advice on advertising. We have now been trading for a little under two years. We have been approached by a number of different organisations wanting our advertising, but also wanting our hard earned money to pay for this!

My thoughts...

Newspaper

We have done some newspaper advertising in the hard copy format. I have to say, in my opinion, due to modern technology, newspapers are not as popular as they once were. I have a friend who lives two hours away from Scarborough and works for a newspaper. In her experience the average advert needs to run for six weeks before people really pay attention. This is a lot of money to spend on something everyone may not see. 

Radio

Local radio advertising, I think, is a little cheesey. It makes me think of a nineties movie set in the future. The only music to survive an apocalypse was local radio adverts, how terrible!! I think this is why I don't really like them. Costs for radio advertising vary greatly too depending on what time of day you would like your advert to go out and which radio station you advertise with.

Television

As a very new business I don't think this is a viable option. I do not know about television advertising costs, however I imagine they would give me nightmares!

Leaflets

gekoglass has used leaflet drops to create a buzz around our business. We have had over 5000 leaflets printed locally. I have to say the company we used, prontaprint, Westborough, Scarborough are very professional. Once leaflet drops have happened we have also had positive contact from potential customers. To me this proves that leaflet drops really do work. 

We do advertise in a 'free Scarborough guide' which is published yearly. This goes out to hotels, guest houses and event places. This is a brilliant tool as visitors to Scarborough get a map in this guide, so it is thoroughly used. Well worth the money. 

Internet 

Where do you even start with internet advertising? We have a web site and are hoping to add an on line shop over the next few months. We have twitter, facebook, pinterest, instagram, google plus, etsy, ebay, folksy and a blog (you are reading!!) which we maintain. All of this takes time and effort.

We have seen many other local businesses advertise on other local websites. We need some positive criticism of this from you all please.

Shop window

This is a little obvious, however often overlooked. We pride ourselves on the look and feel of our window display. People stop and look if something is engaging. We hope that our woodland theme window display captures the imagination. We have a great shop front design (which we created) and a selection of some of the items we sell. This encourages people to come into our shop unit. We would like a hanging sign in the future. However cost plays a strong part in why we do not currently have one. 

Board advertising

There are various board displays throughout Scarborough. Some are council owned and some are private. The cost to advertise on these boards, in my opinion is a good price. But I question if anyone actually looks at these boards. Does anyone have any comments on this please? 

Events

There are always local fairs, including summer and wedding fairs, fund raising events, Christmas markets and there must be other things too. We are currently booking in our diary any events coming up this year. If you know of an event you think we should be involved in, please let us know.

Word of mouth

This is the tough one. DID YOU KNOW? If you have a bad experience in a shop you tell ten people. If you have a good experience you only tell three people!! 

So we want everyone to enjoy visiting gekoglass. 

All the above advertising methods will work for some companies and not for others. I am not trying to upset any media platforms. I simply wish to know what has worked for you. What hasn't worked and what you all think gekoglass should try? 

Any advice is better than no advice!

Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog

See you next week 

#blog #gekoglass #uk #shoplocal #advertising 

P.S

One or two more 'Oh I do like ' products are below

Enjoy

  

 

Valentines Day

Set of four coasters...£30

Well we are half way through January already and love is sneaking into the air. Valentine's day 14th February is now less than a month away!!

Legend tells us it began because Valentine was imprisoned for performing weddings for Roman soldiers who were forbidden to marry under Roman Empire rule in circa 27bc. In the 5th Century there was a Saint Valentine who was a Christian martyr. These two figures have shaped how we celebrate it in the modern age.

Valentines Day is now celebrated throughout the world, with many people exchanging cards, sweets, chocolate, gifts and flowers with their special 'valentine'.

Have you got a special someone in your life? Or maybe you would like a special someone. We have a lovely range of gift ideas for you, here are some of them....

Fused glass bowl with copper encapsulated hearts.... £35

Mirror with glass tiles spelling love... £55

Bunting with love... £10

There are many other local independent traders on Hanover Road and Victoria Road offering things for Valentines celebrations. We are really hoping people of Scarborough visit local independent shops throughout 2016 so why not start with Valentines?!

I would like to challenge you all, no matter where you live... This week visit one independent local shop and spend £5. It will make a massive difference to your local economy. You can then let us know where you have been so we can visit there too.

Why not try Amelia's Chocolates and Violet Lux for great gift ideas for Valentines....

  

Thank you all for reading today and we will be back next week.

#gekoglass #scarborough #uk #valentines #gifts #love #glass #shoplocal

Happy New Year 2016

A big HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016 to all.

Welcome to gekoglass blog, if this is your first visit, we are a company based in Scarborough UK who specialise in everything glass. From splashbacks for kitchens and bathrooms, to glass globes, to marbles and everything in between. 

This year we have many things planned and hope to share these things with you as the year progresses.  

Over the Christmas break we have been planning and making some wonderful things. We have a new range called 'oh I do like' ....

Who doesn't like to be beside the sea and luckily we are blessed to live beside the sea. This range features beach huts, deckchairs and star fish. Prices range from just £10 to£35. ‪#‎gekoglass‬‪#‎handmade‬ ‪#‎twine‬ ‪#‎bohochic‬ ‪#‎countryhome‬ ‪#‎home‬ ‪#‎seaside‬‪#‎scarborough‬ ‪#‎sun‬ ‪#‎deckchair‬ ‪#‎beachhut‬ ‪#‎starfish‬ ‪#‎copper‬ ‪#‎decals‬‪#‎gravel‬ ‪#‎boxframe‬ ‪#‎hangers‬ ‪#‎coasters‬ ‪#‎coast‬ ‪#‎summer‬ ‪#‎holiday‬ ‪#‎gift‬‪#‎cute‬ ‪#‎uk‬ ‪#‎hanoverroad‬

So keep your eyes peeled for all the new products we are making

Thank you for reading and we will see you again next Saturday