Questions about Craigslist, Ebay, Etsy, Etc...

I get quite a few questions from other artisins trying to make their mark in the world with their trade about how I do on Craigslist, Ebay, Etsy, etc... 

Lets start with Etsy and Ebay.  Its all about "SHIPPING COST"! After 9-11 the cost of shipping went out the roof!  You have to do a lot of research of different shipping companies, moving companies, and UPS, Fedex, and US Postal.  Eta can really vary if you want to save a few bucks and so can cost!  To tell you the truth...I just gave up on shipping and work on local sales.  I just don't have the time to spend researching the best way to ship a queen size log bed from Kansas City to Oregon, spend the time braking down my furniture and packing it so my customers will buy it and then have to make directions for assembly and mark all the pieces.  People usually can't figure it out and end up braking pieces and then you just end up with a bunch of ugly emails and comments, because they can't tell the difference between a philips bit and straight bit.  lol 

Now lets move on to Craigslist.  It is hard to find cutstomer who appreciate and are willing to pay for hand made crafts on a consistant basis!  I find that most CL shoppers are just one step above garage salers who come to sales with $20 in their pocket, not $200 and often have champaign taste on a beer budget.  If you are patient and get a few sales from people who pay you for what your time, materials, and skills are worth...they will be your best word of mouth advertisers if you stay in contact with them and throw them a bone or two once in a while on making something they want at cost.   Check out the market on similar things that you make and check your prices compared to others.  Once you figured out your time, and cost of materials and margin you want or need to make compared to others...set your price and stick to your guns! 

I guess to sum it all up...research, research, research!  If you love what you do and are totally passionate about it...You will find a way to make it work.  Just stay at it!