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["Jeanne Driese" <jeanne13 AT earthlink.net>]

My daughter is a silver smith, she sell her things on etsy.  She has been 
able to almost make a living.  She quite her computer job and does this full 
time.  Look her up on Etsy.
Lavendercottageoriginals
Jeanne
tnhillwoman
North East TN zone 6
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com 
  To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 9:51 AM
  Subject: Re: [Homestead] Marketing


  >How do you maintain a steady income?

  There's at least a very simple answer to that question.  You don't. 


  > >Other than word of mouth, how do you market yourself?  

  This must be prefaced with the fact that most cottage industry crafted 
items 
  are not things people buy on impulse.  They look, think about it, 
contemplate 
  it, compare it, decide on it, change their mind, think about it some more, 
  .... and then some of them buy it.

  I got a call this summer from a cooperative retail store made up of local 
  hand crafted items.  A 22 year old woman wanted to buy one of my products 
because 
  she'd seen it there when she was 16, could not persuade her parents it was 
  equitable, and so as an adult and settled in Denver, she came back to 
Abingdon, 
  Va, asking for the item ... which was no longer there as I had parted ways 
  with the outfit years previous.  The store and I made an exception to our 
usual 
  M.O. and she got the item she came for.  But it is not unusual for the 
initial 
  contact and the sale to be eight years apart .... which goes somewhat to 
  answering the first question.

  So ... if you are contemplating a specific item or type of item you are 
going 
  to make, look into the trade magazines.  In my case a quarterly insertion 
in 
  the most popular trade magazine 4" x 3 1/2" costs about $40.  The second 
most 
  popular magazine is $25.  Also I have joined all the internet discussion 
lists 
  having to do with the product I make and I have a signature line with my 
  website.

  You can put the item on eBay "buy it now" for 30 days at a time.  The cost 
is 
  minimal and although you might not sell it, you are permitted a link to 
your 
  website page describing it which itself can contain a link to the home 
page.  
  It gives you tremendous exposure for very little cost.  Likewise there is 
an 
  outfit that only allows hand made objects for sale ....   www.etsy.com

  We have scores of festivals in this area every year.  I do to some of those 
  and demo the product and pass out cards.  No one buys one there, but a 
month to 
  five years later they do.  I have six items in the shop right now 
unfinished 
  and all of them are promised.  A few months from now I may have ten in the 
  shop completely finished and no one making an offer for them.  

   James


  "The master craftsman makes a cut.  He does it one time and it's good 
enough."
  (the late and very great luthier Robert Lundberg)






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