BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
QOTW: Do you sell dolly things online?
Written on May 12, 2015 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Question of the Week
I love being crafty and creating things for Blythe – it’s a fun thing to do and the end result is something that my dolls can actually wear. It’s a pretty awesome feeling to be able to make something that looks cute and fits the dolls when I put them on. However, I’m not interested in the logistics of running an online shop at this time – mostly because of time, the additional costs of running a business (packaging, taxes, etc.) and just not thinking that people would want to buy what I make at a price that seems ‘worth it’ to me to put that time and effort in. But, I digress. There are many online shops that put out a lot of fantastic items every single day – and that’s good for people like me that don’t necessarily do those crafts.
Do you own a Blythe-related shop online? Share it below!
I used to sell doll clothes at my Storenvy shop, but I decided to close it and now I’m moving all my stuff to Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PauleenPotter). I haven’t listed any products for Blythe yet, but I’m planning to.
I have an etsy – I try to consistently list things, but I mostly have the store as a small hobby.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Oliveloop
I like to craft, but can’t imagine making any good sales online without being able to get out there at the trade shows and Blythe Cons. Travel is difficult for me, as would be schlepping boxes of goodies and setting up/breaking down, etc.
Also, after seeing some of the ugly, envious discourse in the community between vendors and customizers, I don’t think it would be very pleasurable even if I could produce anything worth selling. I realize that is probably a small minority, but the many battles I’ve seen definitely turns me off on the idea.
I love to crochet, and I used to make cozies for phones/mp3 players just for myself, just for fun, and applique felt designs onto them. People used to harass me to sell them all the time. But I was very intimidated by the idea of opening a shop and doubted anyone would buy them. Now I have a box of cozies that I don’t use anymore but don’t want to throw away, ’cause they’re cute and I had fun making them.
It’s an upgrade for me to be able to do something I enjoy, crocheting and working with felt, and then not have to keep the item when I’m finished making it. I like to make stuff but, as evidenced with my cozy box, I would wind up with PILES of stuff if I wasn’t able to send the stuff off to other people at the end of the day…
Although sometimes making things by order is stressful, and I hate going to the post office SO MUCH, and “How much should I charge; what is my time and energy and end product worth? What makes taking on this extra work worth it?” questions are hard to wrestle with. I find the art of selling my wares hard; it makes me shy. And I get very stressed out by shipping costs these days!! But in the beginning my shop helped keep me from drowning in the pile of hats I was obsessively making.
I am astounded at people who can craft and sew and come out with dresses and hats and such so regularly; I wonder if they feel burned out. There are certainly people who run their shops like businesses, but I definitely don’t consider myself one of them, although I have an Etsy shop where I do sell the hats I make. But the good thing about it is that you are the boss and get to decide what level of time and energy you want to put into your own shop. It doesn’t have to be a big time commitment if you don’t want it to be. You can set your shop to vaycay mode whenever you like, you can decline to take on custom orders, you don’t have to package things in any particular way. That’s what I’ve learned.
But because when people find out you make stuff, they say, “You should sell this!” There is a definite expectation that just because you knit or make your own lip balm, or whatever it is a person does, they can’t imagine putting time and energy into making something yet not monetarily profiting from it??? Whereas the pleasure, for me, lies within making it, not within the end product and the possibility that someone will give me smackeroos for it.
I am very sorry for the novella-length comment!
I just re-launched my etsy shop! I finally figured out my camera and will be adding more items over the next weeks. https://www.etsy.com/shop/DollyCupcake 🙂
I hand make tiny food for miniatures and after being a vendor at a doll show I have started making food at 1:6 scale(a few customers requested items). I have a few items in my etsy shop and would love some feed back.
Thank you