How To Trade On Etsy

This is how it works:

• contact the person you would like to trade with to ask if they want to trade with you (helps if you already know that there is a mutual appreciation of each others work)
• decide what you would like from that person and find out what they would like from you
• the value of your item(s) and their item(s) needs to match - or near enough match
• reserve the items they would like in your esty shop - by putting a note in the description/header saying something like 'reserved - only purchase if your name is panyizsuzsi'. Your trade partner does the same in their shop.
• to make sure etsy get the fees, you and your trade partner need to purchase via the etsy shopping cart (we all like esty and we want them to get their fees - it's bad practice if you don't do this)
• you do not need to make an actual payment via the company that handles payments
  
• trade completed - send off the goods as you would with any order via etsy
• leave feedback for your trade partner.

I hope this all makes sense to everyone who hasn't traded before, and for those who have traded via etsy - did I get this right?

EST Business Series - part two

As a memeber of the European Street Team on Etsy, I am responsible for the business series on out blog. Here is the todays part:

The Business Plan is our next topic we will discuss here on EST blog. If you are being crafty, selling your stuff and knowing ho you are sellin it to you have to make a decision: is it a hobby with minor, irregular income, that you do for fun ot it is BUSINESS? If you decided, that you are doing business, keep reading! Business you can do two major ways: full time or part time. Even being a part time business person with a nicely paying job, I strongly recommend you to make a business plan!

• Why? Because that sets you apart from charity! You can not run a business without planning how much you are planning to spend and to make.
• Thing that you should include in your plan:
• Why are you doing business?
• What are you selling? product or service
• Where are you selling? on-line or off-line
• To whom are you selling to? target market
• How do you deliver?
• Who are your competitions? What sets you apart from them?
• What motivates you?
• What is your Mission?

You can change these later as you move on, but believe me to have a good business plan is like to have a GPS in your hands when you entering an exciting unknown forest!

We Are Fusing....

... like crazy. The kiln never stops, we supported a fund raising event lately and getting ready with our first coorporate order. I will be back soon with more detailed posts!