Playing Catch Up
I hardly know where to begin - so much has been going on! We have come down with the flu - on rotation - with never more than one or two people being ill at the same time. You know the routine, high fever, nausea etc. that lasts for a day or so and the exhaustion that lasts for a week. It has put a fairly substantial dint in pretty much everything here, to say the least!
The Summer Sale in my Etsy Shop has only been so-so and I don't know if I should be disappointed or if this is simply due to it being summer and fibery things wane in popularity as the mercury rises. One of the oddest pieces of advice I received recently is that if I want to sell more, especially handspun yarns, I should raise my prices (!) like by about 25 or 30% or more. I admit it stopped me dead in my tracks. On one hand, the theory is that high priced things are/imply better quality and are therefore more worth purchasing. On the other hand, if I raise my prices I am thinking I will likely sell nothing at all! It was certainly one of those concepts right out of left field that had not crossed my mind - nor would ever likely, on my own! Granted, the person who suggested it doesn't flinch at charging $50 for a 100 yd skein of handspun and I have no idea how many she actually sells at that price... but... I guess it's still a nice fantasy to entertain that if I got really greedy maybe my store would be more successful! Any thoughts on this?
I actually got my August samples done and shipped off. The theme for August is Bollywood, the Hollywood of India and there were so many (too many) possibilities. I eventually powered out and settled on something more mundane. I wanted to reflect the wild exotic nature of the country but also take into consideration the more traditional restrained culture. I ended up choosing turquoise milli fiori chips for the vibrant colors and glass pearls for the traditional elegance. And of course anything coming from that neck of the woods has to be gold!
The Summer Sale in my Etsy Shop has only been so-so and I don't know if I should be disappointed or if this is simply due to it being summer and fibery things wane in popularity as the mercury rises. One of the oddest pieces of advice I received recently is that if I want to sell more, especially handspun yarns, I should raise my prices (!) like by about 25 or 30% or more. I admit it stopped me dead in my tracks. On one hand, the theory is that high priced things are/imply better quality and are therefore more worth purchasing. On the other hand, if I raise my prices I am thinking I will likely sell nothing at all! It was certainly one of those concepts right out of left field that had not crossed my mind - nor would ever likely, on my own! Granted, the person who suggested it doesn't flinch at charging $50 for a 100 yd skein of handspun and I have no idea how many she actually sells at that price... but... I guess it's still a nice fantasy to entertain that if I got really greedy maybe my store would be more successful! Any thoughts on this?
I actually got my August samples done and shipped off. The theme for August is Bollywood, the Hollywood of India and there were so many (too many) possibilities. I eventually powered out and settled on something more mundane. I wanted to reflect the wild exotic nature of the country but also take into consideration the more traditional restrained culture. I ended up choosing turquoise milli fiori chips for the vibrant colors and glass pearls for the traditional elegance. And of course anything coming from that neck of the woods has to be gold!
I don't presume to have "captured the spirit of India" with these but I do think they turned out rather pretty! I made up some sets for my Etsy Shop too and posted them today.
I used slightly different hearts for these sets and I like them best.
I promise to post more news on spinning and fiber this week - I have too many photos piling up so I'll make more time to blog, OK? Cheers all!
I promise to post more news on spinning and fiber this week - I have too many photos piling up so I'll make more time to blog, OK? Cheers all!
Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/2/2011 11:44 PM 
Categories: Musings, PhatFiber
Tags: phatfiber Bollywood stitch markers
Categories: Musings, PhatFiber
Tags: phatfiber Bollywood stitch markers
Sorry to hear about your flu bug! Nasty in the summer! I was hoping you were gardening and hence not posting. I too have been told I don't charge enough for my products but I hesitate to up the prices as I don't want to out price myself. I suppose a test on a few products might be in order. You can always lower it if things don't sell.
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Flu in the summer ... worst thing ever ! On a happier note, I got the stitch markers I ordered from you Etsy shop. Even better in real life !! And thanks for the extra one !
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