2058 Thailand Red Amboyna Burl.

Tim Hunter said:

You have raised my bar for sure...quite inspirational work. I'm glad I joined to be exposed to such fine work.

Tim

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Russ Braun said:

Fantastic effort Odie!

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Thank you Tim and Russ.....

Your comments are certainly appreciated.

-----odie-----

David Martin said:

Some quick reading says that the Etsy demographic is very young, the largest block is 18-35 year old. Those people typiclly don't have the disposable income to be able to afford what you should be getting for your work. My Mother in-law was very artistic and started doing art shows. She almost quit before somehow connecting with an agent that started getting her into high end, vendor by invitation only, shows. After that she not only got enough money to make it worth her time, but never brought anything home from a show. Maybe art shows aren't for you, but I think that in front of the right audience your prices go way up. And I think they should.

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Hello David......and, thank you so much for the inspirational comment.

Yes, you are correct, the demographic of Etsy is very young, and this shouldn't be my target market. Since Etsy sold to corporate interests, the shift in demographic seems to be younger than it was back then. I first started my shop prior to that change in ownership, and now they allow mass produced products masquerading as handmade products. Cheap items are the main push for Etsy now, it seems. In spite of that, I am well aware of who some of my customers are, and for the most part, they are not among the most prominent demographic. That I know of, there is a physician, well known author, and a famous baseball player. Those with disposable money are on Etsy, but it seems the Etsy shops that should be selling the most, are being squeezed out of view by the search engines that Etsy uses. I have my beliefs about why this is happening, and I think Etsy is catering to the number of shops and overall site-wide listing count with more priority......and, of course, the demographics that are the bulk of those who shop on Etsy.

So, where does that leave someone like me? It would be nice to sell what I make at a price that would make it more profitable......but, I am a very exclusive kind of person that can be described as a recluse, or a hermit. All I want to do is work in my shop, and live what's left of my life in a very secluded way. We could discuss life's philosophy and perhaps if you knew me, you'd understand why I am the way I am. Most people don't bother with trying to understand what makes me tick, so I'm happy with the moniker of "the eccentric old guy!".....who calls himself:

-----odie-----

Odie.........you and I have got alot in common. I have been working for and by myself for somewhere between two and three decades. People are almost universally shocked to find that out, "how can you stand to be alone like that" they say. To me it's a feature, not a bug. I'm into my 60s, I do not now nor have I ever, and If I can help it never will, own a cell phone. How's that for eccentric? Money aside, I think a higher end clientele will have more appreciation for your work, and it definately deserves the appreciation.