Anyone here have an Amazon Handmade shop?

[Odie]

Well OK, I've just been accepted to have an Amazon Handmade shop, and am currently working on it. It's like a juried arts and crafts show, but online through Amazon.com by invitation only. (A prospective artisan applies, and then waits a few weeks to see if he's been accepted.)

If anyone here has an Amazon Handmade shop, I'd appreciate your insights, observations, tips......etc.

Since Amazon has a much bigger "reach" than Etsy, this could be an important step for me.....I need to do this right! Still, my most important considerations are to not lose my artistic/craftsman priorities.......but, I would like to make some sales here, too!

Any pertinent comments from anyone else is encouraged, as well..........

thanks

ko

 

[Charlie Knighton]

good luck.....always wondered how that would be perceived by customers

do the buyers have a time limit to return forms sort of buying on approval????

 

[dbonertz]

Odie check your notifications please.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Odie, their marketing strategy is to put their competition out of business by whatever means possible. In this case it is Etsy, so don't get too flattered by their offer. A former employee in my group quit to start his own computer OEM business and was doing quite well. He was approached in a similar manner about becoming a "partner" with promises of being able to grow his business. In reality, the goal was to gobble up all of the competition and put them out of business. Amazon has successfully done that to a huge number of brick and mortar stores including some woodworking businesses. Based on what I have seen I think that what you might eventually find is that Amazon will be dictating your selling prices and even what you will be able to market.

 

[Odie]

good luck.....always wondered how that would be perceived by customers

do the buyers have a time limit to return forms sort of buying on approval????

Hi Charlie......The answer is yes. On my Etsy account, I stipulate that a customer can return an item within three days of receipt, and is responsible for the return shipping. In the two years I've been on Etsy, I've had one customer return a bowl because it didn't "fit" the décor plan he had envisioned. (He applied that money to another purchase.)

When I first started my Etsy account, I frequented the forums to find out what I could from other Etsy shop owners. I've found out that those who use PayPal, or a credit card, can do a charge-back for up to several months after a purchase. This hasn't happened to me yet, but other shop owners have......I've concluded that it's impossible to please everyone all the time, so eventually I'll probably have this happen. When it does, I'll know more about how that process works.

ko

 

[Odie]

Odie, their marketing strategy is to put their competition out of business by whatever means possible. In this case it is Etsy, so don't get too flattered by their offer. A former employee in my group quit to start his own computer OEM business and was doing quite well. He was approached in a similar manner about becoming a "partner" with promises of being able to grow his business. In reality, the goal was to gobble up all of the competition and put them out of business. Amazon has successfully done that to a huge number of brick and mortar stores including some woodworking businesses. Based on what I have seen I think that what you might eventually find is that Amazon will be dictating your selling prices and even what you will be able to market.

Hello Bill...... I'm sure you are right to some extent. Since Amazon is not accepting everyone into their "handmade" section, I'd assume they don't want to be cluttered by all the low quality, poor sellers, and production items you'll find on Etsy.....and this will probably have some Etsy shop owners jump over to the dark side! That may, or may not hurt Etsy, but your theory certainly could apply. I know of several other turners who have Etsy shops, and who've already started their Amazon shops. My plans are to keep both my Etsy and Amazon shops. I believe the competition will be fewer in number on Amazon, but the quality of those turned bowls on Amazon will be higher. At this point, I'm pretty satisfied with how I've done on Etsy, but Amazon is a complete unknown. (I'm still working on the set-up, and haven't actually launched it yet.)

ko

 

[John Torchick]

Have you thought about Facebook? I know of a fellow who said he gets more response from FB than from his business website.

 

[Justin Stephen]

Have you thought about Facebook? I know of a fellow who said he gets more response from FB than from his business website.

Sort of tacking on to my comments in odie's "Disclosing your costs to potential customers......good idea?" thread, a wise businessperson would probably have an Internet profile that encompassed multiple locations, to include Facebook. The nice part about Facebook is that it allows potential customers (repeat or otherwise) to "follow" you and interact with you easily, much more so than via a traditional website.

 

[John Torchick]

Justin, are you talking about Twitter, etc.? Seems you would spend all your time looking at all the various social media and not having time to work.

 

[Odie]

Have you thought about Facebook? I know of a fellow who said he gets more response from FB than from his business website.

John......I had a Facebook account about a dozen years ago, and cancelled it. Really, I have no desire to participate in social media.

Note: The Amazon account has space for linking a handmade shop to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.....for those who wish to do that.

ko

 

[John Torchick]

odie, I have my website through GoDaddy and there is a link where I can post my business on FB. It's my understanding it is different than reading about someone's trip to Walmart. Understand where you are coming from, though.

 

[Bill Boehme]

... That may, or may not hurt Etsy, but your theory certainly could apply...

It's not my opinion ... except for the part about Amazon dictating price, but even that part is based on some of the things that I have read. You might already know all of this, but it never hurts to be over-informed so here are a few pieces of interesting information on Amazon Handmade:

Forbes: Amazon Raises Their Fist to Compete with Etsy in the Handmade Marketploace

New York Times: Amazon Challenges Etsy with Strictly Handmade Marketplace

The most interesting to me is from the Huffington Post --

Huffington Post: Why Isn't Anyone Talking About The Most Frightening Part of Amazon Handmade?

 

[Odie]

It's not my opinion ... except for the part about Amazon dictating price, but even that part is based on some of the things that I have read. You might already know all of this, but it never hurts to be over-informed so here are a few pieces of interesting information on Amazon Handmade:

Forbes: Amazon Raises Their Fist to Compete with Etsy in the Handmade Marketploace

New York Times: Amazon Challenges Etsy with Strictly Handmade Marketplace

The most interesting to me is from the Huffington Post --

Huffington Post: Why Isn't Anyone Talking About The Most Frightening Part of Amazon Handmade?

The HP article is based mostly about copying work and reintroducing it inexpensively. We in the lathe turning arts, more specifically the bowl making aspect of it, are in somewhat a unique position with regard to this. You know, as well as I, that to reproduce, or copy a finely turned bowl isn't as easy as some people might think. Sure, something like the bowls you see at the Target store are reproducible by unskilled labor.....but, to reproduce bowls like you'd see in art galleries is a whole different prospect. If this kind of work were as easy as some think it is, then everyone would be doing it. Many of those in the AAW are well aware of what it takes to do this.....and, there is little to fear from someone hiring a few people in China, and doing what we do.....not without developing personal skills to the level that we do, and that comes at a great price, and a dedication to excellence.

ko

 

[Odie]

odie, I have my website through GoDaddy and there is a link where I can post my business on FB. It's my understanding it is different than reading about someone's trip to Walmart. Understand where you are coming from, though.

John......I have no way of verifying this, but it's my belief/suspicion that I am, indeed, using all of the social media outlets in an indirect way. You see.....some of my customers, as well as those who favorite my bowls on Etsy, ARE using social media......and, by default, I'm getting some exposure through THEIR accounts on Facebook, Pinterest, etc.

Well......I think that's what's happening, anyway.

ko

 

[Bill Boehme]

The HP article is based mostly about copying work and reintroducing it inexpensively...

I should have said that the part of the article that caught my attention was the comparison of costs to sellers. Amazon has a monthly fee of $40 plus they take 12% of your sales. That's a much larger bite than what Etsy costs. The number of bowls or other items that you can crank out per month is fairly limited especially if you want to stick to well crafted out-of-the-ordinary pieces.

John.... Well......I think that's what's happening, anyway.

... and I wouldn't know either. I suppose that you could say that I am a Neanderthal when it comes to social media even though I have an account.

 

[Odie]

I should have said that the part of the article that caught my attention was the comparison of costs to sellers. Amazon has a monthly fee of $40 plus they take 12% of your sales. That's a much larger bite than what Etsy costs. The number of bowls or other items that you can crank out per month is fairly limited especially if you want to stick to well crafted out-of-the-ordinary pieces.



... and I wouldn't know either. I suppose that you could say that I am a Neanderthal when it comes to social media even though I have an account.

Bill......

The monthly fee is waived until August 2016, and this will be a factor, for sure. Etsy is 3.5%, plus I'm paying about $15 per month promotional fees.....so it's not as bad as first glance. Amazon is definitely more expensive to maintain a shop, though.

At this point, I'm averaging a tad over 3 sales per month on Etsy. I figure roughly I'll have to make about 1 1/2 finished bowls per week, in order to cover a total of 6 sales per month combined. I think that's a reasonable objective, and still not be rushed.....all while maintaining my artistic priorities.

At this point, I have no idea how well Amazon will work out for me, but I expect the quantity of prospective buyers will far exceed those on Etsy......dunno.

I can relate to the "Neanderthal" on social media. When I had a Facebook account, the kind of interactions that took place weren't very appealing to me at all. My account pretty much remained dormant for the entire time I had it.

ko

 

[hockenbery]

Social media and using it in marketing is a frequent AAW symposiums.
The AAW Symposium in Atlanta will have a number of sessions aimed at increasing sales.

These session are great for getting ideas on making sales
1. Business and Marketing. Strategies to make a living from your craft
2. Digital Photography – What are juries looking for – what constitutes a good photo.

These sessions are great for helping you find your place in the art market.
3. Evolution of an artist
4. The Ego and the Soul: Why Makers Make
5. Influences, Copying and Plagiarism – blurred lines between influences and replication.

Sessions like these are rarely if ever presented at regional symposiums or club demos.
The AAW makes an effort to offer programs for professionals, those aspiring to be professional and the semi-pros.
Semi-pros are those who never made a living woodturning but had business status as an artist.

 

[Justin Stephen]

Justin, are you talking about Twitter, etc.? Seems you would spend all your time looking at all the various social media and not having time to work.

I don't think Twitter is necessary, but certainly a website, Etsy and/or Amazon Handmade "shops" and a Facebook business page. Whether you choose to use Facebook for personal stuff is immaterial as your business page would be a separate page. Existing customers who like your work and are on Facebook can "follow" you and you can post updates on the page, to include pictures of your latest work, which they will see in their news feed. It sounds like a great way to notify possible repeat customers of new work and to allow them an easy way to communicate with you besides just email. None of this should be very time-consuming at all once you get it set up.

 

[John Torchick]

odie, your reply sounds like you are getting free advertising. Correct? If so, word-of-mouth is the best and cheapest advertising you can get.

 

[Odie]

odie, your reply sounds like you are getting free advertising. Correct? If so, word-of-mouth is the best and cheapest advertising you can get.

John......

With Amazon, the monthly fee is waived until next August. I think this is simply an incentive for Amazon to attract new handmade shops. IMHO, Amazon has yet to establish themselves in the marketplace with Etsy, but they do have one great big advantage......a huge customer base.

With Etsy, I'm paying for "search ads".....it ain't free! This is a bidding process, where shops place maximum bids to be placed higher up in the results for particular search terms. It's a complicated process that I don't understand completely, but I do notice the number of shop views I've been getting spiked when I first started using them. From my point of view, whatever gets a prospective customer into my shop is the key element. Once I have them in my shop, then it's my own photos, policies, wording, profile......whatever I can personally add to an appealing presence that makes the actual sale.

With Etsy, there is a "statistics" page, where I can track the number of views I'm getting, the bowls they looked at, if they favorited a bowl, when they looked, what "keywords" they used to arrive at my shop....etc. This is an important feature, in my opinion. On this page, I also have stats for my search ads......I know which ones are productive, and which aren't. I can individually adjust the bid amount, delete, or add promoted listings. This isn't a sales tool, but more to make judgements on what's best to attract potential buyers into your shop........once there, you've got 'em in your evil web!

ko

 

[Jamie Straw]

Read the fine print...

[Snip] Based on what I have seen I think that what you might eventually find is that Amazon will be dictating your selling prices and even what you will be able to market.

I wouldn't put it past them. Odie, read the fine print very, very, very carefully. I have a friend who has a retail storefront and a wholesale business, she sold on Amazon for awhile, but found their demands unmanageable. I don't remember the details -- it's been a long time -- but it made me wary for sure.

 

[Odie]

I wouldn't put it past them. Odie, read the fine print very, very, very carefully. I have a friend who has a retail storefront and a wholesale business, she sold on Amazon for awhile, but found their demands unmanageable. I don't remember the details -- it's been a long time -- but it made me wary for sure.

OK, thanks Jamie and Bill.......I'll keep my eyes open, and my ear to the ground.

One thing about it.......I don't need Amazon. I have been happy with my Etsy shop, and it's been growing. Actually, I've sold 13 bowls in the last 5 weeks! This is the best I've ever done! This is likely Christmas sales, so I'll probably go back to sporadic sales in January.

The Amazon shop still hasn't launched yet.....I'm in no hurry, and I have been changing my mind over and over again, about how to best market myself in the storefront. My extended family is also giving me plenty of advice, too!....you know how that goes!

ko

 

[Odie]

The Amazon.com handmade shop is now active. The shop opened several days ago, and amazingly enough, I had one sale almost immediately!.....hope that's not a fluke, but probably related to the Christmas season. I launched the shop with only 4 listings.....now there are 3

www.amazon.com/handmade/EccentricOldGuy

At this point, I have no idea what to expect. Amazon is more expensive to conduct business than on Etsy. My general pricing is a bit higher, in an effort to absorb this extra expense.

......your comments and criticism are welcome.

ko

 

[John Torchick]

odie, I hesitate to give free advice. Socrates gave free advice and they poisoned him. Good luck selling your turnings!

 

[Odie]

odie, I hesitate to give free advice. Socrates gave free advice and they poisoned him. Good luck selling your turnings!

Heh,heh,heh! I can relate to that, John......and thanks for the well wishes.......we'll see how it goes!

I've already been corrected by a family member concerning Don Quixote....and changed my wording a bit so the reader might better understand what MY meaning was! It's not perfect, and will be misunderstood by some people, while others will be completely in the dark......but, I can't be concerned by those who don't understand, and am more interested in those who do understand, through the subliminal connection I was trying to connect with......if that's making any sense!

As with you, I hesitate to give advice, unless it's asked for.....and even then, many times not........

ko