Being part of something bigger…

We sell on Etsy but they are much bigger than an online store. We joined some time ago but decided last year to really make a go of it, and were pleasantly surprised by how much support there was from Etsy for business and creative development. One of the new things to me was their effort to bring Etsy to life across the UK, with my ‘local’ team being Glasgow. Having taken part last year in their Etsy Made Local event the team asked for blog pieces to help promote their future event, so here is mine…

I was excited to read about the Etsy Made Local event – we do occasional craft fairs – it’s a good chance to meet and talk to potential customers, gauge opinion on new products, talk about commissions – and with any sales being an added bonus. The chance to do this in Glasgow, which would be a new market for us, and to meet other Etsy sellers and the wonderfully hard-working Glasgow Etsy Team made it seem worth a shot at having a stall there.

The day was most unexpected. We got horribly lost on the way in and met hundreds of racing Santa at every turn. We could see where we needed to be and just couldn’t get there without knocking down a few Santas to get through. I posted on the facebook page “help!” and someone phoned my mobile within minutes with directions, saving a few Santas lives in the process.

As for meeting Etsy folks – it didn’t happen! What a busy, busy afternoon. I have never been to a craft fair with queues to get in – and bouncers at the door! There was not a minute to chat except to ask if anyone had spare petty cash or to ask if their izettle was working. The stall was often six people deep. I had some lovely conversations with customers too, but my apologies to those who didn’t get a long explanation about how the pottery gets fired or where we collected our driftwood. Maybe next time, I will bring along even more helpers.

I am really looking forward to more opportunities to meet and chat with other Etsy sellers and really hope to take part in the next Etsy Made Local event – a huge thank you to the organisers who did such great promotion and worked so hard at pulling it together. It was the best craft fair ever.

If you are a maker I would recommend checking out Etsy and their support programmes. Being part of something bigger and with so much support is well worth it.