Recently I had the privilege of working with a group of Pioneers to complete the Creative Crafts Merit Badge. I was asked to lead the discussion on the topic of internet craft sales. As an online seller, I was very interested in this generations thoughts and knowledge. And at the end of the day, I learned a few things.
We began the discussion by asking the girls if they knew of any sites. The list they were aware of included Amazon, Etsy, EBay, Facebook. Since we had a large group I also had the girls look up a few others. Each girl in the group researched one location and reported back. We discussed the pro’s and con’s of each site and several cost analysis at different price and production points. (It sounds more complicated than it is). Instead of sharing our results with you, here are the links for the information since it does change over time.
AMAZON: This was a topic of debate for many of the girls. They were not aware of the Amazon Homemade tab. Many of the girls were adamant that you could not sell homemade items on Amazon. We all learned something new. For details click here.
ETSY: Since this is where my store is currently located. I was encouraged to learn that about one-half of the girls had heard of Etsy before. Click here to learn about Etsy.
EBAY: The opinion of Ebay, prior to any research was mostly negative. They did not like the bid option and set up of Ebay. They did not know that Ebay had “Buy it now” option and sellers can fix the prices. Learn about Ebay selling here.
FACEBOOK: The last major place the girls were aware of is Facebook. Facebook allows users to set up a business page and there are multiple community sale pages. I feel it is important that the girls be aware of the risks associated with meeting strangers for sales. While this is a “free” option, it can also be the most dangerous. It was interesting to see that of the 14 girls I talked to, none of them used Facebook. There parents did, but they did not. Proof that you need to know your target audience, and how to reach them.
I hope this helps you on your American Heritage Girls Journey.
NOTE: The requirements have been simplified here. Please be sure to read the full text in the American Heritage Girl Handbook to make sure you fully understand the requirements.
