Websites with more info
....other resources (old posts, books, business templates, etc.)
Market Research
What to sell, where to sell (+advertising)
....selling raw supplies, premade elements, kits, etc.

Online auctions & "stores"
...eBay
......general info, fees, etc.
.....categories
.....polymer, especially
.....after auction closes
.....various problems
...other online auction sites
Your online website
.....free...+ your own domain, web hosts...search engines,etc.
Payment options (merchant accts., PayPal, etc.)

Wholesale ...to shops, consignment shops, shows, online, etc.
Pricing & Legalities
....pricing your work, in general
... taxes, permits, receipts, etc.
....pricing when it's a hobby
Miscellaneous
....custom orders... managing time + organizing ...proving clay "strong"
....inventory ... boredom with "production" work
Shipping ... + thank you's
...containers
Full time polymer business, making a living at it
Donations
Business Cards
Portfolios,resumes... submitting slides... "professional" impressions

Publishing Articles, etc.
Negative reactions re polymer clay ("plastic"... only-for-kids' ,etc)

(see also Starting a Business for suggestions on how to get into polymer business... home or office "parties"... what to think about before starting, etc.)
(see also Owning for more on copyrights, trademarks, etc.)
(see also Shows... Demos... Teaching)

POLYMER .BUSINESS

business templates

sample contracts for visual artists (require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print)
(for "business services" and for "consignment")
http://www.vsarts.org/gallery/artresources/ta/contracts/index.html

various types
http://www.teas2dine4.com/templatelinks.html#templatesblank (look for Business Templates, under the "B's")

Books, tapes, etc.

Barbara Brabec is the authority on the subject of crafts business. She has written books, been on Carol Duvall, publishes a newsletter and has a website.
...I've shared all my best tips and how-to secrets to success in a crafts business at home in my various books...you can read about them on my personal website at http://www.barbarabrabec.com.
...huge collection of home business articles, tips and resources there, plus crafts marketing by Barbara Brabec and others
http://www.barbarabrabec.com/homebizARTICLES.htm
http://www.barbarabrabec.com/crafts_marketing.htm
.... also want to mention that my books feature some successful polymer-clay artists who have 'made it big.' Barbara
Books:
... Handmade for Profit ...Hundreds of Secrets t o Success in Selling Arts and Crafts, by Barbara Brabec. I was a bit skeptical until I read it through. There are even a few of our pc pals mentioned in the business card formating section. Jenni-frog
.........In Handmade for Profit, I write about Gina Casey, who sold thousands of polymer clay miniatures in craft malls for years and finally made enough money from this to open her own craft shop. In fact, she is now being featured as a craft shop owner in the 2nd edition of this book, which I am writing now for publication next fall.
...in Creative Cash, I've written about how Maureen Carlson licensed her designs and launched her "Pippsywoggins" sculptures line.
...in my book, Make It Profitable, Maureen and other polymer clay artists have also shared their expertise and production know-how.
...Never give up your dream. You *can* profit from your natural creativity, good ideas and know-how, but it will take some time and effort. The important thing is just to get started because you'll soon find that each new step you take will automatically lead you somewhere else--another step nearer to your ultimate destination as a crafts professional. Barbara

Crafting as a Business" by Wendy Rosen . . . .I think that book is one of the best that I've read on the subject. I'm thankful that I read it before I started doing my kaleidoscope business with some galleries. I was prepared for a number of things that I wouldn't have been had I not. I must admit that it's a lot more complicated to "craft as a business" than I would like it to be, and much more than I thought it would be when we started. But attention to detail pays off in the long run. Dotty in CA

I highly highly highly recommend listening to the audio tape "Be a Dynamic Craft Seller" by Bruce Baker. See http://www.dbakerinc.com/ I'm not associated with him in any way, but I listen to the tape before every show. Even if you don't do shows, there is a lot of good info about how you present yourself and how you present your work. If he is ever giving a workshop in your area, GO! I was so charged after the one of his I attended, I could have sold .... popsicles to Eskimos…. It's by Bruce Baker, who does a column in Crafts Report magazine, and who also lectures on a variety of topics, including selling craftwork, displays, jury slides, and more. He's an enthusiastic, even charismatic, speaker and imparts a Lot of good information in every sentence. His cassette tape will tell you about your own body language, the body language of customers, how to phrase questions, how *not* to act, how to answer those questions that push our buttons, oh, jeez, so much info! Irene NC
I also bought the tape and whole-heartedly agree! My dilemma was why everybody loved to hang out in my booth but never bought anything. Mystery solved! I could have been the poster child for what not to do at a show. Right down to the color of my booth!/...! Anybody who is even thinking about doing a show and hasn't bought the tape SHOULD! Lorieo
... You will get the picture of what your customer sees when shopping and listening to it before every show keeps you fresh. Denise

In my explorations about making my art/craft a business I came across these sites. The first is James Dillehay james@craftmarketer.com . He has a free newsletter that is very interesting. He also reviews books on the topic. He reviewed this one and I have ordered it from Amazon.
... Her site is also very interesting. Author is Barbara Brabec The book is "Make It Profitable, How to Make Your Art, Craft, Design, Writing and Publishing Business More Efficient, More Satisfying and More Profitable." for $16.95 and her site is
http://www.barbarabrabec.com/make_it_profitable.htm Marsha So Cal
I have another of Barbara Brabec's books and have found it helpful. She has written a number of books about being successful in a homebased business. Dianne C.

The absolute best thing that happened to me during that serendipity of creating then selling my business was discovering a small little book that absolutely changed my life. I would like to recommend it to anyone who wants to be a better salesperson. The name of the book is: "The Greatest Salesman In The World" by George OG Mandino...Your local library probably has a copy of it too. Sam Croy

(see Sarajane Helm's words on seeing art everywhere, and using everything you know/experience for the business and practice of art, in Creativity/Formative Teachers)

ONLINE.........
Here is a website that seems to have good information about marketing handcrafted items, and also publishes a newsletter to which you can subscribe. . . .you can also look at archived newsletters:. http://www.craftmarketer.com/free_articles.htm Patti

Preston Reuther's many online articles about home businesses, doing shows, etc.
http://www.wire-sculpture.com/resource.html

I belong to 2 online craft biz groups :
..one is through Yahoogroups and is called acraftbizconnection http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acraftbizconnection
... the other is through Topica & is called professional-crafters http://lists.topica.com/lists/Professional-Crafters-Chapters. Cathy

Old Newsgroup Posts

There is a gold mine of polymer business information in the archived posts of the polymer "newsgroup" (rec.crafts.polymer-clay).
....you can still read these in Google's "Advanced Newsgroup Search" area
INSTRUCTIONS
1. first, copy one of the subject lines you found (for example, on this page under "What and Where to Sell")
(don’t include anything in parentheses --so spaces, exact spelling, etc, will be preserved.)
2. then click on this link: http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search ...and fill in these 2 windows:
.....Newsgroup: . rec.crafts.polymer-clay
.... Subject: .paste in the subject line you copied
..............................(the Message Dates window should be set already: .Return Messages Dated ..Anytime is the default)
3. click on: Google Search
....click on: View: Complete Thread (after results come up)

Remember that sometimes during a particular subject thread, someone may have strayed off the subject in their individual reply. If this bothers you, it might help to read the earliest responses in each thread first?
(....to use the Google's newsgroup advanced search area for other words, or if you don't know the exact subject title,
see Google's instructions on searching at: http://www.google.com/help/ )

I took my beads to a bead store, and they bought lots of them to carry in their store! Carole Dawn

I agree, it doesn't cost very much more to use sterling or gold-filled findings. They look so much nicer and the perceived value is higher. Niobium hooks, while a bit pricier, can really add punch to earrings, too. When I did jewelry, I always had a selection of hooks and my jewelry pliers with me at shows, so I could change hooks if someone wanted. I second Rio Grande as a decent source of good-quality SS and GF findings for a reasonable price. Plus theyhave no minimum order and ship FedEx 2-Day at for the same price most places charge for ground service UPS. -- Irene NC

Jacqueline Gikow's article lesson in Polyzine re how to tell Trends in design, color, technique, etc.
http://pcpolyzine.com/0204april/trends.html
Popcorn site dealing with upcoming trends
http://www.faithpopcorn.com/trends/trends.htm

WHAT to sell ... WHERE to sell
+ advertising

How do you find a market to sell your items? Patsy
....perserverance.....try your stuff in one market, then another if it doesn't work.....You just never know where or when your product might sell and trying out a whole variety of places is the way to find out........ also think outside the box sometimes
...What kind of people would be/ are interested in your products?? Fancy evening bag/ purses like you describe, might do well in a high end resale clothing boutique???
...online auctions work well for some and not at all for others, same with web pages, same with craft fairs and shows, you need to find your best spots. Connie

Some Places To Sell Your Creative Work (from Polyclay Newsletter):
Consignment to craft malls & rent-a-space shops
Craft consignment or wholesale to other shops (especially shops dealing with the same sort of thing)
Home and/or garden shows
Home builder's shows
Interior decorations
Art galleries
Bed & breakfast inns
Hotel gift shop
Beauty salons -- they sometimes like to show lovely little tchotchkes
Museum or historical site gift shops
Amusement park shops
Tourist and seasonal shops
A craft co-op
Art & craft fairs and shows
Open house sales
Holiday boutiques, Seasonal boutiques
Online (your website, online craft malls, auction sites like e-Bay)
Developing and selling kits
Private studios and workshops, classes
Home craft parties
Entering contests . Georgia
....... (some of these possibilities have separate categories below or are dicusssed on the Start A Business or Shows or Teaching page)

"niche" markets
.... often you can find a lot of success in a niche market of some kind because when someone has a particular hobby or interest, they tend to be willing to spend much more moola for an item dealing with that topic ...some savvy clayers have made a killing that way

some niche examples:
animal lovers (dog/cat/snake/horse, or specific breed) ...teapot collectors ...space enthusiasts ...gardeners ...quilters ...golfers or other sport lovers ...campers/hikers, ...teachers ...preachers ...dentists ...musicians.... whatever!!
...one way to help figure out possibilities for niche markets is to go to a service which deals with lots of interest groups, then browse the specific types they're broken down into there
...... for example, here's the main page for all of the Yahoogroups mailing lists: http://groups.yahoo.com
..multi-message board forums are other possibilities for browsing, e.g. delphiforums, Googlegroups and USENET....or more specific ones like Do It Yourself (diynet.com) or HGTV.com, etc.

You could then make figures, or items, or figures with items that relate to that particular niche, and get loads of possible clients.
...or you could make anything at all (box, pen, bookend, frame, pencil cup) but using a theme or colors of one hobby/profession/etc. on it (beware of trademarks, copyrights, etc., even with colors... many are quite agressively protected!).

For selling some items, you can go to events (dog shows, for example) wearing (or otherwise in possession of) some of your things

Or you can approach local clubs to do presentations/sales/advertising in their newsletters or at meetings

Or approach specialty stores that sell to those with that interest.... they may be willing to sell a few of your things, or you could make up a nice flyer to leave there

Also, it's always a good idea to check out what others are doing to see what you want to emulate or avoid, whether it's eBay, online websites, or advertisements/flyers, etc. Diane B.

eBay is a good place to reach niche markets because many "collectors" haunt it, and many people looking for specific things (there are various ways to go on eBay, from regular selling, to Buy It Now, to an eBay Store ... each with their rules and advantages, etc. Though you can't advertise your personal website on eBay if you have one, when someone buys from you, you can feel free to send them info about it with the delivery (look on the Business page for more details)

(...see also Gifts for lots of possible niche ideas)

miniatures ...it can be a very profitable and reliable market selling miniature items to miniaturists (of various types) ...they often don't want to have to make everything they use in their scenes (and some buy all the elements they use)
.....I just want to remind people that the amount of money the public spends on miniatures exceeds the amount of money spent on polymer clay jewlery and household accessories!.... the Doll House and Miniature demograph is worldwide, and comprises one-third of the 10 billion dollar a year hobby and craft industry income!! Nora-Jean
....consider the needs of model railroad enthusiasts too
....see the long list of ideas for many things to sell to miniaturists, esp. for doll houses, in Miniatures > e-Bay, etc.

I've sold about 20 (of my fancy) postcards so far at $14 each. Linda Goff
(see Cards > Postcards for details on making them, and how to mail bare)

for things like clip ems (to hang from purse, jacket, backpack,etc), belly swag jewelry, eye glass leashes, etc, made by stringing polymer beads (or leftover beads) into short or longer lengths (possibly intermixed with purchased findings and beads), fan pulls, etc...... in Jewelry > Misc.&Clip-ems & also Eyeglass Leashes

At one time I made magnets of people's houses - great fun, I got commissioned to do quite a lot as they made lovely custom gifts too. Sue?
...in fact, I just sold the bed and breakfast building I have on my site to the chairman of the board for the Friends of Gettysburg Parks. Karen http://www.clayalley.com/gallery.htm
... It sounds as if you're onto something that could be really big
....... I know my Mom and my Aunt (in frederick and Hagerstown, MD) collected Cat's Meow wooden buildings for years (you know, they're about 3/4' thick with stencil-painted windows/doors, some people put them above doors) . I'll bet yours are in the same league. . . . maybe you could do some national landmarks, too. Jeannie
http://www.catsmeow.com/catalog/cat_4_tpl.asp (many structures of all kinds at Cat's Meow)

I am on several quilt group lists and they are always moaning that at quilt shows, they would love to purchase quilt-themed items like keychains, fridge magnets and quilt type jewellery. Very rarely are these available and are snapped up immediately. Just thought someone might be interested in filling this market....author?
....Jennifer Patterson who does quilt pattern canes travels the country selling her jewelry at big quilt shows. Trina
....covering film canisters to make portable pin cushions from them for sewers or quilters (plus needle cases and/or polymer heads for pins?) (see info in Covering > Plastics > Film Containers)
....also buttons, pens, pins, bowls and boxes, handles of flatware etc.
...Maybe you could make a presentation once (or a couple of times a year) of potential items at quilt guild meetings??
...... or pass around a survey for items people might want you to make (after seeing some examples)? DB

This presentation idea could work for other kinds of groups which have regular meetings too... e.g:
-- weavers or other art types, non-art types like bowling leagues, sports fans, Shriners, weight loss group, hikers, bikers, etc.
...there are groups out there for practically every. interest, profession, hobby, disease/syndrome, etc.!!! DB

I think you have really hit on something great...the best part is that you can no doubt do specific subjects that people can't find anywhere else (like your dragon)... .....people are always asking for such things as frogs, dragonflies, butterflies, etc that are not "cutesy" ones that you can get in commercial molds.( I'd love a long, double winged dragon fly, about four inches long for instance. You could make one or two smaller ones too.)
....It's called "find a need, and fill it." Dotty in CA

(At school) What we've done is left out items to sell in a basket, with price information and an honor system envelope, for checks or cash. I'd ask at the office if I could leave it in the teacher's lounge for a day. If they know you at the school they're usually happy to oblige. Maureen
That's what I do, too. After 25 years as a school nurse in a large K-12 district I can take my wares into almost any school. Never had any major problems. Those guys are some of my best customers. Trina

Look for a niche to fill --mine is almost 100% selling to teachers & school staff. ...They love smallish seasonal stuff for throughout the year - for themselves, parent volunteers, their family....just from Nov.- Dec. 24, I make enough money to recoup expenses & pay for all of my personal holiday family gift shopping. KA in CA

I've found if you want to make the big bucks (or biggER bucks), find yourself a niche market.
...You have one ready made there if you work with horses (people who own animals are just big suckers for their favorite breed...there is a lovely lady who makes these Chow pendants; when I first saw them, my only thought was "who the heck is going to wear a Chow pendant around their neck???"...then I saw how much they were going for on ebay (and each had multiple bidders!)
......so if I were you, I'd start making some horsey themed stuff and then wearing it around the stables.... you might be surprised at the response you get. Maybe some earrings or a pendant/brooch in the shape of horseshoes or a saddle? And definitely slap together some Christmas ornaments with a horsey theme... for example, check out some of the pearlex powders in bronze or gold to give it that "metallic look"! ...or use faux leather for your saddle! Karen H.

One guy I know who makes clay characters based on video game characters sells his clay sculptures at video rental stores. Connie
(beware copyright issues though when selling!!!)

Another niche market could be selling manipulables to teachers and parents for kids or kids with disabilities (counting beads, tiles with colors or pictures to match up or add pips, etc, etc..)
...more on these in Kids and in Disabilities ... more places? DB

I make a lot of jewelry, particularly bracelets, earrings and the barrettes. ....Necklaces are less popular, make some,and few pins as my sales are mainly in the summer. I made hundreds of little tabular beads as these were the most popular and tumble them to polish. This was as a result of reading Elise Winters article in Jewelry Craft Magazine. Try to make my line some how symbiotic to save money. I have no waste clay. All my ends from the beads go into making composite canes which I use in the barrettes and they are some of my best pieces. Shirley

for college students..... photo frames. I am not to sure about this but everyone I knew loved to have lots of photos. if you make them for either 3.5 x 5 or 4x6 that might also work. I wouldn't make anything too huge though. Basically because college students tend to be broke and chances are the stuff that is going to sell is the small stuff. -NF

many groups also like to give appreciation pins or other items to their workers or volunteers
...one director of the "product party" business then contracted with me to make incentive pins (look like little tubes of lipstick she gives out when someone reaches a goal she has set for them...there are changes in the look of the pins for multiple achievement levels)... this happened after a MaryKay/Tupperware/PamperedChef director & I had "exchanged" parties... I made thousands of dollars last year this way, and could have made more if I had made enough product. Alecia

For 2001, they are saying that the gift trends will be:
Home office and computer accessories clocks decorated boxes jewelry figurines and sculptures garden and outdoor items lamps and lighting picture frames wall decor
Favorite themes to look for are: Nautical and seaside golf hobby and professional pets juvenile and baby home and hearth wildlife folk art pigs americana country cabin and lake cottage themes Moroccan, Turkish, Indian, caribbean, Cuban and Asian themes
According to the article Babies are big business. The industry has grown 470 percent since 1980. Celestial, educational, keepsake and personalization are the most popular gift theme catagories. Practical is the buzz word, meeting the needs of parents on the go.
There you have it - straight from the most looked at trade magazine in the crafts world! Thought your inquiring minds would like to know! Karen R.

(Hawaii) These "eternal leis" (flowers made from polymer clay) can be worn to work or special occasions, tied around the brim of a hat or hung in the home for decoration -- and they always look fresh. Perhaps that's why these leis are so popular. Crafters say they sell out at craft fairs and must work overtime to fill orders...as soon as she puts them out, they're sold. She actually has to hoard stock for craft fairs so she'll have enough. ...Prices run as high as $150 for a three-strand pikake lei or $125 for a plumeria lei. Crown flower leis are about $95. Most others, including puakenikeni, pakalana, ilima, rosebud and single-strand pikake are $45 to $75... leis can take 8-20 hrs each.
lesson on making a lei with puakenikeni flower: http://starbulletin.com/97/09/23/features/story1.html

I'm thinking of sending a flyer to the psychologists and therapists in town because a therapist friend of mine suggested (my silkscreened lamps would) be perfect for therapy-type rooms because of the soft light and unusual design. . Linda G.
.....I would also try to contact decorating companies that are searching for unique items for their rich customers. PöRRö

We were out Christmas Eve and the busiest stores we found were Michaels and a Yarn Shop! I think more people are making craft items which must also include polymer clay by the empty shelves that quickly appear during a sale.
....If this is true nationwide, then ,teaching or doing online classes/tutorials may possibly be a better way to "sell" at this time of year. Carol

raw supplies, pre-made elements, kits, etc.

I think there is ALSO a big desire for raw materials out there. . . . most from selling things related to my craft and not the craft itself. I started out trying to sell my finished clay and semi-precious pieces, and I found out (quite by accident) that the things I used to create those finished pieces sold much better than the end results. I had bought a few extra strands of stones somewhere cheap, put them up on eBay and they sold instantly. From then on, I started selling beads instead of the earrings I made from them. Same thing with clay-related stuff. I've had moderate success selling my clay creations on eBay, but . . . my business is now almost entirely beads, books-videos, and other supplies . . . except at Christmas when I go insane making custom polymer clay ornaments. Lisa

I think this would be a great idea (selling lengths of canes, . . . .esp. face canes), Sarajane. I've heard people lament that they can't make the more complex canes but would love to be able to work with them. Maybe you could show a few ways that face canes especially could be used, to spice up the interest even more?? Steve Wood, a local polymer pioneer in this area, used to sell his canes by the inch. He did a brisk business. I bought a few inches myself, but actually never used them . . . I just wanted to drool (and study them). Face canes aren't usually the ones that are mass produced either, so they should have an untapped market. Diane B.
This is a great idea for a couple of reasons IMHO...the canes available now are mass produced and made in China. They're nice enough but they are made in China and mass produced. The other is that I can see a huge range of possibilities for combinations here. If you sell to folks that are already cane builders (and I think you will), the combinations of effects possible are never-ending. If you sell to newer clayers, they can see more of what is possible in cane making. I would think you would have great success selling them in combo with classes, too. Some quesitons: will you allow the canes to be used in work for sale (angel cane?), and will your name need to be included if you do? Kim2
It was actually a lot of fun to see how other people dressed them up. As to credit, it would be nice on the faces, but not needed on the others. Sarajane

I'm interested in selling (unshaved) mokume gane canes (stacks) because I've mastered that particular form better than any of the millifiore ones. Carolyn

There is a yahoogroup mailing list called Abandoned Crafts where people sell craft supplies. Every time I try to buy anything on that list, it's already sold--so there are definitely buyers out there. Suzanne

Someone told me not long ago that she has had great luck with kits priced in the $2-$3 range. She uses "junk beads" that she makes with leftover clay with a string of hemp or other inexpensive-type cording in a zipper bag. She doesn't include instructions - the point being that the tied string necklaces of the 60's are back "in". The kids seem to grab these up because it allows them to be creative on their own. A handful of similarly colored beads with a focal bead would allow the younger crowd to have an affordable necklace. Jean/PA
... does really well at local high school craft shows (it won't do for a better show where your reputation is at stake!) I had A LOT of beads that I knew I wouldn't want to make anything with.... So I spread them all over a table grouped by general color, and bagged or tied them in small groups. Then had a good time putting them in baggies in what looked good together, like a kit but without findings or cord. Just a "Bag of Beads". I did try to put in focal beads, accents and fillers, and a couple of small maybe 5 gr bags of seed beads. They sell like hotcakes for $5, not much but a good value for the buyer and I can buy or make stuff I like with the money.
... Also, I had planned on making stretchy pearl (and other bead) bracelets. Rather than string them myself, I put them in a snack baggie with a good length of Stretch Magic, make a fold-over cardstock "Bracelet Kit" header and stapled it on. People like to make their own, and with a bracelet, they can make it the correct size for them. Jan C.

Another option for the kits is sort of "half" kits. Have the string and instructions already seperated out into kits. But let people pick out the beads, and have 2 prices for say either a 3 bead kit or a 5 bead kit. I guess it depends on how many beads you get made. ...Another idea for the kits is to include 1 center bead and 4 accent beads. The center bead could be anything that is a bit fancier such as a caned piece and then the accent beads, complimentary or contrasting colors or a simpler style, such as two colors swirled together. NF

I have pounds and pounds of junk clay that I was thinking of trying to unload on eBay, but then I figured that was silly and nobody would buy such a thing. Maybe I was wrong (since Fire Mountain Gems is now doing that...half pound for $4.50)! Lisa . . . is some of this cane ends?

What I'm realizing these days is that I make better "elements" than finished items... so it's exciting for me to see what people can do with my molds! I don't have the time or energy to explore all the possibilities- but I love to sculpt. Kathndolls

What I'd really like to do is make a book that is a 2 ring binder where you can buy new lessons every month. Like a recipe of the month club. Whatcha all think of that? Kim K. (originally in a post regarding teens)

(see also more info in these threads from old newsgroup posts --how to read them in Resources, above)
--Re: Why aren't my products selling?
--Re: Selling my work?
--Re: Help ! Selling polyclay work
--Re: idea salability advice
--promoting our product (not a spam!)
--Market Your Crafts
--Re: Creation, Manufacture and Sale of Polymer Clay Beads
--Re: Mass Produced Fimo Beads

(see more ideas and tips below in eBay > Polymer, especially)

(see more ideas about what to sell at shows esp. in Shows)

ONLINE AUCTION sites (& "stores)

General

auction management software is well worth it for regular auction people ... e-bay, amazon and yahoo
...I recently started using Andale .http://www.abundancebox.com
... It takes a bit to get used to if you're used to posting auctions manually but they really do cut down ad creation and posting time a LOT.
...They also track a "to do" list for you so things don't fall through the cracks, and I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that I haven't even found yet that they can help with.
...They have a sign up bonus of $20 for the referral person and new member person (you, if you try it) after 5 auctions have been posted ....free 24 hour listing and free 2 week trial. lori

I subscribe to some newsletters that have some outstanding suggestions along with the monthly ezine I get from my superstats accounts. The links under Misc. and Learning HTML are all links I use and are tried and true. (The only reason I'm not a smashing success is due to my own laziness in advertising!! ) sunni

for many free photo-hosting websites which allow direct linking ( can be used to embed your photos into auction pages), see Misc > Putting Your Photos Online > Websites for Sharing Photos > Photosharing Websites (Allow direct linking)
...saw a hint somewhere to place several photos of your item on the sale page, but each photo located at a different photo site so that if one goes down, the others will still show up

"Artisans @ Auction" -- an Information BB (bulletin board for those who sell at auctions) (gone?)
...log of a wonderful chat, with alicia ghandi, all about online sales.....who talks at length about alot of stuff.
http://polymerclaycentral.com/chat_alicia.html (only for members ...insert chat_alicia.html after the polymerclay/) kellie AK
...(see also more info in these old threads listed above --from old newsgroup posts -- & how to read them in Resources, above)

Miscellaneous Helpful Links:
· Search Engine Submission Tips: http://searchenginewatch.internet.com/webmasters/

· SuperStats - tracks visitor statistics, submits to search engines, guest book, lotsa other great stuff. The free version is extremely powerful. The professional version offers reports for the truly serious online seller. http://www.superstats.com
· iEntry Network's Newsletters - for Web Developers, Web Entrepreuners, Sports & Entertainment, Advice, Technology and Professional categories: http://www.ientry.com/newslettersamples.html

· CCNow - shopping cart, charges only 9% of your sales, is a resaler, handles administration, takes charge cards, converts foreign currency, reasonably easy and quick to set up: http://www.ccnow.com
· PayPal - a way of sending and receiving money instantaneously using a bank account or charge card. For U.S. citizens only at this time. http://www.x.com/

e-BAY

general auction info, fees, etc.

I had a tremendous amount of fun with Ebay, made a pretty decent profit ...can't wait to get back to it. .....honestly I sold about half of what I listed, which is my goal, between first listing and relist. Adrienne
...As a hobby supplement I've been quite pleased with the results; even after ebay takes their cut, I make enough to cover the cost not only of supplies but of books, videos, tools, fabrics, beads, exotic papers...everything I spend on my hobbies, which includes quite a lot of stuff that's not salable. AND it keeps the beads and jewelry from piling up in the workroom until I don't have any more room for finished work! . . . I have the feeling that to make serious income, though, would require listing a lot more auctions regularly, and doing a lot more paperwork, than I'd care for. Margaret Ball
... I've been selling on E bay for a while and really like it. I like being able to make money from home and having another outlet for my art work is wonderful. I belong to a local gallery but this is a fairly small town and I can't get what I want from my work at times. Cindy
....What the online auctions *do* better for artists than maybe anything else is to drive more traffic to their websites ...and increase the number of email queries (customer base) .... all that contributes to eventual sales. Elizabeth

I found a great magazine (name?) yesterday all about ebay at Wal-mart!! ...I learned some useful stuff!! Mia
....My computer professor just last night recommended the book called "E-Bay for Dummies" to a girl wanting to start an on-line business. He says it's a great book and that using e-Bay is a great way to find out if your product will sell.... You might want to check and see if your local library has it, or browse it at a book store. ...First few chapters focus on buying (I think he said 1-7), but then rest of book gets into selling. Myra

e-bay tips.... also buying (anything) in bulk to sell later at e-Bay
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/02/02mar04b.cfm

loads of links at E-bay to explain what sellers need to know
http://pages.ebay.com/education/sellingtips/index.html
...Ebay also has great live on-line help...you can have live chats with someone that will walk you through any issues if you can't find the answer in their on-line guides (which are very helpful and I use frequently). Melinda (look for the icon near the top of the home page which says "Live Help" with a question mark added)

If you go to the main page at http://www.ebay.com, then click on "Sell" in the top navigation bar, it will take you to a page for listing your items.
...On the right hand side of the page is a box saying something like "New Sellers Start Here" which will take you to a page that leads you through the steps you'll need to set up an account and start listing your things.
.. ...This page also has a link near the bottom that takes you to a page discussing the fee structures. Margaret Ball

I'm not sure I understand how Ebay works in general.... do you just post something and then hope that people will scroll through pages and pages of other items and somehow randomly come across yours and click it on and look at it? Sue
....No, most people use the search function to find things they're interested in buying ... people who are searching have the option of clicking a box that searches the item description as well as the title, and those who have a little experience do so.
......or some people know to look just for a seller's ID name too. Sarajane

There are a lot of fees to consider when pricing your items at eBay (of course, the buyers and bidders can use eBay free of charge. Sally
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sellerguide/selling-fees.html
....there is a listing fee, and commission on the sale, handling fees such as packing and shipping, and fees for online payment.
...So be sure to take all that into account when you price your item. dazedntex
FEB 2005... eBay is about to raise their fees so some figures below may now be incorrect....and a lot of sellers are very upset (esp. for storefronts?)
...they charge a minimum 25-cent (insertion) fee (...or "listing fee"?) for listing one item
.....that fee can increase depending on how much you are charging for the item and what (if any) special listing options you choose (like putting it in their "Gallery")
...if you sell that item, they also take a very small percentage of your final sale price
...the listing fees are based on the starting price, and you pay higher fees on an item that's started at $20.00 than on one started at less than $10.00.
....eBay's listing fees are not refundable, even if your item doesn't sell.
........but at least if the item doesn't meet the "reserve" price (see next paragraph), you are not required to sell the piece.. and you still have a chance of selling it for closer to what it's worth.
... if you don't sell your item the first time, you don't get charged
......you can relist your item one more time for free
........ if your item sells that second time around, you'll get the insertion fee for the second listing back
.........if it doesn't sell the second time, you will need to pay insertion fees for both auctions (?). Sally I.
... Another thing to be aware of re the fees. I accidentally checked the wrong button yesterday when setting up my auction, and that cost me $20 extra... of course that was *my* mistake. Cindy

I'm usually a buyer, but I don't get the idea of a reserve price anyway. ....Why not just start the bidding at the price for which you're willing to sell it? I just bid on a necklace for which the reserve price turned out to be more than twice the opening price -- what's the point of making people submit bid after bid until they finally figure out what the reserve is, or (more likely in my case) get p.o.'d and quit bidding? Thalassa
.....The recommended way to use a reserve is to make it 2-4 times the amount of the starting bid, but that doesn't provide the ideal solution for the seller and, as you correctly pointed out, it can make people feel like the seller is playing some kind of game with them. :-\ No easy way around this.
......... bidders just *hate* a reserve and will often not bid even if you tell them what the reserve price is, right in the description. So, I went with no reserve in that case, even though I probably should have used one considering the slowness of the season. It was an experiment, though... live and learn.Eliz.
...And, to get into the psychology of bidding a little bit, an item that's started at a reasonable price for the amount of work that goes into it (let's say $25) will get less attention (page views) and will likely sellfor less than an *identical* item started at $1.00. And a piece started at more than $25? Page views almost fall into the basement, much less bidding activity. Starting the item low, but putting a reserve on it that will protect your investment makes more sense... even though you do run into that problem of how much some buyers hate the reserve. (I don't like them as a buyer, myself, but I do understand why they're usually used. And there's nothing that says you can't write what the reserve is right in the auction ad, so that people aren't playing a guessing game.)
....(finished jewelry pieces don't sell well on e-Bay...) There are exceptions - some artists' work will always sell. And if the piece has something that's striking about it.... stunningly different or exceptionally well made or *something*.... it will almost always sell, no matter who the artist is. It doesn't look like the online auctions are the best way to sell original artwork, whether it's beading, clay, paintings or textiles, if you're only looking at the selling prices. Elizabeth

Using the new "Buy it Now" (BIN) feature at eBay can really give great results.
...A lot of people, like me, lol, don't want to wait until the end of the auction, or don't want to risk being outbid for something I really want, so I use that feature a lot if the price is reasonable. ...A lot of times you can get more for the item that way than you would letting it run for 5-7 days.
...it costs extra to list your item as Buy It Now though.
...eBay's storefronts can only carry But It Now items.

E-bay also offers "Stores" or storefronts for vendors http://stores.ebay.com (note this is a separate website from ebay.com)
...the stores are not for auction items... they're all buy it now items
...the one bad thing is your item doesn't always (how often?) show up on a regular e-Bay search (I opened an ebay store when they first started) ...
.......for example, if you list a normal auction and you put polymer clay in your title, it will come up when someone types in polymer clay ...but the only way someone will find your item with the stores is if you let them know it's there (or if you develop a following). Stefanie
...it will show up though if eBay's main search returns more than 1-20 Online Auction and/or Fixed Price items, and may show up when eBay's main search returns more than 20 or 0 (zero) Online Auction or Fixed Price items (then up to 30 store inventory items will be presented).
..HOWEVER, a red "stores" tag next to a seller's User ID (in a regular auction?) indicates that the seller has an eBay Store... can click on the tag to go directly to their store and access all their items.
...store owners can create up to 20 custom categories for their items... and select the design for their store... each store has individual website/address.. each store has a search engine for just that store...
...I usually post 4-5 items on auction, and put the rest in my store (do auction items reference the store??).... my sales have picked up .Maria
...as of Mar 05... cost is $16/mo for Basic (5 pages), $50/mo for "Featured" (10 pgs), "Anchor" for $500/mo (15 pgs)
...listings are cheaper and longer for stores, but other fees the same?

shipping and handling ...
...I got burned on the s/h and cost of materials by using their automatic postage function
. . . (what happened: ... shipping in "my preferences".... I was able to add a cost for materials with which to ship. The auction ended just now and ebay offered me the opportunity to send my customer an invoice. I did and got a copy as she did.... But then she went into Paypal to pay it, they readjusted it down so only postage was charged! (It was a small order to be sure, but I am not getting my large envelopes free!) ...I wrote them and am awaiting (and fuming) their answer.
....so next time, I went through Turbo Lister, and did not allow the automatic postage thingy. Postage and handling to be figured, which is much better. Jane

I think the key to success on ebay is to find your niche and then develop a following.
.... There is one woman oneBay right now who does wonderful dog pins of polymer clay in tons of different breeds. I have been watching this woman's work on ebay for about 6 mos. now. In one week, she sold over $1000 worth of work on ebay!!!!! And this was for only a few dozen pins. But this is because she had a hot item. Her sales have slowed down just a bit, but she is still doing really well.... so I thought, hey I am going to try to sell a few dog pins too! I listed three a couple months ago and of those three, two sold. I got $8 each for them. I was hoping they would have gone a little higher. But this woman I mentioned who does so well with her dog art also started her pins at $8-9 several months ago. She is now getting anywhere from $10-21.50 as a starting bid... she had to build her reputation and a following before she could raise her prices. Ginny
....the items that sell, no matter what the price, seems to have found their own niche. . . a style that they are known for
...there's always someone who collects anything you can name, and who is looking to add to that collection!
......so when you run auctions, use as many keywords that might be collector words as as you can:
......... material, artist name, color, style and form all can be named. Sarajane

I notice that seasonal items do quite well, too. OopsArt
...Start letting shoppers see your seasonal crafts at least 2 months in advance
......even if you don't sell a thing at the beginning, they will remember you 2 weeks before the holiday!! ginger
...Ebay is very easy to get into (and become addicted to!) I've been buying/selling on ebay for over a year now and have had almost 200 pretty much flawless transactions both buying and selling. My one word of advise is wait till about October to put anything up for auction on ebay (now is the buyers market time of year!) the summer auctions hardly ever get the same response as the fall/winter auctions, mostly because everyone is out playing in the sun/ on vacations and generally not on their computers as much as in the colder months. Kelliebird
...Ebay is a strange bird!!! It's really a hit or miss. One time I sell out within hrs of placing stuff up for bid. The next time nothing goes at all. Sometimes it takes the whole week for any bids to be placed and I have to sell for less than what I would like to. . . It also seems that the closer to Christmas we get the better things sell there. Eliz?
...summer is a bad time of year for selling the "frivolous" things in life... people are on vacation, spending time & money pursuing hobbies, saving for back to school shopping.

It seems more successful when you offer a whole bunch of things at one time. . . I think customers don't much look if you have only 1-2 things. Joyce
...I've actually had pretty good luck on Ebay, even though I've only been listing stuff for about a month.
......Usually, though, it seems that I don't get any bids until the 11th hour.... So, I always list my auctions for a short period of time. (3 days as opposed to 7) Christina
...If you have a reasonable 'Buy It Now' price, you could also end up selling faster that way too. Lysle (see above)

exposure on eBay is priceless....once your following is there and word of mouth gets out, your own website will go nuts!
.... alot of people don't do well on eBay because they don't have enough product or following. You absolutely have to build a customer base.
.... always have an auction going no matter how small, or what time of year ...this keeps customers coming back for a look see, and sending folks to you.
....have things that cost very little, and go up from there ...you'll be suprised at how those small sales will bring back repeat customers to buy more, and more expensive items.
....also customer service is number 1... ginger

There is a steep learning curve sometimes at Ebay, but once you find your niche you're in. Caroly

Putting something on Ebay has been giving me fits though. I am not a very computer literate person though I have buying down pat......My weak area is selling. It just doesn't seem to want to "send" my items . ..I even downloaded Bay turbo lister. Jim
.....Turbo Lister is finicky some times. You may have to uninstall completely and then re-install into your computer. Once I did that I had no problems uploading at all. Carolyn
......to everyone who is about to RE- install Turbo Lister.... Within the past couple of weeks (Feb 2005) , Ebay has upgraded that software so if you are uninstalling the old one, you might want to download the upgraded version, rather than re-install the older one.
..... I think the biggest part of using this software is that the "learning curve" is a bit steeper than just doing single uploads ...try playing with it off line and figuring out what button does what... and read the stuff on the help button. Sometimes that actually does give you the answer you really need. Barbe
...About Turbo Lister...how much difference is there in price in using that? I thought it was some management company that did the ad for you. Little I know. Is it worth using that? Well, I mean on things that go for $10 or under? Jane

I strongly suggest that all auction sellers spend some time either buying or shopping before taking the plunge
--go out there and look around, see what other sellers are doing, what they include, what you like and don't like about their auctions (e.g., I hate those "cute" animations and music--they make the loading time take forever, and if one is loading up, I leave and shop elsewhere!!).
--see what kind of notice gets sent out when you buy, whether it is easy to pay or hard....and fix your own setup accordingly. I learned a LOT as a seller the first time I bought something from Ebay! Sarajane
...... I would recommend doing research on what you want to sell, see what others are getting for it now and if there are lots of bids on those kinds of items. If you find good results, then go for it. Cindy

You need to sell smaller items on eBay first. Why?
....First, you need to build up a positive feedback profile. Many, many, many people are not willing to spend any significant amount of money on someone with less than 100 positive feedback rating (especially when it concerns international sellers/buyers). .. .by selling more you'll develop a following. Once you sell more regularly, people will get to know you or at least recognize your presence. You'll get more hits, more bids, and more competition. Candy
...(when you first start) I would advise you to spend the next couple of months building up your "feedback" .... Sign up for ebay, pick out your user ID, and have fun!
.... Buy some stuff (You'll find plenty of bargins!) and build up your feedback: (every time you buy or sell something you should leave a comment about how the transaction went...if you bought an item leave feedback as soon as you recieve the item...if you sold an item leave feedback as soon as you recieve payment). I could go on for hours about ebay and how great it is! Kelliebird
...What is important is feedback...List at your wholesale (price) w/out reserve if possible, and give good service, period. Your wholesale is supply cost plus time. What you would sell to a wholesaler. don't expect to make what the big names are making and give it time. I managed to deplete my supply of inventory greatly. When people email you about your work answer them. Take the time to create HTML for your listing, it shows that you care about your work. and use descriptive titles, colors and adjectives, names that catch the eye. Adriennne

(to give the address of my auction) ....What I like to do is to actually go to the particular auction, or to my ebay seller list page that shows all of my auctions at a glance, and then copy the url and paste that in... that way, you can't make a mistake in typing.
....Sometimes for the ebay seller list page it gives you this big, long url that will wrap and not come up properly in some browsers. What I do in that instance (and so it's easy for everyone to get to), is to delete everything after my user id name and it still works. lori
....or make the long URL into a "tiny url" at http:/www./tinyurl.com
..I usually point people to my "me" page ....because that lists all my auctions and feedback. Cindy

I just discovered that my own "My Ebay" indicates the number of people who are watching the bidding. Jane

Always include a picture (first one is free) ...and describe it accurately (include dimensions, weight if heavy, stains, holes, etc.)
...Give as much information in your description as possible about what kind of clay, size, shipping costs, etc. . . . Offer incentives like combined shipping on multiple wins. The more descriptive you are the less chance you have for misunderstandings. dazednte
...graphics...one of the problems that might be affecting the success of your auctions. . . . When I pull up your auctions there are a lot of graphics - the background image, several large photos, etc. ...it takes well over 2 minutes for all of the pictures to load for me on a dial-up connection. One of the Golden rules of web design is to make sure an entire page loads in under 30 seconds (and under 15 if possible) . .. or at least enough of the page to read while the rest loads. Your script all turns yellow with a white background before the background image loads, and I can't read it until the dark comes in. . . You might scale back on the number of graphics (make your images a little smaller too) just until you have a chance to develop a following... Alecia

auction templates: I've gotten notes telling me how much people like the new graphics on my auctions. Recently ebay started charging a 10 cent fee for adding graphics to each listing! ...so I purchased templates that are done for you in html already:
... http://www.uhave-iwant.com ... bunch that are appropriate for any type of auction. I bought the moon and stars one. And they're only $5 each!!! wowza ..it's a fact that these templates do make for more sales. ..actual research has been done on it. Carolyn
...http://www.auctiontemplatecentral.com ... a lot are country style but there are others)... they also offer a hosting service in case you don't want to have to pay the ebay picture fees.... I'll save money in the long run because the templates are just $15.00 for non-members and $5.00 for members and they personalize for free! Carolyn
....You can also go to places like the (open source) site http://oswd.org for free web page templates. Julie
....if you don't know html, you could use a program like MS Word or other word processor program that will allow you to convert the document into HTML... then would you simply copy out the code and put it in the description area while submitting a listing to eBay....(with word processor, just type what you want, format the text how you like it, even use tables, and add photos and see if they have "save as a web page" or something similar.... you can then open the page with a text editor and copy the code and use that for your listing) Julie
...... I've been coding my own HTML for some time. Julie
...I really recommend the HTML; it is very easy to create templates and then change the pertinent info, save it and cut and paste into the listing form. I used netscape composer, notepad which just shows the source code, and no other special programs. If you don't know any HTML pick up a book in the library and get an overview. It's not that difficult to figure out how it works and then you can use a WYSIWYG HTML creater and be able to recognize with the program is doing. Adrienne

There is only a .25 cent fee (higher now?) for listing to the gallery which gives everyone a pic before they actually look at your auction which can be good or bad!! ....But I only do this if my auction is for something over 10.00 or it might not be worth it. Mia

Always reveal shipping (and handling ?) charges. No one likes those kinds of surprises.
... If you want to wait to see where the high bidder lives, you can state that high bidder pays "actual" shipping, or pays "actual" shipping plus $1.00 handling, etc.
...Decide whether you want to ship internationally....if not, put "Cont.US only". CD

Try not to leave any questions in the shoppers' mind. I've seen many auctions that said "email for more details", but I rarely do that
....I guess that's one of the most important things to do: Be the shopper, note what gets your attention & what aggravates you. Rock

Offer as many payment options as you can afford . . . . I take personal checks if the person has a good feedback rating. Most sellers don't ship until the check clears the bank though.
. . . .I have paid for some auctions in cash. The seller listed that they take "well concealed cash", so I put it in a privacy envelope and put "invoice enclosed" on the outside of the envelope. So far I have been lucky with this, but I don't recommend it. dazedntex
.....Specify your accepted payments (money order, personal check, PayPal, etc), then, remind them at closing. I've gotten several personal checks, even after stating "no personal checks," so, I always recap in the email to the winning bidder.CD
....PayPal (including Premier Account) brings more bids. Many people won't bid if they can just "click" it to you. CD
...If you can afford a PayPal account do so. You make slightly less doing it that way but more and more people are using it as a means of payment. Lysle (see more on PayPal, etc., in separate category below)

(for good tips on buying polymer books at EBay, look in Books > Online Suppliers)

using categories

The whole trick (to successfully selling on eBay) is to make sure everyone understands exactly what's being offered. Lysle
....You might also run a keyword strip at the bottom of your description so folks who search on both title and description can "catch" it. Also consider common misspellings, too... Such as Sculpy/Sculpty for Sculpey. It doesn't matter if your item is not made from Sculpey...it may be the only thing your prospective buyer knows! Also, use "polyclay," since that is beginning to be a common "shorthand." "Primo" for Premo is another one. As to identifying the item, also give a nod to misspellings - silly as it sounds, people actually do silly things like "bare" for "bear." Kelly
....I think much of it has to do with the title you use. I put something up that nobody even looked at, so I did a search. Unless you have something in the title that will attract people looking for the specific item you are selling, people won't even find it. Next time, I am not even putting polymer clay or fimo in the title. Just what it is. Kim
....I thought I would add that artist handcrafted works better than the polymer clay catagory for any one of a kind, non-necklace, earrings and bracelet work. I would put mike's work there no matter what it is. I have used that catagory for pins, barrettes & button covers with about 90% success. Adrienne
...(when you're searching for something) In your search box, use the "NOT" sign...which is a hyphen. - . . . "polymer clay -book -video -supplies" will cut the books, videos and supplies out of your search...but ONLY if the seller has those words in the description. It will weed out a LOT however. :) Sunny

Figuring out which category is the best fit for your item is the first step.
...Here is a listing of the categories and sub-categories.
http://listings.ebay.com/aw/plistings/list/categories.html

I use the Toys and Hobbies category for some things like my rods, it just depends on what you are listing. Art is another category all together, as is beads, etc. I would just try and fit polymer clay into the title and the description (so that it can be found by anyone who wants polymer) as that is how most people find it. Betty

The second step (even more important) is building the "title" of your auction. Many people (& nearly all newbies) don't use category search... they use eBay's home page handy "What Are You Looking For?" search box.

most people use the search function to find things they're interested in buying ... people who are searching have the option of clicking a box that searches the item description as well as the title, and those who have a little experience do so.
......or some people know to look just for a seller's ID name too. Sarajane
........looking for a particular seller must be done from the Advanced Search?

You can list an item in 2 categories if you want, but it doubles your (insertion) listing fee, as well as the fees for most listing upgrades (Bold, Gallery, and so on)... (however, Scheduled Listings and Home Page Featured fees are not doubled...Final Value Fees are also not doubled).

Ok, we need to find a category for our item. First pretend you're a bidder for your item.
...Go to the ebay home page search box & type in a word or words that you'd use if you were searching for your item or something similar. Find anything ? If so, check the auction out, make note of how old it is, if there's a hit counter make note of the number of hits.
.....Also, write down the category the item is listed in (it's under the title).
. . . Let's say your item is a pair of beer mugs that you've etched horse heads on. Under your title your category would be listed as: Collectibles / Animal / Horse /Other. I'm using this as an example because I want to let ya'all know that this is one VERY heavily traveled category ! So if you can incorporate the likeness of a horse into any of your crafts, you might want to ! Rock

I had the words polymer clay in the description, but they had parentheses around them (polymer clay)... so the search engine didn't recognize it because of the parentheses. Susan

Bingo! So don't try to sell your work to other craftspeople. ...you'll have better luck if you sell it for what it *is,* not what it's made of
….When someone wants to buy jewelry or sculpture or whatever, the medium is not usually the first thing that matters to them. They want teal earrings to go with a certain outfit or a dragon sculpture for the nephew who collects them or, well, you get the picture. The people who do a search for polymer clay (or Fimo or Sculpey etc) are probably other p-clay users who just want to see what others are doing. Nothing wrong with that, except they aren't the ones who are most likely to buy. Irene in western NC

(see more re categories, especially for polymer items, just below)

polymer , especially

beads... I have noticed sell well but usually if they are made from intricate canes....they will not buy what the can make themselves
..... I noticed the bidders can tell when you are not selling your best.
...beads do very well period, start there (if that is what you do) and be reasonable
......do a good job and then add the more expensive pieces when your feedback goes up.
....Also, work on offering unusual and quality items (button covers, barrettes, pins, hairsticks come to mind) ...keep trying and persevere. … .Adrienne
...I've had success selling bead lots, but the bas relief beads I make (that occasionally sell right off my neck as finished jewelry) go begging. . I'm beginning to think that putting finished work in the "contemporary jewelry" or "ethnic jewelry" classifications is more to the point. Kelly
...I've heard from several sources that finished jewelry pieces don't sell well on e-Bay. One of my friends makes beautiful necklaces with beads (glass, mostly - no polymer) and dichroic glass pendants. She was getting ready to start selling them on e-Bay until she was told (and discovered to be true) that she would make more money selling the bead components separately. So much for the economic value of artistic talent ... So it's not just the bias against polymer clay -- although I do think that exists (and with some justification -- there's some pretty terrible PC work out there -- although come to think of it there's also a lot of crappy lampwork out there and glass hasn't developed a stigma). It's just that e-Bay attracts people who want to do it themselves, rather than people who want finished pieces. Thalassa

And canes sell like crazy too!!!
...I think that there is a solid market for well made canes. Give as much information in your description as possible about what kind of clay, size, shipping costs, etc. and the suggestion of using the "buy it now" feature can really give great results. dazedntexas

My most expensive item, and the one with the most bids (9) sold for almost 27$. That was my first auction and it was my filligree bottle. Mia

see above for seasonal items, which always sell well (try to begin showing 2 months in advance though)

I wonder if anyone has made the same observations I have re: selling their finished work in an ebay auction. It seems to me that unless you're a big-name polymer artist/crafter, your work, no matter how good, stands a pretty poor chance of receiving a bid.
...The items that really get the action are the raw clay, supplies, books, and videos. That would imply to me that the main population that visits this site is us poly-clayers, ourselves. Elissa
....I have sold a ton of clay books and supplies - a number of times getting more for a book than I paid for it - which is great! They sell very well on ebay but that's because most of the people doing a search for polymer clay either work with it already or are interested in beginning to work with it. I mainly make whimsical figurines with polymer clay. Thalassa
....I have also listed some items on E-bay that I thought were a competitive price and received no bids at all. I had as much as 70 hits on one item, but no one bid. I think you're right, raw clay, books, tapes are of interest to other pc artists, but finished work that they can do themselves are of no interest. Quite honestly, I won't buy what I can make! Lori
...clay, clay books, misc items that go with polymer seem to go before the actual pc items do. Julie aka jwisecraft
... Polymer clay supplies seem to do well no matter what the overall eBay scene looks like, but polymer clay *items* can be iffy (esp. in summer). Elizabeth
......Also, art & craft supplies of almost any kind continue to do well. If you make well-crafted beads or things that people can use in their own crafting, they will sell. Elizabeth

....see more good ideas on what to sell above in "What and Where to Sell?"

I saw all *7 pages* of listings for "polymer clay" tonight!! …I simply searched eBay for "polymer clay" and got almost 400 items. Mercy, what an assortment!! From the exquisitely beautiful to the exquisitely ugly. …I was thinking that if I were to list something for sale, I would definitely leave the phrase "polymer clay" OUT of the title. "Handmade pens" or "Hand-crafted pens" would appeal to me more than, say, "Polymer clay covered pens". . . . (looking around) was a good lesson (for me) about how to present anything I'd list on eBay in the future. Miracle

I don't use the "Polymer Clay" categories... I think I used "Artist's Jewelry" for the last two Mike B pieces that I put up, and I can't remember the two before that. Contemporary Jewelry might be a good option, as you suggested. I'm not convinced that the category of the piece has much to with whether it sells or not, when it comes to handmade pieces - but that might be because I don't do category searches for polymer clay items. I just search on the words. When listing, I don't use the PC category, though because many people will dismiss PC out of hand... the thinking goes something like, "If it isn't lampworked, it's not a *real* bead." I do try to make sure that I put "polymer clay" in the title, because many people do not click on the link that searches "Title and Description," and get search results on the Title, only.
Another thing that can be important is the theme of the piece... if it has iris in it, for instance, the word "Iris" should be in the title. If it's a unicorn, it should have that word in the the title, etc. Some things have many collectors, so you want to make sure that the searches by title will bring up that word.
>For example, I have noticed that some of our more popular pc artists -- ie, Mike B. -- had pieces up that I thought were exquisite. Yet they just didn't command the bids that I thought they deserved.<
....Well, most of that was my fault... first, summer is a bad time of year for selling the "frivolous" things in life... people are on vacation, spending time & money pursuing hobbies, saving for back to school shopping. Polymer clay supplies seem to do well no matter what the overall eBay scene looks like, but polymer clay *items* can be iffy. Buying on eBay took a big plunge in June, though bidding is up, now and improving.
......Then, I didn't have the best possible pictures posted in one of the auctions... photographing these metallics will make you crazy, because you just can't get the beautiful mica reflections depicted accurately .... In daylight or house lighting, the mica reflections appear much too harsh. Good pictures are absolutely essential, selling jewelry.
...Another mistake I made was starting his pieces at $1.00 and no reserve... bidders just *hate* a reserve and will often not bid even if you tell them what the reserve price is, right in the description. So, I went with no reserve, even though I probably should have used one, considering the slowness of the season. It was an experiment, though... live and learn.
...If you're wanting to gauge the market, or if you are not particularly concerned with the final selling price, you can play with the low starting price and no reserve price. But, if you will be crushed if a piece closes with only one or two very low bids, better to start it at the lowest opening bid that you will be happy with. Be sure to figure the estimated eBay fees and packaging costs into that starting price. If it doesn't get that bid, you've only lost the listing fee, and if it only gets that one bid, (as so many items do, these days) you've still made a sale that you're happy with. eBay can be nerve-wracking, but it's also a lot of fun, and I've "met" people from all over the world. It's been pretty cool! :-) …Elizabeth
...Gosh! I hardly ever put polymer clay in the title (beads being the exception), but I listed under polymer clay in jewelry for jewelry, and under handcrafted:artist's offerings or something like that for pins, hairsticks, button covers, buttons, barrettes and such.
..... I know when I do searches I have the entire site searched so I'm not sure how big a difference it made. Adrienne

When you run auctions, use as many keywords as you can: material, artist name, color, style and form all can be named
... so be sure to use words in your item title and item description that people might be looking under
.......use words like polymer clay... jewelry...bead...pendant...your (business) name...techniques like faux jade or millefiore...color... descriptive style, or whatever applies to your item. Sarajane

(see more re categories, just above in "Categories")

after auction closes

One good piece of advice re doing auctions ...keep good records. Adrienne

Contact your buyer quickly after the auction is closed for most success and good customer relations. Lysle

And never forget just plain ole good manners. ...People just want to be treated like if they have spent a dollar, that dollar means 10,000 to you, just like any good retailer. ginger

remind the winning bidder at closing about your accepted payment options (money order, personal check, PayPal, etc) . I've gotten several personal checks, even after stating "no personal checks," so I always recap in the email to the winning bidder. CD

Take advantage of Priority Mail. The product arrives faster and packaging materials are free (you can order them online at usps.com and have them delivered to your home. The video tape size boxes are perfect for mailing canes in.) dazedntex

Another thought re shipping materials. ....If you go to your local supermarket and ask to speak to the person who stocks the drug side, you can get great small boxes for free. The ones that cosmetics come in are perfect. You would just need to know when they get shipments in so you can be there to get the boxes before they are crushed. . . . You can also usually get packing peanuts for free from them if you need them. dazedntex

insurance ...I just wanted to share something with those of you who sell your handmade polymer clay objects and for those of you who purchase on Ebay. I have purchased several items from different people on Ebay. I've never had a problem. Most of the time I spend the extra 85 cents for insurance. For some reason and I don't know why I (probably) forgot to purchase insurance with my last purchase. Of course its always that one time when I forget that something arrives broken. The person that sent the "object" didn't package it as well as she had in past auctions..... I immediately e-mailed the person and let her know that my auction had arrived broken. Of course she was gracious about telling me that I could probably glue it with super glue but that was all that she was going to do. So...sellers...please offer insurance and buyers...for goodness sake spend the extra 85 cents because it will be well worth it in the end. The gal did not remind me to insure the piece ...Libby
From what I have been told by the post office (and my mail delivery person) the insurance is primarily for packages that are lost in the system and never delivered. I might be wrong, but this insurance doesn't cover improper packaging by the sender. Mamadude
...This is my policy---If it is something that I made and was one of a kind and worth at least $35, I insure and get signature required and most of the time double box the item. This is for my peace of mind. I had rather have something lost that is worth five times more than something that I made. I really feel for you with having problems with something you made. . . .If it is something under $30 and I did not make it, I insure only if I am paid by buyer for insurance and they request insurance. If over $30, I pay for insurance out of my profit just so I don't have to worry. Jeanne R.

various problems

Watch out for non-combined-shipping for ordering/winning more than one item !
...I had purchased from the seller before, so I was under the impression they always combined shipping. Not always so. Can you say "read the fine print?" For seven of the 9 auctions I won, somewhere in all their gabbing it says shipping is $4.99 per auction, no combining, no exceptions...an expensive mistake.... Tonja
...I routinely ask if sellers will combine shipping if it doesn't state it already. But anybody can slip up especially if they've dealt with the seller before. Betsy

one of my biggest pet peeves as an eBay (or other auction) seller is when buyers tell me, (after I leave negative feedback, and relist the item!) that they couldn't complete the transaction because their computer died. Hey, that really sucks, but it doesn't release you from your obligation to complete the auction! Even if your house burns down you still have to pay your bills! Go to a friends house or even the library, set up a free email address at Yahoo, log onto eBay and find out what you won (they make an eBay page called My eBay that makes that very easy) then email the seller to let them know what's going on for goodness sake! Man, do I get ticked at the "sorry, I couldn't email you because my computer died" emails! Sally

If someone leaves you an unjust or inaccurate rating:
...go back to e-bay and make a counterstatement. You are allowed to do that when a bad comment is made that isn't true. DottyinCA
.......the best thing is leave a professional response, not an emotional one.
...before I would answer her feedback I think I would drop the person an email asking if they had originally understood what they were receiving and/or what the terms were... Denita
...you can also check *the person's* feedback - some people are just hard to get along with... then shrug it off. Pat

Jan R. reports that e-Bay suspended her as a seller when some reported as "spam" the polymer clay "mailing list" message she received as part of the mailing list. She tried to explain to e-Bay that it was not spam, but simply a message inside the mailing list (which is not illegal), but they didn't seem to want to understand the circumstances...DB
This is how I feel and I am the (polymerclayinterest) list owner. If you put something on Ebay and want to share it with us---clay related, please send me a email and I will send it out for you. That way you will not have a problem. ..We are interested in sharing and I feel that is sharing. If you don't want that kind of mail, delete it. I will put up a heading FOR SALE EBAY so you can delete it. Marty

You know you can contact eBay and let them know that this person is taking (descriptive wording) from your website
....they will check it out, and remove the listing if they find any wrong doing.... EBay doesn't like it when people take from other listings, and websites, or copyrighted stuff. Punky

....My problem with eBay was when my puter was down ( I had 4 successful bids).. Natch, all the bids went into default. I don't blame them for deleting my account, but my roomie lost his also. It took about 15 emails over a period of 3 months to get his reinstated. Kim2
....I've had problems with eBay, too (as a seller). I paid my bill, but they lost all record of the check -- they cashed the check, but lost all record of it. I had to get photo copies of the check from my bank ($30.00 fee). I e-mailed that to them but they say they can't open attatchments. So I mailed a copy of my check, and then they lost that. Plus, they've added late fees because my account hasn't been paid. I lost the entire Christmas season and they still don't have me re-instated. Pooh. . . Bryd

When I went into my account at ebay and wanted to change some of the settings for notifications, I found out that ebay has a setting at the bottom for allowing telemarketers to contact you and also allows them to have your mailing info so they can send you direct mail through the post office. This is so sneaky again.... To fix this, if you are a customer or seller at eBay, go to: My eBay - then Preferences - then Notifications and emails from eBay: Change my notification preferences (Turn on/off the emails that you receive from eBay)... this is where I found it. Linda Bohrn

WARNINGS
....."phishing" schemes ...I received an email that said I needed to "verify my E bay info,"or my account would be suspended. This is FRAUD, according to E-bay (they will never ask for this info).... Can you imaging if I actually gave them all the info that is on this form?! . . . really upset me that I was targeted for this fraud. Cindy
...I get these all the time, supposedly from ICQ, from Yahoo, etc.. ...If you click on the URL in the message, the password box pops up and you are supposed to put in your password to (supposedly) make sure that you are still active in that account. What it really is, however, is an attempt to get your password and ID for that account. ....The message they send to you mimics the actual host they are trying to emulate. Some of them are very good, even in the fine print in the message. I have sent these to Yahoo and ICQ and have been assured that they would never send a message like that, nor request that you "re-activate" or "verify" your account by putting in a password requested in that manner. Send the message to your service provider and if they are asking for a password, but DO NOT enter it. Carla
...also watch out for unsolicited offers to "help you sell your items"