Learn To Make Your Own Inventory

If you are thinking of expanding the inventory you offer, you may not have to look far. You may have sourced inventory in the past but there is an alternative. Maybe making your own inventory is the way to go.

This could be a great option if you are in a remote location from the stores where you usually source your items. Maybe the weather is keeping you close to home or creating items is a way for you to wind down. Either way the outcome could help you increase your inventory.

If you are thinking this is a good idea but do not know what to make or how to make it, you should take a look at Craftsy.com. Crafty is a directory of crafting classes you can attend online. The site offers classes on everything from knitting and crocheting to cake decorating and weaving. For the experienced, crafter the site offers projects and patterns to help you find new items to make.

Once you have your items, you could use them as gifts or sell them on sites like Etsy.com, Goodsmiths.com, or TopHatter.com. Craftsy is currently offering free mini-workshops. Click here to see a list of the free classes.

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You Can Sell On Etsy Even If You Are Not Into Crafting

Image courtesy of the DaniKfashion Etsy Shop

As the Christmas shipping season starts to reach its peak, it is time to start thinking about next year. What plans are you making to build your business? If you are looking for a new place to sell the items you source at thrift stores or if you make items to sell, Etsy is a site you should consider if you are not already using it.

The Etsy marketplace is growing in leaps and bounds. Sellers have reported a large increase in sales. Those that have been around for a year or more have reported that sales have more than doubled.

Etsy is a fantastic community of buyers and sellers. At first glance, the website looks more like an online store than a community made up of many sellers. This more familiar feel is appealing to online shoppers. Maneuvering around Etsy is straightforward; sellers can showcase their items and are sure to attract the right buyers. The set up of Etsy seems to be more conducive to ensuring that sales are accurate. What is meant by this is buyers get a true picture and description of what they are purchasing. Sometimes other online sales communities do not give as clear a picture.

As a seller, you might wonder if Etsy will draw enough buyers. The proof is in the statistics and the news is great! Small businesses and individuals who sell on Etsy are boasting about their sales. With the holiday season upon us, Etsy is ready and has distinct holiday showcases in place. Buyers are sure to get original, in many cases handmade, gift items for the holidays.

As you review how you sell and where you sell, remember Etsy. Even if you do not make handmade items to sell on Etsy, remember that those crafters need supplies as well. From old sweaters to torn jeans or toilet paper rolls to old books, crafters often use uncommon items for their creations. Take a look around Etsy to see what other items could be sold to this creative bunch.

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Etsy Wholesale to Connect Crafters and Sellers

Image courtesy of DeMoss Designs

As we find ways to build our inventory, we can often find ourselves moving along with the pack. Sometimes we find what we sell is being sold by many other sellers as well. It can be a waiting game. That is okay. But there are other items you could consider.

Marketplace sites like Etsy, Goodsmith, and Bonanza give crafters and other creative artists the opportunity to offer their wares to a large community of shoppers who are looking for something original. This is also an opportunity for you as a seller to find an original product to offer. Many Etsy sellers are offering wholesale pricing on the products when they are sold in lots. You may find woodcrafted items or sewn items that may be great to offer during the holiday season.

For the Etsy sellers who are looking for a little help in getting started selling wholesale, Etsy is creating a wholesale marketplace. While the site has not launched yet, Etsy is accepting sign-up for both wholesale vendors and buyers. Once the site is launched, this will allow you to connect to many sellers in the Etsy community who are looking to connect with sellers. For the crafter, it gives them an opportunity to concentrate on the actual art and not finding the individual customer. For the seller, it is a chance to find unique and uncommon items to offer your buyers. To sign-up, visit this link.

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How eBay VERO Protects Online Buyers and Sellers

If you are selling online, you've probably fallen in love with Etsy, eBay and Amazon. Selling online is convenient and easy. One of the downsides to selling online is that there are lots of counterfeit items out there. Some are very obvious but others, not so much. I think we all know the $20 couch purse at the flea market is a knock off, but the $75 wholesale bargain you find online can be much harder to judge.

To protect online sellers eBay has create VERO. VERO stands for verified right owner. This also protects online buyers for getting taken advantage of by buying counterfeit products, in addition to protecting sellers from getting their intellectual property stolen. Keeping the online world of shopping a safer and happier place. As a rights owner it can be very frustrating having your product copied.

To prevent counterfeit listings eBay quickly removes suspicious items, will remove and items reported as counterfeit, actively prosecutes offenders and provides free tools for rights owners to protect themselves.

Online buyers can help by not buying counterfeit items, by using PayPal for extra protection, reporting any suspicious items and leaving honest feedback. With a little effort you can help stop the sale of fake items.

Some may think that counterfeit items are no big deal, but they hurt both buyers and sellers. This is also unfair to the millions of people who depend on online sales to make a living. Online stores provide economic opportunity for people around the globe. Just think of all nonprofit organizations that fund themselves through product sales.

The important things to remember is that we all have a social responsibility to watch out for counterfeit items, not just the sellers. For more information on the eBay VERO program, please click here.

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