It is Monday folks.
And I have a few things on my mind.
About blogging.
About selling online.
About blogging and selling online while being a stay at home Momma.
It ain't easy.
But I don't want a pity party. Wahhhhhhhh!
I just want to get my thoughts out there.
Doubting thoughts.
Am I the only one who has doubts?
Some days I wonder why I am blogging. I don't have much time to visit
other blogs and comment. So, of course, I do not receive too many comments on my posts.
Some days I want to say "IS THIS THING ON??????" But I know you reap what you sow, so to speak. I do post at least three times a week.
I do enjoy selling online. But, (here is the but) again, I don't have much time.
My mind (and heart) want to really do well with the Bella Rosa shop but with all of the time and effort it takes to shop for antiques, clean the antiques, take pictures and list them all, I am out of time AND energy.
(Romantic Homes ad 2011)
So, of course, I wonder, why am I doing this?
My answer is this... right now while Bebe is still young, it is a great way for me to enjoy antiques, make a little extra money to buy Bebe clothes or toys, and I get to stay home with her instead of putting her in daycare.
Will this be enough as she heads to school? Only time will tell but I do know Hubby and I will always be antiquing...we love it so much!
Thanks for "listening" to my Thoughts! I'd love to hear from other gals who are selling online or from customers who buy online. Feel free to drop me a line!
7 comments:
Jillian,
I saw your red roses on my blog, and had to come over and take a look. Yes, there is alot in the blog world to learn, isn't there? I have found that if you give comments, you do receive more. I know what you mean though, it is very time consuming to go to so many blogs and send comments, but we still do, just because our blog friends are a part of our lives. I hope things pick up, dear.
Have a happy week.
~Sheri
Hi Jillian...I know what you are saying about all the effort that goes into the shopping, cleaning, photography, listing, etc. For me its the hours of designing, crafting & trying to get my photos just right! My etsy shop has really been quiet, it is a bit unusual. I try to blog and stay in the loop to keep myself out there but sometimes I feel like I am just a grain of sand on a vast beach!
Let's hang in there!
Have a great day..xo Tami
I know exactly what you mean. I closed my Pink Home shop on Etsy when I moved last year and just now decided to leave it closed. By the time I pay the new fees in this state, plus all the other money required to keep it open with Etsy, PayPal, advertising, etc., I just felt like I needed to spend my money and energy (because I make everything in the shop, too) elsewhere for the time being. I do want to reopen it at some point but it really is so much work. I still have plenty of merchandise, though, so I might try and start selling some of it on Beverly's Blog Shop. Good luck with everything and hang in there!
I totally understand where you are coming from. I find it very hard to visit blogs...i also seem to find that the people who are making this blog thing work must not sleep:). I cant find time with four kids, a home, and everything that entails to keep my shop going. I gave up on etsy since i found it hard to list things . I keep it simple now and when i have things to sell i just put it straight onto my blog and let people email me if they are interested. that way the only person getting a cut is paypal.
keep posting i love seeing all your pretties...
hugs
Hello Jillian
I too have found myself wondering why I blog and this past year I have not posted much at all. I am finding I have a fair amount of Bloggers reading my posts but few leave comments.
I love coming over to see your blog and what new treasures you have picked up for your shop. As we downsized most of our treasures a few years ago I have to watch myself so I don't get the bug to start collecting again.
Bebe is very lucky you are able to stay home with her!
I am looking at selling some of my vintage jewelry collection as I am just not wearing the pieces anymore now that I am retired. Hopefully sales are good for all of us that want to continue Esty, Ebay and other on-line selling.
Take care and I hope your sales improve! I would miss your blog if you stopped...
Hugs
Wanda
Hi Jillian! Thanks so much for your visit and letting me know how you found me! :)
I think you know by now that we ALL feel this way. My website, Etsy shop, brick and mortar shop, and shows are a full time job for me. I try and keep it balanced, but there are times where it runs away from me. I always remind myself why I got into blogging, and continually evaluate what it is I want from it. I hardly have time to visit and comment either. When I do, I find that I am more of a stalker, stopping and visiting but forgetting to let people know I've been by!! ;) Don't beat yourself up over it.
I also know that even though I don't get a lot of comments, friends still tell me they've read my post even without commenting.
I can't always keep up with Etsy, but I try and keep a few things going in there. It's extra fluid cash here and there. Etsy is spotty, my physical shop is regular income, and shows are a heap of cash all at once. It's good to do all three for me, but again- balance. ;) Keep your chin up. Do the very best work you can and enjoy!
Jillian, I totally understand! I've all but completely lost my desire to blog lately, and I'm always spotty with listing in my Etsy shop. Thing is, when I do list stuff, I always see a spike in sales--and I feel like it's important to keep the blog going because it directs people to my shop--but it's all just so much work!
I've really, really cut back on thrifting/junking lately because I just don't want more *stuff* in my house that I just keep lying around. Sometimes I'm tempted to just donate all of my "inventory" and be done with it, but I can't ever bring myself to really do it.
I think if I really want to have success in my Etsy & blogging, I need to treat it like an actual job and set real hours & goals for myself because trying to just fit it in wherever is totally not working and just making me feel guilty! I think I really need to just be more disciplined. The more open time I have, the more I waste.
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