Having a small business in the up coming holiday season seems, well, crazy!!
Filling orders, making products and my own holiday shopping...I am LOVIN it!! :D
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
craft shows..
I am really considering selling at craft shows..there is a ton of work that really goes into selling at craft shows that I did not know about.
Credit card machines..who would have known?! lol
Credit card machines..who would have known?! lol
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Holiday Season Tips
That's right..holiday season is HERE already..wow...the year flew by..
If you are like me, and a lot of you are, I love to plan. Planning is half the fun of everything. Get your self geared up and ready for the holiday season now!
First thing is first, where will you be doing your shopping? Are you a online surfer or a black friday warrior? Things you need to keep in mind before answering this question..a) is my life worth putting in danger on black friday? (I have personally been pushed, elbowed and bruised over some dumb toy) people go to extremes to get things alittle cheaper than retail..come on man! Waiting in line outside in the cold to get video games and tvs..wow. But then again some people like that. Some people enjoy competition, me, not so much. I like things simple. I on the other hand will price match and shop around and get deals before black friday and after.
Ok..lets face it home made gifts rock! But not everyone is home made gift savvy..need some ideas? need some homemade gifts? there are a few places online that have wonderful handmade items..Etsy.com Ebay.com and sometimes cragislist.com The down fall of online shopping: you are basically buying something sight unseen. You might have pictures from the seller but pictures are not the same as holding something and or smelling something. This is when you need to rely on the seller. You can always ask questions! I personally, love it when someone emails me or messages me about one of my products. I am more than happy to answer any questions that might come up about any product and most sellers are willing to provide additional pictures for the buyer as well. Always ask questions!
Which brings me to my next topic: Shipping. Holiday season is CRAZY for mail! If you are a seller you need to really do your homework on this. A buyer is not going to want to get a package from you 5 days after Christmas..First, check your local post offices hours of operation. Holiday hours change and make sure you know what days the post office is closed. Next, if you want to stand in line all day to send a package, thats fine, but most people want to get in and get out asap. Again, look at the hours of your post office. If you can make it in at 9am and beat the lines, awesome! But if you have to wait till after work, around 5pm then you might want to look for a small, less busy post office. I live in a ok sized town but we have a tiny post office and lines are crazy, so I will drive 5 minutes more to go to the next town over that has a huge post office with lots of workers.
Next, if you are ordering offline, make sure you give the seller enough time to ship the item to you. You should not expect to get your package next day, unless you pay for the shipping. If you want your package express mailed to you, notify the seller and arrange payments to meet your shipping needs. Most sellers do not have a issue with doing this. Whatever makes the customer happy is our motto.
And dont forget to plan..dont make things harder than they are and never do more than you need to. The holidays come the same time every year, its not like they sneek up out of the blue. If you need more time to get ready and prepare, then take more time. Shop with a friend to help with gift ideas, look online for gift ideas. I always admire people that have their holiday season under control and you can have it under control too.
Finally, give thanks! Give thanks to the makers and sellers, give thanks to the workers at the stores, your friends and family and most importantly, give thanks to God! If you make your holiday season happy and cheerful, then everyone else will have a happy and cheerful holiday season as well!
Smile..it's not all that bad!
If you are like me, and a lot of you are, I love to plan. Planning is half the fun of everything. Get your self geared up and ready for the holiday season now!
First thing is first, where will you be doing your shopping? Are you a online surfer or a black friday warrior? Things you need to keep in mind before answering this question..a) is my life worth putting in danger on black friday? (I have personally been pushed, elbowed and bruised over some dumb toy) people go to extremes to get things alittle cheaper than retail..come on man! Waiting in line outside in the cold to get video games and tvs..wow. But then again some people like that. Some people enjoy competition, me, not so much. I like things simple. I on the other hand will price match and shop around and get deals before black friday and after.
Ok..lets face it home made gifts rock! But not everyone is home made gift savvy..need some ideas? need some homemade gifts? there are a few places online that have wonderful handmade items..Etsy.com Ebay.com and sometimes cragislist.com The down fall of online shopping: you are basically buying something sight unseen. You might have pictures from the seller but pictures are not the same as holding something and or smelling something. This is when you need to rely on the seller. You can always ask questions! I personally, love it when someone emails me or messages me about one of my products. I am more than happy to answer any questions that might come up about any product and most sellers are willing to provide additional pictures for the buyer as well. Always ask questions!
Which brings me to my next topic: Shipping. Holiday season is CRAZY for mail! If you are a seller you need to really do your homework on this. A buyer is not going to want to get a package from you 5 days after Christmas..First, check your local post offices hours of operation. Holiday hours change and make sure you know what days the post office is closed. Next, if you want to stand in line all day to send a package, thats fine, but most people want to get in and get out asap. Again, look at the hours of your post office. If you can make it in at 9am and beat the lines, awesome! But if you have to wait till after work, around 5pm then you might want to look for a small, less busy post office. I live in a ok sized town but we have a tiny post office and lines are crazy, so I will drive 5 minutes more to go to the next town over that has a huge post office with lots of workers.
Next, if you are ordering offline, make sure you give the seller enough time to ship the item to you. You should not expect to get your package next day, unless you pay for the shipping. If you want your package express mailed to you, notify the seller and arrange payments to meet your shipping needs. Most sellers do not have a issue with doing this. Whatever makes the customer happy is our motto.
And dont forget to plan..dont make things harder than they are and never do more than you need to. The holidays come the same time every year, its not like they sneek up out of the blue. If you need more time to get ready and prepare, then take more time. Shop with a friend to help with gift ideas, look online for gift ideas. I always admire people that have their holiday season under control and you can have it under control too.
Finally, give thanks! Give thanks to the makers and sellers, give thanks to the workers at the stores, your friends and family and most importantly, give thanks to God! If you make your holiday season happy and cheerful, then everyone else will have a happy and cheerful holiday season as well!
Smile..it's not all that bad!
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