I have some news: I am done with Etsy for now and have removed listings that I recently posted to my Etsy shop Textiles & Smiles.

Some of you warned me a while back when I mentioned returning to Etsy, you mentioned that sellers had had issues.

Recently I listed a couple of my drawstring/project bags on Etsy (I was getting ready to make a big announcement on my blog and on Instagram that my shop was restocked).

I followed Etsy’s STRONG recommendations (they want to compete with Amazon I think) and provided free shipping on the items, by including the cost of shipping (which unfortunately I had underestimated a little) in price of the item. I also included a coordinated little wallet to sort of offset the slightly higher listing price to include the cost of shipping (it felt sort of like playing a game with your customers that I do not like). Etsy rewards you for offering free shipping by giving your listings are higher visibility.

This weekend wonderful woman, who had reached out with the specific bag she was interested in based on an image she saw on my blog, purchased one of my newly listed bags.

I was preparing her order for shipping today and discovered this in my Etsy Shop Manager platform:

I listed the bag for $35.00 for a large drawstring/project bag to include shipping (but you use the bogus term “free shipping” as it isn’t really free, especially if you are a small small business, you have to include the postage cost).

Etsy took fees for shipping ($4.31, okay I expected that and allotted for that), fees for their commission and credit card fees ($4.85, expected, I am still okay with this), AND then they took a fee called “Offsite Ads” for $5.25 which is 15% of the listing price (which included the cost for me to ship the item).

So this left me $20.59 profit, which if I were to meet a certain sales threshold (which I think is $600) in a year, I would also have to pay taxes on. So if just for very rough example sake, let’s say I was in a 22% tax bracket would be $4.53; so that would bring me to $16.06 in net profit.

So I looked at the cost of materials to make the bag (and the little wallet), my time for making, administrative (photos, creating listing, etc), and travel to the post office etc., I am at sweat shop wages of like $3 an hour or less.

I just started crying as I really wanted to sell my handmade items on Etsy and reach a large audience but I just don’t have the heart to work for nearly free. And I can’t do the volume as a sole proprietor of a business to make the fees okay. I am feeling a bit heartbroken.

And the Offsite Ads? Wow I looked into how to turn those off and could not find a way even following their instructions. Plus they said only some shops will be opted out. Plus I do not think the sale came from Offsite Ads (like Google Ads) as the lovely person who bought the bag first contacted me with an image from my blog.

I looked at the Etsy forums for challenges other shops had with these Offsite Ads and found many forum postings like this:

I also found this about Etsy fees. As you will see below this seller is losing 30% each sale to Etsy fees:

I think the only way to be successful on Etsy is to sell digital products (for example pattern downloads) where you have passive income (you create it once, occasionally update it, but don’t have to do anything major on the product again after you upload it), resell items you’ve purchased at a low price (like the whole vintage item resale market); or if you sell products that you can charge a fairly high fee for or produce very inexpensively compared to what you are selling them for.

As fas a digital products, perhaps I will look into that in the future if I start writing patterns, etc. I don’t like listing my drawstring/project bags for $100 a pop will fly – ha!

So I am looking into other ways to sell my bags including revisiting working with brick & mortar stores again (see my post The Tangled Ball and Project Bags) that want to sell my bags, craft shows, and direct sales (I am working on ideas for that and might post them on a page on my blog, more to come), etc.

For now, I’ve updated my Textiles & Smiles Etsy shop with this message that my shop is on hold.

Thanks for reading my rant 🙂

Maybe I’m just not built for this kind of retail…

(I feel ultimately the Universe is telling me to just focus on my art quilting journey…like slapping me in the face about it right now, lol…)

Feature Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Bags Bags Bags, Etsy shop

Well I got one bag listed today

October 27, 2023October 27, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

This is a follow up from yesterday’s post Bags, Bags, Bags, Bags, Bags and More Bags…. My plan was to get 5 – 10 drawstring project bags listed on my Textiles & Smiles Etsy Shop today but the day got away from me and I only got one listed!

I am really pleased with the interior/lining fabric I put in this bag – representing the “fields of grain”/grain fields you might pass during a journey on Route 66!

The previous time I sold my bags on my Etsy shop I include a little wallet as a thank you gift. This time I decided to include the little wallet in the Etsy listing. I plan to try and select a little wallet that coordinates with the bag.

Well at least I got one listing done, ha, and tomorrow is another day to get more done.

Bags Bags Bags, Etsy shop

Bags, Bags, Bags, Bags, Bags and More Bags…

October 26, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Today I sorted the collection of drawstring bags I’ve made and now I finally working on listing them on my Textiles & Smiles Etsy Shop!

Hope to have a bunch of listings up by the end of the weekend.

A Year of Finishes - 2023, Bags Bags Bags, Etsy shop

New “Photo Box” and 36th to 38th Finish in A Year of Finishes

April 28, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

John recently built a “photo box” (not sure what to call it) for photography my items for my Etsy shop (TextilesandSmiles) and for photographing items for his Etsy shop (to be opened someday and hopefully called MightyMoeCreations). He designed it so it could be easily assembled and dissembled for storage.

I finished 3 more drawstring/project bags as part of my “A Year of Finishes – 2023“ project.

The fabric is from my trip to the Missouri Star Quilt Company (MSQC) for a quilting retreat in early 2022. It is their custom fabric which is designed to look like traditional quilt blocks in a quilt. If you’d like to see the posts from my MSQC Retreat adventure here is the link to those 6 posts – Missouri Star Quilt Retreat.

Etsy shop, tierneycreates

Update on the Textiles and Smiles Etsy Shop

December 30, 2021December 30, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I am glad to be regularly blogging and reading posts again, it is actually one of my 2022 New Years Resolutions I am putting in place now. I miss my blogging buddies when I am away!

This post is a follow up to the post – My Etsy Shop is Now Reopened – tierneycreates is now TextilesandSmiles which discusses how in late November 2021 I had to close my former “tierneycreates” Etsy shop instead of reopening it due to technical issues, and instead create a new Etsy shop – Textiles and Smiles (“textiles and smiles” is part of my tagline: “tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles”).

I started the shop with around 31 listings, added 2 more after opening and I’ve sold in a month’s time 11 items.

Most of my sales were from wonderful people I’ve connected with via social media platforms such as my blog, Instagram and Facebook. I also did a little e-mail marketing (just a one-time thing) to friends who are not on social media.

FROM THE WOODSHOP

My partner John made a couple items for my Etsy shop from his woodshop and we’ve sold two packages of them so far – Wooden Spools:

He even did a custom order when someone reached out and requested an inch longer set of spools. He’s going to make some other items for the Etsy shop someday and he has his own section – “From the Woodshop”:

CREATIVITY KITS

One of the fun things I came up for my shop was to sell “Creativity Kits” when I include the book (from my craft book collection) and the fabric (like a jelly roll or other pre-cut) to make something. I pulled “used” books from my crazy existing craft book collection and was able to package them with fabric at a reasonable price since it was a “used” book.

These sold pretty well and here are some examples:

The photos above are “raw” photos, and I did some clean up and photo editing for then Etsy listings…trying to look as professional as possible (or imaginarily professional – ha!).

There is one Creativity Kit I am surprised has not sold yet, I even have it packed up for shipping as I thought it would “fly off then shelf” – one with then book Scrap Republic and 2 pounds of a rainbow of colors of scraps from my personal scrap pile. Perhaps no one trusts my scrap pile – ha!

This is not a book I would part with because I want to make everything in it, but I had accidentally bought a second copy so I was able to part with one. I had trouble putting up the listing for this creativity kit because I kept setting aside the yummy looking package of scraps I put together to use for my own project. Finally I made myself list it as I have so many more scraps to play with in my stash!

I am sure it will sell eventually when the person it is meant for sees it.

LITTLE PILLOWS

I’ve only made one set and it sold – I love little pillows!

I made the above set of 5 little pillows from recycled Pendleton Wool blanket scraps. I plan to make another set in the future. I don’t have anymore of the black and gray wool scraps but I do have some other Pendleton blanket wool scraps. It isn fun recycling!

When I had my first Etsy shop open, tierneycreates, I was selling a pillow I made from Pendleton Wool scraps and put the word “Pendleton” in the title of the listing. I was contacted by the legal department of the Pendleton Wool company for potential “copyright infringement”. I was totally freaked out as a new seller. The paralegal I dealt with at the company was very nice and provided me with education and of course allowed me to fix my error. I definitely remembered that lesson and when I listed these pillows I wrote for my Etsy listing:

Recycled Wool Little Pillow Set – Five (5) 5 1/2 inch x 5 1/2 inch x 2 inch decorative wool pillows

I love working with recycled materials. This set of 5 small pillows measuring 5 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches by 2 inches was made with recycled wool from a well known Oregon based wool manufacturing company. These little pillows would be perfect to decorate your bookshelf!

PROJECT BAGS/DRAWSTRING BAGS

My biggest seller was the project bags/drawstring bags I made.

I sold a couple sets of these:

As well as a couple other project/drawstring bags.

In addition to all the items shown above, I also sold a couple other items, including a set of fat quarters and one miniature kimono but I do not want to bore you with a complete listing of my sales.

I really appreciate all the customers who left reviews, and I’ve received 5 star reviews (huge smiles), which really helps since I am considered a “new seller” on Etsy with my new shop!

WHAT IS NEXT

I am pretty sure I am going to make some more project bags for the shop and I am working on a strategy of what to make and list next. One of my blogging buddies asked about messenger bags so I am thinking of those.

I noticed that many successful Etsy shops focus on like one thing but there are so many things I enjoy making, and I want to keep the shop a fun hobby, so I do not see myself narrowing to just one type of item.

I will share another update on my Textiles and Smiles Etsy shop if I come up with some fun new items in the future!

Postscript

This is a follow up to my post Adventures in Bag Making: Firefly Tote is done!.

I posted the Firefly Tote on Instagram, and as standard etiquette I tagged the pattern designer – Anna Graham of Noodlehead when I credited her patter on my IG post. She has like 90,000 Instagram followers and I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to pay any attention to my tag.

Well next thing I know, she comments on my post and then the next day (I think, or perhaps later the same day), she adds it to her Instagram story!

In addition to tagging me, she also tagged the fabric designer Sarah Golden of that amazing “Maker” fabric that I love so much!

I was blown away on having such exposure as I’ve loved (and purchased) Noodlehead patterns for years; and she is a very well known pattern maker.

What an honor when the pattern designer likes your bag!

Etsy shop

My Etsy Shop is Now Reopened – tierneycreates is now TextilesandSmiles

November 27, 2021November 28, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I did it. I finally got my Etsy shop reopened though it was a more emotional process than I anticipated.

First lets get to the shop information before I share the saga of the reopening. “tierneycreates” is no more as far as Etsy shops, it is now called…(drum roll):

Textiles and Smiles (TextilesandSmiles on Etsy)!

Here is the explanation I provide on my Etsy shop page:

For years on my tierneycreates.com/blog I’ve promised to re-open my tierneycreates Etsy shop that I first opened in 2013. Finally the shop is re-opened and has a new name: Textiles and Smiles! As my tagline is “tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles & smiles”, I want to focus on providing customers with fun products that make them smile! To celebrate the shop re-opening, I am including a little fabric wallet with each order until I run out.

Here is what actually happened that led to the permanent closing of my “tierneycreates” Etsy shop and the creation of the new name/opening of a brand new shop:

In order to update the bank account information in a shop you have to provide the previous bank account information that you had listed. It has been over 2 1/2 years since I banked with my credit union in Central Oregon where I lived for 14 years before moving to the Denver Metro area. I contacted them and they did not have the bank account information (the full bank account number like what you would use to set up direct deposit, etc.) for the last 4 digits that Etsy had listed.

It was very upsetting as without this information Etsy could not allow you to set up a new bank account on an existing shop. There was no way around this except to close my shop and start a new one. In the moment, I pretty much had a total meltdown. It was one more thing I’ve lost from my life since December 2018 when my husband died. I had to lose all the wonderful reviews I had on the tierneycreates shop and the history of being an Etsy seller since 2013. This is not the end of the world but given all the “losses” (real or perceived) I’ve had since late 2018, it crushed me.

What are those losses I reference? Well the all losses are connected to my “identity” or how I’ve identified myself (such as a wife/longtime partner, a resident of Central Oregon which I loved so much, the co-owner of my house that I loved so much in Oregon, etc.) I’ve had to reinvent myself and start a new life in Denver (because I could not bear to stay in Central Oregon without Terry). I also recently left my job of 16 years to take some time off and I did not realize until I left my job how much I also found identity in my job.

Yes, it was like I became quite unhinged with this one more “loss of identity” even though in the whole scheme of life it was not a big thing.

I also struggled with the reopening the shop because the late Terry the Quilting Husband was my partner in the shop and did a lot of the assistant work (like cutting and preliminary sewing) for me. The “tierneycreates Etsy shop” was more like the “Tierney and Terry” shop.

But…

As I seem to have to keep doing over and over again (and I accept most of the time this is my reality), I finally realized (with the help of patient partner John) that I must REINVENT myself and that it is okay that I start over on Etsy with no reviews, no history, and opened a shop with a new name. I am trying not to see it as another loss.

It has been nearly three years since I suddenly lost my husband and although I have good life with my partner John, I continue to feel “lost” in life. It’s difficult to put into words but there are still too many days that involve putting on a brave face and getting through the day (and yes I’ve done grief support and individual counseling) and few notice. I guess this is just my reality and I work around it!

I think I sound like a “hot mess” and I could have just told you I’ve reopened my Etsy shop with a new name but I felt a need to “overshare” (smile).

Okay the oversharing is over now, and I will share a little about my NEW Etsy Shop.

My new offerings include handmade drawstring/project bags and little pillows.
I’ve brought back miniature kimonos and one table runner.
My partner John has made sets of wooden spools from his woodshop for the shop.
I’ve put together “Creativity Kits” to provide the materials and patterns you need to make a jelly roll quilt.

I share in future posts more information about my offerings and my process making them.

Here are some additional screenshots from the Textiles and Smiles Etsy Shop:

How can you support my new shop (without doing all your holiday shopping from it – ha!)? Well if you already have an Etsy account, I would appreciate if you made it one of your favorite shops by clicking on the “Favorite Shop” icon: