Charlie Croker - He's done it!!

PasturesNew

etsy is good, but misses a lot of tricks through some blinkered ideas about marketing... they could learn some lessons from ebay, but refuse to.

This saddens and angers me.

I wish I could make something. I've spent years thinking of what I could make and flog, but I am non-creative... I've wracked my brains to come up w ith something that:
1] I could do
2] I could do in a timely manner
3] Had a profit margin of any reasonable sort (capable of making £6/hour), but preferably had a silly profit margin so I could out-source the work at some future point and grow the business by any one of 6 models I have in my head
4] People would actually want

If anybody has a real idea of something that meets the above 4 criteria, but they don't have the time (or are so wealthy already that it would be a significant drop in income so not worth it), then PM me

Remember: cack-handed, non creative garbage, looking for top quality, "must have" unique items to make at home that require no stock or equipment (I live in one tiny room) to flog for the kind of stupid money that only a loony would pay out.

I am gobsmacked sometimes at the businesses people start.... crazy stuff that I'm sure are just pocket money earnings because they already have the safety net of benefits and/or a partner bringing in good money for them.

JayScottGreenspan

lostinrates wrote: »

those activities are also sometimes fleeting and fragile.

The self esteem they generate is not.

Phirefly

PasturesNew wrote: »

2] I could do in a timely manner

That's the main problem. I'm all up in Etsy's grille but I can't imagine how these craftisans turn a profit. It takes me too long to produce something beautiful.

carolt

PasturesNew wrote: »

etsy is good, but misses a lot of tricks through some blinkered ideas about marketing... they could learn some lessons from ebay, but refuse to.

This saddens and angers me.

I wish I could make something. I've spent years thinking of what I could make and flog, but I am non-creative... I've wracked my brains to come up w ith something that:
1] I could do
2] I could do in a timely manner
3] Had a profit margin of any reasonable sort (capable of making £6/hour), but preferably had a silly profit margin so I could out-source the work at some future point and grow the business by any one of 6 models I have in my head
4] People would actually want

If anybody has a real idea of something that meets the above 4 criteria, but they don't have the time (or are so wealthy already that it would be a significant drop in income so not worth it), then PM me

Remember: cack-handed, non creative garbage, looking for top quality, "must have" unique items to make at home that require no stock or equipment (I live in one tiny room) to flog for the kind of stupid money that only a loony would pay out.

I am gobsmacked sometimes at the businesses people start.... crazy stuff that I'm sure are just pocket money earnings because they already have the safety net of benefits and/or a partner bringing in good money for them.

I sold hand-made cards on ebay at one point, as I was doing it as a hobby. You could certainly make £6 + an hour but I couldn't be bothered - the secret is to personalise them as I discovered, as anyone can buy nice bog-standard, handmade-alike cards for under a quid, but personalised cards are harder to find, let alone in nice designs. I had a few designs that sold well and were quick and easy to personalise. Trouble was (a) I could make more money in that time by other means and (b) the bit I really enjoyed was the designing, not the making.

NB There are some truly awful hand-made cards out there, so anything not horrible has a big advantage. My feedback was good, and my designs popular, but I got bored of making the same cards over and over.

If you want to go into business with my designs, you're more than welcome - you could pay me a small cut and do the work and I could do the designing. Serious. I suspect you might get a bit bored too, with your Brain, but the offers there....

Max_Headroom_3

JayScottGreenspan wrote: »

Yup. Happiness that comes from expensive watches and the like is fleeting and fragile. Much better to invest in activities that preclude the need for the ego boost.

If that were your motivation for buying a nice watch then you're probably best sticking with that advice yourself.

Not all of us buy in a futile attempt to boost our self worth though I'm glad to say.

Max_Headroom_3

dopester wrote: »

OK... we partly agree, but I think we differ on the magnitude of changes (and opportunities) in value to be played out.

Mate, it's just a watch, no biggie.

fc123

Hows The Job going?
Only 20 posters on here tonight...probably more on your blog.

So, you can tell us..ambiguously....we won't tell The Car Co.:o

Max_Headroom_3

fc123 wrote: »

Hows The Job going?
Only 20 posters on here tonight...probably more on your blog.

So, you can tell us..ambiguously....we won't tell The Car Co.:o

New blog entry up tonight which should answer your question I think.

But in a nutshell, good. Just need to get a handle on the mountains of paperwork! :eek:

fc123

Max_Headroom wrote: »

New blog entry up tonight which should answer your question I think.

But in a nutshell, good. Just need to get a handle on the mountains of paperwork! :eek:

I'll take a look now...meant to be working on PC tonight but keep procrastinating....

Phirefly

I've just found out that my best friend who was made redundant when all those companies fell like dominoes earlier in the year has finally got a new job doing what she was doing before.

I find this quite poigniant as she was the first (of several) people I know to suffer directly from the effects of the recession. Her news today fills me with optimism and I'm enjoying supposing it has broader significace.