New Stuff from Bead Planet

It's true I haven't been blogging, but I have been making a ton of new stuff.  Check it out!

Secret Garden Necklace

Salt Water Taffy Necklace

Mountain Crevasse Necklace

Silver Bubbles Necklace

I Found Help!

I tried, I really tried to participate actively in the Etsy community.  I convo'd three different team leaders to try to join selling teams because more experienced Etsians said that joining teams was a good way to get your shop discovered by other sellers and buyers.  Not one of the three leaders I contacted answered my convo.  Fine!  I really didn't want to join anyway.  Some teams meet in person, and though I don't want you to think I'm anti-social, I kind of am.  Sorry, but I've got two jobs, besides running this new jewellery business, as well as trying to raise two kids, and I'm neglecting the friends I already have, so I really don't have time to meet.  Other teams have expectations about how often you will promote your teammates. I hate expectations, don't you?

I also tuned in to a few chats.  They were kind of interesting, but I found people asked the same questions over and over, or people asked questions that weren't relevant to me, and you have to listen to all the questions before they get to yours, if they do.

One area of the Etsy community that I do find useful is the Forums.  In the Forums, people ask other Etsians questions about many different topics.  The topics are divided into eleven categories:  Announcements, Site Help, Business Topics, International, Ideas, Bugs, Critiques, Techniques & Materials, Teams & Events, Promotions, and Etc. The headlines are listed, and you can pick the threads you want to read about.  I really like reading the questions and answers, and I've had so many queries answered that have been floating around in my head for weeks.  I posted a question yesterday, and got five helpful responses right away!  People ask questions that I want to ask, but am too embarrassed to.  I feel comfortable putting in my two cents' worth, too.  Participating in the Forums is addicting!

Well, time to wrangle Rampaige and Helliam into bed!  Good night, readers!

S*#@@! Shipping Delays

In a past post I vented about a shipping delay that caused my Etsy customer inconvenience and cost me any hope of profit from the sale of a bracelet.  In a nutshell, I shipped the bracelet on Dec. 6th, way before the Dec. 13 deadline for shipping goods to the US in time for Christmas, but it still hadn't arrived by Dec. 18th.  I ended up shipping another bracelet, by ExpressPost, at a loss.

Recently, though, I was reading the Forums on Etsy, and came across a post about shipping delays to the US.  Apparently, many sellers have been experiencing delays in shipping, caused by increased security at the border.  Some shipments have taken up to 60 days to arrive!  As I searched further, I found many more posts about the delays.

Many Etsy sellers are putting a warning about possible shipping delays, along with this link which explains further, in their policies sections.  This is what I put in my policies section:

****NOTE - Recently, many sellers and buyers have experienced frustrating delays in shipments coming into the U.S. from other countries, including Canada.   Apparently, the delay is caused by increased security at the border, and shipping can take up to six weeks in some cases. If your order has been affected by this delay, I do apologize, but I cannot be held responsible for replacing your package until the six-week period has elapsed.   Here is a link to Royal Mail's website, where the problem is explained further.  

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=400144&mediaId=3800088

Again, I do apologize for this delay.  It is extremely frustrating for me, as a seller, as I make it my mandate to ship immediately upon order, usually the next day.  I am hoping that this delay at the border is a temporary situation, made worse by heavy holiday shipping traffic. 

Since the last shipment, I got another order from the US, and it reached the customer in 7 days, so I'm hoping the shipping delay was temporary.  We'll see.

Later, readers.

Etsy Finds

Although I have been a seller on Etsy since August, I haven't made a purchase on Etsy until today.  I was looking for brass findings and bead caps, as I'm working on a new line of brass pendant necklaces and earrings.  On the Etsy site, I went to the Shop Local section, and typed in Canada.  I found two shops I really like.  One was CL Beads, based in Toronto. http://www.etsy.com/shop/clbeads This shop has tons of findings in silver, sterling, copper, brass, gunmetal, and gold finishes, as well as all sorts of wire, thread and chain varieties.  They have a huge variety of charms, in many cunning shapes, like antique French Louis XIV chairs, little baby carriages, scissors, and even little buses!  They also carry glass, crystal, CZ, porcelain and lucite beads.  Their prices are very reasonable.  I ordered about $12 worth of supplies, but that was just tonight, so I can't vouch for their service yet, but they have thousands of sales, and 100% positive feedback, so I'm sure it'll be great.

The other shop I visited was called Fab Beads, http://www.etsy.com/shop/FabBeads who are based on Vancouver Island, B.C. This shop also has a huge variety of findings, charms, bead caps, chains, and filigree elements, at very reasonable prices.  They have a line of lovely antique brass charms, clasps, and bead caps with a gorgeous chocolate brown patina.  Fab Beads has also had thousands of sales, with 100% positive feedback.  I spent about $25 at this shop.  I can't wait for my packages to arrive!  Buy handmade, it's fun!

Adieu, readers.

New Bead Planet Offerings on Etsy

Blue Velvet Necklace

 Check out these new items I just listed on Etsy!  It's been a while since I last listed anything new.  Report card time for a teacher is like tax time for an accountant.

Chocolate Mint Necklace

Copper Sea Necklace

Juliet's Heart Necklace

These are the last of my Tudor Queens collection of earrings. They're called Katharine Parr Earrings.

Bead Planet's Pre-Boxing Day Sale on Etsy

Get the jump on Boxing Day savings with Bead Planet's Pre-Boxing Day Sale on Etsy!  Enter the coupon code below at checkout to receive 15% off anything in my shop from December 22 to December 31.  See shop policies for more information on how to redeem this coupon code.

Coupon Code:     PREBOXINGDAY1411

Happy Holidays!

First Sale!

I finally got my first Etsy sale!  About a week ago, I was listing my new Trinkets charm bracelets, at about 10:00 or so.  When I was done, I signed out of Etsy and signed on to Facebook to feed my Frontierville addiction.  Just before midnight, as I was about to go to bed, I made a last minute check on  my email, and found an email from Etsy telling me I had a sale ! Hallelujah!  Will wonders never cease?  I was so excited, I was tempted to wake up my husband and tell him.  Then, I came to my senses.  Waking my husband from a dead sleep is, let's just say, ill-advised.  The order was from Ohio, and it was for one of the very Trinkets charm bracelets that I had just listed.  Woo-hoooo!  Of course, I packaged it up and sent it off the very next day.  No feedback yet, so I hope they got it. Maybe I'll email them and ask them if they got it. Would that be stalker-ish?  Let's hope this is the first of many!



This is the bracelet that I sold.  It's called Purple Trinkets Charm Bracelet.



Inspiration from Henry

Sometimes I find myself at a loss when sitting in my studio (kitchen table) for inspiration--what should I make today?  Earrings, necklace, bracelet?  Dangly earrings, long necklace, choker, pendant, no pendant?  Copper, silver, or...you get the idea.  This week, I got some inspiration from an unexpected source--the TV.  This week, I watched an episode of CBC's "The Tudors" for the first time.  I knew a bit about Henry VIII from reading a couple of Phillipa Gregory novels, but I'd never been interested in watching the Emmy-winning series, which is in its final season on CBC.  I tuned in, to be honest, because I couldn't find the remote, and was too lazy to get up and change the channel (heaven forbid!)

A Store is Born--Part III

I didn't manage to take any photos today.  I normally set up my portable photo studio (point and shoot camera, patio table and slate tile) on my balcony, but today we seem to be experiencing a bit of Hurricane Earl.  Winds are gusting strong enough to blow the BBQ cover off, it's raining, and it's damn COLD!  Try taking pictures while your earrings are shimmying to beat the band.  I don't think the motion stop feature is THAT effective.

Last time I blogged (I love that verb--it sounds like a euphemism for clogging the toilet by vomiting into it too much) I had figured out the ins and outs of Canada Post, written my shop policies and a bio, and signed up for PayPal.  As luck would have it, my kids, (I'll call them Rampaige and Helliam,) were being spirited off to the ancestral family home in rural New Brunswick by the grandparents, bless their misguided souls, for two whole weeks!  That meant I would have extended periods of uninterrupted time to concentrate on setting up my Etsy shop.  Pure luxury! 

A Store is Born Part II

Classroom finally ready!  Bulletin boards decorated, deskplates on desks, lockers assigned--all ready for Tuesday.  I'm hopeful that I can get some photographing done this weekend so I can list some new items on my Etsy shop. 

Back when I was preparing to open my Etsy shop, one of the things I had to research was shipping. Before I could write my shipping profiles, I had to figure out how I was going to ship items to the buyers.  Up to this point, my experience with Canada Post consisted of sticking a stamp on an envelope and dropping it in the mailbox, or opening my crammed mailbox and struggling to extract the bills without destroying them.  I needed to know how to wrap the packages, how long shipping would take, and how much to charge buyers.  I tried to navigate Canada Post's website, but it was about as easily navigable as a meerkat family's den.  Instead, I went to the post office with a sample of a typical package, and asked the clerk how much shipping might cost to mail that package anywhere in Canada, the U.S., or internationally.  Apparently, the package has to fit into a 2 cm plexiglass slot, or it costs more.  Armed with this knowledge, I was ready to fill out my shipping profiles.  All that was left was to sign up for a PayPal account, write a bio, hammer out my refund and exchange policies, and write some descriptions for my jewellery.

I'm falling asleep at the wheel here, so I'll continue this thread next time.  Good night, all.