While most are only starting to think about Christmas properly around end September as they've got ideas, presents, crafting and more to consider the crafting industry is in overdrive.
We're no exception as our customers are looking to have their works completed and up for sale work around 3 months ahead................this means we are 3 months ahead of THEM !.
Any occasion has the same approach. Design, test, prototype and advertise. This is true for EVERY design, so effectively the 10 to 30 hours of preparation for a product take up a lot of spare time. Which the customer only sees the result of when it hits the sales platform.
Many see the item as a lump of mdf, ply or acrylic that they can customise. Whilst that's true, what MANY don't realise is all that costs time, money and investment in advertising and promotion, materials purchase, tooling and machinery planning and ultimately a sale or three.
This year has been especially hectic on the 6 months approaching the Christmas festivities. 7 day weeks are not uncommon, with late in the evening production still happening even up to the 3rd week of December.
Email tennis with eBay and Etsy customers over trivialities takes up around 20% of time. NONE of this is paid for, and often absorbed into low cost products.
"Ebayitis"............The scourge of any company producing sales items on that platform.
The brainwashed customers wanting everything yesterday, for 50% discount, free postage and then scam with a non delivery request and demands for a refund, while they are sitting looking at the item alongside them. The platform is designed to make eBay money, they don't give a toss about the sellers stresses, the scammers theft nor the continual brainwashing of buyers who are led into a buying frenzy knowing full well they can steal the products by claiming they've not arrived, or damage them to get a refund.
This and other issues cost small businesses tens of milllions a year across the nation. Yet, there is little offered as a viable alternative for selling. Websites account for a small percentage of sales, and compete along with thousands of similar larger manufacturers for first page on Google rankings, with larger companies vying for the same positions with unlimited resources.
So..................next time you see a unique item from a small business think through just how much effort they put in, the hours of dedication for the task, with little or no resources available other than personal input, and skill.
SHOP SMALL with the SMALL BUSINESSES and support them over the multi-nationals buying cheap tat from China and India................
