Turning a crafting hobby into a part-time job seems like an ideal move for busy students, especially when profits can be earned with a little hard work through the convenience of a computer.
Marketplace websites like Etsy have gained popularity as a place for amateur and professional artisans to sell their items online without the greater risk of financial loss from investing in their own shops.
Because Etsy allows just about anyone with a computer to start up an online shop, a few UCLA students who enjoy crafting as a hobby have taken the initiative to sell their items with varying experiences ranging from successful to unprofitable.
Anthropology professor Jeanne Arnold, who mentors an honors project examining American consumerism, studies marketplace websites as a way for people to get rid of used personal belongings as opposed to selling items in person via garage sales, pawn shops or flea markets.
“Craigslist or Etsy might be alternatives to face-to-face interactions or a different alternative to flea markets,” Arnold said. “My impression of Etsy is that it’s more oriented towards arts, decorative items and art items, whereas the spectrum is much wider on Craigslist or eBay. It seems to be a very suitable environment to sell in.”
Lomonico uses Etsy, a marketplace website, to sell her original jewelry, which is made with freshwater pearls and sea shells.
“Most of what I sell are jewelry pieces like necklaces, bracelets and earrings … made of freshwater pearls, abalone shells and turquoise. There’s a bead shop downtown where I get a lot of cool beads and it’s really convenient because I can just take the bus on Wilshire,” Lomonico said.
Lomonico has sold numerous earrings, necklaces, bracelets and even some original artwork on her online Etsy store. Lomonico said though she does have financial success using Etsy, each day the market can be unpredictable in terms of profits.
“It’s really exciting that I can sell stuff to people all over, like Texas and New Jersey. I definitely have some days more successful than others. Some days I can make up to $60, and other days zero,” Lomonico said. “But for me … I enjoy making these things rather than getting measurable profit out of it. It’s a lot of fun to make stuff but it’s definitely a perk to actually make money off of it.”
Just like street stores, providing a good impression for potential customers is a necessity. Lomonico said she believes that displaying good photos of merchandise as well as utilizing social media websites to accompany an Etsy page are two components that could help bring in sales.
“I would say that the images you use are really important. They’re the face of your page because you mainly see pictures of what people are selling. You want a professional looking picture rather than some cheesy one,” Lomonico said. “Opening a Facebook page along with it can also help a lot so you can reach out to your … friends, which helps spread the word.”
“I would crochet things like hats and sell them, but it was more of an experiment to see if I could make money that way,” Slovin said. “I think it’s a great site because you could just sell your own products … but it’s such a formula that you have to be good at. The downside would be that there are so many people out there doing the exact same thing as you’re doing.”
And it is true – with more than 20 million members and 800,000 active shops, Etsy is not a marketplace without competition. Like Lomonico, Slovin said self-marketing is one of the keys to being successful on Etsy.
“Are my photos great? Do I have enough products? Am I pricing them right? Should I charge shipping or not? Will that make people want to buy it? It might be hard to jump in it without research first,” Slovin said.
Lomonico and Slovin are two examples of students who used Etsy to sell some of their handmade crafts. Jessie McCurdy, a fourth-year art and psychology student, combines two ways of using Etsy by selling handmade jewelry as well as found vintage items or used clothing. McCurdy follows the usual route of selling original crafts as well as using the website as a virtual garage sale.
“I sold about ten items, then I stopped using it. It was a mixture of jewelry I made, vintage clothes that I found, or things I ordered that weren’t my size,” McCurdy said.
McCurdy considered her Etsy shop as something to pursue during her free time. Though she does not actively use her shop now, she has found some success using it in the past. She describes Etsy as an easy-to-use website that does not charge high fees for item postings – an ideal aspect that would allow many students to give Etsy a shot.
“I definitely thought it was easy to use and very seller and buyer friendly. You would have a small charge (of) about 20 cents for posting an item. Super, super easy to use, just upload photos and it kind of does everything on its own,” McCurdy said.
But since Etsy grants access to a massive amount of sellers, aspects like quality control might be an issue among buyers. Some items may not appear as pictured, while others might just be poorly made or extremely bizarre.
The website Regretsy addresses these offbeat items and sells its own items to raise money for charity. From toilet-bowl guitars to shredded umbrellas, Regretsy magnifies the aspects of Etsy that are like a true flea market. Regretsy has received negative feedback from many sellers who have had their items featured on the site; nonetheless, Regretsy maintains its mission to advertise what it believes to be the worst items on Etsy.
Etsy could be a way for busy students to make money on the side, but with Regretsy users patrolling marketplace websites for laughable merchandise, along with competition among shops, the effort it takes to maintain a successful Etsy shop should not be underestimated. Lomonico, Slovin and McCurdy have all mentioned that advertising, marketing and producing for Etsy stores can be time-consuming. Like anything else in life, Etsy is an avenue that requires work to pay off.
Email Shin at jshin@media.ucla.edu.
I love that DB did an article on this! I am also a UCLA alum from the School of Theater, Film & Television, currently on staff with UCLA Softball and I also spend my free time creating handmade goods on Etsy! Love the Bruin entrepreneurship!