I HAVE A CUSTOMER

Someone actually ordered something from my shop this week! They ordered this hat in blue, and I started/finished crocheting it today:

I plan on adding a ribbon and buttons to the finished product before shipping it (to Alabama!) tomorrow. 

Overall, business has been a little slow, possibly because I only have three items and limited visibility compared to the hundreds of other crochet/knitting shops on Etsy. According to Etsy, another reason I might have few customers is because my shop only ships within the United States. My shop stats show that I have had viewers located in the Czech Republic and Sweden, so it may be a good idea for me to open up my shop to include international shipping (though it may be fairly expensive).

In the coming weeks, I want to expand my shop and selection to include more unique items. Once I get a new phone/camera I also want to retake some of the product pictures on my site. Because of this, I probably will not be working on my caravan for a while (partially because I'm still working on the best way to create/install mini-furniture into the caravan), but I hope to have it done by the end of the school year to have for my final presentation.

Potential Products

   Adding new products plays a large role in maintaining any active business, so this week I have been focusing on potential items I can add to my shop (I'm also taking a much-needed break from the caravan project). I decided to focus on things relatively straightforward to make and which do not use up too much of my materials. Additionally, since I am not too great with developing my own patterns, I've decided to search for patterns on crafting/crochet blogs as well as Pinterest. The tricky part about this, however, is the owner needs to give permission before others can sell their designs/finished products. Without this release, blog owners can technically sue on copyright grounds. Thus, I made sure all patterns used on my Etsy account are linked and credited to their original designers, who explicitly gave clearance for others to sell products created from their designs. Potential items I'm considering adding are:

Charmander by 53stitches



Squirtle by 53stitches


Totoro by 53stitches




Tuxedo Sam by Amigurumei

Making a Caravan

   This month, I'm working on developing my own crochet pattern, which is something I've never done before. I was inspired by this crocheted caravan that has been circling the boards of Pinterest for the past year:

   Unfortunately, the creator did not publish a pattern for this incredibly detailed piece. This creation was so amazing, however, that I decided to take on the challenge and see if I could either replicate or modify this caravan. 

   I began with the actual shell of the caravan, using off-white and pink yarn for the outside and only off-white yarn for the inner walls.

   I then just crocheted rows upon rows, building up the walls and sides of the caravan until they looked roughly like those of the original picture's. It took me way longer than I expected (especially because I tried to make the walls larger to incorporate all the possible furniture).

   I realized that I needed something to allow the caravan to stand up and hold its shape on its own, so I cut out oval-ish shapes from a tissue box that I can sew between the inner and outer walls of the caravan shell.

   

Here are the pictures of the process of sewing in the cardboard cutouts:

   This project seems to be taking a lot more time consuming than I expected (it's taken around two weeks just to get to this point), but at least I am done with the shell of the caravan! I was originally planning to sell the finished product on my Etsy account, but I really do not want to go through all that work again. I still have to stitch the walls of my caravan together, and then start working on the furniture, windows, and decorations, but these details should (hopefully) be much more fun and less tedious.

Writing Shop Policies

   Etsy Shops require a set of store policies to abide by and help customers understand what to expect if they were to order a product. Shop policies on Etsy are divided into different sections are thus must include information regarding payment (including form of payment accepted, such as PayPal, Etsy gift cards, and/or credit cards), shipping (when to expect the product to arrive, how/where you ship, and how items are packaged), and a refund policy. My shop policies below were inspired and guided by this guide to writing Etsy Shop policies.

My Shop Policies:
Welcome: Thank you for stopping by WestwoolCrochet! Each one of our products is handcrafted and made-to-order. We hope you find everything to your satisfaction!

Payment: Payment is due at the time of checkout. We accept Credit Cards, PayPal, and Etsy Gift Cards. Orders shipped to Texas will have 8.25% added for sales tax.

Shipping: We only ship to the US at this time.
                Our products are made to order and generally take 4-5 business days to complete.
                We offer two shipping options at the time of checkout (please note that these options only reduce delivery times. It does not reduce the time needed to complete your order):
                         USPS First Class: $3
                         USPS Priority Mail: $7
                 Tracking is included in the price, and you'll get an email with tracking details when your order ships.

Refunds/Exchanges: We offer a 100% money-back guarantee or exchange on all products. Just notify us that you'd like to return or exchange the item within 30 days of receipt, and we'll send you instructions.

Additional Polices and FAQs: We take pride in our work. We personally create every product that we sell. All work takes place in a smoke-free environment, and each piece is inspected closely to ensure the highest quality. Because our items are hand-crafted, no two are exactly alike, and the color/texture of item may vary slightly. Thank you for stopping by Westwool Crochet! We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions.

Setting Up Shop

   For no particular reason, I decided to name my Etsy shop (and blog) "WestwoolCrochet". The link is https://www.etsy.com/shop/WestwoolCrochet and I am pretty excited about it. I added three listings this morning for a mini Baymax, crochet donut, and small top hat.

   It was rainy and dark outside, however, so I did not have much natural light to work with and my pictures did not turn out too well (I'll probably redo them later). I have set up my profile page and financial information, as well as added a coupon code (Enter CHALK2015 for 20% off any purchase!). I also made sure to add some customizable options for each product, which might take me a little more time to make, but should be worthwhile.

   My next immediate steps will be to figure out my policies and design my banner, as well as develop some new listings to update my shop with. I also need to figure out marketing and actually making sales.

Why an Etsy Shop?

   One of my favorite hobbies is crocheting and knitting, and I would like to just sit and create animals and clothing and decorations all day, but I don't typically have the time and motivation to do so. Crocheting takes up a good chunk of energy, and when combined with school and college applications, it typically plays no part in my daily life. Crafting in high school is, unfortunately, a waste of time.
   Thus, I want to open an Etsy shop to give me incentive to take back up something I like to do. Since crocheting is now technically part of my schoolwork, I have an excuse to sit down and create new items, or invest my time in somewhat larger projects. Hopefully, I'll also be able to earn some money on Etsy as well.