The shop is restocking tonight and the email list knows exactly when!
There is still time to sign up and find out for yourself!
Here’s a peak of the new items you’ll find in the shop soon!
2023 Wrap-Up and 2024 Goals
Now that we are in February, it solidly feels like 2024 has begun. January is always such a weird time - trying to get back into a routine after the holidays throw everything into chaos. I really enjoyed making a 2022 wrap up blog, so I wanted to make sure I recorded some happenings from 2023 before it gets too far off.
2022 was the start of my YouTube channel, but in 2023 I only managed to put out one new video. Luckily, it actually became my most viewed video and I still went from 171 subscribers to 459 over the year.
Check it out here:
The video was about pricing my new design - Gelatinous Cube Goblets - inspired by Dungeons and Dragons. I’d had the idea for them in my head for years and finally took some time to make them. They took a lot of work, but I was nervous about charging the highest I had ever priced a piece of pottery. A few sold online, but the rest of the 12 sold out at the New York Renaissance Faire. It was so nice to see people so excited about them!
Speaking of the faire, I bought my booth at the New York Renaissance Faire in 2023, meaning I plan to be there for a long time! We added a new sign and built a better accessibility ramp this year, but I’m excited to keep making the booth my own! Will you be traveling to the faire this year?
I continued running my Patreon in 2023, and I’m so thankful for the community there! Because of my patrons’ support, I was able to make time to sculpt a new design - a Wizard Kitty! They were offered as a Patreon exclusive pre-order, and I am so happy with the results. I can’t wait to make more cute characters in the new year!
Looking Ahead in 2024
January 2024 started with an interview in CanvasRebel due to the gracious referrals by Skapa Leather and Just Terrific. In the interview, I talked about my journey to becoming a full time artist, how I had to pivot (like most of us) in 2020, and some tips for how I use social media.
This year I have some big goals. I already made two new YouTube videos about it, so there really is no taking it back. My hope is to make $100,000 worth of pottery. Obviously, I would also like to sell that amount of pottery, but you can’t sell what you don’t have, so I’m focusing first on the inventory side of the goal. In January I planned out my whole calendar by day and even by hour to see if this goal was realistic. You can watch that process here:
I’m keeping a positive outlook on the big platforms, but if you’ve made it off of social media to my little old blog, then I’m willing to tell you that claiming this goal publicly is a little scary. The first obvious risk is that I might fail, which will be pretty disappointing to announce. But I’m also worried that people might think I’m making loads of money and I don’t “need” their purchase. I’m sure you know, but this is just a quick reminder that even if I sell $100,000 worth of pottery - that’s not my take home pay. Just like how “normal” salaries have taxes, I have income taxes too, but even more than that are all the expenses to run the business. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to work for myself for as long as I have, but this inventory/ sales goal is really what I should be reaching for pottery to continue as a viable livelihood.
I appreciate every act of support. I know not everyone is in the position to make purchases. I’m not even close to being able to buy from every artist I admire. Every time you like, comment, and share my work, you’re helping this dream more than you know. If you are in a place to buy, the shop is recently restocked with new pieces made this year!
If you want to know how the $100,000 goal is going so far, you can watch my January recap video, which also talks about my goals for February and beyond. I’m really excited about this new monthly reflection format, because it will keep me more consistent with making videos. I already have more out for 2024 than I made in 2023!
Thank you so much for reading this far! It means a lot that you’re interested in the goings on of my little business. I hope you’ve had a good start to 2024 and we’ll talk more soon!
Restock Preview for May 24th
New dragon mugs, bottles, and mini-mug sets are coming to the store on Wednesday, May 24th. Want to know the exact time? Make sure you’re signed up for emails so you can be one of the first to get to the shop when they release!
Here’s a look at everything coming to the shop:
A New Dragon Design!
I’ve had this idea in my head for SO LONG and I finally got a chance to make one! I’m working on many more for the New York Renaissance Faire, but if you want to be one of the first to get one, you can join the Fan(g) Club for as little as $3 to get access to the secret store! Dragon dishes are the exclusive May pre-order, so you still have a few days left! And guess what? You can choose custom colors too!
Restock Preview
Are you ready for the Renaissance Faire?
Do you have your costume and the four essential accessories?
Well, I can help you with one of them: a ceramic bottle!
This weekend I’m updating the shop with bottles and a few pirate mugs so that you can be all decked out and ready for the Ren Faire season!
Want to know the exact time of the restock? Make sure you’re signed up for emails so you can be one of the first to get to the shop when they release!
Check out the gallery below for a sneak peek at the bottles available this weekend. Each bottle comes with your choice of recycled cotton cord: white, natural, brown, or black.
What makes ceramic bottles so great for Ren Faire?
Hydration is key. You’ll likely be walking around the festival in the hot sun and need to make sure you stay hydrated. A ceramic bottle gives you a costume-appropriate way to carry water with you and let’s you skip buying overpriced disposable plastic water bottles at the festival. Plus, here’s a cool tip: Fill up your bottle and put it in the fridge overnight. Ceramic is a natural insulator so it’ll stay cold longer throughout the day.
Mug Project Updates
The first batch of Mug Project pre-orders were shipped this week and I am in love with the results! Plus, with the help of these orders, the future home of Fired Figments at the New York Renaissance Faire is 28% funded - huzzah!
There is still time to get in on the second batch of pre-orders and to continue helping my Ren Faire dreams come true! The pre-orders will remain at the $30 discounted price until April 16th when they’ll return to $35 - so shop now to save!
Check out these glaze combinations from the first batch!
There are still so many other fantastic glaze combinations left to try!
Browse all the options here - Click!
"Danger Jelly" Release Preview
You're exploring the dark corridors of an abandoned castle with some adventurous friends. As you turn the corner, you bump into something gooey and your arm becomes stuck. In the torchlight you see your potential future - skulls and bones float undissolved in the ooze. But you also notice lost treasures - legendary weapons, spell books, jewels, and more! Will you run for your life, or fight for the gold?
Immerse yourself in game night with a truly one-of-a-kind treasure - a hand-sculpted goblet. Each goblet starts as a wheel-thrown cup and stem, which is altered to have a "cube" shaped rim. It is then brought to life through hand-painted details and a custom glaze treatment to create the layers of "ooze."
New Product Release!
You may have seen the prototypes of this design on TikTok or Instagram. The first two went to Patreon members, but the public release is finally ready! Since every goblet is truly different, I thought I should post a preview so you can choose which cube calls to you the most. Scattered amongst the cubes are swords, axes, arrows, daggers, shields, crowns, jewels, coins, skulls, bones, harps, lutes, flutes, books, potions, and more! My favorite might be the gold goblets on the cube goblet - haha!
The “danger jelly” goblets (inspired by a popular fantasy game monster) will be available this weekend. Make sure to sign up for emails or check your inbox to find out the exact release time so you can snag the goblet you want most!
What to Expect
These goblets are being offered at an introductory price of $125 plus shipping. Based on how this release goes, this may be the only release of this design, or future releases may be closer to $150. For a reminder on why I charge shipping separately, read this blog post. If you’re curious on how I landed on this price, you can watch my new YouTube video breaking down my pricing structure.
Thank you for taking a look! I’ve had this idea in my head for over two years and am so excited they finally exist in the world!
2022 Round Up
This year had a lot of firsts - a new YouTube channel, Patreon subscriptions, Podcast interview, a demonstration at The Gallery in the Valley, and my first year at the New York Renaissance Faire! Thank you SO MUCH for your support on all of these new projects! Here are some of my favorite highlights:
My Most Watched YouTube Video
1.2k views on this video, and 171 subscribers in 2022 - more to come in 2023!
Exclusive Patreon Rewards
Patreon subscribers got early access to my new Pocket Dragons, voted on restock times, designed their exclusive club mugs, were mailed monthly stickers designed by me and by guest artists (like Studio Julep, bottom right,) and in December they received exclusive club snowflake ornaments!
There is still time to join in December and get your ornament!
Sustainable Ceramics Podcast
I recently had the opportunity to talk to Brooke Thivierge on her podcast, Batty Bitches, about Sustainable Ceramics. Some of the topics we cover are: recycling clay, reusing water, sourcing secondhand studio furniture, plastic free shipping, repairing pottery, and ultimately remembering to not be so hard on yourself when attempting sustainability.
Fired Figments Out and About
This year I sold my pottery for seven weekends at the New York Renaissance Faire and I can't wait to be back next year! At the beginning of December I demonstrated wheel throwing in the front window of The Gallery in the Valley during their First Friday Art Party. You can still shop from my wall of mugs and more at the gallery through the end of December.
Christmas Pottery is Going Back in the Vault!
Santa Gnomes and Christmas Trees are disappearing from the site! Get 15% OFF these holiday sculptures now through January 15th, then they'll be gone and won't return until next fall!
Thank you again for your support in 2022 - see you in 2023!
Sustainable Ceramics on the Batty Bitches Podcast
You might know that the environment is always on my mind, even when running my business. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Brooke Thivierge on her podcast, Batty Bitches, about Sustainable Ceramics.
Some of the topics we cover are: recycling clay, reusing water, sourcing secondhand studio furniture, plastic free shipping, repairing pottery, and ultimately remembering to not be so hard on yourself when attempting sustainability.
In the episode, I mention my bucket system for reusing water that prevents any water from ever going down a drain. You can see a visual breakdown of that system on my YouTube channel.
Looking for some more quick tips? Here are my favorite tips for a more eco-friendly pottery studio:
Did we miss any of your favorite sustainable practices? Do you have any questions about making pottery more eco-friendly? Comment with your thoughts and questions here!
LGBTQ+ Artists and Creators to Support
It’s time to welcome Pride Month to 2022! Some years feel more celebratory than others and right now it feels like the U.S. is regressing in many ways. 2SLGBTQIA+ people do not have equal rights across the country, and are actively losing rights in many states - a strong reminder that Pride began with riots and protests. (If any of those letters are unfamiliar to you, the abbreviation stands for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning and/or queer, intersex, asexual/ aromantic/ agender, and the plus aims to encompass the vast variety of identities and orientations in the community.) It’s important to balance celebration with action, and there are many different roles to fill in the pursuit of social change. I won’t claim to be the perfect source for education or resources, but I can try to share the information I do find. I can also do my best to share my own experiences, and to spotlight those within my field - small businesses and creators. Let’s start with ways to support!
Showing Support
In the past few years there has been a greater understanding that people outside of a community should not profit from the struggles of those within the community. And that includes both monetary profit and social gain from using a cause to promote your work. We know that we should buy our Black Lives Matter materials from Black-owned businesses. Likewise, we should recognize that big businesses filling shelves with rainbows during June is simply a marketing ploy if they do not take year round action to protect 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and lives. However, I have also seen the opinion that big businesses believing that supporting Pride isn’t a risk to their bottom line is a sign of progress. How great is it for younger generations to see themselves represented in public places and for Pride merch to be easily accessible when that was not the case not so long ago?
Still, if you are hoping to have the greatest impact on queer and trans lives, supporting queer and trans-owned small businesses and individuals directly will do more than the percentage given from a big brand T-shirt. More-so, we know that we can’t buy our way to a solution. Being a consumer might be a quick way to give monetary support to someone, but you can also donate to causes and individuals without a material return. And if you’re not in a position to give monetarily, listen to 2SLGBTQIA+ leaders, educators, creators, and more. Use your time to join protests, write or call your representatives, or simply have one on one conversations with friends and family. Remember, there are many roles that can be filled and you don’t have to be all of them at all times.
As June approached, I was conflicted about whether I should make any Pride-themed collections. Even though I identify as pan, my straight-passing privilege means that I haven’t faced the same struggles as many others in the community, and so I didn’t feel right taking any of the spotlight. I talked to several other LGBTQ+ artists and was repeatedly assured that there is no level of queer “enough” to celebrate Pride. Sharing your experiences simply adds another story to the growing visibility and variety of queer lives. Later this month I will be releasing a few pieces with the goal of celebrating queer joy (like everyone’s love for Our Flag Means Death,) and will announce where the funds will go then as well.* Until then, I also wanted to help spotlight some of my favorite 2SLGBTQIA+ businesses, creators, and charities. Check the links below for people and groups to support now and all year long. This list is definitely not exhaustive, just a small collection I’ve found over the years. Check back as I add more from my memory and your suggestions!
*EDIT: This year’s Pride collection will donate proceeds to The Knights and Orchids Society. Item listings will include details. TKO provides affirmative healthcare, housing and food assistance, and community activities for Black LGBT people across Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, and North Carolina. They are currently raising funds to purchase a building to center their services at the foot of the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge. (TKO is not affiliated with my shop, but their mission is one I would like to support. Please donate directly to them if you would like to send support as well.)
Podcasts
I love listening to podcasts while working in the studio. Listening to podcasts can help you learn new perspectives, and streaming numbers help the creators too. Here are a few of my favorites with LGBTQ+ creators and themes!
Minority Korner
Are you easily confused by terms like cultural appropriation, cisgender, toxic masculinity, twunk, queer, black girl magic, and woke? Or maybe you’re tired of explaining terms like these and you need a community that gets you! Welcome to Minority Korner, where we take an introspective look at the world. through an intersectional lens. Join James: a queer, political, comedian, self proclaimed, sexy blerd (that’s Black Nerd) and each week he’s joined in the Korner by another fabulous minority tackling pop culture, the news, media, and history all with a little self care, and self love sprinkled throughout! It’s time to Learn, Laugh, and Play, right here at Minority Korner- because together: we’re the majority!
Suggested Episodes:
To be honest, I am a little behind on Minority Korner because they’re not on Google Podcasts, so I can’t feed them into my automatic queue, but if you just want to try them out, the slightly shorter and more focused MK Rewind episodes are a great place to start!
Dungeons + Drama Nerds
Dungeons + Drama Nerds is a podcast produced by Todd Brian Backus, Percy Hornak, and Nicholas Orvis, three dramaturgs interested in the intersection of theatre and tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). In the summer of 2019, they decided to take a break from sitting in the corner of rehearsal asking 'But why?' and turn a Twitter thread into reality. Dungeons + Drama Nerds is mixed and edited by Anthony Sertel Dean.
Each season will feature three different TTRPG systems alternating between Actual Play and Commentary episodes. As our players explore these adventures we’ll dissect what sorts of storytelling each system fosters.
Suggested Episodes:
If you want to listen to the Actual Play episodes, check their feed and find the games that interest you. Of course I suggest listening to everything, but here are a couple LGBTQ+ related commentary episodes that you can pick up without needing to be caught up.
Historically Really Good Friends
History says they were really good friends - who just happened to live together and share a bed.
Historically Really Good Friends hosted by Jared Fembleaux and Rachel Craig is an introduction to queer people and the queer events that have happened, but history books never taught you about! Some people say that history wasn't actually queer, but we're here to tell you that that isn't true.
Suggested Episodes:
I haven’t listened to the whole library yet, but here are a few I’ve completed so far. I like that they include all their sources in the show notes, so you can go on to read the articles if you want more information.
Small Businesses and Creators
A collection of some of my known favorites and new discoveries from my recent call to artists. Click on the pictures to visit their sites.
Send me an email or a DM if you would like to be added to the list!
Donations and Organizations
Donating to any 2SLGBTQIA+ charity is great! Many of the well-known, national organizations have partnerships with big brands in June and see an influx of donations during Pride. If you’d like to support these groups, consider setting up monthly donations to help with year round expenses. I also like to see my money make a direct impact, so I try to give to small organizations, and to individuals in need. Here are some suggestions of where to start:
GoFundMe
GoFundMe is full of people needing help to pay for gender-affirming health care, as well as queer or trans youth needing housing after being kicked out from unsupportive homes. Use keywords like “gender-affirming,” “trans youth,” “queer youth,” etc. to search for donation campaigns.
Local Groups
If you don’t already know about groups in your community, try searching with keywords and your town or city and see what you can find! You might find educational and outreach resources, or even social groups to support. Also check to see if your community has any mutual aid groups.
One of my Christmas traditions for many years has been to see the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus preform their winter concert. Here are some other groups too!
Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus
ImageOut Film Festival
Flower City Pride Band
Smaller Charities
There are so many great groups out there doing what they can to support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Here are a few to look into. (Email or DM me if you have suggestions of smaller organizations to share)
My Story
When I first started writing this blog, I had my story at the top, but after adding the links to all these great artists and organizations, I realized that they should all come first. I don’t have a monumental coming out story, and coming out also isn’t a requirement of Pride - there are many valid members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community still in the closet. But, since I do feel safe and comfortable sharing about myself, I’d like to add my story in the hope that maybe others can relate and feel represented.
My identity doesn’t feature heavily in my art, so I don’t often define my orientation under the “Fired Figments” name. Even in my personal life, I never really “officially” came out in a public way - mainly because my ten years and counting straight-passing relationship means that I haven’t been in the dating pool for awhile. That straight-passing privilege also means that I have not been a victim of the hate crimes or discrimination that others in the community have faced. I cannot go without thanking the people who have come before me and fought for rights and acceptance so that I feel comfortable to so nonchalantly mention that I am pan. Coming out is still not safe for many youths and adults, so the fight must continue.
It took me several years to learn about myself. Growing up, I was often coined a “tomboy” - I quit Girl Scouts in second grade and joined karate instead. I refused to use pink crayons unless it was for coloring the inside of dogs’ ears. I also got in trouble for calling a classmate a “girly-girl” like it was an insult. Of course, my rejection of femininity can now be easily linked to internalized misogyny and society’s devaluing of traditionally feminine interests. But, it also meant that I was asked at a young age if I was happy being a girl and if I would rather be a boy. Even though my gender expression has sometimes opposed the “norm,” I still knew that I was comfortable as a girl. I actually had an experience of someone misgendering me in elementary school and knew I didn’t like it. We had a field trip to a one room schoolhouse and were supposed to dress in time-period appropriate clothing. I was in my refusing-to-wear-a-dress stage and so wore overalls like the boys, but kept my hair in pigtails. The schoolhouse teacher refused to use she/her pronouns for me because of how I was dressed, and I remember going home so angry that day. This one day will obviously never equate to the anger and hurt felt by trans and nonbinary youths (and adults) in unsupportive environments - I will never know what it is like to have my identity questioned and even dismissed on a daily basis. But, that schoolhouse is a memory that I look back on when reflecting on my identity. Now, I’m not offended if someone chooses to use they/them to reference me, and I even enjoy causing gender confusion once in a while - like when a child asked their parent in the grocery store, “that’s a girl!?” after I said “sorry” for being in their way - my voice a little surprising coming out from under a masked face with short hair. But, I still know that she/her are my preferred pronouns.
Identifying as pan took a bit longer - especially since I didn’t have the language to define myself until college. But, I have some key memories in my journey like being a young teen and the little rush of rebellion I felt when I first started circling “Sometimes” under the question “Do you find girls attractive?” on my pediatrician’s annual physical forms. In my senior year of high school I had the most butterfly-inducing kiss with the girl I had a crush on all year. But, I still didn’t really know who I was or how to handle those feelings. In college I tagged along to a LAMBDA meeting with a friend, and the topic that night just so happened to be defining LGBTQ+ vocabulary. There I learned the difference between bisexual and pansexual, and found that pan’s definition of “being attracted to people regardless of gender” felt the most right to me. At the time, bisexual was defined to me along the binary of men and women, but really bisexual is generally defined as “being attracted to two or more genders” and sometimes it is used interchangeably with pan, while other times there are debates about which term is actually more inclusive. However, since pan is what resonated with me when I found my identity, I still choose to use it now.
If you’ve made it all the way to the bottom - thank you for reading! I hope you discovered some new creators and organizations. Pride is a time of celebration, a time of remembrance, a time of mourning, a time of action, a time of empowerment - it can mean so many things to so many people. May your Pride month be everything you need it to be!
Etsy Strike - The Results?
It’s been a little over a week since the Etsy seller strike ended, and you may know that I had some thoughts before it started. So, did the strike have any notable results? Well, there are data points we can analyze, anecdotal opinions we can discuss, and reflections from my own experience and how I’m changing my Etsy strategy going forward. You can also jump to the end to see my suggestions for small business sellers and customers.
Etsy’s Response
Etsy did not reach out to the strike’s organizers directly. Instead, a bottled response was repeated to the press:
“Sellers have consistently told us they want us to expand our efforts around marketing, customer support and removing listings that don’t meet our policies. Our revised fee structure will enable us to increase our investments in each of these key areas so we can better serve our community and keep Etsy a beloved, trusted and thriving marketplace.”
This response is in-line with the original email sent to sellers by Etsy on February 24th, and lightly touches on two of the strikes demands: cracking down on resellers and improving seller support. Etsy will need to make good on these promises, but the strikers are not optimistic. They are continuing their efforts with a letter writing campaign and possibly a union-like “solidarity organization for Etsy sellers.”
Excerpt from Etsy’s email titled “Investing in Etsy’s growth: A message from CEO Josh Silverman” on February 24th, 2022
The News
The general Etsy Strike press release could be found on almost every major news provider. As the week continued, some sites tracked the progress and added interviews from various Etsy sellers. You can check out an archive of the news coverage here. I saw a couple interesting spins on the story, like this article that focused on Etsy as an entrepreneurship entry point for women and non-binary business owners. By bringing the strike to the attention of people who never knew it was brewing, news outlets helped to influence the public’s opinion of Etsy - but more on that in a bit.
One news-worthy development was the tweet by Etsy founder, Rob Kalin, supporting the strike - his first tweet in 7.5 years.
The Numbers
First, let’s look at signatures. When I released my Etsy Strike article on April 7th, the strike petition had around 33,000 signatures. Now, it has over 85,000 with at least 30,000 of those claiming to be Etsy sellers themselves.
One Etsy seller tracked an interesting number change during the strike - the total number of items listed for sale on Etsy. With so many Etsy sellers putting their shops on “vacation mode” during the strike, the number of items available for sale dropped notably, but you can also see that the item number has mostly recovered. Some shop owners closed their Etsy’s permanently, but the remaining sellers are mostly making up for it.
So what about stocks? The catalyst for many seller complaints is the moment that Etsy went public - turning its concerns from small businesses to stockholders. So have the stockholders been impacted? I looked to Google to pull the stock history for Etsy over the past month, year, and five years. Each graph tells a little different story. The five year chart obviously shows the jump in stock value starting in 2020 - the pandemic profiteering cited by the strike organizers. Looking at the past year, we see an understandable increase around the holidays, and a small jump after the fee increase announcement. A closer look at the last month shows a general downward trend, with a small spike after the strike ended. We’ll have to keep an eye on the continued path to see if a loss of sellers and a drop in public opinion will have any long term impact on stock values.
Public Opinion
Even before the Etsy strike I’d noticed an increase in negative comments about Etsy. As the strike approached, I talked with other artists who noted concern that people would boycott Etsy permanently. These artists are dependent on Etsy’s marketplace searchability, sales tax collection, and VAT handling to easily (and legally) sell overseas, so leaving is not an option. Even the strike organizers recognize that there is no one-to-one alternative to Etsy. Of course, my perception of public opinion is also skewed by my social media bubbles. When I shared my strike blog post on some local artist FB groups, I found that many of the sellers there hadn’t heard anything about the strike. This was a surprise in comparison to my TikTok “for you page” where almost every other video was about the strike. During the strike, I also read a comment thread from an Etsy YouTuber where many of the commenters were not participating in the strike, didn’t know about it, or were even poking fun at it.
However, I do think the behind-the-scenes realities of Etsy are becoming more known within the art-collecting and small-business-buying communities. In 2018 when I wrote about Etsy fees, many of my Instagram followers did not know how Etsy worked, and 60% said that they preferred shopping on Etsy instead of an artist’s personal site. I have not redone this poll yet, but when posing a similar question to TikTok, many more commentors seemed willing to buy from an artist’s site, and there was also much heavier criticism of Etsy. Here are a few of the comments on recent TikTok videos:
Selling Online is NOT One-Size-Fits-All
One question that has been in the back of my head through all of this is: What are the business models of those most opposed to the fee increases versus those less bothered by it? Obviously, no one likes to pay more money, but I’ve expressed my belief that the fees are still worth the services provided by Etsy (so far.) I think it is important to note that my business exists online and offline, and before 2020, most of my sales were at in person events. Generally, for a craft show to be considered “good,” you are aiming for the booth fee to be about 10% of your sales - and you are still paying the same 3% credit card processing fees as selling online. Selling in a store usually means a consignment or wholesale cut of 30% - 50%, so 6.5% from Etsy isn’t detrimental to my bottom line. I also sell larger items - mugs, bottles, and sculptures that are just naturally priced higher than say, stickers. A lot of the fee complaints I have seen come from small item sellers like stickers and pins, which seem to just naturally have smaller profit margins, so I can imagine how an online-only seller might not have the wiggle room for a 1.5% increase. Though, I think charging accurate shipping has a huge impact on keeping online sales profitable. Etsy might not be the best match for every business type, but all platforms come with their pros and cons. I’m curious if the strike’s biggest supporters come from sellers who have only ever sold online, and if there are trends between product type, age of sellers, or even age of businesses - I think a comparison of demographics versus opinions would be so interesting to see.
My Strike Experience
During the week of the strike, I did not close my Etsy shop, but I did change all my shop links to my Pattern site. I started my Pattern free trial in April, so I was not paying Etsy for its use, and chose to direct all my traffic there. However, in my current business model, I do most of my marketing and make most of my sales around restocks. I didn’t have any new product to push that week, so I wasn’t pushing a lot of traffic regardless. What did happen, though, was that I made two passive orders through Etsy. In fact, ever since opening my Pattern shop and trying to direct my traffic there, I have been able to more clearly see which sales come from my own efforts, and which are sourced by Etsy. This realization has led to a change in strategy. (You can read more about Pattern in my last blog post.)
My New Shop Policy
I still really like the user-friendly backend of Etsy listings, shipping, and customer communication (minus the pressures of the Star Seller program of course,) but I wouldn’t mind getting to keep a little more of my hard earned sales. So, I’m trying something new with my Pattern site:
Pottery restocks will release exclusively to my Pattern site. Etsy customers can still buy from Pattern and see the purchase in their Etsy history. Etsy coupons also still work on Pattern, so the buyer experience is pretty much the same as on Etsy. The difference is that I get to skip the $0.20 listing fee and the 6.5% transaction fee on these sales.
After one week, any remaining stock will be added to Etsy. Purchases can still be made from Pattern or Etsy, but this will allow the items to be discovered on Etsy search. (Once added to Etsy, the $0.20 listing fee will be charged and sales made on Etsy will take the 6.5% transaction fee.)
I’m hoping this approach will be a "best of both worlds” scenario - maximizing my earnings from self-directed traffic, but using Etsy’s marketplace to sell the pieces that aren’t immediately scooped up.
Make sure to sign up for my emails if you want to be notified of restock times - like my upcoming Seconds Sale!
My Advice for Other Artists
On my first strike post, I talked about how using the free trial of Pattern might help you test the waters of sales without Etsy, or at least give some wiggle room while building a new site. But what are some other things you can do to boost sales in the future?
Diversify your social media presence - Putting all your content eggs in one social media basket can mean trouble when algorithms change and your engagement drops. Do you have to be an expert at every platform? No. I know my attempt at joining Twitter has been sorely lacking. But, it is good to expand your audience to at least two or three apps so you can hit the different markets that exist on each. I’m still trying to find the right way to harness Pinterest as an artist, but my pinned Ren Faire blog is consistently one of my most viewed webpages - now I just need to keep jugs in stock to catch the traffic.
Build that email list - If you follow any small business tip creators, you’ve probably seen this advice, but I’m here to reiterate it again. Email inboxes are one of the most direct ways to reach your customer base, and they can’t be changed by an algorithm. Customers that opt-in to emails are likely your most loyal and interested, so make sure you market to them. You can offer sign up rewards like discounts, or long term bonuses - for example, I only announce the exact time of restocks to my email members so that they get an exclusive heads up on shop updates.
Find interest groups - Facebook groups saved my business in 2020. When Renaissance Festivals were cancelled, Faire Relief 2020 was formed, and I suddenly had access to over 50,000 members of my target market. I saw a direct correlation between my posts to that group and the sales that I made in 2020, 2021, and now. Communities of interest groups exist all over - Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, not to mention interest specific websites. Find a few that relate to your work and try them out. Don’t necessarily focus on your medium - for example, I don’t think I would find much success in a “pottery” group filled with other potters, but I could find customers in a “mug collector” or “coffee lovers” group. What sort of things are your ideal customers into? Just make sure to read all the group rules - some don’t allow marketing posts on them.
How You Can Support Small Businesses For Free:
You understand the importance of small businesses and that buying from a small business makes your money go further (paying directly for groceries and housing rather than lining a CEO’s pockets.) But, sometimes you don’t have the money to spare to support all the businesses you wish you could. So what can you do?
Engage on social media - Social media is the easiest way for small businesses to reach potential customers, but sometimes the algorithm makes it not so easy. Every like, comment, save, and share you make helps to boost that artist’s post and get it in front of more eyes meaning more potential customers ready to buy. Plus, engaging means YOU will get to see that artist’s work more often too!
Create a bookmarks list on your web browser with the individual artist sites that you want to support - that way you have any easy reference point when you are ready to buy.
Subscribe and watch YouTube channels - Not every artist has a YouTube channel, but if they do, it’s an easy place to show your support! Did you know that channels need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours before they can start making money from YouTube ads? I have a long, relaxing video you can pop on in the background to help your focus (and help my watch hours if you’d like.) I also post pottery videos and business tips!
Make a public list of your favorite artists - If you have any sort of a web presence, your list could help your favorite artists get discovered! Make a links page on your blog, or just be sure to tweet or post about your friends’ small businesses once in awhile. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools! You can see a list of some of my favorite small businesses here.
Alternative Ways to Show Monetary Support:
As I said in my last post, I don’t think you should stop buying from artists just because they are on Etsy. But here are some other places artists might be accepting support.
Fired Figment’s Patreon-Exclusive Mug Emblem
Send a tip through Ko-fi, Cash App, Venmo, or PayPal. These links will likely be in an artist’s social media bio if they are accepting tips.
Shop from print on demand sites - illustrators especially will be likely to have Redbubble, Spoonflower, Society6, TeePublic, or other sites to print their artwork on various products and send them directly to customers. I don’t know the policies of any of these sites, so my apologies if any of these suggestions are problematic.
Join their Patreon pages - Patreon is a subscription style website that allows you to support creators by picking a monthly payment tier matched with certain rewards. My Patreon includes a secret store, product and restock polls, coupon codes, free shipping, surprise stickers, curated pottery gifts, and more! Providing a reliable income on Patreon can mean the world to an artist!
In Conclusion
If you made it this far - wow! Thank you for taking the time to read all my thoughts. I’d love to hear if you found anything especially helpful! Are there any other Etsy or business questions you would like answered?
Do I think a “New Etsy” is on the horizon? Not anytime soon. It would take a lot of work and industry knowledge to compete with Etsy as a household name. However, I do feel like there is a future for micro-marketplace communities. Creating a site to house every style of art and craft would be a massive undertaking, but creating purposeful collections of similar businesses can help one another flourish. I’ve found a lot of success on the FB group Faire Relief 2020. There are free websites like The Nile List, which is a searchable archive of Black-owned businesses. Do you know of other free marketplace websites? Unfortunately, in the wake of the Etsy strike I have seen several marketplace websites crop up with “small” fees, which can feel a lot like a scam without a promise of success. Be careful where you decide to join and evaluate if they will actually be of benefit to you.
Good luck to all the artists out there and THANK YOU to everyone continuing to support small businesses!
My Thoughts on the 2022 Etsy Strike
Did you know that on April 11th, many Etsy shop owners will be going on strike?
This is in response to Etsy announcing that on that date, transaction fees will increase from 5% to 6.5%, which appears to be the last straw in a list of several other grievances. Etsy claims that the increase is in response to record sales over the past two years and a way for them to fund more improvements and services to the seller community. Many see this claim as laughable since the seller-facing customer service of Etsy is known to be more than lacking.
So What Does an Etsy Strike Look Like?
Participating sellers will put their shops in “Vacation Mode” for part or all of the week from April 11th to April 18th. Vacation mode temporarily closes your shop to prevent new sales from coming in. The hope is to show Etsy how much they might lose if all of these shops choose to permanently leave Etsy in response to the fee increase.
The strike is also organized around a petition started by an Etsy seller to cancel the fee increase and address other demands. You can find the petition with over 33,000 signatures here: https://www.coworker.org/petitions/cancel-the-fee-increase-work-with-sellers-not-against-us
You might know by now that even though I don’t think Etsy is a perfect company, I have weighed the benefits of the site to be worth staying for now. So how do I view the petition’s demands? I agree with all of them.
1. Cancel the fee increase
The phrase that caught me most from this demand is that fee increases are “nothing short of pandemic profiteering.” Yes, I think that's a great way to describe it. Etsy made record sales because new businesses were started by people stuck in their homes, and established businesses that likely made many offline sales had to pivot to online only. For example, before 2020, I had less than 300 Etsy sales because it was not my primary income, now I have over 2,100 Etsy sales!
2. Crack down on Resellers
Etsy searches have been muddied by mass-produced resellers masquerading as handmade sellers. This goes strictly against Etsy’s own claim to only allow handmade, vintage, and antique items, so they need to enforce their own rules better.
3: “Golden” Support Tickets
Although I have not personally experienced the nightmare that is Etsy customer service, that doesn’t mean problems don’t exist. Plenty of Etsy sellers have stories of their shops being forcibly closed due to false copyright claims made by bots (while real infringements are left unchecked,) funds held without explanation, and more issues that keep them from accessing their livelihoods. Etsy needs a way to fast track these support tickets to get legitimate sellers back to selling faster.
Being denied your funds can be scary. One reason I had left Squarespace was because they required you to use Stripe to accept payments and I had heard horror stories from another potter about her money being withheld and essentially stolen by Stripe. While this doesn’t make Etsy’s failings ok, it is a reminder that problems exist on all platforms.
4: End the Star Seller program
I’m not a fan of the Star Seller program, and I’ve let Etsy know that in every survey opportunity that I have had. The program scores you on maintaining a 95% or higher average on 24-hr or less message response times, 5-star reviews, and “on-time” and tracked shipping, in order to earn the “Star Seller” badge. The tracked shipping requirements are difficult to maintain for sellers of stickers, cards, and bookmarks that could normally ship through a stamped envelope, and I saw testimonies from UK creators that the shipping requirements are even harder to meet for sellers outside of the U.S. The message response requirements do not promote a healthy work-life balance for an individual running a small business.
Here’s my personal story: One weekend in October I got a message on a Saturday and I patted myself on the back that I wouldn’t answer until Monday to keep work out of my weekend. Then Monday morning I remembered the Star Seller program and realized I just ruined my shot of getting the badge. I didn’t qualify for star seller again until March because my number of messages was never large enough to make the 95% success ratio from just one message. (Right as that first message expired, I had accidentally missed another from a customer that had messaged me through two different accounts.) Unless you have over 20 messages in a 3 month timespan, one missed message will make it impossible to achieve 95%.
A message of hope for other sellers: As annoying as the Star Seller program is, did I ever feel like I lost sales because of not being a Star Seller? NO. But, I get that it’s frustrating to not meet a goal someone has set for you. Also, one improvement I noticed this month is that they have divided each criteria into their own badge now. So your shop might show the “Smooth Shipping” and “Rave Reviews” badge, but not the “Speedy replies” badge, making your successes in some areas not be completely ruined by a “failure” in another.
5: Let All sellers opt out of Offsite Ads
I think the excerpt from the petition covers this well: “We should be in control of which listings to advertise, how much we spend on ads, and whether to advertise at all. There should be no level of “success” that forces sellers to foot Etsy’s advertising costs, unless we choose to. That “success” level being well below the federal poverty line only adds insult to injury.” If you did not know, Etsy denies sellers who have ever made $10,000 annually the option to opt-out of offsite ads, and charge 12% on any sale made by a buyer within 30 days of a clicking an ad.
A message of hope for other sellers: Every business is different, so all I can do is share my experience. Even though I am in that compulsory group, I only made 4 sales through offsite ads in the past 12 months. Is it frustrating? Yes, but luckily it has not hit enough sales to destroy my overall profit margin.
So What Do I Actually Like About Etsy?
If you have watched my video “Why I Still Use Etsy + Left Squarespace,” you know that I started out with my own shop hosted by Sqaurespace in 2016. Sales were great at the beginning, but fell over a year and a half even though my social media engagement increased. I polled my audience and found out that 60% of my customers preferred buying on Etsy over buying on an artist’s personal website. The most popular reasons were that they could trust Etsy with their credit card information but didn’t know if other sites were secure, and they liked that they could keep all their art sales in one place for easy recall. I go over even more customer behavior in the video.
I actually made the switch to Etsy right around the time they were increasing fees in 2018 and a lot of the discourse in the seller community was similar to now with talks of leaving, so I was nervous to just be joining. But, the Etsy shop manager turned out to be so much more user-friendly than the nightmare that was Sqaurespace’s backend and in 2020 when I had to move my business totally online, Etsy meant easy growth.
Here are some benefits:
Customers can “favorite” your shop or individual items - they are then notified on their Etsy account anytime you restock or run a sale, which happens outside of social media algorithms and keeps you on their mind
Etsy listings are easy to copy and change for quick listing. (The variations options aren’t perfect, but they were better than what Squarespace had when I switched.)
Listing histories means that Etsy will promote listings with many sales, so keep reusing sold listings
Etsy does offer shipping discounts compared to over-the-counter USPS costs. I compared these to Pirate Ship and they were almost all the same in my package sizes (6 oz. to 6 lbs.) I couldn’t compare to Stamps.com because you need an account to see prices. It’s a free trial, but $17.99 a month after that.
Carbon-Offset Shipping - is it a little green-washy? I suppose. It’s not as good as preventing the carbon to begin with, but it’s better than nothing. I looked up and Shopify does offer carbon offset, but it looked like in many cases sellers have to opt-in and pay for the offset themselves.
Collecting and remitting sales tax. This is possibly one of the most important and often overlooked benefits of Etsy. They handle sales tax and VAT without you even needing to know the laws. Every state is different, but handling NY taxes from Squarespace was a nightmare. In New York you are supposed to charge sales tax based on the delivery location of the item, not the shipping location. Sales tax differs by county, but Squarespace set its tax profiles by zip code, which can cross county lines. I ended up charging the lowest county sales tax statewide to avoid illegally overcharging sales tax, and then paying the rest of the sales tax out of pocket. Since I have a sales tax ID for PA as well, that means I’d have to track online PA sales too. The fact that Etsy collects and remits sales tax for you is one of its best benefits to me.
Etsy is getting a lot of hate right now because of the fee increases, and I do think the criticism is deserved. Just look at the CEO’s salary and you know that they didn’t need to increase fees to make the internal changes they have planned. But, I do want to highlight one last benefit that reflects that someone somewhere in the company championed a very human decision. On the customer side, Etsy lets you opt-out of email marketing for holidays that can be upsetting to some people like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day - I’ve never seen another company do that. I never thought Father’s Day would bother me when I first lost my dad, but it still stinks every year. That little choice to not be reminded about it in my email? That’s a huge impact.
My Advice for Seller’s Wondering if They Should Leave - Try Out Pattern
What is Pattern? Pattern is Etsy’s response to sites like Squarespace and Shopify. It hosts your Etsy listings on a separate domain - you can either buy a domain or use their free one. The benefit is that sales made through Pattern DON’T GET CHARGED TRANSACTION FEES. You still have to pay the 3% processing like everywhere else, but sales made on Pattern won’t get charged the 6.5% fee. You can choose to keep your listings on Pattern and Etsy, or make them Pattern-only, but everything goes back to the same shop manager. Something to note is that Etsy searches will only go to Etsy listings, so Pattern is best if you don’t solely rely on Etsy search traffic. Pattern costs $15 a month, but if you direct $230 or more of your sales a month, you’ll be saving more than $15 in transaction fees.
So How Does This Help You Leave?
Use the free trial to see how your sales will look without Etsy’s traffic. Use the free domain to keep your experiment free. Make sure all your social media accounts link to your Pattern site instead of Etsy to test your self-directed traffic. You can also use that month to keep your sales streams open while setting up another website if that is your choice.
My Other Advice? Stop Offering Free Shipping!
Many people cite Etsy’s pressure to offer free shipping, and I see so many breakdowns of Etsy fees include shipping costs in the total fee percentage making it seem like there are barely any profits from an item. If shipping is killing your profit, you’re not pricing correctly, so go back to charging calculated shipping. Items come in so many shapes and sizes, so it is difficult to declare a hard and fast rule for handling shipping, but as a pottery seller that often ships packages between 6 oz. and 6 lbs. I can say that charging accurate shipping saves me AND my customers money. My typical mugs now cost $17 to ship to California. Classic mugs are $30 - I’m not going to take a 57% cut to profit, and I’m also not going to charge $47 to everyone for a classic mug. BUT, if someone in California wants to pay $17 for the service of shipping one of my mugs, I am honored by their decision. Do I feel like not offering free shipping makes me lose sales? Maybe some, but I have more customers who are willing to pay shipping than those who are not. You can read more about my shipping practices here, and make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for a video on updated shipping coming soon.
My Advice for Customers Looking to Support Small Businesses?
Support sellers during this strike - if they are putting their shops on vacation mode, then you don’t even need to worry about the option of buying from them on Etsy. Look to see if your favorite sellers are offering alternative buying options during the strike.
If a shop is still open, it is probably because they need to be. Ask about alternative buying options, but don’t stop buying from Etsy for good, because that will just hurt the small shops more.
Create a bookmarks list on your web browser with the individual artist sites that you want to support - one of the major benefits of Etsy is the “favorite” shops and items feature, which even I use a lot, so find another place to collect your favorite artists
Don’t click on Etsy ads - like the kind you see on Facebook with a carousel of pictures from different Etsy shops. These are the ads that Etsy charges sellers 12-15% of their sale if someone buys within 30 days of clicking their ad. Instead, make note of the listing name or shop name and search it in the Etsy site itself to find the creator. Ads within the Etsy search are voluntarily purchased by a shop, so feel free to click on those if you’d like.
I’m going to say it one more time: Don’t stop buying from Etsy for good. Many small businesses rely on the traffic they get through Etsy searches and so can’t leave without a detrimental drop in sales. If you stop supporting artists just because they happen to sell through Etsy, you’ll just be hurting the artists more in the long run. Check out some of my favorite artists here.
What Will I be Doing During the Strike?
I want to support the grievances expressed by my fellow Etsy sellers and hope it does inspire change in the company. I am currently in the free trial period of my Pattern account, which means I haven’t paid Etsy for its use, and they won’t get transaction fees from purchases made on the site. For the length of the strike I will remove all Etsy links from my social media accounts/ website and only link to my Pattern shop to hopefully reduce Etsy’s profits from my shop.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the strike and your reasons to leave or stay on Etsy. Feel free to comment below, comment on my Etsy YouTube video, or reach out on social media!
I Learned Something Cool on TikTok Today
If you're active in the handmade community you probably know that Etsy is increasing their seller fees from 5% to 6.5% (on top of normal processing fees) and most sellers are not happy about it. You might even know that I made a video explaining that even though I obviously don't want to give more of my money to Etsy, I saw enough benefits in their system to stay.
So I was scrolling on TikTok when I saw this video and I learned that Etsy does not charge seller fees on sales made through their website creator called Pattern. Pattern does cost $15 a month, but I know that my Etsy fees are usually way over $15, so I decided to start with a free month trial! This means I can keep the Etsy backend that I'm used to and hopefully save some money on fees.
So what does that mean for YOU?
Now you have two ways to shop Fired Figments! The exact same items are in both shops, but the Online Store supports me a little bit more.
Online Store (Powered by Etsy)
All of the buyer protection and benefits of Etsy
Purchase still saves in your Etsy account
More of your purchase goes straight to Stephanie - Yay! Support small businesses!
Classic Etsy Store
“Favorite Shop” to your Etsy account so you can find it easily
“Favorite” items to create your wishlist
Etsy takes 6.5% of item price on top of processing fees (Stephanie earns less from your purchase)
However you decide to buy - I appreciate your support of my small business!
I'm excited to see if this change will be a happy compromise between losing less money on fees, and still staying on Etsy.
March Restock Preview
Watch the pieces of this weekend’s restock come fresh out of the kiln!
Show season is approaching, so my studio time needs to turn to building inventory. Mindfulness Mugs while be available occasionally as ready-to-ship pottery, but pre-orders might be over for the year (if they return, it will be after October.) Plan your pre-order with this guide:
Sizes:
12 - 16 oz.
16 - 20 oz.
20 - 25 oz.
Details:
Single-sided (one labyrinth) $50
Double-sided (two labyrinths) $60
Smooth Handle
Bumpy Handle (for more tactile play)
Colors:
*PLEASE NOTE: The "Earth" glaze uses a blue glaze that is very reactive to firing time, location in the kiln, temperature, and cooling speed. This means it can appear in a range of colors from a reddish brown at the edges, to a mottled purplish blue, and even an almost white light blue. I think it is beautiful in all its forms, but it might not be the best choice if you have a very specific vision in mind.
Why I Still Use Etsy
It's fitting that on the same day I filmed a video praising Etsy's features, they sent out an email announcing fee increases. But, I'm not running from the platform. Obviously, no one wants to give up more of their money, but the benefits to my customers and my business are still worth the price, for now.
Are you scared of the fee changes? Just starting to sell your art online, or wondering if now is the time to leave Etsy? Selling online is not a one size fits all formula. Every platform has its mix of pros and cons. In your research, you will find reasons to host your online store on Squarespace, Shopify, and others. There are plenty of videos urging you to stay away from Etsy, so I'm here to add the story of leaving my Squarespace store to join Etsy and how it changed my online sales for the better.
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This video was produced by my patrons! Join my Patreon for producer credits, behind-the-scenes, discounts, and secret pottery packages too! www.patreon.com/firedfigments
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Shop my Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/firedfigments
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Resources: Etsy Fee Exploration Googlesheet: Click Here
Etsy Shipping Discount Calculator: Click Here
Fired Figments is on Patreon!
Hi! I'm Stephanie, the artist behind Fired Figments.
You might know me from Etsy, TikTok, the Sterling Renaissance Festival, and soon - YouTube! For over 10 years I have been bringing the figments of my imagination to life through whimsical ceramic sculptures and pottery. I'm excited to expand the magic to YouTube and to embrace my love for fantasy with more sculptural work and larger pieces. Your support will make this experimentation possible!
I have been blown away by the support everyone has given my small business, especially over the past two years! Now I'd love to reward that support with some fun bonuses! From extra behind-the-scenes access, to stickers, discount codes, free shipping, and even curated gift packages, there is sure to be a reward you'll love. Oh! And don't forget the exclusive mug designed by patrons for patrons!
How it Works:
Patreon is a subscription style website that allows you to support creators by picking a monthly payment tier matched with certain rewards. Read through the reward tiers and choose which level you would like to join. You will be charged upon joining so that you can gain instant access to your rewards and benefits. After that, your membership will be renewed and your account charged around the 1st of each month. You may unsubscribe or change your tier at any time.
Everyone chooses to support for their own reasons, so I completely understand if not every reward is of interest to you. Your welcome message will include a link to a quick form which allows you to opt-out of any of the recognition or product rewards that you would prefer not to receive.
Thank you for reading and considering, and for all the ways you support my small business!
Shopping Small Gift Guide
I’m squeaking in on the last hour of Small Business Saturday with some of my favorite small businesses. This list of amazing creators includes lifelong friends, new friends, and shops that I just simply admire. Hopefully you can look back at this list throughout the holidays and beyond for some small business inspiration! (Click on the picture to see their websites/ shops)
Creative Ways to Stay Safe in the Shire
Across the country, Renaissance Faires and Festivals are opening after a year of closures. My local festival, Sterling Renaissance Festival, is set to open in July and I will be returning as a vendor at my booth near the jousting field. The festival community is so creative, and I am looking forward to seeing how vendors, performers, and visitors incorporate safety into their garb! I’ve seen so many cool masks pop up on Faire Relief 2020 and across the internet, so I wanted to share some of my favorites with you - plus some other clever ways to encourage social distancing with your garb!
Face Masks
I hope to have a couple masks to match my garb throughout the season. Here are some of my favorite choices. Please note that some of these masks are decorative and should be paired with functional masks. Click the pictures to go to the stores.
A Wing-Width Away
Need a reminder to spread out? Nothing a 6 foot wingspan can’t fix! Granted, these may not be 6 ft on each side, but I’ll take any excuse to wear fairy wings! Click the pictures to go to the stores.
Personal Space Skirt
If wings aren’t for you, maybe you’d like to add width at the bottom of your silhouette? Luckily, there is a lot of flexibility for visitor garb at the festival, so there are a variety of ways to enlarge your skirts to make a nice little barrier around yourself even if the silhouette you choose isn’t 100% time period accurate. Click the pictures to go to the stores.
Don’t Forget to Accessorize!
I know I plan to have hand sanitizer available at my booth, but it’s a good idea to carry some around with you as well. I’ve seen some creative sanitizer holsters, or you can disguise yours in a bottle or just carry it in your trusty pouch. Click the pictures to go to the stores.
I’ll be visiting my booth soon to plan out traffic flow and display changes to make the shopping experience as safe as possible. I look forward to sharing these alterations with you and hope to safely see everyone at the festival this summer!
Why I DON'T Offer Free Shipping
It’s almost holiday time again and small businesses will be fighting for space among the shipping giants like Amazon. Fast and free shipping can be appealing, but here is the breakdown of why I don’t offer free shipping as a small business. Scroll through the visuals above or read on below:
Free Shipping is Not Free
Businesses that offer free shipping are actually rolling that price into the product price.
Here’s how it would look in my business. . .
I live in NY’s Southern Tier
Shipping ONE Mug Costs: $9 to New York City $15 to California
Some strategies suggest increasing prices by the average shipping cost, but if I make more West Coast sales than East Coast sales, I lose money.
Shipping TWO Mugs Costs: $10 to New York City $20 to California
Notice how shipping prices do not double, but they do increase more for the West Coast than the East Coast.
Here’s what it would mean for customers. . .
My Basic Mug Price is $30
I have to assume that every mug is being sold individually, so I would add the average of shipping one mug: $12
A New York City Customer Pays:
$39 for one mug with paid shipping OR $42 for one mug with “free” shipping
$70 for two mugs with paid shipping OR $84 for two mugs with “free” shipping
$102 for three mugs with paid shipping OR $126 for three mugs with “free shipping
A California Customer Pays:
$45 for one mug with paid shipping OR $42 for one mug with “free” shipping
$80 for two mugs with paid shipping OR $84 for two mugs with “free” shipping
$117 for three mugs with paid shipping OR $126 for three mugs with “free shipping
The customer in California makes out slightly better for one mug, but after two mugs, they are also overpaying.
Prices get even more complicated for small items (like spoon rests) that ship on their own for $5, but naturally ship free with larger items if they don’t push the package into the next weight bracket. But as a business, I have to assume every item is shipping alone, which would mean every spoon rest would be $5 more.
Raising prices online also means raising prices in stores and at shows. It is important that your prices are consistent everywhere a customer shops. No one wants to see a mug at a show and then go online and find that it is $12 more than at the show. But, shipping is a service, and that means paying for the service.
I would rather fairly charge shipping based on weight and location than raise prices across the board. I’m not here to make profit on shipping. Keeping shipping separate protects my business AND my customers from over-paying.
I also refund shipping overages in cases of overestimation.
Hopefully this post gives both customers and other small businesses a look behind my decision to keep my product prices transparent and to charge shipping on a weight and distance basis.
Acknowledging Racism in the Ren Faire Community
As a Ren Faire patron for over 10 years and as an artist with fantasy/ faire influences, I was proud to see Digital Ren Faire acknowledge the existence of racism in the community and provide some resources to combat this behavior. I’ve quoted their June 1st Facebook post here, but encourage you to check out their pages for entertainment as well!
A MESSAGE FROM THE WIZARDS: While the Digital Ren Faire usually attempts to provide a refuge from the weighty matters of the modern world, there comes a point where we must speak to provide clarity.
Each of us behind the scenes has struggled with the fact that while Renaissance Faires attempt to create an inclusive environment, they are often euro-centric places and sometimes do not foster good environments for performers of color. We have all heard horror stories from festivals where management and/or audience members have accepted the presence of dragons and fairies, but not a black man in noble garb. This is not what we are here to create.
There are parts of the history of the Renaissance to be acknowledged. For example, the Peasant Revolts (also known as “The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages”), during which rebellions sprung up across Europe, spurred on by a peasantry that had been oppressed for centuries. Without them, we might still be living in a feudal society. Also, the idea of “Carnival,” most famous in Venice, when performers could exercise free speech and critique those in power through elaborate revels. Or, if we jump a few decades past the Renaissance, the ideals of the Quakers, who often resorted to guerrilla tactics to protest for religious freedom, and who organized the first Anti-Slavery protest in the New World in 1688. This is the spirit of Renaissance history that we embrace.
As always, we are committed to providing a platform for performers of all walks of life, and we will continue to air programs full of music, laughter, and love that allow a short respite for those needing a breath of fresh air. Know that all are welcome and protected within our pixelated castle walls.
If you would like to pursue deeper exploration of these ideas, please click here:
Black Nerd Problems article: https://blacknerdproblems.com/yes-there-were-black-people-…/
Black Bristol Photo Album: https://blackbristol.wixsite.com/blackbristol
People of Color in European Art History: https://medievalpoc.tumblr.com/
Some additional suggestions from Fired Figments for Black creators that faire-goers will enjoy:
https://www.instagram.com/brownsugarfairies/
https://www.brownsugarfairies.com/
https://www.instagram.com/neiceythefairy/
https://www.instagram.com/ginaxanadu/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackUnicornShop
https://www.instagram.com/mintfaery/
https://mintfaery.wixsite.com/mintcoven
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The Four Essential Renaissance Festival Accessories for Any Costume
It’s almost my favorite time of year - Renaissance Festival season! There are Renaissance Festivals happening all year long across the country, but here in New York, I’m prepping for the New York Renaissance Faire. There are so many costumes to choose from: royalty, wenches, pirates, fairies, fawns, rogues, mages, and more! But no matter what character you choose, these four accessories are essential for any costume.
1. Shoes
They say that shoes can make or break an outfit, and that is very true of any time period costume. The most important thing is to have shoes that are comfortable because you’ll be doing a lot of walking. But if you also don’t your shoes to break the immersion of your costume, there are some guidelines to follow. But don’t worry, you don’t need dedicated Ren Faire shoes - there are plenty of modern shoes that can work for your costume. Here are some ideas:
Most leather-look sandals will work, but stay away from simple flip flops. You want something with straps that will hold the sandal to your foot - as much for style as for practicality while walking around the festival.
Canvas slip-ons like TOMS or BOBS are a great option. Make sure you wear solid colored shoes, and not any with a crazy print.
Other simple flats or loafers can also maintain the Renaissance look. The more nondescript, the better. Your shoes don’t have to be spot on, but the main goal is to not clash with the feel of your costume.
Boots can complete your look, but make sure you don’t pick anything too modern. Think pirates, Robin Hood, or riding boots.
If you are ready to pick out special shoes just for the Renaissance Festival, there are lots of online vendors offering a variety of styles. You can even get custom boots or shoes made by artisans at the faire! The shoes in this picture are by Medieval Moccasins.
2. Belt
A belt is used for both function and fashion at the Renaissance Festival. You can usually spot a life-long festival goer by their loaded belt. Their belt will be filled with pouches, a fan, a goblet or tankard, plus a half dozen little accessories that can be bought on the festival grounds. It’s rare to even see their belt under all the trinkets that can be kept on it. At its very base purpose, a good belt can keep you hands-free at the festival by carrying your last two essential accessories. Make sure you pick out something wide and sturdy so that it can support carrying everything you need. I found this vintage belt at a thrift store, but you can also find a beautiful artisan-made belt right at the festival.
3. Pouch
Also known as a “bag of holding,” your pouch will act as your purse for the day. There are lots of options for pouches right at the festival. Some are more structured with loops on the back to hold on tight to your belt. Others are simple bags like the one in this picture. I bought this pouch from Potomac Leather over ten years ago and have used the same one ever since! I call it a Mary Poppins pouch because it fits EVERYTHING. Here’s what I can fit in my pouch all at once:
Water bottle (standard plastic bottle size - I don’t bring these anymore - see accessory #4)
Car keys
Wallet
Phone
Lip balm
Festival map/brochure
A sandwich bag of almonds
A sandwich bag of grapes
I stuff everything into my one big pouch, but you can also buy a few smaller pouches to decorate your belt and reduce the need for digging through your bag.
4. Ceramic Bottle
Hydration is key. You’ll be walking around the festival in the summer sun and need to make sure you stay hydrated. A ceramic bottle gives you a costume-appropriate way to carry water with you and let’s you skip buying a disposable plastic water bottle at the festival. Plus, here’s a cool tip: Fill up your bottle and put it in the fridge overnight. Ceramic is a natural insulator so it’ll stay cold longer throughout the day. You can find my handmade ceramic bottles online or at the New York Renaissance Faire!
I hope this article helps you plan your festival costume! Is there anything already in your closet that you will use? What’s on your shopping list?