Whenever I start to dig through all of the supplies over at Bramble Berry for soapmaking – looking for goodies for Sudsalicious (ugh, pop-ups! I must get that site out of the claws of Network Solutions so I can move it!) – I start considering eBay auctions. There are seasonal soap items, or things I would only make once, that I don’t want to add to the Sudsalicious site. I want to just auction them off – but when I look at the auctions out there already they aren’t doing well.
On the other hand, when it comes to candles – I know that Liz must be doing well with her Bay Candles on eBay – I have a ton of them! And she runs things a lot like I want to – I make them when I can, and when I want to. With a full time job I simply can’t meet the demands of having a ton of orders waiting for me sometimes.
So this is today’s consumer survey: if you were buying handmade soaps would you be more likely to buy them from a site or from eBay? Would you consider buying them off of eBay? What would influence your decision?
9 replies on “All Bubbly…”
Personally, I tend to not want to go through the hassle of waiting for an auction to end, so I go directly to online stores for this type of thing. Paypal is so easy to configure these days, and so I tend to lean towards people who use that or something equally easy.
(and pictures are good! I like buying things that I can see! Oh, and my favorite makeup site sends me an email every month to tell me what’s on special – that might be a way to get repeat customers!)
I would be more likely to buy from a web store. I do buy stuff from eBay, but only things I am specifically looking for. Chances are I would never even run across your stuff on eBay.
Of course it never hurts to do a little of both.
i don’t know, but i wish i known about sudsalicious before just now, i would have contributed. i just unloaded a shitload of unopened soapmaking kits at a community garage sale yesterday, left over from some big bonehead idea to make (barking?) moose soap for christmas one year. still available: a big bag of candle making stuff. anyone?
Hmm, I’d have to go with “web store” by a nose – I agree with Michelle that unless you used “sex” as a keyword for your auction, not enough people would see it. Plus, it takes time to list your stuff. I say, make excellent product, get featured in InStyle, bought out by a big yet cool cosmetics company, retire a millionaire. Keep me posted on how it goes. 🙂
I used to make enough soap that being featured in InStyle probably could have been a possibility. That’s the problem though – I don’t want to make that much. I learned that after doing it full time, when I actually reached the point where I would have had to hire other people.
Maybe if I add a “special auctions” section on the Sudsalicious site? Then that could link over to any current auctions at the time.
Most of my auctions do well because of word of mouth — almost everyone who buys from me is a repeat buyer or a friend. I’ll also admit that I’m shameless with advertising in my blog as well, LoL! But that’s ok, don’t you think? I mean, it seems entirely appropriate to me. But lately I have noticed that it’s once in a blue moon that I get a new bidder that I don’t know already.
But I know what you mean… about wanting to make things in small batches. Unique stuff, not a big operation. Although, I must say that I have an actual formal business plan (gee it’s only taken two years!) that is almost complete with a ‘big operation’ in the works. :o)
I agreee – a store is probably better so you don’t have to worry about bidding and you could go back and find your favorites. I haven’t bought any sopas from here yet but I’m going to soon – they look lovely and she is having a sale!
Oops! I didn’t realize you owned Sudsalicious! I didn’t mean to throw out a competitor’s link… now that I know you also sell some, I will be bookmarking you and checking out your scents! They also look yummy Christine!! 😀
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