Callie Beller Diesel

Not usually. It's always the moose.

Agreed. Etsy in 2014 was a place that would drive your traffic for you to an extent. That really isn't the case now, with the huge number of users and all the changes that have happened on the platform since then. Driving your own traffic is going to be a necessity regardless of the platform you use now. At this point, I think the smartest thing to do regarding ecommerce is to base your choice of platform on a cost analysis of the volume you expect to sell, and the fees you'd pay accordingly.

If the Big Ceramics Store is physically close to you, I'd ask them if they have a recommendation for an electrician that knows kilns. It sounds like this guy didn't, and didn't want to admit that fact.

I want to say that I think Lee had a good point about having a fun name, though. Whatever you choose, I'm a believer that fun should always be part of clay! I think that if you're making your own things, and marketing the results of your own unique talents and skill set, naming your business after yourself is a sound move, and very advisable. Since you're providing a service, it makes more sense for the name to be a descriptor.

YYC is the airport code for Calgary, so I might not go for that one. Any web search terms are going to hit a city entirely too far away to do much good! I actually agree that Sadie’s Ceramics isn’t the best option, because the name is about you, not about your clients or the activities they’ll be doing. My personal view is that if you’re providing a product or service, it should be about *serving* your customers, and having the entire experience be about them. My inclination would be to find a name that evokes an image of what you want your customers to experience. So at that point, the question becomes who is your target market? A place that caters to kids (birthday parties, summer camp activities, homeschoolers needing art components) is going to have a different vibe than a place who’s main focus is adults who want things like date nights, paint and sip events, brides wanting to customize their wedding party gifts, etc. I’d have a look at your business model, and choose a name that speaks to the customers you are planning to attract.

Aw, I’m sorry your first show was a dud Lee. Your setup does look very well done.

I use so very little cobalt, I'm not even sure anyone would care if I gave it up or not. I use it in increments of 1% or less, so I'm still working on the 250g package of carbonate I bought two years ago. I don't work in oranges or reds because I don't want to expose myself to cadmium, never mind anyone else. I don't care if they're stable enough for my use, someone had to expose themselves to keep me safe. To me, it's not worth it for a few pots. I bought the smallest package of red stain I could 5 years ago, and I can't bring myself to use it much. The yellow stain I do have is praseodymium based. Not sure how rare earth mining practices compare those of cadmium or cobalt.

@Leena, Having looked at the images, I think I want some more information before I suggest a starting point. Pricing is a complicated topic for most of us, and at a glance I don't think comparing your work to, say, the soup bowls I sell at my farmers market is a useful metric. Can you tell me a bit about the show that these pieces are going to be in, and a little bit about your pieces please?

@Chilly, maybe you can help with the above question? @Susanne. if you want make sure to get someone’s specific attention, use the @ and begin typing their screen name. A drop down menu will appear, and you can click on the right person.

So Hulk posted some links to some of the best material we have currently on the forum, and that should get things going nicely. Some quick thoughts that I have on my lunch break to add because of your specific circumstances: If you have no technical ability and are not looking to make a full time, professional living off of selling pots on the Internet, I’d suggest poking around on Etsy. Despite all the grumbling, it remains very affordable and very user friendly to set up something online. There are caveats, though. 1) under no circumstances should you expect Etsy to drive your traffic. The site is too big and has too many users on there now for the owners to be reasonably expected to care about your personal wellbeing. Your marketing efforts are your own responsibility. Take a course of some kind if this is a skill you don’t possess. It’s worth the money. 2) Take really good pictures, or hire someone who can. It doesn’t matter how good your SEO or descriptions or anything else are if your white balance is off and your picture looks too yellow. Buyers will scroll on past a sickly looking shot of what might be their ideal piece. 3)’stay off the Etsy forum. The business “advice” there is all from people who don’t have it figured out, are working with anecdotal information and hearsay, or who are upset and needing to vent. Refer to the sellers handbook if you need technical help. I will try and think of anything else and post later this evening. Edited to add: I know that I sound like I’ve just contradicted some of my previous thoughts on Etsy here , but I do believe it has its place. It has its drawbacks for those trying to present a full time professional image, but it’s still a secure payment gateway, and is ideal for beginners, part timers and casual users. If your online sales wind up growing to a point where Etsy becomes unwieldy or too expensive, you can look at other options like Shopify or Squarespace, and they’ll be easier to learn since you’ve already figured out Etsy software.

No, you’re doing it right. Carry on.

New mugs, and a commission for tiny display dishes for a spice shop.

@birdypotter forgive me if this is a dumb question, but are you doing your absorption tests on your glazed or unglazed pieces? Something about the way you worded one of your posts in that other thread and how much that ink is soaking in is making me wonder.

I have a 15 year old Brent C. It’s a workhorse, and it’s known problems are easily fixable, although I haven’t had any with mine. Some are put off by the hum, but I’ve never found mine bothersome at all. I’m not compelled to work in absolute silence though, and I can’t hear it over the music.

@Harvest if you’re worried about the amount of water a pot will absorb in a rinse, you could always just wet sponge your pieces down rather than immersing anything. I would not microwave anything to dry it out. Oven or bbq on the keep warm setting, maybe.