Okay, I won’t lie. This isn’t a How-To piece. This is me, trying to figure this out as I go along. I’m in the process of opening my first real online shop and I’m trying to figure out how to make it work. Honestly, I don’t expect to get rich from this. But if it will help with gas and groceries, I’m down.
I’ve opened a shop at a place called Bonanza.com. I’ve had a shop there for quite some time but never did anything with it. I’ve always wanted to open a shop called Prairied Treasures (I live on the prairie). I just never had the nerve to just do it. I’m trying to fix that.
So now, I need to figure out what I want to sell. My target audience will be people who collect…stuff. And that’s what I need to figure out. What stuff will collectors be looking for? As an avid collector myself, I’m trying to think about what I’d want and what I’d be willing to pay for it.
I’ve spent years as a crafter and I have a ton of crafting supplies that I just don’t use. I’m thinking of selling some of that. I also have a ton of craft items I’ve made over the years just sitting around in boxes. Maybe it’s time to get rid of some of that.
I used to work in a fabric store and was always buying up the end pieces of fabric bolts. Anything less than a yard at the end of the bolt was marked down just to get rid of it. I ended up with a lot of those. Maybe it’s time to cut them up into 5″x5″ squares and let someone who quilts have them.
I know that many collectors look for specific brands and/or items. I need to make sure to put in my descriptions a few of those keywords that will lure the prospective buyers in. (Wow, that almost sounded business-like). I have a lot of vintage jewelry pieces I could sell. I have a bunch of those old Christmas brooches my mom would get from Avon or Kmart back in the day.
I make a lot of gift tags and ornaments. I’ll have to make sure to make some that will appeal to different collectors. I do a lot of rustic crafts and know there’s a huge market for the rustic look. I’ll have to look deeper into that.
I have a lot of books that are just taking up space. I’ve either already read them, or I’ve never even cracked the spine. It’s better to pass them along to someone who will enjoy them, rather than keep them hidden in a tote in the closet.
Finally, I’m a sucker for a yard sale or second-hand store that has a whole bunch of stuff in a single bag or grab bags. I’ll pick out the two or three things I really want, then pass the rest on to someone else. I once bought a bag of plastic toys because there was a Disney character in the mix I wanted. Paid a dollar for the whole thing and still have a box full of those little toys. There’s something else I can sell.
As you can see, I have an idea but not a real plan. I’m still working on it. Once I get my first listing in position, I’ll go from there. I have a few choices to start out with, it’s just a matter of figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
The next thing I’ll need to do is figure out how to market my shop once it’s open. And that’s a post for another time.
If you’re a collector and you’ve got some ideas, I’d love to hear them.
Until next time,
Happy Collecting!!!
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Christine Graves has been an avid collector for most of her life. She currently collects vintage country kitchen items, off-the-wall trinkets, and old books. She is a copywriter and published author. You can find most of her work on Medium.com.
