Carolyn Nygren Curran on mon 26 feb 01
Dear Cheryl, I don' have a web page yet (potter for 30 years or so), so my
input isn't all that knowledgeable. I've just started out on e-bay to
market some old miniatures I had on hand from the days when I was doing
miniature shows. I also put a couple of regular scale pieces in. So far
I've sold the miniature pieces - at decent prices - but no nibbles on the
larger items, the ones I really like making. The market for the miniatures
is a very specialized one for hobbyists and collectors, so that's a
different kettle of fish. A lot of people also know my miniature work from
shows done years ago and from PR in magazines, etc., so they aren't buying
blindly. I do wonder if it's the fact the people want to see the bigger
work in person - to feel it and really see what it's like. They can't do
that on the internet, and so they wait until they can go to a gallery or
craft show. Do you do any shows? IF I do get up the energy to have a
website, I would first of all put it in my handouts for shows, so that
people who have already seen my work could take advantage of internet buying
in the future and go directly to my site thanks to an informational
brochure.
Do you belong to any local arts organizations? Our local arts council
has a column in its newletter with internet addresses and web pages for
members. Again, it may help with reinforcement for those who've seen your
work in the flesh. And if you exhibit pots somewhere, have those business
cards with the website on them. I guess the key is to get people to choose
your site over the thousands of others, but you still have the problem of
getting them to buy from the site. The sites may work better as indirect
marketing rather than a source of orders or sales, but this is conjecture.
Good luck in any case, and let us know how things work out. CNC
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