This fall, I decided to add mosaic tools and supplies to my shop in order to make it easier for students of my online classes to purchase everything in one place – or at least as many of the items as it makes sense for me to keep in stock. Some supplies like adhesives are things I buy in bulk, so it’s fairly easy for me to keep enough on hand to sell. I also arranged to purchase the glass scoring tools I use because it’s not always easy to find these items and to know exactly what to look for when you’re starting out.
So, at first, I added all of these items to my website shop, which uses Square for payment processing, and another app for shipping. I have not been able to integrate the shipping function, so I just added an estimated shipping cost to each item. This is not ideal, but it works ok. I generally include shipping in my portable artwork, so that remains unaffected.
For in-person sales, I use the Square app on my phone. It works great! This fall, it offered for me to add an online shop, so I set one up. The set-up was easy and it is far more user-friendly than the shop in my website. I worked to get everything loaded and listed by Thanksgiving weekend because I knew Mosaic Arts Online would be launching a Black Friday sale. I wanted those students to have a way to buy all of the supplies easily from one site. I had it ready to go, and a few sales processed in the prior week. Each one had a different shipping issue; either no shipping added, the customer was given a “free shipping” option, or in one case shipping was calculated as $1. Only one purchase had correct shipping added, which means I ate shipping for the rest of the sales, which I can’t afford. My profit margin isn’t high enough.
Etsy Shop:
So, on Thanksgiving Day, I re-activated my dormant Etsy site and spent the day frantically migrating all of my tools and supplies to that shop. Etsy, for all of its flaws, is extremely user-friendly and the shipping function is seamless. This is the link to my Etsy site: https://jenniferkuhnsart.etsy.com I did add some portable artwork there, in case customers stumble onto it. However, read on to find out why I’m going to send you to the Square shop for that…
Square Shop:
I’m able to create a blanket discount code in Etsy, but in Square I can make discount codes just for specific people or items. I wanted to create a big sale for my birthday this year, partly to clear space in my studio, and partly to raise money to offset expenses for the Metamorphosis mural, including paying Austin Davis to add milkweed plants to the negative space around the butterflies this spring. (I’ve put down a deposit and he is working up the designs, which are already fantastic!) So, I have been listing my available artwork in the Square shop and on my birthday at the end of November, I started sharing a discount code for 30% off: HAPPY54 The code expires on Dec. 24, 2023. It is only for portable artwork; i.e. art that is not permanently affixed to a wall or floor, but can be hung, moved and/or worn. So far, the sale has been a big success! *It does not apply to tools/supplies.
This is the link to my Square shop.
So, I hope that helps to explain why I have three shops. The one on my website is still active because it’s easy to find and I don’t know how to direct people from there to the other two shops. Unfortunately, it means I’m trying to keep track of inventory in 3 places, which is difficult. At some point, I’m going to need to consolidate. For now, I’m going to see how things pan out. If I can resolve the shipping issues with Square, that will be ideal.
Sorry for the long explanation. It is possible that fellow artists will have advice for me, or this may help someone else. But if you have feedback, please send it directly to jennifer@jkmosaic.com because my site’s email form has not been working.
