Setting up Shop on Coriandr

Warning, you might want to make a cup of tea before starting reading today's blog.

I've been on Coriandr for a while and I'm just about getting settled in. It is a beautiful, fresh, uncluttered looking site, which makes it easy to navigate and use as both a buyer and a seller. I like it a lot. Many people have been asking me about the site and asking about selling there, so I thought I'd write up a quick step by step of what an online shop needs, so that if you are thinking about joining us at Coriandr, you can get it all ready before hand, to make the actual signing up and setting up of your shop run quickly and smoothly.

1. Branding
First and foremost you need to decide how you want your shop to look and how you want to brand your products. Branding is very important so take time to get this right. Coriandr allows you to load up an avatar and a banner to give your shop a branded look of your very own. If you already sell elsewhere you will probably already have a design in mind and all you will need to do is resize/redesign your banner to fit the 930 pixels wide and 160 pixels high that is allocated for it and 150 x150 for your avatar on Coriandr. If this is your first shop you have the fun of deciding how you want to brand your business. Remember clean, simple designs and logos usually make the best impact. The most common thing I see wrong with banners is that the name of the shop is either not on the banner or very hard to read because it is either too small or blends in with the background colours. Design a logo you can use on everything - banners, avatars, emails, invoices, letterheads, business cards, packaging... everything. If you don't know how to do this you could enrol the services of someone to help you. Remember Coriandr, as with most sell through sites has a forum where you can ask fellow sellers for help. We are friendly bunch so feel free to ask away.

2. Welcome your customers
The introduction/welcome in your shop needs to be short, to the point, but also within your branding concept. Concisely sum up what your shop has in it whilst welcoming your customers in. Most people are eager to see what you sell and won't take the time to read a huge long introduction. It can even put people off looking at your shop if when they open the shop page they cannot see at least one row of photographs of your goods. They may just click on to the next person, so keep that introduction to the point.

3. Bio
In the "Edit your profile" section of your account you can add a bio about yourself. I would seriously urge you to fill this out as it gives customers the feeling they know you a little better and gives them confidence to buy from you. Online selling can unnerve some people, especially buying from small businesses, as they know nothing about the seller. Don't write an epic all about yourself from birth to now, just give them an over all feel of who you are and what led you to your craft. Enthusiasm is very catching. Use it to your advantage and write in an upbeat way about yourself. People like to know the person behind the shop. When you go into a bricks and mortar store you get to meet the person you are buying from and you get to assess a bit about them. On-line the buyer can't do this so the bio helps to let them feel like they know you a bit better before they hand over their cash.

4. Terms and conditions of sale
It is very important to fill out the "Shop Policies" page for your business. When someone buys goods from your shop, you and they are entering into a legally binding contract with each other. You must display what that contract is. Remember that there are laws in most countries about distant selling (i.e. selling via catalogue or online etc) that you must stick to. Look up the laws for your country and stick within those laws when you write your terms and conditions. It is pointless saying "I am not responsible for goods lost in the post" when the law of your country says you are.

Having law abiding terms and conditions of sale written out and on display may seem like hard work and a daunting task, but once it is done it means both you and your customers know where they stand when a transaction is made. Once you have written the policies, stick to them. Don't promise to ship within 3 days if you can't always do it. It will just reflect badly on you and your business. Bad word of mouth travels much faster than good.

5. Photographs
Your photographs are all the customer can see of the item you are selling. It is very important that they are clear, in focus, well lit and represent the colours of the item as best you can. For a consistent look it your shop it is best to take the photographs on similar backgrounds with the same light set up each time. Most people agree that natural light is the best, but if you live, like I do, in a place where for 6 months of the year it is pretty much guaranteed to be dark and overcast it might be worth building or buying a light box to take you photographs in. If you have large items this may not be possible, but do try to stick with the same kind of light from the same angle for you shots. Don't use backgrounds or settings that fight for attention with your goods, because it will only confuse the customer about what is for sale.

Take photos of your goods from every angle. If you think of all the ways you look at an item when you go into a bricks and mortar shop and try to think of all the bits you look at in detail this will give you a good idea of what to take shots of. Backs, fronts, stitching, clasps, earring post solders, feature details, etc. The more you show them the more they have to go on. In one photo try to show the scale of the item. If the item is very small put a ruler with both inches and centimetres into the shot. If it is a large item have a person in shot or a hand. This gives people an idea of the size of the goods.

6. Descriptions
When you write your description try to do it so that if there were no pictures, the person would get a minds eye view of what you are selling. Mention materials used, colours, size (in both cm and inches), uses, special features or details, shape etc. Also enthuse a bit about what lead you to create the piece or what you love about it. Enthusiasm is catching and if a potential customer starts to feel enthusiastic about your goods you stand more chance of them buying them.

7. Shop Categories
Break your shop listings up into categories. This helps a shopper to navigate around your shop quickly to find what they want to purchase. In Coriandr you can set up the categories by going to "Add custom categories" under the Shop Management Header in your account. Do this before you start listing goods.

8.Tags and site categories
When you list your goods you will be asked to add tags and to choose a top category for your listing. Tags are very important as they are the key words the search engine on the site pick up on when someone is looking for goods on the site. Likewise top categories for the site allocate which of the main site categories your item appears in. There is a skill to getting these right and it just takes time and testing to find the right combination for your goods. Adding colours, materials, and your location and shop name in the tags can be helpful. Some people search for goods by colour, some by materials. If a person wants something fast they may search for people local to them to buy from, hence adding location. Just try to think about how people would search for you goods, and what words they would use and then add those as tags to your items.

Do not tag abuse! Don't tag earrings as a necklace just to appear in more searches. Don't tag an item a colour it is not just because that colour is fashionable right now. There is very little point in tagging to get into more searches if what you are selling isn't what the buyer wants. It is more likely to put them off looking through pages of unwanted things than it is to get them to buy.

9. Stock levels
Keeping your shop well stocked is a must. Shops that have only a few items in don't usually grab buyers attention, but equally having 30 pages of stock can also be a turn off. Most people will not flick through that many pages. Keep a sensible balance and if you do have more that 5 pages worth of goods remember to use your shop categories well to break down the pages into set groups.

10. Shipping
There is a whole big wide world out there and when selling on the internet you can access customers from all over the world. If you have a product that is of a size and is allowed to be shipped overseas then I say, go for it! By not shipping overseas you will be limiting your market place and losing sales. Some goods are not allowed to be shipped to some countries or your government may have rules that ban certain items being shipped out of your country. Check out the rules that apply to your goods being imported to other countries. Any goods that you can ship and are willing to ship overseas must have a shipping price put into your listings for the countries you are willing to ship to. Many customers are put off by you having the statement "I will ship overseas. Contact me to find out the price". They want to be able to shop right here, right now, without having to wait for you to reply with a shipping fee. If you are willing to ship, put a price in your listing. Don't risk losing out on a sale.

Well that is my basic guide to setting up a shop on Coriandr. There are probably hundreds of other hints and tips people can give you and ones that you will find and learn along the way. I learn something new about selling handmade goods on-line all the time. It's always a learning curve. Never be afraid to ask questions. The next thing you need to do once you have a shop is promote it, so people know it's there.... but that's a whole other topic for another day. Thanks for reading!

Written by Lynne of the PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

New Sellers on Coriandr

Coriandr is growing larger every day and more sellers with gorgeous handmade goods are signing up to share their wares with the world. Mathew, the creator of Coriandr has lots of great plans for the site, which I think will help to increase it's traffic and status in the handmade market, so if you are dithering about which site to sign up with to sell your handmade goods and supplies, I'd like to suggest that Coriandr is a good bet. If you are longing to buy well made handmade goods... well you are welcome at Coriandr too. Here are some of the work of the latest people to sign up with the site.

Zoeest is a shop run by Zoe Woods who designs and creates all the distinctive brooches and pendants in her range. The range is very beautiful and it is of no surprise to me that it is stocked in shops in the UK, USA and Australia too.
Carnethie Design's shop is full of goods and accessories for babies. They are all created from organic cotton fabrics which means no pesticides or other chemicals have been used in the growing of the cotton plants. Great! Perfect for babies.

Sisters Bead Gallery, as the name suggests is a collaboration of work by two sisters that like to come together over their beading work to share a passion of a craft and a love of design. Lots of sisterly love go into each piece, so buy and enjoy items created out of happiness.

Oh my, how I love this tweed bear from Slack Stitches. His happy smile and rounded form makes me just want to hug and squeeze him. He isn't designed for small children, he is a bear meant for us oldies that are young at heart. I adore him!

Yesterday I noticed a thread on the forum at Coriandr introducing Heart and Soil Basket and after clicking on her name to get to her shop I was utterly wowed by the collection for beautiful traditionally crafted willow baskets. I think we might have to invite Hen to be an Artisan of the Week here on Autonomous Artisans.

Coriandr has so many shops full of gorgeous, lovingly hand crafted goods and art. If you have a little time today why not check it out and find out for yourself just how many amazing artisans and artists are selling there.

Written by Lynne of Pirate Pixie Crew and Hyperloop Hoops

Coriandr Finds

Whilst sorting out a few things in my Coriandr shop I had a bit of a look around and found some really great goods to share with you all on this yucky rainy Thursday morning. Coriandr is a UK based site that has an international group of artisans selling their handmade goods and supplies. If you haven't checked it out yet I'd urge to go and take a look because it is a really nicely laid out site. Simple, clean looking and easy to navigate. It makes shopping for handmade goods a breeze. From the other side of the coin, as a seller, I really like the one page listing process and the simplicity of getting your goods into a very easy to use shop.

I love these earrings from Cee Gee Jewellery. Something about the beads makes me think of sea urchins. I love being by the sea, the smell, the sounds and the feeling of the wind coming off the water just make me feel glad to be alive. How great to have a reminder of that feeling in a simple, stylish pair of earrings.

Creativesque works with card, paper, paints, and inks to make beautiful tags and bookmarks, like this blue floral one. Most people think of tags just as something to tie to a gift with the name of the person the gift is for on it, but I like to use tags for all sorts of things. My memory is so bad that tagging things with messages to myself is a great aide-mémoire.

It is a sort of tradition in my family to wrap gifts in newspaper or recycled paper as we all have a bit of a dislike of the waste that gift wrap represents. I have now found a fantastic alternative in myfuroshiki shop. These fantastic fabric wrappers are not only beautiful, but they can be used again and again. Such a brilliant idea!

I've seen Snapdragon Beads work being featured in a few places on-line and usually that would lead me to pick someone else's work to share, but this green, cream and gold pendant is just so gorgeous I couldn't resist having a photo of it on Autonomous Artisans.

All weekend Jon and I have had a house full of our lovable friends and yesterday the last of them left, so our house now feels very empty and I'm rattling around in it all day waiting for Jon to come home from work. This canvas from Strawberry Magpie made me remember just how much home sweet home is more about people rather than a building. I love our little house, but to get a feeling of true home has more to do with who I'm with in this building rather than the 4 walls themselves.

Take a look at Coriandr and see what you can find. I bet you that you will find something you adore.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

My first Sale on Coriandr

To celebrate my first sale in my shop on Coriandr I've decided to feature some fellow sellers from the site. If you have never heard of Coriandr I'd advise you to go and take a look at the site. It's easy to navigate, has lots of fabulous handmade goods and everyone I've had contact with from the site are friendly, helpful and very talented. Let me show you some of the goods on sale there.

Indie Café Lounge is the creator of this honey and almond soap. Due to it containing real honey it is bound to be very moisturising as well as smelling yummy. It has added oatmeal that acts as a gentle exfoliator. Handmade bath goods are definitely the best in my eyes!

I love the glamour of Kiss Curl shop. The hats, fascinators, and hair accessories are cute, sexy and fun. They have echoes of days gone by when style and romance went hand in hand. This feather fascinator is just gorgeous!

Dan Jackson's sense of humour is very similar to mine judging by his photographs. I think his ability to capture the essence of absurdity and put a new spin on everyday objects is fabulous. Check out his shop for "Death by Chocolate" and "Cereal Killer", hehehe!

I was so wowed by Frute Juce's fabulous baby vest I just had to share it with you. The skill Alison must have with a sewing machine to be able to freehand embroider this much detailed is amazing. It reminds me of the skilled etch-a-sketch pictures you see.

Now regular readers will know my love of the colour orange so they won't be surprised by the fact I have chosen to share this bracelet from Lilyja. Isn't the colour divine? Bright, cheerful and very pretty.

So that's just 5 of the gorgeous goodies you can find over on Coriandr. If you are looking for lovingly created handmade goods, talented crafts men & women and like the look of the items above, you'll love the site. Go along and take a look around. Just see how many fabulous items you can find.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

D.I.Y. with a little help from Coriandr Sellers

Have you seen items on the handmade sites and thought "I'd like to make one of those" or are you a person that likes to learn new skills just so you can appreciate the work that goes into items you'd like to buy? Well today's items might be right up your street. There are a lot of people out there that not only create beautiful handmade goods but they take the time to make patterns and write tutorials so that you can learn to hand make these beautiful items too. I thought I'd have a look around Coriandr to see what tutorials and patterns I could find there.

My Sweet Little designed and wrote a pattern for this gorgeous cuddly elephant. From tail to tusks this little fellow is so appealing I might have to purchase the pattern and make up a whole batch of them to use for toy drops for the Toy Society.

Have you got little tubs full of seed beads that you are unsure what to make with? The Crimson Moon can help you out with a tutorial to make these woven beads. They are so pretty and can be used for a myriad of projects. You can make them in any colour or pattern to match up with your project.

Are you dying for a cream cake but can't have one because you are dieting? How about keeping your hands busy making this knitted cream éclair from Giggling Goblin? It will take your mind off wanting to eat and it will hone your knitting skills.

Covetables makes the most cwtchy cuddly plushies and dolls for sale, but she also has this kit to create one of her fabulous plushie owls. Each one that gets made is bound to look slightly different as they will have a twist in them from the person that made them. Maybe we should all make one and set up a gallery of owls to see how they all turn out.

Now if you are one of those people that has lots of creative ideas, but no time to make them, Lottie Lodge has a listing that might help you out. She is willing to make up patterns for you. Not really D.I.Y. more Rent yourself a D.I.Y. knitter to fulfil your dreams.

I love that all these creative people are so full of love for their crafts that they want to spread that joy by teaching others how to do these crafts, or so excited by their craft they want to make you just what you want. There are loads of great people out there sharing tutorials and patterns, so if you want to learn something new get searching and support these fantastic people that are eager to share their talents with you.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Having a MONSTER Weekend!

Yippeee it's the weekend!

This weekend I thought we could all have a bit of fun. Over on Coriandr on the "free stuff" page, the lovely Mathew has provided a template to make a paper monster called Walter, who once made up looks like this.

Walter is so cute!

As a child I used to love making up paper template creatures. I haven't done it in ages, but Mathew has inspired me to give it a go again. Mathew has also put up a naked Walter template to allow people to decorate the monsters in their own creative style and this got me to thinking we could have a bit of fun by downloading the template and each decorate up our own monster. Save the pdf file to your computer and print it off onto paper or card. Make up the monster shape and then let your imagination run wild and decorate it as you like.

Once your monster is made, name and photograph him/her and post it up on your blog encouraging your readers to join in. If you link back to this post and a link to Coriandr, as a thank you to Mathew for use of the template, we can hopefully get lots of monsters made. Come back here and comment in the feedback of this article (including a link to your blog) and next weekend Mathew has kindly agreed to have a look through them all and pick a winner, who will get a featured on this blog. If you enjoy making the monsters you can make a whole tribe if you like.

I'm off to print out my naked Walter and make myself a fabby monster. I look forward to seeing all your creations!

Written by Lynne of Hyperloop Hoops and Pirate Pixie Crew

Trying out Coriandr

I'm closing down my Folksy shop as I'm finding I don't get much traffic there. Other people on the site report they are doing well, but despite promoting the shop I'm struggling, so it just goes to show not all sites suit everyone.

I decided I need another site based in the UK to sell through so today I signed up with Coriandr to register the Pirate Pixie Crew name and to try out their listing process. I have to say although the site is still in the early stages I like what I have seen so far. It has a fresh clean look to it and the site logo is utterly cute.

I found registering was fast and setting up the shop was fairly easy, although time consuming, so set aside a full morning to get all the basics done. Remember though, once you have made your 930 x 160 pixel banner and loaded it, filled out your profile and policies and listed you payment preferences, and filled out all the back room bits of the shop you don't really have to do that again. So with that done it was time to trying out listing an item. So far I have only listed the one hat, but again that was very simple, with a one page listing form. The only downside that I found was the photos I have been using on other sites had to be resized to get them below the 500 kB allotted size. Not a big job, but it would be nice if all the sites used the same sizes, for those of us that like to list in more than one place. Also they only allow you to load one of the five photo at a time rather than batch loading, which adds to the time it takes. Over all the experience was painless and fairly fast.

The shop has a nifty drag and drop feature so you can arrange the items as you want them to be viewed rather than them show up in the order they are listed. You also get custom categories, so you can divide up your shop goods to make them easier for buyers to look through. Oh and I guess I should mention costs too. Listing costs 20p (UK pence) per item with no expiry date. Yes you read right. You are not paying for a limited time. The 20p will cover the life of the listing until it is purchased. When items are purchased Coriandr will take a 5% commission on the sale.

So far I haven't worked out if there are any statistics for shop owners yet, but I have seen that it is on a list of things to do that was posted in the forums in November, so that's a good thing. Also 2 questions I asked a couple of hours ago have already been answered so it looks like someone is taking notice of what's going on in the forums.

Over all I'll give it a cautious thumbs up. I'll keep you updated as to how it's going.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops