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Friday, November 22, 2019

The plan(s)


I will try to make a coherent outline of my little plan. I want to go back to selling what I weave.

At first I thought I would make the most down and dirty plan I could. Weaving is good. Sales tax, not good. Extra money is good. Income tax, not good. I won't waste our time spinning out my several improbable schemes. Do people even want to buy towels?

There are a few blogger friends to whom I've promised towels, hopefully sooner than later. I decided first, to test the waters. I put the towels into artist open studio events, with success. That bit of sales impelled me into an annual event in the township, the December Community Bazaar, the first Saturday of that month.


The Bazaar is a real commitment on my part. and meant I had to follow words with deeds. I asked my sister to come share the booth, with her quilts. There is no way I could make an attractive eight foot display of towels alone, but we have put together a decent plan, with some good private laughs from our years of expertise.

Sales tax! I had to resurrect my license, cancelled in another lifetime, when the house sold. I've helped my sister with her legal requirements often enough to know my state's electronic platform has been reinvented since I last used it. 

It was easy, peasy. Though I remembered little, I remembered the answers to the secret questions. Take that, brain injury. It makes me wonder what little nuggets float in your brain forever. I didn't wonder enough to investigate, however. So, if you live in Ohio and buy my towels, I will collect sales tax.

Then, to solve the biggest impediment to a sale, ready cash. Checks are fine, especially since I now know how to deposit them via my phone. Do you still carry checks? I don't. 

So, I now have a little credit card reader. Setting it up was not easy. The technicians called me in the afternoon or evening, when it is too easy to confuse my brain, especially with blue tooth. Yesterday, I called them, at nine a.m. It seems to be sorted, except I need to contact my sales representative to generate a new pin. 


That brings us smack dab to the present. What to do next, after the bazaar? 

I've toyed with web sites for sales. The long and short of that is, I don't want to maintain a web site. This month alone I spent an appalling number of hours simply retrieving my sales tax information.

No more do I have the easy resources, like accounting and inventory programs to gather up my sales and expense information. I must sit at the computer, not at the loom, and forego a game or two of solitaire because I must knock together a rudimentary P&L.

So, I will sell entirely on my blog. There are ways to do that, it turns out. You know, platforms that do everything. I need to look into them, understand them and how to use them. And I will do that. But I want to begin selling now, and have decided to do it the old fashioned way, the honor system.

After the Bazaar, on December 7th, I will add a For Sale page to my blog, and on it post photographs of every color towel for sale, and describe the additional cost, like applicable taxes and shipping.

If you want to purchase towels, send me an email, jnoragon at gmail.com, listing the quantity and color. Then write the same information on a piece of paper, and mail it to me, along with your check for US$, or your credit card number. I will take the orders in email sequence.

When I get your email, I will pack your order, change the quantity available on the blog page, and wait for your payment information. When I get your check or card information, I will finish your order.

I will ship every Monday, and more often if as many as half a dozen orders accumulate.

And in my spare time, I will look into the various blogger add-on's that allow direct selling. In my mind, it is simple. But my mind is not always trustworthy, these days, and takes longer to learn. 

Thank you very much. The For Sale page will go live December 9, 2019.





51 comments:

  1. I will definitely buy towels from your blog and will buy some for gifts also.

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  2. YES!! I am most definitely going to be a customer!

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  3. Yes, I want towels. Lime green, terra cotta, those luchious blues, please. :)

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  4. Congratulations! Wishing you huge sales
    Thank you for the info on selling from a blog.

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    1. Yes, I was surprised to see the number of "Gadgets" available. But I need to understand them first. No surprises.

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  5. You could barter for the goods you weave? I have shrubs and perennials and gardening for sale or swap. It's a pity I live in Ireland. Good luck with your sales.

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    1. After a lifetime in retail, I can assure you I have bartered often. I look fondly at many things so acquired. And think of many more abandoned, as I downsized so many times.

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  6. I once tidied an overgrown jungle nay garden in exchange for a secondhand car. I love the barter system.

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  7. Hari OM
    Brava, Joanne! I hope some of the info I pointed you to previously will be of help. If you specifically would like to hang with blogging as it is familiar, you might take a look at my good blogpal (another I have met 'in the flesh') Mara Jellema's sales bloggy. She utilises PayPal as her payment medium, which is minimum fuss for all - you could still have the card and chq backup for those who don't have PP - but most folk online now do. It's just so easy.

    Doing this, you could have both blogs from the one dashboard (like I have three) and you maintain control that you are familiary with. I know you'll work it out. You are amazing, lady!!! YAM xx

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    1. Thanks, Yam. They sell much the same way I outlined above; tell me what you want and I'll tell you what you need to send.
      The card processor I've selected does the invoice business, so I find this will be easier than I thought. I'll have it all in place ASAP.

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  8. Sounds like a splendid idea - I love the two towels you sent me as a present - the blue ones.

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  9. I intend to be a customer right after the first of the year. I love those towels.

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  10. That sounds like a good plan! I love your towels and will order from you as well.

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  11. Are you able to private message me your address? I thought I saved it when you sent me the lovely towels last winter, but it's gone someplace. I want to send YOU something. I didn't make it, my friend did, but I always buy a lot of them and send them to fellow crafters.

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  12. Really good idea, Joanne. I will do my best to promote your wares over here, but I worry about the added complication of export duties. Never mind. Sell your wonderful towels.

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    1. Thanks, Tom.
      I know little about duties at my level of business. More to learn. Sigh.

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  13. Wow, Joanne! This was fantastic to read! I am wishing your business much success! WTG that you figured it all out too with the new technology for taking credit cards, etc. I can't imagine this not being a success because I too like your towels. I look forward to seeing what is in your shop when you post things next month!

    betty

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  14. That's great progress and a fantastic idea for the path forward

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  15. Kudos to you, Joanne! Can't wait to see your selection. But I know that I love my pumpkin ones and have been longing for 2 blues!!

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  16. If this is you AFTER the brain injury, I can't even imagine what you were like before.
    You're amazing.
    And I can't wait to order some towels.

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  17. Check into PayPal... then you can add buttons to your items. PayPal collects the money and holds onto it. Then you can transfer as little or as much to your checking account. There are fees of course.
    BTW... PayPal buttons can keep track of your inventory... and if you are sold out, it won't sell anymore.
    Good luck !!! May you sell many many towels!!

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    Replies
    1. Bettina is spot on here, Joanne. Paypal is a very easy way to accept payment.

      You've so many towel fans here. Selling them should not be a problem!

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  18. I admire your energy and ability Joanne.

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  19. Wow! That sounds like an awful lot of work. It sounds so complicated. I have a friend who is selling things through Etsy. I wonder if that would be an option. You are totally amazing!

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  20. Well, you're successfully going like gangbusters so far to set things up! Good luck with the blog sales page!

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  21. Looking forward to you getting your sales page up and running. I was going to mention Etsy too You might check that and sell your towels on both platforms. The beauty of Etsy is it is very well known and has a much wider audience than most blogs.

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  22. oh, yay you! I didn't realize you could have a page on the blog for selling. hmmmm. I agree. Paypal is easy and just about everyone has a paypal account. are you using Square for credit cards? that's what we use during the open house.

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    Replies
    1. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I asked google if I could sell on blogger. Take a peek.

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  23. Congrats on the new business adventure. Best of luck to you and I look forward to seeing all of your products. We love your towels and might need to get a few more.

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  24. I am buying...I have had to slap so many hands away from the tea towels you sent me which are superb.They do the job, wash up well and look good. If I can buy via Paypal it would be easier for me.

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  25. Here is another idea! Why not sell lengths of woven material, so that we can invent other items to make. There are only so many dish towels a person can use. My two will last me forever.

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  26. Best of luck in your new endeavour. I can tell anyone who wants to listen that these are the very best tea towels I have ever used.

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  27. I can hardly wait to buy some towels from you Joanne! I'm really glad you thought of selling them.

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  28. It's great to have plans. This one has a lot of parts to it and I wish you well. My daughter and I will try to get to the Bazaar but I'm not sure if we can. So I'm glad to know of the webpage idea.

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  29. I would love to buy more towels but it will depend very much on cost and shipping. I'll see how my budget holds out. I have several friends who would love to have hand made towels as gifts.

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  30. I'd be happy to pay via PayPal, it's what I do when I shop at ebay.

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  31. I use PayPal as well. It adds security for the seller and buyer. Looking forward to buying. Your work is beautiful.

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  32. I was going to suggest PayPal but I see that it has already been suggested.

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  33. You're storming along and are already building up a loyal public.
    You'll be a well deserved success from the beginning.

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  34. That all sounds very exciting. Best of luck! Probably a good plan to sell via your blog and not get caught up in all sorts of website complexities.

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  35. great news, and a lot of bother for you, but I am thrilled, I like the idea of a length of woven fabric, maybe the equivalent of five towels, for my table. Orange or red. Paypal is the easiest way to go I reckon. Excited!!! I would have suggested ETSY last year, but it has gone to the dogs, and corporate greed. Don't need that!!! Anyway, I think you have my email address. so whenever- I would love to buy your beautiful woven towels/table runner?

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  36. Brilliant idea Joanne and workable for you. Your towels are the best and look fresh all the time.

    XO
    WWW

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  37. I'm in awe at how you keep recreating yourself. What an inspiration you are.

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  39. That's great! Your towels are so nice, I'm sure you'll be busy, busy.

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  40. Hi Joanne, I am in-I love your towels. You are ahead of me-I have not learned to deposit checks with my phone. I guess I should figure that out!

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