ghostrider and jaciqltznok are absolutely correct about marketing yourself. Especially these days.

Etsy, as a place to sell, is fine. It's easy to setup a storefront. But that's sort of irrelevant if no one knows you're there. ;-) I buy and sell on Etsy. But what I'm selling is searchable by one word and is not common, so if someone's looking for it, they'll find my listings. You're in a totally different situation.

In hindsight (and can't we all be brilliant with that), your wonderful progress posts here would have been very effective in your own blog.
It can be hooked up to:
http://quilterblogs.com/updates/
and http://quiltinggallery.com/
both free, and visible.

It actually wouldn't be a bad idea to start one now, and gradually, while you're finishing the quilt, throw some tidbits out there without giving away too much right now. Just slap a copyright stamp on every picture you put up. As you seen from several threads here, the concept of copyright isn't a understood or respected as it should/needs to be.

Signing up as basic member (free) here http://www.thequiltshow.com/ would allow you to display your blocks/quilts in the virtual Quilt Gallery. I've often followed up with quilters based on what I've seen there, to get more information or to ask a question about technique.

Those venues will expose you to a much larger audience, including those who will appreciate the uniqueness. They are by far the most original and charming I've seen.

You can still do the selling via etsy - or even your own blog/website, but that alone won't get you noticed.

Check out the first link. The blogs are all sort of incestuous. One offers a giveaway, or a new product, and they all link back to it. So you can see the same offer over and over but it makes you aware of the blogs.
And some are just really good blogs.

Here are some of the best known blogs (off the top of my head). You've probably seen them already. All doing very different work, but have build up amazing followings - they're "first name only" bloggers. ;-)

Leah Day http://www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/
Pretty amazing what she's accomplished in a short amount of time

Victoria/BumbleBeans and her scrap quilts started a whole 15 minutes of sewing movement with crumbs. http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/

Wanda and her Kaffe creations - she doesn't sell anything but she's got a lot of eyes on her blog.
[b]http://exuberantcolor.blogspot.com//[b]

Geta has managed, with her beautiful creations, to successfully produce and sell many different patterns.
http://cadouri-din-inima.blogspot.com/

Right now you have only a limited number of items (9) to offer.
But that could be easily expanded, right?

A pattern is great, and relatively inexpensive for you to produce if it's done as an e-pattern with a downloadable .pdf.

You could run a BOM. The patterns could with wonderful pictures, without worrying about printing costs for color photos. Geta (above link) has the most amazingly beautiful patterns - I've said it before. Concise, detailed step by step pictures. Her photography is gorgeous.

I also like the idea of buying the outlined pattern on fabric.
I can't go to Spoonflower and have it printed because it's your copyrighted design. (Again, make sure you've got that stamped all over the place because people really don't get this. Even on the pictures you post here. Really.)

You could include lessons on different embellishments, painting, etc. It's the age of social media. I almost gag on that phrase but that's the way it's done now. You have to engage in a conversation with your prospective buyers.

But Leah/Victoria/Geta would never have gotten anywhere without doing just that.

I could so see this pattern at The City Quilter in Manhattan. http://thecityquilter.com
Because even if the quilters aren't wearing Louboutins or Jimmy Choos, they know someone who is. ;-)

What was said upthread is spot on.
If you want to sell your patterns, it's going to take a LOT of work on your part to get the word out.

You really have to think about how you want to market them - individually, as a quilt package/BOM, epattern, paper pattern, Spoonflower, etc, and how you would add to the collection.

(Purses? Hats? Although be careful of copyright with the purses. Can you do a Kelly bag? don't know.)

You're not going to pay off your mortgage, but you'd certainly make extra moola. And have a ton of fun in the process.

Sorry for the long rambling. I'm pretending we're sitting across a table, chatting, and having multiple cups of coffee. And now I have to go pee. ;-)

I've had a shop there for a while and although I'm not selling things daily, I usually have a couple of sales a month. You are right that there is so much to look at and the prices can be way too expensive so it's like shopping anywhere else, you look around for the best prices. Many shops, like mine, offer free shipping.(Had to get a plug in.. lol) A nice feature that Etsy does have is the ability to ask the seller questions. Being that it is more of an artist community, I find that, like here on the board, people are more willing to share their knowledge or make suggestions. I like that about Etsy. Are you going to get rich off Etsy? Probably not, but having an email in the mornings from Etsy telling you that you have a sale is sooo much fun! It's just a bright start to the day!

I think it is a good venue for folks to sell the nice things they make by hand and I have purchased hand made items there. ?Also bought great zippers for zipper flowers from Zip It on Esty.

I have bought quite a few things on Etsy and have never been dissapointed. I've bought a couple of lap quilts, embroidered quilt squares, and lots of fabric. I'll admit that I thought the material was a bit pricey but some of it I couldn't find anywhere else, so it was worth it. I've found some very unique fabric on Etsy and when all esle fails, I seem to find what I need or want on Etsy. I've always had good communication with the sellers as well. Hope that helps.

trust me, you can NOT use the feedback to "judge" the seller...you would be surprised how many buyers, especially on ebay, give bad feedback simply because they can...has nothing at all to do with the seller or the items...

I have only purchased bird toys (for parrots) on Esty, service was excellant, but cannot help you with other kinds of purchases. All depends on the seller how good the service is I would think. Take care.
Linda

I know people are getting away from selling on EBay because of the newest fees and such that the sellers have to pay. Their profit margins are going down to the point they can't make it. They are moving to Etsy.

yes they are...and with that brings MORE competition and LESS visibility on Etsy...you really have to work at promoting your stuff and knowing the right "tag words" to use for people to find you!

What she said! Etsy is fabulous for 'niche' items, and for ideas.

There is a rather nifty fee calculator that can be used to compute your Etsy profits at differing price points. http://www.rolbe.com/etsy.htm

I find Etsy very confusing and give up when it takes so much time to find anything. I have visited the site a few times but then I took it off my favorites list.

No, but I had an account there and they didn't follow through on their policy, but they surely did want their subscription money every month.

what subscription money???

I have been on Etsy for years and have never paid a subscription fee?
I only pay when I sell something or list something..that is all....

I have always had a good experience with Etsy. I buy from one particular handmade soap gal, she gift wraps and sends out quickly. And when the recipients receive their gift they are in awe. I have bought plants, fabric, zippers & pulls. I don't sell there but I buy there frequently. Never had a bad experience.

I just bought some cardinal blocks on Etsy - I looked all over for the perfect cardinal fabric; but only could find small bird sized cardinals on fabric; I wanted some bigger, so found the blocks already to go into the quilt I want to make and immediate service from the lady who had them. I had them in two days! So, a positive yes here!!! and at a reasonable cost!

Etsy is lovely for little hand-crafted gems, I bought a gorgeous heart-shaped vase to hang on my wall. It is a little over-priced but for me, that's what comes from supporting other crafters who are paying higher fees and putting more care into their items than the mass-produced items on eBay and in stores, who are able to buy cheaper supplies and thus sell cheaper products.

If I'm looking for fabric I generally try and find the cheapest product. Sometimes it is etsy especially if I am buying from U.S because shipping always seems lower on etsy than ebay. Mostly however, supplies are cheaper from eBay and other large fabric stores.

Still, I would definitely encourage buying and selling on etsy as a way to support other crafters and maybe something you make will be the perfect item for somebody else. Also love the little personal touches like thank you notes (in fluent english) and better communication compared to ebay. I also think etsy is far better if you are looking for gifts because they are much more unique, have a better story and since it's mostly handmade, all you have to do is ask for a little customisation or gift wrapping.

Definitely try out etsy, I have had nothing but completely positive experiences that have more than made up for any overpricing and love knowing that I'm supporting somebody just like me and everybody else on this board who put a lot of love and care into our items.

It is less costly to post quilts on Esty than it is on ebay. I sell one or two items a year is all and I sell inexpensively. Not a great record but better than nothing. If you want you item highlighted it is costly.

that helps a lot.

This has absolutely NO relation to the subject under discussion - but I just wondered what a leafy seadragon is?

I have a small etsy shop and have sold a few things, I have also bought a few things. I agree the prices are higher but the items are hand-crafted and I think that is worth the extra cost. I just got my husband a handmade wooden wall clock that is made with several types of wood so it looks like a puzzle, I cannot wait to give it to him next month.
Ebay has its place too but I think of it more like a garage sale, good deal can be found but after you search a lot of junk. I have also had a few bad experiences with Ebay both as sell and a buyer so I might be a bit jaded.

I don't think she's talking about Etsy. There is definitely no 'subscription' money involved....just the listing and selling fees, or payment if you buy something of course.

IMHO I can't buy the high prices wanted on etsy. Neat stuff though

Depends on the seller. My daughter ordered a loom from a person who forgot to include the directions for its use and the person never provided them despite several e-mailed promises to do so. froggyintexas

I bought some paper piecing patterns on Etsy, and was very happy with the results. I received the pattern via email almost immediately, and the price wasn't that expensive.

I bought one item on etsy and the item didn't come for three weeks so I tried to contact the seller and no answer so I finally threatened to report them to etsy and ebay and only then did I get a response and the item finally arrived 2 weeks later - don't know if this was an isolated incident but I am not happy with etsy

Myself and my daughter both have things listed on Etsy. I make coloring bookbags and have sold about 25 of them. Cost to list is pretty cheap. My DD has sold about $600 worth of crochet baby hats and diapers covers at about $20. per item since Nov, 2010. Theses are both for personal use and photo props. She has also bought crochet patterns for vendors on etsy. I have bought both from Craig's and ebay. each one has a different purpose. Craig's list you can see item if you but locally. Ebay you may get cheaper if you win bid but it is often not returnable and you must pay postage. Etsy seems to monitor vendors closely and item may be more easily returned. If you watch expensive items you will see that they are selling!

I have purchased emery for pin cushions and was quite pleased. Received order very quickly.

I was thinking about putting some needlefelted dolls on Etsy, but after looking at the other needlefelted items listed I changed my mind. The quality and prices are all over the place.

only came across it 2 days ago, is it only in US and what are fees?

No. There are many, many international sellers from all over, and many US sellers will ship worldwide.

This is where you would start to educate yourself about selling on etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/sell?ref=so_sell

But wait I just checked etsy for Quilting fabric and WOW! What a lot of fabric. Prices do not seem too bad. I did not look very long but I will certainly check Etsy when I am looking for more fabric.

I can understand your not being happy with that SELLER, but that should not reflect on ETSY in any way. Etsy is simply a venue, not a retailer. Their role is to connect the buyer and the seller. When you buy on Etsy, you enter into a direct relationship with an individual seller. It is only facilitated by Etsy.

I buy from both. I like Etsy because the price is set and the shipping is a lot less ( I think ) than ebay. I agree with Krystyna that etsy is confusing tho. I do buy on ebay as well. I think they both have their place.

I have never purchased anything from Etsy - I have looked at items on the site, but only because it came up on a bing.com web search.
I also find the site confusing - but I have never taken the time to really investigate it.

I'm eager to read all the replies.

I've gone to Etsy many times, love looking at the items available but have never purchased.

Recently I've been thinking of selling my fabric postcard creations on Etsy, there are alot there for sale. Which might be the problem.

Rarely do I find them available on eBay, but when I do they are incredibly high priced compared to Etsy. Altho admittedly some on Etsy are high priced and DO sell.

So maybe it is a matter of getting started on Etsy and staying long enough to garner a following.

Yes, I had forgotten about this ... I read that eBay has increased their fees substantially and that sellers are leaving in droves. Of course, don't know if it is true or not.

I used to sell stuff on eBay some years ago for a charity and made lots of money for them and fees weren't bad back then.

I tried selling fabrics on eBay for awhile several years ago but the competition was overwhelming in the amount of sellers, even tho my prices were very good. So after a short time I quit cuz the listing fees were eating away at any profits that I made.

I have heard that to stay visible on Etsy as a seller, not to post all of your items at once but to add a few everyday so that you are visible on the 'new' page.

Don't know if this is accurate or not, as I have not listed anything on Etsy, but it sounds plausible.

I have bought several different things on Etsy; however, I agree w/ others that finding what you are looking for can take some time since it has grown rather unwieldy over the past couple of years. I have also contacted sellers directly if I think the price is too high and have gotten a lower price a couple of times.
Actually, I think it is time for another online venue for craft-Etsy is getting really crowded!

i have looked there before but i think it is to exspensive

I've used this store for zippers and they are great quality and price.