DIY business, how did you start? i need advice/tips

[gollygeeitsbee]

so i had a booth for about half a year that sold my purses/jewelry and that worked great.
before that i just made and sold stuff to friends and who ever wanted my things from school and now im back to that since i no longer have the booth.
i wanted to know how [if any of you did] get big and made a life out of making and selling your own stuff?




i've been told to sell my stuff on ebay, but then i found etsy which suits me more.
BUT i have no card to start up an account and im sure you need one.
ALSO! how does the paypal system work? im sure i'll need one of those too.
i've gotten a few people adding me on my Myspace page and have asked for things but have no clue how to get it to them and how to get the money from them.





im asking for alot arent i?
well if anyone has any comments about ANYTHING that would help me i'd love it.
im kinda going a bit crazy not knowing what to doooooo:eek:
teehee
much love.
<3

[MissMalaprop]

Etsy is definitely better for getting started selling handmade goods online than eBay. For one, it's cheaper, and also has a great community that is very willing to help out. I would definitely recommend you browse through both the Etsy forums (http://www.etsy.com/forums_main.php) and the Etsy Wiki (http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Main_Page) for advice on getting started selling. There's already a ton of info that could help answer some of your questions.

Another great resource for getting started with a crafts business is The Switchboards (http://theswitchboards.com/switchboards_home.html). There's both articles and a really amazing forum. Again, ton of great info there, just a matter of taking the time to browse and read it.

To answer some of your questions, to get started selling on Etsy, yes you will need a credit or debit card of some sort. Same goes for PayPal, which you can also link to a bank account. PayPal is the preferred method of payment for most buyers and sellers, so it's something you're going to have to do if you're serious about selling online and on Etsy. PayPal could also be used to do sales transactions from people who inquire via your Myspace...you can request money directly from people, all you need is their email address. Then they could pay you and you could mail them the item.

[gollygeeitsbee]

thank you so much i will check out those websites and join the forums
and hopefully i can start my business soon :)

[craftcat]

bee- have you looked into lov.li? just go to http://lov.li (http://lov.li/)there are no listing fees, you only pay a small commission (same % as etsy I think) and you don't have to pay until that adds up to $10. I'm just starting out too, good luck to you - if you have any tips please share ;)