Seashell mirrors

[jenmb26794]

I make seashell mirrors. Ive had them listed on ebay and facebook for almost a year. I cant get a bite to save my life. Can i get some advice, please. Thank you

[buyologist-3]

Hi!~~I had a stained glass studio (for over 27 yrs) and in my experience, works as large as you're describing is perfect for commission work.  Cost, size, design and colors would be unique for anyone wanting one.  But for selling here or an art show, swap meets, fairs, etc. you NEED to make them for 'everyman".  Smaller is what's called for.  I have a huge shell collection (I'm ill when it comes to sea shells!--Incurable!) and polished shells are gorgeous!  A polished nautilus shell (and lots of other type shells, too) is hard to resist.  It's shell bling! That will sell!  Add polished shells to what I think you may be offering and things will pick up.

Remember the economy is tough right now, so that could prove to be a challenge.  Keep at it because your idea could be a winner if priced with this in mind.  Ocean theme is hot for both men and women: You're right on track to be a winner!  An early Congrats! 

[coolections]

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@jenmb26794 wrote:

My mirrors are huge and dont even fit in my car, lol.

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If you are selling something that fragile and that big it is a huge mistake selling them on-line. Maybe a local craft event near your hometown ? You said you took them down from Ebay but the do not even show as ended items ?

[dbfolks166mt]

     It's not just the pictures. Experienced sellers may be able to provide additional insight regarding you postings like category, price, description, shipping, etc. 

[maxine*j]

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@jenmb26794 wrote:

No, havent tried selling them in the real world, lol. Yes, my seashells are unique. My mirrors are huge and dont even fit in my car, lol. I will post pics in morning. Somebody said i need to post pics on here in order for answers and dont know where to add them. Thank you

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I think you have answered your own question.  Something that large that is also fragile, as a mirror and shells are, is not appropriate for on-line sales, unless you specify local pick-up only.  Something like that needs a custom-built crate for shipping, for starters, and the packing  and shipping costs would be enormous.  Even then, it sounds problematic if the mirrors are so large that you can't even transport them in your own car.  How is your buyer to get one home, in one piece?

If you want to post pictures here, just click on the "Reply" button to one of your own posts, then use the Camera Icon to Insert Photos.  Click on it and follow the prompts.

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[luckythewinner]

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@jenmb26794 wrote:

I make seashell mirrors. Ive had them listed on ebay and facebook for almost a year. I cant get a bite to save my life. Can i get some advice, please. Thank you

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We cannot really give you advice about your listings if you aren't willing to help us find your listings. 

The amount of information you provide often determines the amount of help you will receive.

A few people here enjoy a scavenger hunt, but most of us won't bother.

[fallgold4031]

I went to look at your listings, but you don't have anything for sale?

[skeletonstore]

Make sure the word "invisible" is in the 1st five words of your title ;-).  As others have said large objects are a shot in the foot.  With the way shipping prices are going through the roof you've got to focus on lightweight or smaller objects.  I'm not sure what a seashell mirror is or what it comes from but surely seashells(in it's literal)come in all sorts of sizes?  In other words in stead of something that can't fit in your car how about a line of seashell compacts that fit in a purse?  Another tip is you'll need to have a lot of items listed in order to sell anything.  Really Ebay ignores most buyers with under 500 items unless the items are just flying off the shelves.  Got to get a lot of keyword variety with your products.  I'm even being lazy in that regard.  I used to create dozens of products and give each one a silly unique descriptive using given names,  colors and some other variable descriptive word to distinguish it from the rest.  Just make it reasonably believable and fantasy is your tool.  

[luckythewinner]

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@fallgold4031 wrote:

I went to look at your listings, but you don't have anything for sale?

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This is a posting ID, not one of my six selling accounts.

And I did not come here asking for help with my listings; the OP did. 

[wastingtime101]

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@skeletonstore wrote:

I'm not sure what a seashell mirror is

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Unless I'm wrong, it's a mirror with a seashell frame. In the size OP describes (too big to fit in her car), it would be very heavy and very fragile.

I was picturing something similar to eBay item 373996884436 or item 203882092849, only much larger.

[richardwillardcollection]

Get a hundred things like me listed then come back and tell me if you sold any. Meanwhile, try not to tell yourself things like, "no one wants my things" If we drive up the coast we notice that there are thousands of mirrors with shells glued around the borders at the garage sales? no, we dont, so they should sell, have you ever sold them else where? they should sell some day? good luck, not doing great either.

[skeletonstore]

Ohhhh, I was picturing her scuba diving off of Nantucket hauling out a seashell 3-4 feet long and wide ha!  Still, that can certainly be down sized.  Since it's thin there are some flat rate options. Not really sure you can regularly get that much for a mirror with seashells glued to it.  now that I see an example I'm picturing a tourist shop like something out of the movie Jaws.  

[wattadeal]

Maybe try selling seashells down by the seashore...?

[umoraski]

Maybe you need to diversify.  Just selling mirrors is a niche market.  I use to make  wreaths decorated with shells and everybody wanted one.  You could make all sizes.  Also shipping is so expensive, especially for a mirror.   And its hard to compete with the Big Box Stores. 

[little.font.lord.leroy]

As others have said, selling on line is difficult for large and fragile items.

You would do better on Ebay to simply have a couple of examples (your "show room" pieces) listed and set to automatically relist for free. It shouldn't cost you a dime. Maybe check youtube videos on how to create an Ebay listing.

Besides good photos (number one reason things don't sell) and a good description (probably the second reason) the price could be a deterrent. But people do purchase expensive home goods on-line, but that can take time.

It might help to have a facebook, instagram and pinterest  accounts with photos of your work, craft room, etc, and link back to your listings (https://www.ebay.com/sch/XXX/m.html replace XXX with your user name).

It.

Make busness cards with your eBay name as well.

You might also try local consignment shops. Look for the high-end shops that sell furnishings. As well as checking out local Interior designers who might be interested in your work as well as showcasing it in their display rooms. (Make sure you sign with a reputable store/designer) There are many a Art School grad or retiree who dreams of running a cute little gift shop taking in hand made consignments, can't pay the bills after 3 months and takes all the goods home never to bee seen again (happens more often than you think). 

You might check out 1st dibs for dealers in your area, and approach them to see if they would want to represent you.

As others have mentioned, you can take in commissions, but you have to have your work out there for people to see the quality and style, first, and that may mean sitting on items for years.

It's always a good idea, in craft sales, to have a price range, including items in the $20-$45 range.

Like small photo frames, beach-wedding items (like shell covered candle sticks or bowls for floral arrangements), small boxes or vases, book registry covers (that can later be framed for wall art). While these may not bring in the highest prices it is a way to get your work out there to be noticed by a patron who is attracted to your mirror.

On a side note, have you ever seen the shell encrusted bathrooms done by designer Jed Johnson back in the day?

[rockyroadtradingpost]

If they're so large that they don't even fit into your car, shipping is really high. If I were you, I would sell the mirrors at local swap meets or Facebook Marketplace, and create a smaller item to sell on ebay, something that fits easily into a small to medium sized box to keep shipping costs down.