Last Minute Christmas Gifts

How many of you are just like me and leave all your Christmas shopping until the last possible minute?

Well thank goodness for the Handmade Markets “Last Minute Christmas Gifts” that opens tomorrow night at 9pm NSW time.

There’s nothing more special than buying handmade.  It’s original, made with oodles and oodles of love and attention to detail, and guaranteed to be one of a kind.

I found this delightful Christmas Skirt by Ribbon Inspirations and instantly fell in love.  What little girl wouldn’t look super cute in this on Christmas Day.

And what about “Jamilla".  She is just beautiful and loves to be pampered, enjoys playtimes, and lots and lots of snuggles.  I know she would love to spend Christmas in a new home.

You can never have enough purses to keep all your spare change in.  Made with Oops a Daisy Moda fabric, this cute coin purse made by Lindabears Handmade is the ideal size for loose change or any other small items you need to carry.  

This stunning Silver Charm and Pearl Happy Charm Necklace by Bead Inspire is packed with white round glass pearls, faceted moonstone beads, glass crackle beads and glass rondelle beads. It’s also got loads and loads of silver plated charns and even includes my absolute favourite, the Eiffel Tower!!

  

The final one I will share with you is this gorgeous Christmas bunting by Fab Buntings.  Perfect for adding a splash of Christmas colour to your Christmas celebrations.

I would love to show you everything I found at in the Last Minute Christmas Gifts Market but that would ruin the surprise you’ll have at finding all your own delightful creations.

Can’t wait to see you all there.

PRESENTATION PERFECT ....

In the world of online marketing, presentation is everything.

Why would you devote hours and hours to lovingly perfecting your handmade items only to let yourself down by thinking that the photography and presentation is not that important.

Did you know that how you present your items will ultimately determine how much interest you are likely get from potential buyers.

Here's a little test I would like to try with you.  Below there are three pictures. Each one is of one of my handmade items that I would love to sell.  I have finally gained the courage and I am going to use the Handmade Markets online Auctions and Markets to gain much needed exposure and promotion for my handmade business.

Now comes the interesting part. I want you to take a step backwards and put yourself in the place of a buyer and not a seller. Out of the three pictures, which one would you be most likely to place a bid on?  Remember you are looking at these pictures as a potential buyer.

Picture 1

Picture 2

 

Picture 3

Well I certainly know which one looks the most attractive to me.  I am automatically drawn to the one that is bright, clear, and tells me who the business is that has made the product.  I just can’t help but believe that the seller is proud of what they do.

Picture 1 shows a picture that is dark and uninteresting.  Photographs that are dark and blurry usually don't attract bidding activity and generally results in a "no sale". 

Picture 2 has been cropped and had the colour tone altered but it is washed out and not a true reflection of the actual item colour.  Buyers like to see that you have pride in your handmade items and are willing to take the time to "show them off" and make them attractive enough for them to want to purchase.

Picture 3 is perfect.  When taking your photographs use as much natural lighting as possible. Take several shots of your items both up close and further away.  Don’t rely on just one picture.  Use a photo editor to make them look as professional as possible.  Take the time to crop out unwanted backgrounds and perhaps adjust the contrast. Most importantly, always make sure you don’t change the image so much that it no longer looks like the actual item.   Do a collage if you can with various views of your product and also include your Business Logo.

More and more people are now using mobile devices to interact.  One of the greatest advantages of using these devices is the wide number of both free and paid picture editing applications that are available.  There really is no excuse any more that you "can’t take a good picture" of your items.

So next time you decide to sell an item online, ask yourself - has it been photographed clearly and does it look attractive to your potential buyers?

Practice, practice and even more practice.  This is the only way to experiment and work out what works best for you and your products.  

Try it out and see if your sales improve.