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[Juli in Kona]

I have hats I want to sell on the internet. About 1 dozen designs in wood on trucker, snapback or pigment washed hats. The internet site is not so much the problem as the shopping cart. Pick a hat, pick a color, pick a design. I think I could just charge a flat rate of $25 to $30 and that would include postage.

I heard someone say that the "magic" happens outside one's comfort zone and this is way outside my comfort zone, but I think this is where the "magic" will happen. Anyone have a suggestion how I can set this up?

[westvalley]

What web site or shopping cart are you using?

[Juli in Kona]

I have been querying my customers and one of them, bless her heart, Got me up and started on Etsy. I am still working on getting all my info in there and making all my samples and taking good pictures. A few days ago I didn't have any jobs, but now I am slammed. So, I am going with Etsy, at least for now. I will be able to do things like change the color of hats and the quantity available without extra charges. They charge $0.20 per listing and I am making each different design a separate listing. Within each listing I can have lots of colors and styles of hats. Then with each sale, they charge 3.5% which includes the CC fee. So not too expensive. Anyway, I am going to try this out. I plan to make the Koa wood designs ahead of time and only heat press them on when I get an order. The other big problem is shipping. I think I am going to go with US Post Office Regional Box A and First Class Parcel. The FC Parcel has a box weight limit of 13 oz, but, for 1 hat, it is under 9 oz including a nice oversize box. Problem with FC is that, at present, I can't print the postage from the internet. Only with someone like Stamps.com which I don't have now. If I get a lot of orders I might just go with Stamps.com, but for now I'll use the Regional Box A or make a trip to the post office for FC postage. Oh, and Esty can provide a shipping label. And I am including the postage in the price of the hat to make it simple for me. I just hope all this works for me. So many combinations and permutations!

[MJ]

Juli, don't you take Paypal as your payment method? If so, you can print First Class labels through paypal. I've been selling online for 15 years (mostly ebay).

[Juli in Kona]

I think, but am not sure that they take PayPal. But the charge per sale is the same percentage.

[MJ]

What I meant is that when someone buys something from you on Etsy, they pay with Paypal. So then you can go into the paypal payment and print a First Class shipping label that way.

[Juli in Kona]

I am so new at this. I have my samples ready and am going to try to get them all in today. You would think I had something better to do on the 4th of July!

[John]

I am so new at this. I have my samples ready and am going to try to get them all in today. You would think I had something better to do on the 4th of July!

Ha. I did 72 hats today... And in a personal record with my big reds - didn't have a single thread break! Woo hoo.

[Juli in Kona]

72 hats with no thread breaks? That must be a record!

[John]

72 hats with no thread breaks? That must be a record!

I know - I didn't even want to say anything while it was going on. It was like going for a no hitter in baseball - you don't speak about it while you are in it. I was amazed.