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Stitching & Crafting Room:  E-designs think-tank  |
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Shery Jespersen
True Blue Farmgirl
115 Posts
Shery
Upton
Wyoming
USA
115 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 25 2009 : 06:32:36 AM
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I'm hoping to pick brains and get feedback, counsel, tips etc on the subject of creating and marketing E-Designs.
I have a long history of free-lance design in publishing and I am familiar with the creation of patterns on actual paper as well as computer graphics etc. But, what I am pondering is the idea of selling E-Designs and whether or not it is the next and better evolution in marketing patterns. I think it is way cool that I can pay for a design online, get it as a PDF file in an email and the print it out. How great is that??? Makes my old paperwork process look like the age of dinosaurs.
I've been out of the loop on selling designs for awhile - needed a good long break. Ok, got it. Now, I'm ready to suit up and play ball again. Are any of you savvy on selling E-Designs and if so, what are yout thoughts and suggestions??? Love to hear whatever you might have to say as a designer/seller and as a buyer as well.
Thank you in advance for your time and toughts. Shery Jespersen, Reata Rose Ranch |
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Merry
True Blue Farmgirl
765 Posts
Merry
Ankeny
Iowa
USA
765 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2009 : 10:58:14 AM
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As a designer you don't have to print, package or distribute, but you can't charge as much either so your profit will need to come from volumes and volumes of sales.
As a consumer, we don't have to wait for a product, we pay we print. We also don't get to hold and see the actual pattern, and we aren't going to pay a lot for what we aren't sure of. Of course, my email might lose it, then you will need to send me another, so you might need to do a lot of babysitting on the computer, and I might just need you to send me a hard copy anyway.
Not being negative, just realistic. People demand a high degree of customer service and expect to get more than they pay for, again, just being realistic.
Merry
Farmgirl #536
http://afarminmyheart.blogspot.com/
"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets how much the heart can hold."
Zelda Fitzgerald |
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queenofdreamsz4u
True Blue Farmgirl
3845 Posts
Stephanie Suzanne
Smoky Mountains Tennessee
USA
3845 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2009 : 3:19:55 PM
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Where to sell....
There are many e-pattern sites that are huge networks of designers...a spot to search for many different categories of designs...this could be a plus (in addition to) offering them through your own website, auctions, Etsy, etc...the more areas that you spread them to, the more traffic you gain and the more sales you will make.
Check out how the download process works at your given platform...some download widgets allow the customer to come back on their own in the case of a misplaced file, lost email, etc...so they can log in and download the pattern again without creating more work for you..I have seen limits on time for this to vary widely..so you can probably set it for your own convenience as well as for the convenience of your customers.
Concerning Enlargement of Pattern Pieces....
It is very common that the files are PDF format and usually always will need to be printed out and taken to a copy center to enlarge to the percentage indicated (unless the customer has the printer that is capable of doing this enlargement)....this leads to a possible speed bump for the customer...
This is in reference to having an employee enlarge the pattern for your customer on their plotter printer...Staples office supply policy as of a few weeks ago is that they WILL NOT enlarge anything brought in that obviously says that it has to be enlarged a percentage...it doesn't matter to them that it is the intent of the designer for their customer to go enlarge it.....
They have set a "copyright protection" policy that means their employees CANNOT do this for you...Now if it happens to be your own artwork then you can fill out a Copyright Release form that they will keep on file so you don't have a problem every time you want your own artwork enlarged, copied, etc....
Most plotter printers are not out for the customer to walk up to and use on their own....I did find one at Office Depot that I could use on my own but had to ask them the steps to go through to make it work for me...they have even made enlargements for me without a problem....so they may still be friendly in this area.
Kinko's....it depends on which one you walk into as to weather you can do these enlargements without a problem.
Copyright Infringement....
Although there is never a solid way of preventing your designs from being copied and shared with others you do increase your risk of more lost sales when they are offered through downloading..it makes it much simpler for someone to email your design to whomever they choose without much thought given...
On the flipside...when you offer a hard copy pattern that someone has to order and receive through the mail then they have to go through much more effort to share your designs with others....they have to go to the time and expense of drafting out the pattern and mailing it out.
So it's really a personal decision by the designer as to how to offer their designs.....just choose wisely which ones to have available as downloads...think about which ones will in the long run bring you more revenue and protect those designs by receiving through hard copy only.
Customer Service...
Yes, it's true...so many want everything for next to nothing or want to get more for their money than what they are paying...
But...I do also know for a fact from past sales that when a product is priced and it is what a customer wants and fits their budget (high or low) they buy it! Without complaint. 
Returns....
Obviously, when a pattern is offered through download or by hard copy there is NO return on these products for obvious reasons...so that policy must be made clear to eliminate a customer thinking they can receive it, make themselves a copy and then demand a refund for it.
Good Luck! Let me know if you need any assistance..I'll be happy to lead you to some good sites for selling..And let me know when your site is up so I can see what you have to offer.
Stephanie
 Queen of Dreamsz ~ keeper of dream kingdom
* * * * * * www.queenofdreamsz.blogspot.com * * * * * *
"Imagination is more important than knowledge"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Albert Einstein ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ |
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yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2009 : 3:42:56 PM
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good luck Shery...hope it works for you!
Linda in Scranton, PA
Wear the apron of humility.
1 Peter 5:5 |
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Stitching & Crafting Room: E-designs think-tank |
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E-designs think-tank
