Well I finally got some good news...but it didn't start out that way...
As you know I'm gearing up to enter the trade show market. Recently I became aware of Etsy's new Wholesale platform. I had been researching it for a while but didn't know, or find anyone, who had any experience with it. Also I must admit I was afraid to take the plunge and apply. I was afraid of the possible rejection. But, because I am going to try to enter the wholesale market again, I just decided to do it last week.
Well low-and-behold a couple days after I applied I received the dreaded rejection email. I was rejected because in the application process you have to list your current wholesale accounts. I didn't list anything because I don't actually have any wholesale accounts at the moment. I had some in the past, but when I moved to Mexico I had to put them on hold until I could get production set up here. I have written to those stores to try to re-establish our partnership but found that three of them closed and the four others haven't responded to my emails.
When I received the rejection I was really upset for two reasons. 1. How does Etsy expect people to obtain experience if they don't give them a chance to connect with buyers? and 2. My paranoid side was certain that "experience" was just a front, and that they were really rejecting me for some other reason. Some of you might not know but dolls are not exactly seen as hip and cool.
Here's my advice when you are rejected and you start to feel the hair on your back stand on end, think about it for a day. Talk to your friends and family for advice. I was immediately in a bad mood after receiving the rejection and proceeded to tell everyone in ear-shot. More than one person told me to see if I could write back and explain the situation: that I have experience, but nothing currently, because I moved to Mexico.
The next day when I was clear headed and calm I did exactly that. I responded to the rejection email explaining my situation. I went back and found all my contacts for my old wholesale accounts and included them in the email. At first I heard nothing and assumed it was a lost cause but then...then...yesterday, I received an email, and it said "we have reviewed this additional information and would like to welcome you to Etsy wholesale!"
Well as I'm sure you can tell I was over the moon excited! I have since set up my wholesale account on Etsy and am working on a to-do list of things to improve the overall look of my shop.
First order of business is to get a new photography set up. Currently I am taking photos in my closet and some days they come out ok and others they come out dark no matter what I do. Second order of business is to create a better working environment. My work room is bare bones as I haven't done much decorating since I moved to Mexico. Etsy wholesale requires you to post photos of your work space and really I'm not ready to share the ugly space I work in. This weekend I'm hoping to remedy that with a new table for photography as well as some shelves, curtains, and art to make the space more visually appealing.
Stay tuned as I will be sharing my experience on Etsy wholesale with you. I have no idea at this point if I am going to even receive any business but I sure hope so. If you are interested in wholesale for your business, but don't know much about it, check out this article as well as this guide on the Etsy blog.
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