Where do artisan soap & bath creators sell their creations online?
One of the most inspiring ideas to any artists to who dreams of opening a business is the thought of putting their work online for the world of potential shoppers to browse and buy. Getting your shop online has never been easier. Not only can anyone get all the bells and whistles put together in a matter of hours, but pop together websites have never looked so professional and easy to use.
There are a handful of options to get your store up and running. The most complicated way to do this is to build your own e-commerce website from scratch. This includes buying and parking your domain, select a hosting package, choose a CMS software package, install it on your host, point your domain, buy and install add-on packages, find a gateway and credit card processor, and start uploading your products. Another way to sell online is to sign up for a platform that was built for vendors to sell their items. Stores like Etsy, Facebook, Amazon, and Ebay offer an alternative to those who don't want to be software engineers to run their own store. Shopify has gained popularity by building an in between place where a vendor can have a more independent store but still get the assistance specialized for e-commerce.
All of these options have something in common. For a small business startup, every one of these approaches includes a cost to do business. This should be no surprise, since all businesses from the beginning of time take some forward investment. However, some of these platforms don't have the success of the vendor in mind when they built their platforms. They are constantly testing their own platform to maximize their own profit while keeping you locked in. This means you will have to split your profits as if they were your business partner. Ebay is notorious for taking as much as half of the profit from a small ticket sale. These marketplaces still work, and sellers can scootch by reaching their customers this way, however there is another solution out there.
BathArtisan.com is a niche marketplace with a focus on sellers success.
BathArtisan.com is a niche marketplace built specifically for cottage industry artists who just want to reach their customers and offer their items and brand without the hassle of paying for every detail, feature, listing, and sale. The creators of BathArtisan do not take any portion of an artists sales no matter how many listing or sales the artist lists,no matter how many listings sell, and no matter how much the artists charge for their items.
The entire mission statement from BathArtisan.com is
"The focus on using our resources to boost starting businesses for the greatest chances of success"
This website was build with the intention of giving seller a place to claim their identity, brand, and process orders without being hen pecked out of business before they can even begin.
What does a store look like?
Each seller has their own store. Individual stores were set up with an Etsy style in mind. This give familiarity to both the shopper and the customer. Customers can go directly to the store of the artist they want, or they can shop for an item in general and see what is available.
When a seller makes a sale the transaction is processed though Paypal via the customers credit card or their Paypal account.This means that all the rules that apply to Paypal and selling also apply to sellers here. In fact, Etsy also uses Paypal as their processor so the process is exactly the same. BathArtisan does not hold, disperse, or take and funds at any time. The store does not see or access any of your personal financial information. Transactions are directly between the seller and customer through paypal. (Keep in mind paypal does charge its fees just like every credit card process in every transaction, but this does not involve BathArtisan)
How Do I Get My Store?
This store platform is a free feature for artisan members in the Thermal Mermaid community. This is exclusive to members who have joined to explore our resources, recipes, and courses along with our social network where artisans from all over the world discuss. Access to the seller's platform is exclusive to members and one of many free features that comes along with membership. You must be a member to open your store.
Can I sell my other art creations?
Yes! Its common that soap artists are creative in more ways than soap. If you open a store at BathArtisan you can sell your soap and cosmetics and any other craft you create. If you don't see a category for your hand made items, just ask and we will make one for you.
