Fundraising tactic: Selling items on Etsy.com
For the 2012 NY Avon Walk, I am trying a new tactic. I am selling my handmade knit hats and pink ribbon earrings on Etsy.com: http://www.etsy.com/shop/amberstang. I sold my first hat yesterday. HUZZAH!
Using Etsy is convenient and easy in that one can open a “shop” in just a few steps. Using PayPal for payment, eliminates much of the risk with handling funds online. The only drawback are the fees from both companies.
My hats sell for $20.00. I have opted to include the cost of shipping and handling in the price of the hat for items shipped in the U.S. For items shipped outside the U.S. I add a $5.00 charge.
From the $20.00 I receive for the hat, I subtract the following cost of fees charged by each company involved in the transaction:
- USPS $1.71 (mailing)
- PayPal $0.88
- Etsy: $0.90
Total: $3.49 in fees.
This leaves $16.51 for donating to my 2012 NY Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
I opted not to send the item with delivery confirmation from the Post Office as this would have added an additional $0.80 fee.
Things that I am not including in the cost of the hat/transaction are:
- Yarn – I am using yarn that I already have, mostly orphan skeins or left over remnants from other projects.
- Envelope – I have some Tyvek envelopes in the house.
Doing a quick review of other knit hats on Esty, one finds a large price range from $0.50 – $200.00+. Many shops charge a separate shipping and handling fee of $4.00 – $5.00.
So the question I have for my readers: – Am I charging enough for the hats? Should I charge a separate shipping & handling fee?
