An online store to sell your beauties: BigCartel

Well from my previous post you all know that I want to set up a small business. I am still in the research parts.  One of the questions were how am i going to be selling the products? Online of course is the best option. But what platform. The obvious choices that are well known are websites like Esty and Ebay.  I wanted something smaller, more intimate and having a feeling of creativity. Plus commission charges and costings of uploading where a big turn off from the websites i've mentioned.


Then i came across Bigcartel, as soon as I seen the homepage i knew this was a real contender. Flicking through all the different categories i got the impression that these the sellers were mainly self employed creatives' that  were selling their passion.

They're sellers from all around the world and every store has their own personality. Don't get me wrong Bigcartel isn't like Esty where the possibilities are endless in terms of plugins, translating languages, converting currencies.  However I like it. It;s a work in progress, just like the majority of small businesses that use this platform. It has everything you need to set up a very nice online store and sell your trinkets!

All the stores are split up into categories relating to what their store is selling. There's a store directory toolbar where u can search for stores as long as you know the name. I wish the went a step further and extended their search options by adding country and maybe price range. It can be laborious just clicking through numerous stores.

What also appealed to me was the pricing structure.  These are very very reasonable the best i've seen so far. If you were doing a soft launch for example you could sign up for a free account add a maximum of 5 products, use their theme (look of the website) as they're is only basic customisation, your url would have '.bigcartel.com' at the end.  You could test the waters and get selling just like that. 

As you start paying to use the service, you get more freedom with your store. From the just the platinum package you get everything that the titanium package does except from the  amount of products you are allowed to upload.  You are now able to track your inventory, use your own url, full customisation on your website, enable discount codes and most of all receive statics on the performance of your store.  You can use their own analytical software or use a plugin and use something like Google analytics.

All the stores are very unique, even the ones that use bigcatels' themes and just change font,colour back ground.

  The photography, is almost a part of the product very creative, professional and gives the sense of credibility to the store.

Everours.co.uk is the first online store that i purchased products from and now i'm hooked. I've lost a friend because of this, my bank balance. Although i think my bank balance should be grateful as the accessories i buy jazzes up an old shirt  making it look ive bought a new top.










All in all i love bigcartel I love the individuality of each store. I love to see so many passionate entrepreneurs becoming business owners and selling their craft.


I can't wait to upload and become live!

Holding on to memories and everything changed.

Ive held on to memories of how things were, how people were not thinking that much would of changed.

How wrong was i. The guys i hung out with are all still cool but it just doesnt feel the same. Mission next week is to find some type of club/societies to go to. I find it easy to talk to people so it shouldnt be so hard. I found a photography club before i left.. Although i left my slr at home as i was overweight.

Tip: if you want to speak to people who dont share a hotel with or family. Get on facebook or google  search for whatever you like somethings bound to come up!

Get A Life: Finding a opportunity in everything

Sometimes i'd wish my brain would switch off and stop conjuring up ideas or soultions for problems, but then i wouldn't be me!!

So my dearest mother is from Barbados and every week she gets their national paper called The Nation. It's just another way of keeping up to date with things. Anyway there was an article in there titled 'We need new ideas" well you know my attentiveness grew and i wanted to know more...


To cut the long story short is was all about them needing new ideas brought to the table to entice more tourists to the island, as the number have dwindled since the recession. After reading that article ideas came to like night and day. Whether they were over the top ideas i just wrote then down.
I didnt stop there, people have said in the past once im hooked on something i will research so much i could tell someone i invented it and they would believe me!

In the article it mentioned the president of tourism for Barbados, my investigative soul couldn't help but the use my catch-phase i've been using for years that i used to get bullied for in high school! 'Google It' How the word changes, in your face! I found him on Linkedin and sent him a short message with a few rough ideas, i never thought he would get back to me. He did! He liked what i had to say (i think he like my initiative approach more than anything) He passed on my details to the new president of tourism as he was finishing his term.

A nervous wait, but soon she got in contact and quoting her words... 'I had a look at your ideas below and I think that many of them are really good and worthy of further discussion.  I believe the best idea would be for me to forward your ideas to our Marketing Committee Chairperson so that you can meet and determine the best way to move some of these ideas forward.' 

Well this had made my night, as at that moment of time i was sat in bingo trying to pay my next phone bill. It made me feel like maybe i did had a skill to offer to organisation. If you have been in my shoes after a while you start questioning yourself and your abilities if no company will give you a job. Especially in the creative world, when your skill can't be physically seen like a web designer, graphic designer, fashion designer etc. 

It gave me an extra boost and incentive to show someone what i'm made of.  

Tip: Make your own opportunities, if you have an opinion about something or a suggestion to solve  a problem don't just keep to yourself or tell your friends. Tell that person/organisation what have you got to lose? What you got to gain? Well in my personal circumstance they now know my name, who I am, I have shown that i'm not afraid to voice my opinion, that i want to help solve a problem and i have gritty determination.


Find out what my next step was...