You've undoubtedly heard each of the chit chat lately about Getting Handmade. Just the word Handmade evokes fond memories of watching your grandmother sewing quilts or embroidering pillowcases or crocheting afghans. I can nevertheless see my grandma crocheting edges on dainty ladies handkerchiefs with shaded thread. Get additional information regarding craftsmen
Handmade products, like these available at Kitty & Me Designs Boutique, are made from the heart. For artisans with a strong sense of passion for what they do, handmade products are made with love.
If you've never purchased handmade items online, you might be a little intimidated. How do you know you're getting quality items made from the heart? In this article, I'll give you a few tips for shopping for handmade items online.
* Tip 1 - Shop Layout - is the artisan's shop attractive? The overall appearance of the website should be comfortable and pleasing to the eye. It should be neat and well organized. If an E Commerce website is cluttered looking with tons of flashy stuff, then the shop owner may be trying to over compensate for lack of quality in their items.
* Tip 2 - Item Descriptions - are the items described well? Are measurements included? Good descriptions are key to being confident in purchasing handmade items. Does the shop owner explain how the item is made? What it's made from? Or what technique was used? Obviously, artisans and crafters don't want to give away all their secrets but there should be some clue in the description of what the item is made from and what types of products were used in the process.
* Tip 3 - Photographs - A picture speaks a thousand words! By far, the most important part of buying handmade items are good photographs. Are there several photos included? Several different views? Close up photos? Not everyone is a good photographer so don't be too overly critical of the photos themselves. Just be sure that you can see different angles of the product and that the lighting is good enough to see the item clearly. Hopefully, the item description will fill in the blanks where the photos leave off. I do suggest that you look for items that offer at least 3 photos.
* Tip 4 - Is the website friendly? Sometimes we forget that there are real people on either side of a site. Although there should be a professional feel to the site you're considering purchasing from, there should also be a human feeling to it. There should be personality! Friendliness and warmth.
* Tip 5 - Contact Info. Is there a way to contact the seller to ask questions? There should be. A professional artisan would welcome questions about their products so look for an obvious email address, guest book entry form or contact details.
* Tip 6 - If you like something but have questions, don't hesitate to use that email address to contact the seller. That's what it's there for! Ask your questions and then see how long it takes to get a reply. A professional crafter should respond to your message within 1 - 3 business days. Keep in mind though, most handmade artists do work at home and life does get in the way of business from time to time. Computers go down, kids get sick and life just plain happens. Be fair regarding response time but I would only give it a week. If a shop owner is on vacation and can't access their computer to respond to messages, they will usually post a message on their home page.
* Tip 7 - Policies. Are the site owners policies listed? This isn't a huge part of being confident in shopping for handmade but you should know if there is or isn't a return policy. And please don't be intimidated if the policy is "all sales are final". Shopping for handmade is different than buying from the Big Box stores. After all, if you go to a craft show and purchase something handmade there, you can't take it back! So don't let that stop you from shopping for handmade online. If you would like more photographs to boost your self-assurance in purchasing an item, just contact the seller and ask for far more photos. Most are very willing to help you in determining if an item is right for you or not.
Creative people are usually very warm, friendly, kind and giving. People who create with their hands have huge hearts, full of love and passion. They will go out of their way to help so don't be afraid to shop for handmade products and don't be afraid to ask questions. You would do the same in brick & mortar stores. Shopping online isn't much different. There's always a person on the other side of the monitor!
