{yeow! big news} - Maggie Whitley Designs

Big news, folks. BIG, exciting news :)

If you follow me on twitter you may know I’ve been interested in adding a second shop for a little while now. I decided to go ahead with this for many reasons, some of which I’m able to share with you below. I have been so, so, so very impressed with the commitment you’ve all given me: more than 70% of my Etsy sales are from blog referrals {either my blog or someone else’s}. This is a huge compliment to me. Thank you so much :) I know this change may be hard to accept, so I ask of you to please visit my new shop and take a look around.

Be sure to read my little Q+A session below :) I want to make this an easy transition for you. And feel free to leave your comments for me to read.

Why am I adding another shop?

#1 reason: because I want to be wise with my business. To keep up with Gussy and some behind-the-scene projects, I’ve been working a lot. Gussy is growing fast and I couldn’t be more excited. Despite that excitement, however, it seems that Etsy is more and more expensive to me as the seller. Since most of my shop traffic is from blog referrals I am confident the sales will follow me, despite the move. Also, by making wise financial decisions I’m able to offer you new Gussy products more often. See? It’s a win-win for everyone.

Etsy is a great community to be a part of. It’s helped to bring Gussy to where it’s at today and I am by no means “dropping Etsy”. I have nothing negative to say about the site, just positive wants and needs for Gussy.

So, what is the new shop URL?

You can visit Gussy at www.maggiewhitley.bigcartel.com

Is it easier {from a buyers perspective} than Etsy?
I think so! For one, you don’t have to create an account to buy. Secondly, I still accept PayPal, so you know your money is secure. I believe the check-out process to be smoother, as well.

What are some other perks?

I can offer you shop discounts EASILY! For example, right now I offer a 15%-off discount if you sign-up to receive my newsletter. {To sign-up, look for the orange Bravenet box on my blog — it’s in the right sidebar.}

When I have sales, you can easily type in the special code at check-out and Big Cartel will automatically adjust your order to reflect the discount. No need to wait for a PayPal refund. In the end, it’s less work for both of us :)

Will you ever have more than 6 items for sale?

Hah! Yes, I can have up to 100 items. It’s always been my policy to list items that are ready-to-ship. This means once you check-out, all I have to do is package and ship your order. There is no downtime for either one of us. So for now, this is all I have available. You may also visit my Etsy shop for more ready-to-ship items. As soon as I have the time I’ll be adding more to my new store.

Are you going to delete your Etsy account?

No, not for a while. For one, I still want to be part of the Etsy community. Secondly, I want people to be able to find me. At some point I plan on having more items in my Big Cartel shop. As things progress I’ll be sure to fill you in on the details.

Look for this button on my blog to direct you to my new shop: