TGI.. NEXT Friday?

Yeah, well, I have to work this weekend. And teach next week. So I don't get a weekend. And while I'm happy for all of you, I'm, well... missing my weekend already! So here's looking forward to next weekend!!!

What if next weekend is your birthday??? Then do I have a card for you!

This was PURE, unadulterated fun from start to finish!! Here are the steps:

1) Avoid all of the things you have to do that would occupy about 29 waking hours, knowing that you only have about 10 waking hours to do them them in.
2) Play with the cats
3) Dink around on Facebook and Twitter
4) Notice the piece of black textured cardstock from Taste of Textiles that is randomly on your desk underneath the entire week's worth of stamping frenzies.
5) Notice the colored pencils underneath the paper
6) Lose yourself in art for a bit as you discover how FREAKING COOL the texture looks when you color over it - WOW.
7) Realize that if you had created nature, roses would be all these crazy colors. Add a rubon from SU - Loop to Loop.
8) Have some queso. MMM.
9) Photoshop
10) And here we are.... Nice to see you. How have you been?

Now, some practical internet advice for my fellow artists who may sell their products.

You know I love the Google. It's beyond love, really. *sigh*

And, I just received a large box of Sassy Maddie cards I had printed... what???? Yes - Maddie is now a fancy greeting card!!And people will need to get their paws on them.

So I was going to pop over and put them on Etsy out of habit, and then I became all curious. Could I pay less? What do I mean pay? Well check it out.

This is what I found.

Etsy charges you 3.5% of each transaction plus a 20 cent listing fee, that is charged to you each month that you have the item listed.

You are paid through PayPal. PayPal charges you when you receive money - 2.9% + 30 cents. So, for example, when I charge $5 for my Google Reader Webinar, you pay $5 - but I only receive $4.55.

So for an Etsy transaction, you are paying 6.4% + 30 cents one time and 20 cents ongoing.

Why in the world should I pay that?

I turned to Google.

I found out that a feature called Google Base allows you to list products on Google and use Google Checkout to receive payment.

The fee is 2.9%, plus a 30 cent transaction fee. That means you only pay the 30 cent fee if you sell something. Listing it is free.

So let's look at Maddie.

I'm selling the cards 10 for $8.50 + 1.50 shipping - total transaction - $10.

For a single month, let's say, I'd pay Etsy $1.14 to sell those cards. On Google - I'll pay 59 cents - and only if I sell them. I could rack up another $1 in costs on Etsy whether I sold them or not in 5 months.

I report. You decide. :) Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean you have to.

I'm selling them on Google. :)

Hope you have a great weekend!

Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)

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