Handmade category - in the wrong place

[HerMajesty]

I think there will always be a cross=over of categories. There is now. If the new seller's little dolls are in toys, for example, that is fine. If she would want them in handmade category, that would be her choice. She could say in the listing that they are handmade, but perhaps it isn't the feature she is promoting the most........

[purplestevie]

I think there will always be a cross=over of categories. There is now. If the new seller's little dolls are in toys, for example, that is fine. If she would want them in handmade category, that would be her choice. She could say in the listing that they are handmade, but perhaps it isn't the feature she is promoting the most........

Hand made is popular so surely if your item is handmade it would be better listed under hand made.

For example a couple of years ago i was searching for a handmade peg bag (i recall only finding 3!), so if Hakki had a handmade peg bag but didnt put it in the handmade cat (possibly in home and garden) or put hand made in the title i would have missed it.

My aim here is to help the cause of handmade. Im only trying to come up with solutions that will suit sellers and ebid

[madelaine]

The problem of how to relocated all teh items is a running one and I don't think it should affect decisions about category changes.

Nothing anyone has said has changed my opinion as expressed in the opening post.

[youmeus]

One of the reasons eBid stated for not making a cat for homemade was that there wasn't enough to warrant it---or something like that. I for 1 had some listed but finally closed that store and moved them to etsy where they are selling. I would have much preferred to leave them here but they were not being found. I will gladly list my newest items here if an when they make it so I can sell them.

[Posbear]

I too would like Hand Made as a top level catagory.
When I had a b&m shop I used to make Celtic, Viking and costume jewellery, along with bookmarks, keyrings and other gifts.
I sold them wholesale and also dropshipped them.
I have hundreds of items packed away along with enough components to make hundreds more items.
I would be more than happy to sell them on eBid and continue making more.

The second level categories would need to be discussed with sellers if eBid were to go with it.

[Maelbrigda]

poscar, i am very interested in your viking stuff. I am looking for 2 of the big oval brooches for my kirtle. you wouldnt happen to have any squirreled away do you?

[Posbear]

Sorry no, they can be very expensive to buy.

I have Viking glass beads (top quality replicas) and wooden beads for making the necklaces to wear between 2 broaches on your kirtle.

[madelaine]

Whatever the right solution to the handmade problem is, hiding the stuff under Crafts is not it!

If handmade stuff doesn't sell, it is at least partly because the buyers cannot find it there.

[cambrensis]

Whatever the right solution to the handmade problem is, hiding the stuff under Crafts is not it!

If handmade stuff doesn't sell, it is at least partly because the buyers cannot find it there.

I hesitate to chime in here as there are obviously real concerns about the terminology involved. The reason I do so is because I'm experimenting with the ebid search engine, not to complain about it but to see how it works. It works pretty well; where I find problems is due to the differences in thinking between the searcher and the seller. Do a little test by searching for something ending in "iser" or "izer" for example.

I should expect speakers of English to use "iser" and speakers of American English to use "izer". In fact this does not work out at all. With one search I found that all except one seller were in the UK and not one had duplicate entries for both versions. The other worked as expected with one exception - and that was a UK seller who was selling an item which had its function printed on it, ending in "iser" and decided he preferred a "z"!

Now to the specific. It is always a matter of usage, and usage should be examined in the light of usage in the real world and not this electronic one.

I have been to many a craft market. I should expect to find handmade goods there. I have never been to a handmade market - why not? Well, it suggests that the market is handmade. "Craft/s" is a noun, "handmade" is an adjective awaiting a noun to make it work. Examples of this usage are to be found all over the UK. Here is a link to one local to me, but you'll fnd such places all over the country. If you check out the site you'll see the handmade items and the materials from which they are made all subsumed as they are here.

http://www.barleylands.co.uk/shop

I have checked museums as well - craft museums I mean, where you may see a craftsman/woman making his wares by hand if you time it correctly.

To say that Mr Jones will not find your item under handmade because it is subsumed to crafts makes the unwarranted assumption that Mr Jones is stupid. Is it not equally likely that he might say to himself, "Silly me!" having failed, done a rethink and then realised that he sees such items in craft fairs? If he still does not buy, then there are other factors involved!

That reminds me. I need some new shoelaces. I'll go to the town to a footwear shop where they sell boots, shoes, slippers etc and all the bits and pieces which are to be expected with that and I'm pretty sure I'll find them there. I don't think there is a shoelace shop.

Donning my tin hat I run for cover!

[cambrensis]

After more playing I find this...89265702

Is this misrepresentation or a total misunderstanding of language? You decide! I am bowing out!

ROFL...