Another request for handmade as a top level catagory please

[Maelbrigda]

It is great to see you have added handmade as a sub catagory for soap. I will be moving my listings over as soon as it is live, but please reconsider having Handmade as a top level catagory with several sub catagories.

[madelaine]

You see! It is not just me!

[youmeus]

There must not be any females on staff, we seem to be the only ones who get the difference between handmade and crafts.

[cmcrafters]

If it was a top catagory it would be better than losing out to other sites and losing traffic. Hand made items are really all that we sell across all or most of our inventory.

[Gill]

I'm a crafter and have asked for this also but I believe your/our request needs rethinking.

So, how about giving the reasons that 'Handmade' should be top level. How about trying to persuade eBid management that it needs to become a top level category to compete with other sites that promote handmade items; Etsy for instance.

But, has anyone done a search with 'handmade' as a search word? If eBid had 'Handmade' as a top level cat would we reach the buyers, and get them to join eBid and buy?

With all the cats eBid have to promote why should handmade become top level? Should we, as crafters, be happy that the management have given handmade as a sub cat? Should we, as sellers, find and test the different cats given to us?

[Maelbrigda]

I regularly search for handmade items on google, eBid and other sites. I prefer handmade beauty items and always look for them on ebid first. I do browse top level catagories especially crafts and plus size clothing.

I do have an etsy account and although I charge more there I still get sales.

[madelaine]

But we have said all those things, Gill!

Unfortunately, Etsy does seem just to have more traffic per listing - I list 50 items there all the time. They are patterns, not handmade items. I sell 3 or 4 per month so that's 7-8% sell through rate.

Here my sell through rate for Yarncraft patterns is 1%

[Gill]

Okay, let me put it another way.

Penni - you sell handmade soaps and they are now in the handmade category for health/beauty/soap.

Madelaine - Looking at your listings I can only see items in your Pretty Things store which are not handmade by you.

Handmade in my mind, to answer this thread, is made by the seller and for sale by the seller. In this instance, you are asking for a handmade category where you are buying handmade items to sell on. So, why not put your items into Jewellery and Watches under either the artisan or handmade sub cats?

[madelaine]

Gill, I have never said that I need the handmade section - just that we need a top level category of that name.
I have no intention of listing my Pretty Things items under handmade.

I am allowed an opinion even if I don't sell the things.

[Gill]

We are all allowed an opinion Madelaine and it was you that originally requested a top level handmade category. So, why ask for top level when you don't sell handmade?