Art & Creativity: When Something Doesn't Work... CHANGE It!
hive-148441·@alchemystones·
0.000 HBDArt & Creativity: When Something Doesn't Work... CHANGE It!
Sometimes, I just get tired of my empty mailbox. Actually my mailbox isn't *empty* — far from it — it's usually filled with tweets and advertising from other artists and organizations trying to peddle *their* wares to me. And, of course, the inevitable dose of spam.  What I'm *actually* tired of is the fact that there is almost never any notifications from one of the online sales venues I use out there that announces *”you sold such-and-such an item on eBay/Etsy/Amazon”* or wherever. And that's part of the reason why 2023 is increasingly becoming the year in which I'm taking a long hard look at how I attempt to sell Alchemy Stones online. This is all prompted by my recent endeavor of having to do income taxes from which I learned the following about my 2022 sales — which actually makes me pretty sad: - Etsy sales: **$77.00** - eBay sales: **$0.00** - Amazon sales: **$43.50** - Facebook sales: **$0.00** *Cost* to achieve aforesaid rather pathetic results, listing fees, subscription fees, etc: **$359.63.**  ## *No, That's Not a Joke...* Clearly the above is not a sustainable equation. In fact, it's just shelling out money to large corporations that have *long* since moved on from their *"roots"* in which they *actually provided sellers with a substantial amount of traffic and sales.* For comparison's sake we sold about $2,250 worth of stones at the handful of face-to-face events we attended while incurring approximately the *same* amount of overhead as the online venues. I always like to throw that little factoid in there to remind myself that the *"problem"* isn't that I am offering something that nobody *wants,* the problem is that I have something that absolutely does not translate into selling through a digital venue. Or so it would appear.  I say this all against the backdrop of getting ready to introduce Alchemy Stones on the Hivelist marketplace, here in our own community. The *good* thing about that is at least there isn't going to be an ongoing expense associated with parking the images and descriptions there... and it's still a place where people can go and look at my work, and at least I might have the *"fringe benefit"* of earning a few cents as a result of *talking* about the stones in blog posts, as opposed to people actually *buying* them. That's not to say that I've completely given up on the idea of being able to occasionally make a sale or two online. But clearly something has to be changed. And so, that's what I'm working with. Now it's just a matter of finding the free *time.* *Thanks for visiting! Feel free to leave a comment, if you feel so inspired... engagement is part of what makes Hive such a cool venue!*  If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out **[The Hive Rocks Project](https://peakd.com/c/hive-127783/created)** and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative! Because I *am* trying to make some semblance of income — a *part time living,* even — I now add this footer to all my posts, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might decide to take a further look at my work, and perhaps consider supporting independent art. Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support! My **[Alchemy Stones Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/AlchemyStones)** appeal **[Alchemy Stones web site](https://www.alchemystone.com/)** and blog **[Alchemy Stones on eBay](https://www.ebay.com/str/Alchemy-Stones)** **[Alchemy Stones on Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlchemyStones)** **[Alchemy Stones on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/AlchemyStones/)** Regardless, your upvotes and comments are always appreciated! ## Thank you for supporting independent art! ***2023.04.23 AS-TXT-156/124***
👍 isnochys, millibot, mind.force, hive-127783, hive-127039, sbi5, voter, nachomolina2, danhyelita24, neoxian, abmakko, sharkthelion, akomoajong, aamirijaz, joedukeg, jlordc, anikys3reasure, xawi, meher04, sanjeev021, marriakjozhegp, mami.sheh7, brofund-ag, memesupport, hurtlocker, moremoney28, abu78, some-asshole, jlordz, dragonmk47, dsc-r2cornell, deimage, syibral-malasy, hive-141995, hattaarshavin, tiyumtaba, aremontilla, magic.list, xyz.store, saboin.ccc, livinguktaiwan, sinochip, whangster79, frickable, wendyburger, hive-195880, kevmcc, worksinsane, charityball, astinmin, holovision.list, diodao,