Good idea or terrible idea? ...etsy

[bcblondie]

I think most of us have heard of mama cloth. I never realized, at first, that it includes not just pads, but tampons as well. I did some research and it seems very hard to find places that sell cloth tampons. Etsy has ONE seller that does both pads and tampons. But they are crochet ones.
So I made my own flannel ones, and the last 2 cycles I've used them myself. Oh my goodness, they are SO awesome. I can't believe I used to pay for disposables. I also have a diva cup but I guess since my flow is heavy it slips upwards and leaks a lot.

ANYWAYS! Do you guys think it would be worth setting up a shop on etsy to sell flannel tampons? What would be the pro's and cons?

[lilyka]

Pros:
etsy is free to sign up and listings are cheap
etsy is easy and fast

cons:
people might not be able to find you very well (but this can be handled in a lot of different ways)
you might lose a buck or two (tragedy!)

I say go for it. Etsy is so easy and cheap you really can't lose.

[bcblondie]

Ok thanks!
I was reading that other thread about the pressures on etsy. Do you think a blog would be a better idea? Would many people find my blog?

[dogmom327]

I don't know much about Etsy but if you set up a blog/shopping cart, SEO needs to be your friend. I'd do a keyword search through Google's Keyword system to see what people are typing in looking for reusable tampons, etc. and then optimize your pages accordingly.

[bcblondie]

Very cool. Never heard of that. Thanks.

[MittensKittens]

That sounds cool! I'd buy them!

I agree about the SEO. You can also look into hyena cart instead of etsy.

[bcblondie]

Cool, my first potential buyer! Lol.

Does hyena cart cost anything?

What do you guys think about selling on ebay?

[bcblondie]

I did an ebay search of "cloth tampons" and "reusable tampons" and came up with NOTHING. Think I should sell there?

How much do you think shipping would be? I'm in Canada and most my buyers would probably be american.

Do I need to get a merchants account on paypal so my buyers can pay me?

[Jael]

I've never heard of cloth tampons, so I think it's a fabulous idea. However, I'd combine your suggestions here and do an SEO blog on cloth tampons, as well as sell on Etsy.

If you need to learn more about SEO, try this:

Google SEO Starter Guide (pdf doc)

Lots of luck!

[bcblondie]

Thank you but I can't open that file type. Is it short enough that you could copy and paste it and pm to me?
Do all SEO's cost money?

[Jael]

Unfortunately, I can't. It's a pretty hefty ebook all about SEO from Google's perspective. Adobe Acrobat is a free download if you'd like to open it. Otherwise, do a Google search on learning SEO or something similar. There are tons of resources on the web to help you.

And, no, SEO doesn't cost money (unless you hire someone to do it for you). Really, all it is is using keywords and keyphrases to attract traffic from the search engines to your site, blog or article. Once you begin to study it you'll understand it a lot better than I can explain it here. Good luck with your new venture.

[bcblondie]

Thank you!!

[lilyka]

I wouldn't sell on ebay. The fees are high and no one buys this sort of stuff from ebay any more. I doubt anyone will be looking there.

[bcblondie]

Oh I didn't know that. K thanks.

[lisarussell]

I think that since you have little to no competition for cloth tampons then it would be best to just set up your own site. If you use etsy, it would be a secondary avenue to your product and not a primary source of traffic / sales right away.

In a nutshell, SEO just means that you're using the same language your customers would use. For example, when new people look for your product, they will search for "cloth tampons" or "reusable tampons" and things like that. They might even say "fleece tampons" or "cotton tampons" or "reusable cotton tampons" or "washable tampons" or "organic tampons" but they will never say "Aunt Rose's awesome environmentally friendly solution for that time of the month"

I hope that makes sense.

So your domain name(s) should be clothtampons.com and reusabletampons.com (keyworded domain names often dominate) and if you want something cute, like "suzy's cozy whatevers.com" then get that, too.

Search engines love wordpress, so if you use it to build your site, be sure that your categories and tags are keyworded (using the same language as your customers- the phrases I mentioned above)

Consider also having pages about "how to make cloth tampons" and "how to wash cloth tampons" just for the purpose of web domination.

The Google eBook is really really awesome, but for your purposes- you just want to sell your product- it's probably not really necessary to learn it all. Common sense goes a long way here.

Anyway- SEO is a huge part of my job. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about it, but the most important thing to remember is to use the words your readers will use, so search engines know what your site is about.

Also- Google is putting increased importance on social media, so integrating facebook, twitter and other social network "share" functionality is a very very very good idea.

But honestly, your product is innovative and so very niche- that you'll generate a lot of social sharing anyway, once you get the initial word out.

Good luck to you
Let me know if you need help building a website or choosing domain/hosting

[bcblondie]

You are so helpful. You are my new best friend! lol I will probably have a whole bunch of questions about SEO!
I think you are totally right about starting my own site. Is there a place I can make one for free?

So your domain name(s) should be clothtampons.com and reusabletampons.com (keyworded domain names often dominate) and if you want something cute, like "suzy's cozy whatevers.com" then get that, too.

Forgive me. I'm slow. I don't really understand this part. Wouldn't I then have multiple websites? lol. Maybe I will understand more once I get started on making it.

But honestly, your product is innovative and so very niche- that you'll generate a lot of social sharing anyway, once you get the initial word out.

Thank you. This makes me excited. lol.

I'm a little nervous to use facebook as I have a LOT of church friends and relatives that would be like... what... in the heck... is she selling? lol.

[bcblondie]

Ok so another question. I'm in Canada so I've been looking into shipping costs. I punched in what I thought it would be, size and weight wise, and it's 11 dollars at the cheapest, plus tax, plus I guess the cost of those padded envelopes. That's gonna get close to 15 bucks on shipping probably! Do you think that makes this whole thing completely unfeasible?

Any other ways you think I could send it? Maybe a regular size envelope and put the tampons inside a plastic bag?

[inchwormz]

That's the reality of shipping in Canada, I'm afraid. I wouldn't look at that as a deterrent. Just make sure you factor it in as a cost of doing business so you don't end up loosing money, in the long run. We charge flat rate shipping for our products (8.95 under 50 and 10.95 over 50) which is in line with our costs. There are some products we have to charge more for, because they are big, bulky etc. and so we include a note about how there will be a surcharge for these.

I'd suggest setting up a real-time shipping calculator on your website so that actual costs are charged. Customers can't get upset if you are upfront with them about how this is the ACTUAL cost of shipping, as set by Canada Post. Also, be sure you have a page showing potential customers how much they will SAVE using reusable tampons. This should help offset any shipping charges they might incur.

One last piece of advice - get insurance. Whether this is a business or hobby, insurance for such a personal item would be a must. For pads that are worn externally, it may not be as much of a concern (although still recommended) but for an internal product, it would only take ONE upset customer to cause you trouble and put you out of business. This could also effect your personal finances tremendously if you are a sole proprietor. Protect your assets right from the start.

Good luck! Sounds like a promising business venture, and very unique.

[bcblondie]

Thank you Inchwormz! The shipping calculator is a good idea. How do I get one of those? Is that something I could just google and find out? It looks like it costs money, yes?

yes that's definately a huge concern of mine. Every product or service has upset customers. With such a personal product... I do think I could get in over my head. What if someone has a complication that's not even from my product but they claim it is? Where do I get insurance?
Maybe I just need a disclaimer on my site...

[inchwormz]

A disclaimer won't cover you at all, if an issue ever went to court. You absolutely need to have insurance to protect your business and personal assets. It's the only responsible thing to do if your business decisions might affect other family members (children and partner) and could potential cost way more than a monthly insurance fee. Call a few brokers in your area for quotes as this will vary from region to region.

I would suggest reading through the treads with recommendations to WAHM web designers. We used Creative Media in the past and they have been great (good product, great service, fast turn-around). Stacey would be able to set you up with an attractive looking website at a reasonable cost and she would also be able to help you through the steps you need to set your shipping fees. You'll have to contact Canada Post to find out more about setting up real time shipping costs, but your web designer should be able to help with setting it up for you.