Etsy funny

[wickedinhere]

I finally put some of my stuff on ETSY to see how it goes. I had an email this morning and thought alright maybe its an order. Nope just someone that is 2 hours from me wanting me to donate to their local cause oh and of course promote my business. I really have to hold my tongue when these people contact me, the kicker is they have never bought from me before but think i owe them a donation. I had a customer buy 4 pieces recently and she was telling me about how she was giving the items to an auction for her daughters school. I told her i would donate a piece, i had no problem doing that cause she is a good customer and never asked for a donation. I would never ask for a donation from a business i didn't do business with.

[wickedinhere]

I normally don't respond to these but here is the conversation.

I am one of the chairs for the Sacred Heart School Auction in Baton Rouge. We are looking for donations to help raise funds for our school. Please contact me if you are interested in donating one of your beautiful pieces for our event. In turn, we would love to promote your business.
Thank you for your time and consideration.



Sorry we don't do a lot of donations because when we do one it seems that it draws 100's of request for donations.
Were are a small business that can only afford to donate
to local causes in our area a few times a year.
Thanks.

[tnbndr]

Thats funny, I was recently contacted through Etsy from someone in Alabama wanting me to donate an item to their Ducks Unlimited fund raiser.
I replied similar to yours but offered them free shipping if they purchased an item. Which to my great surprise they did.

[wickedinhere]

Wow i am surprised they bought a piece. I normally offer if they buy one piece i will donate one piece but i have never had anyone take me up on my offer. I think i will ask my metal yard for a donation and se how that goes. LOL

[AnotherDano]

'Tis the season...
I've started getting the donation requests too. It starts every Spring.

And the 'big shows' are lining up their space bookings too, for August, September and October. Or the last minute spaces for Spring shows that are just two weeks away, or less. I asked one of them what kind of gate they were expecting (customers) and they had no idea what I was talking about.

I've never had a customer who saw my work at one of these events and was interested in purchasing. They buy a raffle ticket or bid at a silent auction for the 'cause', not the product.

[wickedinhere]

I just realized that this is a private school and people pay for kids to attend so get the money from your bank account not mine. Its always a money grab these days, i find that people have their hands in my pockets more than i have my own.

[abmetal]

We once donated a coat rack to the Wild Turkey Federation and that in turn got us 3 sales of the same and then that was it. Then we were asked to cut the mascot of a local school and all we asked was for them to supply a tax exempt form to which they agreed. Well, we made the sign, they sold it at their benefit auction, and we haven't heard squat since. They didn't even supply the form. AND NOW the woman in charge avoids us like the plague. We've been in business for 9 years and you'd think we'd have learned by now but we do like to help out worthy causes but we're starting to wonder.

Allen

[wickedinhere]

LOL Its funny how they forget your name once they get the donation. LOL

[beefy]

A lot of my life I've had monthly direct debit to various charities - cruelty to children, Oxfam, Medicin Sans Frontiers, etc. Not a lot but then again I don't make much at the moment.

I think there's better things you can donate your profits from sales to, rather than giving away your work for free. Surely our businesses don't survive based on what we donate. Time to start up a different business if that's the case.

I think I'll just have a standard letter I use as a reply to these requests. It will mention those who are in much greater need and by donating my work for free, I am reducing what I can donate to those much worse off.

Give back the guilt trip like they are trying with us.

Keith.

[wickedinhere]

Well i had a few more people contact me about donations on ETSY so i closed my shop. I am just gonna do what works and stop wasting money.

[vatso]

We once donated a coat rack to the Wild Turkey Federation and that in turn got us 3 sales of the same and then that was it. Then we were asked to cut the mascot of a local school and all we asked was for them to supply a tax exempt form to which they agreed. Well, we made the sign, they sold it at their benefit auction, and we haven't heard squat since. They didn't even supply the form. AND NOW the woman in charge avoids us like the plague. We've been in business for 9 years and you'd think we'd have learned by now but we do like to help out worthy causes but we're starting to wonder.

Allen

There is an easy way to fix that just send the person an invoice for the item that was donated and attach a letter stating the donation terms agreed for a tax exempt invoice for the donation was never supplied.