Sunday, July 31, 2016

Water Fuel-Cell Inventor Murdered by Government

Liberty Fading

I was on Twitter this morning when I saw a tweet titled "Liberty Fading".  I saw it was posted on the CanadaFreePress site

After Obama was elected as it started coming out more and more what he was really like, there was a column on that site about how he was not vetted and didn't even have ID.

So when I saw the tweet this morning I wanted to check it out.

I think it is a very good column.  The idea of government control over the people growing, and freedom diminishing "for our own good" are very well expressed, I feel:

http://canadafreepress.com/article/liberty-fading#.V54LfXAQGfY.twitter

Only God can save us.2 Chron 7:14.

I Thought Yesterday's Views were Good Until.....

So, yesterday was a saturday.  And with search views being below 200 for most of the days for the past 3-4  I was glad to see that I finished with 266 views from Etsy search.

Saturday has been my highest view day.  So it is not really anything that great or out of the ordinary.

BUT then I checked stats for the same day last year, July 30th, and Wow.

Last year on July 30th I had 486 views from Etsy search!  Holy heck.

Yesterday I finished with  more than 1,200 total views.

Last year I had 2,172 total views!  Wow.
Although, with the changes Etsy made to our shop layouts total views are not an accurate indication of how active our shops are.

2 sales yesterday.  For less than $100 revenue.  Not good.
1 sale the day before for less than $40 revenue.  Not good.

Disappointing numbers still.

I have choices to make.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Tic-Toc

The clock to the end of ShoponSherman is ticking.

Today makes 1 sale for $8 in 2 days.

I still have a chair to take to Greyhound tomorrow, and other orders to pack and ship.

I will be get caught up and close up in the next day or two.

Time for bed.  

Saturday, July 23, 2016

11/17

So no sales  yesterday.

That makes 11 of the past 17 days without a sale.

Get caught up on my orders.

Then close up.

Maybe not until monday.

Friday, July 22, 2016

It is almost 10:30 AM

I am about to head into my garden job.  A little later than I wanted to.  I was hoping to avoid the heat and the sun and also get off early.

So at 11 AM it will be another 1 1/2 days without a sale.  Disappointing.

I have choices to make.

Only 166 Search Views Yesterday!

Wow.  It is very disappointing that search views have dropped so significantly this month.

Yesterday, July 21st, 2016 I had only 166 views from Etsy search.

Last year I had 249 views from Etsy search.

For the first 21 days of the month I have 778 fewer search views than last year.
(And 283 fewer direct Google views.  Which I believe is Etsy's fault)

Just more evidence why I should close.

No sales yesterday.
And search views are where the buyers are.
Nearly 1,500 listings and no sales.  Terrible.

And 10 of 21 days this month without a sale.
And 6 of the 11 days with a sale were for revenue of $89 or less.

So for 16 of the 21 days of this month I made $0-89.
Minus expenses. for 16 of the 21 days this month I made no money.

I have choices to make.



Wednesday, July 13, 2016

It is Another 2 Days without a Sale

My last sale was 12:50 pm on Monday.

I should close up.

I have choices to make.


110 Etsy Search views at 1 PM?

So my search views have come back somewhat over the past few days.

And even today I now have 110 views from Etsy search at only 1pm.

Did Etsy do something to cause the BIG drop I had??
Is this temporary?

It is good to see though.

Back to work.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

One of Pittsburgh's oldest homesteads sits abandoned in Beltzhoover

One of Pittsburgh's oldest homesteads sits abandoned in Beltzhoover

The End has Come: I will be Closing My Vintage Etsy shop ShoponSherman

Here at 8:43 pm it is now another 3 days without a sale.

For many reasons it is time to close.

After I get caught up on my current orders, probably in the next 2 days, I will be closing.

After 5 1/2 years and more than 4,600 total items sold.

Time to get out the work boots, and go back to work.

Oh well.

A Dream of Driving in the Wrong Direction

I took a nap this afternoon and at the end of it as I was dreaming I was in a car going in the wrong direction.

We are in the left lane of a highway driving very slowly.  As I see traffic coming toward us, with a car in our lane, and a police car behind the car in our lane coming toward us, I say, "Wrong direction, Right?".

The person driving says, "Yeah.  As long as we're less than 7 (MPH).".

As we get closer to the cars we are in the middle lane and with a car also driving in the wrong direction as us a passenger in the back seat of my car says about bhot of our cars, "We're both going 8 (MPH)

The police officer stops and the officer makes the hand signal for us to stop, and I hear loud police sirens to the right of us.

Then I woke up.

I don't think it meant anything.  But it was clear.

Oh well.

47 Search views at 12 Noon

Wow.  So low.

I wonder what Etsy has done, what "improvements" they have made, to further hurt my search views.

I expected a drop in the summer, but this is the lowest search views I've had in 5 years.

Back to work.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Only 174 Search Views Yesterday

Last year on July 5th I had 246 search views.

I had more than 200 search views on Monday, July 4th, but nearly every day for the past week or more I've been below 200 Etsy search views.  Disappointing.

Today I am going to finish with less than 170. And less than 900 total views.

And this will be my 2nd consecutive day without a sale.

Oh well.

I have decisions to make about my vintage shop, and other things.

Monday, July 4, 2016

Pittsburgh Bicentennnial Celebration 1816-2016

The city of Pittsburgh has been my home all of my life.  I was born in 1967, and, of course, some of my favorite memories were of watching the Steelers of the 1970's.  Especially Terry Bradshaw, who I imitated every time I played football.

Although Pittsburgh was incorporated as a township in 1771, and then as a borough in 1794, it was in 1816 that Pittsburgh became a city:

http://www.pgh200.com/

And on Friday, July 8th Pittsburgh will have the birthday bash:

http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/events-festivals/pgh200/

Followed by a parade on Saturday, July 9th.

In my vintage Etsy shop I have listed an interesting piece of Pittsburgh Bicentennnial history.  It is a drinking glass from when Pittsburgh first celebrated its bicentennial in 1959:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/152295802/rare-vintage-1959-pittsburgh?ga_search_query=drinking+glass&ref=shop_items_search_1

I found it a local Goodwill:






I actually have not researched why Pittsburgh celebrated its bicentennial because of a 1758 date.  Rather than incorporating year of 1771.  It must be from when the city was founded.

Off to Google.....

Star Spangled Banner 7 yr old God bless our troops! - plz "Share"

Saturday, July 2, 2016

A Vintage Jessie Wilcox Smith Crewel Embroidery Wall Art Print

One day when I made the bike ride to the hot neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PA, Lawrenceville, to to go the Busy Beaver, I decided to go back into Thrftique.  I found a few books there. When I left I decided to stop in the Goodwill thrift store next door.  Even though I had told myself I would only go to the Busy Beaver and not buy any more for my vintage Etsy shop ShoponSherman:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShoponSherman?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Of all the Goodwill I have been to in the Pittsburgh area the one in Lawrenceville is not one of my favorites.  It is small.  With a small section of wares.  And only cheap things displayed the few times I was in there.

But this day I looked behind the prints and there was this very nice one:

 
I could see it was obviously an old image, and I did not recognize the artist off-hand.  But I turned it over and it still has the Danbury Mint label and dated 1987.

I thought it would be a very nice vintage print for my Etsy shop.

After bringing it home and doing a quick search I learned about Jessie Wilcox Smith.  Even though I did sell a couple Easter plates with her image on them.

She was born in the 1860's and was a famous illustrator of books and magazines.  This image first appeared on the February 1910 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.



My piece is actually embroidered:




All of it is in great condition.

I have just gotten it listed today:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/450321816/vintage-jessie-wilcox-smith-crewel?ref=shop_home_active_2

I like her work, and I will try to find more of them.  I will try to get a hold of some of her magazine covers.

I hope this very nice piece will find a home of someone who appreciates it.

Back to work for me.

Friday, July 1, 2016

Time to CLOSE ShoponSherman???

Damn it.

It is now 3 days with 1 sale for $29.

And 15 of the past 20 days with sales of $0-69.
8 of the days were $0 sales.
Holy heck.

I don't want to, but I should close.

I will lose a lot.

And it's been 5 1/2 years of working on it every single day.  For this.

With my shop on a downward trend.
Revenue is down more than 30% from 2014.
Orders are down more than 25% from 2014.

It is stupid to stay open.

It's not worth it any longer.

I have choices to make.