Continuation of the Basics of Your Arcade

The Arcade at The Handmade Product Directory is becoming a popular place for artists to sell all our work from multiple shops all together in one place – in a very affordable way. All sorts of handmade products are available there – not just art. Please see yesterday’s post for Part I. You can see here an example of how I have items from different shops all shown together – this can give you an idea of what YOUR own Arcade can look like!

Conundrum I, Collage, Framed Print, Etsy © Diane Clancy

What about the other parts of the form? At the beginning of the form it asks if you are currently listed in The Handmade Shopping Directory. Check for yourself at http://www.dmpmc.net/THMD if you are not sure. My directory entry came up when I did a search for myself.  You might want to be in the directory if you are not. Agreeing to the terms of service is obvious.  Then you need a banner of up to 760×100 pixels and an avatar (75×75). Fill in the image verification and hit the “Register” button.

Conundrum I, Postage, Zazzle © Diane Clancy

What if I need to reenter the verification code? Good question! Not only do you need to so the code again, you will need to reenter your links to the banner and avatar.  Additionally, and “ ‘ “ may add  “ \ “ that you will want to take out.

Conundrum I, Framed Tile, CafePress © Diane Clancy

How much does this cost? The Arcade is a way to send your customers to one shop instead of to lots of different shops.  One way to think about the cost is to consider it low-cost advertising … sending people to one place only – so they can see the breadth and range of your products at a glance. The cost is $ 2 a month cost for having a shop, for this portal. The only fee is the shop fee of $2 per month – with NO FEES for setup, listings or sales!!

Here are examples of 2 Arcades. My Arcade shop is https://dianeclancy.dmpmc.net – where I sell Fine Art, Fine Art Cards and lots of Fine Art images on mugs, tiles, postage, totes and more.  Another Arcade is http://susanelkin.dmpmc.net where Susan Elkin sells her Fine Art Photography as prints, cards, ACEOs, mugs, tiles, totes, postage and more.

How do I get money? You don’t get money directly from your Arcade – this is a portal that sends your customers directly to your other shops where they actually purchase your items.

How does your customer get the item? Since you are actually sending your customers to your other shops, that is where they purchase your items.  So they would receive the items as they usually would from that particular shop.

How do I list an item? There is an Excel file you can use to list lots of items at once.  There is also an online form where you can list one item at a time.  You will need the url of the item, the picture of the item, a short description, along with the category the item belongs in.  I learned some lessons the hard way so please ask questions if you want more help.

Is it worth opening an Arcade shop? I think so. I know I am delighted to be able to show my different work all in one place.  This way I can show an original from my website, a print from Etsy, postage with this image from Zazzle, a framed tile with this image from CafePress and a poster with this image from RedBubble.  It allows me to suggest to customers various ways they may want to purchase the images they love. I hope at least one of these ways will encourage them to take that step to buy!

This is a broad overview of The Arcade – we are glad to answer any questions or point you in the right direction. There are of course many more details – we can go into them as you need them. Good luck selling!!

Tomorrow I share a blog where I have been featured and I was also quoted in another local newspaper.   I hope you like this vibrant,  colorful painting!   Thank you for stopping by!

~ Diane Clancy

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