Where do they disappear to?

I recently had someone ask me "where my jewelry pieces suddenly disappear to" from my online shop sometimes. Good question! You may see something for sale in my Etsy Shop one day, that is no longer listed the next day, nor can it be found in my "Sold" items list. When I make a new jewelry piece, I post it in my shop if it wasn't a special order made for someone specifically. At the same time, I have local customers who may see the jewelry here locally and may decide to purchase a piece. If the buyer is someone I see regularly or lives down the street, the purchase transaction may take place in person, rather than online. In this case, once the piece has been sold I remove it from my Etsy Shop since it is no longer available. If it is an item that can be re-made, or is not a one-of-a-kind, I may re-post it in my Etsy Shop with the note that the status has changed and it is now a Made To Order item, which may take a bit longer to be ready to ship since I have to re-make it. I will always give a time estimate to a buyer or interested party, on items that are Made To Order.

This new bracelet I just posted in the shop called "Sundrenched" is a good example. One day after posting the item for sale, a local customer purchased the piece. Therefore you will no longer find it anywhere in my Etsy Shop. Once explaining this situation to my friend, she said "Oh, so I really should go ahead and purchase something right away if I'm interested in it!" - ahh, the dilemmas of handmade items that are one of a kind!

I typically post almost all of my jewelry pieces on my blog, in the slideshow displayed in the upper-right corner. This is a good place to see some of the things I may have sold off-line, that are not found in my Etsy Shop. At MyHappyThings.etsy.com, you can see the pieces I currently have for sale, and items I've sold online are viewable by clicking "(#) Sold Items" on the right side of my shop screen. The combination of these two resources can be helpful, as it may jumpstart an idea for you to submit a request to me for a Special or Custom Order item. I gladly accept any inquiries or requests and in fact, do about 50% of my pieces that way. Maybe you see a piece you like, but are interested in a different color, or the piece includes a dragonfly but you really like butterflies or hearts instead - anything you can think of, is up for discussion! I also accept requests to re-make items that have sold. Whether I can re-make an item typically depends upon (1) whether it was designed to be a one-of-a-kind specifically or not or (2) whether I can get all or most of the same elements again. I had a Special Order like this following the sale of the "Sundrenched" bracelet pictured above. Someone else was interested in the same look, so I designed a similar bracelet for her the next day. My Special/Custom Order policy is 50% down when the order is placed and the remaining 50% is due when the piece is completed.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Stay tuned for another post in the next day or two, with a preview of something new for my shop this weekend!