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I do have a question though for the smaller glass sellers, please don't take this the wrong way, but I wonder why would you keep putting yourself through the hassle and work of selling the glass if your only making a couple bucks per hour?
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Megan,
I think I mentioned this but I'll tell you my story. I worked retail for many, many years. In my position I last held there was just too much stress. Combine that with Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia and well it wasn't a good mix. I've had PD for about 20 years now but it went through stages. I ended up having a nervous breakdown in 2006 and I didn't even leave my home for 3 months. (This was a few months after I first started lampworking) Thank God for lampworking because it did save my life. I started researching and I thought maybe this is something that I could do since I was pretty much housebound anyways. I did make it back to work and researched what I could at the same time. I wrote to Frantz, Moretti N More, Jodel Glass, Arrow Springs and LBS supply and told them I was thinking of selling glass and I was hoping for their blessing. I promised no undercutting and to be comparable in price but that this is something I think I needed to do.
I think almost everyone wrote back and said, "Go for it!" A few even gave me tips which I was really just blown away. I knew it was the right thing because pieces of the puzzle were just falling into place.
I started up in April of last year and quit my day job in August because it was too much to do both. I still struggle with panic disorder but my mind is constantly on packing, cleaning, selling, ordering...etc that I don't have time to let my mind go into the dark places.
So this is a good thing. I still don't drive out of town but I'm working on it.
Thank God the post office is only 4 miles away.
But that's why I started. No profits yet. I am like everyone else, if there's any profit it goes to building up my supply or trying to add to the variety of things I sell on the site and that's okay...I do hope that this business does turn a profit in a year or so which would be normal but I'm just getting started so I expected the 7 days a week and I expected a loss. But the best thing is I'm home. I'm home when my kids are home. I'm home when they're sick....I'm just available to them more now and they all pitch in and help when needed. One day, I hope they will take it over from me if I'm not here anymore. Or at least my daughter since the boys already have their careers picked out and it doesn't have anything to do with glass.
So that's the story.
Hope everyone didn't mind me sharing.
It's also on the About me page on my website.
Irene