It has been a source of constant internal battle for a while now. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the idea of it but I keep running into what I am seeing/feel like are un-conquerable barriers to making it be what I want it to be.
Here's the deal. As I have looked at different avenues to selling online, it all seems to boil down to me having to significantly increase my prices in order to cover my costs for the listings, charges, maintenance of different websites, etc. In addition to that, I am also finding that pretty much the only way to make online selling doable for me without quitting my full time job is to mass produce. Since uniqueness and affordability are 2 of the 3 main concepts at the heart of Namuli Jewelry...well can you see the barriers? Because of this, I can't bring myself to go ahead with full fledge internet selling. But then I feel guilty and I feel like I am failing my customers. Because despite my long absence from the blog, I do recognize that many of my customers have requested internet buying and I understand why you have done so. In short, your comments and requests have not fallen on deaf ears, I have just needed to figure out some way to make it doable for all three of us; you, me and Namuli Jewelry as a whole.
So here is my solution:
I am going to keep selling off this blog (still using the ever trusty and secure PayPal method) and I am just gonna have to do it to the best of my ability and see what happens. Due to the large variety of pieces I make, there is no feasible way for me to sell everything I have from the blog. There will be pieces that may appear just on the blog or not on the blog at all. There will for sure be more product to choose from by coming to or hosting a Namuli Jewelry party or contacting me directly. I will be the first to admit that I have not been good about putting new pieces on the blog regularly-or even updating the blog regularly for that matter. While I am not making excuses, 99% of that was because I was trying to figure out how to make it work (like literally-how to add a cart and buy buttons and link things to PayPal) and then once I figured that out, The Great Dilemma started. BUT-by writing this I feel like I've turned a page. Confessed my struggles and declared what I think will be the solution. I really hope this will be something that works for everyone. If not, I can always go back to the drawing board.
Thank you for your continued support!
Namuli
P.S. While things may have been silent here on the blog, there has actually been a lot going on with Namuli Jewelry-most importantly with raising money for Rheumatic Rescue, a group that fights childhood heart disease around the world. I will do a longer post on this later on, but here is pic expressing my sincere thanks to supporting this project. The kids say thanks too, even though the boy and girl on the lower left front row look like they are not very happy. :)
