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For "prints" - I'm able to make 300 that have substantial amount of white space...as in not completely full color edge-to-edge, but illustration, or lots of colored text & boxes on white background. But I find to print 2 A2 cards on a sheet with a full bleed is about 30-40 seconds or so. I haven't used a stopwatch or what not, but I usually just let the printer do it's thing, I run off and do errands like the dishes, and just come back to make sure the ink isn't streaking if it's warned me that it's low. Usually a sign the ink is low is if there's like a skip in the print, or a very thin line...or if a color like magenta is done then the print will be lacking the pink tones.

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I get everything from Amazon, and currently I've found these to work great:

• Hammermill 80lb Cover (it's very velvety feeling and takes ink well, not super stiff but a good overall cardstock weight). It feeds VERY WELL through the printer.
  
  
• Accent Opaque 120lb Cover I bought 1200 sheets of this. It's VERY stiff board and really adds substantial weight to greeting cards, and takes color very well. The only downside is because it is very thick, every so often the printer won't grab the paper to feed through if you try to pre-load 5+ sheets of it. I have to do 2-3 sheets at a time for the printer to be able to grab it. There's also 100lb as well that's slightly thinner and good for cards and feeds a little better but I got the 120 because I had some weird Amazon coupon to make it much cheaper than the 100.
  
  
  I've also found great color with the other following papers:
  
  
• Hammermill 24# paper Excellent for just daily printing - I found 20# to be very thin but still doable! But love the 24# because the colors turn out nice and smooth.
  
  
• Canon Luster Photo Paper This paper is amazing for photography prints...I'm not too keen on glossy types but this makes the color feel richer and the luster texture helps to hide any small jpeg articfacting or imperfections in the file/print.

We sell similar items on our store. If the stuff inside the dome isn’t secured down with glue there’s basically no way to ship it. Redo it, use glue to make sure nothing inside moves around. The glue we use is great, dries clear and isn’t super brittle like super glue is. Lemme see if I can find it on amazon...

https://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Craft-Bond-Tacky-Clear/dp/B000LNR27U/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=craft+glue&qid=1555186771&s=gateway&sr=8-4

That’s close enough, but we use the quick dry version. It really is perfect for this type of application. It’s way stronger than you’d think. I use it all the time for gluing bones and preserved moss, etc.

Anyway, once everything inside the dome is secure (shake it a bit to make sure), it’s just a matter of wrapping the dome in bubble wrap and using a bigger box so there’s room for extra protective packing.

Anyway, from a fellow oddities/curiosities dealer, good luck! Love this piece btw. What’s your IG/Etsy store called? We’re @MVMarketplace 🖤

Don't listen to the other person about "markets". There are bathbombs being sold for $17 dollars EACH with free shipping and the seller has 11k sales in less than 2 years.


Etsy isn't about being in a race to the bottom with other sellers. If you want to, make your items more than $10 and add on the shipping into the total OR just do the thing Etsy is promoting where the shipping is free after $35+ and price your items in a way that suits you. I promise you, having free shipping as a option (such as with a set minimum to meet) is tens times more enticing to buyers and benefits you a lot more (especially for lightweight items) than just selling one $6.50 + $4.50 shipping item. I have over 80k sales and make 12k a month out of ONE of my shops. I've never once let my competitors pricing influence how I "value" my work, and when I opened my shop I charged more than most people, and I've surpassed all of them in daily sales (30-60 orders a day) for over 2 years.

Okay, enough of my rant, as for shipping extremely lightweight items (with a focus on bath&beauty), these boxes are fairly popular, and you can find them on uline in larger amounts once you start selling regularly: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5B91Q3/?coliid=I15B0YY5IERKN5&colid=3LI4KLG3587E8&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it with these bubbles https://www.amazon.com/Duck-Original-Cushioning-Perforated-1061835/dp/B0021L9M1Y/ They come in 12 inches, but you can cut it down so that each 'roll' is only 3 inches across (so it turns into 3" x 60', 4 rolls), that gives you a ton of bubbles to use. Use it to 'wrap' around your product - left to right, top to bottom, like an X sandwich. As for liquids use something like 3M No Residue Duct Tape around the caps to keep it from slipping open while it's being shipped (they have it on Amazon, but it's wayyy cheaper at home depot or lowes) squeeze the lid to make sure the tape is stuck good and then put then in plain generic ziploc bags, such as these https://www.amazon.com/Plymor-Heavy-Plastic-Reclosable-Zipper/dp/B0194CUNCO

They should be relatively safe being shipped this way. I used those boxes for (unrelated to beauty) another product I sell and they are extremely difficult to crush.

I agree, sometimes it takes a while to establish your presence as not just a seller but an artist (of sorts). My suggestion to you would be to do more research into online marketing, there are a few great books out there (like this one); read up the seller how-to on Etsy (and/or Folksy) too.

Another good idea would be to find someone on Etsy/Folksy who sells similar stuff to what your mom makes. What does their page look like? How have their pictures been taken? Do they show character? I'm not saying that you should simply copy these people, just that you should look at the market for those kinds of things and see what works out and what doesn't.

Hope this helps!

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_onRXBbYRA0N0E

It's good enough but the fabric backgrounds were wrinkled which was annoying. You can see that in the photos. I'll show you some photos I took with it.

http://imgur.com/a/Wmauqy4

I looked on YouTube for where to put the lights. I hadn't thought of putting them outside the box. It makes a way better effect outside the box being diffused through fabric than straight on. Good luck!

How large are the blankets? Are they small enough to use poly mailers? Whenever I buy clothes online they usually come in these. You might even be able to save on shipping. If not, putting them inside small, clear trash bags (the kind for offices with no tabs/drawstring) with the ends neatly folded, then inside your normal packaging, would also be fine. Black or white bags are the ones I associate with garbage.

It looks like a piece of gray acrylic. Acrylic gives that lovely reflection on jewelry. I actually use a white piece of acrylic for my photos. You can order it in different colors on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Cast-Acrylic-Sheet-Transparent-0-118/dp/B00JB7FEEU

I use these but they're 4x6:

https://www.amazon.com/100-CLEAR-Reclosable-Zipper-Bag/dp/B000OVHW24/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481228757&sr=8-1&keywords=4%22+clear+storage+bag

There's also these at 4x3 but you have to buy them with something else to get free shipping:

https://www.amazon.com/Beadaholique-4-Inch-Resealable-Zipper-Shipping/dp/B009LIOOPO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481228838&sr=8-2&keywords=4%22+clear+storage+bag

I use this Brother Laser Printer (wifi enabled) and use half sheet adhesive labels. I thought the dedicated label printers were too expensive and this allows me to print packing slips as well.

We ended up going with Avery sticker labels- a pack of 200 for $25. So much more convenient and you'll save in tape costs!

I think you would find this book very helpful. It's very heavy on the financial aspects of running a store - pricing, bookkeeping, taxes, etc. It was very educational for me.

A stick thermometer? Like this one?

I have this 16"x16" one. I put the lights on the outside and it works well. The fabric needed ironing. It might look wrinkly in some of my photos because I didn't iron it right away.

LimoStudio 16" x 16" Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box, AGG349 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QQv8Cb1795CWZ

Here are some photos.

https://imgur.com/a/WG8lMdr

More like this

I would recommend reading the book Stolen Sharpie Revolution.

TPS also works well as a degreaser.

I know the Dymo is a pretty expensive purchase but I honestly have no regrets. It is so easy to use and speeds up my process big time!

https://www.amazon.com/DYMO-LabelWriter-Thermal-Label-Printer/dp/B002M1LGJ4

It's the amazon.ca deal of the day for $108.79 CAD here: https://www.amazon.ca/LabelWriter-Thermal-Printer-Monochrome-Desktop/dp/B002M1LGJ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481576026&sr=8-1&keywords=dymo+4xl

http://www.amazon.com/100-RIGID-PHOTO-MAILERS-ENVELOPES/dp/B000HHOOEY/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AXVMCNC53RJ95
Photo mailer classified as a package both on etsy and at the post office.

AmazonSmile Link: Cast Acrylic Sheet, Translucent Black, 12" x 12" x 0.118" Size

^Use AmazonSmile to donate 0.5% of your purchase price to a charity of your choice at no extra cost to you.

I ship 12x16 magazine pages with a front mat board, and I use something similar to these: http://www.amazon.com/Quality-Sealed-Air-Padded-SEL86027/dp/B0006HVNNA

Mine's a little different since the mat board gives a bit of extra sturdiness, but these are stiffer than regular padded envelopes. Nothing I have sent so far has gotten bent.

$89 and the toner lasts FOREVER

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-L2340DW-Printing-Wireless-Networking/dp/B00LZS5EEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417802121&sr=8-1&keywords=brother+laser+printer

& These $20 for 200 labels
http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-5044/Laser-Labels/Laser-Labels-White-8-1-2-x-5-1-2?FromMyFavoriteItems=Y

The labels are the standard half-sheet size labels generated by Etsy shipping and Paypal multi-order shipping.

It's just a home-office style laser printer/copier, nothing fancy at all. An older version of this Canon, I think: http://amzn.com/B008YD1V08

And here's the adhesive I bought: http://amzn.com/B000JGQM1Q

Expect to have really sticky fingers and waste the first page you try to sticker-ize - even after reading the instructions, it took me a couple pages to get the hang of it!

So, I know you specified that you want a cheap method, but I'm putting this out there for others that are reading as well. A DYMO thermal printer & the labels are so easy to use and they save me a ton of time. After I finally stopped hand-writing addresses on each envelope, I tried the print & tape method but it's inefficient and a pain in my ass.

Having had much frustration in the past with laser printers I was hesitant, but the little DYMO has led me to once again have faith in printers. It is thermal, so there's no ink allowing you to print and stick immediately.
No I don't work for DYMO. I'm sure there are other thermal printers that work just fine but this is the only one I've used. Labels are affordable as well.

Side note: If you aren't printing labels through Etsy, you're missing out on postage discounts for national orders. In the US, anyway.