Craft industry leader Suzanne Scott to deliver workshop

WELLINGTON – May 13, 2015 – All artists, artisans and craftmakers who would like to learn more about selling their products online – particularly through the international Etsy web platform – are urged to sign up for a two-hour workshop that takes place Monday, May 25, from 7-9 p.m. at the Wellington Rural Action Centre.

The Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI and the Wellington Rural Action Centre have hired craft industry leader Suzanne Scott to deliver the training. She will show participants how to join Etsy, how to upload photos and information about the products they wish to sell, how to promote their wares and how to complete online transactions.

Since 2010, Scott has used the popular online marketplace Etsy and social media to increase overall sales of her family business, Village Pottery, by 40 per cent. She is team captain of the Etsy Artisans of PEI Team and head event organizer for the Etsy Pop Up Markets. She serves as a liaison with Etsy Canada, working to form a partnership with crafts councils in Canada and Etsy. She is also a consultant for craftspeople looking to increase their online presence as well as a keynote speaker and trainer for several craft related events (such as the PEI Buyers Market and the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design’s Creative Economy Conference).

Scott is the president of the PEI Crafts Council and manages its social media networks and communications. She is a former Canadian Craft Federation board member and is a communications officer for Craft Year 2015, a yearlong, nation-wide event to promote the craft sector in Canada.
The 10-year-old Etsy is a marketplace where people around the world connect, both online and offline, to make, sell and buy unique goods. It currently has 1.4 million active sellers and 19.8 million active buyers.

Last year, people bought goods for $1.93 billion through this web platform. The multilingual site offers members the opportunity to participate in internal communities or teams, such as the Etsy Artisans of PEI discussion forum. The New York-based company has offices around the world, including one in Toronto. Staff help provide support to sellers and buyers.

The company charges a fee of 20 cents US for each item listed as well as a 3.5 per cent fee for sales completed on the website in exchange for its many services.

Registration for the two-hour course is $20 per person. Space is limited so those interested in participating should sign up right away by contacting Ève-Alexandra St-Laurent at (902) 854-3439, Ext. 228, or eve@rdeeipe.org. Registration deadline is May 21.

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CUTLINE: Suzanne Scott, captain of the Etsy Artisans of PEI Team, will deliver a two-hour workshop on the use of the Etsy online platform for artists and artisans to sell their wares May 25th in Wellington.

 

For more information:

Ève-Alexandra St-Laurent
Development officer
Wellington Rural Action Centre
(902) 854-3439, Ext. 228
eve@rdeeipe.org