Hi Gary--I am also a little mystified by this critique team. I too have had a post for a critique and have heard zip. Hint, Hint...if anyone would like to critique my painting, I would really appreciate it.
I, on the other hand, love doing critiques! That is why I joined-- I looked at your items. They are very nice, and as someone who has done quite a bit of wood work, can appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into the sanding, scraping, priming, painting etc.
The problem that I found in doing hand painted woodwork is that rarely did I ever get the price that justified all of the hours that I put into it.
I have also found on Etsy, that in my experience, shoppers like lower priced items. If a person saw your items in a gallery, they would not bat an eye at the price. But it seems like sellers on Etsy have to price pretty low. Have you tried approaching boutiques and shops that specialize in high end decorating items? I did great in those venues when I did wood working.
Also, while I do like the traditional lines of your items, I wonder if you went a little wild with your "pegs" if that would help attract interest, and maybe help you to get a higher price. Could you keep an eye out for unusual things to use in place of the pegs? Like old antique door knobs, pieces of hardware, antique hooks, etc? Something to set your creations apart from everyone else? Just a suggestion.
And also, keep posting other items to fill up your shop. Don't give up--if Etsy is slow or turns out not to be a place that you sell a lot, use it as your website. Try different ways of selling like galleries, boutiques. Follow your passion.
