How important is it to have a One-of-a-kind banner?

[Former_Member]

My shop currently offers One-of-a-kind etsy shop banners. When they are sold I remove them from my listing. I'm considering changing my shop to reselling my premade banners for time/financial reasons.

I was wondering how important it is for shop owners to have OOAK banners?

Thanks for your feedback!

[Former_Member]

I think I would be saddened if I found another shop with my same banner I paid for as OOAK. I think if you stated before hand that these banners can be sold over and over, than it's the buyer's choice. I'd start a new line and not use any that have been already sold. Good question! Good luck!

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Very important.
Think branding.

[Former_Member]

Oh no! I wouldn't resell any that were sold previously as OOAK. I think I'm going to try starting a new line and test the waters, thanks Holly!

[Former_Member]

I wouldn't want a banner that anyone else already has, and I wouldn't want someone to be able to use one that I purchased. I agree with Bea. Branding is extremely important and your banner is the first thing buyers see when they visit your shop. It should be as unique as your shop/items.

If you are worried about time and finances, just make sure you are charging enough for the OOAK banners to make it worth your while. And if you do considering reselling certain designs, I would offer them at a lower cost and make it very clear that they will not be OOAK. There are some new shops that may be interested in them just as a way to save money as they are getting started.

[SweetCarolineConfect]

As long as you state that it is a premade banner that may be purchased by another person I dont see what the problem is.
Some people really dont care whether they are OOAK or not.
I personally do, then again I made my own banner (NOT easy to adjust to proper size btw)

[BrushStrokeOrnaments]

It does not really matter that much to me if I'm the only one with a given banner/avatar. Last year I DID purchase a banner set that had been sold several times before I purchased it. Since I had been on etsy for several years and had never run across the banner I was interested in, I decided to purchase it. (I've since moved on and changed my banner/avatar again to something I like even better!) But, for me, buying a one-and-only wasn't that great of an issue.

Maybe you should consider offering both types, but charge a slightly higher fee for those that will never be reused. I'm sure it's important to some, but not everyone. There are many casual sellers/hobbyists on etsy - purchasing an inexpensive premade banner set is the primary goal. Some may not even give it a thought as to if it will be used by someone else.

[DontPanicDesign]

I agree with Kelly. Try offering both and market them differently. I would charge more for OOAK sets. I think your price a bit low for OOAK. I would think there would be a market for people wanting to get started, or as a small hobby, and wouldn't mind that it isn't entirely OOAK because it is quick, easy, professional, and inexpensive.

[Former_Member]

I can't tell you how helpful it is to have other shop owners advice. I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply. Thanks so much!

[WilliamsGiftshop]

I agree with Janessa.
You can have both, if you are very clear about their difference and charge more money for the one of a kinds.

[Former_Member]

If you are reselling (from the new line), there should definitely be a price difference. That said, your current OOAK line is too low IMO!

[Former_Member]

I love your shop and I don't think you are charging enough for a OOAK custom item! You are helping them create their brand and that's important enough for you to get a fair price for your time!
Try doing both - but I would raise both the pricing on the OOAK and the other.
And...be patient, wait a while and see how it goes. You can always lower it later if you need to.
Good luck!

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

I agree that there's room for OOAK and premade banners in your shop. Have you considered creating blog and FB timeline banners for those who want to carry their brand across multiple social networks?

[Former_Member]

Think this is going to be unanimous advice. I would be extremely upset if I purchased a banner from you and then saw another shop with the same banner. It would make the two shops look like they were related in some way, confuse the buyers and take away from a shop's unique identity which is an absolute must on Etsy being there are sooooooomany sellers! A Definite NO-NO!

[BethWold]

I've seen quite a few stores that sell both one-of-a-kind branding, and not one-of-a-kind. As long as you specify which is which, and you definitely should charge quite a bit more for the ooak(since you can't sell them more then once you have to get your hourly rate out of one sale).

That being said, you could possibly offer to "customize" your pre-mades - such as multiple color choices, and maybe different fonts. This reduces the chance that someone will see something exactly like the one they bought. Limit to six colors and two fonts choices or something like that.

I think pre-mades "packages" of banners, facebook timelines, blogs, etc is a great idea too. And you definitely need to charge more for your ooaks.