Marmalead on Etsy, national heat wave slowing sales, typical

Now this is getting me pumped up. The web girl just signed me into 'Google My Business' 2 days ago. This opens me up to more exposure some how.

This has never happened, Etsy traffic from my website. (the website refers clients to Etsy for E-commerce). The machine is coming alive.

12 inflows from firepitsatlanta.com traffic just yesterday when she signed me up. Rutrow, may be time to get real busy. These are productive in flows.

3rd weekend in a row with record views. The purple line(listing views) averaged 75 in 2016. Also 2017. Looks like 120 is new average. Sales still proportionate to views.
I am renewing all 20 ads on Friday @ total cost of $4. Have cut back promoted listing payments to $2/day @ 10 cents per click.
April and May is normally flat.
Still sold on Marmalead application.

My wife's shop of mixed products is experiencing similar results after application.
She canned a lot of tag words and has rebuilt her tags on the Marmalead grading system.
It took her a long time to redo her varied listings. But her tag pool is improved and reusable with not much future effort.

What is A/B test ? Click rate and ads and cost per click messes me up. Next subject to learn.

20 kits at $450 !! $4.50 or $450 ? That's too much money lol. Shame you could not have that kit manufactured. Guess you thought about it.
And just to injection mold a part starts at $40,000. Manufacturing is expensive.
That experience would be a heart breaker.

I tell you what is weird(or frightening). My website only get 15 visits a day. So few. A small percentage of Etsy visits. Like 2-5%. But a third of sales.
And most of the sales are within 70 miles of Boston go figure. No idea why. But What is the potential ?
Unfortunately fire pits are heavy and awkward. I wish I had a small widget. The widget means nothing, the fascination of internet sales blows me away.

Your above story is sad. It bothers me. I fear too much almost as much as too little. You can always turn a website off though.
The political arrangement you faced would raise my anxiety too. I like my security level though it is not near as a potential money maker as your situation lest I hired help.
Really trying to keep it low profile and metered for my lifestyle. Almost where I want it.

That Wicked edge is a mean sharpening device. super sharp knives are rare around here. Looks like real quality, I see why you pursued it.
Again, I do like manufacturing my own product. It is fairly safe. People do funny stuff over money. Lots of money made backstabbing. No pride in screwing people.

My friend Steve is an electrical engineer and makes the finest products as a contractor. Makes his clients fortunes. He is anti marketing. Hates sales.
Has let so many royalties slip thru his hands. Angers me. They take advantage of him. If he just asked for 1% he would be wealthy many times over. Some of them would have allowed a royalty, sure of it.

I will guess B) was the home run. Thanks for the explanations. I do pay attention. I like the test. Nothing like real world test.

Vendors. Yes, one of the biggest concerns. Plants were easy other than competition from other growers and price cutting.
Hard goods another animal. My plant biz is failing this year because one of my long time competitors is price cutting lower than I care to grow.
First year in 26 years. I hope this Charleston Aquatic Nurserie's plants can handle our cooler Atlanta weather.
Their exotics do well on the coast. Seen this cycle over and over(fancy plants that are sold in the wrong habitat). Easy temptation. Then the customers start complaining. Ole Jim will bale them out next year.
I know my clients will have some problems but they are the ones saving a dollar here and there. Allowing an employee do the purchasing.
I will not be sympathetic after throwing away all the stock I grew for them. I have my pits now.
I'll drop that plant biz in a New York. Don't F with me in this area. I am very loyal. Know my stuff and client's well being.
I am heart broken but also very happy. I have a contract on Lake George property. Property is finally moving after 8 years. the income from that sale will change our financial status. Like retirement.
That is one of the most primeval places I have ever been on Mother Earth. Mammals to moccasins, never a dull moment. Wicked weather. Crazy ass people.
I am anxious to have my springs and early summers back after 26 years. Long hours doing plants at that time. The pits are easy and passive.

Thanks. Had I played my cards right in 2007 I would have long been retired. Lots of real estate war stories back at that time.

When I was old enough to drive I found a site where some electrical company had left thousands of ceramic(aluminum oxide) pipes about 8 inches long, 3/4" diameter.

I drilled a plaque of wood for a base at like 30 degree angles and made knife sharpeners out of them. They were only good for fine edge work as the were 800-1000 grit.
I took them to gun shops and sold a bunch of them. They would put a razor on an already sharp knife, the gun shop owners were impressed.

I am sure you are aware of the two ceramic rods set at an angle, I simply copied theirs.

The Wicked edge does it right by using diamond and doing grit steps. You need coarser grit for most knife edge situations.
With all the oversea diamond components I would think you could come up with a version similar to Wicked Edge.

ceramic insulators similar to these:

Yep. Sharp is safer in many ways until you make a goof. I wondered how sharp sharp can be. A fine test if it will shave hair on your arm.
1 micron is a polish, scary.

Those ceramics would shave some hair. I have had new knives easily shave all hair. Sharp is difficult to define-where does it stop ?

One of those parameters that is limited only by molecules. The bottom line is purely the ability of the sharpening tool.
Fishing hooks is another sharp that counts. Effects catching big time.

The shop manager of southerngrind.com/our-blades/ picked up a custom made fire pit yesterday.
They have water jet machines to assist making their knives. Some real high tech stuff going on.
I should have asked him what sharpener he recommends.

Nothing is simple anymore. Maybe that machine would assist making your own sharpener.
Sharpeners seems to be the high demand item.