The CraftStar Gift Baskets and More! Are You In?

Wow!  What a week!  Hiring a PR Company for The CraftStar was the best move we've made!
 
Your items and your shops are being presented to hundreds of magazines, bloggers, news outlets … and we’re seeing the results already with much more coming leading up to the holidays.  I’ll be sending out another email with particular genre requests which magazines have specifically asked for … they are going to be another great opportunity to get YOUR items out there.
 
Several major things happened last week with companies approaching us to work with them … and the one I’m excited to get rolling on now is with Lisa Gal and her companyHollywood Baskets.  Hollywood Baskets isn’t just for the showbiz sector, it’s a very successful gift basket company.  We are going to be working together in providing CraftStar items to the baskets Lisa already sells, and we’re going to create new baskets full of CraftStar items.  To say I’m thrilled with this is an understatement!  This is an opportunity for your shops to get sales for inclusion in the baskets, and further sales from the recipients of the baskets as your cards will be included in each.   Lisa joined me in a LIVE broadcast on Thursday to talk about the potential with this partnership - if you missed it, you can watch it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfh2XtkpGg

Lisa’s company website is:  http://hollywoodbaskets.com/  Check it out so you can get a feel of where we’re going with this!
 
There are a few areas that The CraftStar is low in.  These include: 
 
Baby items (clothes, accessories, toys, etc)
Eco-friendly baby items
Eco-friendly anything suitable for gifts
Edibles: chocolates, etc
Home decor: wall decals (especially for kids and babies)
Pets: toys
Leather goods
 
If YOU have these, PLEASE list them so Lisa can add them to her basket list!  Or if you have friends who sell these items on another site, please let them know about these fabulous new opportunities coming our way, and get them to sign up with The CraftStar!

On Friday, another company approached us.  This was a mind-blower and I can’t wait to tell you more when I get more details.  Working so hard at promoting your items, coming up with creative ways to sell, is all paying off.  We’re being seen, we’re being applauded, and we’re being approached with great opportunities!
 
Another new development we’re testing out:  The CraftStar Boutique Parties.  We’re throwing our first party in a couple of weeks as a test, and if it works, we’ll be going full steam ahead with them.  The way this has worked for this first one: the party thrower went through The CraftStar and choose 15 shops she thinks her friends would want to buy from.  We’ve created a shop for her party, and each seller is sending her an item as an example of their work.  We’ve made a lovely invitation for her to send out digitally and to give out to her friends with links to all the shops.  If this works as we have planned, this will be another great and unique selling opportunity leading up to the holidays.  Parties can be in person or online!  More details to come on this as we see how this one plays out.  (Although it’s still being built, you can see the party set up here: https://www.thecraftstar.com/shopDetails/2369/the-craftstar-boutique-in-a-box-connies-online-party/ )
 
And good luck to everyone tonight! 100 A List Celebrities will be opening their swag bags at The Teen Choice Awards and will find The CraftStar inside them!  Now, if David Beckham happens to search The CraftStar and buys a hat from my shop, I think I’d faint!
 
Until next time … all the best,
 
Bethan and The CraftStar Team

Don't forget to catch our LIVE BROADCASTS - MONDAY and THURSDAYS on The CraftStar (7:30pm EDIT / 4:30pm PDT)!   Please join us LIVE if you can … The CraftStar chatrooms are always buzzing away during these shows!  Introduce yourselves, make new friends and get those contacts building. 
 
We’re constantly updating our Facebook page with news and info … so if you haven’t LIKED us yet, now would be a good time to do that!  https://www.facebook.com/thecraftstar