Alchemy is a space on Etsy where buyers can post requests for custom items. Sellers then bid on the opportunity to make the item and win the sale. It’s an opportunity to collaborate with a crafter or artisan to get exactly what you’re seeking.
My Alchemy purchases
As a buyer, I have used the Alchemy process to acquire unique, handmade customised items for my dog walking business, as well as for the wedding favours which I am in the process of creating for my friends’ wedding later this year:
Dog ID tags by Remember Wynn, car window decal by Christina Kosinski Designs, jam jar lid stickers by Alyssa Arts
My Alchemy sales
As a seller, I have successfully bid on numerous requests requiring screen printing of an image onto fabric. I’ve received great feedback on my custom orders & love this aspect of my work. Here are a few of the Alchemy projects I have completed:
Che-style T-shirt with Churchill
T-shirt with Japanese logo
T-shirts for Pet Sitting business
T-shirts for Massage business
T-shirt with Neil Degrasse Tyson
Dr Who T-shirt
Howling wolf T-shirt
Retro film camera toddler T-shirt
If you have a (photographic) image of your own which you would like me to convert & screen print onto an item & would like to place a custom order, please get in touch. As you can see from above, images need not only be of greyhounds, or indeed dogs!
You can see all the custom orders I have completed here.
My top tips for Alchemy bidders
Tempted to try your own hand at Alchemy? Don’t expect all your bids to be accepted – there is a lot of tough competition out there! Around one in four of the bids I submit tend to be accepted, & I’m happy with that. Here are my top tips for successful Alchemy bidding:
- Value your own work & do not undersell yourself – people assume cheap is cheap for a reason! Plus, do you really want to spend your time working for peanuts?
- Be specific in what you can & can’t make e.g. specify sizes, colours, fonts, time frames etc
- Be flexible – give the customer a few options to choose from & state you are happy to work with their ideas
- Highlight any positive feedback you have received on previous (similar) alchemy requests (give a link)
- Give links to similar projects you have completed, whether that be in your sold items or on your blog or wherever.
- Most importantly (I think), work with the customer to create exactly what they want – communicate with them via convo’ / email (whichever they prefer) throughout the whole process, updating them on the status on their order & checking things with them. I like my customers to come away feeling as if they have had as much input into their custom creation as I have.
For further details of how Alchemy requests & bidding work, please see this overview & read the rules. Have fun bringing your own & others’ creative ideas to life!
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